---
Ren tossed the katana back to Mark, the blade gleaming with fresh hydra blood.
**"The Katana reached Level 10,"** Ren said, wiping his mouth. **"Gained two new skills—Wind Blossom Dance and Wind Slash."**
Mark nodded, sheathing the sword. His attention snapped back to the hydra's heart in his palm. The obsidian orb pulsed like a living thing, veins of emerald light throbbing beneath its surface.
Then the **urge** hit him.
A gnawing, primal hunger, as if his very blood screamed for him to **consume it**.
He didn't resist.
Mark bit into the heart.
The taste was **wrong**—metallic and burning, like swallowing liquid fire. The moment the first chunk slid down his throat, his vision whited out. Pain detonated in his skull, a scream ripping from his lips as he collapsed, clawing at his head. His veins bulged black beneath his skin, his muscles seizing.
Ren took a step back, dagger raised, but didn't intervene.
Then—just as suddenly as it began—the convulsions stopped.
Mark's hair, once silver-streaked crimson, was now **jet black**, as if dipped in void. His breathing steadied. When he opened his eyes, the left was still red, while the right remained blue.
**"[Blood Demon Affinity: 9%]"** flickered across his vision.
Before either could speak, a **deafening roar** shook the forest—not of beasts, but of engines.
---
The trees trembled as a **50-meter-long spacecraft** descended, its polished black hull swallowing the sunlight. The vessel hovered silently, then extended a ramp with a hiss of compressed air.
Four figures emerged, their pristine uniforms a stark contrast to the colonists' ragged clothes. Each wore a black officer's hat and a jacket adorned with **three silver stars** on the chest.
The leader—a broad-shouldered man with a jaw like granite—stepped forward. His voice carried effortlessly across the clearing.
**"Anyone here reached Mortal Rank?"**
Mark and Ren exchanged glances before stepping forward.
The officer moved with unnatural speed.
***CRACK.***
His fist buried itself in Ren's stomach, lifting the wiry fighter clean off his feet. Ren crashed through a sapling, skidding across the dirt.
**"Pathetic,"** the officer muttered, watching Ren cough up blood.
Mark's katana was in his hand before anyone blinked.
---
The officer didn't draw a weapon. Instead, he **caught** Mark's first Blood Slash bare-handed, the crimson energy dissipating against his palm.
**"Cute trick,"** he sneered.
Mark responded with **Wind Slash**, the air itself splitting as a silver crescent shot forward. The officer took it square in the chest—his uniform tore open, revealing unblemished skin beneath.
**"My turn."**
A backhand sent Mark flying. He twisted mid-air, landing in a crouch that dug furrows in the earth. His ribs screamed in protest.
Ren staggered upright, summoning his **Blackblade**—a weapon of liquid shadow that warped the air around it. He lunged, the blade carving a **three-meter fissure** where the officer had stood moments before.
**"Interesting,"** the officer mused, reappearing behind Ren. A casual shove sent Ren crashing through two trees.
When the officer turned to Mark, his expression was almost... pleased.
**"Report to our ship tomorrow same time today,"** he commanded. **"Two days of evaluation. No exceptions."**
With that, the officers retreated up the ramp. The spacecraft lifted off without another word, leaving the colonists in stunned silence.
---
Maya rushed to Ren's side, her pendant glowing as she assessed his injuries. **"Multiple fractures... but he'll live."**
Mark stared at the sky where the ship had vanished.
**"Evaluation for what?"** someone whispered.
No one had an answer.