Ss lowered his gaze after hearing the guards'' words. He nced at Vic in his arms before shifting his eyes back to the guards.


    "Uhm... he, uhm, got into a fight. Yeah, he got into a fight with other high-graded students. Unfortunately, he was outnumbered, and they ended up beating him up. That''s why he''s like this," Ss exined, his voice steady despite the knots twisting in his stomach. He hoped desperately that they would buy it.


    Luck seemed to be on his side, as the guards nodded their heads in understanding.


    This wasn''t the first time Vic had returned to the VIP section covered in blood. They were well aware of Vic''s tendency to get into fights with other students. He also participated frequently in the ranking arena, where brutal, no-holds-barred battles often left him injured or even unconscious. The guards had grown ustomed to this routine, though their duty required them to ask about it every time just to be sure.


    They stepped aside and pushed the entrance door to the VIP section open, allowing Ss to walk inside. The hallway stretched ahead, dimly lit and lined with ornate fixtures. Ss walked forward, his footsteps echoing softly, still uncertain of where exactly he was supposed to go.


    Then he remembered Vic''s wristwatch. ncing at it, he saw the room number engraved on the underside. Relief washed over him. He swiftly navigated the corridor, finally arriving at the door. He pushed it open and slipped inside.


    The room wasvish, with walls draped in rich fabrics and furniture designed for maximumfort. Ss shut the door behind him with a soft click and headed toward Vic''s enormous, plush bed. The mattress seemed to swallow Vic as Ss gentlyid him down, ensuring his body sank into the soft embrace. He grabbed a nearby nket and carefully covered Vic, tucking it around his shoulders to keep him warm.


    Satisfied that everything was in ce, Ss turned around and began to leave.


    But just as his hand brushed the door handle, a faint voice reached his ears.


    "T... thank you..." Vic muttered weakly, his voice barely audible.


    Ss paused. For a brief moment, his eyes softened, and he nced over his shoulder at Vic. The moment passed, and without a word, he slipped out of the room, closing the door behind him. He needed to get back to the backyard and deal with the body before anyone else discovered it.


    The air in the backyard was crisp and cold as Ss retraced his steps to the spot where the student''s body had fallen. His heart pounded in his chest, but as he arrived, his blood ran cold.


    The body was gone.


    "What the..." Ss murmured, his eyes widening in shock. He spun around, scanning the area. Panic set in as he searched the entire backyard, his movements bing frantic. Minutes ticked by, but there was no trace of the corpse.


    Even the dark pool of blood that had stained the ground had vanished, as if it had never been there. The ce looked pristine, untouched — no evidence of a fight, no hint of violence.


    "It has to be Miss Kara," Ss whispered to himself, realization dawning on him. "Yeah, it''s definitely her. She''s the one who''s been helping me clean up my messes, getting rid of the bodies, and covering my tracks."


    He paused, his brow furrowing. "But how did she know about what happened back here?"


    He rubbed his chin, pacing back and forth as he pieced it together. "Right. It must have been those two female students I saw earlier. They must have run straight to her office to report it. When she came here, she probably put the pieces together and figured I was involved."


    Ss let out a shaky breath, his mind racing. "Why is she helping me, though?"


    Miss Kara had once given him an exnation. She wanted to train him, to push him to the absolute peak of his powers. Her goal was to forge him into the strongest mutant imaginable, a living weapon that would prove her worth to the n that had shunned her. But so far, there had been no training, no lessons — only her silent intervention whenever he slipped up. The inconsistency gnawed at him, suspicion bubbling beneath the surface.


    Shaking his head, Ss decided to shelve those thoughts for now. He needed to get back to his dorm room before any staff members spotted him. He was already on thin ice after being ordered to remain in his room until further notice.


    A few momentster, Ss arrived at his dormitory. He pushed the door open, stepping into the familiar confines of his room. The door closed behind him with a soft thud. He trudged over to his bed and sank down onto the mattress.


    A heavy sigh escaped his lips as the weight of the day''s events pressed down on him. The memories yed back like a chaotic film reel — the fights, the lies, the bodies.


    It had been a harrowing day, and though the sun still hung in the sky, Ss felt utterly drained. All he wanted was to close his eyes and drift into oblivion.


    Just as heid back, a sharp DING! jolted him upright.


    A crimson notification red into existence before his eyes.


    [Your next evolution quest has arrived.]


    Ss blinked, his stomach twisting with dread. He had known this wasing, had feared it, even. But why now? Why when things with Vic were spiraling out of control?


    Leaving Vic alone while he ventured into a realm for the evolution quest felt like asking for disaster.


    "This damn system knows exactly what it''s doing. Damn bastard!" Ss hissed through clenched teeth.


    The notification shifted into a new screen.


    ---


    [This evolution quest will be different from the previous ones because Host will evolve into a whole new Tier.]


    [Tier Name: Emperor (The Emperor of Souls)]


    [Tier Information: Once Hostpletes the three tasks of this evolution quest and ascends to the Emperor Tier, he will gain the ability to extract the souls of mutants near death. Extracted souls can be forged into unique creatures that will serve the Host indefinitely.]


    [More Information: Host must collect three items from three different realms toplete the quest.]


    [The first item is the Energy Core of the Realm''s God in the first Grade 5 realm.]


    [The remaining items will be revealed after the first item is obtained. Further details about the Emperor Tier will also be disclosedter.]


    [Time to ept the quest: 24 hours]n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om


    ---


    Ss sat frozen, his eyes scanning the notifications over and over. Each line filled him with a growing sense of dread and anticipation.


    "I knew it. This next evolution quest is going to be far more intense than any of the previous ones," he thought, swallowing the lump in his throat.