Darkness.
It was all he knew at first—an endless, oppressive void. There was no pain, no light, no time. Just... nothing.
Then came the heat.
Warmth radiated through his small body, stirring something primal. A flicker of instinct. A faint heartbeat. And then—
Pain.
"Gah—!" he tried to shout, but what came out was a pitiful mewl.
His senses returned in a rush. The damp scent of fur and earth filled his nostrils. His ears caught the low purr of breathing around him. His eyes, not yet fully developed, could barely make out the flickering light breaking through the cave's entrance.
He was alive.
And very much not human anymore.
[System Initialization…]
[Adapting soul fragment to new vessel…]
[Success! Welcome to the Evolutionary System.]
[Species: Panthera leo (Lion Cub)]
[Grade: Normal]
[Level: 1]
[Stats: Strength: 3 | Agility: 4 | Vitality: 5 | Intellect: 2]
[Skill: Basic Bite]
[Unique Trait Unlocked: Devourer's Soul – You can absorb the essence of fallen creatures to gain strength.]
[First Objective: Survive.]
"...Well, Shit," he thought. "I actually reincarnated... and I'm a baby lion."
Memories from his past life were hazy. He remembered being human, definitely male, and definitely dead. He'd been some office drone, always daydreaming about escaping the rat race. Funny, really. He had escaped—into the food chain.
He blinked slowly. Around him were three other cubs, mewling and blind like him. Their mother lay at the mouth of the den—an immense lioness with scarred fur and watchful eyes. Her gaze swept the jungle beyond the cave, her breaths slow and steady.
He tried to move and immediately flopped onto his side.
"Okay. Legs—check. Tail? Fluffy. Mane? Not yet. Dignity? Missing in action."
But as humiliating as it was to be so helpless, he could feel something burning in his chest. Something alien. It was not hunger—not exactly.
It was… the urge to hunt.
And it was growing.
[Devourer's Soul activated. Nearby energy signatures detected.]
[Warning: Mutation Energy has begun seeping into the environment.]
[Passive Evolution has begun across all lifeforms.]
His eyes widened, or at least he thought they did.
So it was not just him. Something had changed in this world.
Something massive.
"Mutation energy?" he thought, heart pounding. "That sounds exactly like the start of a world-ending anime."
He rested his head on his forepaws—or tried to. They were tiny and clumsy, like oversized mittens. But within moments, he could already sense faint traces of heat and power beyond the den. Every animal, every plant... even the insects seemed to be mutating.
And somehow, he was uniquely equipped to feed on them.
Literally.
He was not here just to survive.
He was here to devour.
Hours passed. He dozed on and off, feeding from his mother when she allowed it. His siblings squabbled and yawned beside him. He tried to stay awake, to observe more, but his body was weak—too weak to move far, let alone fight.
Still, he could feel the System lurking just beneath his skin. Whispering potential.
[New Evolution Paths Available (Locked)]
[Next Requirement: Devour a mutated creature.]
[Progress toward Level 2: 0/10 EXP]
He would need to devour others to grow. That part was clear.
But he was a cub. Barely larger than a housecat. How the hell was he supposed to eat anything dangerous?
A low growl snapped his thoughts.
Outside, his mother had stiffened. The faint rumble of padded feet—several of them—echoed across the clearing. His siblings curled closer to her belly. He blinked, trying to see through the shadows.
Then he saw it.
A jackal—twice the size of any normal one—stood just outside the den. Its eyes glowed faintly green, saliva dripping from elongated fangs. Behind it were two more, both larger than they should be. Their fur was patchy, and their muscles grotesquely swollen.
Mutated.
[Detected: Mutated Jackal (Lesser Beast)]
[Threat Level: Moderate]
[Warning: Current form insufficient for direct confrontation.]
He was not going to fight.
But he was going to watch.
His mother leapt forward in a blur of motion. There was no hesitation in her movements—only primal fury. Claws tore across the first jackal's throat, silencing it in an instant. The other two sprang forward, but she met them with unmatched power, jaws snapping, blood spraying.
The den shook from the impact.
By the time it was over, all three jackals lay dead at her feet. She limped slightly, her side bleeding—but she remained standing.
She dragged one of the corpses into the den, placing it near the cubs.
[Opportunity detected.]
[Devour Function Available.]
[Would you like to begin Devouring? Y/N]
"Yes," he thought without hesitation.
A strange pull overtook his body. He felt himself crawl forward—not by instinct alone, but guided by something deeper. He buried his tiny fangs into the jackal's flesh.
And something incredible happened.
[Devour Successful.]
[+2 Strength]
[+1 Vitality]
[Basic Skill Acquired: Fierce Fang (Passive – bite damage increased by 5%)]
[EXP Gained: 4/10]
Warmth rushed through his limbs. His muscles twitched. His bones itched. He felt something stretch inside him—as if his body had just taken its first true breath.
He lifted his head, blood staining his snout.
He wasn't just a cub anymore.
He was an apex predator in the making.
And this world?
This chaotic, mutating, survival-of-the-fittest hell?
It would kneel before him—eventually.
But first, he had to grow strong.
One kill at a time.