Sleep was impossible....
Every time Ryan closed his eyes, the crimson banner of the Global Warning flashed behind his eyelids.
He turned his head slightly. In the faint, dying glow of the charcoal, he could see the peaceful, sleeping faces of his people.
Elias, his brow furrowed even in sleep. Leo and Sam, young and strong, but completely unprepared for what was coming. Mara and Elara, huddled together for warmth.
He had spent every last point to give them this one night of peace, and it felt like he had only bought them a final, comfortable meal before their execution.
A quiet rustle came from beside him. Elias had shifted, his eyes open and watching the last red embers of the fire. He caught Ryan's gaze and gave a slow, somber nod.
He didn't say anything, but the look in his eyes was clear.
He knew. He knew Ryan was worried, and he shared that burden.
An old saying came to Elias's lips, his voice a low whisper in the dark.
"A red dawn brings a bloody day, my Lord."
Ryan could only nod in return. He sat up, his back against one of the log supports of their lean-to. He reached over and picked up the simple wooden spear he'd set aside for himself.
It felt flimsy in his hands, a glorified sharp stick against a world of frenzied monsters.
He placed it across his lap, his fingers tracing the rough grain of the wood.
His entire strategy, his only sliver of hope, rested on this single object and the one point of Evolutionary Energy he was due to receive in a few hours.
Would it even work?
The talent said he could evolve any aspect of his territory.
Did a simple item purchased from the shop count?
It had to. It was the only chance they had.
He checked the system clock.
Three more hours until sunrise... Three hours until the Calamity....
And, hopefully, three hours until his SSS-Rank talent could finally show its true power.
The hours crawled by, each tick of the clock a step closer to a battle for survival he felt terrifyingly unready for.
The others began to stir as the first, faintest hint of light touched the horizon.
It was a sickly, ominous crimson that bled into the dark sky, casting the entire world in a blood-red tint.
"What… what is that light?" Mara asked, her voice trembling as she sat up, pulling her thin clothes tighter around herself.
Leo and Sam were on their feet, grabbing their axes and staring towards the forest, their youthful confidence replaced by a primal fear.
Just as the full, terrifying reality of the red sky sank in, a familiar, welcome chime sounded in Ryan's mind.
[24 hours have passed. You have received 1 point of Evolutionary Energy!]
There was no time for celebration. No room for doubt.
Ryan's eyes snapped down to the spear in his hands.
Without a single moment of hesitation, he poured his will, his focus, and his single, precious point of energy into the Spear.
Evolve!
A system prompt, crisp and clear, appeared before him.
[1 Evolutionary Energy point detected.]
[Target selected: Basic Wooden Spear.]
[SSS-Rank Talent 'Infinite Territory Evolution' activated!]
[Beginning evolution… Success!!]
The light was followed by a low hum, a sound of pure power that vibrated through Ryan's hands and up his arms.
When the light faded, the object he held was no longer a simple wooden spear.
The shaft was now a deep, obsidian black, smooth and cool to the touch, yet impossibly hard.
The tip had transformed from sharpened wood into a wicked, leaf-shaped blade of dark, crimson metal that seemed to drink the red light from the sky. Tied just below the spearhead was a strip of blood-red cloth that fluttered gently in the morning breeze, as if it were alive.
Before he could even examine his new weapon, a majestic chime, far louder than his personal notifications, echoed across the planet.
A golden banner, identical to the one that had announced his gift pack, blazed across the sky for all five thousand Lords to see.
[GLOBAL ANNOUNCEMENT!]
[Congratulations to Lord 'Ryan' for being the first to craft a Level 2 Weapon!]
[Your ingenuity in the face of disaster is an inspiration to all!]
[Reward: Territory-wide 'Clarity' buff. For the next 24 hours, all citizens in your territory will have enhanced focus and resistance to fear effects!]
The Global Chat, which had been a torrent of panic, fell silent for a full three seconds before it detonated.
[Kaiser]: "RYAN?! That's the nameless guy! HOW?! A Level 2 weapon already?!"
[MonsterSlayer_69]: "What did he even make?! My A-Rank talent let me craft a 'Jagged Stone Axe' but it's still Level 1!"
[Sunny]: "He got another world-first! And he gave all of us his name! Thank you, Ryan! This buff might save my life!"
Ryan barely noticed.
He was staring at the information panel that had popped up for his new weapon.
[Weapon: Blood Hunter (Level 2)]
[Type: Spear]
[Effect 1: 'Piercing Thorn' - Possesses extreme sharpness, capable of piercing most low-level natural armor.]
[Effect 2: 'Blood Scent' - Inflicts a bleeding effect on targets. The scent of blood slightly invigorates the wielder.]
[Description: A simple spear that thirsted for more. It has taken its first step on an infinite path of evolution!]
It felt… incredible.
The spear was perfectly balanced, an extension of his own arm. I
t hummed with a low, predatory energy that seemed to flow into him, chasing away the last of his fear and replacing it with a cold, sharp focus.
He had the Clarity buff to thank for that, too.
"My Lord… what is that?" Elias asked, his voice filled with awe.
Ryan turned to his people.
Their fear was still there, but it was overshadowed by the shock and wonder on their faces.
The Clarity buff was working.
"It's our hope," Ryan said, his voice firm.
To prove it, he took aim at the thick trunk of the second tree they had felled yesterday.
With a surge of adrenaline, he hurled the Blood Hunter.
It didn't make the clumsy thud of a normal spear.
It flew with a sound like a vicious hiss—FWOOSH—and struck the log dead center.
There was a sharp THUNK, and the spear didn't just stick in the wood.
It punched straight through the meter-thick log, burying its tip in the earth on the other side.
Everyone gasped. A clean hole, perfectly round, had been bored straight through the solid wood.
A slow smile spread across Ryan's face.
This was the power of SSS-Rank. This was the power of evolution!
"Elias, Leo, Sam," he commanded, his voice ringing with newfound authority.
"Sharpen as many stakes as you can from the leftover branches. We'll make a small defensive perimeter. Mara, Elara, keep watch on the forest. Shout if you see anything, no matter how small."
They snapped into action, their movements quick and focused, their morale soaring.
The impossible weapon had given them a future to fight for.
As they worked, Ryan's stomach rumbled. They had no food. "Once the perimeter is set, we need to figure out a food source," he said, mostly to himself, pulling the Blood Hunter from the log.
As if in answer, a high-pitched, guttural shriek tore through the air from the edge of the woods.
They all froze, spinning towards the sound.
A creature had burst from the treeline.
It was a goblin, small and wiry, with sickly green skin.
But it was not like the goblins described in the chat. Its eyes glowed a furious, feral red.
A thick, crimson haze seemed to steam off its body, and a line of drool dripped from its snaggle-toothed jaw. It was frenzied.
It locked its glowing red eyes on them, let out another ear-splitting screech, and charged, its crude stone club held high.
The Calamity had arrived!