At last, Elric's gaze landed on his newly acquired Rock Berry Fruit—the reward for surviving another brutal day.
As he studied the system's data panel, a satisfied grin crept onto his face.
The fruit was only Level 1, yet it already granted him two incredible skills: [Magma Fist], an offensive powerhouse, and [Elementalization], a defensive ability that allowed his body to transform into molten magma.
Of course, elementalization wasn't free—it drained physical stamina like crazy. But in exchange, it made him virtually invincible.
This wasn't the world of pirates and Haki. Here, in post-collapse New Haven, no one could counter an elemental body. Once activated, Elric could ignore all attacks, bullets, or blades alike.
He closed the holographic interface with a thought.
"Perfect," he muttered.
Just as he stood up and reached for his shirt, a sharp scream—raw and terrified—echoed from downstairs.
"AHHHHHHHH!"
The sound tore through the empty concrete halls like a blade.
Elsa jolted from where she sat on the bed, clutching Elric's arm instinctively. Her face went pale."It came from the seventh floor… What—what's happening?"
"You stay here," Elric said, his tone low but steady. "Don't open the door for anyone until I come back. Understand?"
Elsa nodded, trembling.
Elric opened the [Room] interface on his wristband, swapped coordinates, and teleported straight to the seventh floor corridor of the old Dormitory—a building that had long since become a refuge for survivors.
Chaos greeted him the moment he arrived.
Girls in tattered clothes screamed as they ran in all directions, their footsteps echoing against the cracked walls. Panic filled the air—along with the stench of blood.
Elric's eyes narrowed.
At the far end of the corridor loomed a mutant spider—one he recognized. It was the same type of creature he'd encountered days ago near the faculty apartments. Only this one had grown.
Back then, it had been barely a meter long.
Now it spanned three meters, its thick black carapace glistening with venom.
Click! Crunch!
Elric froze for a moment as he saw it bite through a girl's torso, her blood spilling down the tiles.
Click. Click.
Two more crunches—and she was gone, swallowed whole.
Then, as if it hadn't eaten enough, the spider spat out silken threads, binding more than a dozen screaming girls to the walls like grotesque decorations.
Their terrified faces were half-covered in webbing, their bodies struggling in vain.
"Help us!"
"Someone, please!"
The corridor became a nightmarish echo chamber of crying and pleading.
The spider's eyes glinted with cruel hunger. It reached for another girl—young, brown-haired, maybe eighteen. Her lips trembled as she screamed for her mother.
And that was when Elric moved.
He stepped from the shadows, his voice calm and cold.
"That's enough."
The spider froze.
Its multiple eyes turned toward him, reflecting the flicker of crimson light now rising from Elric's skin.
With a low hum, his right arm began to melt—skin and flesh turning into a glowing torrent of molten magma. The heat warped the air around him.
"Let's test this out," Elric muttered. "[Magma Fist]."
He lunged forward.
The magma-coated fist, glowing like a miniature sun, shot out and struck the spider head-on.
The creature shrieked, spitting webbing in desperation, weaving a silken barrier before itself. But the moment Elric's punch connected—
WHOOM!
The spider silk ignited instantly, evaporating into smoke. The magma wave blasted through the shield, burning straight into the spider's body.
It screeched—a shrill, dying noise that echoed down the hall—as its legs flailed wildly. Within seconds, the creature's entire body melted into a puddle of bubbling black ichor.
Flames licked the walls as Elric lowered his arm, magma slowly hardening back into skin.
The surviving girls stared in stunned silence.
Some cried softly, others just slumped to the ground, trembling.
Elric looked at them with quiet detachment.
"Get to the lobby," he ordered. "Don't stop until you're clear."
The girls nodded frantically and began to flee down the stairs.
When the last of them disappeared, Elric turned back toward the burning carcass of the spider.
"Elementalization," he murmured to himself, watching as a faint wisp of steam rose from his skin.
It was powerful—too powerful.
And dangerous.
He could already feel his stamina draining, the strain on his muscles setting in.
"Guess I'll have to pace myself," he said, exhaling as he walked away.
Somewhere above, in the safety of the upper dorms, Elsa waited.
Unaware that the world outside had just become a little more dangerous—and Elric, a little more powerful.
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