Kiel stood in the middle of the battlefield, his breathing heavy, his body coated in a mixture of his blood and his enemies'. Around him lay the torn remains of armored beasts—fangs shattered, claws severed, and eyes wide in frozen horror. His skin glowed faintly, the predator runes on his forearms pulsing with life.
The Apex Predator System chimed in his mind.
> [Beast Core Absorbed: Dire Basilisk – Class C+]
Trait Acquired: Petrifying Gaze (Low Tier)
Progress: 57% to Next Evolution Stage.
"Still not enough," Kiel muttered, wiping blood from his jaw. "How many more must I kill before I evolve again?"
"You've changed," Sura said behind him, her eyes narrow. She approached cautiously, stepping over the remains of what was once a forest beast pack. "You don't hesitate anymore."
Kiel didn't respond immediately. He looked at his reflection in a puddle of blood. His eyes had slitted pupils now. His canines were slightly longer. And his veins pulsed black for a moment before fading.
"Maybe I have," he finally said. "But hesitation gets you killed."
Sura flinched slightly. She had known Kiel back when he could barely swing a blade, much less rip apart a monster with his bare hands. Now he walked with the weight of something ancient. Monstrous. Even the air around him felt heavier.
"We need to keep moving," she said, choosing not to press further. "The Core Hunters will have heard the fight."
"Let them come," Kiel growled.
Sura gave him a sharp look. "You're not invincible. You may have power, but you're not a god."
"No," Kiel said with a dark smile, "but I'm becoming something worse."
---
They moved through the ruined valley, passing the remnants of a failed human outpost. Everything had been torn apart—tents shredded, bodies crushed, weapons rusted in blood.
The scent of rot clung to the air like a curse.
"How long since the rift opened here?" Sura asked.
"Three days. A nest of Shadowmanes came through. Wiped the squad stationed here," Kiel answered. He knelt and touched the bloodstained earth. The System flared.
> [Residual Energy Detected: Shadowmane Pack Alpha]
Estimated Threat: B-Class – Extremely Aggressive]
Kiel's eyes narrowed. "Still close."
"Then we should leave—" Sura began.
A chilling howl cut through the silence.
The trees around them twisted unnaturally. From the shadows crawled the Shadowmanes—wolves of void and mist, eyes glowing like hollow stars, jaws gaping with teeth that shimmered with corruption.
Six of them. One larger than the rest.
Alpha.
---
The battle was instant.
Sura fired her twin pistols, each shot releasing a burst of kinetic force. One Shadowmane's head exploded, but the others didn't even flinch.
Kiel moved like a blur—part man, part monster. His talons extended, and the ground cracked beneath each step. The first wolf lunged; he met it mid-air and split it down the middle with a roar.
The Alpha charged him, faster than the rest. Its body shimmered, phasing in and out like smoke.
Too fast.
But Kiel activated his latest trait.
> [Petrifying Gaze – Active]
The Alpha hesitated mid-lunge, its body stiffening slightly. That moment was all Kiel needed. He surged forward, wrapping his clawed hand around its throat and slamming it into the ground with titanic force.
He roared, eyes glowing with pure hunger.
> [Target Subdued: Shadowmane Alpha]
[Absorbing Beast Core...]
Sura watched in awe and horror as the creature's body turned to dust in his grip, sucked into his chest like vapor.
> [Trait Acquired: Phase Step – Short-range Teleportation]
[Progress: 100% – Evolution Available]
Kiel's body locked up. Energy surged through him, bones cracking, skin burning with runes.
> [Initiating Evolution…]