A deep, thunderous roar shook the ground. Dust exploded in all directions, and a gust of wind from the beast's leap bent trees and sent leaves swirling like a storm. Kang Seung-woo pressed his body against a sloping rock, holding his breath even as his heart pounded like a war drum.
"We have to do something... before it locks onto our energy," he muttered under his breath.
Bellraphine — a creature that had no place in a high school trial — towered like a nightmare. Mutated in form, it resembled a panther encased in thick armor. Its obsidian-black skin gleamed, with energy spikes jutting from its spine and skull in all four directions. Its very breath radiated searing heat, like an industrial furnace.
"I can distort its field for about 3 to 5 seconds," whispered Lee Yeon-ah, clutching her analyzer tightly. Her face was pale, but her gaze held firm.
Seung-woo met her eyes. "Is that enough for me to reach its head?"
"If you're fast enough... yes. But it's unnaturally quick."
Another roar echoed. Bellraphine bounded across a small stream, landing less than twenty meters from where they hid. Seung-woo inhaled sharply. His fingers gripped the hilt of his energy blade. Power stirred within, his bio-electric waves pulsing stronger along his nerves.
"Just one opening..."
Fwoom! A low-impact energy burst radiated from Lee Yeon-ah, releasing a ripple of distortion.
"Now!" she shouted.
Seung-woo launched from his hiding spot. The earth cracked beneath his feet as his speed surged — so fast it surprised even him. His body tapped into gravitational manipulation instinctively, a short-range burst that flung him forward with unnatural force.
He closed the distance in an instant. Bellraphine flinched, its protective field distorting for just a blink. Its head jerked, registering the threat.
"Faster... just a little faster!"
The beast roared in retaliation, a swipe of its claws slicing through the air. Seung-woo ducked low—
Slash! The energy blade tore across its hind leg, causing the monster to stumble. But before he could regain his footing, Bellraphine lashed out wildly, leaping with fury. Seung-woo barely dodged, but the force of its claw sent him flying, slamming into a tree.
Thud! Bones rattled. He bit down, ears ringing, vision spinning.
"Just a graze... and it hit that hard? If it had landed clean—I'd be crushed."
He forced himself to stand. Bellraphine roared again — not out of rage, but transformation. Its red eyes lit up. Glowing energy lines rippled down its spine in a rapid pulse.
"It's accelerating its bio-waves..." Yeon-ah gasped, frantically tapping her device. "It's reached Tier 3 levels?!"
Before she could finish, Bellraphine slammed the ground, knocking trees down like matchsticks. Seung-woo rolled to dodge — but not fast enough.
Thunk! An energy spike from the beast's head impaled his left shoulder.
Blood sprayed. He dropped to one knee.
Then...
[Evolution System reacting to critical trauma] [Activating Emergency Stabilization Protocol]
Heat radiated from his chest. The veins around the wound darkened, then solidified — sealing the injury instantly. He didn't understand how, but the pain subsided dramatically.
His right hand still clutched the blade. His vision blurred.
"Emergency evolution...? It's... working on its own...?"
Yeon-ah rushed to him. A signal transmitted directly to his ear through a private frequency.
"Its back! The central antenna is releasing unstable interference — that's its power node!"
Seung-woo clenched his teeth. Blood dripped down his face, but his vision sharpened.
"One chance... everything on the line."
He rose, blood soaking his side. The gravitational force within him spun again — stronger this time. The world slowed. Air turned thick. The enemy's form "magnified" in his vision, revealing its internal energy structure.
"There it is..."
He darted forward, silent as shadow. Everything else blurred into the background.
CRACK! His blade cleaved through the energy node at the center of Bellraphine's back. The snap echoed like thunder. The creature shrieked as its bio-waves destabilized. Energy erupted uncontrollably. Its body convulsed, rocketing into the air — then slammed to the earth.
BOOM! The shockwave flung Seung-woo into a nearby boulder. Light consumed his vision.
Pain surged. Heat burst from his chest.
[Evolution System: Unlock Successful] [Core Energy Units Collected: 3 – High Tier] [Evolution Rank: D+] [New Skill Acquired: "Hyper Instinct" – Temporarily activates advanced combat instincts in life-or-death scenarios] [Passive Ability: Perceive bio-energy structures of lower-tier lifeforms]
Seung-woo panted, aching all over. But he was conscious.
Yeon-ah knelt beside him, tears in her eyes. She gripped his arm tightly.
"You almost died, you idiot!"
She pressed her forehead to his arm.
Seung-woo forced a grin. "But... I didn't, right?"
She shook her head and let out a broken laugh. "You're insane..."
A ping from her analyzer interrupted.
[Field Mission Update: Successfully acquired Core Unit of Tier 2.5 or higher] [Candidate Score – Kang Seung-woo: Ranked #1]
They fell into silence. Leaves rustled in the wind as if the world had just resumed its spin.
But before they could speak again...
Tick...
A soft alert from Yeon-ah's scanner. She narrowed her eyes.
[Detected bio-wave tremor of Tier 3.5 level southwest of current location] [Source unidentified – signature exhibits hybrid bio-tech composition]
She glanced at the sky—
Above them, the clouds began to spiral.
A cold shiver crawled down Seung-woo's neck. A whisper returned to his mind — this time, deeper.
Not just words... but something primal, something buried within instinct.
"Not yet... your blood hasn't burned hot enough to reclaim what I left behind..."
His eyes widened. A chill raced down his spine.
That voice—wasn't a machine. Nor a biological signal. It was... human, but more.
It was like a remnant of something forgotten by time.
"Keep walking, heir... your evolution is far from complete."
He couldn't explain who or what the voice was.
But his heartbeat aligned with its call.
As if... he wasn't just a student in a battlefield—
But someone chosen long ago.
And above them, the clouds continued to spiral.
A new tide was rising... and the next curtain was about to rise.