CHAPTER 155: CHAPTER 155 - QUEEN OF THORNS?!

Logan remained still for a moment, gripping the suitcase tightly in his hands.

Then, he let out a deep sigh.

There was only one possible place it could’ve been leaked from.

"I had already been warned this would happen," he said, glancing at Edric and Silas. "Seems like some of the SSS-ranks at the university have allied themselves with the Holy Cross Guild."

Allen had warned him others were delaying his return to the university. He’d expected something like this to happen... but deep down, he’d still hoped it wouldn’t.

"Are you sure they leaked it?" Edric asked, raising an eyebrow.

Logan nodded slowly. "I’m certain."

Edric fell silent for a moment, staring down at the ground.

Finally, he looked up again. "We’ll have to do an even better job at protecting you then."

Logan’s jaw tightened slightly. With the bounty on his head likely rising, he’d have to be even more careful with every step he took.

"Let’s head inside," he said, shaking his head. "Before we get spotted up here and cause ourselves even more problems."

Edric and Silas glanced at each other, both knowing that from now on, the real danger would begin.

’The real danger only just started,’ Logan thought, stepping in the elevator. ’I have to take every single chance to improve my strength, no matter the danger.’

He didn’t know how long ago his talent had been leaked, but there were plenty of factions, like the Holy Cross Guild and the Alvarez family, that would join forces to kill him before he became a real threat.

’Looks like I won’t be able to stay in one place for long anymore,’ he thought, clenching his fist.

Even the Mercer Headquarters didn’t feel completely safe anymore.

Especially with things like disguise suits out there—if someone killed Edric or Silas and copied their appearance, he’d walk straight into a trap without knowing.

’I doubt I’m worth the trouble for SSS-ranks to come in person... but you can never be certain.’

As the elevator reached the right floor, Logan was guided back to his room in silence.

"I’ll see you later," he said as he stepped into his room. "I need to focus on the Soul Fragment now."

"Alright," Edric nodded slowly. "Stay safe."

Silas also gave a small nod. "Make sure you only open the door if you see us standing in front of it and after we’ve informed you that we’ll be there."

Logan smiled, thanking both of them before locking the door.

Finally alone in his room, he let out a deep breath, his eyes falling on the suitcase in his hand.

’I’m glad I got it,’ he thought. ’If I hadn’t bought it, I really wouldn’t have known that my affinity had officially been leaked.’

Logan sat down on his couch, briefcase on his lap.

Without hesitation, he temporarily unlocked the countless seals the Meridian Guild had provided and pulled it open.

Immediately, a dark green mana wave swept through his room as the green orb revealed itself.

Thorn-like patterns spread all over the orb, moving around as if it was alive.

’Amazing,’ Logan thought, staring at the orb.

Suddenly, a figure he was all too familiar with pushed herself against the glass orb.

"That’s..."

The same woman he’d seen inside the dungeon. The Queen of Thorns.

’Soul Fragments, huh,’

Logan thought, staring at the Queen with wide eyes.

He gave a small nod to the crystal orb, wishing to see if she really was sentient.

And to his surprise, a large grin spread on the Queen’s green face.

A chill ran down Logan’s spine, but he remained calm.

"I think it’s time for me to store you safely," he said out loud, eyes locked on the Queen. "Next time I take you out, it’ll be forever."

The Queen seemed to chuckle inside.

When she stopped, she plucked the red rose from her hair and held it up against the crystal orb.

"What..." Logan was unsure what to say.

Suddenly, the rose started growing, several green roots sprouting out from it.

Logan’s blood ran cold when he saw the tentacles form Adam’s severed head inside.

’Alright,’ he thought. ’That’s enough for today.’

He shut the box without hesitation, shaking his head slightly as he powered up all the seals again.

Only after he pulled it inside his space ring, did his body finally relax again.

’She’ll be extremely powerful,’ he reminded himself.

Logan leaned back on the couch, heart still pounding.

The Queen of Thorns was aware, and it seemed like she remembered him full well.

He ran a hand through his hair, glancing at the ceiling.

’A Soul Fragment... it really is a fragment of her consciousness.’

Logan spent the rest of the day training several of his techniques, though his mind couldn’t fully focus on it.

That night, Logan laid on his bed, staring at the ceiling in silence.

He fell asleep after a few minutes, his body and mind utterly exhausted from the training and constant pressure.

Unbeknownst to him, a green light flickered inside his undead elemental mass.

When he finally drifted off...

He found himself standing on familiar black soil. Ahead of him, several dozens of bones, some almost fifty times as tall as him.

’This place... is it from that dream?’ he thought, eyes widening.

He’d watched the giant skeleton king fight the Abyssal Raven here.

But something felt different from last time.

There were no signs of life anywhere around him, but what he did see made him break out in a cold sweat.

A thick purple mist rushed in from the distance, and corrupted trees burst from the ground at alarming speed.

As the mist was about to swallow him, it suddenly came to a stop.

Logan’s heart pounded as he stood still, staring at the mist.

That’s when it slowly dissipated in the air, revealing a familiar green figure.

The Queen.

Her red eyes locked onto his, and then, she spoke without even opening her mouth.

"You are one peculiar human," she said, chuckling. "So different from the others."

Suddenly, she stopped chuckling and stared at him in silence.

"You reek of death... yet are filled with life," she said. "Rare and tempting..."

Then, she fell silent once again while her body lowered to the ground as her eyes locked onto his chest.

Logan followed her gaze, eyes widening as he watched his chest light up in a sickly green color.

The Queen narrowed her eyes, her playful smirk vanishing.

A strange feeling washed over Logan as the Queen suddenly lowered her head.

Before he could even realize what was going on, the world around him cracked.

Everything came to a stop.

Then—

Crack.