Extra's Descent

[Time Remaining: 20:14]

—Houuuu!

—Houuuu!

It took them a long while to lure the appropriate amount of Ash Drakes, using the Ash Drake they had caught to call for its friends.

Brandon was quick, precisely maneuvering his threads to latch themselves onto the creatures before they could notice the sudden influx of mana.

—Hieeeek!

—Hieeeek!

—Hieeeek!

The Ash Drakes squealed out of fear. They weren't anything strong, and they typically didn't fight back.

They were nothing but scavengers with a huge appetite for quality mana.

"Leave some for me."

"Got it."

Raven nodded his head and quickly moved.

Swoosh—!

With a dagger in his hand, he made quick work of over four Ash Drakes. In a matter of seconds, unable to break free of the thread's hold, they soon disintegrated into white particles that fluttered in the air. Continue your journey with m|v-l'e m,p y r

"That's four. Your turn, Brand—"

His words trailed off from there.

"—on."

In that instant, the threads tightened their hold around the Ash Drakes. Blood started to seep from their forms, and the Ash Drakes squealed in agony.

Spurt—

The threads mercilessly ripped them apart, sputtering blood in the air.

[Three Ash Drakes eliminated.]

[4/5]

Brandon had left off one Ash Drake. The first Ash Drake they had captured.

They had waited for a while, but it seemed like there were no other Ash Drakes that would come. Which is why they decided to kill them all in one go.

"You've got four too, right?"

Brandon asked, the thread on his fingertip still holding onto the single Ash Drake.

"Yeah. But…."

A frown spread across Raven's expressions.

"We're running past the deadline."

In five more minutes, they would hit the agreed deadline they had placed themselves on.

"Guess all we can do is compromise."

Brandon nonchalantly shrugged his shoulders.

"For the next floor, we'll just have to clear it as fast as we can."

But for the record, they had no idea what the second floor was.

That was because they had scrambled the floors appropriately.

—Huoooo!

They waited once more, the Ash Drake squealing continuously every second.

About thirty minutes had passed while they waited, but there were no more Ash Drakes around.

If that was the case, then they were just wasting time by now.

[Time Remaining: 19:34]

A sudden thought rose in Brandon's mind.

"Hey, Raven."

But while Brandon called out to him, he wasn't looking at him. Instead, he looked down at the Ash Drake, who was shaking profusely, trying to budge the thread's hold.

"Hm?"

Raven tilted his head, dumbfounded.

A grin spread across Brandon's features.

"This is an exam."

"Wait, wait. What are you—"

Spurt—!

—Hieeeek!

Before Raven could finish off his words, a certain squeal echoed in the air, followed by blood.

"See you on the other side."

Brandon waved his hand, his grin growing wider.

[One Ash Drake eliminated.]

[5/5]

But in the next second or so.

"...."

"Uh…?"

Nothing happened.

Then, blue words suddenly appeared in Brandon's peripheral vision.

[Objectives Cleared!]

[Wait for your partner to ascend to the next floor.]

"...."

This….

Brandon couldn't even begin to describe the disappointment in his face.

And the look that Raven was giving him was indescribable as well.

"You…."

"Yes?"

But Brandon played oblivious to it, his grin changing into a heartwarming smile. A smile that seemed to disgust Raven to the core.

"You were about to ditch me, you bastard."

"Me?"

Brandon pointed at himself.

"I would never. Ditch? No. Pftt… No."

"...."

Raven frowned, then let out a deep sigh. Brandon shrugged and turned away.

"I think we have a situation, Raven."

"You only realize that now!?"

"Raven."

Pretending like he hadn't heard Raven, Brandon continued, staring down at the space where the Ash Drake was laying a second ago.

"The Ash Drake is dead. We can't use it to call for its friends anymore."

Brandon looked at Raven with a horrified expression.

"...."

But Raven looked at him back with a dumbfounded face. Deadpan even.

Sighing deeply, Raven shook his head and massaged his temple.

He looked as if he had given up on Brandon.

"Raven, Raven. I was kidding."

".....We're going to fail the first floor."

***

Thirty more minutes passed since then.

[Time Remaining: 19:04]

They were way beyond their initial deadline.

Additionally, it was hot.

Really hot.

Much to the point where Brandon could swear his skin was starting to tan.

"Haaa…."

"We're gonna fail. We're gonna fail. We're gonna fail…."

Raven started panicking. Failing the exam wasn't just the only problem.

"Haaa…."

Due to the excessive heat, Brandon's lips were parched. Furthermore, the inside of his mouth was dry. All he could do was swallow his saliva.

"...."

"...."

It got to the point where they had stopped speaking to each other just to conserve their saliva.

[Time Remaining: 18:54]

[Time Remaining: 18:42]

Time continued to pass by like that. The two sat on the sandy ground amidst the blazing heat.

Brandon felt like his head was starting to spin.

—This is your fault, you know?

A sudden voice rang. With his vision hazy, Brandon blinked twice before noticing a set of boots in front of him.

Looking up, his eyes tracing the figure, Brandon's brows creased.

"Fuck off."

He cursed under his breath.

"Hm?"

From the side, Raven turned towards him.

But Brandon's focus was fixated on the figure, standing before him.

Pushing his body up, Brandon scanned.

—You know, there's one way to pass this exam.

It was Lumian, who stared down at him indifferently.

—I'm sure you know what that is.

"Shut up."

"Brandon?"

Raven called out for him, but it all went to deaf ears.

—Kill him. Then the tower won't recognize you as having a partner.

***

The streets were filled with chaos. Screams echoed through the air, blending with the sound of crumbling buildings. Rubble littered the streets, and destruction loomed in every direction.

WHIII—

Suddenly, portals appeared, unleashing hordes of monsters.

Creatures flooded through, their growls and roars mixing with the cries of civilians. Cars were overturned, and fires broke out, adding to the panic.

"Help!"

"Hieaaa—!"

"Mommy, where are you!?"

People ran in every direction, desperately searching for safety.

But there was nowhere to go, and the destruction spread as fast as the fear in the air.

Crash—!

All of a sudden, a streak fell from the sky, completely obliterating the monsters in the vicinity.

Civilians, who were just panicking, turned towards the sudden commotion. As soon as the rock dust settled, two figures appeared, standing amidst the cluster.

A woman, with sky–blue hair and light–blue eyes, wearing an elegant dress that didn't quite fit the battlefield. Beside her, was another woman, with dark–purple hair and azure eyes, adorning the Imperial Army's uniform.

They were none other than Yi Jihyeon, Blood Crescent Moon's guild leader, the current top guild. And Evelyn Cessna, the Imperial Army's Celestial Witch.

And of course, the civilians were familiar with them. How wouldn't they be, when they had seen them on TV several times?

"We're saved!"

A sudden feeling of hope washed over the panicked civilians.

Boom—!

Not so far from where they stood, the sudden sound of magic echoed throughout, as rankers had finally arrived and worked to control the situation.

From a distance, a hulking figure appeared. Its giant club smacked the ground, sending the surroundings scattering.

"Since this is ranker jurisdiction, I will refer to you normally, is that alright?"

Yi Jihyeon asked, turning towards Evelyn.

"Of course, Guild Vice–Leader Jihyeon."

It was Evelyn's old habits. Before she became a higher–up in Incandescent Flames guild, she had worked under Yi Jihyeon.

"That Guild had disbanded long ago. I'm a Guild Leader now, and you aren't a part of my guild."

"Oh, right. Apologies."

"No need, Little Eve."

"...."

Evelyn wasn't fond of her. But they were close. It was akin to a mother and daughter relationship, where the daughter would always avoid her mother.

"Let's have coffee after this. My treat."

Yi Jihyeon suddenly proposed, leaving Evelyn baffled. Coffee? Why so sudden? Now wasn't the time in the first place.

"Uh…."

"It's your birthday tomorrow after all. I'd like to celebrate it with you early, just the two of us."

"...."

Evelyn stood dumbfounded. This was the first time Yi Jihyeon had ever celebrated her birthday with her. Furthermore, how did Yi Jihyeon even know tomorrow was her birthday?

"....Okay."

But Evelyn had no refusals.

She wasn't fond of Yi Jihyeon, even afraid of her.

But she respected her.

That being said, Evelyn stepped forward.

Swoosh—!

Radiant wings suddenly materialized, hovering behind her. Gradually ascending, Evelyn extended her hand forward, aiming right for the hulking figure, who's red eyes flicked, staring back at her.

Then….

Swish—!

Evelyn clenched her fist.