It had been a week since Han-Jun crawled out of that corpse-filled hole, and his life had officially become a repetitive, violent montage.
'Eat. Sleep. Hide. Kill. Repeat. If I ever see another green-skinned goblin, I'm going to lose my goddamn mind.'
He sat perched on a thick mossy branch, his tail twitching as he watched a stray goblin scout wander below. His new body—now roughly the size of a large husky—felt heavy and powerful. His scales had deepened into a matte charcoal grey that absorbed the dappled forest light, making him a ghost in the shadows.
'Status window.'
[NAME: KANG HAN-JUN]
[RACE: CALAMITY HATCHLING (SSS)] [LEVEL: 9]
[EVOLUTION PROGRESS: 80%]
[SKILLS:]
[GULP OF THE ABYSS (RANK: SSS - LOCKED/RESTRICTED)]
[HEART OF THE DRAGON (RANK: E)]
[COMPOSED MIND (RANK: E)]
'That [Gulp of the Abyss] skill... it's been sitting there like a taunt. Every time I try to force it, my stomach feels like it's being turned into a black hole from the inside out. I bet the evolution at 100% is the key. Just twenty more percent. Just a few more snacks...'
He was about to pounce on the unsuspecting goblin when the ground beneath the tree shuddered. A low, rhythmic thumping—like a drum made of lead—vibrated through the bark.
THUMP. THUMP. THUMP.
The goblin scout didn't even have time to scream. A massive, hairy blur slammed into it, turning the green creature into a literal smear on a nearby oak tree.
"WHAT THE FUCK?!"
Han-Jun's claws dug into the branch as he stared down. Standing in the clearing was a [Great Tusked Boreas]—a boar the size of a transit bus, covered in jagged, iron-like bristles. Its tusks weren't ivory; they were glowing with a faint, aggressive yellow mana.
"WHY IS THAT BIG SHIT HERE?! This is a Level 10 zone! That thing looks like a Level 30 World Boss had a baby with a bulldozer!"
The boar snorted, a cloud of hot steam erupting from its snout. It looked up, its tiny, bloodshot eyes locking onto the 'oversized lizard' in the tree.
'Oh no. No, no, no. I'm a stealth build! I'm a tactical devourer! I am NOT a ham sandwich!'
The boar didn't wait for a formal introduction. It lowered its head and charged.
CRACK.
The entire tree tilted as the boar slammed into the trunk. Han-Jun was launched into the air, his tail spiraling as he tried to find his footing.
"SHIT! SHIT! SHIT!"
He landed hard on the grass, rolling and scrambling to his feet just as the boar swiveled its massive bulk for a second pass. The ground groaned under its weight.
[NOTICE: 'COMPOSED MIND' IS WORKING OVERTIME. PLEASE STOP SCREAMING.]
'Shut up, System! Look at the size of those tusks! One poke and I'm a draconic shish-kebab!'
As the boar charged again, Han-Jun realized he couldn't outrun this thing. He had to use the SSS-rank bullshit he was born with. He planted his claws, his eyes glowing with a fierce blue light.
"You want a piece of a dragon? Fine! Let's see how you handle a stomach ache!"
He activated [Heart of the Dragon], but instead of a wide pulse, he focused every ounce of his mana into a single, sharp point right in front of the boar's eyes. The pressure hit the beast like a physical hammer, causing its front legs to buckle for a split second.
It wasn't enough to stop it, but it gave Han-Jun the opening. He lunged under the tusks, his jaws opening wide.
"GLUTTONY, DON'T FAIL ME NOW!"
He clamped his teeth onto the glowing yellow mana shroud surrounding the boar's left tusk. The moment he bit down, it felt like he had chewed on a live power line.
"MMMMGHHH!"
[NOTICE: CONSUMING REFINED EARTH MANA. XP +200]
[WARNING: HIGH CALORIC INTAKE. STOMACH CRAMPS IMMINENT.]
The boar squealed in a frequency that shattered the nearby forest silence, thrashing its head wildly. Han-Jun was tossed around like a ragdoll, still hanging onto the tusk as the mana was siphoned directly into his throat. He felt his evolution bar tick upward—82%... 85%...
But the boar was pissed. It reared up on its hind legs, intending to crush the "pest" into the dirt.
"FUCK! LET GO! ABORT MISSION!"
Han-Jun released his grip and tumbled through the dirt, barely dodging a hoof that would have flattened his skull. He was panting, his vision swimming with yellow sparks from the mana he'd just inhaled.
'I'm hurting it, but I'm running out of juice. If I don't finish this now, I'm toast.'
He looked at the boar, which was preparing for a final, desperate charge. Its tusks were flickering, the mana depleted from his bite.
"One more hit. Just one more big bite and I hit 100%."
Han-Jun lowered his center of gravity, his tail snapping against the ground like a whip. He wasn't scared anymore. He was hungry.
"Come on, you overgrown bacon bit. Let's finish this."