"To be honest with you," Elric said, his tone calm but resolute, "the two of you aren't the only ones."He looked between Elsa and Liana, both standing quietly in the half-lit hallway."There are three other women who've joined me before you. And after you…" He paused, his golden eyes narrowing slightly. "There will be more. That's just how my system works. I'm telling you now — so you're prepared."
Elsa hesitated, fingers brushing against the strap of her backpack. The weight of his words lingered in the air like smoke.She wanted to protest, to ask why, but deep down she knew she couldn't afford to. Elric was her only real protection — her only guarantee of survival in this new, chaotic world.
"I… understand," she said softly, forcing a faint nod. Her voice trembled, but she held his gaze.
Liana, standing beside her, lowered her head. For someone whose once-famous beauty was now marred by red swelling and allergies, just being accepted by Elric at all felt like a lifeline.She wasn't in any position to complain. If he cast her out now, she'd be done for.
"Good." Elric's voice dropped back to its usual, cold steadiness. "Now we move. We're heading to the infirmary. We'll look for allergy meds for you, Liana — and maybe find more qualified survivors while we're at it."
He turned toward the stairwell. "Let's go."
Elsa hesitated. "Shouldn't we take the supplies here with us? There's still food and bottled water in that room."
Elric shook his head. "Too much trouble. My system only stores rewards I earn — not scavenged junk."He glanced at the half-empty shelves nearby: instant noodles, canned beans, stale crackers. "Besides, I've got more than enough — water, meat, staple food. Don't slow us down."
His tone left no room for argument.
"Understood," Elsa said quickly. Liana nodded in silence.
Elric's eyes flickered gold for a moment — then his surroundings blurred."Exchange Position," he murmured.
In an instant, all three of them vanished from the eighth floor and reappeared at the ground level of the dorm. The heavy mist outside swallowed everything, dense and gray, clinging to the air with a faint metallic tang.
"Cough… cough!" Liana stumbled, clutching her throat. Her pale face flushed red, eyes watering as she tried to breathe through the poisonous haze.
"Damn it. I forgot," Elric muttered. With a motion of his hand, several bottles of mineral water materialized from his system space. He cracked one open and handed it to her."Drink. Now."
Liana obeyed immediately, gulping down the cool water in desperate swallows. The sound echoed softly in the quiet courtyard — gulp, gulp.
Within moments, her breathing steadied, and the redness began to fade from her cheeks.
Elric nodded, satisfied. "Good. You'll live. Let's move."
The trio stepped out into the fog-drenched campus. Elric led in front, scanning the distance with his psychic sight. Liana walked close behind him, keeping her head low, while Elsa followed — her expression unreadable.
As they disappeared into the mist, Elsa's eyes flicked once toward Liana.There was no hatred there — only curiosity.And a silent question she didn't dare ask aloud:
What kind of man are you really following, Elric?
As Liana gulped down the water, her shaking hands trembling from exhaustion, Elsa finally caught a proper glimpse of her face.
The moment she saw it, she froze.
What the hell…
Her jaw almost dropped. Liana's face was covered in angry red welts and swelling, the kind of allergic breakout that made her skin look raw and inflamed.
Elric… likes this?
Elsa blinked, stunned. For all his calm power and impossible standards, the guy apparently had some very questionable tastes.
Or maybe he was into… pity projects?Then again — if this was what he considered acceptable, did that mean his other women were the same?
A strange mix of curiosity and relief fluttered through her chest.If that's the case, she thought, I won't be at the bottom of the group after all…
She glanced at Elric's back as he led the way through the mist, golden aura flickering faintly around his shoulders, and silently shook her head. There was no reading that man.
Elric, for his part, didn't care about Elsa's silent judgment. His attention was already fixed on their next destination.
Through his system's map overlay, he locked onto a familiar location.The campus infirmary — attached to the old Arts Building on the east side of campus.
He remembered someone there.A girl named Yvette — one of the college's "Three Queens," famous for her dance performances before the world went to hell.
If she was still alive…Elric's lips curved faintly. "We'll check the infirmary first for allergy meds. Then… the Arts Building."
"Understood," Elsa said quietly.
"Exchange Position."
A flash of light — and the world bent.
In the next instant, the three of them appeared inside the infirmary's guidance room.The smell of disinfectant and blood hit them instantly. More than twenty students were scattered across the room — some injured, others just huddled in corners — along with a handful of nurses and doctors.
The sudden appearance of three strangers out of thin air made the entire room erupt in panic.
"Wh–who are you!?""What's going on!?"
A female doctor stepped forward cautiously, her face pale.
Elric ignored their fear and spoke flatly, "Bring me every allergy medication you have. Right now."
His golden eyes scanned the room. Not one of the women here triggered the system's interface — no potential candidates. He could feel it.No energy. No resonance. Nothing worth his time.
"I'm… I'm sorry," the doctor stammered, "I can't make that decision myself. You'll have to ask Liu."
"Liu?" Elric frowned. "Who the hell is Liu?"
Before the doctor could answer, a mocking voice echoed from the ward behind her.
"Who's making demands in my infirmary?""If you want medicine, you trade supplies. That's the rule."
The infirmary doors slammed open, and a group of about a dozen people emerged.They were armed with makeshift weapons — pipes, bats, knives. The man in front was tall, his torso wrapped in dirty bandages, face twisted into a smug grin.
Elric's expression didn't change. But when he saw the man's face, a spark of recognition flickered in his eyes.
"Well," Elric said slowly, his voice edged with dry amusement. "Isn't this a familiar face."
The man froze for a moment, then his expression darkened."Elric…?"
"Yeah." Elric tilted his head. "The last time I saw you, I think I cut you down twice."
The man clenched his fists, fury flashing through his eyes — Liam Ford, once a pathetic follower of Jenna, the same guy who had betrayed Elric before the outbreak.
Now, somehow, he was still alive — and standing between Elric and what he needed.
"Looks like the apocalypse didn't teach you enough," Elric said quietly, stepping forward."Maybe this time, I'll make sure you stay down."
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