Dark purple tendrils shot forward.
Before the Boss could even react, he realized he couldn’t move.
"How...?"
"Impossible..." the Boss muttered.
His pupils shrank as disbelief slowly gave way to fear.
This was his domain. Without his permission, no superpower should have been able to function inside it, yet this boy had shattered that rule time and time again.
Looking at Lothe now, the Boss suddenly had the same feeling both Rosa and Gloth had.
Lothe no longer looked human.
For a split second, he could have sworn he was staring at a demon.
Cold sweat streamed down his face.
"You should have stayed fifteen meters away from me," Lothe’s calm voice echoed throughout the dark world.
He took another step. The tendrils tightened around the Boss, coiling deeper into his flesh like living snakes.
Thin trails of smoke rose where the purple tendrils touched his flesh, carrying the sickening scent of burnt skin.
"Hiss!"
The Boss sucked in a sharp breath as scorching heat burrowed beneath his skin. Gritting his teeth, he struggled with everything he had to break free.
"I wouldn’t do that if I were you," Lothe warned.
The Boss instantly froze. Every movement only caused the tendrils to tighten further, sinking deeper into his body.
For the first time since the apocalypse began...
Fear appeared in his eyes. He didn’t want to die.
Not now.
He still had dreams to fulfill. He had only just awakened his Dark Element ability and still wanted to climb to the top.
"I’ll do anything," the Boss said with a trembling voice.
"I can become your dog. Your servant. Please... let me go." Tears mixed with mucus as they dripped from his face.
Lothe stopped directly in front of him. "Become my dog?"
Their eyes met. One was filled with terror, the other was completely emotionless.
He leaned closer until only a whisper separated them.
"Are you worthy?"
The Boss’s eyes widened.
Those simple words pierced deeper than any weapon.
Since awakening, he had sworn no student would ever look down on him again.
Yet this young student was crushing every bit of pride he possessed.
His expression twisted. Gathering every remaining strand of Qi inside his body, he prepared one final attack.
Shing!
His hand never completed the motion.
His head separated cleanly from his neck before rolling across the black floor.
Thud.
Lothe slowly exhaled. His core felt completely drained, as if every drop of Qi had been squeezed out.
A dull ache spread through his body.
Silence swallowed the room. Even the dripping blood sounded unusually loud.
Then the notifications appear.
[You have killed a Level 3 Tier 1 Evolver.]
[You have gained 30 EXP.]
The Dark Domain immediately began collapsing.
Cracks spread across the endless darkness like shattered glass before the entire world collapsed into countless black fragments that vanished into the air.
...
The first thing Lothe saw was Seana pacing anxiously across the room.
The moment the darkness vanished, she immediately raised her sword.
Ready for anything. Then she saw him.
Lothe walked out while the Boss’s corpse remained behind, its head lying several feet away.
Her eyes carefully scanned his body.
Finding no injuries, she quietly released the breath she had been holding.
Her shoulders relaxed, and the tight grip on her sword loosened without her realizing it.
Lothe glanced around.
The telekinetic user lay dead in one corner of the room.
"I knew you could handle them," Lothe said with a faint smile.
"I can say the same." Seana’s reply was calm, though the memory of Lothe holding her waist earlier replayed in her mind.
"L-Let’s get out of here first." She hurried toward the corridor.
Lothe caught the faint blush spreading across her cheeks.
A small smirk appeared on his face as he silently followed behind.
Walking back to the Boss’s corpse, his attention landed on the black ring resting on one of the dead man’s fingers.
Golden runic symbols were engraved across its surface, glowing faintly like tiny stars.
He removed it.
The black ring felt surprisingly warm despite resting on a dead man’s finger.
[Space Ring]
[Description: A storage treasure forged by master artificers using Voidstone, Star Iron, and Spatial Crystals. By engraving advanced spatial formations into the ring, they created an independent pocket dimension capable of preserving objects for countless years. Living beings cannot enter.
Storage Capacity: 48 cubic meters.]
Lothe’s eyes widened. "So this is a Space Ring..."
Countless ideas flooded his mind.
Food. Weapons. Medicine. Monster cores.
He could carry everything with him.
For someone surviving the apocalypse... This treasure was priceless.
"System, how do I make it mine?" Lothe asked.
[The previous owner has been killed, automatically severing the ownership bond.]
[Host only needs to drip a drop of blood onto the ring to establish a new contract.]
"Oh..."
Without hesitation, Lothe bit his finger. A single drop of blood landed on the ring.
Buzz!
Golden light erupted from its surface before quickly fading.
Instantly, he felt a strange connection with it.
Sending a strand of Qi into the ring, his consciousness blurred for a moment before an entirely different space unfolded before his eyes.
Just as the system described...
It was as spacious as a one-bedroom apartment.
Neatly stacked in one corner were several ancient scrolls.
Beside them layed dozens of glowing orbs of different colors.
There were also piles of monster cores, weapons, Medicines, clothes.
"This..."
Lothe smiled.
"I really hit the jackpot."
"Are you coming or not?" Seana’s voice echoed from the corridor.
"I’ll check everything later."
Right now, they needed to return to the library and rest.
Leaving the room, he stepped into the long white corridor.
Several girls had already gathered outside.
Seana stood at the front.
During the short time she had been away, she had somehow earned all of their trust.
The older students naturally guided the younger ones.
"Everyone stay behind us," Seana said.
"My friend and I have a safe place nearby."
"You can rest there for now. It’ll also give me a chance to examine everyone."
Lothe quietly stood beside her. His eyes occasionally drifted toward her.
He quickly looked away each time their eyes almost met, silently cursing himself for behaving like a teenager.
He didn’t want to make her uncomfortable.
He had never pursued a girl before.
For the first time in his life... He felt completely lost.
"Are you a doctor?" one of the younger girls asked.
Her name was Linda.
She looked around sixteen years old and clearly didn’t recognize Seana.
Lothe nearly laughed at the stunned expression on Seana’s face.
"Ah..." She awkwardly scratched her cheek.
She spent most of her time inside laboratories researching alongside professors.
She wasn’t sure how to explain herself.
"She saved your lives."
"And that’s all you need to know." Lothe answered for her.
"We need to move." He looked toward the dark crimson sky.
The clouds were gathering again.
Another blood rain could fall at any moment.
The group immediately followed behind the two.
A cold wind swept through the abandoned campus, carrying scraps of paper and the distant groans of wandering zombies.
Fortunately...
The journey back was peaceful.
No zombies. No mutated beasts. No ambushes.
However...
The moment the library came into view...
The entire area was eerily silent. Even the usual zombie growls had disappeared.
Both Lothe and Seana’s expressions changed.
"The door..."
The original wooden entrance was gone.
In its place stood a thick black metal gate covered in sharp outward-pointing spikes.
Someone had occupied their base.
Lothe’s eyes turned cold.
Without saying a word, a pulsing blue Core appeared on his palm, with a thought, the blue Qi flowed into his skin.
Qi surged through his dried meridians.
Although not completely full, his core regained enough strength.
Several system notifications sounded. He ignored every single one.
His black spear appeared in his hand.
Qi flooded into the weapon.
Without hesitation—
Boom!
The spear slammed into the metal gate. The reinforced door resisted for a brief second.
Then—
Crash!!
The entire gate exploded inward into countless pieces.
Dust and twisted pieces of metal filled the entrance, making it impossible to see who waited inside.
Whoosh
An ice bullet shot straight toward Lothe’s forehead.