Path of the Extra

Lumine narrowed his eyes, just as Max did, at Anastasia's bold words.

If most people heard such a thing from a stunning girl like her, they would undoubtedly feel their blood boil with motivation.

Lumine, however, didn't. In fact, the sense of danger in his gut only grew as he looked at her twin blades.

'Soul weapons, not mana weapons.'

It seemed that all three of them, in one way or another, had the capability to wield a soul weapon.

How does one acquire a soul weapon if they don't have a system like Lumine's to purchase one?

The answer to that question was simple, though acquiring one was anything but.

If a person didn't want to use a mana weapon and instead desired a soul weapon, they would first have to go to the Void Realm.

At least, that was where the greatest chance of obtaining a soul weapon lay.

One would have to explore the Void Ruins or kill Void creatures.

But the chances of getting a soul weapon by killing Void creatures were even lower than earning a [Skill], so most people opted to explore Void Ruins. Even then, the odds were slim, and the risk of death wasn't exactly pleasant. As a result, most humans chose to stick with mana weapons.

So, Lumine could understand how Max might have gotten his soul weapon through his clan, but Anastasia?

A girl with no last name, no known history, wielding a soul weapon?

It made Lumine even more alert. And not just him—Max, too, stared at her warily.

The wicked grin on Anastasia's face disappeared, replaced by a cold, indifferent mask. Her voice hit them with a chilling lack of warmth.

"To make things fair, I won't use my soul armor. In fact, I'll only use my soul weapons. As for the two of you, try not to embarrass yourselves."

Okay.

A vein started to bulge on Lumine's forehead as he heard her words.

This girl... she's extremely arrogant.

...And annoying.

Max moved, and the ground in front of him exploded. In the next second, he was already in front of Anastasia, his great sword raised above his head, his face contorted with anger.

"Die!"n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

Despite the fear one would normally feel at the sight of such a massive sword—one that would typically split a person in two—Anastasia merely regarded it with cold indifference.

"Weak."

Max swung down, but Anastasia suddenly moved with graceful speed, her feet light as she dodged the great sword. Max didn't stop, though, continuing to swing with both arms as if the sword weighed nothing, even though he didn't seem like someone who could easily wield such a weapon.

Even after all that, Lumine couldn't help but feel awe as he watched Anastasia dodge every strike like she was simply dancing with Max.

Then, in the blink of an eye, Anastasia was already behind Max. He was still facing forward, panting, when a glare appeared in his eyes. He quickly spun around.

But before he could shout, he froze, his eyes widening.

"Huh?"

In the next second, dozens of cuts appeared across his face and body, blood spurting out.

"...!"

Lumine stopped breathing as he felt his blood run cold.

When... when did she swing her twin blades?

He had never seen her attack!

Max looked down at his body, seeing blood flow from the numerous cuts. His face contorted in rage.

"You bitch!"

Despite his injuries, Max shouted angrily, lunging at Anastasia once again. But she scoffed coldly, raising her left blade in a calm manner, easily deflecting his attack to the side. In the next moment, she thrust her right blade into Max's shoulder, kicking at his legs to make him lose his balance. Max fell to the ground, his great sword slipping from his grasp.

Anastasia stood above him, driving her right blade even further into his shoulder, making him scream in agony.

Then, she drove her left blade into his other shoulder, pinning him down. Max stopped shouting, blood leaking from his mouth, his glare directed at her.

Anastasia, however, smiled coldly.

"Is this all the great Max Blackthorne could do? You should ask your daddy to give the title of heir to someone else if this is all you can achieve against me."

Lumine stared at the scene before him, his mouth agape.

This... this shouldn't even be regarded as a fight.

It was more like an experienced fighter defeating a toddler who had picked up a sword for the first time.

In fact, even a toddler could tell how Anastasia was playing with Max, treating him like a child.

The difference was just too vast.

'Weren't they both Awakened...? Why is the gap so huge?'

The more he thought about it, the stranger his expression became.

'No, wait... is she even an Awakened? I... I can't tell.'

The battle sense Lumine had developed wasn't working on her at all.

Her presence seemed to match that of an Awakened, yet at the same time, it was like a Dormant... or even an Intermediate.

It was confusing.

Another chill ran down his spine.

It was precisely because of that confusion that he'd been so alert to her from the very beginning.

And now, as he realized that, Lumine's jaw tightened instantly.

Still looking down at the glaring Max, who had tears in his eyes, Anastasia glanced coldly at Lumine, making his hair stand on end.

"What are you standing there for, second place? You wanted to join this fight, didn't you? Or are you forfeiting and giving me the role of leader?"

Lumine gripped his sword even tighter, forcing his emotions to calm as a composed look masked his face, though his heart was racing loudly against his chest.

"Boring."

Suddenly, her icy voice cut through the air, and in the next instant, she took a step toward Lumine. Then, like a blur, she was in front of him.

'Fast!'

He barely saw her move!

Following his instincts, Lumine immediately ducked, the sound of something buzzing like a bullet flying over his head.

Without hesitation, he leaped several meters back.

'I can't follow her attacks... just how ridiculous is her speed!?'

Leaves floated around Anastasia from her attack, drifting down to the ground as they began to settle.

Lumine didn't dare blink, his eyes locked on her.

Then, with a flick of his fingers, the leaves on the ground shot up, swirling around Anastasia once again, obscuring her from view. Lumine took the opportunity, pushing off the ground as dust and leaves exploded around him.

Pulling his longsword back in a thrusting motion, Lumine was about to pierce her shoulder, but before he could, both of her blades pierced the leaves in front of his eyes. Lumine had to tilt his head sharply to the side, barely avoiding losing his eyes. If he had been a second later, he would've been decapitated.

'Crazy woman!'

His left hand shot out, and a spike made of earth erupted from the ground where Anastasia had stood. But she instantly leaped back, performing a backflip mid-air and landing gracefully.

Lumine stood, looking at her with a serious expression, while she narrowed her eyes at him.

"I heard you have a fire affinity..."

Her lips curved upward slightly.

"Looks like you have more secrets than I thought."

Lumine's eyes went wide as he realized what he had just done.

'Shit... I forgot I was hiding my other affinities!'

Now, he had just exposed himself as someone with dual affinities!

A panicked look crossed Lumine's face as the realization sank in.

This only made Anastasia's smile widen as she let out a chuckle, catching him off guard.

"I see... that was a mistake, wasn't it? How clumsy."

To his further bewilderment, she dismissed her twin blades, dusting her hands and clothes as she nodded to herself.

Then, her face was once again replaced with coldness as she turned, walking toward the dazed Lisa and Leonne.

"You can be the leader. I look forward to battling you in the Tournament of the Greats... Lumine Versille."

Listening to her words, which sent a chill down his spine, Lumine came to another realization, one that made his heart freeze for a few seconds longer.

Anastasia was not an Awakened.

...She was an Intermediate.

'I didn't even manage to attack her properly… I couldn't even touch her. But she couldn't touch me either. Still… she held back, and I was forced to use my earth and wind affinity on her.'

Perhaps she was only slightly stronger than Lumine.

But how and why was she hiding her strength? If she could contend for second place among the first years, why not show it?

'…A void artifact? She must be carrying one. Something that disrupts the senses, making it impossible to gauge her real strength. But… how did she get something so priceless? And… if the instructors know about it, why did they allow it?'

A complicated expression crossed Lumine's face as he stared at her back.

There wasn't a drop of blood on her.

At least, unlike Max—who'd been brutally humiliated and defeated—Lumine wasn't injured—

Drip... Drip..!

"Huh…?"

Lumine blinked, feeling something wet on his right cheek.

He touched it, his fingers trembling slightly. His eyes widened.

"...!"

Blood.

When…? When did she graze him?

Lumine gulped.

Anastasia was much stronger than he had realized.

Shaking his head, he pushed the thought away and ran toward the injured Max. The boy was slumped against a tree, sweat dripping down his face. Despite his exhaustion, he was still glaring daggers at Anastasia, who now stood near Lisa and Leonne.

The two teammates, however, maintained their distance from her. Their expressions were a mixture of amazement, awe, shock, and fear.

Lumine crouched in front of Max, tapping his storage ring. A moment later, he held out a health potion.

"Here. This should be enough to treat your injuries. But it'll still hurt to move your arms, so make sure to head to the infirmary after this test."

Max's glare shifted toward Lumine, his lips curling in a snarl.

"I don't need your sympathy."

Despite his words, another health potion materialized in Max's hand. With a strained expression, he lifted it, bringing the vial to his lips. The potion slid down his throat, though some of it spilled, trailing down his chin.

Lumine blinked, pulling his own potion back into his storage ring.

Max tossed the empty vial to the ground, coughing lightly.

"I can still use my soul weapon," he muttered. "But that bitch… she must be laughing inside her head right now. Hiding her strength the entire time…"

Lumine scratched his nose awkwardly, laughing under his breath. Max looked beyond annoyed.

"…We both got humiliated by her, our asses handed to us. Looks like the academy's full of strange people, huh?"

Max grumbled, glancing at Lumine.

"We did. And it is."

Pushing himself to his feet, Max kept muttering curses under his breath, brushing the dirt off his uniform with a cloth he materialized.

Lumine smiled wryly, watching Max march toward their group.

'At least we can finally start with the test…'

But before Lumine could take another step, his watch—and those of his teammates—sounded off with a familiar, cheerful voice.

"Ah, as much fun as it was watching all that drama, I must, with a heavy heart, inform you that you'll all be receiving -5 points for fighting each other. In a real situation, such behavior would have attracted extremely dangerous void creatures—unlike these ones here. And trust me, you don't want that. Good luck getting 25 points!"