The Perfect Path To Insanity-Chapter 36: The World Doesn’t Revolve Around You

[Time Remaining: 13 hours 4 minutes]

[Don’t Get Bitten!]

Hel trudged along the shattered street for what felt like hours.

Her boots kicked up small clouds of dust with every step she took.

When she gazed at the ruined buildings in search of Min-hae and found no one, a mix of frustration built in.

As she finally stopped and lowered herself onto a chunk of fallen concrete, she tilted her head back to stare at the red-tinted sky overhead.

Her system screen appeared in front of her, casting a faint blue glow on her face.

[Given Name: Hel]

[Path: Ruin Path.]

[You Are Currently An Initiate Path Holder]

[Skills: ...]

She scrolled to her skills list, pausing on [’Diminish’].

[This Skill Is Currently On Cooldown (2:39:00 until next use!]

The ability packed immense power, but it drained her body heavily.

It was a large cost of her Path. She knew that pushing beyond her limits risked internal decay, her organs breaking down from the strain.

She tugged down one of her long white socks, revealing faint, jagged lines cracking across her skin. "Haaa— I couldn’t have cared less about those two if the Faction leader didn’t assign them to me. Beauty is precious, isn’t it?"

Exhaling slowly, she glanced at her remaining usable skill:

[’Grasp of Decay.’]

[Description: Channel your rot abilities through direct touch, weakening structures or flesh on contact.]

’This should be enough...’ She rose to her feet, brushing off her uniform skirt, and resumed her search for Min-hae’s possible hiding spots.

If none of her assigned members returned alive, the faction would dismiss her for being an ’unreliable team leader.’ and no way in hell would she give the new recruit Helena to overshadow her.

But that ’Fateless’ man—Fei Ming was his name—his casual dismissal still burned in her chest, a mix of irritation seeped through her as she clicked her tongue.

This enough made her consider reporting his location just to disrupt him.

But something seemed to hold her back from doing just that.

Was it cowardice?

Or fear?

She quickened her pace, weaving around the broken overturned vehicles.

Further down the block, she spotted Eris shuffling forward, her feet dragging over the pavement. Her face was downcast, clearly lost amidst her thoughts.

"You," Hel called out.

Eris lifted her head slowly, her eyes meeting Hel’s for a brief moment before she looked away and kept walking.

Her grip tightening on a dented metal pole in her right hand.

’She ignored me?’ Hel strode forward, closing the distance between them, and planted herself directly in Eris’s path.

"You shouldn’t disrespect your seniors, Eris. The other pretty looking girl who holds your leash, where is she?"

Scoffing, Eris shifted the pole to her other hand.

"Piss off, Hel. If you’re looking for a punching bag to bully, find yourself a piece of wall and fuck off."

Hel’s eyes narrowed, her lips pressed into a thin line. ’Such a foulmouthed lady,’ she thought.

Stepping closer and reaching out to grab a fistful of Eris’s brown hair, she yanked it downward with force.

""Ahh!" Eris dropped to her knees. Stinging pain shot through her scalp.

Hel kicked her side then, sending her sprawling onto the ground.

"Aaaah! Why did you—?!"

Hel’s looming, predatory figure dwarfed her form.

"I see," she muttered.

"Just because you transferred districts doesn’t mean you’re above me. I can still get you thrown out of any district you fall under, Eris. Blackmailing Nyx was fun. I can just do the same thing with you."

"RAAHH!" Eris let out an enraged yell.

She gripped the metal pole tighter and swung it.

BAM!

It hit Hel square in the cheek, leaving a red welt that would bruise.

"ISEUL! The world doesn’t revolve around you!" She swung again, the pole brushed off Hel’s raised arms as she blocked. The impact jarred through her bones.

"The world doesn’t fucking revolve around you!"

BANG!

"FINE! I’m lower than you! But I’m not the one begging for validation to be seen. Fuck off!" Eris’s hands shook on the pole, her breaths coming in hot bursts.

Wincing, Hel retaliated with a sharp kick to Eris’s legs, sweeping them out from under her and sending her crashing back down.

Grabbing Eris by the hair again, Hel dragged her a short distance over the rough road, then slapped her across the face.

She lifted a single finger, pointing it close to Eris’s nose. "I AM BETTER THAN YOU! Why can’t I treat you how I like?! Huh?! If your face is disfigured, let’s see how you’ll dare raise your hand at me!"

A small orb of light began to form in Hel’s palm, her hand sparking with energy, glowing a deep purple as it swirled faintly.

Eris shrieked. She elbowed Hel’s stomach. "GET OFF ME!"

The jab forced Hel to double over, releasing her grip.

The purple orb dissipated with a faint hiss.

"Have you lost your shit?! You think I’ll stand still and let you do this over and over again?!" Taking up her metal and pointing it at Hel, she wiped a crusted blood smear off her face.

"I’m no longer the coward you know, Iseul!" Eris said, ready to strike again, but froze at the sound of a weak cry from behind them.

Tears streamed down Min-hae’s face as she limped into the open view, her hands clutched together in front of her chest.

"H-hel." Her voice broke on a sob. "The zombies... Th-they escaped," she cried.

Her speech wavered. "A- a- and I got bit. Hel..." Weakly shifting her gaze to Eris, she muttered, "... Eris... Please save me. I—sob— I don’t want to die!"

Min-hae staggered closer. Blood seeped from a bite mark on her calf, down to the white socks she wore.

She extended her arms toward Hel and Eris, fingers trembling. "...please..."

Low snarls echoed from the shadows of a nearby alley.

The growls grew louder and louder, more rabid, until they were hard to ignore.

Rows of zombies clawed their way out from the darkness with their bodies hunched low.

Their bloodshot eyes locked on the three figures.

’...ahh... I— I lost. I... lost?’ Hel’s compression of the structure had failed to hold them back.

The zombies paused, crouched on all fours, then burst forward in a sudden sprint, running at full speed.

Hel spun toward the noise, her hand dropping to her side, while Eris gripped the metal pole tighter, stepping back.

Min-hae still choked on her relentless sobs. "I don’t wanna die! Please help—! I don’t wanna die I don’t wanna di—"

Snap!

Her neck broke.