"Uh? Did I just awaken… a manual? Dual Cultivation? Is that not…?"
Kyle glanced around in bewilderment, only to discover that the floating stone had vanished.
Without warning, his Qi monitor surged erratically to seventy-one percent. Energy coursed violently through him, so overwhelming that his legs gave way beneath him.
It was not painful, but rather… exhilarating.
"Ahhhhhh!"
His vision grew unnaturally sharp, his hearing intensified, and a faint hum resonated within his chest. Kyle's eyes widened in a conflicted blend of fear and exhilaration.
Without a Qi condensation pill—typically used to stabilise the body during sudden surges—he was, in truth, standing on the precipice of death, an inevitable one should the pill remain beyond his reach.
Yet instead of his body beginning to disintegrate, the familiar voice once again echoed in his mind:
***
Name: Clueless
Core Type: Dual Core (Yin/Yang – Adaptive Mutation Variant)
Rank: Tier 1 – Initiate
Primary Element: Adaptive Void
Secondary Element: Evolves with Beast Trait Fusion
Skills: [None]
Vitality: 100%
Stamina: 80%
Spirit Energy: 100%
Beast Traits: [Empty]
Bond Links: [0]
Items: [None]
Cultivation Stage: Foundation Purification – Stage 1
Mutation Sync Rate: 0%
***
As the voice of the manual resurfaced, Kyle's entire body was instantly drenched in sweat. An intense, invasive pain coiled through him, quickening his heartbeat and clouding his senses.
His head throbbed violently from the abrupt breakthrough into the [Foundation Purification] stage—a process that should have required precise sequences. His body could not withstand the surge, the sensation shifting in an instant from exhilaration to agony.
Clutching at his hair like a madman, tears streamed down his face as he writhed upon the ground. The pain escalated swiftly into a searing heat.
***
[Qi Condensation Pill is required]
[Danger level]: 78%
[Temporarily purging impure energy for 48 hours until pill is consumed]
[Penalty after the time limit expires]: Death
***
A wave of cool air swept through him, purifying both his inner and outer body, sending a rush of pleasure through every fibre of his being within seconds. His eyes brightened with relief.
Expecting calamity to strike again, Kyle immediately rose to his feet and began edging away from the spot, sweat still tracing down his face. Turning to make his escape from the mall, he was met instead by an unwelcome arrival.
...It was the very same Spineback Boar that had overrun his base only recently. His eyes narrowed, his expression twisting with rage.
'You have got to be bloody joking. Is this cursed beast following me or what?' he swore inwardly.
Obviously, panicking and acting on impulse now would only hasten his death. Yet he had no idea what to do.
Remaining frozen in fear was no option either.
Two troubling questions pressed heavily upon him.
First was why he had awakened a dual cultivation manual — one that even bore a beast affinity — which was entirely unheard of.
Secondly, how had his Qi surged past the sixty percent threshold for awakening, climbing to seventy-one percent?
That spike led inevitably to the next issue: where in this wretched world could he obtain a Qi Condensation Pill?
He knew the answer, but the cost was far beyond his means.
And now the most immediate problem loomed before him — the beast itself. He was left with a single decision: stand and fight, or flee like a coward.
The creature, sniffing along the ground, suddenly lifted its head when the sweet scent of human flesh reached its nostrils. Its sunken crimson eyes locked onto Kyle, who stood before it with a grimace.
"Fuck this," he snarled, clenching his fists and bending his knees in readiness.
***
Kyle sprinted through the streets with the beast in relentless pursuit. His speed was shockingly greater than before, a fact he could not help but register. The widening gap between him and the creature was nothing short of astonishing.
Yet the beast refused to relent, its fixation on feasting upon him unshaken. As he ran, Kyle began rapidly formulating a plan to rid himself of his pursuer.
Casting quick glances to either side, he spotted a damaged three-storey building. He veered sharply towards it, darted inside, and ascended to the second floor. The beast thundered after him, its roar echoing through the hollow structure—a sound that would inevitably draw others of its kind.
"Goddammit! Keep the noise down, you cursed monstrosity!" he snapped.
Kyle reached the top floor and shoved the door open, only to be met with a dead end—the rooftop of the building. He edged towards the parapet, muttering a curse; a jump from this height would be certain death, especially towards the jagged iron rods jutting out from the building's side.
A glance over his shoulder sent a chill crawling across his skin and into his thoughts. The beast entered with the slow, deliberate poise of a predator, claws extended and spines bristling.
"Well… let us play a game of death," Kyle murmured under his breath, his gaze fixed intently on the creature. Fear lingered just beneath that stare, though he kept it buried.
Given the creature's typical stupidity, even when facing mortal peril, eliminating it without engaging directly would not be impossible.
On the other hand, he considered himself something of a survivalist—one who had endured the streets for quite some time… entirely on his own, of course.
And he certainly had not been cast out of a team for being too feeble or squeamish over ordinary insects.
A grin tugged at his lips as the beast roared and lunged, its spines thrust forward, aimed directly at him.
Without a moment's hesitation, Kyle hurled himself from the building, and the creature followed in blind pursuit.
'If this fails… then to hell with this world.'