[You have successfully defeated a Rank B-Mutated Soul, Vilegnaw]
[Level up: 14]
Myles blinked at the glowing system panel that hovered in front of him, half-hidden by the settling dust.
Level 14. Two jumps in one kill. Not bad. Though, honestly, he would have expected more after wrestling death itself for the last few minutes.
A beast like that should've poured EXP into his veins, but… apparently the system had its own stingy logic.
Before he could dwell on it, another notification slid into view.
[Reward Acquired: Umbravore Fangblade (B-Rank)]
A flicker of light appeared in front of him. As it solidified, the light peeled away like smoke to reveal a weapon floating in the air.
It was a short blade that not quite a dagger and not quite a sword. The length sat somewhere in between both weapons, balanced perfectly for both speed and precision.
Its blade was a deep matte black that seemed to drink in the light around it. Its edges looks so sharp.
Faint, jagged patterns, like cracks in obsidian ran along the flat of the blade, each one faintly glowing with a dim violet hue.
The hilt was wrapped in dark leather just like the hide of the Vilegnaw, and its guard curved inward.
When Myles reached out and took it, the weapon felt warm in his hand.
[Umbravore Fangblade — B-Rank]
Description: Forged from the crystallized fang of a shadow-dwelling apex predator. This weapon channels the hunger of the abyss, growing stronger the more blood it drinks.
Skills:
[Predator's Edge] – Each consecutive strike on the same target increases damage by 4%, stacking up to 20 times. Bonus resets if 5 seconds pass without hitting the same enemy.
[Shadow Rend] – Consume 20 mana to extend your attack into a spectral slash, hitting enemies up to 5 meters away. The spectral slash inflicts bleeding for 6 seconds.
Passive – Hunger of the Void – Heals the wielder for 3% of the damage dealt whenever killing a target afflicted with bleeding.
Myles stared at it for a moment, then grinned.
Finally, Something better than a damn knife and a bent pipe.
And he liked the way this weapon's skills worked. Just like Lilian had said, weapons were extremely rare, so when he got one it actually had amazing stats.
Myles turned toward the others.
Nadine sat slumped against a chunk of fallen concrete, her face pale and her breathing ragged.
He gave her a short nod and a curt thumbs-up. She managed a tired smile in return.
Then he glanced at Lilian, raising the Fangblade so the dim violet cracks glimmered faintly in the dusty air.
Lilian's lips curved into a slow, amused grin. She went to the corpse of Vilegnaw and retrieved something with quick motion, as if not wanting anyone to see what she got.
She walked back and let out a low whistle. "That's impressive. A weapon drop at this stage means you're ridiculously lucky."
Myles just shrugged before heading to Nadine. He crouched beside her, offering a hand. "You alright?"
"I'm fine," she said, though her voice carried the weight of exhaustion. "Sorry I couldn't help more."
"You don't need to worry about that," he replied, pulling her to her feet. "Did you get any EXP from that?"
She nodded. "Yeah. A decent chunk."
"Good," Myles said. "Looks like everyone who chipped in on this fight gets a share."
He turned to the soldiers. The picture wasn't good. Markus sat propped against the wall, his breathing sharp and uneven. He got broken ribs at least.
Kade was worse. His right leg was twisted at a sickening angle, blood soaking through what was left of his combat pants.
The skin was mangled badly enough that Myles knew—in this apocalypse—it could be a death sentence.
Without further words, they started back toward the campus building.
Myles took Kade's weight over his shoulder with Ryan, the man's agonized screams echoing down the ruined road and hall.
Lilian walked ahead, indifferent to the noise and the smell of blood.
The survivors gathered near the entrance turned to look and froze. When they saw Kade's condition a ripple of fear passed through them.
No one said a word, but the way they edged back made it clear they were terrified.
They placed Kade and Markus in an empty room.
Ryan hurried out and asked. "Is there anyone here with medical training? Anyone at all?"
The silence that followed was heavy. Faces turned away. No volunteers.
Ryan cursed under his breath and returned.
His gaze immediately found Lilian who stood near the hallway, speaking quietly with Myles.
"Do you have a skill that can heal him? If yes then please do that," Ryan demanded.
Lilian tilted her head, her expression was flat. "Why should I?"
Ryan stared at her, disbelief etched across his face. "Are you serious? You don't hear him screaming in there?"
"I hear him," Lilian said, her tone as cold as ever. "I just don't see the necessity."
Anger flared in Ryan's eyes, his jaw tightening.
Myles stepped between them. "Let me talk to her first."
Ryan held his glare for a second longer before turning away and heading back into Kade's room.
Myles folded his arms, studying Lilian's cold face. "So you're not interested in helping him at all?"
Her eyes slid toward him lazily. "No. I don't care. I have you, and that's enough."
He let that sit for a moment, weighing her words. "What if… you could have one more person under your thumb? Someone you can use like a servant. Or a slave."
That made her eyebrows lift slightly. She turned to face him fully, smirking. "You mean someone who'll obey without question?"
"It could be useful later," Myles said evenly. "Someone who won't betray us when things get ugly."
Lilian tapped a finger against her chin, her gaze distant as if already calculating scenarios. Then she gave a slow nod. "That… is a good thing. And it can be done."
Without another word, she pivoted and strode down the hall toward the room where Kade's screams still scraped against the walls.
—