Extra's POV: My Obsessive Villainous Fiancee Is The Game's Final Boss

Ren sat cross legged at the mouth of his tent, his arms resting on his knees, eyes locked on translucent barrier that rose from the horizon like a wall of heaven.

All he could see was what was behind it. The pale, constant light that glowed in the distance, too far to understand and too close to ignore.

He knew what it was and how to get past it. But not now. Not until they were all at their best.

The sea lapped behind them, quiet and different from most things they'd faced in their journey to get here, as if all the rage of the Deep had been left behind in the maze.

He knew he should be happy that they caught the Deep early, before it could grow bigger and create more obstacles, and he was. But there was just that feeling in his gut, and it wouldn't just go away.

Lilith lay inside the tent behind him, still wrapped in a thick blanket. He could hear her slow breathing.

She'd opened her eyes briefly hours ago, smiled when she saw him, and immediately drifted off again. That scene still haunted him.

She was always the strongest. Seeing her fragile felt like watching the sky flicker weakly. It was as if the world was about to end.

And the guilt pressed hard against his chest, making it harder to breathe.

He could've done this alone. Or just with Lilith. It would have been faster. It would have been easier. After all, with the two of them together, there was not a lot that could stop them.

But he'd insisted on a grand adventure, and now, people were suffering because of his choices.

Thorn had lost his hand. Elias carried more weight than he let on. Zuzu had been pushed far beyond what she should be allowed to. And Lilith…

He closed his eyes. Her breathing was steady. That was all that mattered.

A long, low sound echoed across the island, deep and mournful.

It was a whale's call, but not of any whale he'd heard. It came from beyond the barrier, from something ancient and impossibly large. The sound didn't shake the ground, but it reached deep into the chest.

That was a leviathan.

Ren exhaled slowly, then shifted his focus. He'd forgotten about it, due to the situation at hand, but now was the time to check it out.

His new skill.

The familiar blue screen appeared before him.

His new ability had appeared in his mind, crystal clear the moment he reached the end of the illusion. It was simple. One skill. One sentence:

[Hypnosis.]

[You may induce a trance in a single target.]

[Duration: 15 minutes.]

"May?" Ren frowned at the screen. What did it mean by 'may'? Did the skill not always work? And why was he limited to just a trance if the skill was named Hypnosis. What a shitty skill.

His eyes traveled downwards.

[Cooldown: 48 hours.]

He nearly choked on his own spit. The cooldown was brutal!

A skill with that kind of limitation wasn't something he could lean on. Not often. It was useful in the right moment, but the gap between uses was staggering. Unless…

Unless he could evolve it.

He'd never had a skill before. But then again, he hadn't leveled up anything except hypnosis resistance to level 100 before.

His eyes narrowed as he stared at the skill.

This can't be all there was to the skill. Maybe if he used it enough, leveled it up, he could reduce the cooldown. Maybe he could improve the duration. Even the effectiveness.

But he'd also been rewarded with something else.

A skill page.

With just a thought, the skill page was open before him.

[Skill Page]

[Hypnosis (Level 1)]

He stared at it.

Level 1 meant he was right. The more he used the skill, the greater the chance to level it up!

He stared at it. Who knew Unfettered Enhancement would be this powerful. It could change power systems to let him keep the power. It could unlock his restrictions and give him the power to fight those stronger than him. And now, it was giving him actual new skills.

With this, he wouldn't have to worry about facing some of the Calamities. Some were like natural disasters, which he couldn't stop. But there were ones he could stop. And that's what he'll do. Starting with the Deep.

He blinked, clearing the screen from his vision and leaned forward again, eyes on the barrier.

Footsteps approached.

"You're thinking too loudly."

Ren looked up to see Elias approaching. The knight's face was tired, but his movements were calm. He carried two wooden cups, steam rising from both.

Ren accepted the offered cup with a soft thanks. They drank in silence for a moment, the warm liquid settling something in his gut.

"The others are asleep." Elias said. "Thorn passed out mid sentence. Zuzu didn't even make it into her tent. Just curled up on her blanket like a cat."

Ren smiled faintly. "Good. They need rest."

Elias tilted his head. "And you?"

"Too much on my mind."

"Figured."

Ren sighed, setting his cup aside. "I should've stocked actual food inside the spatial pouch, instead of trying to treat this like camping."

"We'll figure something out." Elias said. "I'll scavenge when they both wake up. Maybe we'll be able to find something edible around here."

Ren didn't answer.

Elias looked at him for a moment longer, then said, "You're not just worried about food."

Ren leaned back slightly, resting on his elbows. "Am I a leader, Elias? Or a manipulator?"

Silence filled the air between them.

Ren continued before Elias could answer. "I brought you all here. Dragged you into this. I knew it would be dangerous, but I still let it happen. I justified it to myself. Told myself it had to be done. But now… Thorn has one hand. Lilith nearly died. Zuzu isn't even an adult Tidecaller yet, and I dragged her here too."

Elias stared at him for a long moment, then said, "Leadership is strategy wrapped in empathy."

Ren blinked. "What?"

"Something Lord Underwood always said." Elias chuckled. "I didn't understand it before, but after journeying with you for a year, I understand it now."

"You take people where they don't want to go because you know it's the right place. And you feel everything along the way. If you didn't feel guilt, I'd be worried."

"Thorn would be dead if he wasn't with you. If not at the border, then at the battle with the barbarians. If you two didn't train with each other and pushed each other, Thorn wouldn't have become the Thorn he is today."

"I don't even need to talk about Lilith. We both know that without you, she might not even be sane at this age. And where Lilith goes, I go. So, you've also made things easier for me."

"And Zuzu." Elias chuckled. "I think she's much safer here with us than if she went looking for adventures on her own. From what I've observed about her, she'd have done that if not for our presence at Seta."

Ren was quiet.

"You're not a manipulator, Ren." Elias said. "You're the only reason we've survived this long. And you're the only one who knows what we're really up against."

Ren let the words sink in.

Then he sat up straighter. Not because the guilt was gone. But because Elias was right. He couldn't afford to let it weigh him down now.

"Thank you." Ren said quietly.

Elias gave him a small nod, then turned his gaze toward the glowing barrier.

"Do you think the heart is really behind that thing?"

Ren nodded. "Yes."

Elias sipped his drink. "Then I guess we better rest. Heal. And when we're ready, we tear that thing down."