"How about the lack of Seekers? It feels… odd that I haven't seen a single one since the attack," I said, shifting the topic.

It took her a few seconds to come up with a response, and I didn't rush her. A few seconds weren't going to make things any worse than they already were.

"I think they ran off after realizing it was a Tower Echo. Besides, its range isn't that big, so if we hadn't stopped running, we would have been fine."

Hai-Min's face darkened as she realized she was the reason I got trapped here.

I gave Amanda a sharp look, and she quickly lowered her head, muttering a silent apology.

Then I reached out, brushing Hai-Min's hair back gently.

"Hey… we're not blaming you, okay? Don't let it bother you."

"But…"

"Like I said," I interrupted gently, "it's my choice to save you."

Before things got any more awkward, I headed toward the glass fridge and grabbed a cola and some snacks for myself. I'd developed a sudden craving—food was scarce, after all.

I was reaching for my second cola when the roller shutter started vibrating and then—BOOM!

Flames and debris blasted anyone trying to block it aside, scorching and tossing them like ragdolls.

As for me, I found myself in front of my two companions, forming a shield large enough to protect us from the blast and the shards of glass ricocheting around the store.

When the smoke cleared, the roller shutter that was supposed to protect the store were in flames. From one hole, a clawed hand punched through, stretching the opening wider as if the metal were soft jelly under the heat.

Hai-Min instinctively grabbed my coat, her hands trembling.

In front of us stood creatures that looked like baboons… if baboons had evolved into literal killing machine.

They were over five feet tall, with long, thin arms built for swinging and smashing.

Their fur wasn't the same red—it was a dark, matted brown, streaked with scars. Their eyes were pitch black, reflecting nothing but hunger, and their mouths stretched into wide, unnatural grins that revealed jagged, yellowed teeth.

"It's a Granado Monkey!" Amanda exclaimed. "Their punches hit like explosives, and they're stronger than Flaming Monkeys. They usually appear from floor seven and above. Boss… we're screwed!"

My eyes narrowed as I tried to count the enemies. There were at least ten of them.

"How strong are they?" I asked.

Amanda looked confused for a moment, but she still answered.

"At least C Rank… actually, they're close to B Rank if you include how well they fight in groups."

"Got it," I nodded casually.

Although they were close to B Rank, that didn't mean they were as strong as actual B Rank Seekers—their intelligence still lagged behind humans. Still, their numbers were more than enough to compensate for that.

I glanced to my left and caught Hai-Min paling at the sight. No matter how hard she tried to appear strong, she was still just a young girl at heart. This… was more than she could handle.

"I'll take care of this. Don't worry." I patted her head, hoping to calm her down.

She looked doubtful and worried—and I couldn't really blame her.

"Just watch."

I stepped forward, and shadows erupted from my arms, swirling violently as my spear began to materialize from the darkness. I could have just summoned it normally, but… I had this sudden urge to look really cool.

Hell, I even added a flashy, waving dark aura around my arms to match the spear. Now, it looked as if my right hand had been claimed by the darkness itself.

SWOOSH!

One monster lunged at me, its fist clenched and vibrating—ready to deliver a punch as powerful as a stick of dynamite.

Everyone gasped, convinced it was all over.

"Moon-Needle Thrust… Shadow Expanded!" I slammed my spear into its path. The spin of my weapon carved through the air, leaving a twisted trail of darkness that made it look like a spinning drill.

BOOM!

The explosion tore through the store. Light, smoke, and flying debris hit every corner.

When the dust cleared, the entire front of the store was gone, reduced to rubble—and the monsters lay scattered, dead. Some had been thrown so far they slammed into cars on the street.

But what shocked everyone even more was the damage beyond the store. The building across the street had a massive hole blasted straight through it, and the destruction continued for three more walls.

'Aren't they too weak?'

Amanda told me they were close to B Rank, so I had mixed in shadow energy just to be safe… but that was definitely overkill.

"BOSS! Are you… secretly an A Rank, close to reaching S?!"

'So… she thinks my attack is only on par with an A Rank, huh?'

Honestly, it wasn't surprising she thought that way, considering that even Alexa was regarded as only an A Rank despite her powers.

I began to wonder what it would really feel like to fight an actual S Rank with all I got.

"Let's talk later. Amanda, grab some supplies—and don't forget water."

"Yes, Boss!" She hurried back to the shelves, grabbed a large shopping bag, and stuffed it full of essentials.

I stood, scanning the road for more enemies, while Hai-Min stayed close to me—her feet still aching from her injuries.

We watched as the survivors tended to themselves, while others wept over loved ones.

"Sir… please help my wife!" a man pleaded, cradling a wounded woman in his arms. She had been caught in the first explosion, her abdomen shredded by glass and debris.

"I'm sorry… we don't have a healer," I said quietly.

"I know you have medicine in you!" the man shouted, his voice breaking as he shoved against me. "Do something—she's going to die if you don't!"

I would've kicked him away if Hai-Min wasn't watching from the sidelines.

"I can't do that. I only have two more vials, and I need them in case of an emergency."

"This is an emergency!" he snarled, tightening his grip on my coat. "She's dying!"

"Big Bro…" Hai-Min's fingers tugged gently at the corner of her uniform. "P...Please help her... Don't mind me."

I sighed and pulled one vial from my pocket, handing it over to the desperate man.

He tore the vial open with shaking hands and poured it into his wife's mouth. For a second, her color improved—barely. Then her body jerked violently.

She started convulsing, coughing up more blood, her breaths turning wet and ragged.

I exhaled through my nose. I half expected this, because her wounds were far too severe. Only high‑tier medicine could've saved her.

Unfortunately, medicine of that caliber was practically poison to a normal human. Even if I had given her one myself, it would have killed her anyway.

"Please, help her! Your medicine didn't work! It made things worst!" he growled, his anger rising by the second.

Great. So now it was my fault. This was exactly why I hated helping people. No matter what I did, it was never enough.

Even when I went out of my way to save them, even when I risked myself for their sake, they found a reason to blame me.

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