Kael moved through the ruins at full speed.
The yellow zone was less than two kilometers away.
Every few seconds, his Evolutionary Map updated.
The signal was getting stronger.
Then—
[Human lifeforms detected.]
Kael stopped.
His expression changed.
Several blue dots appeared on the map.
Six.
No—
seven.
They were inside the yellow zone.
And something else was moving toward them.
A red marker.
Kael immediately accelerated.
Eight Minutes Later
Kael reached the outskirts of the zone.
He heard shouting.
Then a roar.
Kael climbed onto the remains of a building and looked down.
Seven survivors were trapped in a narrow street.
They weren't Kael's acquaintances.
He didn't recognize any of them.
But the creature surrounding them was impossible to miss.
It was enormous.
Almost four meters long.
Its body resembled a panther, but thick crystalline plates covered its back.
Two curved horns extended from its skull.
Its tail ended in a heavy blade-like structure.
The system scanned it.
[CRYSTALHORN PREDATOR]
Level: 13
Classification: Elite Beast
Evolution Stage: Stage 2 — Mutated
Strength: 89
Agility: 76
Vitality: 84
Endurance: 81
Perception: 72
Skills
Crystal Charge — Level 3
Predatory Instinct — Level 4
Crystal Armor — Level 3
Tail Blade — Level 2
Ability
Resonance Roar
Title
Zone Predator
Kael's eyes narrowed.
"Strong."
The survivors were fighting desperately.
One man threw a spear.
The creature twisted.
The spear bounced off its armor.
Another survivor activated a fire-based skill.
The creature ignored it.
Kael watched carefully.
They weren't going to win.
The Predator charged.
Kael jumped from the building.
He landed between the creature and the survivors.
Everyone froze.
The Predator stared at him.
Kael raised his weapon.
One of the survivors shouted.
"Are you insane?!"
Kael didn't answer.
The system appeared.
[Target exceeds your current combat parameters.]
[Estimated direct-combat survival probability: 11%.]
Kael smiled.
"Better than three percent."
The Predator roared.
Kael activated every defensive skill.
Blackhide.
Iron Shell.
Threat Detection.
Enhanced Hearing.
The creature charged.
Kael waited.
Five meters.
Four.
Three.
Two—
BOOM!
Kael jumped.
The Predator passed underneath him.
Kael landed on its back.
He immediately activated Web Control.
A strand wrapped around its horn.
Kael pulled.
The creature violently shook its head.
Kael nearly fell.
He stabbed his weapon into a gap between its crystal plates.
CLANG!
The weapon slipped.
"No opening."
The Predator twisted.
Its tail came toward him.
Kael jumped.
The blade passed beneath his feet.
He landed.
The creature charged again.
Kael moved sideways.
Its shoulder clipped him.
BOOM!
He flew across the street.
[Impact detected.]
[Adaptive Evolution activated.]
Adaptation: 1.83% → 1.88%
Kael stood.
The survivors stared at him.
One of them shouted.
"Run! You can't beat that thing!"
Kael ignored him.
His eyes were fixed on the Predator.
He wasn't trying to beat it yet.
He was studying it.
Crystal Armor.
Strong frontal defense.
Crystal Charge.
High-speed attack.
Tail Blade.
Long-range threat.
Resonance Roar.
Unknown effect.
Kael needed a weakness.
The Predator charged.
Kael ran toward it.
At the final moment, he jumped sideways.
The creature passed him.
Kael activated Blood Scent.
Nothing.
No blood.
Then he activated Enhanced Hearing.
A faint vibration.
Kael froze.
The crystals on its back were humming.
"That's it."
The Predator turned.
Kael smiled.
"Your armor isn't just armor."
The crystals were connected.
Resonating.
Kael had seen something similar with the Guardian.
The creature's power was linked to its evolutionary structure.
Kael had an idea.
A dangerous one.
He waited for another charge.
The Predator roared.
Then accelerated.
Kael ran toward it.
The survivors shouted.
"Move!"
Kael didn't.
Three meters.
Two.
One.
Crystal Charge activated.
The Predator became a blur.
Kael jumped.
Web Control activated.
He attached a web to a nearby building.
Instead of pulling himself away—
he pulled himself toward the Predator.
Kael swung around its side.
His weapon struck one of the crystalline plates.
CRACK!
A small fracture appeared.
The Predator stumbled.
Kael landed.
His eyes widened.
"It works."
The creature turned furiously.
Kael attacked the same crystal.
CRACK!
Another fracture.
The Predator roared.
A wave of sound exploded outward.
[Ability detected.]
[Resonance Roar]
Warning: Sensory disruption.
Kael's ears rang.
His vision blurred.
He dropped to one knee.
The Predator charged.
Kael barely moved.
The creature's attack struck the ground beside him.
The shockwave threw him backward.
He rolled.
His body reacted automatically.
[Adaptive Evolution activated.]
[Sensory disruption detected.]
[Existing adaptation: Enhanced Perception]
[Adaptive Mutation compatibility detected.]
Mutation slot available: 1
Kael froze.
A new option appeared.
[Potential Mutation]
Resonance Resistance
Effect: Increases resistance to sound-based and vibration-based sensory disruption.
Mutation Stability: 89%
Accept?
Kael smiled.
"Yes."
The mutation activated.
The ringing in his ears immediately weakened.
His vision cleared.
The Predator charged again.
This time—
Kael saw it.
He stepped aside.
The creature passed him.
Kael attacked the same cracked crystal.
CRACK!
A larger fracture appeared.
The Predator roared.
Its entire body shook.
The other crystals began glowing.
Kael's expression changed.
"That's bad."
The system agreed.
[Crystal Resonance destabilizing.]
[Warning: Target preparing Resonance Overload.]
The creature's crystals began shining brighter.
Kael looked at the survivors.
"Get out."
They didn't move.
Kael shouted.
"NOW!"
They finally ran.
The Predator roared.
A massive wave of energy began gathering around it.
Kael tightened his grip.
He couldn't dodge this.
He needed to interrupt it.
He ran forward.
The creature's crystals brightened.
Kael activated Razor Edge.
His weapon sharpened.
Web Control.
One strand.
Two.
Three.
He attached them to the damaged crystal.
Then pulled with everything he had.
CRACK!
The crystal broke.
The energy inside the Predator suddenly destabilized.
The creature staggered.
Kael rushed forward.
He struck another crystal.
CRACK!
Another.
CRACK!
The Predator collapsed to one knee.
Kael kept attacking.
He wasn't trying to kill it.
He was dismantling its armor.
One crystal after another.
The creature tried to retaliate.
Kael dodged.
Its tail swung.
He jumped.
Its claws struck.
He moved.
Its roar came.
His new mutation resisted it.
The battle became a contest between evolution and adaptation.
The Predator became more aggressive.
Kael became more precise.
Then—
the system appeared.
[Combat Analysis: 64% → 81%]
[Crystal Armor weakness identified.]
[Core resonance instability detected.]
Kael's eyes sharpened.
"There."
A faint glow was visible beneath the chest plates.
The core.
Kael charged.
The Predator tried to block him.
Kael used Web Control.
He pulled himself underneath the creature.
Then activated Iron Shell.
The Predator's claws struck him.
BOOM!
Kael endured.
His weapon drove into the gap.
CRACK!
The crystal armor shattered.
Kael struck again.
The core was exposed.
The Predator froze.
Kael raised his weapon.
The system appeared.
[Critical weakness exposed.]
[Target's evolutionary core is vulnerable.]
Kael didn't hesitate.
He struck.
CRACK!
The core fractured.
The Predator collapsed.
Silence.
Kael stood over it, breathing heavily.
Then—
[Elite Beast defeated.]
[Experience gained.]
[Level Up!]
[Level 11]
[5 Attribute Points received.]
Kael looked at the defeated creature.
Then at the broken crystal pieces scattered around it.
The system appeared again.
[Rare evolutionary resource detected.]
[Crystal Predator Core]
Grade: Rare
Effect: Contains concentrated evolutionary energy.
Compatibility: 96%
Kael picked it up.
The core dissolved into his hand.
[Crystal Predator Core absorbed.]
[Adaptive Evolution activated.]
Adaptation: 1.88% → 2.17%
Evolution Points gained: +2
Current Evolution Points: 4
Kael stared.
Four Evolution Points.
Then another notification appeared.
[Adaptive Mutation threshold reached.]
Mutation slots: 1 → 2
Current mutations:
Minor Accelerated Reaction
Resonance Resistance
Kael smiled.
He was getting stronger.
Not just through levels.
Not just through attribute points.
His body itself was changing.
He opened his status.
[KAEL]
Level: 11
Evolution Stage: Stage 0 — Ordinary
Strength: 23
Agility: 25
Vitality: 14
Endurance: 15
Perception: 24
Unassigned Attribute Points: 5
Skills
Enhanced Hearing — 79%
Threat Detection — 89%
Blackhide — 69%
Web Control — 73%
Blood Scent — 37%
Iron Shell — 38%
Razor Edge — 34%
Titles
Solo Hunter
Night Hunter's Prey
Elite Slayer
Evolution Hunter
Unique Trait
Adaptive Evolution
Adaptation: 2.17%
Mutation Slots: 2
Mutations
Minor Accelerated Reaction
Resonance Resistance
Evolution Points
4
Kael assigned his five points.
Strength +1
Agility +1
Vitality +1
Endurance +1
Perception +1
His final attributes became:
Strength: 24
Agility: 26
Vitality: 15
Endurance: 16
Perception: 25
Kael closed the status.
Then he noticed something.
The survivors had stopped running.
They were watching him from the end of the street.
One of them slowly approached.
"Who... are you?"
Kael looked at him.
"Just someone hunting."
The survivor glanced at the enormous creature behind Kael.
"You killed a Level 13 Elite Beast alone."
Kael didn't answer.
His Evolutionary Map suddenly flashed.
The yellow zone was changing.
A massive black marker appeared beneath it.
Kael's expression became serious.
[Warning.]
[A stronger lifeform has entered the area.]
Estimated Level: 17
Classification: ???
Evolution Stage: Stage 3 — Superior
Distance: 842 meters.
Kael looked toward the horizon.
His smile slowly returned.
"Level seventeen..."
He tightened his grip on his weapon.
"Now that's interesting."