Dominion of the Virus King!

"What do you want?" Novak asked, glancing at the woman standing before him.

Julia smiled sweetly, her eyes filled with subtle intent. "Brother Novak, you went to rest right after arriving here. Are you sure you're not injured? We have a first-aid kit, and I know a bit about bandaging. Maybe I could...?"

Novak gave her a brief look.

Julia wasn't particularly tall, just a little over 1.6 meters, but her fair skin and dyed platinum blonde hair gave her an almost otherworldly appearance, reminiscent of the elfin beings Novak had once encountered in secret realms during his past life.

Bandages?

Novak's gaze, unrestrained and penetrating, seemed to peer beneath her clothes, causing Julia's cheeks to flush.

His stare was too intense. She had come in intending to curry favor, but being scrutinized like this made her feel incredibly exposed.

Novak, both in this life and the last, wasn't the type to engage in emotional entanglements. He cut straight to the point.

"How about a massage instead?"

Julia hesitated but then nodded. Her delicate fingers wouldn't affect Novak physically, yet he saw no harm in it. He leaned back and closed his eyes, allowing his mind to drift as his innate abilities appeared before him.

[Virus King (SSS): You possess supreme control over any bacterial or viral lifeforms within your body. Any virus can be manipulated by you, and with every contact or absorption of infected viral matter, you gain evolution points. Current evolution points: 53. Exclusive Blacklight Virus evolution points: 22.]

The talent tree appeared vividly in his mind, with each evolution point represented in detail. Novak noted the Blacklight Virus's progress, with 22 points accumulated specifically for its further evolution. Meanwhile, the general Virus King evolution points had reached 53, the highest he'd ever achieved.

Most of these points had been earned from the sewers—a place rife with bacterial and viral life, thanks to the Plaguebringer cult. The amount of evolution there far surpassed anything Novak could've gained from Kepler's original viruses.

Now, the question was how to use these evolution points.

Mental infection? Parasitic virus? 

Or should he continue focusing on the Blacklight Virus?

Novak immediately dismissed the latter. The Blacklight Virus evolved too quickly through devouring, and it would be a waste to spend precious general evolution points on something that advanced so rapidly on its own.

The parasitic virus was tempting, but it didn't quite suit Novak's combat style, which focused on maximizing immediate strength. He wasn't someone who relied on others to fight his battles.

Instead, his gaze shifted to his infectious disease abilities.

During his recent fight with the Tyrant, he had witnessed the devastating potential of influenza. It was truly remarkable. If he could further enhance that ability...

Novak's eyes gleamed.

Strengthening the flu would require 30 evolution points and a Constitution stat above 80. Fortunately, he met both requirements.

Without hesitation, Novak initiated the upgrade.

He was not the type to procrastinate—strengthening his abilities was far more valuable than hoarding points.

In an instant, the evolution points vanished, and the talent tree of the Virus King lit up. The branch connected to disease infection, specifically respiratory droplet infection, began to glow, expanding as new abilities unlocked.

Novak felt a sudden tightness in his chest, as though his lungs were filling with water. His breathing grew labored, each gasp feeling like he was drowning. But just as quickly as the sensation appeared, it faded, replaced by a clear notification in his mind:

[Respiratory infection deepened! Talent skill unlocked: Lung (breathing) infection.]

[Lung (breathing) infection: Activated after a successful influenza infection. Once triggered, the victim enters one of three stages:]

Asthma: Depending on the target's Constitution, this stage begins 1 second to 10 minutes after infection. In this stage, the infected can't chant or cast spells, and their attributes decrease by 1 per second. Additionally, the sneezing effect interval is reduced by 50%.

Inflammation: When the victim's health drops below 50%, they enter this stage. Healing skills' effectiveness is reduced by 90%, and the infected suffer from severe difficulty breathing and focusing.

Exhaustion: After inflammation occurs, there's a 1% increase per second in the chance of progressing to this stage. The infected will be unable to breathe, and their vital organs will lose 10% of their function per second, eventually leading to death.]

!?

Novak opened his eyes, a faint emotion flickering within them.

This was the epitome of slowly boiling a frog, the ultimate gradual death. While the Blacklight Virus focused on raw combat power and physical dominance, this respiratory infection was the most insidious of abilities—a curse that debilitated and tortured its victims with stacked debuffs.

And in Novak's view, no so-called "curse mage" could hold a candle to this horrifying ability.

It was utterly terrifying!

"You're awake, right?"

A gentle voice broke the silence.

Novak glanced at Julia, the Foreign Language Department student who had shifted from a palm massage to a full-body massage. A slight smile tugged at his lips.

The girl before him was like an Emily at best—far from exceptional, but not terrible either. She was certainly not good enough to make it into the White Emperor's Palace. Whether he would even remember her after tonight was still up for debate.

To Novak, this was just a temporary distraction, a way to indulge his heightened desires after gaining more strength.

With that thought, he casually tossed a piece of equipment to Julia. Her eyes widened in surprise, and before she could speak, Novak said:

"There's a girl outside, her name's Andrea."

Julia blinked as she accepted the equipment. "Andrea?"

"Yes, that's her," Novak replied with a small smile.

Andrea Brillanted—one of the two campus beauties at De M-anila University, alongside Dane.

Julia's eyes flashed with jealousy as she caught on. "Brother Novak, you've got your eye on her? She's Dung's girlfriend!"

Novak smiled slightly. "She's different from you."

Indeed, she was. The biggest difference being that Novak could tell at a glance that Andrea's true beauty had yet to be "unsealed."

Julia caught that as well and laughed bitterly. "That woman's playing games. She and Dung have been 'official' for three months now, but I've heard they've never even touched each other. She's clearly aiming higher, not just playing at being someone's girlfriend."

Novak said nothing.

In college, appearance, figure, and charm were a girl's most valuable assets. Many dreamed of landing a rich second-generation boyfriend who would one day inherit a family fortune—a ticket to transforming from an ordinary girl into a socialite.

But those dreams often lacked real love. It was all about wealth and connections.

Novak glanced at Julia, who moved like a sleek white snake as she continued massaging him. After a moment, he told her to stop. Then, with a faint smile, he said:

"Go relay my message. When you come back, I'll reward you properly. If it works, there will be benefits in it for you, too."

Julia was momentarily stunned but quickly recovered, smiling brightly. She wasn't foolish—otherwise, she wouldn't have made such a quick decision while so many others outside still hesitated.

Especially when her boyfriend had just left to fight zombies outside.

Soon after, Julia returned, leading Andrea into the room.

"Brother Novak, I—"

"I can guarantee your safety, provide you with top-tier equipment, and offer full protection upgrades in the future. Most importantly, you'll have the respect and envy of everyone around you."

Andrea hesitated, glancing at Julia, who stood to the side, lips pursed in smug satisfaction.

——

Ten minutes later, Novak closed his eyes, content.

What Dung couldn't accomplish in three months, Novak achieved in ten minutes.

And with no effort at all.

Feeling the slickness on his body, Novak raised an eyebrow—just as a private message arrived.

The sender was someone he hadn't seen in a while: Ian Bart.

And the first thing Ian said nearly made Novak sit up in surprise.

[Just Ian: Brother White, I've found a nightmare-level secret realm dungeon. I want your help to clear it with Meimei. What do you think?]