Path of the Extra

A deafening silence followed Freya's words.

Everyone except Solomon and Azriel looked shocked at her.

It was understandable—assigning missions to students was something that normally only happened in the second year, not the first.

"What is the meaning of this, Freya?"

Juliet was the first to break the silence, scowling.

"It's exactly as I said, Juliet. I'm personally assigning Azriel a mission when he goes to the Void Dungeon. We have reason to believe that Neo Genesis will attempt an attack then."

"...!"

Juliet, Salvator, and Ranni all reacted to the news.

"So, they've finally decided to make their move...!"

Salvator furrowed his brows.

"But why Cadet Azriel!? Even if he is the Apex of the first years, the reason missions are only given to second years is because they've already built up enough..."

Juliet trailed off, realizing what she was about to say.

Experience.

Something everyone in the room knew Azriel already had.

"Still... even then, wouldn't a third-year or someone else be more suitable for the mission?"

Juliet wasn't convinced, and Azriel understood her hesitation.

Freya shook her head.

"Unfortunately, I can only trust the people in this room for this mission..."

Ranni narrowed her eyes slightly.

"By trust, do you mean...?"

Freya nodded.

"Yes. There's a high possibility that Neo Genesis has infiltrated the Academy itself."

Freya continued,

"At the Void Dungeon, only Ranni will go with a few other instructors I consider the least suspicious. Solomon, you'll be secretly trailing behind. Make sure no one notices you."

The other instructors seemed displeased, and Salvator spoke up.

"What about our classes? If an attack is imminent, I'd rather be there to prevent any tragedy from happening."

Freya shook her head.

"No. I'll need you and Juliet with me when the attack occurs, to ensure we can eliminate the threat completely."

They seemed reluctant but nodded nonetheless.

The possibility of infiltration within the Academy was extremely dangerous and needed to be addressed when the enemy's guard was down.

"As for you, Cadet Azriel..."

Freya turned her attention to him, who had been listening quietly the entire time.

"You will be responsible for handling the situation inside the Void Dungeon, ensuring the safety of the students until Solomon and Ranni deal with the situation on the surface."

Azriel raised an eyebrow slightly.

"Quite the heavy responsibility on my shoulders, don't you think?"

Though, in truth, it was something he had expected.

Juliet nodded in agreement.

"I concur. What if they encounter a situation that Azriel cannot handle on his own?"

Freya didn't respond immediately, only meeting Azriel's gaze.

He sighed.

"I've already taken measures. As long as Instructor Solomon and Instructor Ranni ensure that no advanced or higher-level threats enter the Void Dungeon during the attack, I should be able to manage."

Juliet furrowed her brows.

"Already taken measures? So you knew about the attack, like Freya... how?"

Azriel smiled slightly.

"That information is classified, Instructor Juliet. If you have an issue with that, you'll have to take it up with the head of the Crimson Clan."

In other words, his father. A challenge she obviously couldn't accept.

She could only click her tongue in frustration, while Solomon stifled a laugh.

"This will be dangerous, but it's also a good opportunity for the students to grow. Cadet Azriel, I expect you to lead them to the fifth floor with the help of the other instructors when the attack happens," Freya continued.

The fifth floor was different from the first four floors—it was a safe zone, meaning no Void creatures would spawn there.

It was also a place where humans had established a town for trade and business.

"This still seems too reckless to me... A lot could go wrong in the Void Dungeon. Even if they come out stronger, they could just as easily lose their lives," Salvator said, still unconvinced.

Freya sighed.

"We don't have a choice. We need to protect the students and civilians both on the surface and within the Void Dungeon. Our resources are stretched thin, and we can't fully trust anyone outside this room. The only advantage we have is that we're prepared—we'll stop their blades mid-swing."

Salvator eventually nodded, though with a solemn expression.

"If that's your decision, I'll follow your orders."

"Gods! The both of you seriously need to calm down! We have the upper hand here, knowing beforehand that they'll attack. Nothing will go wrong."

Solomon urged, trying to ease the tension in Salvator and Juliet, who were visibly on edge.

Ranni, who had been listening quietly, finally spoke up.

"Freya, you mentioned that I'll be dealing with them on the surface alongside Solomon, which means I won't be able to assist the students in the Void Dungeon during the attack, correct?"

Freya didn't respond, but her silence was answer enough, making Ranni bite her lip.

If Azriel and the other instructors could hold off the enemy long enough, either by Salvator, Freya and Juliet clearing up the Academy or by Solomon and Ranni finishing the fight on the surface, they could secure a victory.

But...

How long could they hold out?

Ranni, like Salvator and Juliet, seemed uneasy about the plan.

"Haa... If you three are going to act more afraid than the kid in front of us, who should be the most concerned but isn't... we might as well throw in the towel,"

Solomon said suddenly, causing everyone to snap their heads toward him as he clicked his tongue.

"What? It's not a terrible idea. We could put an end to this right now—eliminate the spies in the Academy, cancel the trip to the Void Dungeon, and prevent any student deaths. We could also alert the four great clans and the government to tighten security around the capital. But doing this would, of course, tip off Neo Genesis that we've discovered their plan.

But hey, at least no one would die, even if we sacrifice our advantage in capturing them."

A tense silence followed Solomon's words. It was clear that he was in a foul mood, frustrated by the others' reluctance to fully embrace the plan.

"Instructor Solomon is right, you know?" Azriel finally broke the silence.

"We won't get another opportunity like this with Neo Genesis. Can we fully trust the instructors who'll be with us in the Void Dungeon? Probably not. Do we have another choice? Yes, we do..."

Juliet and the others looked confused.

"What do you mean by another choice?" Juliet asked.

Azriel smiled slightly.

"Trust your students... instructors."

Their eyes widened slightly at Azriel's words.

"Cadet Lumine, Cadet Vergil, Cadet Kai, Cadet Celestina, Cadet Anastasia, Cadet Yelena... and even the other first-year students. Have you seen so many first years capable of rivaling second-year students? Do you think this happened by some stroke of luck? No, it didn't. They've all reached this point through their own skills.

Time is finally about to move forward again... but it won't if we're too afraid to take risks."

A high-risk, high-reward plan.

Trusting the students and instructors in the Void Dungeon to handle themselves.

Surviving until one of the instructors in this room could reach them.

'Diamonds are formed under pressure... and so will they.'

Freya nodded.

"Azriel is right. We're assuming the worst—that the instructors might betray us—but I highly doubt that. It's just that no one outside this room can be fully trusted like you all here. The Void creatures on the first four floors should be manageable for this year's students, something that any other first-year students wouldn't be able to handle.

Perhaps it's better that this attack happens, to give them a real challenge."

Solomon grinned broadly, pleased by Azriel's and Freya's words, while the others sighed and nodded in agreement.

Azriel smiled slightly as well.

'...A bunch of crazy people here,' he thought, putting the lives of students at risk. But everyone knew that this might be necessary—to show them the true cruelty of the world.

With everyone finally convinced, they began meticulously planning the details, ensuring there were no gaps, no oversights, and that every contingency was accounted for.

If this worked...

They might deliver a devastating blow to Neo Genesis.