Extra's POV: My Obsessive Villainous Fiancee Is The Game's Final Boss-Chapter 10: A Leap Of Fate

The moment his fingers touched the golden shard, he felt warmth spread through his body as a surge of energy exploded through him.

It wasn't painful, but it was overwhelming. It was a sensation unlike anything he had ever felt before.

The shard dissolved into pure energy, the glowing golden specks of dust flowing into him and coursing through his veins like liquid fire.

His entire body vibrated as the power permeated every atom to settle deep inside of him.

Ding!

He heard a brief note of music as the shard resonated with something fundamental inside his soul. He watched as his veins glowed gold for a moment before the light faded away.

Then, a blue box blinked into existence in front of him, floating in the air.

[Unfettered Enhancement Activated.]

Ren stared at the message, breathing heavily like he just sprinted through the clearing.

He had expected something familiar but he hadn't expected this.

From what he'd read, he knew that every Divine Gift that could be claimed attuned itself to its wielder in a way they could understand.

To an uneducated person, it won't take the form of a box they couldn't read but something personal to them.

For Ren, it had taken the form of the original game, Eternal Soul: Last Judgement's system notifications. He smiled at the familiar sight, finding it oddly comforting.

A second later, the ground beneath him trembled.

A deep, guttural rumble filled the air and his stomach dropped as he looked around in alarm. The entire grove was shaking, the massive ancient trees groaning as if in pain.

"No, no, no!" Ren muttered, his eyes wide as he took in what was happening.

The trees around him began to wither, their luminescent leaves flickering and dying out.

The very foundation of the grove was unraveling, collapsing in on itself like a house of cards. Dust and debris rained down as vines snapped and the roots that once formed the heart of the grove began to break apart.

Ren turned on his heel and bolted.

He sprinted down the path he had come from, his lungs burning as he forced himself to move faster. Behind him, the grove was caving in, a massive implosion swallowing everything in its wake.

The air was filled with flying debris, and he could barely see what was in front of him as the light from the few remaining glowing trees flickered wildly.

[Level Up: Running Lvl. 2.]

He blinked and almost stumbled as the notification flashed before his eyes, disappearing before he even had a chance to process it.

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A second later, the exit came into view. He gritted his teeth, increasing his pace.

As he got closer, he saw something that almost made him fall in shock.

The arch was shrinking.

The two trees were twisting inward, the vines over the arch falling like a wall to close the only way out.

He pushed himself harder, feeling the burn in his legs. With every step, hope was falling away.

He was five steps away and the hole was just big enough for an adult to comfortably pass.

Four steps. An adult would have to squeeze through.

Three steps. Even an adult would not be able to escape.

Seeing his freedom flash before his eyes. His body moved before his mind could even process the idea.

With a push from three steps away, Ren launched himself forward.

He dove into the air, aiming for the hole as he tucked his arms in and twisted his body, his heart pounded in his ears.

The air rushed past him as he flung himself through the rapidly shrinking gap.

The moment his body cleared the hole, the grove let out a deafening roar and collapsed completely.

Ren hit the ground hard, rolling several times before coming to a stop. He lay on his back, chest heaving, staring up at the canopy of trees which hid the sky from view.

He laid there, his entire body trembling from adrenaline and exhaustion.

If he had been a second slower, if he had hesitated even once, he would have been buried along with the grove.

He lay there for a few moments, allowing what he'd just experienced to sink in.

In the game, the grove had never collapsed. This meant that the world was changing, reacting in ways he didn't fully understand.

It meant that things weren't as predictable as he had thought.

A cold shiver ran down his spine. I can't rely on my knowledge alone.

Eventually, his breathing evened out, and he forced himself to sit up. His armor had taken a bit of a beating from the flying wood and his face had a few cuts, but he was alive. And he had what he came for.

As if waiting for him to remember it, the Divine Gift sent a notification.

[Level Up: Running Lvl. 5.]

Ren grinned to himself. The Gift had enhanced itself.

Instead of giving him the notification of him leveling up his running from lvl

3 to 5, it had waited for the danger to be over, improving itself from when the lvl 2 message had distracted him.

Sweet! With this Gift, I can survive anything.

With one final deep breath, he rose to his feet and began retracing his steps back to the border camp.

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By the time he reached the camp, the battle was already over.

Fires still burned in places, but the barbarian raid had been repelled, just as it always was. The Knights and soldiers moved through the aftermath, tending to the wounded and securing the perimeter.

Ren stuck to the shadows, moving quietly as he entered from the east, where the barbarians rarely attacked due to their fear of the Greythorne Forest. The barbarian's superstition—which was totally justified—-worked in his favor.

As he neared the squires' tents, Markus spotted him and rushed over.

"My lord!" Markus hissed. "Where have you been?! Your father's been looking for you everywhere!"

Ren forced himself to remain calm, scrambling for an excuse for his absence in the safety of his mind. "I got separated during the raid. I had to find a way back."

Markus eyed him suspiciously but sighed. "You're lucky. Come on, you need to report to your father before he has half the camp searching for you."

Ren nodded and followed Markus to his father's tent. He stepped inside to find Lord Ross standing over a map, his expression unreadable. When he saw Ren enter, his gaze hardened.

"Where were you?" Lord Ross demanded.

Ren kept his face neutral. "I got separated during the raid. Thankfully, one of the Knights was near and I stuck to him."

His father studied him carefully. The silence stretched between them and Ren stood there uncomfortably.

He knew that there was now a subtle change in him. Right from the moment the Gift had entered his body, it had begun enhancing it, from his stride to his posture.

Something had shifted within him, and his father could sense it.

Finally, Lord Ross nodded. "You survived on your own. That is commendable." He turned back to his map. "Good job. Now get some rest. We have more to do tomorrow."

Ren stood there for a moment, processing the words. His father never praised him. Not once. This was the closest he had ever come to acknowledging him as capable.

He bowed slightly. "Yes, Father."

As he left the tent, a small smile blossomed to life on his face. He had survived. He had acquired the Gift. And now, he had a future worth fighting for.

But he also knew that power like this would not go unnoticed. He would have to be careful. He would have to be smarter.

Unfettered Enhancement was his greatest tool, but it could also become his greatest curse if the wrong people found out. Not because they'd take it—No one can take another's Gift—but because he was still weak enough to be pressured and used.

With that thought in his mind, Ren decided right then and there to use the Gift wisely.

The real challenge was only just beginning.