After the shocking discovery that his duplicate could actually talk, Alex was itching to open his Terra System interface and dig for more information about his ability. But he restrained himself. The sun was already dipping behind the horizon, and the sky was quickly swallowing its last hints of light. It was dusk—danger hour.
He needed to get out of this cursed forest as fast as possible.
Night was when the real nightmares came out to play. The mutants that prowled under the moon weren't just terrifying—they were brutal apex predators that thrived in the dark. Alex wasn't planning to test his luck against creatures like that, especially not with limited visibility and his newly awakened abilities still largely unknown.
So he shoved aside the temptation to check his system. That would have to wait.
The clones took less than three minutes to rip out the important parts from the earthworm's massive corpse. The core glowed a mesmerizing blue, about the size of a baby's fist, with white pulses of geo-energy dancing across its surface like living veins. It was beautiful—and deadly.
Alex stuffed the core and the salvaged materials into a worn satchel, handing it to one of his duplicates while dismissing the others. They dissipated into trails of smoke, fading into the twilight. He took a deep breath and re-strapped his twin daggers, then started making his way toward the forest's edge, his mind circling back to the intense battle he'd just survived.
It had been his first real one-on-one encounter with a mutant… and he'd barely scraped through.
Sure, it had looked like he was in control for most of the fight—but Alex knew better. One wrong move, one slight miscalculation, and he would've been dead. He hadn't forgotten that glowing plant he'd eaten before the battle. Whatever that thing was, it had been a game-changer. Without it, he wouldn't have survived the earthworm's sheer power.
In this world, strength alone wasn't enough.
Luck—strangely—played a massive role in survival. Even the strongest could fall if fate decided to turn against them. Alex had witnessed it firsthand. A weaker prey could bring down a stronger predator, all thanks to some unexpected factor—like a strange glowing plant.
Today had burned a permanent lesson into his mind: Never underestimate your opponent. No matter the difference in strength.
As these thoughts spun in his mind, Alex realized he had already reached the outskirts of the forest. His body moved on autopilot, his senses heightened. His brain's capacity for processing, multitasking, and analyzing had grown tremendously since awakening. He'd carefully navigated his way around lurking threats without even thinking about it.
But just when he allowed himself to relax, thinking he was finally safe—he felt it.
A faint ruffle in the underbrush.
It was barely audible, nearly impossible for any ordinary human to detect. But Alex wasn't ordinary anymore. Even with his enhanced perception, he barely caught it. The hairs on the back of his neck stood up.
He spun around silently, eyes scanning his surroundings with razor-sharp precision. At first, nothing seemed out of place.
Then he saw them.
Pairs of glowing red eyes… watching him from the shadows.
One pair.
Two pairs.
Five.
Nine.
They were emerging from the darkness—low, menacing, silent.
A pack of wolves. Not the kind you'd find before the invasion—these were mutants.
Each wolf stood as tall as a man and had thick, rippling muscles beneath their midnight-black fur. Their crimson eyes burned with bloodlust, and their long fangs jutted out like curved daggers, dripping with saliva.
And the worst part?
Their leader—the Alpha—radiated an overwhelming aura. It was a Terra Core ranked mutant.
Alex's gut dropped.
The Terra Core rank stood one level above Terra Spark, but the difference in power was like night and day. Vast. Unforgiving.
Even with all ten of his clones, Alex knew his chances of surviving this fight were slim—maybe 50% on a good day. And that was him being overly optimistic.
"Damn… what kind of bullshit luck is this?" he muttered under his breath, blades already drawn.
He and his clone stood back-to-back, daggers raised, watching the wolves close in slowly. The beasts were strategic, not attacking immediately. They circled, tightening the noose.
Alex's heart pounded. His instincts screamed.
There was only one logical plan: Use the clones as bait and run.
'I'm sorry, boys… you're taking the fall today,' Alex thought, smirking grimly.
He didn't need to say anything. The clones already knew. They were connected to his thoughts, his emotions. Independent minds, yet bound by his will. It was eerie—but also powerful.
Without warning, he created nine more clones, all armed and ready.
The sudden appearance of the duplicates caused the wolves to growl and bare their teeth, some crouching in preparation to pounce. The Alpha growled low and deep, a terrifying sound that made the ground feel like it was trembling.
And then—it happened.
The clones charged first, daggers flashing under the moonlight.
The wolves were stunned. They hadn't expected their prey to attack. That moment of hesitation was all the clones needed—they struck fast and hard, drawing blood, forcing the wolves back.
But Alex didn't stay to admire their work. He turned and ran.
And it was the smartest decision he'd made.
Within ten seconds, the tide of the battle had turned.
The wolves recovered—and retaliated.
What gave them the edge? One thing: speed. A terrifying concept ability. Each wolf, especially the Alpha, moved like lightning. Alex's clones had physical strength equal to a Terra Spark human, but it meant little when they couldn't even keep up.
The Alpha moved first.
One clone lunged at it with a dagger, but before the blade even got close, the Alpha's massive claw slashed, splitting the clone in two. Smoke.
No blood. No flesh. Just vapor.
The Alpha paused, confused for a moment.
Then it clicked.
These weren't real.
And the real one—Alex—had vanished.
A deafening howl shattered the night, full of fury and primal rage. The Alpha didn't hesitate—it broke from the pack and bolted in the direction Alex had escaped.
It was fast—terrifyingly fast. Easily twice as fast as a normal Terra Core mutant.
A few seconds before the Alpha's howl, one wolf lunged for a duplicate and pinned it with a slash, then opened its jaw wide, ready to bite down.
Before it could, a dagger whistled through the air and plunged into the wolf's skull—thrown by another clone. The beast collapsed.
But then came the Alpha's howl—loud, angry.
Every creature on the battlefield paused.
The clones turned, startled.
The Terra Spark wolves paused in reverence.
The Alpha's eyes were locked in the direction Alex had fled—burning with rage.
The clones leaped forward, trying to intercept.
But it was already too late.
The Alpha moved like a phantom, slashing through one clone, biting another in half, never slowing, never blinking. It was a blur—a beast possessed.
It had activated its full concept ability—pure, monstrous speed.
And it had one goal:
Catch the human who dared to trick it.