The top floor was engulfed in the silence of death.
The doctor touched the bite mark on his wife's shoulder with trembling hands.
As if everything would return to normal if he could just erase it…
The woman's breathing became more and more irregular.
Her face had turned deathly pale.
Boran took a few steps back.
"…Is she really going to turn?"
No one answered.
Because no one knew.
This world…
Was no longer the world anyone had known.
Karel knelt down.
He met the woman's eyes.
She smiled through the pain.
"…I guess this is the end for me."
The doctor immediately shouted.
"No!"
"Don't say that!"
"There has to be a way!"
"I'm sure there is!"
The woman slowly shook her head.
"I spent my whole life saving people."
"And now…"
"…you won't be able to save me."
The doctor couldn't hold back his tears.
"Stop…"
"Please… stop…"
The woman gently touched her husband's cheek with her trembling hand.
"I…"
"…don't want to become a monster."
The entire hall fell silent.
The woman turned her eyes toward Karel.
"Please…"
"If I'm really going to turn…"
"…don't make me wait."
Karel lowered his head.
He remained silent for a long time.
For the first time, he truly felt the weight of the decision he was about to make.
The doctor stood up.
"No!"
"You can't do this!"
"Maybe she won't turn!"
"Maybe there's a cure!"
"Maybe we should wait!"
Karel took a deep breath.
Then he spoke quietly.
"I'm sorry…"
"…but we can't gamble on hope."
The doctor grabbed him by the collar in anger.
"Who are you to make that decision?!"
Karel didn't resist.
He simply replied in a calm voice.
"If she'd been bitten on an arm or a leg…"
"…we might have had a chance to save her by amputating it in the first few seconds."
"But this bite on her shoulder…"
"…may have already spread throughout her body."
"And if she turns…"
"…everyone here dies."
The doctor's grip slowly loosened.
He couldn't find anything to say.
The woman closed her eyes.
"…Thank you."
"At least…"
"…I'll die as a human."
Karel slowly raised his pistol.
He paused for a moment.
He didn't close his eyes when he pulled the trigger.
Bang.
The gunshot echoed throughout the entire floor.
The woman's body slowly collapsed to the ground.
The hall was consumed by complete silence.
The doctor fell to his knees.
He embraced his wife's lifeless body.
He cried quietly.
No one went to him.
For several minutes…
Not a single person spoke.
…
Finally, Karel took a deep breath.
"Take her outside."
No one objected.
Riven and Boran silently prepared a stretcher.
The doctor stood up as well.
Without saying a word, he helped them carry his wife's body.
Together, the three of them placed her body outside Karmara Forum.
The doors closed once again.
When they returned inside, everyone wore the same expression.
Fear.
Uncertainty.
And grief.
Karel looked around.
"Now we know one thing."
"Those who survive this event… change."
"And those who don't…"
"…don't remain human."
"I don't know how."
"I don't know why."
"It's nothing like anything I've ever known before."
"So from now on…"
"…all of us will be careful."
For the first time, there wasn't certainty in his voice…
There was caution.
Because he truly didn't know.
Just then, Boran raised his hand.
"Uh…"
"While everyone's still alive…"
"…how about we try something?"
Riven raised an eyebrow.
"Try what?"
"Something feels… strange."
"I feel…"
"…different than before."
Mira nodded.
"Me too."
The others began looking at one another.
Karel thought for a few seconds.
"Alright."
"Then we'll test everyone, one by one."
"We don't know what any of you have gained."
"Maybe none of your abilities are meant for combat."
"Maybe some of them are something completely different."
"Starting today…"
"…we'll learn together."
No one knew how it would end.
Because the new world…
Had only just begun to reveal its rules.
To Be Continued…