Chapter 16 — Growth in Silence
When Seth woke, the sun was already high in the sky, pouring down with a warmth that told him it was well past morning. Afternoon, maybe. He sat still for a moment, back against the cracked wall, eyes half-closed. For once, he didn't move, didn't plan, didn't think about his next hunt.
He just listened.
The soft whistle of the wind. The faint rustle of vines as they crept through broken stone. The distant roars of beasts echoing from the far side of the ruins. None of it was particularly calming, yet for Seth it was the closest he had felt to peace in a long while.
Since waking up in this nightmare, it had been nothing but fighting, killing, running, surviving. This small pause was alien to him, almost indulgent.
His mind drifted, unbidden, to the past—to the boy who was once too weak to stand up for himself, cornered day after day by Sam and the others. The memory made him chuckle, though it carried no humor. If only I could meet him now, Seth thought. Just once. I'd like to see how brave he'd be against me now.
The thought was dark, dangerous, and Seth knew it. He shook his head, forcing the bitterness aside, though not without unease. He was changing. Power, they said, changed people. Now he was starting to believe it.
The old Seth—the powerless one—would have only dreamed of running faster, of escaping longer, of avoiding pain. Not of payback.
He sighed and let the thought slip away. Dwelling on it wouldn't help. What mattered now was progress.
With a flicker of intent, he summoned his panel. The golden interface unfolded before his eyes, clear and crisp. Seth scrolled to the notifications, tallying his gains from the night.
Soul Absorptions:
15 × Level 2
14 × Level 3
3 × Level 4
4 × Level 5
3 × Level 7
2 × Level 8
A harvest richer than any of his daytime hunts. Though the increase in strength was involved, the night was also bountiful. Though it was also a den of predators the likes of which he hadn't seen before. Beasts that felt born for darkness. Nocturnal nightmares.
Still, what caught his attention was something else: no level ones. Not once had he encountered a level one beast aside from the unborn mice. His guess? Only newborns began that weak, climbing quickly the moment they arrived in this world. A curiosity, but not one he planned to waste thought on.
What mattered was the number glowing at the bottom of the panel.
SP: 25.0
Seth couldn't help the grin tugging at his lips. Twenty-five. Enough to push his stats higher. By now he already understood how invaluable these points were—they were the only reason he could fight beasts outside his level. each one a shortcut through what would otherwise take months of cautious, grinding hunts.
"Let's see how far this takes me."
He poured twenty points into his physique and spirit stat, letting the system weave its power through him. His physique ticked to ten. His spirit to nine. Every fiber of muscle, every current of will, felt stronger, sharper, more alive.
His physique had reached the double digits. The number of which was comparable to a level ten beast. The increase was one he very much welcomed.
This was how he would survive where others would fail.
Not repeating yesterday's mistake, Seth pulled out the leftover meat from his pouch and ate in silence. Only once he was done did he turn to the pouch holding the cores.
One by one, he lined them up. He started with the weaker ones—fifteen level twos, each dissolving into faint light. The gain was pitiful. His core stirred but only barely, rising from 6% saturation to 11%. Some of them barely moved the bar at all.
Next came the level threes. These at least made a dent, pushing him to 31%.
The level fives carried him further, the number climbing steadily to 69%. And with a single level seven, it jumped again, landing at 98%—so close to completion, yet frustratingly short.
"Not wasting another high core on this." Seth rose, slipping his sword into hand. A quick hunt was enough to bring down a level four pig-like beast. Its core filled the gap.
Saturation: 100%.
After another round of pain and bliss,
The familiar rush hit him like a wave, his core shuddering as power burned through his veins. His body locked, then loosened. Breath by breath, he broke through.
Core Level: Initiate (Lv. 5)
It wasn't enough. Not yet.
Without hesitation, he pressed onward, feeding his core the higher-ranked treasures he had saved. Two level eights. One more level seven. The light within him swelled, rising dangerously, until saturation filled again.
Once more, Seth let the tide wash over him.
Thirty minutes later, the world snapped into clarity once again. His lungs expelled foul air as if purging weakness from his body. When he opened his eyes, golden light flickered faintly in his vision before fading away.
He called to the system.
The panel responded at once.
With a golden flourish, it appeared before him, waiting to reveal what he had become.