Path of the Extra

The massive corridors all looked the same, creating the unsettling feeling of being trapped in a maze, with identical statues, walls, and floors repeating endlessly.

Yet, despite the uncanny similarity, they knew they weren't running in circles.

The first floor of the Void Dungeon was, after all, a maze—the Imperion Maze.

As they ventured deeper, they occasionally encountered prowlers, but the numbers were far fewer than those they faced at the void dungeon's entrance.

In fact, no one but Lumine had to lift a finger—he effortlessly decimated the creatures, his calm demeanor eerily reminiscent of Azriel's.

The cadets felt a sense of comfort knowing the instructors and two of the academy's top students—the apex of the first year and the apex of the second—were right behind them.

Also Vergil.

But what they didn't realize was that this comfort was a false sense of security.

If they were attacked from behind, those who gave them reassurance would disengage from the battle immediately.

Perhaps they were lucky not to have encountered a serious threat yet, but all they could do for now was keep moving forward.

Azriel marched along with the rest of the group for the past two hours, positioned between Vergil on his left and Jasmine on his right.

Ahead of him were the instructors, seemingly unconcerned with supervising him and Vergil because of Jasmine.

Still, the situation was awkward.

Vergil appeared lost in thought, walking absentmindedly, while Jasmine occasionally shot narrowed glances his way.

'She must've figured out he's the one who messed with me on the first day.'

Fortunately, it seemed she wouldn't take any action—at least not in front of him.

For Vergil's sake, Azriel knew he had to keep his overprotective sister at bay.

Not that Vergil noticed. The two hadn't even introduced themselves to each other yet.

'Great, just what I needed—another problem on my plate.'

Azriel sighed inwardly, finding the situation increasingly awkward.

His attention shifted ahead to the three instructors, all of whom wore furrowed brows, clearly concerned.

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Without alerting the other cadets, Instructor Kevin discreetly released a few drones from his storage ring.

Even Azriel, who didn't fully understand the situation, could sense the reason for their cautious behavior.

The lack of prowlers or any other Void creatures was unsettling, even to him and the two at his sides.

'But... is this because of Neo Genesis?'

The only sounds echoing through the corridors were the cadets' breaths and footsteps.

'This... never happened in the book.'

Azriel mused, feeling increasingly uneasy.

'Has the plot already changed to the point that their attack patterns are different? Or is there another reason for this?'

While the cause of the unease might be connected to his survival, Azriel doubted it was related to Neo Genesis.

He was almost certain they wouldn't change their attack patterns.

But then, what was causing the absence of Void creatures?

"...Jasmine, am I overthinking the lack of warm greetings we're getting here?"

Azriel asked after a few moments of tense silence.

Jasmine took a few seconds to respond before speaking.

"You're not... something is wrong. Stay alert."

Azriel nodded at her warning.

Something was definitely amiss.

'Trouble before we've even conquered the first floor...'

"...Azriel, I need to have a word with you."

Vergil suddenly spoke, snapping Azriel out of his thoughts.

Jasmine, too, turned her narrowed eyes toward Vergil.

"What is it?"

Vergil glanced at Jasmine before replying.

"I'd like to speak without anyone listening."

'To say that right in front of her...'

Azriel glanced at Jasmine, who was glaring at Vergil before shifting her gaze to Azriel.

"Five minutes. That's all you get. We should stick close since something here is terribly wrong."

Jasmine gave a reluctant answer before moving ahead to speak with the instructors.

Once she was gone, Azriel turned to Vergil.

"Now that she's gone, what is it you want to talk about?"

Azriel studied Vergil closely.

It would be a lie to say he hadn't noticed Vergil's odd behavior today.

He had expected Vergil to step up sooner and join the other cadets, but he hadn't.

His complexion was pale, his eyes had dark bags underneath, and he kept glancing around nervously.

Vergil spoke in a low tone, just enough for Azriel to hear.

"…Last night, I had another dream."

"What?"

Azriel stared at him, stunned.

He didn't fully understand how the Apostle of Dreams' powers worked, but he knew they always provided Vergil with valuable insights.

Initially, Azriel thought Vergil's dreams only related to other apostles nearby, but something had made him reconsider.

"What was the dream about?"

Vergil hesitated, his expression troubled.

'Is he scared…?'

The last time Vergil had shown signs of fear was when he received his blessing.

Finally, seeming to resolve himself, Vergil spoke again.

"…In that dream, I was a baby again. Yet I had all my memories intact, like my meeting with you. At first, I didn't even think it was a dream. I thought I had… regressed."

"Huh?"

Azriel looked at him, confused, but Vergil continued.

"So, I did what anyone would do after regressing: I made my life easier, and that of my family. I became stronger than before and entered the Hero Academy... but I still couldn't beat Lumine. He became the apex."

Vergil's gaze was unreadable as he continued.

"Lumine was the apex, not you. You... you didn't exist in that dream."

Azriel blinked, processing his words.

'I didn't exist?'

What did that even mean?

Was he dead, or did Vergil mean it literally?

As if sensing his confusion, Vergil elaborated.

"You weren't dead, missing, or even alive. You simply didn't exist. The name Azriel Crimson wasn't part of that world... I don't know why. Maybe it was because of my regression? Whatever the reason, I ended up second in the Hero Academy, at least managing to surpass Princess Celestina...

but in the end, it all felt meaningless."

Vergil's voice trembled slightly as he met Azriel's eyes.

"Just like today, when I entered the Void Dungeon in that dream... something happened."

Azriel swallowed hard, feeling a cold sweat forming.

"...What happened?"

Vergil bit his lip, glancing ahead to ensure no one else was listening.

He took a few deep breaths to steady himself.

"It all felt so real—breathing, eating, sleeping, dreaming, touching—I swear, I never once thought it was just a dream... but thank the gods it was."

"Vergil... what the hell happened in that dream?"

Vergil looked at him, his eyes trembling along with his shoulders.

"...I died."