Extra's Descent

It was midnight.

"Haaa…."

He couldn't sleep.

No matter what he did, he couldn't sleep.

Everytime he closed his eyes, he felt as if his mana core was heating up, and he knew all too well the kind of pain that would follow.

The only time he had gotten rest was when he was knocked out cold for two and a half days.

After that, he couldn't find it in himself to sleep at all.

He stood up.

Looking down, he could see Amelia and Carl, sleeping on their respective sleeping bags.

With nothing to do to pass the time, he ventured out, heading towards the ruined village.

This had been going on for two months.

Unable to sleep, he would often roam around.

There was something quite peculiar that had been plaguing him this whole time.

—[Sub–Act]—

[Escort Carl to his village.]

[Rewards:]

[Sovereign of Creation: EXP — +10%]

[Wraith's Descent: –2%]

———————

The quest was still incomplete.

But he had already brought Carl back to his village.

So what did the system want from him?

Regardless, he couldn't get any answers.

And so, he looked around.

There, he could see the remains of the devastation the calamity left the village in.

It was rough.

All of the structures around him seemed to have crumbled down.

But…

"Where are the bodies?"

There were no bodies.

No blood.

No remains left behind.

"...."

A sudden chill ran down his spine.

Something must've happened.

Something else aside from the calamity that was responsible for the destruction of this town.

But still.

He looked around.

To find any clues, anything.

He approached a crumbled down house.

Pushing the rubbles aside, there, he could see picture frames of a happy family.

A melancholic feeling followed.

He set the picture frame down and looked around.

It was then when he realized.

"...!"

The hairs on the back of his neck stood on end.

It was suddenly snowing.

"...."

It felt as if eyes were watching him.

Following him.

Each step he took.

Made him shudder.

"...."

He kept his guard up.

The air suddenly grew cold.

All of a sudden, he felt something touch his leg.

He looked down.

"....!"

What seemed to be pale white hands sprouted from the ground, crawling up, grabbing his leg, inching close.

What the fuck.

Immediately, he gathered the mana on his leg and black flames ignited.

Vooosh—!

But it was to no avail.

Nothing happened, as if the hands were seemingly unaffected.

They crawled, and crawled and crawled.

Brandon shook them off and sprinted as he realized his attack didn't work.

Drip. Drip…!

Suddenly, it started raining.

It poured down, fast.

There was no build up at all. The rain continued pouring down, mixing with the snow that gradually fell.

It didn't make any sense at all.

Kracka!

The sound of thunder suddenly echoed.

He ran.

"Haa…. Haa…."

He wasn't tired at all. But the immense fear that gripped him had exhausted him.

"What the fuck is happening."

Shortly after, he arrived at where Amelia and Carl were sleeping.

At least,

…Where they should've been.

"...."

But there was nothing.

They weren't there.

No signs of the sleeping bags, or other items they had set down.

It was then.

"Found you."

A chilling voice reached his ears from behind.

He turned around and his eyes widened.

There, he could see a hooded figure, slowly walking towards him.

He couldn't see its facial features, but the long platinum blonde hair stood out, cascading down its shoulders.

It was slim and tall, even taller than him.

Eventually, the figure's eyes flickered and Brandon met its gaze.

A chill ran down his spine.

His alarm bells rang.

His mind told him to run, but his legs wouldn't move, frozen in place.

Seeing the figure's gaze, a sense of familiarity washed over him.

He suddenly recalled a memory.

Back during the banquet.

The time when he stole the mirage mask.

"....Sh-it."

He cursed under his breath.

His brain told him everything he needed to know, and he was well aware of what it was.

But he wanted to deny it.

How could it be here?

With such thoughts, he checked.

[Wraiths' Descent: 99%]

"...."

It was a Wraith.

A fucking Wraith.

Not a Wraithbound.

A full fledged one.

"...."

The Wraith suddenly disappeared.

And…

[Wraiths' Descent: 23%]

The progression bar jumped back down.

Then…

….The wraith reappeared.

On the same spot, still walking towards him.

[Wraiths' Descent: 99%]

"F-fuck…"

There was no way he could beat a Wraith.

Just seeing the ominous aura that surrounded it had already told him of its strength.

It was way beyond his capabilities at the moment.

He shuddered and took a step back.

Step—

"....!'

He tried to run away.

But hands sprouted from the ground and grabbed his leg.

"Shit… shit… shit…"

He cursed and cursed.

"Get the fuck off m—"

A hand suddenly appeared before him and grabbed his face.

He clenched the hand, trying to break free from its grasp.

But regardless, his strength wasn't enough. The hand didn't even budge as he relentlessly tore with his nails.

Vooosh—!

Black flames ignited. But still, he was being lifted up slowly.

Threads extended from his fingertips as he clutched the hand.

"Akh!"

But all it did was bounce off the arm and rippled back, grazing his fingers.

Flames

Vooosh—!

Ice

Crack…!

Wind.

Swoosh—!

Nothing.

Nothing at all.

[Mana Burst]

Pouring all of his strength, he grabbed the arm, forcefully twisting its flesh, trying to break its bones.

But regardless, he was still being lifted up.

There was nothing he could do under the Wraith's prowess.

"Khh…!"

All of a sudden, something pierced right through him.

Drip. Drip…!

Blood seeped down his mouth, and his chest started bleeding.

His body grew limp, and whatever pierced him recalled back and his chest started gushing out blood profusely.

At that moment, his thoughts became empty.

Nothing was making sense.

Nothing.

In front of the Wraith, he was nothing.

Just a boy who had grown overconfident due to a system assisting him.

All of a sudden, his body dropped down on the ground.

Thud!

The last thing he could see was the Wraith, slowly lowering down his hood.

Its chilling blue eyes flickered, and on the top of its head, Brandon could see a crown.

A Monarch of some sort.

His vision was hazy, and he couldn't move a single limb at all.

He accepted his fate.

His life was worthless.

He accomplished nothing.

In a span of a year, he got himself comatosed and was only able to progress to the A ranks.

He was too laidback, despite everything being fed to him.

If only…

If only he had done more.

It was then.

"Huaaa—"

He was jolted awake.

Looking around, Amelia and Carl looked at him with a worried expression.

The stars still hung high in the sky and the moon continued to cast its glow.

"Are you okay?"

"...."

Amelia asked with a concerned tone. But Brandon didn't respond.

No, he couldn't respond.

His thoughts were all jumbled up.

"Haaa.... H-haaa...."

And he took deep heavy breaths, trying to understand what just happened.

Instinctively, he touched his chest.

Relief washed over him as he realized there was no wound, no blood, no hole in his chest.

Then that means.

It was…

...An illusion.