The forest was quiet when the first scream finally broke the dawn.
Seo Hae-jin didn't react. He was sitting upright now, his small back pressed against the trunk of the dead tree. His body was weak, but it didn't matter. His mind was sharp.
Through the Symbol on his palm, he could feel everything.
Ten tiny consciousnesses flickered at the edge of his awareness—his larvae. Each of them moved in a slow, hungry spiral, exploring the underbrush. He could see what they saw, even though they didn't have eyes—vague impressions of heat and movement, vibrations in the soil.
It was enough.
One of them had found something. A rabbit, huddled under a bush. The larva didn't hesitate. It latched onto the animal's throat and bit down.
Warm blood sprayed across the leaves.
The rabbit kicked once, twice. Then it went still.
He could feel the satisfaction of the larva as it began to eat.
> > [Unit Consumed Prey.]
[Growth: +1 Level.]
[Current Level: 2.]
He glanced down at his palm. The Symbol glowed faintly, as if acknowledging the progress.
"Good," he murmured.
His voice was clearer now. Still soft, but no longer weak.
Another scream echoed in the distance, this time sharper, higher. Not an animal. A human voice.
It seemed one of his larvae had found better prey.
He closed his eyes, focusing on the link.
Through the senses of the second larva, he felt the shape of a man—a hunter, judging by the bow and the heavy boots. The larva crawled up the man's leg, moving under the cloth.
For a moment, the man didn't notice. Then he felt the sting.
"What the—?!"
His voice was rough, panicked. He slapped at his thigh, but the larva was already sinking its fangs into flesh. Poison flooded the man's blood.
Seo Hae-jin listened to the confusion and fear without blinking.
This was the same as before. In his old life, he had watched entire cities lose their minds as he marched through the streets. He had never cared then. He didn't care now.
The man tried to run, but his steps grew clumsy.
He fell to one knee, then collapsed face-first into the dirt. His hands twitched. His breath rattled in his throat.
After a few seconds, it stopped.
> > [Unit Consumed Prey.]
[Growth: +1 Level.]
[Current Level: 2.]
Seo Hae-jin exhaled slowly. He felt nothing—no thrill, no pity, no disgust. Just a simple recognition that things were proceeding as they should.
He shifted his gaze to the sky. Pale morning light was starting to seep through the branches overhead.
Somewhere out there, people would notice the hunter hadn't returned. They would send others to look. And they would find nothing but scraps of clothing and a smear of blood.
That was good. He needed them afraid.
He lowered his hand to the dirt. The Symbol pulsed again, waiting for his will.
> > [Available Biomass: 3 Units.]
[Summon Function Ready.]
He considered it for a moment. The larvae were still small. They needed time to grow stronger, to learn how to hunt more dangerous prey. But he could not remain in this hollow forever.
He needed shelter. He needed a proper nest.
And he needed to gather more energy.
He closed his eyes and spoke, his tone calm, like he was stating simple facts to an assistant.
"Recall."
The Symbol glowed. In the shadows, two larvae abandoned their meals. They crawled quickly over roots and stones, returning to the hidden hollow.
When they reached him, he lifted his hand again.
"Storage."
The larvae paused, as if waiting for confirmation. Then they vanished in a faint ripple of darkness.
He could still feel them in the back of his mind, suspended in the space behind the Symbol. Safe. Waiting for orders.
He would release them again when he reached a more useful hunting ground.
Slowly, he shifted his weight. His body was fragile, but it was no longer helpless. The system had begun to strengthen his muscles. He could stand.
Seo Hae-jin rose to his feet and stepped out from under the tree.
The forest around him was alive with the quiet noises of morning—birds calling, insects humming, leaves shivering in the breeze.
He started walking.
Each step left a small, wet footprint on the moss.
His thoughts were clear. This world would fall the same way all others had fallen.
Piece by piece.
Life by life.
It would begin here, with ten larvae and an abandoned child in the forest. But it would end with silence spreading across the stars.
He looked down at his hand, watching the Symbol flicker with hidden energy.
He felt no excitement. No pride.
This was not ambition or revenge.
It was simply the nature of what he was.
A force that devoured.
A predator that could not be stopped.
And as he walked deeper into the trees, he knew that somewhere, the world's heroes still believed their systems would protect them.
They were wrong.