Sir Dominic''s expression turned serious after hearing Sensei Josh''s words. Leaning forward with both hands on the desk, he spoke sharply, his voice cutting through the tension. "What exactly are you insinuating, Josh?"
"I''m saying there''s a strong possibility that Ss is hiding something," Sensei Josh replied, his tone firm. "Think about it—he was the only survivor, while all his teammates died in the Grade 5 realm. On top of that, the Apex Mutant''s artifact mysteriously disappeared during that raid. This boy, who was once considered weak, has suddenly be powerful enough to defeat three Grade 3 students.
Doesn''t that strike you as odd?"
Sir Dominic fell silent, his mind swirling with thoughts.
When Ss had been brought back from the realm, Dominic had examined him closely. At the time, all he saw was a frail, powerless boy—hardly someone capable of wielding the power of the Apex Mutant.
''There''s no way someone that weak could have gained such power,'' he thought. ''If he had truly obtained the Apex Mutant''s ability, it should have shown in his appearance, in the aura surrounding him. But everything about that boy screamed weakness. Could it have all been a ruse?''
As these conflicting thoughts raced through his mind, Dominic remained silent for several moments before finally speaking. "Are you certain of your ims, Josh? This witness you mentioned—did they actually see Ss kill your son and his friends?"
"Yes, she did," Sensei Josh replied instantly. "I can bring her here if you''d like."
"That won''t be necessary," Sir Dominic said, shifting his gaze to the woman seated next to Sensei Josh. "Mary here is a Grade 4 mind reader. She has the ability to read one''s thoughts."
His voice deepened with authority as he continued. "Tomorrow morning, bring Ss here. Mary will ask him a few questions, and if he''s lying, she''ll know. She can read his mind."
"That''s a great idea, Sir," Sensei Josh said, nodding in approval. "I''ll bring Ss first thing tomorrow." He rose from his chair, his face hardening with anger. "But if it turns out I''m right, and that bastard killed my son, I want your permission to kill him myself."
"You have my word," Sir Dominic replied gravely. Sensei Josh gave a short nod before exiting the room.
---
The morning sun rose, casting bright rays into Ss''s room, and the light flickered into his eyes, waking him from sleep. Sitting up, he rubbed his face, yawning as he shook off the remnants of slumber.
"I passed out," he murmured, scanning the room. Thest thing he remembered was the system notifying him of hispleted quest before he cked out.
Suddenly, a notification popped up in front of him:
**[You have unread notifications]**
Ss clicked the message, and a new screen appeared before him:
**[You have evolved into a Tier 5 Soul Devourer mutant]**
**[Info: As a Tier 5 Soul Devourer mutant, you gain attribute points each time you consume a human or mutant soul.]**
**[Ding!]**
**[You have unlocked a new passive skill.]**
**[Passive Skill: Soul sh. This skill channels your soul points into your scythe, allowing you to drain your enemy''s health more quickly. It guarantees a sure hit, but only if your enemy cannot dodge. (Note: The effectiveness depends on your enemy''s grade. No soul points are required to use this skill.)]**
**[Ding!]**
**[You have leveled up.]**
**[Level up x10.]**
**[+5 attribute points.]**
**[All your skills have leveled up.]**
**[Your scythe has leveled up to Grade 3.]**
"I''ve seen those notifications already. Show me the ones I missed," Ss instructed, and the interface morphed into a new set of notifications.
**[Additional Rewards for Quest Completion: (Soul Recovery [1]: This allows the host to recover soul points without consuming a soul.)]**
**[Your soul points are critically low.]**
**[-5 soul points per hour until a soul is consumed.]**
**[Soul Points: 11/200]**
Ss''s eyes lit up with joy as he read the first notification.
"Wow, I can recover my soul points without needing to consume a soul? That''s amazing!" he eximed. But his joy quickly faded as he looked further down the screen, realizing the severity of his situation.
"Damn it. The battle with the god of the realm drained most of my soul points, and now I''ve only got 11 left. The countdown has already started, and if I don''t consume a soul in less than three hours, I''ll lose control," he muttered, his expression darkening with worry.
Ss knew that, as a Tier 5 Soul Devourer mutant, he could consume the souls of other mutants. However, there were no mutants nearby, and it wasn''t like he could just attack someone without consequences. The academy only sent students to realms for quests, and there wasn''t an ongoing test at the moment.
Moreover, Ss doubted the system would give him another quest right after hepleted his evolution quest.
"Consuming a mutant''s soul isn''t an option, and I''m not ready to lure someone else to their death. Last time, I was lucky Kara showed up to clean up my mess. If she hadn''t arrived in time, I''d be locked up behind bars right now," he said, his frustration growing.
"I guess I don''t have a choice but to use the Soul Recovery," Ss muttered. He had nned to save it for a more challenging situation, like a raid, but now he had no other option.
**[Soul Recovery has been used.]**
**[Soul Points restored.]**
**[Soul Points: 200/200]**
"Oh, it''s 200 now? Must''ve changed after my evolution," Ss mused, ncing at the screen. He sat there for a moment, contemting his progress before summoning the system''s interface to take a closer look.
---
**Name:** Ss Griswold
**Race:** Mutant
**Evolution Tier:** Tier 5 Soul Devourer
**Level:** 40
**Health:** 100/100
**Soul Points:** 200/200
---
### **Attribute Panel:**
**Strength:** 50n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om
**Speed:** 20
**Reflex:** 15
**Agility:** 35
**Intelligence:** 20
**Avable Attribute Points:** 5
---
### **Skill Panel:**
**Lightning Dash LVL 3:** Increases speed for 4 seconds. Costs 10 soul points.
**Soul ws LVL 3:** Allows the user to shoot ws from their fingertips. Costs 1 soul point.
---
### **Arsenal:**
**Chest Piece Armor (Grade 2)**
**Leg Piece Armor (Grade 2)**
**Scythe (Grade 3)**
---
As Ss reviewed his stats, a knock at the door interrupted him. He looked up, puzzled. ''Who could be knocking so early?'' he wondered, getting out of bed.
He opened the door to find Sensei Josh standing outside, nked by two towering men.
"Good morning, Ss. Your presence is required in Sir Dominic''s office," Sensei Josh informed him, his voice tight with barely contained anger as he red at Ss with disdain.