The forest had gone silent.
Adrian stood still, gripping the baseball bat with one hand and the knife with the other.
Moments ago the forest was full of insects.
Now—
Nothing moved.
No buzzing.
No rustling.
No sound.
Adrian frowned.
"…That's not normal."
A low growl echoed from the trees.
Grrrrrrr…
Adrian slowly turned his head toward the sound.
Branches parted.
Something stepped out.
His pupils shrank.
It was a wolf.
But not a normal one.
The creature stood almost one meter tall, its body covered in dark gray fur streaked with black patterns.
Its eyes glowed faintly yellow.
Long sharp fangs protruded from its mouth.
Most terrifying of all—
Its muscles looked abnormally dense, like coiled steel.
The system responded instantly.
Mutated Creature Detected
Shadow Fang Wolf
Rank: D-Class Mutation
Adrian's heart skipped a beat.
"D-Rank…?"
That was two ranks above the insects he had been farming.
The wolf stared directly at him.
Like a predator evaluating prey.
Adrian swallowed slowly.
"Okay…"
"Now this feels real."
The wolf suddenly crouched.
Its muscles tensed.
Adrian's instincts screamed.
"MOVE!"
The wolf launched forward.
Its speed was terrifying.
In a blink it crossed five meters.
Adrian barely dodged.
WHOOSH
The wolf's claws slashed the air where his chest had been.
Adrian rolled across the ground and jumped up again.
"Too fast!"
The wolf turned and growled again.
Its tail flicked slowly.
It wasn't rushing anymore.
It was hunting.
Adrian tightened his grip on the bat.
"Alright…"
"You want to hunt?"
"Then let's hunt."
First Exchange
The wolf lunged again.
Adrian swung the bat with full force.
BAM
The bat smashed into the wolf's shoulder.
The creature slid backward but didn't fall.
Instead—
It looked annoyed.
Adrian's expression changed.
"That barely did anything…"
The wolf growled louder.
Then it attacked again.
This time Adrian didn't dodge.
He stepped forward.
At the last moment—
He ducked.
The wolf flew over him.
Adrian stabbed upward.
STAB
The knife pierced the wolf's side.
The wolf howled in rage.
ROOOOAR
Its paw slammed into Adrian's chest.
THUD
Adrian flew backward and crashed into the ground.
Pain exploded through his body.
Luckily—
His Radiant Carapace absorbed some of the impact.
"Damn…"
He forced himself up again.
The wolf was bleeding.
But it looked even more dangerous now.
Its eyes glowed brighter.
Adrian wiped blood from his lip.
Then he smiled.
"So you can bleed."
"Good."
The Real Fight
The wolf charged again.
Adrian ran toward a nearby tree.
At the last second he jumped aside.
The wolf smashed directly into the trunk.
CRACK
The tree shook violently.
Before the wolf could recover—
Adrian attacked.
WHAM
The bat smashed into its skull.
The wolf staggered.
Adrian didn't stop.
WHAM
WHAM
WHAM
The third hit broke the bat.
The wooden handle snapped.
Adrian threw it away instantly.
The wolf roared and lunged again.
But this time Adrian was ready.
He stepped forward and drove the knife straight into the wolf's throat.
STAB
The blade sank deep.
Hot blood spilled onto the ground.
The wolf struggled violently for a few seconds.
Then—
It collapsed.
The forest became silent again.
Adrian stood there breathing heavily.
His arms trembled.
"That…"
"…was close."
Then the familiar sound rang again.
DING
Shadow Fang Wolf Killed
+20 Experience Points
Adrian's eyes widened.
"Twenty?!"
Then another notification appeared.
DING
Shadow Fang Wolf Genetic Material Compatible
+5 Gene Points
Adrian laughed breathlessly.
"That's insane…"
He opened the system panel immediately.
System Panel
Host: Adian Ren Carter
Age: 22
Mutation Level: Not Awakened
Gene Ability
Radiant Carapace — Level 1
Available General Experience Points: 48.4
Available Gene Points: 11.1
Available Gene Abilities: 1
Adrian stared at the numbers.
"Eleven gene points…"
"That's enough for real abilities."
But before he could celebrate—
The system panel flickered again.
A new message appeared.
DING
Host has accumulated sufficient Gene Points.
First Gene Evolution Available
Adrian's breathing slowed.
"Evolution…?"
He looked at the dead wolf.
Then at the dark forest.
For the first time—
He realized something terrifying.
If monsters like this already existed…
Then the world outside the city was already changing.
Fast.
Adrian wiped the blood from his knife.
A determined smile appeared on his face.
"Good."
"If the world is evolving…"
"Then I'll evolve faster."
System Status
Host: Adrian Ren Carter
Age: 22
Mutation Level: Not Awakened
Gene Ability
Radiant Carapace — Level 1
Available General Experience Points: 48.4
Available Gene Points: 11.1
Evolution Options: Unlocked