Virus King [Translation]

Between Life and Death, There Is Great Terror.

This was the only thought running through Nicole and Daphne's minds.

However, in this apocalypse, they had long since prepared themselves for the possibility of facing death. Even though they didn't expect that day to come so soon, they had braced for it.

What they hadn't anticipated, though, was that at this critical moment, the man who had shattered their understanding of the world would appear once again.

At this moment, if there truly was a god in this world, then the man standing before them would be that god.

He didn't have an overly muscular build, but he was neither frail nor slender. Even from behind, his posture was tall and unwavering, exuding immense strength. 

Despite only a day's separation, Daphne suddenly felt as though Novak, the man standing before her, had become a stranger once again. This strange feeling made her realize that even after the world had ended, this man, who had stood atop the mountain, had grown even stronger.

Stronger to the point where she couldn't even begin to comprehend the depths of his power.

Daphne had always known Novak was formidable. But after hearing the rumors about the forerunners during the trials of gods and demons, she was certain Novak was among those elite few.

But the world is vast, and there must be many people like Novak.

Yet, after witnessing what happened last night, Daphne now knew—without a doubt—that this man standing before her was exceptional, even in the context of the entire Faeloria Country, or perhaps the entire Kepler.

Her ambition hadn't waned. She was merely more aware of her own limitations and the sheer magnitude of Novak's strength.

The giant rat before her could easily crush her to death. But in front of this man, a man who seemed to embody the might of a demonic god, it would only take one hand to send the creature back to where it came from.

The sound of impact was deafening.

The giant rat, the size of a calf, had its head blown apart in an instant. In less than a second, it was reduced to a lifeless corpse. The man responsible for its demise wasn't even splattered with a single drop of blood.

In that moment, all eyes turned toward the figure who had saved them.

Some were unfamiliar with him, others looked on in awe, and a few were filled with excitement. 

In just over a day, the situation at the gathering place has been investigated thoroughly. The leader was Queen Song of the Song Group, a woman well-known in De M-anila. She had hundreds of evolutionaries under her command, all loyal and of good character.

But none of this was the most important thing. Among Daphne's guards, there was always talk of a terrifying figure—Mr. Novak.

He was the true leader of the gathering place.

Novak glanced at the bodies of the fallen evolutionaries in the distance and frowned slightly. The level of evolution and the strength of this giant rat were indeed frightening, but his frown wasn't entirely due to that.

Novak surveyed the crowd, noticing the guards hurrying over, and calmly gave his orders:

"Collect the bodies of our fallen comrades and give them a proper burial. Make sure the compensation is fair. As for the corpse of this giant rat, bring it to the villa's courtyard. Share any spoils with everyone."

Upon hearing this, the eyes of the surrounding crowd lit up, their previous fear of death vanishing almost immediately.

Novak glanced at Daphne and Nicole, then said in a calm voice, "We'll talk inside."

Once they were back in the villa, after listening to Daphne and Nicole, Novak fully understood the situation.

It wasn't due to a lack of competence on Daphne's part. In such a short time, hundreds of mutant rats had surged out from the mountains.

The speed of their evolution was astonishing. Even with the possibility that these mutated giant rats had consumed zombies or evolutionaries, which may have accelerated the process, it still seemed far too rapid. 

It had only been two days since the apocalypse began.

Of course, some of the rats had already mutated before the apocalypse, but looking back now, it was clear that there were many peculiarities in their behavior.

The giant rat they had just encountered was particularly extraordinary.

"There are too many rats," Daphne said wearily. "Our people can't go into the city to clear out the zombies and level up. These mutant rats are far more difficult to deal with than the zombies. If I had known the infestation in the Ocean Blue Villa Area was this severe, I wouldn't have come here."

Novak glanced at Nicole, who nodded and left the room to carry out his orders.

Turning back to Daphne, Novak asked, "Where are Dane, Aria, Ruri, Lea, and her daughter?"

"They're upstairs, in the fitness room, practicing the combat skills you left behind to fight zombies. They've been working hard," Daphne replied.

Novak nodded and, after a moment of thought, took something out of his backpack. 

When Daphne saw what it was, she was taken aback and looked at Novak incredulously.

"Is this really the time to bring this up?" she asked.

Novak shot her a glance, and Daphne didn't dare say another word. She took the item, and upon closer inspection, her eyes lit up with excitement. 

If it weren't for Novak's imposing presence, she might have rushed over and kissed him.

With this item, even if she faced that giant rat alone, she wouldn't be in any real danger.

Unfortunately, Daphne shook her head regretfully. "My level's too low—I can't use it."

"If you can't use it yet, keep it. As for the mutant rats, I took a look earlier. They're coming from the sewer system. Along with the mutant rats, there are a lot of regular rats as well."

As he said this, a faint smile appeared on Novak's face, and a glint of light flashed in his eyes.

"But this might not be entirely a bad thing," he added.

Surprised, Daphne raised her eyebrows and asked, "What do you mean?"

Novak shook his head, not answering. Instead, he fell silent, lost in thought once again.

He wasn't entirely sure.

After all, the area around De M-anila, and the city itself, had seen the emergence of countless secret realm dungeons over the decades in his previous life. As one of the zones with the highest concentration of secret realms, it was impossible for Novak to remember every single one clearly.

He wasn't certain if there was a secret realm related to mutant mice in the Ocean Blue Villa Area.

However, his past experiences and lessons learned from Zogwort taught him one thing: every risk carries a corresponding reward. And the greater the risk, the greater the potential for high returns.

"I'll lead a team into the sewers in a bit to investigate what's going on," Novak said.

"I'm coming too!" Daphne declared firmly. She knew that strong power was the key to survival.

Novak nodded in agreement. "Of course you're going. Otherwise, how long will it take before you can finally wear this equipment—until the next century?"

Daphne's face flushed red as she glanced at the 'Faceless Skin' armor on her hands.

"But before we head out," Novak added, "there are a few things that need to be taken care of…"

Daphne sighed, exhaustion washing over her. "I'm so tired… Can someone let me rest for a bit? I haven't slept in two days and two nights. Dane, Aria, Lea, and Luli are all upstairs, and then there's Nicole too…"