Path of the Extra

Jasmine glanced at the cadets huddled together on the platform, their backs pressed tightly against one another.

Most of them looked sick, their faces pale. It was inevitable.

Who wouldn't feel that way, knowing that among them were people plotting to kill each other?

And that wasn't all.

Her gaze shifted to Nol, seated atop the Dark King's throne.

No one dared look at him.

Who would?

Especially with all that blood coating him… and the five heads displayed at his feet, their faces twisted in pure horror.

The expressions alone told the story of Nol's cruelty.

Jasmine's face darkened as she stared at him. It wasn't that she opposed killing—they were, after all, enemies.

She had killed the two instructors herself, burned them to ash without hesitation.

A pile of their remains lay beside her.

But… she didn't toy with her victims like Nol did.

Nol was a child in many ways, especially when it came to his understanding of the world.

Things that should have been normal were completely foreign to him.

His knowledge of the outside came mostly from Azriel after losing his memories in the Void Realm.

Still, he was far too brutal.

And worse—he enjoyed it.

As she watched him now, playing with the heads, her expression darkened further.

"Hm… which one of these should I give to Master? I'm sure he'd appreciate the gift. But which one?" Nol mused aloud, his voice twisted with amusement.

"Or perhaps I'll give him all of them? No… these lowly worms don't deserve to be near him, even in death."

He clicked his tongue, as if in annoyance, and clenched his right hand into a fist.

The moment he did, the strings tied around the heads tightened and with a sickening crack, they exploded into shards of bone and flesh.

Nearby cadets flinched, their trembling more pronounced, but still, none dared to look.

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'He's going to traumatize them…' Jasmine thought with a sigh.

She stepped forward, ignoring the blood and stepping over the remnants of shattered heads.

Nol blinked and quickly noticed her approach, rising from the throne with a wide smile, bowing slightly.

"My lady. Truly, it was a pleasure to fight beside you. The way those false instructors screamed as you turned them to ash—like canaries singing."

Jasmine gave a brief nod, her eyes scanning his appearance.

Covered head-to-toe in blood, Nol was no less than a nightmare incarnate, his silver hair now dyed crimson.

Her brows furrowed slightly.

'If Azriel taught him nearly everything… is this brutality part of that teaching too?'

Her mood soured even further, and her desire to see her little brother grew tenfold.

She had no idea how he was doing.

Locking eyes with Nol, her voice dropped, colder than usual.

"We're done here. Let's return to the second floor."

Nol's smile widened as he studied her for a moment longer.

"Of course. The mission Master gave me is complete."

Jasmine nodded, her gaze shifting to the cadets, all too terrified to look at them.

"Wait here," she ordered, her voice laced with disgust as she regarded them with cold eyes.

They trembled under her stare, shrinking back even further.

'Pathetic. How can there be such a difference between the first and second groups?'

She couldn't understand how these people were supposed to become heroes.

They were already breaking at the sight of some blood and betrayal.

Her heels clicked loudly as she walked toward them, the sound echoing ominously in the boss room.

As she stood before them, every cadet avoided her gaze, refusing to meet her cold, piercing stare.

She clicked her tongue.

"Look at me."

Her words were low, but they might as well have been commands from the gods.

The cadets flinched, their faces paling even further as they reluctantly lifted their heads.

They weren't just standing before Azriel's sister.

No.

They were standing before the heiress of the Crimson Clan. The future ruler of the East.

Many audibly gulped, frozen under her icy gaze.

"Stand up. You're all coming with me to the second floor. Prepare to fight more members of Neo Genesis. And if anyone refuses, I'll personally make sure you're expelled from the academy. After that…"

Her eyes flicked toward Nol, whose smile only grew wider.

"I'll order Nol to deal with you."

Their gazes shot to Nol, then back to Jasmine, their faces paling even further. Slowly, one by one, trembling, they stood up.

'I don't have time for this.'

Jasmine narrowed her eyes, and like frightened deer, the cadets straightened their backs and stood at attention.

She gave a curt nod, satisfied.

"Good. Prove your worth. Show me why you came to this academy in the first place."

With that, she turned on her heel, Nol falling in step behind her as they walked toward the center of the platform, close to the throne.

Jasmine glanced at him, and Nol gave a nod, crouching down.

Closing his eyes, he pressed his blood-soaked hand to the platform.

The runes beneath them began to pulse with a blue glow…

And the sound of chains rattling filled the air.

*****

Jasmine blinked as she took in the scene before her.

"Well, that's… unexpected."

Nol's voice sounded from beside her, laced with surprise.

Behind them, the cadets stared in sheer horror at the chaos unfolding ahead.

Her mouth twitched.

The second group was practically useless at this point.

After everything they had endured, it wasn't surprising.

Especially now, witnessing what lay before them—a battlefield filled with screams, where cadets fought against skeletons.

Some were human-shaped, others resembled long-dead void creatures, and a few even flew through the air.

But despite the chaos, the cadets of the first group weren't losing.

No deaths in sight.

That was thanks to a few standout individuals.

One was a blond boy, cutting through skeletons with a flaming sword, their bones disintegrating into ash.

Another was a black-haired girl standing behind him, shielded by his form as she fired her obsidian bow.

A glowing green arrow, conjured from mana, nocked and ready as she loosed shot after shot with machine-like precision.

Each arrow struck with unerring accuracy, piercing the heads of flying skeletons, sometimes taking out several at once.

Lumine and Yelena.

'Their coordination is incredible, as if they've fought together countless times.'

Maybe they had.

Jasmine shook her head and focused on the last key player—the reason no cadets had fallen.

'Instructor Alicia.'

She blinked as she watched the instructor wield a massive white hammer, smashing skeletons to pieces.

Jasmine's gaze shifted to Nol.

His crimson eyes sparkled with excitement as he watched the chaos unfold, like a child marveling at a festival of destruction.

Her expression softened, and she addressed him quietly.

"Let's finish this so we can get to Azriel."

Nol immediately nodded, dashing forward in a blur, leaving a gust of wind in his wake.

Her hair fluttered as she tried to hold it together with her hand.

Jasmine's face grew cold again as she turned to glance at the shell-shocked cadets behind her.

'Will they be nothing but a burden if we drag them into this fight?'

The thought lingered, but her lips curled into a slight smile.

In the end, she would.

They wouldn't die. Not today.

'They are lucky to have me.'