Kael walked alone through the ruined city.
Again.
The survivors from the plaza had disappeared hours ago.
Kael hadn't asked where they were going.
He didn't care.
The Evolutionary Era had made one thing clear.
Everyone had their own path to power.
His was simple.
Hunt.
The system had given him a new objective.
[Evolutionary Objective]
Current Evolution Stage: Stage 1 — Awakened
Next Stage: Stage 2 — Mutated
Primary Requirement: Accumulate sufficient evolutionary pressure.
Secondary Requirement: Achieve stable biological adaptation.
Special Requirement: Mutation compatibility ≥ 2 successful mutations.
Current Successful Mutations: 2/2
Evolutionary Progress: 18%
Kael stopped.
"Only eighteen percent?"
He wasn't surprised.
Stage 2 wasn't supposed to be easy.
The system had made that clear.
He needed evolutionary pressure.
Not experience.
Not attribute points.
Not ordinary levels.
Evolution.
Kael opened his Evolutionary Map.
Three locations appeared.
One yellow.
One red.
And one black.
The black zone had never appeared before.
Kael stared at it.
"Interesting."
The system responded.
[Unknown Evolutionary Zone]
Threat Level: Unmeasurable
Resource Density: Extremely High
Lifeform Density: Extremely High
Ancient Signature: Detected
Recommendation: Avoid
Kael smiled.
"Of course."
He turned toward it.
Three Hours Later
Kael reached the outskirts of the black zone.
The city had completely disappeared.
Trees covered everything.
Not ordinary trees.
Their trunks were enormous.
Some were covered in glowing veins.
Others moved slightly even when there was no wind.
Kael stopped.
Enhanced Hearing activated.
Nothing.
Blood Scent.
Nothing.
Threat Detection.
Nothing.
That was unusual.
A place this dense should have been filled with monsters.
Kael took one step forward.
The system immediately reacted.
[Warning.]
[Evolutionary pressure increasing.]
[Adaptive Evolution activated.]
Adaptation: 4.18% → 4.23%
Kael continued.
Another step.
The pressure increased.
His muscles felt heavier.
His senses sharpened.
The deeper he went—
the stronger the pressure became.
Then he saw something.
A footprint.
Huge.
At least twice his size.
Kael crouched beside it.
The system scanned.
[Unknown lifeform footprint.]
Estimated level: 20+
Classification: ???
Evolution Stage: Stage 3+
Kael stood.
"Twenty."
He smiled.
"Finally."
A sound came from the trees.
Crack.
Kael turned.
Nothing.
Another sound.
Behind him.
He spun.
Nothing.
His Threat Detection activated.
DANGER.
Kael jumped.
A giant claw struck the ground.
BOOM!
Kael rolled away.
A creature emerged from the forest.
It looked like a massive gorilla covered in black bark-like armor.
Its arms were enormous.
Roots grew from its back.
Its eyes glowed green.
The system scanned.
[ROOTFLESH APE]
Level: 19
Classification: Elite Beast
Evolution Stage: Stage 2 — Mutated
Strength: 121
Agility: 62
Vitality: 137
Endurance: 129
Perception: 48
Skills
Titanic Strength — Level 4
Root Armor — Level 3
Regeneration — Level 3
Ability
Root Manipulation
Title
Forest Guardian
Kael looked at the creature.
"Level nineteen."
The ape roared.
Kael smiled.
"Perfect."
The ape charged.
Kael activated Iron Shell.
The fist came down.
BOOM!
Kael blocked.
His feet sank into the ground.
His arms shook.
"Strong."
The ape attacked again.
Kael dodged.
The ground exploded.
Roots burst from beneath him.
Kael jumped.
Web Control.
He attached himself to a tree.
The roots followed.
Kael swung around them.
Razor Edge.
He struck the ape's shoulder.
CLANG!
The bark armor absorbed the blow.
Kael landed.
The ape attacked again.
Kael dodged.
Then—
the roots behind him moved.
Kael turned.
Too late.
They wrapped around his leg.
The ape pulled.
Kael flew through the air.
BOOM!
He crashed into a tree.
[Impact detected.]
[Adaptive Evolution activated.]
Adaptation: 4.23% → 4.31%
Kael stood.
The ape charged.
Kael ran toward it.
The ape raised both fists.
Kael jumped.
He landed on its shoulder.
Web Control activated.
He wrapped a web around one of the roots growing from its back.
Then pulled.
The root snapped.
The ape roared.
Kael noticed something.
Green energy flowed from the forest into the creature through those roots.
Kael's eyes narrowed.
"You're connected to the forest."
He looked around.
Every tree nearby had the same green veins.
The ape wasn't simply using Root Manipulation.
It was drawing energy from the entire zone.
Kael smiled.
"Then I'll cut the connection."
He ran.
The ape followed.
Kael didn't attack it.
Instead, he moved toward the nearest glowing tree.
The ape realized what he was doing.
It roared.
Roots exploded from the ground.
Kael jumped.
One.
Two.
Three.
He dodged through them.
The roots chased him.
Kael activated Web Control.
He swung around a tree.
Then landed beside the glowing trunk.
Razor Edge.
He struck.
CRACK!
The tree split.
The green energy connection weakened.
The ape screamed.
Its body suddenly became slower.
Kael's eyes sharpened.
"Got you."
The ape charged.
Kael attacked another tree.
CRACK!
Another.
CRACK!
The creature's regeneration weakened.
Its bark armor began cracking.
Kael continued.
The ape became desperate.
Its roots moved faster.
Kael dodged.
One caught his arm.
Another wrapped around his waist.
Kael was pulled backward.
He activated Iron Shell.
The roots tightened.
His body resisted.
Kael gritted his teeth.
Then—
he noticed something.
The roots were carrying energy.
Directly into the ape.
Kael smiled.
He grabbed one.
The system reacted.
[Evolutionary energy pathway detected.]
[Energy transfer: Forest → Root System → Target.]
[Adaptive Mutation compatibility detected.]
Kael's eyes widened.
A new possibility appeared.
[Potential Mutation]
Evolutionary Energy Perception
Effect: Allows the user to perceive high-density evolutionary energy pathways.
Mutation Stability: 94%
Accept?
Kael didn't hesitate.
"Accept."
Energy moved through his body.
His vision changed.
The forest transformed.
Every tree became a network of glowing lines.
Every monster.
Every root.
Every evolutionary resource.
He could see the energy.
And he could see something else.
A massive stream of energy beneath the ground.
All of it flowed toward one location.
The center of the black zone.
Kael stared.
"What the hell is that?"
The ape attacked.
Kael released the roots.
He jumped backward.
His new mutation allowed him to see exactly where the creature was drawing power from.
Not the trees.
Not the roots.
Something beneath them.
Something enormous.
Kael smiled.
"You're not the guardian."
He looked toward the center of the forest.
"You're just the guard dog."
The Rootflesh Ape roared.
Kael turned back.
"Let's finish this."
The ape charged.
Kael ran directly toward it.
At the final moment—
he jumped.
Web Control.
He swung over the ape.
Razor Edge.
He struck the roots connected to its back.
CRACK!
One.
CRACK!
Two.
CRACK!
Three.
The ape stumbled.
Its energy supply collapsed.
Kael landed.
The ape turned.
Kael attacked its exposed chest.
BOOM!
The bark armor broke.
The ape fell to one knee.
Kael struck again.
The creature collapsed.
[Level 19 Elite Beast defeated.]
[Experience gained.]
[Level Up!]
[Level 13]
[5 Attribute Points received.]
Kael stood over the creature.
The system continued.
[Achievement unlocked: Forest Breaker]
Requirement: Defeat a forest-connected lifeform by severing its evolutionary energy network.
Reward:
+3 Attribute Points
+1 Evolution Point
Kael opened his status.
He had eight points.
He distributed them.
Strength +2
Agility +2
Vitality +1
Endurance +1
Perception +2
His attributes became:
Strength: 35
Agility: 37
Vitality: 25
Endurance: 26
Perception: 36
Kael absorbed the Rootflesh Core.
[Core absorbed.]
[Adaptive Evolution: 4.31% → 4.67%]
[Evolution Points: 12]
Then—
the forest went silent.
Every glowing tree stopped moving.
Every root froze.
Kael looked toward the center.
His new mutation showed him the energy network.
Something beneath the ground had awakened.
A pulse traveled through the roots.
THUMP.
Kael felt it.
THUMP.
The entire forest responded.
THUMP.
The system flashed.
[Ancient evolutionary signature detected.]
[Authority fragment detected.]
[Distance: 1.8 kilometers.]
[Estimated lifeform level: 23–27.]
[Classification: ???]
[Evolution Stage: Stage 3 — Superior]
Kael's smile disappeared.
Then another message appeared.
[Evolutionary Objective Updated.]
[Reach Stage 2 — Mutated]
Current Progress: 27%
Additional Requirement discovered:
Survive exposure to a Superior-grade evolutionary source.
Kael looked into the darkness.
Level 23 to 27.
Superior Stage.
Exactly what he needed.
He tightened his grip.
"Then I guess I'm going deeper."
Kael stepped forward.
Behind him, the Rootflesh Ape's body slowly dissolved.
Ahead—
the black forest opened.
And at its center, something ancient was waiting.