After shutting his laptop and changing clothes, Adyr headed downstairs and found Marielle and Niva already at the breakfast table. He wished Marielle a safe trip and stepped out of the house.
The world was still the same, as bleak as ever.
Sickly yellow clouds hung heavy in the sky, dimming the sun before it could properly reach the ground. The air was thick, dry, and oppressive. Compared to the clean, peaceful atmosphere of the game world, this reality felt dull and drained.
And yet, in its own way, it had a certain beauty. One shaped by decay and survival.
After improving his [Physique] stat, Adyr no longer needed a mask or goggles to endure the air. But he still wore them—less out of necessity, more to avoid questions he didn't feel like answering.
As the shuttle pulled in beside the curb, he stepped aboard without a word.
All the usual faces were there—except one. Eren was missing. Adyr simply smiled at the absence and completed the ride in silence.
The university zone was noticeably more crowded than the day before. Clearly, after their brief dive into the game, students were beginning to return to their regular routines. Not all of them, though—Victor was nowhere to be seen.
He was probably already neck-deep in his father's latest project.
Still, there were familiar faces in the crowd. As Adyr walked down the corridor toward his first class, he spotted a familiar figure—Cole, the school's notorious bully, and the same guy who'd busted his lip just a few days ago.
But something about him was… off.
Flanked by his usual cronies, Cole walked right past Adyr without a word. No snide remark. Not even a glance. One of his arms was in a full cast, and his lip looked freshly split.
Adyr didn't say anything either. Ever since he started playing the game, that constant itch for violence, the bloodlust, had dulled. He wasn't chasing conflict anymore.
Then, just ahead of the classroom, he saw her.
Her hair, a deep shade of midnight purple, spilled down to her waist, smooth and velvety, like twilight suspended between day and night. Her eyes matched it perfectly: soft, distant, and far too quiet. Puppy eyes, but heavy—like they'd seen more than they should have.
Her pale face held no expression, as if lost in thoughts too far away to reach. And yet, there was something in that silence—an unspoken fragility—that stirred an instinct deep in your bones.
The kind of face that made you want to shield her. Without a word. Without a reason.
Selina White.
She stood just a bit taller than him, her black-and-white uniform fitting as if tailored precisely for her. Every line and fold seemed to mirror her poise. She remained still, yet carried an effortless grace.
Students passing by stole glances. Some even turned their heads, forgetting to watch their step, tripping in the process just for a second look at the most admired girl on campus.
As Adyr approached, Selina glanced up—and for a fleeting moment, a small smile curved her lips. Rare, but unmistakably genuine.
"Selina," Adyr greeted, offering his own subtle smile. "Didn't expect to see you here."
They rarely had classes together. Normally, around this time, she was supposed to be across the campus.
"I'm waiting for the teacher," she said, avoiding his gaze as her fingers instinctively reached for her hair—a familiar nervous habit.
A brief silence followed. When it became clear Adyr wasn't going to speak again, she glanced back at him and asked, "Did you get the gift I sent?"
"Yeah. Thanks," Adyr said. "The cake, especially. My sister loved it."
Selina's smile stayed, but something in her tone shifted. "I see."
Adyr's eyes drifted to her right hand. The knuckles were slightly bruised and red. His thoughts immediately returned to Cole—how strangely quiet he'd been, how wrecked his face had looked.
He sighed inwardly but kept his face unreadable. He said nothing.
Selina lingered, as if she had something more to say but couldn't quite bring herself to voice it. As the silence stretched too long, turning faintly awkward, she finally spoke.
"Um… I should get going," she murmured, barely meeting his eyes. "My class is starting." She hesitated for a second, then turned and walked away—quiet as ever, like she'd never been there at all.
After watching Selina's frame disappear down the hallway, Adyr finally stepped into the classroom.
Nothing on the schedule today particularly interested him. His mind was elsewhere, still tangled in thoughts of the game and the strange, unsettling implications it carried.
Especially the parallels between game stats and genetic mutation.
He could already estimate the capabilities of second-generation mutants to some extent. Most students at the university, especially those like Victor or Selina who had undergone advanced procedures, likely possessed bodies stronger than what his current [Physique] stat of 10 could offer.
As for STF operatives, they were on another level entirely.
Adyr had never seen one demonstrate their strength in person, but the occasional leaked footage online was enough. Judging by that, he figured it would take at least a [Physique] stat of 40—maybe more—to reach their baseline.
The first generation, though… he didn't even bother making comparisons.
Their mutations were raw, unpredictable. Some suffered from deformities and short lifespans due to unstable genetics. Others, however, were said to be stronger and more durable than any STF member—living weapons born from chaos.
And those were the ones that made the world outside the city walls truly dangerous.
There had been rumors—stories of first-gens launching devastating attacks on entire cities, acts of terrorism so severe even government forces couldn't bring them down. Entire task forces lost in operations that yielded nothing but body bags and classified reports.
Let's hope Marielle doesn't run into one of them, Adyr thought, and then let the professor's voice from the lecture platform seep in—just enough to scatter the rest.
Like anyone, Adyr's life had its ups and downs—but compared to his previous one, things were going well. Stable. Controlled.
And that control had a name: family.
He'd already lost one—so brutal, so scarring, it had breathed life into the monster he now kept locked inside. If even one more member of his family were taken from him, the balance would tip—and he wasn't sure there'd be anything left strong enough to hold it back.
And now, with mutation burning in his blood, if he ever lost control—truly lost it—he wouldn't wonder what he might become.
He already knew.
Something inhuman… Something UNHOLY.