Extra's Descent-Chapter 338: Interlude [1]

Crash—!

"Akh…!"

With no room to even retaliate, Brandon was sent crashing towards the mountain's jagged cliffside.

For the past few days, he had been sparring with Androxus.

But sparring seemed to be a bit too far fetched.

To say the least.

It was nothing but one–sided massacre.

He had just broken through S–rank, yet reality seemed to slap him immediately.

Against actual strong beings, Brandon was nothing.

He wasn't even close.

Crossing his arms, Androxus narrowed his eyes and frowned, looking at Brandon as he went on to exclaim.

"It's been two, and this is all you're capable of!?"

"Haaa…. I've been telling you this whole time, I'm injured."

"I expected more from someone who claimed to have taken down a new–born wyvern."

"...."

Brandon had already explained his circumstances that led to his injuries. Thankfully, the fact that he had killed a wyvern didn't irk Androxus in any way..

According to Androxus, new–born wyverns were more or less artificial. Born under the influence of mana in this world, they were a far cry compared to a wyvern who had been born centuries ago.

Wyverns who emerged from a different realm.

Not wanting to divulge more information, Androxus' explanations trailed off from there.

"Get up."

"Huu…."

But despite Brandon's complaints, he appreciated the first–hand training experience.

Brandishing his sword forward, magic power began to coalesce around Brandon. His body enveloped a pulsating purple hue, and he felt the tension in his legs flexed.

Swoosh—!

Kicking the ground, Brandon launched forward. His attacks connected one after another, but Androxus had no thoughts of letting him break through his defenses.

All Androxus needed were his fists to completely repel Brandon's attacks unharmed.

In the first place, it wasn't like Brandon could even harm him at all.

Clank—! Clank—!

Each time his sword collided with Androxus' knuckles, a metallic sound seemed to ring in the air.

His skin was as hard as diamond. Much to the point where Brandon felt the vibrations intensify through the sword—connecting to his arms.

"Too slow."

"...."

The entire ordeal seemed nostalgic for some reason.

"Too weak."

"Give me a break."

"Too obvious."

Bang!

Unable to track Androxus' attack with his eyes, in an instant, Brandon felt his stomach twist, colliding with something that was akin to a bullet train, and was sent hurling away once more.

"Ukh!"

Down on both knees and massaging his stomach, Brandon coughed out blood.

"Stand up."

"Ho–ld…. on."

Brandon hoarsely responded, clinging onto his sword which was impaled on the cold hard ground.

Giving him no time to rest, Androxus' voice rang out once more.

"Again."

***

December 11, 2149.

Amelia was currently training. Sweat trickled down her forehead as she held her sword forward.

"Huu….."

Drawing a few breaths in, Amelia focused on the targets ahead of her. At the moment, she was inside the simulation room.

She had wanted to do this inside a labyrinth, but refrained from doing so. Mostly, because she didn't want to leave the academy since she had planned on studying after.

Her days repeated like this until the day before the examinations.

Gradually, a golden hue pulsated from her body. Sliding her leg on the ground, Amelia gripped on her sword tightly.

There were five targets in front of her. All of them within the S– ranks.

Monsters of all shapes and sizes, registered within the simulation system.

"Hah!"

With a battle cry, Amelia lunged forward, kicking the ground. The monsters were moving, they were agile, and Amelia had a hard time tracking them with her eyes.

Swoosh—!

Amelia's sword slashed through the air with precision. The first target, a towering beast with jagged horns, lunged at her.

Amelia's first strike barely grazed the beast. The monster reacted faster than she expected, swinging a massive arm toward her.

She ducked, but the force of its blow sent a shockwave through the air, knocking her off balance.

Bang!

Stumbling back, Amelia quickly regained her footing as the creature lunged again. This time, she dodged to the side, her sword scraping against its thick hide. A faint glow marked the hit, but it wasn't enough.

"Damn it."

She cursed under her breath, her grip tightening on the hilt of her blade. The monsters were faster, more aggressive than she had anticipated.

She had to focus.

Tss~

The serpentine creature struck next, its body weaving unpredictably. Amelia tracked it, but it moved too quickly for a clean hit.

It lashed out, coiling around her leg, and she felt the pressure instantly. Panic flared in her chest as she struggled to shake it off.

"Khh…!"

With a grunt, she swung her sword down, severing the creature's body. It dissipated into nothing, but the moment of distraction had cost her.

Two more targets were already closing in.

The hulking armored figure charged, its heavy footsteps shaking the ground.

Amelia barely had time to dodge, its massive arm grazing her shoulder. The pain shot through her, but she gritted her teeth and pushed forward. She had to be faster.

Her breathing became ragged as she slipped behind the armored target, her sword finding the gap between its plates.

Slash—!

With a sharp thrust, she pierced through its core, but the effort left her winded.

"...."

Just as she pulled her blade free, the wolf-like monster leapt at her from behind, claws extended.

She spun around, but it was too quick. Its claws grazed her side, tearing through her uniform and drawing blood.

While a simulation, its inflictions were real, making it a popular training method for the cadets to quickly gain experience.

But needless to be said, it had a safety feature.

It didn't give the same psychological effects of a life or death scenario.

"Ukh…!"

Amelia winced, pain flaring in her side. The creature didn't let up and started encircling her.

—Hwoooar!

The wolf charged again. Amelia braced herself, brandishing her sword.

This time, she waited—calm and focused.

Swoosh—!

At the last second, she sidestepped and brought her blade down in a swift arc. The monster disintegrated, leaving her standing alone in the empty simulation room.

Panting, she glanced at the clock. She was bleeding and was exhausted, but there was still time.

Time for the second phase of her training.

Recently, Amelia's system had leveled up again.

——[Sovereign Fragment]——

[Name: Amelia Constantine]

[Mana Core: Tier 5]

[Status: A+]

[Innate]

∟ Gate — Level 12

∟ Experience — 21.5%

——[Status]——

∟ STR: A+ —[2%]

∟ MP: A+ —[43%]

∟ DEF: A —[21%]

∟ AGI: A+ —[11%]

∟ INT: B+ —[44%]

∟ CHA: SS —[55%]

[AVG: A+]

———————————

She now had twelve storage capacity for her magic swords—relative to her innate skill.

[Gate].

Now, she could summon twelve weapons at the same time.

But that much at once strained her neural senses. She could only keep up with so many weapons at the same time.

For that reason, Amelia needed to be proficient with it.

Activating the simulation again, Amelia got into a battle stance once more.

She had just finished her physical training.

Now, she had to focus on her ability.

One day left before the examinations.

***

The entire week, everyone focused on training. The training facilities bustled with activity, as cadets engaged in their own type of training, helping one another, while some opted for solo training.

There were separate training facilities for everyone, depending on what they needed.

This was the main reason why Imperial Academy was highly regarded as the best academy currently.

Rachel, who had decided she had studied enough, opted for the same training as Claire's.

To isolate herself in a chamber that contained an abundance of mana—relative to her affinity.

The entire chamber was frozen solid, to the point that Rachel had a hard time concentrating.

According to Claire, exposing mana to the bare skin was the most efficient way when undergoing this type of training.

'Easy for her to say.'

Claire's affinity was lightning, while Rachel's base affinity was ice.

If she were to expose her skin as much as Claire did, she would most probably freeze to death.

"Huuu….."

At least, that's what she initially thought.

But seeing Claire's sudden growth, especially in her efficiency and body structure….

"Huuu…. Damn it…!"

Rachel had to try.

For that reason, she had exposed much of her skin under the sheer coldness.

Currently, she had stripped herself, leaving her bra exposed, but due to her embarrassment, she wore a skirt to cover up her underwear.

"Cold…. cold…. cold…."

For the next few hours or so, those were the only words that left her mouth. Occasionally, she added a few curses.

"Shit…. shit…. shit…." Discover tales on novelbuddy

She started wondering why she even did this.

But as she started getting used to it, Rachel's mind was at ease—completely resonating with the cold mana.

"Huu….."

Her breaths were steady, and gradually, her hair started turning white, crawling from the strands, all the way to the crown.

"Huuu…."

.

.

On the other side of the room.

Amy too had undergone the same training.

But if she had to be honest, she was having some difficulty.

"Guuu…! I'm drowning…!"