Within the Mongoloid Safe Zone, soldiers stood on high alert. They were positioned along the walls with rifles ready on hand, eyes fixed on the distance beyond. Reinforced military trucks stood by near the gates, their outer frames lined with heavy blades, while only small openings were left for rifles to fire through.

At the top of the walls, the special units waited in silence. Each of them had a Dual Cable Launcher secured at their waist, ready to move at any moment. There were seven full teams, each with eight members, making a total of fifty-six elite soldiers watching over the perimeter, a rare sight, seeing this many of them gathered in one place.

Inside the residential block, doors and windows had been reinforced with steel. The atmosphere was tense, but controlled.

In one of the rooms, Jaxon began taking out weapons from his storage and passed them to Natasha to hand them over to the group. They stayed indoors while doing this, careful not to let the soldiers outside notice anything unusual.

The group was still surprised every time he did it, but they were starting to get used to it. Jaxon had a way of pulling out weapons like they had always been there.

Standing by himself, Jaxon stared at a compact 9 mm submachine gun fitted with a suppressor. It was Elaine’s weapon.

Then he made up his mind as a familiar notification rang in his head.

(1076 Coins spent. 9 mm submachine gun has reached MAX LEVEL. Exclusive Skill Unlocked.)

Exclusive Skill: Cataclysm Round.

Requirement: Submachine Gun Equipped

After reaching one hundred kills, the next shot releases a compressed round that pierces through all targets and terrain, expanding as it travels and creating a wide path of destruction. The effect resets after activation and requires another hundred kills to trigger again. Each kill permanently increases the user’s Speed by 0.01. Effect is infinite

Targets killed: 0/100

.....

"Oho, what an interesting skill," he muttered to himself. ’I wonder how the damage compares to my DMR. Shame it doesn’t have a permanent stack like the DMR... should I just buy another DMR instead?’

He dismissed the thought almost as quickly as it came. Coins weren’t something he wanted to waste recklessly. It was better to see if he could find a sniper rifle inside the safe zone first, then upgrade it to max level himself. That would be a far better use of resources.

His eyes shifted to another thought as he checked his status window.

’Level 20 already... but still no new skills like Night Vision.’ He frowned slightly. ’Do I stop getting them after a point?’

After a moment, he shook his head. It didn’t matter much. The skills he already had were more than enough for now. If he needed more, he could always learn them later.

With that thought settled, he stood up from his bed and left the room, heading out to meet Elaine.

...

Inside Elaine’s room, Jaxon stood by the side, watching with quiet amusement as the blonde examined the weapon in her hands.

"Where did you get this?" Elaine asked, turning the submachine gun slightly under the light.

"That’s yours," Jaxon replied. "The one you were using before."

"What...?" She blinked, surprised.

At first glance, it still looked familiar. But the moment she held it properly, she could feel the difference immediately. It was lighter, more balanced, almost like it responded to her grip. The attachments had changed too, now including night vision and thermal functions.

Elaine tested it with a short burst aimed at the ground. No sound echoed, just a soft, clean shot, and power far stronger than she expected.

"This is incredible, Jaxon," she said, excitement breaking through her usual composure. "What did you do to it? Can you make more like this?"

Jaxon didn’t answer right away, only smiling faintly.

Elaine noticed his silence and quickly realized what she had asked. "Sorry, I asked without thinking. It’s fine, you don’t have to tell me."

Jaxon shook his head. "You’ll find out soon enough in the future."

Elaine’s eyes dimmed slightly. She said it was fine, but the feeling didn’t disappear so easily. She thought she had gotten closer to him lately, that he trusted her more now.

But after seeing Na-rin return with him, she couldn’t ignore the difference. The way Na-rin naturally fit into his space, the way she slowly blended into his family, even Natasha seemed to accept her now... and it all made something quietly tighten in her chest.

’What is this? Am I getting jealous of my own student?’

Elaine shook the thought away and forced a small smile. "Mm, I can wait. Thank you, really."

Jaxon kept his calm smile, watching her for a moment longer than usual. Then he stepped forward.

Elaine blinked, slightly surprised as he closed the distance and looked straight into her eyes. "Are you disappointed?"

"W-what?" Elaine’s voice slipped for a second, and she looked up at him, caught off guard. "No, of course not. I’m really grateful for this..."

Her words stopped as he stepped even closer, reducing the space between them completely.

"Really? You’re not very good at hiding it, Elaine." His voice brushed near her ear.

Elaine’s heart skipped slightly, but she didn’t step back. "Hiding what?"

Jaxon studied her for a moment, then gently brushed a strand of hair behind her ear.

"You don’t say things... even when you want to," he said calmly. "You keep your feelings buried for other people’s sake. Do you really plan to keep doing that?"

Elaine’s eyes sharpened a little, but she refused to step back. "I’m not," she said. "What makes you think I am?"

Jaxon let out a quiet chuckle. "You know, you really are a good woman, Elaine. Always thinking about others, even when it means ignoring yourself."

His tone softened slightly as he continued. "But I don’t believe anyone is only like that. There’s always something inside you that wants something for yourself."

Elaine pressed a hand tightly against her clothes. "I do want things for myself," she said, her voice rising a little before she even realized it. "But I will not hurt someone just to get them. No one deserves that."