Amitesh looked at Gauri with wide eyes.
"I… I think I killed one yesterday."
Gauri nodded calmly.
"Yes, you did. But they regenerate fast. Even if a small part remains, they grow back."
She paused for a moment, choosing her words.
"You asked Zoey about them last night. Let me tell you the rest."
She folded her arms.
"The scientists are watching them day and night. They call them human mushrooms."
Gauri exhaled slowly.
"I'm going to get very scientific now."
"Most of them can perform photosynthesis, but they still eat other things. Their cells are a strange mixture—part animal, part plant."
She pointed to a diagram on the table.
"The cells in their head have a cell wall, like plants. But the cells in the stalk and root-like structures don't."
Amitesh frowned.
"So… a virus?"
"No," Gauri said firmly. "Not a virus. Not bacteria either. They're an entirely different species."
"The scientists tried to study their DNA, but without an electron microscope, they failed."
She continued, her voice growing heavier.
"After multiple experiments, they discovered that the mushroom heads reproduce in two ways."
"Asexually—through budding and regeneration."
"And sexually—through spores and seed-like formations. They are monoecious."
Amitesh's throat went dry.
"The real problem," Gauri said, "is their speed."
"They reproduce every twenty-four hours."
She looked straight at him.
"That means in one year… they're three hundred sixty-five generations ahead of us."
Amitesh whispered,
"So their evolution—"
"—is happening faster than we can understand," Gauri finished.
"And that," she said quietly, "is why they scare the hell out of us."
Amitesh took a slow step back, his mind struggling to keep up.
"Three hundred sixty-five generations…" he murmured. "That's not evolution—that's cheating."
Gauri didn't smile.
"So every day," Amitesh continued, rubbing his temples, "they wake up better than the day before?"
"Not better," Gauri said. "Different. Sometimes stronger. Sometimes smarter. Sometimes… wrong."
He looked up sharply.
"Wrong how?"
Gauri hesitated.
"Some generations fail," she said.
"They come out unstable. Aggressive. Those are the ones that attack without reason."
Amitesh clenched his fists.
"The one I killed yesterday—was it one of those?"
Gauri shook her head slowly.
"No. That one was observing you."
The words hit harder than a punch.
"Observing?" Amitesh whispered. "It didn't even have eyes."
"It didn't need them," Gauri replied.
"Their mushroom heads are packed with sensory cells. Light, heat, vibration—sometimes even electrical signals from the brain."
A cold silence settled between them.
Amitesh swallowed.
"So… they know who we are."
"Yes."
"And they remember?"
Gauri met his eyes.
"They don't remember individually. But the species does."
Amitesh laughed once, sharp and humorless.
"So congratulations to me. I just taught an entire species how to die."
Gauri stepped closer.
"Or how to kill."
His smile faded.
"Tell me something," he said quietly. "If they reproduce every day… why haven't they already taken over?"
Gauri's jaw tightened.
"Because they're waiting.For a generation that no longer needs us."
Amitesh's face fell.
"So… we'll die even if we try our hardest."
Gauri looked away.
"Maybe."
He stayed silent for a moment, then frowned.
"Hey. You said they reproduce… but I didn't see any seeds."
Gauri nodded.
"That's because you're not meant to."
"They produce seed pods. When the seed is ready, it's fired at the nearest living creature at a speed of seventy-five to eighty meters per second."
Amitesh's eyes widened.
"Like a bullet…"
"There's another method," Gauri continued. "If a fully grown mushroom head's host body is completely damaged or becomes useless, the mushroom abandons it."
"And then?"
"It searches for a nearby living organism—or a near-dead one—and tries to take it over."
A chill ran down Amitesh's spine.
"Once the seed is injected," Gauri said, "it spreads root-like structures through the body. First the limbs. Then the organs. Finally the brain."
"And after that…"
"They become a mushroom head."
Amitesh's voice dropped.
"How long does it take?"
"For mice—five minutes."
"And for humans?"
Gauri hesitated.
"Thirty minutes."
Amitesh stiffened.
"Wait." He looked straight at her. "How do you know it takes thirty minutes for humans?"
Gauri stayed quiet.
"Don't tell me," Amitesh said slowly, "that you started experimenting on people."
Her jaw tightened.
"We didn't. Never."
"Then how?"
"One soldier," she said quietly. "He was hit by a seed pod. By the time we reached him, ten minutes had already passed."
Her voice lowered.
"Twenty minutes later… he wasn't human anymore."
Amitesh closed his eyes for a second.
"Okay," he said. "I believe you."
He looked toward the containment chamber.
"Then why are you keeping this one alive?"
"For research," Gauri replied without hesitation.
Amitesh shook his head.
"I don't think that's a good idea."
"And why do you think that?" Gauri asked.
He met her eyes.
"Because this mushroom head's power is sound."
Gauri's expression sharpened.
"It can produce vibrations strong enough to shatter glass," Amitesh continued. "If it screams at the wrong frequency, these walls won't matter."
He took a step closer.
"It's better to finish it now—before it decides to evolve."
Silence filled the room.
.
.
.
Gauri POV
Amitesh doesn't understand.
I don't blame him.
When you look at a mushroom head, you see a monster. A mistake that should be erased before it grows smarter than us.
I see something worse.
I see evidence.
The glass hums faintly as it breathes—yes, breathes—low vibrations crawling through the jar like fingertips testing a lock.
He thinks killing it will save us.
He doesn't know that killing it might be exactly what it wants.
The soldier flashes in my mind again.
Ten minutes human.
Twenty minutes screaming.
Thirty minutes silent.
I push the memory down and straighten my shoulders.
"Sound-based resonance," I say aloud, keeping my voice calm. "Yes. I know."
A lie.
We know fragments. Guesses stitched together with fear.
What I don't tell Amitesh is that this one hasn't screamed yet.
Not once.
It learned faster than the others. Too fast. Instead of breaking the glass, it listens. Records. Adjusts.
The first generation attacked walls.
The second attacked people.
This one… waits.
I look at the mushroom head. Its surface pulses gently, like a heartbeat that doesn't belong in any chest. Tiny ridges shift when Amitesh speaks. It reacts to him more than to me.
That worries me.
Because evolution doesn't waste energy on curiosity.
"We're not keeping it alive out of hope," I finally say. "We're keeping it alive
because it hasn't chosen a side yet."
Amitesh thinks silence means weakness.
I know better.
Silence is calculation.
If it wanted to shatter the glass, it would already be dead—or we would be.
The truth I don't say out loud presses against my ribs:
This mushroom head isn't trying to escape.
It's trying to understand us.
And worse—
It's starting with Amitesh.
I take a step closer to the glass, ignoring the way my skin crawls.
Please, I think, not sure who I'm begging.
Don't let this be the generation that learns how to talk back.
.
.
.
Amitesh exhaled.
"Okay. So get back to work. When is that captain of yours coming?"
Gauri answered immediately, "It'll take them two weeks."
Amitesh frowned.
"That's a long time."
"I told them to cover their vehicles with ash from mushroom heads," Gauri said. "But I'm not sure they'll listen."
"They better," Amitesh replied flatly. "Or they'll die."
He glanced back at her.
"Did they say anything else?"
Gauri hesitated.
"About your condition," she said carefully. "They're not happy."
Amitesh raised an eyebrow.
"Let me guess. I'm a liability."
"They didn't use that word."
"But they meant it."
Gauri nodded once.
"They think you're… compromised."
Amitesh laughed under his breath.
"Because I survived."
"Longer than anyone," Gauri said quietly. "And alone. Just how did you even live without getting hurt, Amitesh?"
His smile faded for a fraction of a second.
Oh no. That's the question I fear most.
Amitesh shrugged.
"Well, I'm the luckiest man alive. You said it yourself, didn't you?"
"I did," Gauri replied, unconvinced. "But still—"
Her eyes widened.
Amitesh placed his hand on the glass jar.
Flames crawled over his skin, bright and controlled, licking the surface without burning it.
"What are you doing?" Gauri demanded.
Amitesh didn't look at her.
"Torturing this creature."
The flame intensified, heat warping the air.
Inside the jar, the mushroom head twitched.
A low vibration filled the room.
Not loud.
Not yet.
Gauri's breath caught.
Amitesh leaned closer, his voice calm, almost curious.
"Let's see," he said, "how much pain you need before you scream."
Somewhere deep within the jar, the sound changed—
—not into a shriek, but into a pattern.
And for the first time since containment,
the glass began to sing back.
Amitesh: "Hey… how about I kill it?"
Gauri didn't even look up. "I told you, I need it for research."
I smiled. "Who said I listen to rules?"
My fingers twitched. "I'll kill it anyway."
She turned slowly, eyes sharp. "You—"
Then she stopped. Exhaled.
"Fine," she said coldly. "Do whatever you want."
She walked out, the door slamming behind her hard enough to rattle the shelves.
Well… that went well.
I scratched the back of my head. I think I made her mad. But thank God she left. Now I can finally do what I want.
The room fell quiet—too quiet. Only the faint, wet breathing of the thing inside the container remained.
I opened the lid.
The mushroom head twitched.
I grabbed it. Warm. Soft. It tightened around my fingers, almost like it knew.
"Well," I muttered, lips curling into a grin, "I've been starving since yesterday. So… thanks for the meal."
It screamed.
Not with sound—but with a shudder that traveled up my arm.
I didn't stop.
He devoured it.
The taste was nothing like food. Bitter at first—then strangely sweet, like burnt sugar soaked in metal. The flesh dissolved on his tongue, warm… almost alive.
He wiped his mouth with the back of his hand and laughed softly.
"Not bad for a science experiment."
For a moment, nothing happened.
Then his stomach twisted.
A sharp pain crawled through his veins, spreading fast, like fire under skin. He staggered back, knocking into the table as his vision blurred.
"What the—"
His knees hit the floor.
His heartbeat thundered in his ears, too loud, too fast. Veins on his hands darkened, thin green lines pulsing faintly beneath the skin. He clawed at his chest, gasping.
Images flooded his mind—
sunlight through dense spores,
roots drinking blood from concrete,
voices… whispering without sound.
Not food.
Seed.
He screamed as something inside him shifted.
I slowly stood up.
A faint chime echoed inside my head.
System: All Devour ability used.
Special mushroom consumed.
Body enhancement in progress.
I blinked.
"Well," I muttered, flexing my fingers, "that's good, then."
A strange warmth spread through my limbs—subtle, but undeniable. My muscles felt denser, my breathing steadier, as if my body had quietly crossed an invisible line.
Suddenly, something clicked in my mind.
"Hey, System," I said, frowning. "Didn't you mention something about cultivation?"
The System paused for half a second.
System: Thank God—
Correction. Thank me.
You have finally brought up this topic.
My lips twitched. "Dramatic much?"
System: Now, let us begin.
Sit down. Legs crossed.
Something in its tone told me this wasn't a suggestion.
I obeyed, lowering myself to the floor and crossing my legs. The moment I settled, the strange warmth in my body intensified, pulsing faintly with each heartbeat.
System: Cultivation has different paths and countless levels.
But before power, before techniques, we start with the body.
Words began to form in my vision, one by one, heavy and deliberate.
System: The stages are as follows:
1.Ki Discovered Stage
2.Qi Discovered Stage
3.Skin Tempering
4.Bone Tempering
5.Blood Tempering
6.Body Tempering
7.Tendon Tempering
8.Mind Tempering
9.Soul Tempering
10.Vajra Body
I swallowed.
"That… sounds painful."
System: It is.
A brief pause.
System: You are currently at the Ki Discovered Stage.
Another pause—this one felt judgmental.
System: Very behind.
I sighed, closing my eyes as the warmth deepened, sinking into my bones.
"Well," I said quietly, a crooked smile forming, "everyone has to start somewhere."
Somewhere deep inside me, something stirred—
as if my body itself was listening.
The moment I closed my eyes, the world vanished.
Darkness swallowed everything—then heat.
System: Focus on your breathing.
Inhale.
Exhale.
I did as instructed.
At first, it felt harmless. Warmth flowed through my chest, spreading outward like gentle waves. My heartbeat slowed. My thoughts settled.
Then the warmth sharpened.
It dug into my muscles, threading through them like hot wires.
I hissed, my jaw tightening.
System: Ki has been detected.
Direct it.
"Direct it where?" I growled.
System: Everywhere.
The heat surged.
It crawled beneath my skin, pressing outward, as if something inside me was trying to escape. My pores burned. Sweat burst out instantly, soaking my clothes.
My hands began to tremble.
System: This is the beginning of Skin Tempering.
Your body is impure.
The Ki will burn the impurities away.
"Burn?" I laughed weakly. "That's one way to put it."
The laughter died in my throat.
Pain exploded.
It felt like my skin was being peeled layer by layer—then stitched back together with molten metal. My nerves screamed. I bit down hard enough to taste blood.
My vision flashed white.
I tried to stand.
I failed.
My body slammed back to the floor, muscles locking as if nailed in place.
System: Do not move.
Movement will disrupt circulation and cause tissue collapse.
"…You could've warned me earlier," I rasped.
System: Pain is the warning.
The heat intensified, sinking deeper.
Muscle fibers tore—then reformed. Something snapped inside my forearm, followed instantly by a grinding sensation as it fixed itself.
I screamed.
The sound echoed in the empty room, raw and animal.
System: Bone integrity increasing.
Micro-fractures detected.
Reconstruction in progress.
"That's… not comforting," I gasped.
My bones felt like they were being crushed, ground into powder, then reforged by invisible hands. Each breath scraped my lungs like broken glass.
Time lost meaning.
Seconds stretched into eternity.
At some point, I realized the pain wasn't random—it had rhythm. A cycle. Burn. Break. Heal.
Again.
And again.
System: You are adapting.
My heartbeat thundered, yet my mind—strangely—grew clearer.
I focused on the pain.
Accepted it.
The heat obeyed.
It flowed where I guided it—into my arms, my legs, my spine. Wherever it went, agony followed… but so did strength.
System: Ki circulation stabilized.
Skin Tempering complete.
The pain didn't vanish.
It settled.
Like a beast curling up inside my body, temporarily satisfied.
I collapsed forward, gasping, sweat pooling beneath me.
My skin looked the same.
But when I clenched my fist, the air cracked.
I froze.
Slowly, I pressed my fingers into the floor.
My breath hitched.
"…That's new."
System: Preliminary Body Reinforcement achieved.
Side effects of the consumed mushroom are integrating.
A chill ran down my spine.
"Side effects?"
The System paused.
System: You will discover them soon.
I laughed hoarsely, dragging myself upright.
"Well," I said, wiping blood from my lip, "next time… remind me to eat dessert first."
Deep inside my chest, something pulsed—alive, hungry, waiting.
And I knew.
This was only the beginning.
I barely had time to breathe before the warmth inside me changed.
It wasn't heat anymore.
It was… growth.
Something wriggled beneath my skin.
I froze.
"…System," I said slowly, dread creeping into my voice. "Tell me that's normal."
The System was silent for a moment.
Too long.
System: Normal is a flexible concept.
My stomach clenched. "That's not an answer."
System: Side effects of consuming a Special Regenerative Mushroom Entity are now manifesting.
Congratulations.
Pain returned—different this time.
Sharper.
Localized.
My ribs shifted.
I screamed as something pressed outward from inside my chest, stretching muscle and skin like wet leather. Veins darkened, branching unnaturally across my arms.
My heartbeat doubled.
Then tripled.
System: The mushroom was not fully digested.
It was assimilated.
"…Assimilated?" I choked.
A wet pulse answered me—from inside my body.
I gagged as a foreign sensation bloomed in my throat. Not nausea. Not hunger.
Rooting.
System: The entity possessed advanced regeneration and adaptive cellular division.
Your body found it… compatible.
"That's not good," I whispered.
System: On the contrary.
It is very good.
The pain surged again—this time crawling along my spine. I felt something unfold there, like invisible tendrils spreading, anchoring themselves deep into my nervous
system.
My vision flickered.
System: Warning.
Standard cultivation path compromised.
A cold smile tugged at my lips despite the agony. "Compromised how?"
System: You no longer qualify for orthodox cultivation.
The words settled heavily.
System: Unlocking new path.
The air around me thickened.
System: Twisted Path Detected
▶ Devourer Cultivation
▶ Regenerative Body Tempering
▶ Parasitic Ki Circulation
My bones cracked loudly.
Not breaking—reshaping.
My shoulders widened. My spine lengthened slightly, vertebrae grinding as new structures formed between them. Under my skin, faint patterns—vein-like lines that pulsed slowly, rhythmically.
Like my body was breathing.
I screamed again, but this time… part of me enjoyed it.
System: Initiating next stage.
Qi Discovered Stage — Mutated Variant
My lungs burned.
Air rushed in on its own, pulled by something deeper than instinct. Qi flooded me—not gently, not evenly—but violently, like a storm forced into a fragile vessel.
My skin split in places.
Then sealed.
Split again.
Then sealed faster.
Dark, viscous fluid leaked from my pores before being reabsorbed.
System: Skin Tempering has evolved.
New designation: Living Skin Layer
"Living…?" I laughed hoarsely. "You're joking."
System: I do not joke.
I observe.
Something brushed against my ribs from the inside.
I felt it thinking.
A whisper slid through my mind—not words, not sound—just intent.
Eat. Grow. Endure.
My eyes snapped open.
The room looked wrong.
Too sharp. Too detailed. I could see dust floating in the air… and beneath it, faint trails of energy leading back to me.
Everything looked edible.
I clutched my chest, breathing hard.
"What did you turn me into?"
The System answered calmly—almost kindly.
System: I did not turn you into anything.
You chose to eat it.
A pause.
System: And it chose you back.
Inside me, the mushroom pulsed again.
Stronger.
Hungry.
And deep in my bones, I realized the truth—
This cultivation path wouldn't make me a hero.
It wouldn't even make me human for long.
But it would make me unstoppable.
My breath grew heavy, each inhale scraping my lungs like they were filled with broken glass.
Before I could steady myself—
The door burst open.
"Amitesh!"
Gauri rushed in, her eyes wide. Behind her stood Priyanka, her face mirroring the same worry, lips pressed tight as she scanned me from head to toe.
"Are you okay?" Gauri asked urgently.
I forced myself to straighten, wiping the sweat from my forehead. "It's nothing. I just… tried cultivation."
Gauri frowned. "But you were screaming. It shouldn't be that painful."
I froze.
"…Huh?"
What is this woman saying?
That was the most painful thing I've ever experienced.
Before I could respond, the familiar voice echoed in my mind.
System: She—
Correction. Women—
have a naturally higher affinity for Ki circulation. The pain threshold during early cultivation is significantly lower for them.
My eye twitched.
"…That's unfair."
System: Life is unfair.
A pause, deliberate.
System: And on top of that, Gauri is exceptionally talented.
I glanced at her. She stood there calmly, barely even sweating, as if cultivation was little more than stretching for her.
That hurt more than the tempering.
"And me?" I muttered internally. "What about my talent?"
System: You are talented in a different direction.
The words carried weight.
System: You possess high compatibility with Mana.
My stomach sank.
"That doesn't sound reassuring."
System: It shouldn't be.
Gauri stepped closer, her eyes narrowing slightly as she studied me. "Your aura feels… strange," she said slowly. "Rough. Twisted."
Priyanka shivered. "It's giving me goosebumps."
I laughed awkwardly. "Guess I overdid it."
Gauri didn't laugh back.
"Amitesh," she said quietly, "what exactly did you cultivate?"
Inside my chest, something pulsed—once, twice—like a heartbeat that wasn't entirely mine.
I swallowed.
"Just… the basics," I lied.
The System spoke again, its tone almost amused.
System: Lying detected.
Side effects: increasing.
Recommendation: avoid prolonged eye contact.
Your pupils are starting to adapt.
My vision sharpened suddenly.
Too sharp.
I could see the faint glow of Ki circulating beneath Gauri's skin… and something darker, deeper, moving inside myself in response.
Hungry.
I stepped back instinctively.
"I'm fine," I said quickly. "Really."
Gauri wasn't convinced.
And deep down, neither was I.
Because for the first time since the pain began—
I realized something terrifying.
The cultivation wasn't hurting anymore.
It was waiting.
.
.
.
Priyanka's POV
The air felt wrong.
Not heavy—tight.
Like the moment before a storm breaks.
I hugged my arms without realizing it. The hairs on my skin stood up the instant I saw Amitesh's eyes. They were darker than usual. Sharper. Like he was focusing on something behind us instead of us.
I swallowed.
"Gauri…" I whispered. "Do you feel that?"
She nodded without looking away from him.
That scared me.
I couldn't see Ki like she could—not clearly—but I could feel intent. And whatever was clinging to Amitesh felt… curious.
Evaluating.
Like we had just walked into its territory.
When he laughed, it sounded wrong. Too calm. Too controlled for someone who had been screaming minutes ago.
"I'm fine," he said.
But his heartbeat said otherwise.
I could hear it.
Too fast. Too strong.
And underneath it—another rhythm.
Slow.
Patient.
Waiting.
I took a step back without thinking.
Gauri noticed.
Her jaw tightened.
"Amitesh," she said quietly, "your aura feels twisted."
His smile faltered—just a little.
That's when I knew.
He didn't even realize it yet.
Whatever he had done during
cultivation—it wasn't a mistake.
It was a choice.
And something had answered.
I met Gauri's eyes.
We were thinking the same thing.
This isn't normal cultivation.
This isn't even human cultivation.
And as Amitesh stood there, pretending everything was fine, I felt a chill crawl down my spine—
Because the thing inside him wasn't hostile.
Not yet.
It was just learning.
.
.
.
"Amitesh, let's go outside," Gauri said suddenly. "I'm tired."
I didn't argue.
I slipped past them and stepped out of the room. The door closed behind us, and cool air brushed against my skin. I inhaled deeply.
Relief.
The kind that came only when walls—and questions—were left behind.
For a moment, I just stood there, letting the air wash over me, calming the restless pulse inside my chest.
Nearby, Zoey stretched her arms, rolling her shoulders tiredly.
"My shift is over," she said. "Who's taking the next patrol?"
"I will," Gauri replied without hesitation.
Then she paused.
Her gaze flicked toward me—sharp, thoughtful.
"Big sis," she added, turning to Zoey, "can you train Amitesh?"
Zoey blinked. "Train him for what, exactly?"
Gauri hesitated. Just for a second—but I caught it.
"I don't know," she admitted. "He just started cultivating. He needs to get stronger."
Zoey studied me then—really studied me. Not my face, but my posture. My breathing. The way I stood a little too still.
She sighed.
"…Alright," she said at last. "Fine."
Inside me, something stirred.
Not excitement.
Anticipation.
The System's voice murmured softly in the back of my mind, almost amused.
System: Physical training under an experienced combatant detected.
Survival probability: uncertain.
Growth potential: significant.
I smiled faintly, staring into the open day.
Training, patrols, cultivation—
Whatever came next…
Something told me this fresh air wouldn't last long.