Apocalypse: becoming the hidden Ruler

Gabriel's face lit up red with excitement. He laughed, hands on his hips. "Hah! I gotta tell my dad when I get back. I've only been here a few days, and I've already got food, drink, and a solid rep!"

Axel waved a hand dismissively. "Forget that for now—Elijah and Esme might be in trouble." He repeated Declan's warning.

Gabriel hesitated. "Should we tell them?" Then he scoffed. "Actually, screw it. When you were up there, they just stood there watching like it was a damn show. Why should we be the good guys?"

Axel thought for a moment, then nodded. "That's secondary. What bothers me is that Declan might be throwing a smokescreen. If we go warn them and are found out, we'll be caught in the middle."

Gabriel groaned. "Man, doesn't he like you? Can't people just be fucking trustworthy?!"

Axel smirked. Seeing Gabriel's frustration actually put him at ease. "Let's go back."

The tavern owner was in a fantastic mood. He had thought he had wasted his investment. But now? Axel turned out to be way more valuable than expected. Without hesitation, he upgraded Axel and Gabriel's rooms to something more upscale. He even sent food to help Axel recover.

As for the regular drinkers? When Axel walked in, their eyes changed. In Baird District, he was already a celebrity.

.....

Saka District – Sin City's Elite Territory The Saka District was nothing like the outskirts. The buildings here were modern, expensive, and luxurious.

It was the recognized upper-class zone of Sin City—where high-level Awakeners and influential families lived. And inside one of its high-end hotels, a secret meeting was taking place.

Figures gathered in silence. Vince, Rosaline, Millers, and Kaia sat on one side. Opposite them? Wesley's Gray Wolf Squad. And at the center of it all— A man in a cloak. His code name: Lone Shadow. A Whisper Syndicate agent embedded inside Sin City.

Wesley leaned forward, eyes locked on Lone Shadow. "Everyone's here. So let's get started."

Lone Shadow's face remained hidden, but his voice was clear. "First, an update on the selectors."

He spoke calmly. "As of today, 35 candidates have been eliminated."

"27 quit voluntarily." "8 were killed."

No one reacted. In fact— For Sin City? That was a low death count.

They had entered the city at the same time as the selectors, but left in smaller groups. So they had little time to check on selectors' situation.

"Fortunately, the rule says you have to challenge before killing. At least that gives them a chance to back out."

If they surrendered, no one would come to pick them up, but the special Whisper Syndicate-issued phones had a built-in escape feature. The "Hide" function provided five minutes of invisibility—a last-ditch chance to slip away. Though not that it'd do much good against an Awakener way stronger than you.

You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.

"It's already the fourth day," Wesley noted. "If they're still standing, that means they've managed to establish a foothold. Eliminations will slow down from here."

He smirked slightly. "This batch of candidates… not bad."

Lone Shadow had gone quiet. Millers and Kaia were getting impatient. "Lone Shadow, do you have any news on Axel?" Millers pressed. "How's he doing?"

The name seemed familiar to Lone Shadow. He stirred slightly, lifting his head and revealing the sharp angle of his pale, refined nose.

"You know that guy?" he asked, sounding vaguely intrigued. "He's actually pretty good…"

"What's that supposed to mean?"

Lone Shadow shrugged. "First day here, he killed someone and got on the wrong side of the local gangs."

Jade, who had been absentmindedly filing her nails, suddenly perked up. Her lips curled in amusement. No strength? Fine. No brains? That's worse.

…This is your definition of 'pretty good'?! Millers groaned, rubbing his temples. "Dude, enough with the cold humor. What the hell actually happened?"

Rosaline's voice cut through the air—sharp and cold. "Is he still alive?"

"Of course. And I'm not joking," Lone Shadow said. "Actually, today he made quite the name for himself in Baird District."

After listening to him finish everything, the room fell into silence. Then, Vince let out a quiet chuckle. "Yeah," he murmured. "That… sounds like Axel."

Vince had always known Axel was a sneaky, calculating bastard. Rosaline also had some idea. Millers and Kaia? Not so much. To them, Axel had always been their kid brother.

But now—he had gone toe-to-toe with Harrison, a well-known fighter. And the way he turned the fight around at the last moment?

The modified gun? Millers' work. The reserve mental power? Kaia had given him that. That asshole had played Harrison perfectly.

"Not bad," Millers muttered, shaking his head.

For the first time, the Gray Wolf Squad dropped their casual attitude. Even Wesley, who had initially doubted Axel, finally saw why Obsidian had chosen him.

"But hold on," Wesley frowned. "His Awakening ability only restores physical stamina, right? How did he recover? You guys give him a life Pill?"

The life Pill—a six-million-dollar lifesaver. It worked faster than most healing abilities.

Kaia shook her head. "No. His Awakening ability isn't Stamina Restoration." She paused. "It's called All Things Simulation."

All Things Simulation? Wesley's eyes narrowed. He'd heard of it before—but he never expected Obsidian to get their hands on such a rare Awakener.

"Alright, enough with the Axel fan club," Jade interjected, rolling her eyes. She turned to Lone Shadow. "You hear anything about Elijah?"

"Elijah?"

"Their team is the strongest among the candidates," he continued. "Naturally, they got targeted the moment they stepped into the city. But they held their ground. They're making a name for themselves in the street scene."

He paused, then added, "They even took out the leader of a small gang in Hollow District." There was no excitement in his voice.

Jade, who had been holding her breath, exhaled sharply, grinning.

"Don't get too cocky."

"They're making too much noise," he said flatly. "They're outsiders, and now the bigger gangs in Hollow have their eyes on them. It's only a matter of time before shit hits the fan."

Jade's expression froze.

"Idiots." Rosaline's voice was cold, her words dripping with contempt.

Jade spun to face her, eyes flashing, ready to argue. Before things could escalate, Wesley stood up and planted himself between them.

"Alright, enough." His voice was firm. "We've got bigger things to deal with."

From his pocket, Wesley pulled out a small pill. If Axel had been in the room, he would've recognized it immediately. It was the Exotic Beast Pill—the same one the tavern owner had shown him.

"This," Wesley began, holding it up for everyone to see, "works similarly to a Force-Recovery Pill. But in Sin City, it sells for one-third of the price."

He let that sink in before continuing. "Until recently, this pill was only circulating inside the city and among the Wilderness Hunters. But now…?" His expression darkened. "It's spreading."

"Krythos is reporting more and more Awakened mutating into Infected." A heavy silence fell over the room. "We traced it back," Wesley said. "Every single one of them had taken this pill."

"Someone's been smuggling this shit out of Sin City. And because it's so cheap, Awakened are willing to take the risk." Wesley's voice was grim. "If this continues, we're looking at a full-scale outbreak."