LOGINRay swung open a spatial portal. Several massive fireballs shot straight toward Emmett.This was a feint.The air blades had struck earlier, but the spatial portal had effortlessly absorbed them. Emmett, impressive as he was, let out a sharp bark of breath, summoning a violent gust around him that snuffed out the fireballs without effort.Still, he frowned.Judging by the intensity of the fireballs, Ray's ability level seemed low—roughly on par with one of the fire-wielding subordinates under his command. But if that were truly the case, the three air blades earlier should have cut him into pieces.Something didn't add up.Low attack, high defense? That didn't fit the profile of a fire-type ability user. Strange.Emmett might be arrogant and lustful, but no reckless fool could rise to head a major faction. The stupid ones died long ago.He studied Ray for a moment, then unexpectedly smiled, as if greeting a long-lost friend. "I am Emmett, leader of Bunker's End. And you, mister
Steve spat. "Who cares about some random faction leader! If anyone even thinks about laying a hand on my wife, I don't care if all six major factions show up, I'll fight them to the death!"That was the essence of irreconcilable differences. People are not the same.Jeffrey sneered. "You can talk tough now, but when Emmett actually shows up, don't be the first one to kneel!""Bring him on! Let's see who kneels first!" Steve shouted, brimming with bravado."Heh… I'm here."A voice rang out, and suddenly a violent gust of wind swept toward them. When it subsided, a man appeared in its wake.He was short, barely 167 centimeters, plain-faced, and nowhere near the tall, graceful Jeffrey. His head was round and fleshy, with a cruel and petty look about him, like the kind of street thug from the old days.Jeffrey's expression shifted immediately. "Emmett, you're here!"Paige shivered, her face draining of color.She loathed this irresponsible cousin. Six months ago, during her weddin
Seeing Paige openly expose the family's shame, Jeffrey's face flushed bright red. His eyes darkened with lethal intent, and the way he looked at Ray and Steve made it clear—he was already considering eliminating them.Steve was utterly stunned, mouth agape, while Ray remained calm. In this apocalypse, he had seen every kind of human tragedy, comedy, and moral drama. No matter how twisted, nothing could shock him anymore.Jeffrey took a deep breath. "Take whatever grievances home. Don't make a scene here!"Paige's condition was clearly unstable. Her face burned like fire from a high fever. She should have been unconscious, yet her intense hatred forced her to wake the moment she heard her husband's voice—and speak with clear-headed defiance.She gave a bitter laugh. "Making a scene? Isn't it more disgraceful that you gave your own wife to your cousin? Ha! You don't care about getting cheated on, so why do you care if I talk about it?"Jeffrey glanced at Ray and Steve, but was uncer
Steve had been running at full speed the whole way. Not being a body-combat type, even with stamina far above a normal person's, he was completely exhausted."You're running too—huh!"Steve suddenly caught sight of the woman in the red wedding dress and froze, his expression a mixture of shock and awe.In the icy snow, a woman in nothing but a thin wedding dress lay there as if asleep. That alone was startling, but her beauty was extraordinary, breathtaking. It made one's eyes widen and heart ache with a strange, protective instinct.Steve shook his head, a look of regret and longing crossing his face.Ray chuckled. "She's not dead yet.""Ah?" Steve couldn't believe it. "Not dead… yet?""Want to check her heartbeat?" Ray asked coolly.Steve glanced at her chest, still impressively full even as she lay there, and instantly blushed bright red. "N-No need!"Ray laughed. "You're not still a virgin, are you? Wait… you've absorbed ability user energy at least once—don't tell me—hm!"
"Let's go check over there," Ray said, not waiting for Steve's response, and started walking toward the woman in the red wedding dress.Steve blinked, then hurriedly followed. "Ray—wait for me!"Ray moved with deliberate purpose. Steve, though puzzled, didn't ask questions. Everyone had their secrets; it wasn't his place to pry. Besides, he was curious—why did Ray suddenly want to go that way? Surely something was about to happen.The woman in red was over seven kilometers away. Walking that distance would naturally take time. After about three kilometers, Ray noticed someone entering his perceptual range, following the footprints left by the red-dressed woman.It was a strikingly handsome man—definitely an ability user. Ray could sense that his cells were far stronger than a normal person's, though only moderately so—roughly ten units at most.Ray quickened his pace slightly. The man's objective was obviously the same woman. He intended to get there first."Ray, do we really nee
Ray didn't need the supplies anyway, and even if he found some, it would be a hassle to carry them back. So he had no intention of pointing anything out.They searched and searched. Over an hour passed, and they came up empty-handed. The nearby malls had long since been stripped bare.Steve was disappointed. He had been hoping to shine, to return with a haul of supplies and earn the recognition of his comrades, but reality had proven cruel.Ray had no intention of consoling him. Just as he was about to call it a day, he froze slightly.His spatial perception caught a woman entering the edge of his awareness. Her steps faltered, unsteady. Even though she was bundled in thick clothing, her delicate face was pale, her lips drained of color from the cold.She was stunning—a solid 90+ on the beauty scale—about twenty-four or twenty-five, with an excellent figure. Ray instinctively sharpened his perception, clearly mapping her shape.Large, slender, perky, pale.The rest was left to i
"Kill him!""Once he's dead, all of it is ours!""Go!"The crowd roared together. Ray had already walked right into their trap—why waste time playing games with him now?No more delays.Julian nodded in agreement. Ray was unarmed and surrounded. So… did he have any chance to turn this around?
What now? Should they head back and prepare more explosives—bring even more?Just then, a sharp click sounded as the villa's front door actually opened.Opened?Well, after that kind of blast, unless the people inside were drugged into a coma, anyone with a pulse would come out to see what was go
If you asked Ray, he really didn't want to deal with someone like Logan—someone who preyed on other men. But Logan had an ability.For the sake of getting stronger, Ray decided to face Logan.Ray reactivated his spatial perception. Once he locked onto Logan's position, he kicked the door open and
"Get out." Ray opened the car door and gestured for Richard to get out.Richard froze for a moment, clearly not expecting Ray to let him go so easily. Then he hurriedly bowed and scraped as he got out. "Thank you, thank you. I'll remember your generosity for the rest of my—"He never finished the







