Sohan didn't sleep that night.
Not because he couldn't.
But because his mind refused to rest.
---
He sat in the corner of the dim room, knees pulled close, eyes half-open as he stared into nothingness.
The piece of bread was long gone.
Hunger still lingered—but it was no longer his biggest concern.
---
"This world…"
He muttered under his breath.
"…runs on genes."
---
Fragments of knowledge surfaced clearly now.
Not from this body.
From his previous life.
From the story he had read countless times—
The world of .
---
Humans had discovered a way to enter mysterious dimensions called Sanctuaries.
Places filled with creatures far beyond Earth's ecosystem.
Creatures that weren't just animals.
But living sources of evolution.
---
Sohan's fingers tightened slightly.
"When you kill a creature…"
"You can absorb its genes."
---
It sounded simple.
But it wasn't.
---
There were rules.
Strict ones.
Rules that defined everything.
---
"Ordinary genes… primitive genes… mutant genes… sacred-blood genes…"
He whispered each one slowly.
Levels of power.
Levels of evolution.
Each step harder than the last.
Each step requiring more risk.
---
"And the limit…"
Sohan's eyes darkened.
"Everyone has a cap."
---
In the beginning, humans could only absorb a limited number of genes at each level.
Even if you hunted endlessly—
Even if you risked your life every day—
Once you reached the cap…
You stopped growing.
---
Unless—
You advanced to the next Sanctuary.
---
Sohan exhaled slowly.
"That's where most people fail."
---
Advancing wasn't easy.
It required perfect gene completion.
Strength.
Luck.
And survival.
---
He leaned his head back against the cold wall.
"But that's not the real problem…"
---
His expression hardened.
"The real problem is randomness."
---
In this world:
- Killing a creature didn't guarantee a gene
- Getting a beast soul was rare
- Growth depended on luck as much as effort
---
"That's why most people stay weak."
---
Sohan closed his eyes.
And then—
A faint sensation stirred inside him.
---
Warm.
Subtle.
Like something flowing beneath his skin.
---
His eyes snapped open.
"…There it is."
---
The Gene Stone.
---
It wasn't visible.
Not physically.
But he could feel it.
A presence inside him.
Dormant.
Waiting.
---
"And my technique…"
---
He raised his hand slowly.
Focused.
---
At first—
Nothing.
---
Then—
A faint shift.
---
Like threads.
Invisible threads.
Moving beneath his skin.
---
Sohan's breathing slowed.
His concentration sharpened.
---
"I can feel it…"
---
The flow of energy.
The structure of something deeper.
Not muscles.
Not blood.
Something else.
---
"Genes…"
---
For a brief moment—
He saw it.
---
A flash.
A pattern.
A structure that made up his very existence.
---
Then—
Pain.
---
"—!"
Sohan gasped as his body trembled violently.
The vision shattered instantly.
The flow disappeared.
---
He collapsed forward, catching himself before hitting the ground.
Sweat dripped from his face.
His breathing turned uneven.
---
"…Too soon."
---
His body wasn't ready.
His control wasn't stable.
---
But that moment—
That brief glimpse—
Was enough.
---
A slow smile formed on his lips.
---
"This changes everything."
---
Others relied on chance.
On luck.
On whatever they could get.
---
But him?
---
"I can see it."
"I can control it."
---
Even if just a little.
Even if only for a moment.
---
That alone—
Was an advantage no one else had.
---
Sohan pushed himself back up, leaning against the wall again.
---
"If I can master this…"
---
His eyes gleamed faintly in the darkness.
---
"I won't just grow stronger…"
---
"I'll choose how I grow."
---
Outside, the slum remained as harsh as ever.
Cold.
Unforgiving.
Unchanging.
---
But inside that broken room—
Something had begun to shift.
---
Not the world.
---
But the one who would rise within it.
---
"In a world ruled by luck…"
"I will create certainty."