Chronicles of Forgotten Extra

Alden walked towards the twin pods at the center of the room—sleek, silver capsules designed for one purpose: combat. Sparring, training or settling grudges… everything was decided inside those shells.

Zephyr was already there, his golden eyes calm. But Alden saw the excitement behind the calmness.

He gave Alden a silent nod and stepped into one of the pods.

No hesitation.

Alden followed, his footsteps echoing softly as he entered the other.

The pod sealed shut behind him.

A helmet descended from above, locking around his head.

Then—

Darkness.

Followed by a blinding flash of light.

__

A translucent blue screen appeared before his eyes.

[Welcome to the Virtual Reality Simulation, Student.]

[Please wait while the mandatory scan is conducted.]

A red light scanned across his body in a vertical line.

[Fingerprint scan... complete!]

[Student Name: Alden — Confirmed]

[Current Rank: 8]

[Simulated Strength: Beginner Apprentice Rank]

He smirked.

Alden had restricted his power level with the help of [Monarch of Mana]—so that his virtual avatar would reflect that.

He wanted to fight on equal footing. No rank advantages. No excuses.

Another screen slid into view.

[Select Your Weapon]

He didn't hesitate.

[Katana Selected]

With a subtle shimmer, a sleek black katana appeared in his hand—its edge sharp and polished, its weight perfectly balanced.

One final prompt.

[Choose Immersion Rate]

His fingers moved without pause.

[Warning: 100% Immersion Rate Selected]

Alden grinned.

He wasn't here for a game. He was here to fight.

And he was sure Zephyr would choose this immersion as well.

So, why would I back out?

Alden thought, confirming his selection one last time.

His vision collapsed into light and then rebuilt itself.

_

He opened his eyes again.

He wasn't in the simulation chamber anymore.

Now he stood on a boundless green field, wind rustling through knee-high grass beneath an endless blue sky.

No trees. No rocks. Just open space—like the world had been wiped clean, leaving only the two of them.

And there, standing thirty feet away…

Zephyr.

Golden eyes. Jet-black hair.

Hands loose at his sides. Body relaxed but alert. Like a predator about to strike.

"You're late," Zephyr muttered, his voice flat.

Alden rolled his shoulders once, the katana still lowered.

He didn't reply.

Didn't need to.

Zephyr smirked. "Tch. Fine. Let's start already."

A faint ding echoed in the air.

[Combat Simulation – Begin]

__

For a few moments, neither of them moved.

They just stared at each other.

Alden's face was calm but his mind was anything but that.

He analysed Zephyr.

He's reading my stance.

He shifted his body slightly.

Just then—

Zephyr moved.

Alden just smirked.

Let's see what you got.

The distance between them vanished in a blink as Zephyr arrived in front of Alden, his fist shot forward with a testing jab.

It was fast and direct—aimed directly at Alden's ribs.

Alden didn't flinch. He already saw that coming. His katana moved barely an inch to deflect both.

Clink. Clink.

Steel met skin. Or… something close to it.

The sound of impact echoed.

Alden's eyes narrowed.

What the hell was that?

That didn't feel normal. It was denser than bone.

The strange thing was, Alden didn't sense any mana usage from Zephyr. No burst of ki. No martial patterns. Just raw movement.

Is that some kind of passive?

Zephyr stepped back. "You've got fast hands."

Alden didn't reply.

Zephyr burst forward, launching an kick towards Alden's ankles in one clean motion.

Alden jumped—not back but into the air.

He used the rotation to twist his body midair and bring his katana down in a sharp arc toward Zephyr's collarbone.

Zephyr crossed his arms, absorbing the hit with both forearms. Then with a clean motion, he extended his palm for Alden's gut.

Alden barely managed to dodge before the palm strike exploded into a shockwave, ripping through the air beside him.

Fuck that was close.

He landed and immediately thrust the hilt of his katana toward Zephyr's chin.

A clean counter.

Zephyr pulled back just in time, landing smoothly.

Both fighters paused.

The exchange had lasted only seconds—but it was a storm of movement, precision and control.

They weren't throwing out power moves yet. They were learning each other's rhythm.

He's sharp.

His style's clean… adaptive.

No wasted motion.

Damn. If I get too comfortable, he'll crack my ribs

Alden adjusted his grip. Zephyr rolled his shoulders.

Then they clashed again.

This time, Zephyr didn't hold back.

His fists blurred—hooks, jabs, backfists, elbow strikes all flowing like water.

No wasted motion. No break in momentum.

Alden moved like a shadow. Deflecting what he could and dodging what he couldn't.

He wasn't trying to overpower it. He was watching. Waiting for the perfect moment.

Now.

A moment opened—a half-second gap in Zephyr's movement.

Alden struck.

His katana shot forward—angled low and rising.

Zephyr tried to slip aside but he wasn't fast enough.

Slash—

Blood sprayed.

Just a thin cut across the shoulder—but it was real.

Simulated or not, pain kicked in.

Zephyr grunted, stepping back.

A smirk broke across his face. "That hurt."

"You'll live," Alden said, his voice even.

For a moment, they just stood there.

Breathing. Assessing.

"You're better than I expected," Zephyr said.

"You're not bad either," Alden replied.

Then, without warning—

A pulse spread through the air.

Alden's eyes snapped to Zephyr's body because something was changing.

The skin along his forearms was shifting. It was darkening. Hardening.

Scales.

A chill ran down Alden's spine.

Alden knew what it was. Zephyr's Special ability—Draconic Descent.

His presence flared. Elevating to a whole another level as tough-looking pitch-black scales appeared all over his body.

But something was strange. Zephyr's presence flared again. His golden eyes turned red… strange runes formed across his body. Two curved horns formed across his head like a crown.

This wasn't just his special ability anymore.

No.

This was something else.

Something higher.

A Supreme Ability?

Most likely.

But this wasn't the time to analyze.

If he hesitated now, he'd lose.

Alden exhaled slowly—then let it all go.

With a single thought, he activated [Spirit Domain].

His surroundings slowed. The world shifted.

Then, he unleashed full force of [Voidheart] and in that instant, every distraction, every stray emotion vanished from his mind.

His world narrowed to one thing:

Win.

The real battle had begun.