The sound of blood dripping echoed faintly in Atlas's ears. Each drop struck the cracked floor like the ticking of a clock counting down the seconds of his life. His vision blurred, breath shallow. Pain pulsed through every inch of his broken body as the metallic scent of blood mixed with sweat and dust filled the air. The crowd's roars had faded into distant murmurs—mocking, distorted, and far away. His opponent's laughter was the only sound that cut through the haze.
"You see now?" the man's voice slithered through the silence, mocking him. "This is the difference between an awakened and an unawakened insect like you."
Atlas could barely lift his head. His limbs trembled; his heartbeat slowed. The world dimmed as if the light itself had abandoned him. Somewhere deep inside, buried beneath the pain and despair, something ancient stirred. A whisper—not of comfort, but of hunger—coiled around his fading consciousness.
He blinked once. The laughter distorted, then dissolved into nothing.
Then the world stopped.
The air thickened. Lights flickered. An invisible pressure filled the arena, pressing down on everyone's lungs. Even his opponent hesitated mid-step, a frown carving across his face. Atlas's body twitched, his hand scraping against the bloodstained floor. His heart thudded once—then again, stronger.
A low hum vibrated through the ground.
The crowd gasped. A dark aura, dense and heavy like smoke, began to leak from Atlas's skin. It wasn't mere energy—it felt older, primal, wrong. The shadows around him bent unnaturally, and his own blood rose upward, drawn toward him by an unseen force. The mist coiled around him like sentient darkness, swallowing him whole.
His opponent stepped back, uncertainty flickering in his eyes. "What the hell is this…?"
Atlas's eyes snapped open.
Crimson. Cold. Predatory.
They glowed faintly, slicing through the murk like twin blades in the dark. His breath came out slow, deliberate—too controlled. Every trace of humanity had vanished from his expression. What stood now wasn't Atlas—it was something else wearing his skin.
"Stay back!" the man shouted, his aura flaring in panic. But the moment he moved, the pressure doubled. His knees hit the ground as if the air itself turned to lead. The dark mist condensed behind Atlas like wings of shadow, pulsing with restrained violence.
Then he moved.
No one saw it happen. One instant, Atlas stood still; the next, he was before his opponent. The awakened fighter's eyes widened—then froze—as Atlas's hand clamped around his throat. He struggled, his aura flaring desperately, but it shattered against the oppressive darkness surrounding his foe.
"W–wait—" he gasped.
The air shimmered. The darkness surged. There was no sound—only silence and the faint echo of despair.
When the mist cleared, the man's lifeless body crumpled to the floor, eyes wide, lips parted in disbelief. The life that once burned within them flickered out like a candle in the wind. In those final moments, the horror of realization lingered in his gaze—he had mocked something far beyond his understanding.
Atlas stood motionless. The aura dissolved into the air, leaving only the faint hum of power. Slowly, his crimson eyes dimmed, returning to their usual dull gray. He fell to his knees, barely conscious.
Then, a voice echoed inside his head—cold, mechanical, without emotion.
Lines of glowing text unfolded before his eyes, suspended in the air like divine script.
[CONGRATULATIONS HOST]
[Host have meet the hidden condition to awaken the Primordial system]
[Host has defeated a life form stronger than himself]
[reward available]
[+200exp]
[level up]+5 stat points
[level up]+5 stat points
[NEW QUEST AVAILABLE:SURVIVE THE INCOMING UNSLAUGHT]
[REWARD:5 STATS POINT]
STATS
Strength:15
Agility: 21
Endurance: 12
Luck: Nil
Evolution Points: 1
Stat Points:10
The glow faded, and darkness claimed him.
When Atlas opened his eyes again, he was lying in the ruined ring. The air was heavy with the stench of blood and fear. The crowd stared in stunned silence. Their awe quickly twisted into panic and suspicion.
He quickly dismissed the system interface, although he was confused and eager to view its content he knew now wasn't really the right time. He was elated at the prospect that he as awakened but he snapped out of the thought after sensing several killing intents aimed at him.
"He's a cheater!" someone shouted.
"He's been awakened this whole time!" another screamed.
Atlas blinked, dazed. His hands trembled faintly. He remembered fragments—his opponent's voice, then blackness, then death. He stared at the corpse before him. Confusion stirred, but nothing else. No guilt. No remorse. Just emptiness.
Above the chaos, inside a glass booth, the manager of the Underground Fight Club watched in silence. His cigar burned forgotten between his fingers. "That wasn't supposed to happen," he muttered, voice cold. "He killed my fighter." His gaze hardened. "When he leaves this building… make sure he doesn't leave alive."
Atlas stumbled out through the back corridors of the arena, hood pulled low. The noise behind him faded into the hum of the night city. Questions swirled in his mind—the system, the voice, the power—but before he could think further, a harsh shout cut through the air.
"There he is!"
Two men in black uniforms rushed toward him, bearing the club's insignia. Goons. The manager's dogs. Atlas's pulse quickened. Without thinking, he ran.
Atlas knew he was no match for them , in the arena awakened are bound by rules but outside of the ring they can let loose , the advantage atlas possessed will be insignificant for the current situation.
He darted into an alley, the dim lights flickering above as his boots splashed through shallow puddles. His breath came ragged, his heart pounding—not from fear, but from something else. Adrenaline. His new body felt lighter, stronger, faster. But the footsteps behind him grew louder. He turned a corner—and froze.
A dead end.
A rusted fence blocked the way out. He glanced around, desperate, until his eyes caught a glint beside a trash bin—a blunt, chipped blade. It would have to do.
Then, that mechanical chime returned.
[REWARD AVAILABLE]
Atlas didn't hesitate. "Accept."
His body jolted as the system's words echoed again:
[NEW SKILL DETECTED: BURST]
[SKILL DESCRIPTION: Erupt with a terrifying boost in strength and agility causing immense damage beyond host capability for a limited period of time]
[DURATION:5 SECONDS , COOLDOWN 1 MINUTES]
Heat rushed through his veins. His muscles tightened, his senses sharpened until the world seemed to slow. The two men appeared at the alley's mouth, sneering.
"End of the line, kid."
Atlas didn't move. He waited—silent, motionless—until they were close enough to see the faint crimson flicker in his eyes.
"Burst," he whispered.
The world ignited.
In a blink, he closed the distance, the chipped blade flashing. The first man's guard shattered under the sheer force of Atlas's strike. A dull crack. The man fell before he even realized he'd been hit. The second swung wildly, panic rising, but Atlas moved faster than his eyes could track. One strike. One breath. One death.
Then it was over.
The energy drained from his limbs as the Burst ended, leaving a burning ache deep in his muscles. He dropped the blade, panting, but alive.
By the time he reached his apartment, dawn was already breaking. He leaned against the door, breath shaky, mind still racing. The system's voice returned—calm, merciless.
DING!
[QUEST COMPLETED:+5 STAT POINT]
[NAME: ATLAS CAIN
CLASS:-
BLOODLINE:PRIMORDIAL(1%)
RACE:-
STATS
Strength:15
Agility: 21
Endurance: 12
Luck: Nil
Evolution Points: 1
Stat Points:15
[SYSTEM DESCRIPTION]
[The primordial system grants host the ability to unlock the genetic sequences hidden deep in host bloodline, giving him ability to evolve into different races and acquiring different otherworldly skills]
Atlas stared at the glowing words. Slowly, a grin tugged at his lips. "So that's how it works…"
Panels unfolded before him like ancient runes—each one pulsing faintly with power. As he read through its descriptions, his heartbeat grew heavier.
He could evolve into races long forgotten, gain strength through killing, absorb beast crystals to grow faster than anyone else.
His lips curled into a quiet, unhinged laugh that grew darker with every second. "Heh… this is what it means to awaken."
In the reflection of his window, his eyes flickered crimson again—cold, sharp, predatory.
"No one can know," he murmured. "Not yet."
The light from the system faded, leaving only the boy and his shadow—two predators sharing the same skin.