From what he had learned, Primordial Energy accelerated the evolution of all life. More specifically, plant life, and through consuming these plants, other organisms can share in this evolution.
So that roar…
Silas looked at his attribute for Constitution, which had recovered to 0.9 and his pitiful Level 1 Martial Arts. In his current state, facing a mutated creature would lead to only one outcome: ending up in its belly.
Whilst death wasn't exactly something he was averse to, Silas felt it would be more enjoyable to explore this new world first.
Silas rose, discarding the can from his hand.
He rummaged around the ruined supermarket, eventually uncovering a kitchen knife half-buried beneath dust and shattered glass. The blade was dulled and nicked, the kind of tool made for slicing bread rather than spilling blood, but in his hands it was better than nothing.
Ripping off the tag and tightening his grip on the handle, he stumbled across the rubble and clambered onto the ruined streets of Westershire. Wading through desolation, he moved carefully, putting distance between himself and the sound behind him.
As the stones from toppled buildings thinned, Silas was left alone with his thoughts again.
'From what Charon showed me, this rubble should be due to Primordial Energy interfering with the planet, with all continental lands merged into a supercontinent…' He mused, eyes scanning his surroundings before flicking briefly to the amethyst-hued sky.
"But that cannot explain why it's so empty here. Surely everyone couldn't have just evaporated off the face of the Earth?" Silas muttered.
"Hmm?!" He stopped walking.
His gaze fixed on a writhing purple rift ahead.
A Demi-Plane.
The word surfaced in his mind.
A pocket dimension torn open by the Rapture, its contents ranging from twisted fragments of his own world to alien landscapes.
As Silas stared, something within him stirred. Like beyond this veil, something was calling to him. A thrum of curiosity pulsed through Silas. He wanted to see what was inside. He wanted to know what was attracting him there.
After all, what else was there for him to do?
Survival? He wasn't even sure he wanted to live. The world had changed too much for him to find solace in.
Find his family? Absurd. His attachment to them felt faint, almost hollow. If he found them, so be it. If not, it was no great loss to the current him.
His lips curled into a smirk as he sauntered toward the rift.
Silas reached out, brushing his hand across the tear in space as a chill gnawed at his skin. His palm tingled as it touched a surface that wasn't quite liquid, nor solid—something else…
Then, without a second thought, he stepped through the portal.
A blinding light glared down at Silas, forcing him to raise an arm and shield his eyes with his hand. Through the cracks between his fingers, he slowly adjusted to the brilliance, lowering his hand only when the white haze began to fade.
When his vision cleared, he found himself standing amidst a vast primordial forest. Colossal trees stretched skyward like ancient titans, their trunks wider than houses, as what seemed to be the sun hung in the sky, illuminating the vast space.
"Interesting…" Silas mumbled, scanning the endless canopy. "I'm no plant biologist, but these trees seem rather unfamiliar."
RAAAGH—RRRUUURRHH—KRRRROAARRHHH!
A cacophony of roars erupted in the distance, dozens upon dozens overlapping into a deafening chorus. The sound shook the ground beneath his boots, his bones tingling as the vibration coursed through them.
Silas' eyes lit up, his grip tightening around the knife's handle. The thrill of danger, and perhaps discovery, ignited a spark in his chest.
Keeping low, he skulked forward through the undergrowth. His boots crunched softly against strange ferns and roots that twisted like serpents across the ground.
Soon, the forest thinned, and he emerged at the edge of a wide clearing.
At its centre towered a tree unlike any other, so massive it dwarfed all those around it, its bark dark as obsidian and its branches stretching outward like the ribs of some colossal beast. Around its colossal roots, a congregation of creatures stirred.
Silas froze, his eyes widening with a mix of awe and curiosity.
They were beasts, but none he could recognise. Some resembled animals from Earth, yet resemblance was all they had.
Some had fangs too long for their mouths, claws like spears, wings sprouting from hunched backs. Others looked wholly alien: insectoid hulks with armoured shells, serpentine creatures with glimmering scales, hulking quadrupeds with bone ridges jutting from their hides.
And yet, they all gathered in silence now, their countless eyes fixed on the great tree as though it were the heart of their world.
As Silas stared at the single golden fruit swaying gently on the ancient tree, a metallic chime rang in his head.
[Beep!]
[Eye of Omniscience Activated!]
[Scanning…!]
[Illusory Heart Fruit]
[Description: A fruit found on the rare Thousand Soul Tree, native to Dimension #105838. Formed under prolonged exposure to Primordial Energy, it enhances physical fitness and carries the chance of awakening the ability to create and manipulate illusions.]
[Note: Users can consume it even after awakening their ability to increase physical fitness.]
[Thousand Soul Tree]
[Description: A tree bathed in the blood and souls of the fallen. Long-term exposure to Primordial Energy has caused it to mutate and bear fruit every 10 years.]
Silas' gaze burned with hunger as the text flickered before his eyes.
Increase fitness? Awaken abilities?
For the first time in a long while, he felt glad that he had indulged his curiosity and stepped into this Demi-Plane.
But a problem quickly soured his triumph.
'How am I going to take it…?' His teeth worried at his lip, frustration marring his features. The fruit hung within reach of sight, yet an impassable wall stood between him and it.
RAAARGH!
Another roar then sounded, dragging him from his thoughts as the entire horde fell silent.
From between the shadowed treeline, a massive figure lumbered forward.
It was a deer. However, it differed greatly from any typical deer. Its body was stalwart, easily three times Silas' height. Gigantic antlers stretched skyward, jagged and spiked like a crown of bone forged for slaughter. Crimson lines, glowing faintly as though carved by molten veins, webbed across its blackened hide.
Its baleful, red eyes, gleaming with a feral intelligence, swept over the beasts gathered around the tree.
[Beep!]
[Earthbound Deer (Aberrant)]
[Description: What was once a mere deer mutated under the exposure to Primordial Energy. However, there is more than meets the eye when it comes to this beast.]
'Aberrant?' Silas raised a brow at the new term, yet as Charon beeped again, he refocused his thoughts.
[New Mission Generated]
[Mission: Anomaly]
[Description: An unknown anomaly has descended upon your natal planet, causing animals to mutate on a path contrary to evolution fostered by Primordial Energy. Please kill it to discover what secrets lie within it.]
Reward: [Skill Unlocked—Raging Thunder Fist]
With a soft click of his tongue, Silas stared at the glowing notification hanging before him.
His eyes lingered on the reward. If his hunch was correct, it might finally let him live out the childish fantasies he had once dreamed of.
But the chorus of growls rumbling around him reminded him: nothing here would be so easily won.
With narrowed eyes, Silas activated the Eye of Omniscience. Strange names flickered across his vision as it tagged the flora around him:
Starpetal Herb
Crimsondew Bulb
Moonveil Lotus
Ashmire Root
Sunspine Pod
Finally, his gaze settled on a tree nearby. It wasn't as tall as the colossal Thousand Soul Tree, but still towered over him, its bark dark and smooth, its branches heavy with dozens of bulbous purple fruits.
[Name: Aetherplum (Unripe)]
[Description: A fruit with a sweet, mellow taste. Consistent consumption enhances the consumer's physical fitness. However, unripe Aetherplums possess a bitter, astringent tang, their scent warding off animals and agitating those who inhale it.]
Silas' eyes brightened.
This was the one.
With quiet grace, he skimmed across the forest floor before holding the knife between his teeth and scaling the trunk until he perched on a thick branch halfway up.
As he pushed away a few meddling branches, he soon had a clear view of the clearing below.
Before him, the beasts had already thrown themselves into carnage.
Brawl was far too tame a word to describe the scene—it was a slaughter.
Claws scythed through flesh. Jaws snapped bones like dry twigs. Crimson blood spattered the roots and trunks like some grotesque paint.
The clearing became a battlefield of monsters unleashing their frenzy. Some exhaled gouts of fire that turned foliage into ash.
Others spat globs of corrosive acid that melted through hide and bone alike. Jagged spikes of ice erupted from the ground, impaling shrieking beasts.
Lightning crackled between scaled horns, arcing wildly. Winds howled into cutting blades, stripping bark and skin alike.
And at the centre of it all was the Earthbound Deer.
Its massive antlers swung like scythes, gouging through anything that came close. With every stomp, jagged pikes of stone shot from the earth, skewering its foes at a distance. The glowing crimson lines along its hide pulsed brighter with each kill, its entire body drenched in a coat of blood and soil that made its form seem even blacker, more monstrous.
The battle raged on, beasts tearing at one another with desperation and savagery until their screams grew ragged, until their numbers thinned. One by one, they fell, ripped to shreds, trampled, or broken, until only one figure remained.
The Earthbound Deer stood triumphant, chest heaving, standing atop a mound of mangled corpses. Blood dripped from its antlers, pooling into the soil below. The air was thick with copper and death, silence returning slowly as the last echoes of violence faded.
Then it lifted its massive head and let loose a scream.
SKRRAAAAOOOOHHHRRR!
The sound split the forest, causing all those who heard it to tremble.
However, Silas remained unperturbed as he plucked Aetherplums from the branch beside him, the faintest smirk tugging at his lips.
Then, without a moment's notice, he hurled the fruit forth. And then another. And then, another.
Splat!
Splat!
Soon, the Earthbound Deer found itself surrounded by the bitter stench of smashed Aetherplum. The beast roared, thrashing its limbs about in an attempt to escape the frustrating odour. Despite this, the cloying stench remained, gnawing at its senses.
Its furious roars grew weaker, cracking at the edges. The once-blazing lines dimmed to a dull glow, its massive chest heaving under the strain of each breath. At last, with a grudging toss of its antlers, the beast turned away from the Thousand Soul Tree.
Snarling, it strutted off into the shadows of the primaeval forest. Its strides were heavy, reluctant, every stomp a promise of violence held back only by discomfort.
Silas watched in silence, eyes following the deer's retreating form. Only when it disappeared behind the dark treeline did he shift, fingers tightening on the last fruit in his hand.
He exhaled slowly, then lowered himself branch by branch until his boots kissed the earth.
Without hesitation, he broke into a sprint. The massive, blackened trunk of the Thousand Soul Tree loomed before him, its roots rising like ramparts. His fingers scraped bark as he leapt, scrambling upward, each movement desperate but precise.
But then—
"SKRRAAAAOOOOHHHRRR!"
The roar shattered the silence.
Silas' blood rushed through his body. His heart thundering in his chest.
With a backward glance, he made eyes with the wrathful Earthbound Deer. Its hooves hammered against the ground as it charged, antlers lowered like spears.
Jagged pikes of stone erupted in its wake, stabbing skyward in violent succession, turning the earth into a killing field.
Yet instead of fear, a smirk curled onto Silas' lips.
'As expected.' Without hesitation, he wound back his arm and hurled the fruit in his hand—the least ripe of them all, its skin more green than purple.
SPLAT!
The fruit burst apart against the deer's face, its vile odour instantly engulfing the beast. The effect was immediate.
The Earthbound Deer's roar choked into a gurgle as its eyes widened in horror. Its massive form stumbled, legs locking, antlers gouging furrows into the soil as it tried to halt its momentum. The stench overwhelmed it, filling its lungs and nostrils with bitterness sharp enough to sear.
With a final strangled bellow, the beast's knees buckled. It crashed forward, the earth quaking as its colossal body ploughed into the ground, stone spikes collapsing around it in a shower of dirt and rubble.
Silas didn't waste the chance.
His boots pounded against the bark of the Thousand Soul Tree, hands clawing for purchase. He climbed fast, hauling himself up inch by inch, the chaos behind him became nothing more than background noise to the singular goal before his eyes—the golden fruit hanging high above.
Licking his lips, Silas wasted no time, grabbing a fruit and sinking his teeth into it.
Sweetness exploded across his tongue, softened by an undertone of an almost floral nectar. It was like he was biting into a peach glazed with honey. each bite melting in his mouth.
This was it.
His chance to obtain a power that transcended what he once knew.
As the fruit slid deeper into his stomach, Silas felt it unfurl inside him. Streams of warmth coursed through his body, spiralling along his limbs, soaking into bone and marrow.
Charon's voice erupted, lines of text cascading across his mind.
[Host has consumed mutated item—Illusory Heart Fruit]
[Constitution increased by 0.1]
[Constitution increased by 0.1]
[Constitution increased by 0.1]
…
[Talent: Illusion Control—Unlocked!]
[Ability awakening has caused the Host's spirit to change]
[Spirit increased by 0.1]
[Spirit increased by 0.1]
…
Silas narrowed his eyes in satisfaction and pulled up his panel.
Name: Silas
Attributes:
[Constitution: 1.7] [Spirit: 2.3]
Talents:
[Eye of Omniscience] [Soul Absorption] [Illusion Control]
Skills:
[Basic Illusion Control (Lv.1) — A skill granted by host's awakened ability. It can create minor illusions, limited to only vision.]
[Martial Arts (Lv.1)]
…
He flexed his fingers into a fist before unfurling them.
"So I'm now almost twice as strong as the average person…?" He muttered.
Still, strength wasn't what drew his focus.
He looked down at the Earthbound Deer thrashing beneath the branches, foam flecking its mouth, eyes bloodshot with rage. His lips curled into a smirk.
Silas exhaled, and an image bloomed below him. It was him, or rather an illusion of him, stepping out of thin air right in front of the beast.
The deer roared, antlers sweeping violently as it lunged. Its horns tore through the illusion, but found no flesh, only air. It wheeled back, stamping the ground, before charging again. Again, and again, and again. Each time the phantom flickered but never broke, driving the beast into deeper fury.
It rammed trees until bark splintered, hooves gouging the soil into trenches. It gnashed its teeth, snapping at shadows, every muscle trembling with effort. Yet the more it fought, the less strength it had. Its breaths grew ragged, clouds of steam spilling from its nostrils in quick, shallow bursts.
Minutes stretched into hours as the forest echoed with its futile bellows. At last, the Earthbound Deer staggered, knees buckling. One final charge carried it only a few steps before its body crashed against the roots, chest heaving. Its head lolled, antlers digging into the dirt, and with a shuddering groan it collapsed fully.
Seeing this, Silas scurried down the tree, his boots brushing against the bark as he descended. His gaze never left the collapsed behemoth sprawled across the ground, its flanks heaving.
'I need to kill it to complete the mission…' Silas thought, his mind racing.
But how would he?
He couldn't kill it from a distance, and he wouldn't approach the fallen beast. After all, it wasn't dead yet, and Silas didn't want to test his ability to survive being mounted on a pike.
It also wasn't like he could suddenly awaken another ability. He remembered the information he'd been given prior regarding the Rapture: once an individual awakened, they were called an Evolver.
And Evolvers were limited to a single ability, always tied to some product warped by Primordial Energy. No second chances.
That meant he was stuck with the one power. Illusions. Nothing more. No fire, no lightning, no claws. Just false images. Against a monster like this, it seemed laughably inadequate.
But as his eyes lingered on the deer, a thought sparked. His lips curled, faintly, and his eyes gleamed.
He raised his hand. An image flickered to life. There, by the beast's side, stood another him. Knife in hand, his face expressionless.
The illusion lunged forward. The copy of Silas brought the blade down again and again, stabbing deep into the beast's neck, chest, and side. Each strike passed through without harm.
The deer flinched at first, eyes rolling as the shadowy figure butchered it. But when no pain followed, only the repeated vision of the knife sinking into its flesh, it hesitated.
The monster's ragged breathing steadied, and slowly, almost pitifully, it accepted the phantom torment as nothing but another trick.
Silas watched, waiting, repeating the cruel performance until the creature no longer even twitched at the sight of the stabbing silhouette.
That was when Silas moved.
He dismissed the phantom in an instant, replacing it with his real body, knife flashing as he darted in. The blade drove hard into the monster's throat, cutting true this time.
The deer's deep red eyes widened, confusion exploding across them. For the first time, the knife hurt. Blood welled hot and thick around the wound. Its gaze locked on him, disbelief flickering there.
Why had the trick suddenly become real?
Unfortunately, it would never get the answer it sought.
Silas, not wasting time, ripped the knife free and sprang back, retreating several paces in a heartbeat. Another illusion shimmered into existence beside the wounded beast, mimicking his stance.
The deer, with the last of its strength, lunged at the false Silas. Its jaws snapped, hooves pawed weakly, desperate to drag the phantom down with it. But its strength was gone. The attacks grew sluggish, then faltered entirely.
Finally, the creature collapsed, sides heaving once, twice. Its crimson eyes, still fixed on the illusion, burned with unwillingness.
Its eyes never left the phantom. As if it still hoped to tear the thing down with it. However, the light in them soon dimmed. The deer's breathing stilled.
Silas stood in silence, knife slick in his hand, watched the phantom version of himself fade away as he regarded the corpse before him.