"Ahhhh-hhaaaaaa"
Orion awoke with a yawn, stretching his arms long. He focused his eyes and looked around.
A pale white light filtered through the slats of a boarded-up window.
"It's still night?" he muttered, rubbing his eyes. His body felt light, alert.
He blinked in surprise.
"I only slept for a few hours, but I feel fully recharged… looks like my mental recovery has increased a lot with 50 points in Spirit", he wondered in amazement.
The storage room smelled of rust, sweat, and faint antiseptic. Someone had draped a blanket over him during the night. His fingers touched the rough cloth–cotton, stained and patched – and his eyes scanned the room.
Everyone else was fast asleep curled up beneath thin blankets in different corners of the room, faces drawn with exhaustion and fear.
The guard, Rao, sat with his back to the wall, nodding off with the broken baton still in hand. The nurse, Zara, had her arm protectively around the younger Girl, Alice, their quiet breathing syncing in the dim room.
Then there was the boy—Ayan, the youngest. He lay closest to Orion, his brow furrowed in a half-nightmare.
Orion sat up, resting his back against the wall.
"I should check my records now that I have some time. Status." He whispered.
A familiar chime echoed in his mind as the screen unfurled before his eyes.
He had opened his system panel for the first time since the fight.
---
[SYSTEM STATUS – ORION BLAKE]
Race: Human
Level: 0 (35/100)
Title(s): Apex Predator, First Sin: Flesh of My Kin, Anomaly
Class: None
HP: 300
MP: 230
Strength: 29 | Agility: 28
Endurance: 30 | Stamina: 30
Mana: 23 | Spirit: 50
Abilities:
• Predation (TU – ??? Rank)
• Corrupted Mana (Rank F)
• Enhanced hearing (F)
Skills:
• Appraisal (No Rank)
• Stone skin (E)
• Rush (F)
---
[Skill: Stone Skin] – Rank E / Passive / Active
> Type: Elemental / Body enhancement
Description: Hardens the outer layer of the user's skin, increasing durability and resistance to physical damage. While active, a part of the user's skin takes on a grey, stone-like texture.
Effects:
– +15% physical resistance
– +10% resistance to piercing attacks
– Slight increase in body weight when active
Mana Cost: 5 MP per minute (Active use)
---
[Skill: Rush] – Rank F / Active
> Type: Movement / Burst
Description: A sudden explosive burst of speed over a short distance.
Effects:
– Instantly boosts movement speed by 50% for 1 second
Cooldown: 10 seconds
Mana Cost: 3 MP
---
[Ability: Enhanced Hearing] – Rank F / Passive
> Type: Sensory
Description: Sharpened auditory perception.
Effects:
– Improves hearing
---
[Ability: Corrupted Mana] – Rank F / Active
> Type: Racial
Description: An Ability found only in Mana mutants. An infectious mana, causing slow erosion of natural energy systems, turning infected beings into mutants.
Effects:
– Converts standard Mana into corrupted mana at a 1 to 1 ratio
– Can infect other beings, turning them into mutants
– Increases the power of offensive abilities by 10%
– Gain immunity from F rank corrupted mana infection.
[Unique Condition Met]
→ You have acquired a forbidden ability not meant for your race.
→You are an Anomaly.
→ Title Unlocked: "Anomaly"
> [Anomaly.]
[You have awakened an ability not meant for your species.
Effect: It becomes easier for you to master different abilities and energies. Passive resistance to corruption +5%]
…
Orion read all his information carefully, his eyes shining brighter.
"Corrupted Mana…" he paused as he reached the new ability's description, his eyes narrowing.
This was the mutant's ability and the only way for any other being to possess it was to become a mutant.
Moreover, the ability the mutants had was a passive one, corrupted mana ever-present in their bodies whereas his was an active one, only showing itself when he needed it. Predation had tailored it to best meet his needs.
A moment later, a ripple of purplish black Mana danced across his fingertips. It felt cold and alien—yet his body accepted it. Something no human was supposed to be able to do.
He clenched his fist, willing the power away. The corrupted mana receded as the skill was deactivated. For now, he needed to keep this hidden. It could possibly be a trump card of his.
"Alright let's get to work. First things first, let's rank my ability" Orion now excited about his future got ready to start the day. First, he would rank his ability.
The rank of his ability was, ???, not because the system couldn't scan it, no, the system was now a part of his ability, it was unranked because according to the data available in the system Predation was above all the known ranks. For it to be ranked a new rank had to be created for its level, and Orion got to name it.
"Well since it's my ability let's name the rank after me – Orion Rank." He said in glee, feeling satisfied with his naming sense.
Ding!
Ability: Predation (Orion Rank / TU)
Orion grinned in excitement as he heard the system notification. A thrill of pride surging through him.
"Now let's move on," he said as he started remembering his fight.
Now that he had gotten another look at his status and a good night's sleep Orion started to reflect on his previous fight, noticing the cowardly and inefficient way he had fought in, hoping to do better in the future.
" I didn't even use appraisal on it to understand its strength," he said to himself, shaking his head in disbelief, "and I could've easily destroyed it if I had thought to use either Predation or chains of greed…"
He had discovered that after getting Predation his instincts have gotten stronger, subtlety but surely guiding him like a 6th sense, probably the effect of the Apex Predator title. But it would do him no good if he didn't even listen to his instincts, consumed by fear.
Orion facepalmed, hiding his face behind his hands and sighed in embarrassment "…honestly, I could've crushed that thing with my physical abilities alone had I stood my ground instead of running away in fear, given it was probably only around level 2 or 3".
There was a moment of silence,
"Still" he whispered "considering it was my first fight ever, I wasn't half that bad" his face slowly lifted, his eyes now bright.
"The important thing is that I've learned, and can now improve" A determined glint flashed in his mind as he thought this far. He had realized his weaknesses and was prepared to improve on them. He knew he had to get used to using his abilities, fighting and even killing, if he wanted to thrive, much less survive in the apocalypse.
"And the fastest way to improve is practical training. "He muttered to himself in silence with resolve in his voice.
Slowly and carefully, Orion stood and slipped out of the room, moving silently, afraid of disturbing the others.
---
The door clicked shut behind him with a soft thud.
Orion found himself in the dark, scattered hallway once again, the smell of dried blood lingering in the air.
"Let's see, "he said closing his eyes and focusing on his hearing, the passive enhanced hearing ability enhancing his hearing sense.
Almost immediately he started picking up sounds of low and deep growls.
"Their close…" he deduced "two on the right and one in front".
The room he slept in was at the end of an L-shaped corridor, so there were only two ways forward.
"Let's take on the one in the front first… but before that, I need to do some tests," he said walking forward and entering the first room beside the store room he slept in. his ears were still alert picking up sounds all around him, afraid of an unexpected encounter.