Path of the Extra

After Instructor Cedric's history class, there was no break as they immediately headed to their next class.

Void Hunting.Nôv(el)B\\jnn

Like history, Void Hunting wasn't a class Azriel had missed, even when he'd been spending time at the Crimson Estate.

Now, the entire HCS-1 class, along with two other classes, stood in an open grass field, facing the red-haired instructor in front of them.

Instructor Solomon.

Solomon wore his usual signature smile as he surveyed each face present. After a moment, he nodded to himself, noting the confusion that lingered in the cadets' expressions.

"Mhm," he muttered, "I know that after the third Void Generation, life has become... more peaceful. But seriously, this is still too depressing. Then again, peaceful lives don't create strong heroes."

Listening to his words, most of the cadets couldn't hide their displeasure. The insult stung. They didn't like being called weak... but it wasn't entirely untrue.

Everyone knew of Solomon, and most weren't foolish enough to make an enemy out of him.

Suddenly, Solomon clapped his hands together. It immediately drew the cadets' full attention.

"Alright! Since I'm the instructor for Combat Training, Void Hunting, and Tactical Warfare, I'll make sure to turn you all into this generation's greatest heroes!"

His words were bold, loud, and somehow stirred the blood of the cadets, making their faces light up with excitement.

Who wouldn't feel fired up knowing that one of the most talented and the most youngest saint in history was going to train them into legendary heroes?

Azriel, however, couldn't suppress the bemused look on his face as he scratched the back of his head.

'He wants to torture us…'

That smile of Solomon's had already twisted into one that reminded Azriel of a sadist's grin. In fact, it reminded him of when Solomon had suggested, that the two of them spend a few more years together in the Void Realm.

Without warning, Solomon made a quick gesture, and a round wooden table appeared next to him.

On it sat a pile of sleek, matte-black watches. They almost looked like luxurious timepieces, their faces smooth and round.

"These watches will help me monitor your health," Solomon explained, his tone shifting to something more serious. "In case you're about to die, I'll know your location and can intervene. You'll all be split into teams of five, and once you put the watch on, you'll see the names of your team members on the screen."

A serious air settled over the cadets. It was clear that what they were about to do could be dangerous.

'So we can't choose our own team members, huh?'

Azriel hid the disappointment in his heart. He knew that most cadets didn't view him the same way they viewed the other children of the great clans.

But recently, his reputation as the "unworthy prince" had almost disappeared within the academy. Now, most of the cadets looked at him with... caution.

At least, that's what he interpreted from the glances they often cast his way.

"Now, let's not waste time. Form a line and take your watches one by one. You have five minutes," Solomon instructed.

The cadets hurriedly formed a line and began picking up the watches from the wooden table, strapping them on.

When it was Azriel's turn, he took the watch without hesitation and slid it onto his wrist.

But when the screen lit up, it was pitch black. Nothing appeared. Azriel sighed, resigned to waiting.

Five minutes passed, and soon, everyone had their watches. Solomon nodded in satisfaction, his eyes scanning the group.

At that exact moment, the watches flickered to life, and five small names appeared on each screen.

Azriel narrowed his eyes slightly, reading the names.

Azriel Crimson

Isolde Bennet

Lyra Hall

Curtis Loks

Celestina Frost

When he reached the last name, Azriel's eyes widened in surprise.

'At least I know someone there…'

A small sense of relief washed over him. He wouldn't be completely alone.

Azriel didn't waste time and immediately walked over to Celestina.

Noticing his approach, she stopped looking at her watch and smiled at him, waving her hand slightly.

"Looks like we're in the same team, Azriel. Let's do our best together!"

At her enthusiastic words, Azriel smiled in return and nodded.

"Sure, let's do our best."

A moment later, a nervous voice came from his side. Both Azriel and Celestina turned to look at the source.

Azriel looked down and was surprised to see the so-called "Smurf" standing in front of them, wearing a nervous smile.

"Haha… l-looks like we're in the same team, P-prince Azriel… Princess Celestina. My name is Curtis Loks. My rank… well, I don't think you're interested in that. I'll try my best to keep up with the two of you."

Azriel listened to him, noticing his trembling legs, which only made Azriel more confused.

It was obvious that Curtis seemed more confident addressing Celestina but looked at Azriel as though he were some sort of devil.

'No, but why is he so scared of me? It's not like I've done anything remotely scary in front of him!'

Azriel kept his thoughts to himself and smiled kindly at Curtis.

"No need to feel nervous, Cadet Curtis. Just be yourself and do your best, and I'll match myself to you."

A surprised look crossed Curtis's face before he nodded multiple times, which Azriel found amusing.

"The same goes for me. Just do your best," Celestina added beside him.

Behind Curtis, Azriel noticed two girls had approached and stopped behind him.

One was a tall girl, about Azriel's height, with blonde hair and brown, caramel-like eyes.

"Hi! My name is Isolde Bennet! I'm 16 and ranked 86th! Please take care of me!"

The girl was clearly excited, waving her hand at them with a bright smile on her face.

The other girl was shorter, only a head shorter than Azriel, with brown hair and brown eyes. While Isolde stood out for her height, this girl stood out because of her cute face.

With a shy expression, she nervously darted her gaze between Celestina and Azriel.

"M-my name is Lyra Hall. Ranked 141st. Uhm, p-please take care of me as well!"

Azriel and Celestina smiled at her, but before they could say anything more, Solomon's voice reached their ears.

"It seems everyone has finally joined their team. Great! Now, please step into this portal and follow the instructions on the watch that will appear once you're there. Do note that even though all of you are entering this portal, you'll be dropped in different locations, except for your team. Yes, I'm that amazing."

Looking over at Solomon, everyone saw the purple rift next to him.

With determined expressions, the cadets walked toward the portal, stepping into it one by one.

Once Azriel and his team quietly stepped through, Azriel blinked, taking in the view before him.

All around him were trees, as if he had been thrown into some kind of forest.

But then Azriel quickly realized where he was, causing him to laugh out loud. His team members gave him confused looks as Curtis and Lyra took a few steps away from him, moving closer to Celestina.

'Well, as expected of Solomon, I think?'

Where else would a crazy lunatic like Solomon bring them for void hunting?

A death zone.

Not a second later, a beeping sound came from their watches, making Azriel and his team glance down at them.

Azriel couldn't help but smile.

What else would a class called Void Hunting be about, especially with Solomon as the instructor?

Who cares about theory?

It looked like it was time to hunt some void creatures.