Extra's Fate

Chirp… Chirp…

The sound of birds chirping reverberated through the forest.

It was quite a beautiful melody, but unfortunately, I didn't have the time to fully appreciate its nuances.

I was currently sitting on a large cliff, looking down at the vast valley below.

My eyes were particularly focused on a strange mist that seemed to roam the landscape, weaving through the trees and dipping into the crevices of the terrain.

It was moving as if it was alive.

"…"

Approximately an hour has already passed since I've dealt with the Fenrir Wolves and during the time I had spent observing the mist, I had already seen a few students being consumed by it.

They didn't die, but their bodies shimmered and then disappeared, signaling that their exam was over.

Was I able to help them?

Probably.

Why didn't I do it?

It wasn't beneficial for me.

As I've already played this game countless times before and I basically knew almost everything about this entrance exam and helping others was not my priority here.

In fact, to summon the boss, I needed some students to go and sacrifice themselves to the mist.

Let me break it down.

That fog is, indeed, the boss, however, it is not in its corporeal body, which means that none of my physical attacks would be able to damage it.

To defeat it, I needed it to eliminate enough students to accumulate enough energy for it to manifest its physical form.

Currently, it had already consumed a decent number of students, but it still needed more to fully materialize.

'Here's another one…'

Narrowing my eyes, I spotted another person approaching the fog with uncertain steps.

It was a young girl, her uniform disheveled and her face marred with streaks of dirt and fear. She hesitated at the edge of the mist, clearly sensing the danger but unable to fully comprehend it.

Her body trembled as she took a step back, then another, her instincts urging her to flee.

But the mist was faster.

Tendrils of fog snaked out, curling around her ankles and tightening with a grip that seemed almost sentient.

She gasped, trying to pull free, but the mist dragged her forward with an irresistible force. Her hands clawed at the ground, leaving furrows in the dirt as she struggled, but it was futile.

"Help!"

She screamed, her voice echoing through the silent forest.

"Someone, please help me!"

Her cries faded into the air as the mist enveloped her completely. Her body shimmered, just like the others, and then she was gone, another victim of the fog's insidious hunger.

The mist pulsed, growing denser and darker. I watched intently as it began to writhe and contort, its shape shifting and expanding. A low hum resonated through the valley, a sound that vibrated in my bones and sent a chill down my spine.

Slowly, the fog started to coalesce into a more defined form. Limbs stretched out from the amorphous mass, and a head began to take shape. Its eyes glowed with an eerie light, and its mouth twisted into a grotesque grin.

The boss was finally manifesting.

I stood up, gripping my weapon tightly. This was the moment I had been waiting for.

The fog continued to transform, solidifying into a monstrous figure that towered above the trees. Its body was a grotesque amalgamation of mist and flesh, a nightmarish creature born from the fears of the students it had consumed.

With a roar that shook the very ground beneath my feet, the boss fully emerged, ready to face its next opponent.

And I was more than ready to take it down.

Taking a step forward, I took a deep breath and leapt from the cliff, diving headfirst into the abyss below. The wind howled in my ears as I plummeted towards the ground, the distance closing rapidly.

Just as I was about to hit the forest floor, I activated my skill.

『 Shadow Step 』

In an instant, my body shimmered and disappeared from sight, the sensation of falling replaced by a brief moment of weightlessness. The world around me seemed to freeze as I reappeared several feet above the ground, my momentum halting completely.

I landed lightly, without a sound, as if I had simply stepped off a small ledge.

The boss hadn't noticed my descent.

It was still focusing on fully solidifying its form, unaware of my presence.

I took a moment to assess the situation, my eyes narrowing as I studied the creature before me.

The mist that once roamed the valley had coalesced into a monstrous entity, its body an eerie blend of mist and sinew.

Its eyes glowed with a malevolent light, and its mouth was twisted into a grotesque grin, revealing rows of sharp, mist-like teeth. It stood tall, towering over the trees, its limbs stretched out and flexing with an unnatural fluidity.

I tightened my grip on my weapon, feeling the familiar weight and balance in my hands.

A Shapeshifter…

A monster that can manipulate its physical form to adapt to different situations.

As I prepared to use my skill once again, my focus razor-sharp on the monstrous figure before me, a sudden voice rang out through the tense air.

"Light Thrust!"

A beam of light shot through the dense forest, slicing into the creature's side with a searing intensity.

The monster howled in rage, its body recoiling from the unexpected attack. Its flesh-like mist bubbled and hissed where the light had struck, leaving a gaping wound that began to slowly regenerate.

I turned my head to the side, my eyes widening in shock as I noticed a figure emerging from the greenery.

'She wasn't supposed to be here.'