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8.15% Extra's Descent / Chapter 33: Virtual Simulation [5]

Chapter 33: Virtual Simulation [5]

"So? Which of you wants to deal with me? Only four volunteers."

Brandon stood at the cave's entrance as he coldly locked eyes with each of the six people in front of him.

From beside him, someone spoke out loud. A man's voice.

"Don't be so cocky, you nobod–"

Tszzzzzz–! 

Before the man could finish, a spark of blue lightning shaped like a spear flashed from behind him.

It mercilessly pierced him, as he spontaneously twitched due to the electrocution.

Kszzz–

The man instantly dispersed, dematerializing into white fluttering particles.

"Wha–"

Swoosh- Swoosh- Swoosh- Swoosh- Swoosh-

All the figures turned to look behind them, only to find an innumerable amount of lightning spears ready to erase them as it did with the man.

It was as if they were being held hostages.

And due to the nature of lightning, it would be way too fast for them to react to it.

At that, Brandon spoke up once again, his voice detached of any mercy.

"My mistake, three volunteers. Let's take this outside, okay?"

All the mages in front of him seemed to be terrified. 

There was no room to retort as they immediately followed Brandon's instructions.

Step- Step–

They beckoned outside. The vast expanse of tundra had become visible.

In front of him, the woman in the middle of the group broke the silence as she turned to look at her comrades.

"G-Guys… Do as he says, we can take him out once we're in a better position."

Brandon raised his brow, amused.

"Oh? You think I'd let you do that?"

"Y-Yes… You would've killed us already if you wouldn't."

She had a point.

Brandon didn't want to end the fight fast.

He wanted to try out everything he learned from the books.

Brandon then curled his lips to a smirk, he said,

"Right. Whoever wants to fight Amy can proceed. Everyone else, stay."

As he emphasized the last word, his eyes narrowed and his voice deepened. Trying to put immense pressure on the group of parties.

While he waited, the woman spoke up once again.

"C-Could you let us discuss first?"

Brandon tilted his head in amusement.

There was no harm in letting them do that, and if they tried to escape he could just kill them.

"Sure. But stay within my line of sight."

The woman nodded, there was no room for negotiation.

At that, the group huddled together, forming a circle.

Brandon couldn't help but try to eavesdrop.

However…

He couldn't.

The woman had conjured up a sound barrier.

"Interesting…"

A mage with the sound affinity was quite rare.

From what Brandon knew, there were seven basic elements.

[Fire] [Water] [Earth] [Wind] [Nature] [Lightning] [Ice]

But there were special forms of affinity as well, such as:

[Light] [Shadow] [Time] [Space] [Life] [Fauna] [Psionic] [Gravity] [Morphic] [Celestial] [Quantum] [Mirror] [Sound] and so much more.

But it was too much for him to remember at the moment.

Mages could evolve their basic element into the next stage with training.

While some were born with the innate talent to use the special affinities without training.

From what he knew, Vanessa and Evelyn were good examples for it.

Vanessa had evolved her [Earth] affinity into the [Gravity] affinity.

While Evelyn was born to already harness the [Celestial] affinity.

Either the woman had evolved her [Wind] affinity to the [Sound] affinity or she was born with it.

He didn't know, but it was definitely interesting.

As he was lost in his thoughts, the group seemed to have finished their discussion, as the sound barrier was lifted.

At that, Brandon spoke up while the group turned to look at him.

"Have you decided?"

"Yes."

Two of the mages then strode forward as they passed by Brandon.

"....!"

—---------------------------

[Quests]

[Survive.]

[Rewards:]

[EXP: +50]

[Stat Points: +3]

[System Coins: +50]

[Penalty:]

[Failure to accomplish this task will get all your attributes locked for 7 days.]

—---------------------------

Brandon then turned to sneak a glance at the two behind him.

They stopped walking.

'Predictable.'

Tszzzz–

Brandon instantly blinked back without turning his body around, directly facing the two. Grabbing both of their necks.

"Kughhh–"

Vooosh–!

One of the mages engulfed themselves in flames, burning Brandon as well.

An attempt to take their own life just to burn Brandon.

"Aghhhhhh!"

Since he'd never increased his [DEF] stat, Brandon felt the burning sensation on his hand.

He immediately let go of the two, rubbing his hand, only to find it etched with burn marks.

The blue lightning spears dispersed as well as he lost control over them.

A blunder.

Kszzz–

The mage who burned himself had dispersed into white fluttering particles.

After transmigrating into the world, Brandon had never felt pain before.

It was a new feeling for him.

And it hurt.

A lot.

Even the sensation was accurately portrayed by the Virtual Simulation.

'This is crazy.'

He knitted his brows and contoured a smirk.

The mages then threw a barrage of skills his way.

An earthen spike contoured from the ground, trying to pierce him.

While crystalline of ice protruded from the ground, headed towards him.

Gusts of winds shaped like discs pierced through the air.

While water seemingly formed from his feet, trying to tangle him.

[Mana Disruption] was out of the question as the spells had already formed.

He couldn't disperse the mana that had already formed an elemental shape.

Despite beating Alpha–who was a Professional Killer, six mages from an elite Academy at once was still too much for him.

'Should I do it?'

He was severely handicapped by only using the lightning affinity only.

'Ah.'

As long as he didn't use fire, then it might be fine.

Crackle!

At that, he conjured an ice wall to block the crystalline of ice.

Then…

Woosh–

A gust of wind instantly dispersed the wind discs.

Tszzzz—

As the earthen spike was seemingly about to hit him, Brandon blinked back to dodge it.

"...!"

All the mages' eyes shot wide open, as their mouths were left agape.

At that moment, Brandon Locke had become a known Tri-Elemental Deviant throughout the entire Academy.

***

"Crazy…"

"I was suspicious he was a Deviant… But three elements…?"

Vanessa then turned to glance at Evelyn with a smirk as if saying, 'I'll take him before you can'.

"Nope, I've already decided."

"I know, but I've set my sights on him first."

"Doesn't matter."

Evelyn waved her off.

"Fine... But it still comes down to who he'll choose as his Personal Instructor."

"He'll choose me."

Evelyn was confident.

As they spoke, Evelyn had never peeled her eyes away from the screen.

Brandon Locke.

He was special.

Deviants were rare. But Tri-Elemental Deviants were an extremely rare case.

A once in a generation talent.

"How are you so sure?"

Vanessa snapped her out of her thoughts, trying to assess where her confidence stems from.

"I won't let him refuse."

"Eh…?"

She would pour in all her resources just to get Brandon Locke to accept being her protégé.

She couldn't let a talent like him slip away.

"Well, I won't back down."

Vanessa crossed her arms and leaned back on the circular couch, redirecting her attention to the screen.

"There's no point. Just get Amy Ashfield and be on your way."

Despite being introverted, Evelyn was extremely competitive.

She didn't want to lose to her best friend.

"Heh, we'll see about that."

"Mhm, still. The Academy's going to be crazy for a while."

"Haa… Yeah."

Unbeknownst to the students participating in the Battle Royale, the entire session was being live streamed for the entire Academy to see.

All the first years would have the same session. But Evelyn's class was the first one scheduled to take the Battle Royale.

As the Battle Royale was ongoing, classes were suspended for the week.

Hence, why Vanessa was there.

If anyone wanted to watch the session, they'd have to go to the Academy on their own accord.

Knock– Knock—

Someone knocked on the door.

"Who is it?"

Vanessa inquired.

A muffled voice from behind the door then reached their ears.

"Is that Miss Vanessa?"

A woman's voice.

"Yes, it is."

"Ah, it's Belle Locke, may I come in?"

Evelyn then chimed in. The Locke surname was familiar to her.

"Who's that?"

"The Student Council President of the Academy."

"Ah."

Was that why it was familiar?

Vanessa then stood up, motioning towards the door and unlocked it.

Creak–

The door gradually opened, revealing a woman.

Long pale-white hair flowing down her shoulders.

Familiar ice-blue eyes, and perfectly symmetrical facial features, clear from all blemishes.

Soft succulent lips, moist, clear of any cracks.

In short, she was extremely beautiful.

She donned the Astrea Academy uniform, which accentuated her curves. Her sleek black skirt, just short enough to reveal her jade white thighs.

On her uniform was a golden pin that etched the Student Council logo.

Step–

She entered the room with regal, each step exuded confidence.

As Belle continued to walk towards her, Vanessa shut the door close and locked it.

She then turned towards Evelyn, locking eyes with her as she informed,

"She's also Brandon Locke's older sister."

"Ah."

So that's why the Locke surname was so familiar.

*

*

*

[AN]

Belle Locke makes her appearance...

I'm so motivated...


Chapter 34: Virtual Simulation [6]

"H-Hey, Sarah… He's not normal. Let's r-retreat…"

"No."

In front of him, Brandon could hear one of the mages speaking to the sound mage. The mage's voice trembled.

'So her name is Sarah.'

An unfamiliar character.

Another extra.

Truthfully, Sarah was fairly attractive, black hair tied to a ponytail, purple eyes that contoured to a determined gaze. She was tall, taller than any of the girls in his friend group.

She seemed to be the leader, as the mages with her tended to rely on her orders.

But her beauty isn't what caught Brandon's attention.

It was her magic.

The whole time, she had never used any sound magic to attack Brandon.

'Why?'

It was peculiar.

Was she preparing for a surprise attack?

Brandon couldn't tell.

It should've been obvious that they were at a disadvantage, now that Brandon had stopped handicapping himself to only using lightning.

Yet Sarah refused the plea to retreat.

'What is she planning?'

Regardless, Brandon was determined to kill them.

Whatever Sarah was planning for him didn't matter.

'I'll win.'

He smirked.

Crackle…

An ice sword slowly materialized in his hand, gripping it tightly.

He'd already learned all of the advanced swordsmanship from the books he bought. Though, only in theory.

This was his chance to test its application.

The mage who's neck he gripped had already recovered and returned to their position.

Step–

An ice sword in his hand, Brandon stepped forward.

The mages all locked eyes with him, their expressions were serious.

They must've realized he was now in a different league as they focused all their attention on his every move.

It was then when one of the mages lifted his hand, conjuring mana.

However…

[Mana Disruption]

Since [Mana Disruption] didn't have any visible effects, no one would notice Brandon did something.

No one but the victims themselves.

"Wha–"

Spark– Crackle—!

At that, Brandon flashed forward, as trails of blue sparks left his trail.

Brandon instantly blinked in front of the mage. The mage's hand was still lifted up, trying to conjure mana.

But it was futile.

Then…

Swoosh– Splurt–!

His arm was cleanly sliced off.

"Fuuuuck–"

With the ice sword raised up, Brandon tried to swing it and cut his head off..

Vooosh–

Spark–!

A gust of wind tried to blow him away but he immediately blinked back.

But…

Water shaped like a whip had managed to grab hold of his leg.

"Now!"

Sarah screamed, giving out her orders.

Instantly, a barrage of wind and water made their way towards Brandon.

One of the mages, seemingly the ice mage, tried to conjure up her mana.

"Huh?"

Yet nothing happened.

Since [Mana Disruption] could only target one specific spot–object, inanimate or animate, Brandon couldn't do anything about the other magic skills.

He couldn't do it simultaneously, and there was a time lag.

But he was relieved since the ice couldn't mix with the water on his leg.

At the moment, the ice mage was the most dangerous opponent, besides Sarah, who still didn't do anything.

With the water whip grabbing his leg, Brandon protruded lightning sparks from his feet.

Tszzzz–

The sparks slowly crawled up to the water mage.

"Kehhuut..!"

At that, the whip dissipated as the water mage twitched spontaneously.

"Idiot, you've forgotten he can use lightning as well."

Sarah stepped back, reprimanding the water mage.

Tszzzz–

Brandon once again flashed forward, dodging the gust of wind. He then appeared in front of the ice mage.

"S-Sarah, help–"

Spurt!

Her plea was abruptly cut off as Brandon cleanly slit her throat.

Blood splattered everywhere, staining Brandon's clothes, as the ice mage dematerialized into white particles.

Kszzz–

His attention was then redirected on his back. The black fur coat dematerialized as well.

"So she was the owner…"

Step–

They took a step back.

There were only four mages left, while one of them was out of commission, having no arm.

Brandon coldly locked his gaze with them, then to Sarah.

"Why aren't you doing anything?"

Two of them had already died. Yet Sarah had never revealed her cards.

"Yeah! Are you just going to let us die, Sarah?"

One of the mages, seemingly the earth mage screamed. His expressions were one of terror, as he held the spot where his arm once was.

"Shut up, shut up!"

Brandon was taken aback. Sarah seemed to have lost it, disheveling her hair.

'Could it be?'

"You."

At Brandon's words, Sarah turned to the left, then to the right. 

Then eventually looked back at Brandon, while pointing at herself.

"M-Me?"

"Yes, you. The only thing you can do is create a sound barrier, can't you?"

"..."

She hesitated.

'It all makes sense now.'

She had no magic skills that would aid her in a fight.

In other words…

"Are you the 2,021th ranked student?"

The lowest rank possible.

"..."

Though he didn't show it, Brandon was quite surprised.

Who knew the lowest ranked student had a rare affinity.

Her gaze tore down with an anxious expression.

"...Hold on. Is that true, Sarah?"

The earth mage grumbled, while the other mages stared at Sarah as well.

"Fuck, I shouldn't have paired up with you."

It was then when Sarah continuously stomped her foot on the ground.

"Shut up, shut up, shut up! You were the one who approached me after finding out I was a sound mage. So don't put the blame on me."

Sarah then turned to look at the arm that wasn't there, and continued,

"I may be a fraud. But at least I didn't get my arm cut off!"

Sarah seemed to have enough.

Brandon blankly stared at the group as they continued to argue.

But it was then when the mages formed a circle, surrounding Sarah.

'Hold on.'

They were about to kill her.

Distasteful.

But nonetheless, Brandon let the scene unfold.

To let the others do the dirty work for him.

As the mages conjured up their mana, Sarah's voice reached his ears.

"Fuck… I don't care anymore, I'm dropping out after this."

She'd given up.

A shame.

'Her potential would be a waste.'

Sound magic was rare. Attending the Academy was only the beginning for Sarah to have complete mastery over it.

'She can't drop out now.'

It would've been a waste.

Thus, Brandon decided.

"Hey."

At his call, all the mages reluctantly turned their heads at him. 

They trembled. 

Just a simple word from Brandon was enough for them to be shaken.

"If you kill her, I'll come find you after the Battle Royale."

They tilted their heads, confused. 

But Brandon wasn't done. 

He continued, coldly emphasizing his last words.

"And I'll kill you myself."

At his last statement, all three of the mages surrounding Sarah had their eyes wide open. They shakingly lifted their hands down.

Silence.

No one retorted.

The one to have broken the silence was Brandon, as he spoke up once again.

"I'll give you two choices, I'll kill you all right here and now, or…"

He turned to look at the cave's entrance, then continued,

"You can go back inside and let Amy Ashfield kill you."

He spoke in a tone that seemed to tell–there was no room for negotiation.

They stood still, frozen.

Until…

Step–

One of them stepped forward. It was the earth mage.

"Hey! We haven't lost yet, are you really going to agree with his demands?"

The one to have said those words seemed to be the water mage, as she grabbed the man's shoulder, trying to stop him.

"Are you confident you could beat him?"

The earth mage glanced at Brandon, then back to the water mage.

"N-No, but if we all work together then–"

"Ridiculous. There were eight of us at the start. How many of us are left now?"

"..."

The water mage couldn't respond and took a glance at Brandon as well.

"You get it? That man… He's a monster. People like us… We're only stepping stones for him."

"..."

"I first entered this Academy with aspirations, thinking I could become someone special…"

The earth mage looked down with a sorrowful expression. He clenched his hands tightly to the point where blood started dripping.

"...I know it's only a simulation… But when I lost my arm…"

His voice started to crack.

"You know what an arm means to a mage, don't you?"

A mage's lifeline.

Tears started to drip, flowing down his cheek. As his voice continued to crack.

"Monsters like them, Raven Blackheart, Reinhard Van, Claire Victoria, Amy Ashfield, Rachel Asami… I can't compete with them."

Step–

He stepped forward, motioning towards the cave.

"I'm dropping out as well… This Academy… It's too much for me…"

Tears continued to drip down.

"Wait!"

The water mage called out to him, while the other mage stood by her side.

"...Let's all go together."

The earth mage seemed taken aback, but nodded with a smile plastered on his face.

"Okay."

But when he turned to glance at Brandon, he stared right into his cold eyes.

He then trembled in fear. He might've thought Brandon would come for him after the Battle Royale session, as he urgently told the two mages to hurry up.

At that, they entered the cave. Their figures gradually coalesced with the dark until Brandon couldn't see them anymore.

The entire time, Sarah stood silent.

She then turned to look at Brandon. Her previously terrified expression had contoured to a blank slate.

"Why did you spare me?"

"Spare you?"

What is she talking about?

Is all Brandon could think of.

"...So you aren't going to spare me?"

"No?... I'll just talk some senses into you."

"...?"

Brandon then strode forward, motioning towards Sarah.

Then paused, just a few inches from her.

"Don't drop out."

"..."

"Your talent."

"...?"

"It would be a waste."

Sarah seemed puzzled, tilting her head.

She then pursed her lips to say,

"Talent? I was useless the whole time, yet you tell me I have talent? Hah."

Truthfully, Brandon didn't know anything about Sarah.

She was a character that had never appeared in the novel.

But…

"Your mana capacity."

"What?"

"It's leaking."

She had a lot of mana. Too much that her body couldn't contain all of it.

Brandon then lifted his ice sword, and continued,

"I'll kill you now. But I'll come find you after all of this is over."

"Wha–"

Swoosh––!

—---------------------------

[Quest Completed!]

[Rewards Obtained:]

[EXP: +50]

[Stat Points: +3]

[System Coins: +50]

—---------------------------


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