“Boom!” Wooden planks shattered as Orion Locke and the two deformed cannibals crashed through the cabin floor and dropped into the basement below.
Orion adjusted his body in midair and landed smoothly after falling nearly twelve feet, but the two mutants weren’t nearly as fortunate.
The thinner cannibal slammed hard into the floor, while the massive one, still wrapped tightly in chains, landed like a sack of concrete, jagged pieces of broken wood piercing their bodies and drawing fresh blood.
Despite their injuries, neither creature showed much reaction to the pain.
The smaller cannibal recovered almost immediately, scrambling upright before scooping a handful of dust and throwing it directly toward Orion’s face.
Using the brief distraction, he lunged forward with the boning knife still clutched in his hand.
“Whoosh!
Whoosh!” The cannibal’s knife work looked wild and untrained at first glance, but Orion quickly noticed something different.
Every slash targeted a vulnerable area—joints, arteries, the throat, or other vital points—suggesting instincts developed through years of hunting and butchering people rather than formal combat training.
Against an ordinary person, those vicious movements would have been extremely dangerous.
Against Orion’s Combat Lv.4, however, they were filled with openings.
He shifted around the blade without difficulty, caught the precise moment the cannibal overextended, and drove a heavy punch into his face.
Bang!
The smaller mutant flew backward more than six feet, crashed onto the basement floor, and lay there dazed.
“Roar!” The larger cannibal erupted in rage when he saw his companion fall.
His enormous muscles bulged as he strained against the chains around his body, causing the metal links to scrape and creak loudly.
Orion watched for several seconds, but when the restraints held, he ignored the giant and walked toward the stunned mutant instead.
Orion grabbed the smaller cannibal by the throat and lifted him effortlessly with one hand.
At barely more than five feet tall, the creature looked almost child-sized dangling in front of Orion’s massive frame.
His fingers tightened suddenly, and with a sharp crack, the mutant’s neck bones and windpipe collapsed beneath the pressure.
The creature’s head immediately sagged forward.
Orion waited several seconds, but the Black Book remained silent.
“Hm?” He placed two fingers against the cannibal’s neck and detected a faint pulse.
Orion’s eyes narrowed with genuine surprise.
“Still alive?” He wasn’t tormenting the creature for pleasure.
Orion needed to determine whether killing one of these abnormal humans would provide the Black Book with energy, and considering the mutilated victims upstairs and below, he had no moral hesitation about using this particular cannibal as the test subject.
If there really was such a thing as an afterlife in this world, Orion figured the people butchered here would hardly object.
A bullet through the head, another through the chest, severe blood loss, a crushed windpipe, and a broken neck still hadn’t killed him.
Orion calmly processed the information before reaching an obvious conclusion.
“Then let’s see what happens without the head.” The massive cannibal stared at him from the floor.
Orion planted one hand against the smaller mutant’s shoulder and gripped his limp neck with the other.
With a sudden exertion of strength, he tore the cannibal’s head free.
The Black Book reacted instantly.
“Finally.” Orion’s eyes brightened as new information appeared on the black pages within his consciousness.
He was so focused on the unexpected change that he barely noticed the enormous cannibal suddenly stop struggling against his restraints.
After watching Orion rip his companion’s head from his body with his bare hands, even the giant’s dull, animalistic eyes were filled with unmistakable fear.
Name: Orion Locke Age: 30 Life Level: Level 1 (+) Physical Fitness: 1.00 — Cannot Be Upgraded Constitution: 1.00 — Cannot Be Upgraded Skills: Combat Lv.4, Shooting Lv.3, Infiltration Lv.3, Mobility Lv.3, Espionage Lv.3 Normal Energy: 43 Points Special Energy: 1 Point — Level 1 For the first time since Orion had discovered the Black Book, something other than Normal Energy had appeared.
Killing the mutant had produced a single point of Special Energy, but that wasn’t what truly caught Orion’s attention.
The plus sign beside Life Level had also appeared.
Orion had always believed that his current condition represented the absolute peak of Level 1 life—the highest point an ordinary human body could reach.
If Special Energy could increase his Life Level, then crossing into Level 2 would mean breaking through the natural limits of the human species itself.
For the first time, Orion might genuinely become something beyond human.
Without hesitation, he selected the plus sign beside Life Level.
The point of Special Energy immediately disappeared.
A powerful wave of heat spread through Orion’s entire body.
It felt as though every cell inside him had been starving for years and had suddenly received exactly what it needed, producing a faint tingling sensation but no real pain.
Instead, the transformation was strangely comfortable, almost intoxicating.
Under the influence of some mysterious force, Orion’s body began changing from the inside out.
Hidden weaknesses within his genetic structure seemed to disappear while other traits underwent subtle but fundamental alterations, as though his entire biological foundation was being rebuilt into something superior.
It wasn’t simply strengthening anymore.
It was evolution.
“Crack!
Crack!” A series of sharp sounds came from Orion’s bones as his frame began to grow.
His already impressive six-foot-three height increased several inches, bringing him close to six-foot-six.
At the same time, his muscles swelled rapidly across his shoulders, arms, chest, and legs until his body briefly resembled an exaggerated mass of raw muscle.
Then the expansion reversed.
The oversized muscle fibers slowly compressed and condensed, becoming denser rather than simply larger.
It reminded Orion of impurities being hammered from crude metal until only something stronger remained.
By the time the process stabilized, his build was still exceptionally powerful, but his proportions had become cleaner and more streamlined.
Even Orion’s face changed slightly.
The overall features remained recognizably his own, yet tiny adjustments to his bone structure and skin made him noticeably more handsome without transforming his appearance completely.
The entire evolution lasted little more than a minute.
“Whoosh!” Orion released a long breath.
The force of the exhalation stirred dust and broken wood several feet away.
The transformation was over.
Name: Orion Locke Age: 30 Life Level: Level 2 Physical Fitness: 2.00 Constitution: 2.00 Talent: Basic Self-Healing Skills: Combat Lv.4, Shooting Lv.3, Infiltration Lv.3, Mobility Lv.3, Espionage Lv.3 Normal Energy: 43 Points Special Energy: 0 Points “This power…” Orion slowly clenched his hand and felt explosive strength flowing through his body.
At the same time, everything seemed strangely light, as though some invisible burden he had carried throughout his entire life had suddenly disappeared.
His Life Level had risen from Level 1 to Level 2, breaking through the limits of ordinary humanity, while both Physical Fitness and Constitution had doubled.
The improvement went far beyond simple strength.
Orion could feel that his speed, agility, reflexes, senses, and coordination had increased dramatically, while his bones, organs, marrow, and other internal systems had all undergone the same fundamental enhancement.
Even his lifespan had likely increased far beyond normal human limits.
This wasn’t merely a stronger body.
It was a genuine leap in life.
Orion had the distinct feeling that his muscles, skin, and bones were now tough enough to withstand ordinary handgun rounds without suffering serious damage.
Looking down, however, he noticed that his entire body was covered in a thin layer of grayish-white dead skin.
He brushed one hand across his arm, and the dried layer crumbled away like dust, revealing smooth new skin beneath.
“Hm?” Orion examined his arms and chest more carefully.
The old bullet scars and other marks accumulated throughout twelve years of military service had completely vanished.
Then his attention returned to the Black Book, where a new entry had appeared beneath his attributes.
Basic Self-Healing.
Orion looked toward the headless mutant on the floor.
“So that came from you.” (End of Chapter) [Goal Tracker]