ENERGI: THE PRIMORDIAL CONDUIT[OP MC, APOCALYPSE, SURVIVAL, AND LITRPG]

Rose dusted herself off before moving toward Sophia. It wasn't long before the two broke into hushed discussion.

As for Kael, he ignored his surroundings for a moment and focused on the core in his hand. A feeling of urgency filled his heart.

'I need more. More power!'

'But how?'

He had been feeling a deep hunger for the small core, which was why he had taken it out. But no matter how he racked his brain, he couldn't think of how to consume it.

It wasn't that he would have to directly swallow it, right? After all, despite being small, the core was still about the size of a large quail egg. This thought had been troubling him for a while now, but he knew he couldn't hesitate any longer.

"I am about to do something..." he spoke out loud, attracting the attention of the others.

"...strange. But I may need your help." Thinking of what had happened when he fulfilled the second requirement, Kael's body shivered slightly.

"I might need you to protect me, as I may end up in a helpless state. Also, you don't need to worry about me. I know what I'm doing."

The others looked at him with raised brows, surprised expressions, or strange looks, the last belonging to Rose.

Seeing her expression irked him slightly, but more than that, he felt relieved. He wasn't sure whether she was keeping up appearances to ease their worries, but Kael would grasp at any thread of hope at this point. Like he had said before, he would adapt and accept any changes to her and his friends.

Confirming their agreement, Kael took a deep breath before closing his eyes and shoving the core into his mouth.

- Gulp!

Kael collapsed from his chair as he gripped his throat, a flicker of agony crossing his features.

- HMPH! HMPH!

He fell onto his side, his legs slapping against the ground, the pain doing nothing to stop the suffocating sensation of the core lodged firmly in his throat.

"Big Brother Kael!" Natalie shouted as she jumped to her feet, about to rush toward him, her face pale with worry, only to be stopped by a soft but firm grip.

Turning to the side, she saw Nathan shake his head.

Only then did Natalie realize she had been the only one to scream.

She shifted her gaze toward the others, and what she saw chilled her heart.

No one had attempted to move to check on Kael.

Instead, they watched him with expressions containing a trace of worry, but far more curiosity. Sophia even had a glint of dark fascination flashing within her golden eyes.

Seeing this, Natalie quietly stepped back, Nathaniel trembling like a leaf caught in a storm by her side.

The muffled sounds of Kael's struggle continued to echo throughout the room.

One could clearly see the bulge in his throat, while the veins snaking across his forehead, neck, and arms were proof of the torment he was enduring.

Unwilling to look so weak before his sister and friends, Kael held back his tears.

Yet the agony had already reached his limit and thoughts of ripping his own throat were beginning to fill his mind.

Just when Kael felt he couldn't endure another second...

Three hissing sounds suddenly shook his senses.

From the first, he felt a sense of twisted enjoyment, the kind a crazed maniac would feel while watching prey squirm before death.

From the second hiss, he felt worry and anxiousness, the kind a loving sister would feel upon seeing her big brother enduring unimaginable pain, which was rather ironic considering Kael's current situation.

The last hiss sounded deeper than the others, carrying an unmistakable commanding edge.

Kael barely had time to process those feelings before he suddenly disappeared from the room.

---------------

Rachel sat within the room, her eyes filled with hollow acceptance.

This was the same room Kael and his team had previously occupied. Now, she was the one staying in the very space those she hated most had once called theirs.

Alone.

That single word was like a hammer shattering a dam, releasing the flood held back for so long.

Tears she thought she had no more to give streamed down her pale face.

'Dad... Mum... I miss you both.'

She could only pray that her mother was still alive, but she couldn't bring herself to hope too much. After all, even before the apocalypse, her mother's health had been failing, which was why Rachel had been sent here.

[Are you ready, girl?]

Rachel didn't respond for a while.

Only after she truly had no more tears left did she reply.

"Yes."

A system message suddenly flashed before her.

[?????? wishes to bestow their ??? upon you. Would you like to accept?]

The message had barely appeared before another replaced it.

[Be warned. Once this choice is made, it cannot be reversed.]

Aside from the warning, the system gave no indication of what she was about to receive.

Not that she cared anymore.

According to the mysterious being, she would receive their blessing and become their champion.

When she had still been on guard, she had asked why they had chosen her, and what the mysterious being would receive in return. After all, she didn't believe there was such a thing as a free meal in this world.

The being had responded that she possessed a one-of-a-kind Will, even when compared against the entire universe. Considering she had been the first person to awaken WILL in their world, she hadn't found any issue with that explanation.

But what had truly unsettled her was being told she would become the being's representative.

And that, that alone was what they desired.

No matter how she looked at it, the explanation sounded far too vague and suspicious.

But at this point...

She no longer cared.

"I accept."

Silence lingered for a moment. Then her figure disappeared without a trace.

Just like that, two figures, each carrying a destiny that would one day shake the entire Cosmos vanished at nearly the same time.

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