Dante continued navigating the eerily quiet campus of the University of Chicago, his mind racing with questions about the world that had changed beyond recognition. He had already defeated a group of skeletal creatures with newfound strength, gaining the skill Bone Control, but he knew he had only just begun to uncover the mysteries surrounding this new reality.

  As he explored one of the classroom buildings, he entered a dimly lit lecture hall. To his surprise, he found another survivor huddled in the corner—a familiar face from his studies

  she was the most famous nursing student in the college .

  “Selene?” he called cautiously.

  The young woman looked up, startled at first, before her eyes filled with recognition. Her chestnut hair fell messily to her shoulders, her olive-green jacket torn and dirty. Despite her disheveled state, her gaze still carried a sharpness that reminded Dante of better times.

  “Dante , I haven't seen you since we studied together in the introductory medical course.?” she whispered, her voice trembling.

  “It’s me,” he said softly, taking a cautious step forward. “Are you okay?”

  Selene hesitated, as if unsure whether he was real, then slowly nodded. “I think so. I’ve been hiding here since... since everything changed. I don’t know what’s going on or where everybody is.”

  Dante gave her a reassuring smile, though his thoughts mirrored her confusion. “I’m in the same boat as you are. But we’ll figure it out together.”

  The two exchanged stories of their survival thus far, piecing together fragments of what they had experienced. Dante couldn’t help but glance at Selene’s trembling hands and the exhaustion in her eyes. She was holding on, but just barely.

  He decided to share his own discovery. “Earlier, I got this... status screen. Like in a video game. It showed me my stats, my skills—”

  Selene’s eyes widened. “You mean, like... actual powers?”

  Dante nodded. “Yeah. Look, I’ll show you.”

  Taking a deep breath, he concentrated, summoning the status screen to his mind.

  Seeing his current status, Dante felt a surge of determination. However, his gaze lingered on the title One from the Hundred.

  He wondered, What does it mean that I’m ‘One from the Hundred’?

  Focusing on the title, Dante felt the system respond, revealing more details.

  Dante eyes widened as he absorbed the significance of his title.

  “This is... interesting,” he murmured. “The stat increases are great. And that skill I gained—I should try using it.”

  Selene watched him curiously as he stepped back, closing his eyes to focus. With a sense of concentration and purpose, Dante willed his skeletal structure to respond to his command.

  A strange sensation coursed through his body, like an invisible force pulling at his very bones. To their amazement, his fingers began to elongate, the bones pushing through his skin to form crude, sharp claws.

  Selene gasped, her voice filled with awe. “You can control your own bones?”

  Dante nodded, a mix of excitement and curiosity surging through him. “It seems so. At least for now, I can manipulate my own bones. I’ll need to explore this skill further to see what else it can do.”

  With another thought, the claws retracted, the bones settling back into his hands.

  Selene exhaled, her amazement giving way to a determined look. “That’s... incredible. But I don’t think we should stay here. We don’t know what else is out there.”

  Dante nodded in agreement. “You’re right. Let’s move. There’s more to this world now than we understand, and staying in one place won’t get us any answers.”

  Dante and Selene left the lecture hall.