Virus King [Translation]

A soft, indescribable warmth radiated from the light.

The sensation startled Novak, catching him off guard.

What's going on?

He glanced at his storage—the broken scraps of copper and iron from earlier were now glowing brightly, casting a radiance so intense that he instinctively squinted his eyes. 

There was something else in that light—a power capable of purifying everything in its path.

Without hesitation, Novak reached for it, but the moment his hand touched the glowing metal, it felt like gripping a scorching hot iron. 

A sharp sizzling sound rang out, causing him to instinctively pull his hand away. But almost immediately, he grabbed hold of it again.

In that moment, the scrap metal from the secret realm dungeon displayed a familiar status bar in front of his eyes:

[The Spear of Longinus (Class F)]

- Weapon - Long Weapon (Evolvable)

- All Attributes +2

- Dark Expulsion: Deals +200% damage to all evil and heretical entities.

- Radiant Spear: Killing evil creatures grants experience. Once the experience is maxed out, the spear will evolve. Current Experience (0/10).

Note: This legendary spear, once stained with the blood of the Son of Light, has descended upon Kepler in the trial grounds. The ancient weapon shines once again, purging the world of evil.

"???"

Novak stared at the glowing spear, his forehead filling with question marks.

What in the world is going on?

Not only had this relic from history manifested in the real world, but it had also transformed into a weapon with stats in the trial grounds?

And more than that, it was a precious weapon that could grow?!

It gained experience by killing "evil creatures"?

Novak glanced at his palm, which had been scorched by the weapon.

Does the spear think I'm an evil creature, too?

Why else wouldn't it let me wield it?

Blinking in disbelief, Novak recalled the emperor-level powerhouse from the Western Holy See in his past life. That man also possessed a spear like this one, but it was said to be an SS-class treasure.

Could this spear grow into that?

The thought made Novak's heart race with excitement.

If this spear could evolve to S-rank or even higher, even if he couldn't use it himself, it would undoubtedly weaken the combat power of the evolutionists from the western countries.

A great asset indeed.

Though it seemed like he couldn't wield the spear, someone else surely could. It would become a powerful bargaining chip.

Novak eyed the Spear of Longinus once more.

But this brought another thought to mind.

He had long suspected that Kepler was not like the other worlds.

The Trial Field of Gods and Demons occurred across countless realms, but only on Kepler did relics from the past evolve into extraordinary artifacts after the evolution field arrived.

This fact alone spoke volumes.

Moreover, the rumors of various historical artifacts were also beginning to confirm the existence of certain entities.

Novak couldn't help but think of the strongest emperor in the Faeloria Country from his previous life. That individual had ascended to a half-divine!

His eyes narrowed at the thought.

Kepler's secret—Novak knew that one day, he would fully grasp it. But aside from this grand ambition, Novak was filled with nothing but regret.

"Damn it, if only I had known earlier that the relics hidden within the Holy See weren't just worthless scraps but could truly be transformed into usable equipment!"

Novak couldn't help but lament his missed opportunity. Before leaving, he should have taken the time to raid the cathedral! All those holy relics—the cross, the shroud, and whatever else he could've gotten his hands on—should have been his to play with. He shook his head regretfully but quickly composed himself.

He tossed the Spear of Longinus back into his system storage. It was difficult to wield, and with his current strength, it seemed he couldn't use it effectively. Still, the urge gnawed at him. Even though other divine items were within reach, treasures of that level couldn't be casually taken out.

How could someone as righteous and upright as him be rejected by the Spear of Longinus? It made no sense!

With a sigh, he pushed the thought aside as his figure suddenly soared again, ascending through the air.

The suburban outskirts of this capital city had been vacated due to the unrest caused by the zombie horde, leaving countless mansions abandoned. Novak casually selected one and walked right in. He couldn't possibly stay in one of those crowded, run-down tenement buildings. After all, with the city's dense population, too many variables could arise, and unknown factors might interfere with his future plans.

So, instead, Novak found himself in a detached villa on the city's fringes. The area was pleasant. Even though it was on the outskirts, real estate here was still highly valuable. This particular villa, sprawling over several hundred square meters, was comfortably furnished. There were no signs of zombies or corpses, though traces of blood were left behind—perhaps a reminder of the human tragedies that had unfolded here when the apocalypse began.

Novak entered a random bedroom, shut the door, and collapsed onto the bed. Slowly, his consciousness sank into his innate abilities.

The Virus King's talent tree was as it had always been. And as soon as his mind connected to it, Novak received immediate feedback:

[Virus King (SSS): You possess extraordinary control over any bacterial or viral entity within yourself! You can harness any type of virus. Each time you absorb or come into contact with an infected virus, you gain evolution points and can unlock new abilities. Current evolution points: 93 (Exclusive Blacklight Virus evolution points: 10).]

"Ninety-three points!?" Novak was momentarily taken aback. However, after absorbing a massive amount of plague fungi in the chemical factory, it made sense that his evolution points had skyrocketed.

Although this number seemed intimidating, Novak wasn't surprised. Excluding the 10 points reserved for the Blacklight Virus, his general evolution points amounted to 83.

As he pondered where to allocate his evolution points next, something stirred beneath the villa. In a hidden, underground cellar, two alluring figures clung tightly to one another. Startled by the strange noises from above, they almost sparked a cold war between themselves.