Seventy-two hours.
That was all Kael had.
The system's warning remained in the corner of his vision.
[Global Evolutionary Event approaching.]
Time Remaining: 71:59:43
Recommended Evolution Stage: Stage 1 — Awakened or higher.
Kael looked at the ruined city.
Then at his status.
Level 8.
Stage 0.
He was stronger than before, but the system had made one thing clear.
Level wasn't everything.
The Ashborn Warrior had reached Stage 2 during combat.
The Blackscale Panther had been Stage 1.
The Guardian had been Stage 1.
And Kael?
Still Stage 0.
He needed to cross the first evolutionary threshold.
But the system had never explained how.
Kael smiled.
"Then I'll figure it out myself."
He opened the Evolutionary Map.
Dozens of markers covered the city.
Most were red.
Several were yellow.
Three were black.
Kael ignored the black zones.
For now.
His eyes settled on a cluster of four red zones.
"Four resources."
He marked them.
Then noticed something else.
The red zones weren't empty.
Monsters were moving toward them.
Kael's smile widened.
"Perfect."
He started running.
Two Hours Later
The first red zone was an abandoned shopping district.
The entire road had been swallowed by vines.
Thick green tendrils covered buildings, cars and streetlights.
Kael stopped at the entrance.
His Enhanced Hearing detected movement.
Several creatures.
Above him.
He looked up.
Six enormous birds perched on the buildings.
[RAZORWING CROW]
Level: 5
Classification: Mutated Beast
Evolution Stage: Stage 0 — Ordinary
Strength: 21
Agility: 34
Vitality: 16
Endurance: 18
Perception: 36
Skills
Dive Strike — Level 2
Flock Coordination — Level 2
Ability
Razor Feathers
Six pairs of eyes locked onto Kael.
He smiled.
"Come down."
They did.
All six attacked simultaneously.
Kael moved.
The first bird passed over him.
He swung upward.
THUD!
It crashed into the pavement.
The second came from behind.
Enhanced Hearing detected it.
Kael ducked.
The bird passed overhead.
Web Control.
A strand wrapped around its wing.
Kael pulled.
The bird slammed into a wall.
The remaining four attacked together.
Kael activated Blackhide and Iron Shell.
Feathers struck his arms and shoulders.
He pushed forward.
One.
Two.
Three strikes.
The fourth bird tried to retreat.
Kael used Web Control.
The strand caught its leg.
He pulled it down.
The creature crashed.
The fifth attacked.
Kael sidestepped.
Then drove his weapon forward.
THUD!
The bird fell.
The final Razorwing Crow circled overhead.
Kael looked up.
It dove.
Kael waited.
At the final moment—
he jumped.
His weapon struck the bird mid-flight.
BOOM!
It fell.
Silence returned.
[Six Mutated Beasts defeated.]
[Experience gained.]
[Level Up!]
[Level 9]
[5 Attribute Points received.]
Kael landed.
He immediately opened the skill extraction window.
[Razor Feathers — Extraction Probability: 21%]
[Dive Strike — Extraction Probability: 17%]
[Flock Coordination — Extraction Probability: 8%]
He selected Razor Feathers.
[Extraction successful.]
[Skill acquired: Razor Feathers — Level 1]
Kael frowned.
"Razor Feathers?"
The system immediately clarified.
[Skill adaptation detected.]
[Human-compatible version created.]
Razor Edge
Allows the user to temporarily sharpen the outer surface of held objects through concentrated evolutionary energy.
Kael looked at his weapon.
He activated the skill.
A thin layer of energy formed along its edge.
The metal became noticeably sharper.
Kael smiled.
"Useful."
Then the system displayed another message.
[Achievement completed.]
[Flock Breaker]
Requirement: Defeat six or more aerial predators alone.
Reward: 2 Attribute Points
Kael now had seven points.
He assigned:
Strength +2
Agility +2
Vitality +1
Perception +2
His status changed.
[KAEL]
Level: 9
Strength: 21
Agility: 23
Vitality: 13
Endurance: 14
Perception: 22
Unassigned Points: 0
Adaptive Evolution: 1.21%
Kael looked around.
The red zone was directly beneath him.
He activated the Evolutionary Map.
A small resource marker appeared inside the shopping district.
He followed it.
The deeper he went, the thicker the vines became.
Then he saw the resource.
A glowing blue fruit growing from a massive vine.
[Evolutionary Resource detected.]
[Azure Evolution Fruit]
Grade: Uncommon
Effect: Temporarily increases evolutionary energy absorption.
Compatibility: 83%
Kael plucked it.
The fruit dissolved into energy the moment he touched it.
[Evolutionary resource absorbed.]
Adaptive Evolution: 1.21% → 1.36%
Temporary effect active.
Evolutionary absorption increased by 20% for 30 minutes.
Kael's eyes lit up.
"Thirty minutes."
He immediately opened the map.
The next red zone was only 600 meters away.
Then another.
Then another.
Kael started running.
Thirty Minutes Later
The city had become Kael's hunting ground.
He fought a group of mutated boars.
Then a swarm of poisonous insects.
Then three armored lizards.
Every battle gave him something.
Experience.
Skill proficiency.
Combat knowledge.
Evolutionary pressure.
His body adapted to everything.
[Adaptation: 1.36% → 1.44%]
[Adaptation: 1.44% → 1.51%]
[Adaptation: 1.51% → 1.58%]
But something else happened.
Kael noticed a pattern.
The stronger the enemy—
the more his body learned.
The weaker the enemy—
the less his adaptation increased.
His eyes narrowed.
"So farming weak monsters isn't enough."
He needed dangerous opponents.
But not opponents so strong that he couldn't survive.
He needed the perfect balance.
Enough danger to force evolution.
Not enough to kill him.
Kael opened the map.
The yellow zones suddenly looked much more interesting.
One yellow zone was nearby.
Distance: 1.7 kilometers.
Kael started moving toward it.
Then—
[Warning.]
He stopped.
The system had detected something.
[Multiple lifeforms approaching.]
Estimated number: 23
Average Level: 6
Classification: Mutated Beasts
Movement pattern: Coordinated
Kael looked down the street.
Twenty-three monsters emerged from the fog.
They were wolves.
But these were different from the Bloodfang Hounds.
Their bodies were covered in dark gray fur.
Their eyes glowed blue.
At the front stood a much larger wolf.
The system analyzed it.
[MOONFANG WOLF]
Level: 8
Classification: Elite Beast
Evolution Stage: Stage 1 — Awakened
Strength: 47
Agility: 52
Vitality: 43
Endurance: 45
Perception: 61
Skills
Pack Coordination — Level 4
Moonstep — Level 2
Predatory Instinct — Level 3
Ability
Lunar Howl
Title
Pack Alpha
Kael looked at the twenty-two Level 6 wolves behind it.
Then at the Level 8 Alpha.
He slowly smiled.
This was exactly what he wanted.
A dangerous battle.
Enough pressure to push his evolution.
But still within the range of survival.
Kael lowered his weapon.
Then activated every useful skill he had.
Threat Detection.
Enhanced Hearing.
Blackhide.
Iron Shell.
Blood Scent.
Razor Edge.
The weapon in his hand sharpened.
The wolves spread out.
The Alpha raised its head.
A low howl echoed through the street.
Kael's eyes narrowed.
He wasn't going to run.
He wasn't going to wait.
He was going to hunt.
Kael stepped forward.
"Come."
The entire pack charged.
And Kael charged straight into them.