Shen Tian gripped the door handle and hesitated.
Okay. Deep breath. The world outside his tiny room wasn't going to bite… well, maybe it would, but he could handle it. Probably. Hopefully.
The silver fox on his shoulder let out a soft snicker, tail flicking like it was already judging his courage.
"Yeah, yeah, I know. I'm pathetic. Thanks for reminding me every two seconds," Shen Tian muttered.
He opened the door.
Immediately, the chaos hit him. Humans with glowing auras were sparring in the streets, energy arcs slicing through the air, and mutated animals—some small, some ridiculously huge—scampered and leaped through the city like it was an obstacle course designed by a sadistic god.
"Ahhhh," Shen Tian groaned, backing into the hallway. "I literally have no idea how anyone survives this."
The fox laughed—or, well, whatever a fox laugh sounded like—and lightly pawed his cheek. 'Relax, human. Look sharp, or you'll be lunch.'
"Thanks, Captain Obvious," he muttered.
Shen Tian took a cautious step outside. The sunlight was bright, but there was an unusual shimmer in the air. Spirit energy was everywhere—he could feel it pulsing, almost like it was judging him personally.
And then it happened.
A mutated rat—or something that probably used to be a rat before Spirit Energy hit it with every possible mutation—lunged at him from a nearby trash pile. Its teeth were too long, its claws too sharp, and its glowing red eyes… well, they glowed.
"Wait—what?!" Shen Tian yelped, tripping over his own feet.
Before he could even think, the silver fox leaped off his shoulder and landed between him and the creature. Its silver fur shimmered like liquid light, and a faint green aura sparkled around it.
The rat froze, clearly not expecting a shoulder demon to have an attitude problem.
"Don't even think about it, furball!" the fox squeaked—or whatever fox sounds counted as speech.
Shen Tian blinked. Did that just… talk?
The rat snarled, then lunged.
The fox flicked its tail, and a small spatial distortion appeared in front of the rat—like a warp in the air—and the creature slammed into it, bouncing backward like it had hit an invisible wall.
Shen Tian stared, slack-jawed. "Okay… yeah. I'm definitely keeping this one."
The fox landed lightly back on his shoulder, tail swishing with obvious pride. 'You're welcome, pathetic human.'
Shen Tian rubbed his forehead. "I swear, if you eat my shoes or steal my lunch later, I'm—"
The fox snickered.
Then Shen Tian felt a strange vibration in his head. The dark halo above him pulsed—stronger this time, swirling faster. Words appeared in his vision, hovering like glowing text from one of those fantasy RPGs he used to play.
[Evolution System Activated]
[Dormant Bloodline Detected: Adaptive Human – Low Tier]
[Combat Experience Points Gained: +3]
[Skill Available: Basic Evasion – Rank 1]
Shen Tian blinked at the floating text. "Wait… what? Did I just… level up by nearly dying to a mutant rat?"
The fox snickered again. 'You're slow, human. Try not to get yourself eaten before you figure it out.'
Shen Tian muttered under his breath. "I hate you already."
He glanced at the rat. It had scampered off, probably reconsidering its life choices. He could see the green numbers floating above his head—combat experience points, bloodline energy… it was all here, telling him he was… progressing. Slowly. Painfully. But progressing.
"Well," he said, taking another deep breath, "I guess this is my life now. Small silver fox, black halo of doom, and apparently… an actual system that rewards me for nearly dying?"
The fox rolled its eyes. 'Welcome to the fun part.'
Shen Tian chuckled despite himself. "Fun, huh? Yeah, that's what everyone says right before they get eaten alive."
He glanced back at the city streets, glowing with energy and chaos. He could feel the pulse of evolution in the air, calling to him. Somewhere out there were stronger humans, mutated beasts, and Danger Zones that he definitely did not want to visit yet.
But one thing was certain: he wasn't going alone.
The silver fox nudged his neck, tail flicking impatiently. 'Move it, human. Adventure waits.'
Shen Tian adjusted his backpack, squared his shoulders, and muttered, "Alright, black halo… silver fox… let's see what the Evolution System has in store for us today."
Outside, the city hummed with danger, opportunity, and chaos. And judging by the way the fox's silver fur shimmered in the sunlight, it was going to make every step… interesting.
And Shen Tian had a sinking feeling… he was going to need all the luck he didn't have.