KACHUM!


    Ss twisted the doorknob with precision, feeling the metal''s coolness before pushing the door open. The hinges creaked slightly as he stepped inside, and after taking a deep breath, he quietly shut the door behind him. Without wasting a moment, he moved toward the bed, his movements calcted, like someone with a heavy burden on his mind.


    Copsing onto the bed, Ss leaned back, allowing his gaze to drift toward the holographic notification screen floating in front of him.


    [Congrattions, you have killed the enemy.]


    [One Soul Recovery has been granted to you.]


    [+3 attribute points.]


    [+3 attribute points for consuming the soul of a Grade 3 mutant ability user.]


    The bright glow of the screen reflected in his eyes as Ss scanned the text, his fingers absently rubbing his chin. Despite the notification of his victory, there was an undeniable hint of worry etched across his face.


    Ever since he received the [Kill or Be Killed] quest notification back at the arena, the weight of the situation had been pressing on him. He knew he had to figure out a way toplete the quest without everyone finding out what he had done—without exposing himself. Draining Mark''s soul right in front of a huge crowd would have been suicide.


    So, Ss had been forced to think on his feet, struggling toe up with a solution that would save his life while maintaining his secret identity.


    Fortunately for him, fate had intervened when Mark started acting like a crazed animal, giving Ss the golden opportunity he needed. He knew instantly that it was the perfect moment, and without hesitation, he ran. His only hope was that Mark would follow him. And, as expected, he did.


    Ss had led him to a secluded area within the ranking arena, the one ce without any surveince cameras. He knew that the changing rooms were the only locations in the entire arena where cameras were prohibited. The organizers had designed it that way to protect the fighters'' privacy. Once there, Ss waited patiently, biding his time until Mark arrived.


    As soon as Mark burst through the door, Ss activated his Lightning Dash ability. In that instant, Mark froze—his body renderedpletely immobile like a statue.


    That was all Ss needed. With the perfect window of opportunity, he consumed part of Mark''s soul and, with one swift motion, severed his head clean off with his scythe. The entire ordeal had taken less than five seconds, all thanks to his finely honed skills and the power of his active ability.


    "I wonder what''s happening back there now," Ss muttered quietly to himself, rubbing his chin in thought. "They''ve probably discovered Mark''s body by now… I just hope they''re not looking for me."


    He let out a small sigh before continuing. "Then again, why should I be worried? They have no clue who ''Ghost Ranger'' really is…"


    Ss decided it would be best to stay away from the arena for the foreseeable future—at least until the situation cooled off and the chaos died down.


    With that thought, he dismissed the notification screen andy back down on the bed. Even though it wasn''t yet time for students to return to their dorms for the night, Ss felt no urgency to leave. Since he didn''t have anything else on his schedule, he opted for a nap to pass the time until dinner.


    His eyelids grew heavy as he shut his eyes and soon drifted off into a light sleep.


    ---


    Knock! Knock!


    Several minutester, Ss was roused from his slumber by a knock at the door. Blinking groggily, he sat up, rubbed his eyes, andzily got out of bed. He stretched for a moment before walking over and opening the door.


    "Angelica?" Ss muttered, a bit surprised to see her standing there.


    "Hey, Ss," Angelica greeted him with a warm smile. "I just wanted to check up on you and make sure everything''s okay. Thest time we saw you, Mrs. Kara had taken you away. You''re not in any trouble, are you?" Concern was evident in her voice as she searched his face for any signs of distress.


    "Nah, it''s all good," Ss replied casually, leaning against the doorframe. "I just decided to head back to my dorm for a quick nap. Sorry for ditching you guys earlier." He gave a sheepish smile and rubbed the back of his neck.


    "It''s fine," Angelica reassured him. "Actually, I think you made the right choice by not sticking around."


    "Really? Why''s that?" Ss asked, feigning ignorance despite already knowing exactly what she was referring to. He had to y dumb to avoid raising suspicion.


    "Well, something insane happened after you left. One of the fighters wentpletely berserk and started attacking everyone in sight," Angelica exined, her voice lowering slightly as if the memory of it still disturbed her.


    Ss widened his eyes in mock surprise. "What?!"


    "Yeah, it was pretty intense. I''ll give you all the detailster," Angelica continued. Then, ncing past Ss, she asked, "Aren''t you going to invite me in?"


    Ss stiffened slightly, his mind racing. "Uh… what? You… you want toe inside?" he stammered, clearly ufortable with the idea.


    "If it''s alright with you," Angelica said with a smile, though her expression was tinged with mild suspicion at his hesitation.


    Forcing out a nervous smile, Ss turned and nced back at the state of his room. It was an absolute disaster. Osborne and his goons had trashed the ce a few days ago, leaving dirt and water all over the floor. The room was such a mess that even a pigsty would have looked cleaner inparison.


    He winced before turning back to Angelica. "You know what? Maybe it''d be better if we talked outside," Ss suggested with a nervousugh, stepping out of the room and shutting the door quickly behind him, blocking her view.


    "Oh… okay, sure," Angelica said, raising an eyebrow in mild suspicion but deciding to let it slide. "Vic and the others are hanging out in the cafeteria. Since it''s still early, there aren''t many students around, so it''s pretty quiet there. Maybe we can talk morefortably over there."


    "Sounds good to me," Ss replied with a smile, and the two of them headed down the hallway together.


    After a short walk, they arrived at the cafeteria. As Angelica had said, the ce was mostly empty, with only Vic, Ivy, and David seated at the far end. They waved over at Ss and Angelica as they approached.


    "Look who finally decided to show up! How was your alone time with Kara? Did you guys… you know… kiss?" Vic teased, grinning mischievously as Ss walked up to them.


    "Shut up, you idiot!" Ivy snapped, smacking the back of Vic''s head with a sharp p. Vic winced, rubbing his head in mock pain.


    Ignoring the banter, Ss turned his attention back to the main topic. "Angelica mentioned something crazy happened at the Ranking arena… what''s the story?" he asked, keeping his tone neutral.


    "Yeah, it was nuts," Vic said, leaning forward. "Remember this morning during breakfast when that group of Grade 3 and 4 students came over to our table? Their leader gave us that weird warning."


    Ss nodded in agreement.


    "Well, it turns out one of the guys in their group took some kind of energy pill during his fight against Ghost Ranger. It sent him into full rogue mode. The dude wentpletely nuts, and—get this—he even hit a female referee! After that, he chased Ghost Rang—"n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om


    "VIC!"


    Before Vic could finish, a loud voice echoed through the cafeteria, causing everyone to look toward the entrance. Ss, Vic, and the rest turned their heads just in time to see Billy and his entire crew walking in. Their faces were full of anger, and it was clear they were looking for trouble.


    "Oh, crap," Vic muttered under his breath as he stood up abruptly, his fists clenched tightly by his sides.