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

Ren stumbled back into the clearing, his steps heavy, his cloak tattered, and streaked with blood.

Some were his, and some were not, but they were all drying along his arms and neck.

His vine armor was gone, the skill deactivated, leaving only his tunic and battered pants. Despite his ragged state, he was grinning.

Lilith shot to her feet, crossing the space between them in a heartbeat.

"You're back!" She smiled, giving him a tight hug, not caring for the dirt and blood on his body. "I missed you."

Ren gave her a lopsided smile. "I haven't been gone that long, have I?"

"Doesn't matter." She muttered into his chest, before pulling back. "I miss you."

Thorn had also stood as well, his mouth slightly agape. "You look like a strip of meat being cooked over a fire."

Ren laughed and dropped himself beside a tree, his back hitting the bark with a satisfied thump. "You should see the other guy."

"You killed it?" Lilith asked, kneeling beside him.

He nodded. "Yeah. The big one's down. I smashed its skull in. But…"

He let the word hang, wiping sweat from his brow.

"But?" Thorn echoed warily.

Ren exhaled, still smiling, but his tone had shifted. "It's not staying dead."

The words hit the air like ice water.

Ren leaned his head back against the tree. "The Divine Gift's defenses are way stronger than what I faced when I went to claim Unfettered Enhancement."

"Back then, Unfettered Enhancement's defenses reflected its nature as a Gift that started from nothing and grew strength slowly but surely. And once the guardian was dead, it stayed dead."

"This one…," he glanced toward the tree canopy, as if he could see the jungle's heartbeat in the leaves, "...has more attacking power. That means its defenses are layered."

Lilith's brows furrowed. "So the orangutans?"

"They'll revive. All of them. Even the boss." Ren said, closing his eyes. "Not right away. It'll take a few hours for the Gift's energy to cycle and animate them again."

Thorn flopped down into a seated position with a groan. "Then we rest. Because I'm two wheezes away from my heart going into a seizure."

Ren cracked his neck. "Rest. Eat. Regroup. And then we get moving again."

Lilith didn't respond right away. She just sat beside him, close enough for her shoulder to touch his.

Ren reached into his pouch and pulled out a water flask and some dried meat. As he chewed on the jerky, he swiped his hand in the air, bringing up his skill page. Two entries blinked in his view.

[Skills:]

[Hypnosis]

[Vine Armor]

His eyes ghosted over the details for Hypnosis.

[Hypnosis]

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

[Duration: 15 minutes.]

[Cooldown: 48 hours]

He sighed. The skill was still as useless as before. Being able to control only one person for 15 minutes. He was sure the opportunity to use it would come one day, but today was not that day.

His eyes went down to the details for Vine Armor.

[Vine Armor]

[Protect yourself with bio armor made from vines, capable of adapting and regenerating in real time.]

He stared at it, a smile quirking up on his face.

Unlike Hypnosis, which started weak and could eventually grow stronger, Vine Armor was static. A defensive constant.

It didn't grow with practice or require emotional focus. It simply existed. Tough vines that could erupt from his skin to form a living suit, responding to his movements like an extension of himself.

He had tested it enough now to understand its limits and potential.

Durability was high, and flexibility decent. It could regrow from damage, provided he had enough soul energy.

But most importantly, it enhanced him physically. It acted as not just armor, but external muscle, allowing him to do more while wearing it.

He closed the panel with a thought.

The warmth of the tree at his back and the sounds of Thorn softly snoring already made him feel a little more grounded.

Lilith leaned into him, letting her head rest on his shoulder.

"You did good." She murmured.

Ren closed his eyes, enjoying the moment of rest. "We're not done yet. But we're getting there."

And so they relaxed.

After what felt like a single blink of rest, Ren rose to his feet, rolling his shoulders with a soft crack.

He looked down at Thorn and Lilith, both already stirring, sensing his movement.

"Let's move." Ren simply said.

There were no protests, nor hesitation. They knew what was at stake.

They took off into the jungle, moving fast. Their bodies still ached, and their muscles were still sore, but they didn't slow down. There was no time to.

The jungle blurred around them. Branches snapped in their wake, vines slashed at their skin, and leaves slapped at their faces. But none of it mattered.

They were almost there.

Ren could feel the edge of the jungle drawing near. The air started to cool, shifting from damp heat to a slow biting chill. The darkness began to lift, the gloom giving way to soft gray light ahead.

Then the sound reached their ears.

A low hoot. Faint. Echoing through the canopy.

Then another.

And another.

The sound built like a heartbeat.

Ren didn't look back.

"Faster!" He shouted, pushing his legs harder.

Lilith surged beside him, knives in her hands. Thorn grunted behind them, a second wind kicking into his burning lungs.

The hoots grew louder, dozens of them now, followed by the creak of branches, the rustle of leaves, and the deep snarls of something big and angry waking up.

They were being chased.

Again.

A shadow passed overhead, an orangutan already moving through the treetops with terrifying speed.

"Don't stop!" Ren barked.

The edge of the jungle was in sight now, an opening of soft gray beyond the black. The light of the afternoon filtered through the massive trunks ahead of them.

A shape dropped toward them from above, its mouth wide, claws extended.

Ren raised both hands. "Push!"

The orangutan was blasted sideways into the tree line, cracking wood and bone as it vanished into the dark.

And then, they were through.

They burst out of the jungle as one, lungs burning, hearts thudding, and came to an abrupt halt.

Before them lay the first ring.

The blizzard.

The wind screamed across the mountain face, snow whipping in every direction.

Visibility dropped to nothing. All they could see before them was just a wall of white, thick and shifting, swallowing everything within it.

Within it, there was no sky and no ground. Only the biting cold, the razor sharp wind, and the endless swirling of snow.

Ren stood still, chest rising and falling. Behind them, the hoots of the orangutans had stopped, but only because they wouldn't leave the jungle. They couldn't.

He looked ahead, eyes narrowed.

That storm wasn't natural. Not at all. The snow didn't fall. It twisted and danced, defying gravity, waiting to trap anyone who entered.

Thorn stepped beside him. "We can't see five feet through that."

"No." Ren said quietly. "But if we make it through…"

Lilith stood on his other side, eyes glowing faintly. "Then the Divine Gift is ours."