Path of the Extra

Azriel leaned his back against the wall, basking in the gentle warmth of the morning sun. Around him, the townspeople began opening their doors, stepping cautiously into the new day. Standing outside the inn, Azriel held the [Crazy Flask] loosely in his right hand, his gaze fixed on the feather drifting lazily before him, dressed only in a single black robe.

He reached out with his free hand, attempting to grasp the elusive feather, but it effortlessly dodged his fingers. Clicking his tongue in irritation, Azriel muttered under his breath,

“You would have made more sense as my soul echo rather than my soul weapon.”

After all…

[Said to have once been the final feather of a divine bird that mocked the gods—cursed to never sing again, only obeying the whistles of the one soul worthy of its arrogance. Many had tried to control it; all were ignored or torn apart, as it laughed.]

Azriel’s expression darkened as he reflected upon the description of his newly acquired soul weapon. It was undoubtedly unique. Though he knew the type of soul weapon one received from killing a creature with a mana core could often be random, this particular one felt… deliberate. Azriel doubted it came from any of the beings within the Forest of Eternity. No—this feather felt different. Special.

If anyone else had obtained it, Azriel might have thought it a pivotal moment straight from the pages of the book, revealing some of the hidden mysteries. But deep inside, he sensed Pollux’s involvement.

A gift perhaps, or something more sinister from Pollux himself.

It couldn’t have originated from killing Lady Mio; Azriel was certain of that.

Suddenly, breaking his thoughts, the feather abruptly turned mid-air, flying straight at his face and striking his eye with surprising precision before darting swiftly back into the inn.

“Agh!”

Perhaps Pollux had indeed given him this feather solely to torment him further! Gritting his teeth and blinking away the discomfort, Azriel sighed deeply.

“Fucking bird feather… is it trying to blind me…?”

Could it genuinely possess consciousness? How would that even work if it did?

A divine bird—what would such a creature even look like?

Some humans had encountered void creatures that seemed almost divine. Could this creature surpass even those? Or would it appear more terrifyingly beautiful?

At least the feather itself was elegantly white. Despite how irritating the [Annoying Feather] was, Azriel couldn’t deny its mesmerizing beauty. It could easily captivate anyone who laid eyes on it.

Eventually, Azriel’s attention returned to the flask in his hand, and he sighed again, deeper this time.

[Holds infinite alcohol that flows endlessly, replenishing one’s mana completely—but only once every twenty-four hours, and only after a single drink. Discovered by a Grade 2 Abyssal who took one sip and never stopped, forever drunk. No one ever saw it sober again.]

Scratching his head in resignation, he muttered,

“Fate really is a cruel bitch, huh?”

Shaking his head, he twisted the flask open, but as he raised it to his lips, the door swung open.

Azriel paused, turning to see Ranni emerge, clad similarly in a black robe. Her gaze fell instantly upon him, her eyes narrowing coldly as she noticed the open flask.

“What exactly do you think you’re doing, Cadet Azriel?”

Azriel forced an awkward smile.

“…I understand how this looks, but trust me… I really don’t have a choice but to drink.”

“So you admit you’re addicted?”

“I’m not, I swear!”

Her skeptical expression prompted yet another sigh—his twelfth or so that morning—as he summoned Atropos’ Elegy into his free hand.

Ranni’s eyes widened in recognition as Azriel displayed the weapon clearly before her.

“Isn’t that the Desert Eagle that was auctioned off before all of this? I was wondering who would be insane enough to bid billions on such a soul weapon… So, it was you?”

Azriel’s mouth twitched slightly, but he nodded nonetheless.

“I bid on it because I liked the design, but… it actually has several signature skills.”

Ranni raised her eyebrows in curiosity.

“Such as?”

Azriel’s smile widened.

“One of its signature skills is that this gun is chargeable.”

“Chargeable?” she echoed, her eyes widening in realization.

“You mean you channel your own mana into it to amplify its power?”

Azriel nodded silently.

Ranni gazed at the weapon in astonishment, then turned back to Azriel, her expression growing dark.

“Your mana is depleted right now, isn’t it?”

Azriel blinked, then awkwardly averted his gaze.

“…Well, just a bit.”

Her face darkened further.

“You didn’t sleep at all this morning, did you? You spent the entire night charging that gun until your mana was completely drained, and now you’re going to replenish it by drinking from that flask, am I correct?”

Azriel met her gaze seriously and nodded slowly. It was true—since acquiring his own room in the inn, he hadn’t even touched the bed. It had been less than an hour since he’d finished charging the weapon.

Ranni sighed deeply, pressing her hand to her forehead.

“I understand your reasoning, but this isn’t healthy for your body or mind. How many days have you been doing this? This won’t end well.”

Azriel regarded her with a peculiar look.

“Instructor, nothing about this scenario is healthy for our bodies or minds. If you wish for me to stop, then we shouldn’t waste more time. This weapon could very well save both our lives if something unexpected occurs—which, by the way, always does.”

Ranni reluctantly nodded, then made a sudden suggestion.

“Then, starting tomorrow, let me charge the gun and drink from the flask instead.”

Azriel immediately shook his head.

“The gun can only be charged by its owner. Besides, you’ve never drunk alcohol before, have you? The flask’s alcohol works instantly, even if you’re a saint. You’d experience drunkenness just like a normal human would.”

Ranni shot a hateful glare at the flask, muttering something inaudible before finally nodding.

“Fine, let’s get going. Wait—where exactly are we headed?”

Azriel quickly drank from the flask, causing Ranni to grimace slightly, before both the flask and Desert Eagle vanished from his hands. It tasted more like apple juice than alcohol, if Azriel was honest.

“You mentioned fighting void creatures, didn’t you? Dozens of them? I overheard there was a void rift that opened nearby recently.”

Ranni nodded, still confused.

“Yes, a void rift appeared in the forest beyond that massive wall—the Endless Forest.”

Azriel turned his gaze toward the enormous stone wall looming in the distance. This town was situated right at the border.

Ranni continued softly,

“They say the forest is cursed; anyone who enters it wanders eternally. They call it the Forest of Eternity. Yet, according to the townspeople, void creatures have begun emerging once again. Void rifts are opening. I’ve also heard there’s a village hidden within, untouched by the curse and independent of this kingdom. I searched for it myself, even venturing deep into the Forest of Eternity, but found only void creatures.”

’A void rift opening… Pollux did mention the Forest of Eternity functions like a black hole, so it could pull real void rifts directly into this fabricated world. And this time, no spell is causing an endless nightmare to trap them…’

Azriel rubbed his temples briefly, feeling a headache forming. Even he still didn’t fully understand how it all worked.

’Wait…’

Frowning, he turned to Ranni.

“You were desperate enough to risk your life in that forest? What if the rumours were true and you’d been trapped there forever? I never expected such recklessness from you, Instructor.”

Ranni looked away, shame coloring her features.

“…I had no choice. I’m running out of options for finding a cure.”

“A cure?”

Ranni glanced at him, realizing he didn’t know.

“Right, you’re unaware. I’m searching for a cure for Cadet Yelena.”

“…Why?”

“On our first day in this scenario, Cadets Lumine and Yelena were attacked by a High Commander from the Revolutionary Army, an irregular yet highly dangerous group. Thankfully, due to Cadet Vergil’s intervention, Cadet Celestina and I arrived in time. However, Cadet Yelena has inexplicably been in a coma ever since. No one understands why—not even Cadet Celestina’s healing magic can help. The attacker, known as ’The Plague,’ is elusive, and he always manages to escape from me since I need to capture him alive instead of dead.”

Azriel brought his fingers thoughtfully to his chin.

’So that’s why Yelena hasn’t moved on the map—she’s been unconscious this entire time.’

Azriel looked at Ranni carefully.

“I can’t guarantee the village has the cure for Yelena, but that’s precisely where we’re headed now.”

Ranni looked perplexed.

“Why there?”

Wait, how did he even know where the village was?

Azriel glanced toward the distant colossal wall, then summoned a red notebook, handing it to Ranni. She took it with confusion.

“Because that’s where a member of FreeWings currently is.”

Ranni’s eyes instantly widened in shock as she gripped the notebook.

“How do you even know that…?”

Azriel smiled softly.

“I suppose amidst everything we discussed, we forgot to talk about where I’ve been all this time.”

Meeting her stunned expression, he continued calmly,

“Instructor, we must have narrowly missed each other. Because this entire time—I was in the Forest of Eternity.”