Path of the Extra

The saddest part was that Azriel and Freya didn't dislike each other out of simple animosity—it was because they knew, deep down, they couldn't trust one another.

Each was aware that the other would seize any opportunity to exploit the situation, just as Azriel had done before.

Freya eventually sighed, tapping her fingers on the armrest.

"What's done is done, I suppose... You did well, my prince."

Azriel looked slightly surprised by the sudden acknowledgment, watching as Freya turned her head toward the entrance of the tenth.

"Do you know what I want?" she asked.

"I imagine you must have an idea."

Azriel looked at her quietly before responding in a soft voice.

"...A true hero."

'So, he does know.'

Freya's lips curved slightly—a rare sight that could have captivated anyone entering the tenth at that moment.

"Indeed, a true hero," she said.

"This incident has shown me who runs from danger and who charges toward it, who leads and who follows, who is capable and who isn't. Before all this, I thought I knew the answer... and that answer was you. But now..."

Azriel smiled, his gaze now fixed on the entrance.

"You've set your sights on Lumine, haven't you?"

Freya nodded, her thoughts racing.

'How did he get so strong? No matter how much I tried to dig into his past, there was nothing—no records of battles or major fights. Could his talent really be that immense?'

"Before my fight with Instructor Benson, I watched the cadets—each and every one of them."

Freya's eyes widened slightly—a rare reaction—as she turned to Azriel, who remained focused on the entrance.

"This year is truly talented. It makes me wonder if my years spent in the void realm were wasted. Perhaps it should've been them instead."

'Is he feeling... insecure?'

Though surprised, Freya understood what he meant.

Two years in the void realm—fighting, surviving—yet he rose only to a Grade 3 Intermediate.

'But then again, he had no formal training, no notable achievements at the time. He was young and yet… he survived. Came out stronger.'

Freya considered offering words of support, but their relationship was too complex for that.

"Princess Celestina's fight against the Dark King was... underwhelming," Azriel remarked.

"She already has experience, but she was also overwhelming in sheer power. If she grows, most won't stand a chance against her."

That was, of course, if she learned to control her [Unique Skill].

Freya and the others didn't know, but Azriel did.

Celestina avoided using her [Unique Skill] out of fear she might lose control.

But if she ever mastered it... the thought both terrified and excited Azriel.

"Cadet Lumine has an affinity for fire, though I suspect he may have a dual—or even multiple—affinities."

"...!"

Freya's eyes opened fully, her shock apparent.

'More than two affinities!?'

If true, Lumine would be the first human to possess such power.

"Cadet Yelena has an affinity for mana manipulation, shaping it to her will. As for Cadet Vergil… I'm uncertain. His affinity seems related to the mind, at the very least."

Azriel didn't stop.

One by one, he recounted the abilities of the cadets he had observed.

Freya listened quietly, recognizing the value of this information.

Finally, Azriel turned toward her.

"You want a true hero. Someone to nurture, someone who can lead us to victory in a battle we are doomed to lose..."

Freya's breath caught.

'He knows...!'

Of course, he did.

'He has been to the undiscovered parts of the void realm...'

Who knew what secrets he had uncovered there?

Azriel's eyes were clear as he spoke.

"Become Lumine's mentor."

Freya blinked, processing his words.

"If you want a true hero," Azriel continued, "you have to train him. He's risen to this level on his own. Imagine how much more he could achieve with someone like you guiding him. Not just Lumine, but Yelena as well. Celestina has her own path to walk as a princess and a hero. After all of this, she'll undoubtedly work on herself.

We should leave her to it."

Freya found herself unable to argue.

Azriel was right.

If she took Lumine and perhaps Yelena under her wing, they would soar to new heights.

With the Tournament of the Greats approaching, someone like Lumine might even win the first-year bracket.

'I can't waste this opportunity.'

Freya thought, turning back to those scarlet eyes of his.

"And what about you?" she asked.

Though they weren't on the best terms, if Azriel asked her to mentor him as well, Freya would accept.

He was vital to the future—prince or not—and undeniably talented.

'Besides, I have heard he's never had anyone properly train him. Everything he's done has almost been self-taught.'

Even though Azriel had defeated Benson, a man ranked higher than himself, there was still room for improvement—especially considering the state in which he had emerged from the Void Dungeon.

Azriel looked briefly surprised before breaking into a smile.

"Me? Oh, I'll be training a lot from now on. You don't have to worry about me getting involved with another terrorist organization."

'That's a relief...'

Freya sighed in quiet amusement. Had he come to her the next day announcing another terrorist threat, she might've strangled him on the spot.

"Do you want me to mentor you as well?"

Azriel's smile turned grateful as he shook his head.

"Thank you for the offer, but... I already have someone in mind."

He glanced back at the entrance, his smile turning sad.

"If I can find her... and if she's not mad at me anymore, that is."

*****

Azriel stared at the entrance, where Freya had left moments ago, the silence in the room settling back in.

Even though everything was finally over, his thoughts lingered on how close it had all come to collapsing.

'If Zoran hadn't been so obsessed with preserving the second floor, Solomon would've had a much harder time.'

There was even a chance Solomon might've lost—especially with Zoran having consumed the blood of a Voidwalker.

But Zoran had made a crucial mistake. One he wasn't even aware of.

He had challenged Solomon to a battle of [Soul Domain].

Azriel sighed, flexing his right hand, watching it move as if nothing had happened.

It was restored, yet there was a strange, lingering sensation.

He was about to rise from the bed when his body froze, eyes widening as a series of panels blinked into existence before him.

[ • Main Event Completed: Birth of Genesis.]

[ • Main Quest Failed: Defeat and capture the leader.]

[ • Side Quest Failed: Defeat and capture the leader's allies.]

[ • Side Quest Failed: Prevent any cadets from dying in the Void Dungeon.]

[ • Performance evaluation: Horribl—r̴͕̆̄̓̽̾r̷͇̲̿̐͂͠ơ̵̘̌͝r̴̢̗̈̉͐̾͒!̴̛̛̦̤ ̶̯̰̆͛̌̕͝e̶̗͖̽͐̋͝͝r̴̛̝̒̌r̵̬̈̀̑̈ͅo̴̳̲̽͑̄r̸͎͚̈́̌͝!̶͕̠̹̉͝ ̶̟̿̾̕̕e̷̦͖̐͌̔r̷̛̤̻͖̈́̏͝r̶͉̩͌́́̇ͅȍ̷̘̼̐́̿̿r̶̘͆̎̽!̵̥͌̉̒̈̕!̴̛͗̈̊͜͝!̶̡̌̎̇!̶̠̆̽́!] Discover new worlds on -mpyr.

[Error! Error! Error!]

: [A change has occurred in the main event.]

: [A change has occurred in the main quest.]

: [A change has occurred in the side quests.]

: [Reevaluating host actions.]

: [Reevaluating main event difficulty.]

: [Error! Unable to evaluate host actions before the start of the main event.]

: [Host has made unpredictable changes to the timeline.]

: [r̴͕̆̄̓̽̾r̷͇̲̿̐͂͠ơ̵̘̌͝r̴̢̗̈̉͐̾͒!̴̛̛̦̤ ̶̯̰̆͛̌̕͝e̶̗͖̽͐̋͝͝r̴̛̝̒̌r̵̬̈̀̑̈ͅo̴̳̲̽͑̄r̸͎͚̈́̌͝!̶͕̠̹̉͝ ̶̟̿̾̕̕e̷̦͖̐͌̔r̷̛̤̻͖̈́̏͝r̶͉̩͌́́̇ͅȍ̷̘̼̐́̿̿r̶̘͆̎̽!̵̥͌̉̒̈̕!̴̛͗̈̊͜͝!̶̡̌̎̇!̶̠̆̽́ has interfered with the system.]

: [r̴͕̆̄̓̽̾r̷͇̲̿̐͂͠ơ̵̘̌͝r̴̢̗̈̉͐̾͒!̴̛̛̦̤ ̶̯̰̆͛̌̕͝e̶̗͖̽͐̋͝͝r̴̛̝̒̌r̵̬̈̀̑̈ͅo̴̳̲̽͑̄r̸͎͚̈́̌͝!̶͕̠̹̉͝ ̶̟̿̾̕̕e̷̦͖̐͌̔r̷̛̤̻͖̈́̏͝r̶͉̩͌́́̇ͅȍ̷̘̼̐́̿̿r̶̘͆̎̽!̵̥͌̉̒̈̕!̴̛͗̈̊͜͝!̶̡̌̎̇!̶̠̆̽́ has interfered with r̴͕̆̄̓̽̾r̷͇̲̿̐͂͠ơ̵̘̌͝r̴̢̗̈̉͐̾͒!̴̛̛̦̤ ̶̯̰̆͛̌̕͝e̶̗͖̽͐̋͝͝r̴̛̝̒̌r̵̬̈̀̑̈ͅo̴̳̲̽͑̄r̸͎͚̈́̌͝!̶͕̠̹̉͝ ̶̟̿̾̕̕e̷̦͖̐͌̔r̷̛̤̻͖̈́̏͝r̶͉̩͌́́̇ͅȍ̷̘̼̐́̿̿r̶̘͆̎̽!̵̥͌̉̒̈̕!̴̛͗̈̊͜͝!̶̡̌̎̇!̶̠̆̽́.]

[r̴͕̆̄̓̽̾r̷͇̲̿̐͂͠ơ̵̘̌͝r̴̢̗̈̉͐̾͒!̴̛̛̦̤ ̶̯̰̆͛̌̕͝e̶̗͖̽͐̋͝͝r̴̛̝̒̌r̵̬̈̀̑̈ͅo̴̳̲̽͑̄r̸͎͚̈́̌͝!̶͕̠̹̉͝ ̶̟̿̾̕̕e̷̦͖̐͌̔r̷̛̤̻͖̈́̏͝r̶͉̩͌́́̇ͅȍ̷̘̼̐́̿̿r̶̘͆̎̽!̵̥͌̉̒̈̕!̴̛͗̈̊͜͝!̶̡̌̎̇!̶̠̆̽́]

Azriel's breath caught in his throat as the panels flashed before him, too fast to process. He could barely keep up.

'...This is definitely not what I expected..!'

: [Main quest has been altered by r̴͕̆̄̓̽̾r̷͇̲̿̐͂͠ơ̵̘̌͝r̴̢̗̈̉͐̾͒!̴̛̛̦̤ ̶̯̰̆͛̌̕͝e̶̗͖̽͐̋͝͝r̴̛̝̒̌r̵̬̈̀̑̈ͅo̴̳̲̽͑̄r̸͎͚̈́̌͝!̶͕̠̹̉͝ ̶̟̿̾̕̕e̷̦͖̐͌̔r̷̛̤̻͖̈́̏͝r̶͉̩͌́́̇ͅȍ̷̘̼̐́̿̿r̶̘͆̎̽!̵̥͌̉̒̈̕!̴̛͗̈̊͜͝!̶̡̌̎̇!̶̠̆̽́.]

: [Side quests have been altered by r̴͕̆̄̓̽̾r̷͇̲̿̐͂͠ơ̵̘̌͝r̴̢̗̈̉͐̾͒!̴̛̛̦̤ ̶̯̰̆͛̌̕͝e̶̗͖̽͐̋͝͝r̴̛̝̒̌r̵̬̈̀̑̈ͅo̴̳̲̽͑̄r̸͎͚̈́̌͝!̶͕̠̹̉͝ ̶̟̿̾̕̕e̷̦͖̐͌̔r̷̛̤̻͖̈́̏͝r̶͉̩͌́́̇ͅȍ̷̘̼̐́̿̿r̶̘͆̎̽!̵̥͌̉̒̈̕!̴̛͗̈̊͜͝!̶̡̌̎̇!̶̠̆̽́.]

: [Performance has been reevaluated by r̴͕̆̄̓̽̾r̷͇̲̿̐͂͠ơ̵̘̌͝r̴̢̗̈̉͐̾͒!̴̛̛̦̤ ̶̯̰̆͛̌̕͝e̶̗͖̽͐̋͝͝r̴̛̝̒̌r̵̬̈̀̑̈ͅo̴̳̲̽͑̄r̸͎͚̈́̌͝!̶͕̠̹̉͝ ̶̟̿̾̕̕e̷̦͖̐͌̔r̷̛̤̻͖̈́̏͝r̶͉̩͌́́̇ͅȍ̷̘̼̐́̿̿r̶̘͆̎̽!̵̥͌̉̒̈̕!̴̛͗̈̊͜͝!̶̡̌̎̇!̶̠̆̽́.]

: [r̴͕̆̄̓̽̾r̷͇̲̿̐͂͠ơ̵̘̌͝r̴̢̗̈̉͐̾͒!̴̛̛̦̤ ̶̯̰̆͛̌̕͝e̶̗͖̽͐̋͝͝r̴̛̝̒̌r̵̬̈̀̑̈ͅo̴̳̲̽͑̄r̸͎͚̈́̌͝!̶͕̠̹̉͝ ̶̟̿̾̕̕e̷̦͖̐͌̔r̷̛̤̻͖̈́̏͝r̶͉̩͌́́̇ͅȍ̷̘̼̐́̿̿r̶̘͆̎̽!̵̥͌̉̒̈̕!̴̛͗̈̊͜͝!̶̡̌̎̇!̶̠̆̽́ is attempting to communicate with host.]

: [Error! Unable to communi—attempt successful.]

: [REMEMBER.]

"…!"

Azriel inhaled sharply, goosebumps rising across his skin as a wave of cold dread swept through him. His throat felt dry, his body frozen in place. The word on the screen burned into his vision.

: [A change has occurred in the timeline.]

: [System granted by r̴͕̆̄̓̽̾r̷͇̲̿̐͂͠ơ̵̘̌͝r̴̢̗̈̉͐̾͒!̴̛̛̦̤ ̶̯̰̆͛̌̕͝e̶̗͖̽͐̋͝͝r̴̛̝̒̌r̵̬̈̀̑̈ͅo̴̳̲̽͑̄r̸͎͚̈́̌͝!̶͕̠̹̉͝ ̶̟̿̾̕̕e̷̦͖̐͌̔r̷̛̤̻͖̈́̏͝r̶͉̩͌́́̇ͅȍ̷̘̼̐́̿̿r̶̘͆̎̽!̵̥͌̉̒̈̕!̴̛͗̈̊͜͝!̶̡̌̎̇!̶̠̆̽́ will shut down after evaluation by r̴͕̆̄̓̽̾r̷͇̲̿̐͂͠ơ̵̘̌͝r̴̢̗̈̉͐̾͒!̴̛̛̦̤ ̶̯̰̆͛̌̕͝e̶̗͖̽͐̋͝͝r̴̛̝̒̌r̵̬̈̀̑̈ͅo̴̳̲̽͑̄r̸͎͚̈́̌͝!̶͕̠̹̉͝ ̶̟̿̾̕̕e̷̦͖̐͌̔r̷̛̤̻͖̈́̏͝r̶͉̩͌́́̇ͅȍ̷̘̼̐́̿̿r̶̘͆̎̽!̵̥͌̉̒̈̕!̴̛͗̈̊͜͝!̶̡̌̎̇!̶̠̆̽́.]

: [...It was nice knowing you, however brief.]

'What...?'

Azriel's mind went blank as more panels erupted before his eyes. The sheer volume overwhelmed him, each message adding to the chaos swirling in his head.

[ • Main Quest Completed: Defeat the Apostle of Ruin, Zoran.]

[ • Side Quest Completed: Defeat the leader, Benson, and his allies.]

[ • Performance evaluation: Dazzling!]

-> [Your actions have shattered the timeline in one swift move!]

-> [Keep your friends close, but your enemies closer! Not even the esteemed Saint Freya suspected Instructor Benson's treachery, yet you deceived them all.]

-> [Instructor Kevin, an innocent man, wasn't even spared from the son of death's judgment. How treacherous!]

-> [Not even the wrath of the Void Dungeon deterred you. A Cradler couldn't make you back down.]

-> [Benson and his allies fell one by one, slaughtered by the son of death. Your disgraceful actions were… magnificent!]

-> [Not even the son of Ruin anticipated how patiently you orchestrated his downfall. In death, even ruin cannot escape. Family means nothing to you! Astounding!]

[ • Event Experience: 30% gained.]

-> [Mana Core Level 2: [0%————————[64%]——————100%]]

Azriel felt like he was floating, euphoria flooding every part of his body as an electric pulse of energy surged through him.

[ • Quest Reward: Staying alive!]

: [System will now shut down.]

: [Status updated!]

: [...Goodbye.]

He blinked, staring at the last panel.

After what seemed like an eternity, piecing together the whirlwind of information he'd just witnessed, a hollow laugh escaped his lips.

"This… What am I supposed to say about this?"