Path of the Extra

Azriel stepped cautiously away from the black hole, his senses overwhelmed by the atmosphere around him.

The air was thick and heavy, tinged with a faint metallic tang that clung to the back of his throat.

The light was dim, filtering through a perpetual haze that seemed to hang in the air like a shroud.

Massive columns lined the walls, their surfaces worn and cracked, yet they still bore faint traces of ancient carvings, now barely discernible.

These towering pillars stretched upward into the darkness, disappearing into the shadowy abyss above.

Ahead, a long corridor extended into the gloom, flanked by statues of armored figures.

Their faces were chipped away by time, their weapons dulled and corroded, yet their stances remained imposing, as if they were still vigilant guardians of this forsaken place.

The walls on either side were etched with faded murals depicting scenes of battle, conquest, and something more—rituals, perhaps—but the details were seemingly lost to the relentless decay of time.

The ground beneath his feet was uneven, littered with rubble and the occasional remnants of shattered pottery or fragments of bone, which crunched with each step.

Above, the ceiling was swallowed by darkness, though Azriel could just make out the edges of what might have once been grand archways or domes, now crumbling and worn, their former grandeur reduced to dust and ruin.

The entire place reeked of forgotten history, a lingering sense of something once mighty now brought low for some reason...

"Welcome to the first floor."

Jasmine's voice broke the silence, her tone laced with amusement as she watched his reaction.

She couldn't blame him, nor the other students who were beginning to rise, their expressions mirroring Azriel's awe.

The Void Dungeon was a place that defied explanation; no recordings or pictures could be taken here, and there was no signal to reach anyone on the surface once inside.

The dungeon existed in its own isolated world.

"It certainly is massive."

"It is."

Tearing his gaze away from the awe-inspiring surroundings to focus on the cadets and instructors.

The instructors had already moved to the back, clearly intending to let the students take the lead, while the cadets were still transfixed by the scene before them.

But something in the darkness ahead caught Azriel's attention.

"My dear sister—"

"Nope, nope! I can't hear you. Nu-uh, I'm just a guide here."

Jasmine cut him off with a playful grin, leaning casually against the wall before sliding down to sit.

Azriel's lips twitched in irritation.

'As if you're going to act like a proper guide!'

He thought, knowing full well that Jasmine would likely enjoy watching him figure things out on his own.

Skritch—!

A sound pierced through the heavy silence, like nails scraping against an unseen surface in the darkness of the corridor.

The only light they had came from the torches scattered, but there were none in that stretch of the corridor.

Skritch—!

Azriel's pulse quickened at the second, more pronounced sound.

It was an unsettling, almost metallic scrape that seemed to crawl across his nerves.

He glanced around and noticed he wasn't alone in his apprehension.

Celestina and Lumine exchanged troubled looks, their brows furrowed in confusion.

They moved closer to him.

"What is that sound?"

Celestina's voice was a mix of curiosity and concern.

Azriel shook his head in response.

"I don't know."

Skritch—!

Skritch—!

The sound grew louder, more insistent.

Other cadets began to notice as well, their faces turning pale, eyes darting nervously.

"What the hell is that?"

"Don't tell me it's a void creature."

"Already…?"

Skritch—!

Skritch—!

The scraping was relentless now, increasing in volume and frequency.

The noise grated on their nerves, growing more and more irritating with each passing moment.

The atmosphere grew thick with tension as the sound seemed to close in on them.

.

.

Skritch—!

.

.

Skritch—!

.

.

Skritch—!

.

.

Then, as suddenly as it had started, the sound stopped.

A suffocating silence fell over the corridor, broken only by the faint echo of their own breathing.

Azriel squinted into the darkness ahead, trying to pierce through the oppressive gloom. He could see nothing but shadows.

'What is going on here?'

Jasmine remained by one of the ancient statues, her expression unreadable, while the instructors joined her, their own faces masked with unreadable expressions.

It was clear that something was about to happen.

Drip... Drip...!

Azriel's attention snapped down to his feet as something wet splashed onto the floor.

Drip... Drip...!

He looked up, only to see the dark expanse above, unlit by any torches.

Yet water continued to drip steadily from the ceiling.

"Can someone light the ceiling?"

Azriel's voice cut through the tension, directed at one person in particular.

"I can do it,"

Lumine said, stepping forward with a nod.

Celestina and Azriel stepped back, their eyes fixed on Lumine as the other cadets watched with bated breath.

Fizzle...!

A fireball ignited in Lumine's hand, crackling with heat and light.

Swoosh—!

Lumine hurled the fireball toward the ceiling, and the dark space was suddenly illuminated.

Azriel squinted against the sudden brightness.

When his vision adjusted, his eyes widened in horror.

There, clinging to the ceiling with its hands and feet, was a void creature.

Its presence was almost more terrifying in the light.

The creature's eyes, were fixed directly on Azriel, as though it were staring into his very soul.

The sight sent a chill down his spine.

The creature was grotesque—humanoid in shape but with raw, exposed flesh where blood oozed through the gaps in its skin.

It wore a metal mask that covered the lower part of its face, stained with the drool that leaked beneath.

Its long, black nails were sharp and jagged, and its eyes, devoid of any visible pupils, locked onto Azriel with a chilling intensity.

Every muscle in Azriel's body tensed, his instincts screaming to flee, but he couldn't tear his gaze away from the abhorrent creature.

It was the stuff of nightmares, and it was watching him with a predatory hunger.

A low growl emanated from behind the metal mask of the creature, a sound that seemed to reverberate through the very marrow of Azriel's bones.

'Why the hell is it staring at me!?'

Despite the numerous cadets around, its chilling gaze was fixed solely on Azriel.

It seemed like the creature had no interest in the other students, its attention fixed solely on Azriel.

Perhaps it was drawn to him because he was closest to the darkened corridor.

He knew he wasn't the strongest here—not with his sister and the instructors around.

Or maybe it was something as trivial as the creature simply taking a disliking to his face.

Who could say?

The other students were paralyzed, their faces etched with terror at the creature's grotesque form.

Without warning, as if the fireball had ignited its fury, the void creature lunged at Azriel.

Its claw-like hands were poised to slash at his neck, a grotesque blur of movement.

Gritting his teeth, Azriel summoned Void Eater to his right hand, red lightning crackling violently around him.

Crackle—!

'A welcome party from a mere Grade 2 Beast,' he thought bitterly.

Defying expectations, Azriel remained still.

The red lightning coiled around his katana and hand.

With no further warning, he hurled Void Eater at the creature with a speed that defied the normal human eye.

Shlick—!

The blade sliced through the air, piercing the creature's forehead with a sickening crunch.

Its advance was abruptly halted. It crashed to the ground with a heavy thud, landing right at Azriel's feet.

'That was too damn close...'

"Hooo..."

"That..."

"He killed it like it was nothing..."

The cadets, freed from their paralysis, stared in disbelief at the dead creature.

Azriel's face was grim as he gripped Void Eater with both hands.

The katana slipped free with a wet, squelching sound, leaving behind a dark, coagulating trail of blood that pooled and dripped rhythmically onto the floor.

A few couldn't hold back their revulsion and started vomiting at the sight of the blood.

Not everyone here had killed a void creature before; some couldn't handle the sight of a dead body, whether human or not, or the blood.

Before anyone could react any further though, the creature's body began to disintegrate.

White sparkles swirled from the remains before the entire form vanished into nothingness.

All that was left was a single mana core, glinting faintly on the ground.

"...You alright, Azriel?"

Lumine's voice was filled with concern.

"Yeah, I'm fine, thanks."

Azriel responded, offering a small smile.

He was trying to reassure them, though inside he was unsettled.

The act of killing, especially something so disturbingly humanoid, had left him shaken.

He bit his inner cheek, struggling to suppress the nausea that churned in his stomach, as he fought to keep his composure.

'I need to get used to this...'

Skritch—!

The void dungeon seemed to mock his thoughts.

From deeper in the corridor came another ominous sound.

Skritch—!

Skritch—!

Skritch—!

Azriel and the other cadets' faces grew even more grim.

Skritch—!

It didn't seem to be just one void creature this time.