Chapter 98: The summoner who caused the pandemic

Chapter 98: The summoner who caused the pandemic The halls that led to the infirmary clattered beneath his boots, the sound echoing faintly through the long stone corridor. Every step Rodrics took was deliberate, each footfall sharp and calculated. The academy might have changed in little ways over the years, but the path to the infirmary was still etched into his memory like a carved rune. His dark boots struck the ground with rhythmic thuds, reverberating off the cold walls as he walked. The air here was colder, more serious. The smell of polished wood, iron, and something faintly medicinal still lingered. It was familiar—too familiar. ’Titanfang... it’s been a while, hasn’t it?’ he thought as his eyes scanned the surroundings. ’This place hasn’t changed a bit.’ Rodrics slid his hands into his coat pockets and let his gaze drift across the archways and banners hanging above. Everything about the academy still gave off that strange medieval feel—like a place caught between the age of magic and modern warfare. The memories came flooding back, both good and bad. Triumphs. Brawls. Detentions. Glories. Back then, he’d been a storm with no direction—loud, confident, and constantly putting others in their place. A troublesome youth, some called him. A menace, others said. But to him, those were golden years where every day felt like a game of conquest. None of that mattered anymore. He wasn’t here for nostalgia. He wasn’t here to revel in old triumphs or lecture students. He was here for one reason only—his younger brother. He had heard the news. Whispers in the air, reports sent to the Thorne estate. Rivet had fought an Abyssal-Ranked beast. He had won... but at the cost of his arm. Rodrics gritted his teeth. ’Rivet isn’t weak. He’s just lazy. Losing his arm? That wasn’t necessary... unless—’ his thoughts paused. ’Unless the beast was that powerful. A foe worthy of the loss.’ He quickened his pace, the polished emblem hanging around his neck catching the glow of the overhead lanterns. The sigil of the Thorne family—a blazing wolf wreathed in shadows—was unmistakable. Anyone who looked his way would recognize it instantly. They should, at least. His father had sent him here with a dual mission. Yes, he was to check on Rivet—but the real task was clear. Find the wielder of the Shadow Wolf summon. And bring them under the Thorne family’s banner. Rodrics wasn’t one to fail assignments from his father. He planned to secure that wielder... right after checking on his brother. ’Stories of that kid have spread like wildfire. Strange summonings... demonic battles...’ he shook his head. ’Why hasn’t the military taken him yet? Must be planning something. Won’t be long before they bag him and throw him into a lab. The military never leaves anomalies alone for long.’ At last, he reached the door of the infirmary. The scent of antiseptic wafted faintly through the cracks. He grabbed the knob, pushed it open, and stepped in— —and immediately collided with someone. It was a sudden bump, one that barely fazed Rodrics, given his broad, muscular frame. But the person he hit wasn’t as lucky. She fell backward, landing hard on her bottom with a loud thud. "Look where you’re going next time, you swine!" she barked, rising to her feet and glaring at him with pure venom in her eyes. Rodrics blinked. Was she serious? The amulet on his chest gleamed in plain sight, yet she didn’t hesitate. No acknowledgement. No fear. Just anger. "Fine! Kill the only competent healer in the academy!" she snapped. "Get out of my sight. I’m going outside where I won’t have to see your dumb face!" He didn’t reply immediately, stunned more by her audacity than her words. And yet... she was stunning. Fierce, but beautiful. Fire and grace combined. She was... exactly his type. "I’m sorry, my lady. I’m just in a hurry to see my brother—Rivet Thorne," he said with emphasis, hoping she’d realize who she’d just yelled at. The heir of the Thorne family, standing right before her. She didn’t bat an eye. "He’s in Room One. I’m done testing him, so you both can leave when you’re done." Her voice was sharp and final. She turned and stormed out, her silver hair flicking behind her. Rodrics watched her go, a grin slowly forming on his face. His eyes traced the curve of her hips as she disappeared into the hall. ’What a beautiful healer,’ he mused. Then, a thought formed—strong and deliberate. "Father... I’ve found my bride." --- His hands trembled violently. The fear had carved deep into his bones. His breathing was erratic, and every beat of his heart felt like a drum of doom, pounding louder than the silence around him. The young soldier fell to the ground, his back pressing against the jagged stone wall of the dark cave. He couldn’t stop crying. His tears spilled freely, mixing with dirt and blood. He wept—not like a warrior, not like a trained soldier—but like a broken child. He turned to his side. His teammate—his friend—lay nearby, barely breathing. The man was bleeding out, slowly dying. The light in his eyes had already dimmed. Soon, he would be the last one. ’I’m going to die here,’ the thought settled like poison. ’On this rotting planet... I’m not going home.’ They had been sent in as part of Project Dark Wing. A classified mission. High-level clearance. Elite soldiers. A death sentence. When they arrived, it was quiet. Too quiet. And then... the boned creatures came. Mindless things. Dead things. Fleshy bone and writhing shadows. At first, the team had fought back—summons, core weapons; every bullet and blade they had. It worked. For a while. Then the real nightmare began. The creatures didn’t die. Even worse... their summons began to get corrupted and killed. Some were destroyed; others simply disappeared into thin air. They were stripped of their weapons and their powers. And the slaughter began. One by one, the team fell. He and one other had barely made it to the cave’s entrance. His friend had sacrificed everything—detonating his core weapon and losing an arm in the process—to block the creatures from entering. It worked. For now. But now... now he was the only one left. He cried until he had no tears. Screamed until his throat turned raw. He waited. Hours? Days? Time lost all meaning. Then came the hunger. Mad, unrelenting hunger. His first descent into madness came when he crawled over to the bloated, rotting corpse of his teammate. Shaking violently, he tore a piece from the man’s shoulder. It tasted like death. But he forced it down. He gagged. Vomited. Ate again. Every bite brought nausea and shame. But it kept him alive. Another stretch of time passed. Then he moved. Deep into the cave. There had to be something—anything—that could help. And there, scattered across the cavern floor, were corpses. Old, dried-up corpses from the last expedition. Students, maybe. Researchers. On their fingers... storage rings. He grabbed four. Rummaged through them with shaking fingers. Most contained rations, water, clothes. Just enough to stretch his survival by another week if he rationed carefully. As he turned to return, his foot struck something hard. Crack. He looked down. A cellphone. Half-buried beneath a skeletal hand. Hope surged in his chest. He picked it up, fingers trembling. "It still works..." he muttered. It was password-locked, but military training had its perks. He hacked through the code in minutes. What he saw startled him. The memory was almost full. One recording. Curious, he tapped it. The video played in static flickers. A boy. A summoner. The scene was chaotic. The boy’s first summon consumed the Abyssal beast. His second summon killed students. The footage was corrupted and unstable, but the audio— Clear as crystal. Screams. Growls. Power surging like a typhoon. Then silence. The final image froze on the cave’s entrance. Just... waiting. The soldier went to swipe away. But something changed. Something moved in the footage. From the corner of the screen, a shape rose—slow, deliberate. It had no flesh. Its bones gleamed beneath dark wisps. A beast. The same beast the boy had absorbed. It was back. Changed. No... infected. His stomach dropped. Eyes wide, the soldier stared at the last frame. "This kid... he’s responsible," he whispered. ’Not the aliens. Not the infection.’ "It was him... the summoner." "He started the pandemic." ***Author’s note*** For those still following thanks for the support. Mass release event for webnovel 5 Chapters on Wednesday.