Curious about the reward, Julian focused on the glowing panel hovering before him. A prompt appeared:
"Would you like to claim your reward now?"
Without hesitation, he tapped [YES].
The panel shimmered, then shifted.
[Skill Acquired: Slave Mark]
Julian blinked in surprise. Another skill?
He quickly opened the skill details, his eyes scanning the glowing text:
[Slave Mark]
Allows the user to mark individuals who have been fully dominated. At certain domination thresholds, the user can grant skills to the marked subject. The user can also locate marked individuals at any time. The more Slave Marks are placed, the stronger the user becomes.
Julian stared at the screen, thoughts racing. So the more people I dominate... the more powerful I get?
His gaze shifted to Clarissa, now fast asleep beside him, her breathing soft and rhythmic.
He leaned over her and whispered, "Let’s try this out, shall we?"
He focused again on the panel. Another prompt appeared:
"Apply Slave Mark to Clarissa Evangeline?"
Julian tapped [YES].
A soft glow formed just below Clarissa’s navel. A faint, intricate tattoo appeared, shaped vaguely like a womb, ethereal and symbolic, pulsing softly as if alive.
[Slave Mark applied successfully.]
Julian exhaled slowly, a wicked smirk playing at the corners of his lips. So that’s how it works...
As he sat back, an idea sparked in his mind, dark and delicious.
Veronica.
That name alone made his blood boil.
She had humiliated him. Mocked him. Betrayed him. And now, with this power, he would make her beg for forgiveness. He would break her pride, destroy her ego, and force her to kneel.
Julian had always been the type to hold grudges. No matter how small, he never let anything go. And after being betrayed by his classmates...? He would make every last one of them regret ever crossing him.
But for now... his stomach growled.
Guess that "exercise" really drained me... he thought, glancing at Clarissa’s still-sleeping form.
He stood up quietly and stretched. I’ll get food once she wakes up.
--------×--------
Erwin had managed to survive the zombie attack, but not without losses. A large part of his group had been wiped out, and he knew exactly who was to blame.
Julian.
Clenching his fists, he turned to the remaining members of his group.
"Everyone, head to the storage room in the cafeteria. Clear any zombies that get in your way. Move!"
The survivors, battered and shaken, nodded and followed him through the blood-smeared corridors. After a tense fight and several close calls, they finally reached the cafeteria’s storage area.
To their surprise, the door was locked from the inside.
Erwin banged on it. "Open up! We’re survivors!"
A voice answered from behind the door, steady, cautious. "Are any of you infected?"
Erwin stepped forward. "No one in my group’s infected. We’re clean."
There was a pause, then the sound of a lock clicking echoed through the hallway. The heavy metal door creaked open, revealing a group of people inside, and standing at the center of them was a man everyone recognized instantly.
Mr. Leighton Armand, one of the academy’s most respected teachers.
Handsome, composed, and kind-hearted, Leighton was the kind of man students and staff alike looked up to. He greeted Erwin with a calm smile. "Welcome. I’m glad you made it."
Erwin and his group stepped inside, immediately spotting the shelves filled with food supplies. Their stomachs growled in unison, they hadn’t eaten in hours.
Instinctively, some of them rushed toward the shelves.
But Leighton raised a hand. "Hold on. Take only what you need. These supplies are meant to last, for everyone."
His firm yet gentle tone made the others pause. They nodded in agreement and began picking only the essentials.
Everyone except Erwin.
"I’m here to take supplies for my group," Erwin said flatly. "A few cans won’t be enough. We’ve lost people, and we need more than just scraps."
Leighton’s expression didn’t change. "Then stay here with your group. It’s safer. We’ll survive longer together, until help arrives."
Erwin scoffed. "And wait around hoping someone magically shows up? No thanks. I’d rather head to the evacuation center myself."
He stepped forward. "Now move. I don’t have time for this."
Leighton stood calmly, blocking his path.
That only made Erwin more irritated. With a growl, he shoved Leighton aside.
Immediately, tension filled the room.
Members of Leighton’s group stepped forward, anger flashing in their eyes. "You think we’ll share supplies with someone like that?"
Erwin chuckled bitterly. "There it is. You’re just pretending to be noble. In the end, you just don’t want to share your food. Stop hiding behind your fake morals."
Leighton’s eyes narrowed. His voice dropped cold and serious. "If you take one more step, Erwin... I’ll use force."
Erwin smirked. "Try me."
He took another step.
In a blink, Leighton moved. His body blurred like a streak of light. Before Erwin could react, Leighton swept his legs and slammed him to the ground, pinning him in a swift, precise motion.
Erwin groaned, stunned, as Leighton held him down.
"I told you not to go any further," the teacher said calmly, his voice sharp as steel.
As Leighton stood over Erwin, calm and composed, the surrounding students broke into murmurs of admiration.
"Damn... Mr. Leighton is insane!" one of them whispered.
"He moved like lightning. I barely saw him!"
Another added with a smirk, "That’s what happens when you act all tough without thinking."
They turned to Erwin, still pinned to the floor. One student scoffed, "Bet you thought you were some kind of leader. Turns out you’re just a reckless brute."
Kael, one of Erwin’s closest allies, stood frozen nearby. He clenched his fists but said nothing. His confidence in Erwin had just been shaken.
From behind, a cold, condescending voice cut through the air.
Veronica.
She crossed her arms and flicked her hair to the side, her tone laced with disdain. "We’re here to survive. That’s it. Trying to act like some self-proclaimed savior just gets people killed."
Leighton glanced at her, then addressed the group, his voice firm but calm. "No. Survival without order is just chaos. If we abandon our values now, we become no better than the monsters outside."
Still pinned beneath him, Erwin sneered. "That’s just empty talk. This world’s already collapsed. Laws, morals, they don’t mean anything anymore."
Suddenly, Erwin’s body twitched. Heat surged through his veins like fire. His muscles tensed and swelled, and he felt something raw and powerful awaken within him.
Before his eyes, a familiar translucent panel appeared.
<Skill Acquired [Super Strength] - due to your strong desire>
A wicked grin spread across his face as power coursed through him.
"Looks like you’re wrong," Erwin muttered, voice low and dangerous. "In this world, desire is the only law."