Path of the Extra

Azriel looked up in shock toward the frozen rooftop where Nol stood.

All around them, threads stretched through the air—a web so intricate that Azriel couldn't even tell where it began. But he could see where it ended: each strand wound tightly around the demon and the abyssal.

Then, in an instant, the strings binding the abyssal snapped. The ones coiling around the demon erupted into flame. Fire raced outward along the web, until Azriel found himself surrounded by it—a lattice of burning threads.

It was strangely beautiful.

And just as suddenly, the strings melted away, and the fire vanished.

"Woah! Awesome!" Nol's voice rang out, brimming with the joy of a child. He glanced from the demon to the abyssal, then leapt down from the roof and strode toward Azriel.

"Master! This is what you've been doing all this time? This is so cool! Fighting an abyssal and a demon at the same time—you even injured both!"

Azriel stared at Nol, taken aback by the unrestrained excitement in his crimson eyes.

"What… what are you doing here? Weren't you in a village in the south?"

Nol tilted his head, blinking innocently.

"South? Well, I was there yesterday—until Sister told me to look for a village rumored to be somewhere in this forest. So I left immediately, hoping to find what we were looking for quickly. Wait, Master, how did you know I was in a village..? Where have you even been all this time! I couldn't contact you at all! Even my invitations were all met with nothing!"

"Well…"

Azriel's gaze shifted from Nol to the two creatures still watching them.

'They're hesitating.'

"It's complicated," he said simply.

The ground trembled. A distant explosion cracked through the air.

"Woah…" Nol turned toward the sound, eyes widening.

Far in the distance, a column of smoke curled into the sky.

"I would've taken longer to find this village if not for those explosions. Then I saw that huge cloud in the sky split apart—like someone just sliced it! That was so cool! Did you do that, Master?"

Nol raised both arms and mimed a vertical sword slash, trying to imitate the moment.

Azriel coughed lightly.

"No. That was Instructor Ranni—she's fighting a Master… and a Monarch, right now."

Nol froze, then grinned wider.

"…Cool..!"

Fear never crossed his face. If anything, his excitement only deepened.

He glanced back at the demon and abyssal.

"So this is how your fights look like, Master…"

"How my fights looks like?" Azriel echoed.

"Yeah. I don't think anyone's ever actually seen you go all out. Back at the academy, it was a hot topic—how the First Year's apex would fight at full strength. Incredible…"

Azriel frowned, narrowing his eyes—then they suddenly widened.

"Wait… you. You're an Advanced…"

Nol's face lit up instantly, his smile bright and unrestrained as he nodded rapidly, brimming with pride.

"Yep! With the power of cultivation!"

"Cul—cultivation…?"

Azriel's eyes widened again.

"You mean… you became an Advanced just by absorbing the mana in the air?"

Nol nodded enthusiastically.

"Yep, yep! And Sister became an Expert as well! Ah, but so did you—woah, you two really aren't letting the other win! Just when I thought I caught up to you!"

Azriel blinked, still trying to process his words. But before he could ask more, movement caught his eye. The demon was already preparing to lunge toward them, its body shrouded in a mantle of fire.

The abyssal…

'Well, shit…'

It was floating again. From its back, twelve stone-like tails burst forth, each one gripping a jagged longsword of stone rimmed with a faint blue glow.

"Master! Master! What is this feather?!"

Nol made a grab for the annoying feather darting around him, only for it to dodge away, making him frown. He tried again—same result—until it suddenly spun midair and smacked him in the eye with its barbs.

"Ah! My eye! Master, it took my eye! Kill it! Kill it!"

Azriel glanced at him, his expression turning more serious.

'I can't really act crazy around him…'

He frowned.

'Wait… who am I kidding? I was never crazy—or acting crazy.'

He looked Nol squarely in the eyes.

"Nol—look behind you."

"Hm?"

Nol froze mid-grab and turned.

"Oh."

He looked back at Azriel.

"This is bad, isn't it, Master?"

Azriel exhaled softly.

"Would you believe me if I said I've faced worse?"

Nol tilted his head.

"What's worse than an abyssal and a demon?"

Azriel shook his head.

"Never mind."

Then, without warning, Azriel smiled. It was sudden, almost unnatural, and something in it made Nol shiver. Azriel's gauntleted hands settled on his shoulders.

"I know we have a lot to talk about, buddy… but how about we make a deal?"

"…Deal?"

Azriel pointed at the demon.

"Kill that soul echo, and I'll go with you to a buffet."

Nol's eyes lit up instantly.

"Fight a demon to the death and then eat with Master somewhere that has unlimited food? That's a win-win! I accept!"

Azriel's lips twitched, but he said nothing.

As if granting them the courtesy, the demon lunged at that moment. Azriel tensed, yet made no move, watching Nol with a steady, serious expression.

'If he can't handle this exchange, I'll have to force him to retreat.'

He still couldn't tell whether Nol's presence was a stroke of luck—or if he would simply become dead weight.

But… Azriel hoped. His gut told him to trust Nol to bring down the demon.

'We've never truly measured his talent. Maybe he's one of those exceptions…'

That instinct proved right.

A massive, shimmering white hand materialized in front of them without warning.

'What the…'

It clamped down on the demon, drawing a guttural roar from the soul echo. Flames surged wildly as bones cracked under the pressure. It strained against the grip, slowly prying the fingers apart. But Azriel wasn't focused on the demon—he was staring at that single, ghostly hand.

He turned to Nol, who smirked with open pride.

"Is that a skill?"

Nol tilted his head, pressing a finger to his chin.

"Skill? Master, don't you know? That's my affinity."

"Huh?"

Azriel blinked, caught off guard.

"Affinity? I thought you had an affinity for strings—or threads, or whatever you call them."

Nol shook his head immediately.

"No? My affinity is curse magic."

'Curse magic…?'

Azriel narrowed his eyes.

"Since when?"

"Since forever?"

"Why didn't you ever tell me? You let me believe it was strings."

Nol tilted his head again.

"Because Master never asked? I thought you already knew. And I never actually said it was strings out loud…"

"…If you put it like that…"

Nol was right—Azriel had simply assumed. He couldn't recall ever asking outright; he remembered asking about Nol's affinity, and Nol had merely demonstrated strings.

'So the problem was just a lack of clear communication? I guess?'

Before he could dwell on it, the demon began breaking free. Nol let out a low grumble, then the giant hand flicked its wrist—hurling the demon high into the air.

It sailed farther and farther until it vanished beyond the village.

Azriel stared at Nol in utter shock, but before he could speak, Nol was already panting, sweat streaming down his face.

"That… that took a lot of mana. I've never done that before."

Azriel hesitated, a note of concern in his voice.

"You think you can handle that demon? If not, don't worry—I'll find a way to kill them both."

But Nol shook his head firmly.

"No way! Master trusted me with this, so I'll definitely kill that demon. I promise—I'll win!"

"Well, alright…"

Azriel smirked.

"Then don't go back on your word. Win, or I'll go to heaven and drag you back down."

Nol laughed, though his smile stiffened a little.

"But Master… what about that one? She hasn't moved once, but she's giving me really bad vibes."

Azriel followed his gaze. The abyssal floated high above, her stone-carved face fixed on him, thirteen jagged stone swords now hovering at her side.

"I'll win, of course. You've genuinely saved me from using my trump card against her. Don't worry—go all out on the demon, and be done by the time I am. From what I know, it can create fake fire copies of itself that don't harm you and are only meant to distract you. Also, the more it punches, the faster it gets—whether it misses or not."

Nol nodded repeatedly, then straightened his back and gave a crisp salute.

"Aye, aye, Master!"

With that, he darted off in the direction he'd hurled the demon.

'He seems… very happy.'

There would be plenty to catch up on later. For now…

Azriel smiled gently at Nol's disappearing figure before lifting his eyes to the abyssal.

"Well, I can't disappoint him—he looks up to me, after all."

He shifted his stance, Void Eater rising above his head, the annoying feather darting out of the way.

In the air, the abyssal mirrored him, raising her sword—and the other twelve followed suit.

Azriel inhaled deeply, then exhaled. The smile faded.

'Win.'

That was all that mattered now.

"I'm going to win."

Both moved in the same instant—Azriel and the abyssal bringing their weapons down in unison.