The forest was too quiet.
No chirps. No buzz. Just the distant crunch of something heavy.
Dominic crouched low beneath the moss-covered ridge, breathing slowly, blades drawn, eyes narrowed.
[SCAN COMPLETE – Target Identified]
[Dire-Tier Beast: Razorback Boar]
STR: 20 | AGI: 16 | END: 20 | INT: 10
Status: Aggressive – Tracking Human Scent]
"Let's hope you're dumb and not fast," Dominic muttered.
The Razorback's snout broke through the foliage. Its massive tusks gleamed—long enough to skewer a man in one lunge. Bristles ran down its spine like spiked armor, and its black eyes locked straight toward Dominic's perch.
It snorted. Then charged.
Shit—too soon!
Dominic rolled down the slope just as the boar tore through his former hiding spot, dirt and rock blasting out like shrapnel.
He hit the ground hard and scrambled up, sprinting. "Think, Dominic. You're weaker. You're squishier. But you're faster!"
The boar spun and came at him again, this time weaving like a predator that had fought before.
Dominic ducked under the first pass, then leapt up to strike—
CLANG.
The blade bounced off the boar's side like he'd hit a steel wall.
"Damn it! Too shallow—"
The Razorback caught him with a flick of its tusk and sent him flying. He crashed into a tree with a sickening crack.
Blood dripped from his lip as he staggered up, vision swimming.
"You want blood?" he snarled. "Let's trade."
He sprinted again—toward a narrow ravine. The boar gave chase, steam snorting from its nose, ground thundering beneath its weight.
At the edge of the gulley, Dominic feinted left—then bounced right, using his momentum to flip onto a jutting branch.
The boar didn't stop.
It charged blindly into the dead end, skidding on moss and stone—exposed.
Dominic dropped from above like a hawk, both blades driving down.
One sank into the boar's neck.
The other shattered against its skull.
The beast screamed, flinging him off—but Dominic rolled and landed on all fours, growling.
"You bleed."
He sprinted again, dodging a tusk swipe by inches, then slid beneath the beast, slicing across its inner thigh and underbelly.
Blood gushed.
The Razorback squealed, slowed.
But not beaten.
It rammed a tree to shake off pain, then flung its body at him again—this time with fury.
Dominic faked a stumble.
The boar took the bait—opened its flank.
He shoved both blades deep into its side and held tight.
The Razorback thrashed. Slammed him into a tree. Again. And again.
But he didn't let go.
Even with his stamina draining and bleeding intensifying he didn't let go.
Finally, the beast faltered.
Dominic twisted one blade sideways and pulled.
The Razorback shuddered. Then collapsed with a ground-shaking groan.
Silence.
Then:
[BEAST DEFEATED – Dire Tier]
[Absorption in Progress – 9%]
Dominic dropped to his knees, bloodied, panting, grinning.
"Smell that, assholes."
He spat on the corpse.
"One down…"
He looked up at the trees.
"…many to go."
He sat there, catching his breath, staring at the fading sky through the canopy.
His HUD flickered open.
Name: Dominic Solari
Power Level: Dormant
Stats: STR 17 | AGI 18 | END 18
Absorption:
Feral Tier — 100%
Dire Tier — 9%
Genetic Mutation: ACTIVE
Source: Unknown Energy Signature (ANTIUM)
Effect: Cellular restructuring, neural expansion, removal of potential limiters
Result: Evolution potential increased. External mutation observed. Mutation removed after first evolution.
Excess Stat Points: 0
[ VITALS STABLE ]
Dominic stared at the numbers again.
Eighteen.
I shouldn't be this strong.
Normal humans barely made it past 6 without years of training. Academy cadets in top shape sat around 9. And with a full Feral Tier boost? Maybe 12. Thirteen if they were freaks.
He had hit 15 before even finishing the tier.
Now he was pushing 18 across the board.
It's the mutation… no—
His fingers clenched.
It's Antium.
That word. That impossible power. That remnant spark from another existence.
"Just what are you?" he whispered to the void, "What did you turn me into?"
The silence offered no answer, but the thrum in his veins… that was answer enough.
Power. Potential. Evolution.
Still, raw strength wasn't enough. Not here. Not against beasts that kept growing stronger with each level. The Razorback nearly gutted him. Its hide was thick. Its charge devastating. Its endurance absurd.
Next time… I fight smarter.
He pulled out a scorched notebook from his coat. It had survived the Dormant Realm with him, barely.
He jotted notes down:
Target Weak Points: Boar's jawline and rear legs—less armor.
Lure to choke points: Natural terrain can slow larger beasts.
Smell tactic? Not helpful. Never again.
Control pace—wear them down, conserve energy.
He underlined that last one.
Then paused.
Next beast would be stronger. Dire tier minimum. Probably with agility to match its strength. Maybe even smarter.
He'd need more than luck and brute force.
He'd need every edge he could find.
Dominic tore a small chunk from the boar's hide, skinning part of the meat underneath. Cook fire was risky this deep in wild zones, but raw was worse.
"Time to eat," he muttered. "Grow. Survive."
And soon…
Evolve.
Dominic woke early the next morning, his body stiff but steady. The bruises had faded, and his muscles hummed with subtle energy—not full recovery, but enough to push forward.
He checked his HUD as he crouched beside a trickling stream, rinsing his face.
Name: Dominic Solari
Power Level: Dormant
Stats: STR 17 | AGI 18 | END 18
Absorption:
Feral Tier — 100%
Dire Tier — 9%
Genetic Mutation: ACTIVE
Source: Unknown Energy Signature (ANTIUM)
Effect: Cellular restructuring, neural expansion, removal of potential limiters
Result: Evolution potential increased. External mutation observed. Mutation removed after first evolution.
Excess Stat Points: 0
[ VITALS: GREEN ]
The HUD dimmed. He stood, scanning the forest for signs of movement. The scent of blood and ash still lingered faintly from yesterday's battle, but the breeze carried a new trace—wet fur and rotting leaves.
A Dire creature.
Dominic unsheathed his bone dagger and crept into the underbrush.
After an hour Dominic still crouched low, the jungle pressing in around him. The scent of wet bark and iron-tainted air mingled on the breeze.
The Dire-Fanged Howler stalked the clearing just ahead, its elongated limbs making it eerily silent. Every movement was deliberate. Its silver-gray fur clung to lean muscle, its teeth — long, curved, yellowed — jutted out from a maw twitching with bloodlust.
Dominic narrowed his eyes.
Stats Estimate: STR 16 | AGI 20 | END 17 | INT: 10.
It had him on speed. Maybe even endurance. But its mind? Instinct, not tactics. He could work with that.
He moved in a tight crouch, slipping through brambles and curling under a fallen log. He placed a trap of thorned vines ahead of the clearing—just a trip hazard, enough to stall it.
The beast perked its ears.
Dominic stopped breathing.
It turned slightly, nostrils flaring.
Don't charge… come closer…
One step.
Two.
Snap!
It lunged—but its paw tangled in the thorns, yanking its leg and throwing off its balance.
Dominic exploded forward.
He slashed across the beast's flank, his bone dagger cutting deep. The creature howled, spinning with a sweep of its claws.
Dominic ducked, felt the wind graze his hair, then rolled to the side. A second claw strike slammed down on the dirt beside his head.
Fast… really fast.
He surged to his feet, circling left, then pivoted right—faking out the beast. It lunged again, mouth gaping.
He dove under its jaw and drove the dagger upward.
The blade sank into the roof of its mouth—but not deep enough.
It screamed and headbutted him.
Dominic flew back, hit a tree hard.
Crack.
Ribs?
No time.
The Howler charged—limping but enraged.
Dominic grabbed a rock and threw it into the beast's eye. The impact staggered it for half a second. He rushed, slid under its belly again, this time plunging his blade into its gut, twisting it with both hands.
It spasmed.
Kicked wildly.
One hit clipped his side—pain exploded through his ribs.
He didn't let go.
He climbed its back, grabbed one of its jutting fangs, and ripped it out.
The Howler shrieked.
He plunged the fang into its neck.
Once.
Twice.
A third time.
Blood sprayed across his face.
Finally, it collapsed.
[ABSORPTION SUCCESSFUL]
Dire Tier Essence: +7%
Total: 16%
Dominic dropped to his knees, gasping.
Blood—his and the beast's—pooled at his feet.
Every muscle burned. His ribs throbbed.
Still alive. Still breathing.
The Howler's body slumped, its chest caved in where Dominic's final strike had landed. Blood pooled beneath it, steaming faintly in the cool forest air.
Dominic stood still, chest heaving.
He didn't roar in triumph. He wasn't that kind of hunter.
He just survived.
One down. Dozens to go.
"Slow," he muttered. "But steady."
He unsheathed his bone shard blade and got to work. The beast's upper thigh meat was the cleanest, least corrupted. He carved away muscle and fat, wrapping the slabs in synth-leaf bundles he'd harvested earlier.
When he finished, his arms were heavy, but the habit had settled in: kill, harvest, move.
He retreated under a large moss-covered root nearby and dropped into a seated crouch.
His body ached, but not in ways that worried him. The HUD flickered again as he focused on it.
Name: Dominic Solari
Power Level: Dormant
Stats: STR 17 | AGI 18 | END 18
Absorption:
Feral Tier — 100%
Dire Tier — 16%
Genetic Mutation: ACTIVE
Source: Unknown Energy Signature
Effect: Cellular restructuring, neural expansion, removal of potential limiters
Note: Mutation will deactivate after First Evolution
[VITALS: STABLE]
Why do they have intelligence stat but I don't?
No time for answers.
Instead, he reviewed the battle in silence.
Didn't control the pacing well enough. Let the Howler charge first.
Didn't use the terrain. The root trap he passed earlier could've saved energy.
And the follow-up—sloppy. Could've ended it faster.
He'd need better strategies moving forward. The Dire tier beasts weren't just stronger. They were meaner.
And hungrier.
His eyes flicked up when he heard a faint rustle across the clearing.
Someone was watching him.
From the far tree line, a thin figure emerged. Ragged armor. Bone cleaver strapped to his back.
The man's gaze was fixed on the Howler corpse still bleeding beside .
Then his eyes flicked to Dominic himself.
Dominic
"You're the 'Smelling One,' right?" the man said, with a crooked grin. "Heard you reek of sweat, blood, and luck."
Dominic didn't move.
The man tilted his head. "That Dire Howler yours?"
No answer.
"I'm thinking I take it. Maybe take a piece of you too—"