The frozen warehouse air clung to their lungs as Samuel's team stepped back into the wasteland. Kairo perched on Samuel's shoulder, occasionally muttering about the quality of the stored chickens. Tsuki padded silently beside them, shadow rippling at her feet. Hayze cracked his knuckles, earth dust still clinging to his gloves.
The street stretched ahead like a graveyard of civilization. Abandoned cars formed metal tombstones, their windows shattered by time and violence. Samuel was calculating their next move when the ground trembled.
Thud.
Thud.
THUD.
Something massive rounded the corner. Samuel's breath caught in his throat.
The creature stood twelve feet tall, its flesh a patchwork of rotting meat and fresh blood. Massive arms dragged a spiked mace that carved trenches in the asphalt. Its single eye—the size of a dinner plate—fixed on them with predatory hunger.
⟦System Alert: Threat Detected⟧
⟦Species: Gargantula Bloody Butcher⟧
⟦Classification: Mutant Zombie - Boss Tier⟧
⟦New Mission: Apex Predator⟧
⟦Objective: Eliminate the Bloody Butcher⟧
⟦Reward: 100 Basic Crystals⟧
"Well," Samuel muttered, electricity already crackling at his fingertips. "That's new."
The beast roared—a sound like metal grinding against bone. Bloody saliva sprayed across the street.
"Formation," Samuel barked. "Kairo, curse. Hayze, trap. Tsuki—"
"On it," the cat interrupted, her eyes gleaming.
Kairo's talons gripped Samuel's shoulder tighter. The crow's eyes shifted to crimson and black, pupils dilating until they became twin voids. A low hiss escaped his beak as invisible tendrils of curse energy wrapped around the Bloody Butcher.
The creature stumbled, movements becoming sluggish.
Hayze slammed his palms against the ground. "Earth Chain!"
Stone erupted around the beast's legs, forming thick shackles that sparked against its ankles. The Bloody Butcher strained against them, muscles bulging—
CRACK.
Two seconds. The chains lasted exactly two seconds before shattering like glass.
But it was enough.
Tsuki's shadow split in half. Her doppelganger materialized to the beast's left while the original approached from the right. Both cats moved with liquid grace, building momentum.
The clone struck first—a powerful kick to the ribs that sent the Bloody Butcher staggering left. The real Tsuki leaped, aiming for an upward kick to launch it skyward.
The doppelganger flickered and vanished mid-strike.
Tsuki's kick connected, but without the combo's full power, it barely lifted the creature's feet off the ground. The Bloody Butcher's massive mace swept down in a brutal arc.
CRACK.
The impact launched Tsuki across the street. She hit the wall of a collapsed shop with a sickening thud, blood spattering the concrete.
"Tsuki!" Hayze roared.
The cat struggled to her feet, legs shaking. With the last of her strength, she split her shadow one final time. The doppelganger charged forward and delivered a devastating uppercut kick that sent the Bloody Butcher sailing into the air.
Then Tsuki collapsed.
Hayze rushed to her side, conjuring an Earth Guardian shield around both her and Kairo. "Stay down, both of you!"
High above, Samuel watched the Bloody Butcher reach the peak of its arc. Space folded around him as he activated Space Dash, appearing directly beside the falling monster.
"My turn," he snarled.
Samuel wrapped his arms around the beast's torso, Lightning Surge flooding through his body. Electricity seared the creature's rotting flesh, filling the air with the stench of burning meat. But he wasn't done.
Samuel spun his body into a controlled tornado, lightning wrapping around them both as they plummeted. The rotation increased their falling speed, turning them into a human thunderbolt.
At the last possible second, Samuel space-dashed away from the impact zone.
The Bloody Butcher cratered into the asphalt with the force of a meteor.
Dust billowed outward. For a moment, silence.
Then something moved in the crater.
The Bloody Butcher rose, its massive frame trembling with rage. Burns covered its flesh, but its eye burned brighter than ever. The spiked mace in its hand shifted and twisted, metal flowing like liquid until it became a jagged sword that pulsed with sickly green light.
Infectious Blade.
Pressure slammed into Samuel like a physical blow. The air itself seemed to thicken, making each breath a struggle. The creature's gaze alone carried the weight of a mountain.
The Bloody Butcher vanished.
Samuel's lightning reflexes were the only thing that saved him. He threw himself backward as the infectious blade carved through the space where his chest had been a millisecond before.
But Kairo's curse chose that moment to peak.
The Bloody Butcher stopped mid-swing, black blood erupting from its mouth in violent coughs. Hemoptysis wracked its massive frame as the curse ate at it from within.
Samuel didn't waste the opening. Lightning Lv.2 surged through his body as he formed his newest technique.
"Electro Ball!"
The sphere of concentrated electricity formed in his palm—pure white energy crackling with destructive potential. Samuel hurled it with everything he had.
The Electro Ball struck the Bloody Butcher's head dead-center.
The explosion lit up the entire street. When the light faded, nothing remained of the creature's upper body but ash scattered on the wind.
The massive mace clattered to the ground beside a single, gleaming crystal.
⟦Mission Complete: Apex Predator⟧
⟦Reward Granted: 100 Basic Crystals⟧
Samuel picked up the crystal, examining it in the fading light. Plant-type. Green as fresh leaves with an inner glow that pulsed like a heartbeat.
He pocketed it and hurried to where Hayze knelt beside Tsuki. The cat was breathing, but barely. Blood matted her dark fur, and her left hind leg bent at an unnatural angle.
"We need medical supplies," Samuel said grimly. "Now."
"The hospital's about six blocks north," Hayze said. "Biggest one in the district."
Samuel nodded, then stopped. A crucial realization hit him like a punch to the gut.
"I'm an idiot," he muttered.
"What?"
"Medical supplies. I never thought to stockpile medical supplies." Samuel's hands clenched into fists. "Some leader I am."
They moved quickly through the abandoned streets, Hayze carrying Tsuki while Kairo scouted ahead. The hospital loomed before them—a massive concrete structure that had once been white but was now stained with rust and neglect.
But it wasn't abandoned.
Makeshift walls surrounded the building's entrance. Guard towers had been constructed from scavenged materials. Armed figures patrolled the perimeter.
And at the main gate, a girl knelt in the dirt.
She couldn't have been older than seventeen, her brown hair matted with grime. Her clothes were little more than rags, and she clutched something in her hands—empty pill bottles.
"Please," she begged the guards. "Just some painkillers. My brother... he's dying. The pain is so bad he can't sleep."
The guards wore mismatched armor and carried weapons that had seen better days. Their leader, a man with a scarred face and cruel eyes, kicked dirt at the girl.
"Beat it, waste of space. We don't give charity to street rats."
"I'll work for them," the girl pleaded. "I'll do anything. Please, he's all I have left."
⟦System Alert: Recruitment Opportunity⟧
⟦Target: Sylvia Chen⟧
⟦Classification: Potential Defense Specialist⟧
⟦Note: This individual possesses the capacity to create the world's most effective defensive perimeter.⟧
⟦Recommended Action: Recruit immediately⟧
Samuel's eyes narrowed as he read the system message. But before he could act, the situation escalated.
"I said BEAT IT!" The scarred guard drew a rusted dagger and grabbed the girl's wrist.
"No, please—"
The blade flashed. The girl's scream echoed across the courtyard as her right arm fell to the dirt in a spray of blood.
"That's what happens to beggars who don't know when to quit," the guard snarled.
The girl stared at her severed limb in shock, blood pooling beneath her. Then she gathered what remained of her strength, picked up her arm with her remaining hand, and stumbled away into the ruins.
Samuel's lightning crackled involuntarily. Beside him, Hayze's Earth Guardian flickered into existence. Even Kairo's eyes had gone completely black with rage.
"We're cleaning house," Samuel said quietly.
"About damn time," Hayze growled.
They set their trap with methodical precision. Samuel emptied a significant portion of his Sacred Realm's food stores onto a collapsible table they'd found in a nearby shop. The smell of fresh bread, cured meats, and actual vegetables was intoxicating in a world of ash and rot.
It didn't take long.
The hospital's main gate opened, and a man swaggered out with the confidence of someone who'd never faced real opposition. He was tall and lean, with mechanical augmentations visible along his arms and neck. Cybernetic eyes glowed blue in the shadows of his face.
Behind him trailed a dozen armed followers—the entire leadership of whatever gang had claimed this place.
"Well, well," the leader said, his voice carrying a mechanical undertone. "What do we have here? Travelers with a feast?"
"Just passing through," Samuel replied calmly. "Thought we'd share some food with the locals."
The leader's laugh was like grinding gears. "How generous. Here's the deal, stranger. You leave the food, the vehicles, and anything else valuable. In exchange, I let you walk away with your lives."
"Tempting offer," Samuel said. "But I counter with this: go back inside your little fortress and pretend you never saw us."
The mechanical man's expression darkened. "Wrong answer."
His right arm unfolded like a blooming flower of metal and circuitry. Components shifted and locked into place until a sleek energy cannon had replaced his limb entirely. Blue light gathered at its core.
"Last chance," he growled.
"Same to you," Samuel replied.
The plasma bolt screamed across the courtyard—and splashed harmlessly against Hayze's Earth Guardian shield.
Samuel was already moving. Space Dash carried him behind the mechanical leader in an instant. The Electro Ball formed in his palm, crackling with lethal energy.
"Thanks for the demonstration," Samuel said.
The energy sphere punched through the man's chest, leaving a perfectly round hole where his heart used to be. He toppled forward, mechanical augmentations sparking and failing.
The remaining gang members scattered like roaches when the lights came on.
"Hospital's ours," Samuel announced.
They ransacked the place methodically. Medical supplies, surgical equipment, medications—everything went into Samuel's Sacred Realm. The gang's stash yielded an additional treasure: a cloth bag containing thirty-seven crystals of various types.
But their real prize was the trail of blood leading away from the gates.
They followed the crimson drops through winding alleyways and up a crumbling staircase to a third-floor apartment. The door was barely hanging on its hinges.
Samuel knocked gently.
Footsteps shuffled inside. The door cracked open, revealing the girl's pale face. Her right sleeve was pinned up, empty. Makeshift bandages covered the stump of her shoulder.
"You're—" she began.
"Your brother's condition must be severe if you were willing to beg for painkillers," Samuel interrupted, pulling a bottle of high-grade morphine from his pocket. "These should help."
Her remaining hand trembled as she accepted the bottle. Tears streamed down her dirt-stained cheeks.
"Thank you," she whispered. "Thank you so much."
A weak voice called from deeper in the apartment. "Syl? Who is it?"
"Someone who brought medicine," she called back, then looked at Samuel. "I'm Sylvia."
"Samuel," he replied. "And I have a proposition. My team needs people with potential. I have a feeling you're stronger than you know."
Sylvia looked confused but hopeful. "I... I don't understand. But if you're offering help..."
"That plant crystal the Bloody Butcher dropped—it's yours if you want it. Along with food, shelter, and protection for both you and your brother."
Her face lit up with desperate hope. "Yes. Yes, anything. We'll do anything."
Samuel tossed her the green crystal. "Just say yes to whatever happens next."
The crystal dissolved into light the moment it touched her palm. Green energy flowed up her arm, concentrating at the stump of her shoulder. Vines and leaves erupted from the wound, weaving together into a limb that looked almost human but moved with plant-like fluidity.
Sylvia flexed her new fingers—bark-textured but fully functional. The hand could stretch like a vine, bend in impossible ways, and felt as strong as her original.
"This is incredible," she breathed.
"Get your brother," Samuel said. "We're leaving."
But when they entered the apartment's back room, they found only silence.
The boy—he couldn't have been more than twelve—lay still on a threadbare mattress. Beside him was an empty bottle of pills and a note written in shaky handwriting:
"Syl—I won't be a burden anymore. Take care of yourself. I love you."
Sylvia's scream shattered the silence.
Samuel closed his eyes, feeling the weight of another failure. Another person he couldn't save, couldn't reach in time.
Sylvia wept over her brother's still form for nearly an hour. When she finally stood, her eyes were red but determined.
"He's free now," she said quietly. "No more pain."
She wiped her tears and looked at Samuel. "I'm ready."
As they walked away from the apartment building, Samuel's system chimed one final time:
⟦Citadel Location Acquired⟧
⟦Coordinates: 34.0522°N, 118.2437°W⟧
⟦Description: Abandoned Estate - Suitable for Fortification⟧
⟦Note: Significant defensive resources available on-site⟧
Samuel smiled grimly. It was time to build something permanent. Something worth defending.
Chapter 3: End