The Game's Extra: Azhriel Odyssey

Chapter 27: Serica.

The three moved swiftly through the shadowed forest, heading toward the distant mountains. Cold wind rushed past them, carrying the damp scent of moss and earth, brushing against their faces like icy fingers.

Branches swayed, and the moon cast pale silver light between the trees, guiding their path like silent watchers in the dark.

Then, a low, guttural howl echoed from the distance. Another followed. Then another—closer this time.

Arianne’s steps didn’t falter, but her crimson eyes narrowed.

"Tch," she clicked her tongue in annoyance. "They sensed us."

It wasn’t unexpected. The Mistwood was dense with creatures drawn to movement and mana, especially during a full moon.

But that didn’t make it any less of a problem. The presence of three strong movements traveling together was like ringing a dinner bell in the wilderness.

Azhriel glanced over his shoulder. "We’ll have to move faster."

"Understood," Serica replied, drawing a dagger from beneath her cloak, the blade catching the moonlight with a faint gleam.

The howls grew louder, more numerous. The forest stirred. In the next heartbeat, all three of their instincts screamed danger.

Serica moved first—like lightning. Her dagger was already in motion when a crescent-shaped claw of black shadow tore through the air toward them.

Clang!

The clash rang out sharply in the quiet forest, metal meeting monstrous bone with a screech of sparks.

Serica held her ground with ease, her stance unwavering as she knocked the creature away in one fluid motion. The force of the impact sent the beast tumbling across the forest floor, snapping branches and digging furrows in the earth.

The moonlight broke through the canopy above, casting silver light over the creature’s body as it rose.

It was lizard-like, nearly the size of a large wolf, with a hide as black as obsidian. Long claws scraped the dirt beneath it, curved and jagged like blades.

Two fangs jutted down from its upper jaw like ivory knives, gleaming in the light. Its black eyes shimmered with a void-like hunger—cold, feral, and unblinking.

Azhriel narrowed his eyes. "A Dark Lizard."

Arianne’s voice was low. "Just our bad luck ..."

"They don’t hunt alone," Serica said, calmly shifting her stance.

As if summoned by her words, more sounds echoed through the forest floor. Shadows stretched, and from beneath the earth, claws tore free.

With eerie synchronicity, several more Dark Lizards burst from the underbrush, their black scales blending into the dim forest light.

They didn’t charge mindlessly. No—they moved with calculated precision, slipping into a formation as they swiftly circled the trio.

Their coordination was unnerving—tight, sharp, like soldiers trained for ambush.

But that wasn’t the true problem.

The issue wasn’t the Dark Lizards themselves, nor was it their numbers. The real concern was time.

These creatures, while manageable, were tough and persistent. Fighting them off would eat up precious minutes—minutes they didn’t have. Especially not on a full moon night, when time was of the essence.

And worse—they couldn’t go all out.

Arianne’s eyes darted around. She understood instantly.

They couldn’t risk using large-scale spells or magic. Any big move would light up the forest like a beacon, drawing in every predator within miles. In Mistwood, that meant far worse things than just lizards.

The lizard attacked as they moved simultaneously. Their claws glinting in the light.

’Man, that’s why I rarely go out in the forest at night... these guys are just relentless,’ Azhriel thought, a trace of irritation flickering across his face as he sidestepped a claw aimed at his side.

Though he had lived in Mistwood for nearly six months now, never once had he made the mistake of underestimating it. The forest wasn’t just dangerous—it was unforgiving. Even the smallest lapse could get you killed.

He still remembered that moment clearly—when he first explored Mistwood in the game, brimming with confidence, thinking he could clear a side quest easily.

That particular game over had been gruesome.

A cold lesson.

Here, in the real world, the forest was even worse. The Mistwood was a forbidden zone, and not just in name. It was divided into three regions.

The outermost, where they were now, was the largest. The monsters here weren’t as strong, but they swarmed in numbers.

Losing your way here could mean death, not by a monster’s claws, but by hunger, fatigue, or the forest itself. The terrain twisted, visibility shifted, and the weather changed without warning.

But that was only the beginning.

The middle and innermost parts were far worse. Twisted places where stronger monsters roamed and reality itself sometimes seemed warped. There were things there not even fully explained in the game.

’However, this time... there’s a transcendent on our side.’

Azhriel calmly pulled his blade free from the now-limp body of the lizard that had lunged at him, its black blood soaking into the mossy earth beneath. His sky-blue eyes glanced toward the left—toward the real storm on the battlefield.

Serica.

She moved like a phantom in motion, her blade slicing through the dark with terrifying precision. Where she passed, only headless corpses remained, their bodies crumpling before the echo of her steps had even faded. The moonlight caught on her silver blade, each arc of her movement like a dance of death.

Both, Azhriel and Arianne just stood side by side and watched as she fought.

’Damn, she could kill me in a blink, couldn’t she?’ he thought.

It wasn’t an exaggeration. Watching her now, Azhriel couldn’t help but respect just how vast the gap was between them.

While he had power and potential, Serica was someone who had already crossed into that realm of monsters disguised as humans—a Transcendent.

She wasn’t using any mana, no techniques either. It was just pure raw physical ability.

Each movement she made was simple. No unnecessary flair, no complicated footwork. Just efficient, brutal power and inhuman speed. And yet, it was terrifyingly effective.

Azhriel’s eyes narrowed slightly as he watched her bisect another lizard with a single horizontal swing, the body split clean like butter beneath a hot knife.

’She’s not even serious...’ he realized.

He could tell. She wasn’t pushing herself.

In fact, he was almost certain she wasn’t even using ten percent of her actual strength right now.

As expected of Duke’s Guard.

Soon they reached their location The Fog Mountain.