The Spare's Second Chance in Apocalypse-Chapter 290: Ch 289: I want to help - Part 2

Selene awoke with a start.

Her eyes blinked open to a soft light streaming through a cream-colored curtain, casting golden warmth across a simple room. fгee𝑤ebɳoveɭ.cøm

Wooden walls, a shelf lined with books, a desk with a half-finished cup of tea, and a single armchair pushed into the corner. The bed she lay on was soft, too soft, and unfamiliar.

Immediately, her instincts kicked in.

She sat up quickly, eyes darting around the room, every muscle tense.

There were no weapons within reach, no sign of danger, but that didn’t calm her. Her fingers twitched toward her usual interface, reaching for the system—

Nothing.

Selene froze.

There was no connection. No familiar startup. No HUD. No stats. No access.

A sharp spike of panic knifed through her chest.

She tried again, this time more forcefully, mentally forcing the command to appear.

Pain.

It hit her like a pulse, a migraine behind her eyes that nearly knocked her back onto the bed. She gritted her teeth, clutching her head.

’What the hell is going on?’

This wasn’t normal. The system never failed to respond. Unless—

Her thoughts turned dark.

’Am I trapped? Cut off? Is someone suppressing my access?’

Breathing shallow, she scanned the room again. It was quiet. Too quiet. No cameras that she could see. No visible restraints.

Just a normal room.

But the normalcy made her even more suspicious.

She threw the blanket off and got to her feet. Her body was weak, sore, but she could move. She limped toward the window, her eyes already scanning for a way out.

’If I can’t access the system, then I need to get out myself.’

She grabbed a nearby chair, raised it—and just as she was about to slam it into the glass, the door creaked open.

"Whoa—!"

A tall man with silver hair stood in the doorway, hands raised in surprise. His expression flickered between concern and amusement.

"I... wasn’t expecting you to be up already."

Selene froze, chair still half-raised in her hand, her eyes narrowing.

"Who are you?"

The man gave her a sheepish smile, his posture unthreatening.

"Luke Roth. Rank #4."

That name made Selene pause. It sounded familiar. A top hunter. Supposedly powerful, charming, and mostly a mystery to the public.

Still—she wasn’t in the mood to believe anything easily.

"Prove it."

Luke tilted his head.

"Prove it? You mean—like a fight?"

"I don’t need a fight. Just a reason to believe you’re not lying to me."

Selene said coldly.

Luke scratched the back of his head, slightly embarrassed.

"Uh... well, I guess I can’t give you solid proof right now. But I did save your life."

Selene didn’t lower the chair.

"I found you unconscious near the Vale estate. The whole place was destroyed. You looked... bad. I couldn’t just leave you there."

Luke added quickly.

Selene’s arms slowly relaxed. The chair hit the floor with a soft thud. She stared at the man for a long moment, searching his face for signs of deceit.

Nothing.

Just genuine concern and the awkward look of someone who didn’t know how to handle a suspicious woman with a chair.

"I patched you up, brought you here and kept watch for a day or two. You were unconscious for a while. I didn’t know who you were or what happened."

Luke continued.

Selene exhaled, steadying herself.

"Thank you."

She said finally, her voice quiet.

"I’ll be out of your way soon."

Luke blinked.

"What?"

"I appreciate the help, but I won’t take up more of your time. I’ll leave now."

Luke looked vaguely panicked.

"Wait—you’re injured. And your system’s still not working, right?"

Selene’s jaw tightened, but she didn’t answer.

Luke seemed to take that as confirmation.

"You can’t just run off like this. At least stay until you recover."

"Why? You don’t even know me."

Selene asked, folding her arms.

Luke chuckled softly and looked away, a light blush coloring his cheeks.

"Well... you could tell me your name. Then we wouldn’t be strangers anymore."

That startled a laugh from Selene—a short, unexpected sound. Her shoulders loosened slightly.

"Selene."

She said. Just that. No last name. No background.

Luke smiled.

"Selene. Nice to meet you."

She gave him a curious look.

"You’re letting someone you barely know stay in your house. Aren’t you a little too confident in your abilities?"

Luke’s grin widened.

"Maybe. Or maybe I’m just good at reading people."

Selene didn’t respond to that. She didn’t trust people easily. But something about his demeanor didn’t set off her alarm bells. Not yet, at least.

Luke stepped aside from the door.

"There’s food in the kitchen. Eat something. And if you need anything, just ask."

Selene hesitated. The soreness in her muscles reminded her of her limits. And without the system to back her up, she couldn’t afford to be reckless.

"...Fine."

"Good. I’ll leave you to rest. Or smash more windows, if you’re into that."

Luke smiled again.

Selene rolled her eyes, but a tiny smile tugged at her lips as he walked away.

This wasn’t what she’d expected—but for now, she could breathe.

After eating, Selene felt a noticeable shift in her body—less pain, more strength.

The warmth from the food settled in her stomach, calming her nerves just enough to steady her breath.

She leaned back in the chair, glancing at Luke as he quietly cleaned up.

"I feel better. Thanks... for the food. And everything else."

She admitted, her voice softer than usual.

Luke smiled, wiping his hands on a towel.

"Glad to hear it."

Selene looked at him for a moment—really looked. The way he smiled so easily.

The calm in his eyes. The way he helped her without asking for anything in return. And yet, all she could think about was how little time he had left.

She’d seen it in a vision. One of the fleeting glimpses the system gave her before it went silent.

Luke Roth, rank #4, falling in battle—body broken, power drained, face bloodied. He wouldn’t live to see the next season.

Selene’s heart clenched.

She wanted to say something. To warn him. To tell him to be careful. But the words didn’t come. Instead, she looked away.

"...Thanks again."

She said quietly.

And though she felt sorry for him, she said nothing more.