Darkness.
That was the first thing Lin felt. Not pain, not cold — just an endless, suffocating darkness.
"Where… am I?" he thought, but no sound came out. His voice, his body, everything was gone.
He remembered the blaring horn. The screeching tires. The impact. And then… nothing.
A chime echoed in the void.
> [System initializing… Host detected.]
"System?" Lin muttered mentally. A cold, mechanical voice filled his mind.
> [Congratulations, Host. You have been selected for the Kaiju Rebirth Program.]
[World: Godzilla Universe.]
[Form: Hatchling Monster – Species Undetermined.]
"Wait—what the hell?!"
Before Lin could scream, his senses returned like a tidal wave. He felt wetness around him, heat above him, and a heartbeat that wasn't his. Something cracked.
Crack.
Crack.
He was inside an egg.
Instinct screamed at him to move. He pushed, clawed, and bit until the shell gave way. Blinding light poured in as he tumbled into a pool of glowing, murky water.
His vision was strange. Blurred, tinted blue. He raised his limbs — not hands, but scaled, clawed appendages.
"No way… I'm a monster."
A reflection on the water's surface showed a small reptilian creature — jagged dorsal plates budding from his back, glowing faintly like embers. His eyes were sharp, glowing with a faint azure hue.
He wasn't human anymore.
A chime rang again.
> [Welcome, Host.]
[You are currently at Stage 1: Hatchling Monster.]
[Survive. Hunt. Evolve.]
Lin's mind spun. He looked around. The cave was enormous, lined with glowing crystals and strange fungi. Farther away, shadows moved in the water — larger, bulkier creatures with jaws like swords.
Predators.
> [Quest: Survive Your First Hour.]
[Reward: Basic Evolution Points + Species Selection.]
Lin's instincts screamed louder now. He wasn't at the top of the food chain. He was prey.
His claws dug into the muddy floor. His dorsal plates flickered faintly, like dying embers.
"No," Lin growled, his new voice low and guttural. "Not prey. Not anymore."
A large shadow approached, splitting the water as something massive lunged at him with jaws wide open.
The system chimed again.
> [Skill Unlocked: Hatchling Burst (Temporary Power Surge).]
Power flooded his body. His muscles tensed. His claws glowed faintly as he launched himself sideways, narrowly dodging the beast's bite.
He was small. Weak. Vulnerable. But the system's words burned in his mind: Hunt. Evolve.
If he survived this… he'd start his path to becoming the Apex Predator.