The forest was alive in ways the modern world had long forgotten. My ears caught the scrape of tusks against bark, the guttural calls of predators, and the thunderous pounding of hooves in the distance.
This world was a living buffet of evolution. Every beast was packed with primal vitality, raw energy waiting to be claimed. It was exactly what my body needed.
I crouched low, feeling the ground tremble. Something heavy was moving through the underbrush.
Then I saw it.
A massive elk, its antlers sprawling like twisted trees, emerged into the clearing. Its muscles rippled beneath its hide, every step heavy with power. It was majestic, but to me, it was more than prey.
It was fuel.
I didn't hesitate. One blink and I was gone from where I stood.
The elk bolted instinctively, its hooves tearing up the soil, but there was no outrunning me. In a heartbeat, I was beside it, my hand closing around its antlers.
"Dinner's served."
With a single twist, the elk collapsed, the earth shaking under its fall. Silence reclaimed the forest.
---
Back at the fire, the scent of roasting meat filled the air. I had rubbed the cuts with coarse salt and wild herbs scavenged nearby. Fat sizzled, dripping onto the flames, filling the night with a rich aroma.
I tore off the first piece and bit down.
"…Incredible."
It was tender, juicy, and carried a wild sharpness no modern meat could compare to. But even as I savored it, a deeper process stirred within me.
> "Beelzebub: Gluttonous King—activated. Extraction in progress."
My body vibrated faintly as threads of light unraveled from the elk's essence, pouring into me.
> "Traits acquired: explosive leg strength, wilderness adaptation, cold resistance."
Then came the cool, precise voice of Raphael.
> "Analyzing absorption… efficiency increased by 42%. Reflex optimization suggested. Result: stamina pool expanded by 23%, reflex speed improved by 18%."
I exhaled slowly, flexing my legs. Power thrummed in them like compressed springs. The world felt… lighter.
This was it. The reason I came here.
My evolution was already set, but without energy and nutrition, I'd stalled. Beasts like these, brimming with primal vitality, were the perfect fuel. Every hunt, every feast, would accelerate me toward 6-A—toward the point where a single strike could level continents.
I licked the grease from my fingers, a satisfied smile tugging at my lips.
"The path forward is simple. Hunt. Eat. Evolve."
And then I heard it.
A low, echoing howl rolled through the trees, followed by others in chorus. Deep, guttural, and ancient. It wasn't the call of a lone wolf—it was a pack.
"Dire wolves, huh?" I muttered, standing. "Perfect."
I doused the fire with a kick of dirt and slipped into the darkness. My senses stretched outward, every step silent as I followed the sound.
The howls grew louder, closer. My nose caught the iron tang of blood, sharp and fresh.
When I pushed through the brush, I saw them.
A carcass lay half-torn, steam rising from its exposed flesh. Around it prowled six wolves, each one the size of a horse. Their fur bristled, eyes glowing faintly in the moonlight. Their fangs were long, jagged, made for tearing through mammoth hide.
They were beautiful predators. But tonight, they were mine.
---
The first wolf spotted me. Its growl rumbled low as it crouched, then lunged with terrifying speed.
But to me, it looked slow.
I sidestepped, caught its throat mid-air, and slammed it into the dirt. The ground cracked beneath the impact, its neck snapping instantly.
The pack erupted in snarls and charged.
Claws scraped, fangs flashed—but they couldn't touch me. Every move they made was a page in an open book, every strike anticipated before it even began. I weaved through them, my fists shattering bones, my kicks hurling bodies aside.
In less than a minute, the clearing was silent. Six corpses lay around me, still steaming, their wild energy leaking into the night.
"…Like swatting flies." I sighed, wiping blood off my arm. "Now then—let's eat."
---
The meat was tougher than the elk's, but it carried a dark richness, the taste of a predator. I skewered slabs over the fire, brushing them with a glaze made of rendered fat, wild berries, and herbs.
The smell was intoxicating.
When I bit into the first piece, the flavor burst across my tongue—savage yet satisfying. I chewed slowly, letting the primal energy seep into me.
And then it began.
> "Beelzebub: Gluttonous King—activated. Extracting essence."
"Traits acquired: heightened senses, predatory reflexes, pack coordination instincts."
Light surged through me, and Raphael immediately followed.
> "Analysis complete. Integrating traits. Reflexes improved by 26%. Sensory perception enhanced. Reaction time reduced to 0.003 seconds."
---
The next morning, mist clung to the forest, thick and damp. My enhanced senses picked up the faint rumble of earth with every step—heavy, deliberate, shaking the ground like distant thunder.
I followed it.
Through twisted roots and ancient trees, I found it: a creature so massive it made the elk and wolves look like toys.
A sloth. But not the lazy kind I knew from documentaries. This one was colossal—standing nearly four meters tall, with forearms thick as tree trunks and claws like sickles, each longer than my arm. Its hide was covered in dense, shaggy fur, mottled with scars.
It wasn't fast. But when it moved, the world trembled.
"…A tank on legs," I muttered, grinning. "Let's see how you hold up."
---
The sloth noticed me and roared—not the slow wheeze of modern sloths, but a guttural, primal bellow that shook the canopy. It reared up, towering, and brought one clawed arm down with the weight of a landslide.
I didn't dodge.
I caught it.
The impact cracked the ground beneath my feet, the shockwave rippling outward. My body shook, but I held firm, my grin widening.
"Not bad. But—" I twisted, using its own momentum to hurl the beast across the clearing. It smashed through a tree, the trunk snapping like a twig, before slamming into the dirt.
"—you're not even close."
The sloth staggered, bellowed again, and charged, swinging both arms wildly. Trees toppled like matchsticks, the earth ripping apart under its fury. But compared to me? It was a toddler throwing a tantrum.
I dashed in, weaving through its strikes, and drove my fist into its chest. The sound was like thunder. The beast let out a strangled roar, stumbled, and collapsed to the ground, wheezing.
One more strike shattered its skull. Silence followed.
---
The meat was dense. Heavy with muscle, thick with fat. I carved massive slabs, seasoning them with herbs and salt I'd brought from the market. Slowly, I roasted the meat, letting the fat drip and sizzle.
When I bit into it, my jaw ached at first—but the taste was worth it. Rich. Powerful. Like eating pure strength.
And then—
> "Beelzebub: Predation complete. Extracting essence."
"Traits acquired: dense musculature, enhanced endurance, power stability."
My veins burned as the new power flowed in.
> "Integration complete. Muscle density increased. Physical force output up by 41%. Stamina reserves expanded."
I exhaled, flexing my arms, feeling the sheer solidity of my body. My flesh felt heavier, stronger, unbreakable.
"…Now that's more like it."
I could crush stone with a casual squeeze. My body no longer bent under pressure—it absorbed it.
The wolves had sharpened me. The sloth had hardened me.
And next… came the hunter of hunters.