The cave was silent, but the Wheel was not.
Ash sat cross-legged beneath the curved stone wall of his new shelter. The fire crackled gently, casting long shadows behind him. The Echo Core, pulsing softly in his hand, had grown warm—an echo of the hunt, of survival, of dominance.
He could feel it now—more than ever.
The Wheel wanted to spin.
[Spin Available: Predator's Tribute Token – Greater Tier]
• Source: Shadow Maw Kill (Solo)• Bound to Soul
[Status: Safe Zone Confirmed – Shelter Integrity: 100%]
[Initiate Spin?]
Y | N
Ash closed his eyes, exhaled, and chose:
Yes
Primordian Wheel — Activation
The air thickened.
Reality bent.
The Primordian Wheel materialized in front of him—not in the physical sense, but something more ancient and layered. A multidimensional presence. Vast. Impossible. Timeless.
It spun without sound, its surface lined with archaic runes and shapes beyond language.
The colors within its orbit blurred: crimson, gold, violet, obsidian.
"Older than Echo. Born before systems. It remembers everything."
Ash felt his chest tighten. His breath was drawn from his lungs, yet he remained calm. It wasn't fear. It was reverence.
The Wheel slowed…
Click. Click. Click.
It stopped on a glyph shaped like a broken fang surrounded by storm rings.
Reward Acquired: Fang of the Ancients (Relic Skill)
[Type: Relic – Bound][Category: Combat / Instinct / Transformation]
— Skill Effect:
• Temporarily channels a primal predator form
• +40% Physical Speed, +25% Reaction Time
• Minor Regeneration
• Attacks apply "Fear Mark" to beasts
[Duration: 90 seconds | Cooldown: 2 days]
[Cannot Be Traded, Shared, or Removed]
— Forged by instinct. Awakened only by the Wheel.
The world noticed.
[System Alert: Anomaly Detected – Originless Skill Acquired]
[Classification: Unrecorded Relic Tier Ability]
[Response: None] The system logs it… but does not understand it.
Ash blinked.
"Even the Echo doesn't know where this came from."
That made it real. The Wheel didn't obey this world's laws.
It stood apart.
Ash stepped outside his shelter.
The air was cool and still. He stood at the tree line, heart steady, gaze firm.
[Activate Skill: Fang of the Ancients?]
Y | N
He whispered, "Yes."
The change was instant.
His vision shifted—brighter, more vivid.
He saw the subtle pulse of Echo veins in the trees,
the heat signatures of rodents beneath the brush.
His heart thundered, steady and strong.
Claws didn't sprout from his hands, but they felt like they could.
His spine tingled with explosive readiness. His breath became silent.
[Relic Skill Active – 89s Remaining]
• Reflexes Sharpened
• Movement Nearly Silent
• Predator Presence: Emitted
[Nearby Beasts: Retreating]
[Passive Effect: Fear Mark Radius – 20 meters]
Ash crouched and dashed forward—fast, fluid, almost gliding between trees. Each motion took less effort. His wounded shoulder didn't even twinge.
This… is what it feels like to be an apex.
As the effect faded, the strength slowly returned to normal.
His breath shortened, pulse calming.
[Skill Ended – Cooldown: 47h 59m]
[Residual Instinct Buff: +5% Awareness for 1h]
He returned to his shelter, climbed atop the stone ledge he called a bed, and let himself feel the warmth of power still thrumming through his limbs.
[Spin Type: Greater Relic]
• Reward: Fang of the Ancients (Skill – Bound)
• Trait Rating: Tier A
[Skill Catalog Updated]
[System Alert: Unclassified Power – Logged as "Myth-Echo Anomaly"]
— Soul has touched something older than rules.
Ash looked down at his hand, then out the cave mouth.
What else lies in that Wheel?And how many spins would it take... before it spins back?