The Spare's Second Chance in Apocalypse-Chapter 293: Ch 292: Your Mission - Part 2

Orion pressed both hands against Zara’s chest, trying to slow the bleeding.

His face was pale, jaw clenched tight, panic creeping in behind his composed expression.

"Stay with us, Zara. Come on, don’t do this."

He muttered under his breath.

Nora knelt beside them, frantically rifling through her inventory.

"I don’t have anything strong enough. I’ve got low-tier healing potions but they won’t work on this—she’s losing too much blood!"

Noah’s hands trembled as he opened his own inventory.

"Come on, come on... There has to be something. Anything."

But every potion, every item they had on hand—nothing was strong enough to deal with a wound like that.

Selene’s claw had cut deep, and now Zara’s breaths were shallow, her body trembling as the color drained from her skin.

Orion looked up, eyes wide.

"She’s fading."

Zara gasped once.

And then—nothing.

The trio froze.

"Zara...?"

Nora whispered, her voice shaking.

She didn’t respond. Her body slumped, still.

"No. No, no—"

Orion said, voice cracking.

The door burst open.

Ethan stood there, eyes wide as he took in the scene.

"What happened?!"

Orion snapped to attention.

"Zara—she’s dying. Do something!"

Ethan didn’t hesitate.

He sprinted over, dropping to his knees and pulling out a vial from his coat. Without a word, he popped it open and gently poured it into Zara’s mouth.

The liquid shimmered like molten gold, and for a moment, nothing happened.

Then—

Zara gasped, her body arching as life returned to her lungs.

Color rushed back into her cheeks, and she began to cough violently, her eyes flying open.

"W-What the hell—I... was dead."

She wheezed, blinking rapidly.

Nora stared.

"What was that?"

Ethan let out a breath.

"She’s my familiar. I have a special skill set when it comes to her. I can heal her faster... and even bring her back if needed."

Zara groaned and shoved herself up on one elbow, still panting.

"You’ve always had this ability?"

Ethan gave a small shrug.

"Since the contract was first formed."

"You bastard!" Zara barked, slapping his arm weakly.

"You let me panic like that? I thought I was going to die! You could’ve at least warned me!"

Ethan gave her a sideways look.

"If I told you, you wouldn’t have fought as hard."

Zara glared at him, but the tension eased from her face. She was alive. That was all that mattered now.

Ethan stood up and scanned the room, eyes darting between the others.

"Where’s Selene?"

Everyone went silent.

Nora and Noah exchanged a glance, unsure how to even begin.

Finally, Nora spoke, her voice quiet.

"She... she was taken."

"By a dungeon gate. It just opened and swallowed her whole. One second she was here, the next—gone."

Noah added.

"She said something about losing control. And then... she was just gone."

Orion muttered.

Ethan’s face darkened, his jaw tightening.

"Damn it."

He turned toward the door.

"I’m going after her."

"What? You’re not serious—"

Zara sat up straighter.

"It might be dangerous. Too dangerous for the rest of you. This... whatever’s happening to Selene, it’s tied to something bigger. And I can’t risk anyone else getting hurt."

Ethan cut her off.

"You always say that. You always try to do everything on your own."

Orion muttered.

"Because it’s the best way to keep you alive."

Ethan replied without missing a beat.

"But Selene’s our friend too. We want to help."

Nora snapped.

"You can help. Just not by coming with me."

Ethan said.

The twins looked at each other again, understanding passing silently between them.

Nora gave a quiet nod, and Noah turned to face Ethan.

"Fine. Then we’ll handle things here. Someone needs to take over the Vale family. Stabilize the mess left behind. That’s what Selene wanted."

Ethan gave a rare smile.

"Good. Do that."

Orion folded his arms, expression reluctant but resigned.

"And what about the rest of us?"

"Stay ready. Whatever’s coming... it’s only just begun."

Ethan said.

Zara groaned as she stood with Orion’s help.

"You better come back in one piece, Ethan."

He paused at the doorway, glancing back at them one last time.

"I will. I have to."

He said.

And then he was gone.

The others stood in silence, staring after him, the weight of what had just happened pressing down like a storm cloud.

Outside, the skies darkened as if the world itself knew the balance was beginning to shift.

’I need to do something. I cannot let this world end up like mine did. I...will save this world and Selene at all costs.’

______

A week passed.

No messages. No signs. No traces.

Selene had officially cut all contact with anyone she used to know.

Her presence was a ghost on the system radar, barely a flicker.

She had erased herself from the map, slipping through cities and ruins like a shadow with a purpose.

There was no room for hesitation now.

The mark on her arm burned as a constant reminder—she belonged to the entity now, and she had a job to do.

Tonight’s target: a mid-tier dungeon recently secured by a new guild calling themselves Silver Vanguard.

Their operation was clean, structured, and efficient.

They’d just finished their sweep of the outer floors and were preparing to engage the boss when Selene slipped past them.

One wrong move and she would’ve been caught. But she didn’t make wrong moves anymore.

Selene moved like mist—silent, weightless, invisible.

Her new skill, granted by the system after devouring her last core, let her blend into shadows with ease.

She crept through the crumbling dungeon’s corridors, bypassing traps and beasts alike, until she stood before the final room.

The boss waited—a four-armed, armored beast standing twice her height.

It let out a thunderous roar.

Selene didn’t flinch.

She dashed forward, claws igniting with black energy.

The fight was brutal but brief. She didn’t hesitate, didn’t waste time.

The beast fell with one final screech, and the boss core gleamed where its heart had been.

Before the system could even issue its usual report, the voice returned.

[Eat it.]

Selene stood over the core, panting. It pulsed with life. She didn’t question it.

She knelt and picked it up. Then, without hesitation, she swallowed the glowing orb.

A scream echoed—not from her, but from the dungeon.

The ground quaked. The walls began to dissolve, signaling collapse.

She had to move.

The exit was blocked by collapsing stone and the noise of panicked guild members yelling at each other outside.

The Silver Vanguard was scrambling, trying to understand how their dungeon had been cleared before they could finish the job.

Selene activated her invisibility skill again, her form slipping into the shadows.

She darted past them, her feet silent on the broken ground.

"Who the hell got to the boss first?!"

"They snatched another one! This is the third this week!"

"Was it that damn Dungeon Snatcher again?!"

Selene scoffed quietly as she moved out of the perimeter and onto a nearby rooftop.

Dungeon Snatcher.

They made her sound like some urban legend. But she didn’t care. Let them think she was a ghost. It made her work easier.

She was about to turn and vanish when her eyes caught a flash of red and silver near the crowd.

Madam Vadal.

And beside her, Isabelle.

They were trying to calm the guild down, issuing orders and inspecting the collapsed entrance with grim expressions.

Selene’s heart twinged. She had fought beside them and they had been enemies...well. Of sorts.

Isabelle was one of the strongest humans alive at the moment and Selene thought about almost ending herself for a second by Isabelle’s hands.

For a moment, Selene thought about revealing herself. Just a quick word. A sign that she was still alive.

But her hand went to the mark on her arm, and the voice echoed again in her mind.

[You don’t have time for weakness.]

Selene closed her eyes.

She reminded herself that everything she was doing—cutting off her friends, hunting dungeons, offering the cores—was for the safety of the world.

No matter how cruel it seemed now.

She turned away from the familiar faces.

And ran.

Half a mile out, she stopped when the system pinged sharply in her mind. fɾeeweɓnѳveɭ.com

[ALERT: Familiar energy signature approaching.]

She didn’t need to be told who it was.

She felt him.

Ethan.

Her heartbeat quickened. She could sense him like a shadow reaching for her, closing the distance fast.

Selene’s hand clenched.

’Not now. I can’t afford to get caught.’

She looked around, spotted a fracture in space, and opened a dungeon gate on the fly. It shimmered for half a second before swallowing her whole.

A few seconds later, Ethan arrived at the now-empty rooftop. He landed in a crouch, eyes scanning the area like a hawk.

Nothing.

The trace of her energy was there—but faint, fading.

He cursed under his breath, fists tightening.

"Damn it. Missed her again."

He stared out into the horizon, his expression hard. Then softer. Sadder.

"Next time. I’ll catch you next time, Selene."

He murmured.

The wind howled through the city ruins, carrying no answers.