Jayden's arms twitched violently, brown fur sprouting rapidly across his forearms, spreading upward. He grew multiple fangs and his jaw extended slightly.
[Heart Rate: 180 Bpm]
[Stat Boost: +150%]
[Accelerated Healing Engaged]
Jayden's body jerked like it had been shocked back to life. His wounds had stopped bleeding.. no, they were closing, fast. Faster than ever before.
His heart rate kept increasing rapidly, beating louder than ever. But then it stopped increasing, with one final notification.
[Heart Rate: 200 Bpm]
[Stat Boost: +200%]
"I will never... be weak again..."
The was the last thing Jayden muttered before losing consciousness, completely blacked out. Giving total control of his body to his subconscious self. His primal self.
Then... the world shifted. Everything was silent.
The air around him dropped, pressure spiked. A ripple of pure dominance pulsed from his core. The trees themselves seemed to recoil.
Jayden's head rose slowly. His face... was no longer human.
His jaw was protruded slightly, like a feral maw lined with razor-sharp teeth. Brown fur covered part of his face in a mutton chop style. His brows were ridged, his ears pointed and twitching like a predator's.
He looked like a creature straight from myths. Something that couldn't be called a man, or called a wolf... or even called a lycanthrope. This was different, like a partial lupine.
The Wolverine Stalker's claws were still buried deep in Jayden's gut, dripping crimson. It was slightly intimidated by Jayden's appearance but it didn't flinch.
Then Jayden growled. It was Low. Animalistic. Bone-chilling.
And he didn't growl out of rage, or pain. But rather out of hunger.
The beast holding him tensed, its breath caught in its throat.. It felt the change in Jayden's aura, and instantly became wary, but it still didn't remove it claws from Jayden's gut.
Then... Jayden's eyes opened. Glowing golden with a furious hunger to hunt. His gaze fixed on the beast like an apex predator.
His vision had changed.. he saw heat, scent, motion. And his instincts didn't recognize the Wolverine as an opponent anymore.
It was prey.
The Wolverine Stalker's pupils dilated. For the first time... it felt fear. Its instincts screamed it. Every nerve in its body told it to let go. To run.
But it was too late, it didn't get time to react.
Jayden's clawed hand snapped upward like lightning and slammed into the beast's wrist joint.
CRACK!
It's wrist shattered. A bone built from nature's most indestructible alloy had been dislocated as if it were glass.
The Wolverine shrieked in agony as its arm recoiled, claws yanked free from Jayden's abdomen with a wet, gory rip.
Jayden dropped to the ground and landed on two feet. No stagger. No grunt.
Blood dripped from his midsection... Then vanished. And In two seconds... The muscles sealed. The skin regenerated. The bones restructured. He was whole again.
Jayden tilted his head. The old fear was gone. Replaced with something darker. Something hungrier.
He flexed his new claws, which shimmered faintly under the sunlight. Then he raised his head towards the beast, glaring at it with a cold, killing intent.
The Greater Wolverine stepped back, trembling. This wasn't the same human it had fought before, this was someone... something else entirely.
Something the beast knew it couldn't defeat
The Beastlord Aura poured out of Jayden like smoke from a god's lungs.. thick, commanding, ancient.
The C-Rank Wolverine Stalker lowered its head, ears flat, trembling. It submitted.
It recognized Jayden as the superior hunter. The Apex Predator. The King.
But Jayden didn't care. Because... he wasn't Jayden anymore.
It was like back then at the spar with Carl when his Bpm exceeded 120 and he almost entered a bloodlust trance.
Only this time, he did. He entered the trace, his mind completely replaced with a primal instinct. He had lost his humanity completely, now having a full beast mentality.
His claws twitched. His breath hissed between beastlike teeth. His eyes never blinked.
There was only one thought in his mind:
Hunt And Kill.
With a snarl that tore the silence apart, Jayden charged.
He closed the gap in the blink of an eye. One moment he stood still, and the next..
BAM!
His fist collided with the beast's jaw. Bones cracked. The Wolverine was launched backward, spinning mid-air before slamming into a tree so hard the bark exploded.
Before it could fall to the ground.. Jayden was already there, in front of it.
He appeared like a demon out of thin air, grabbing the beast's skull and slamming it back into the tree again...
And again.
And again.
Blood sprayed. Bark shattered. The tree groaned from the force, leaves scattering like rain.
Jayden spun the beast and raked his claws down its back in four long, brutal slashes.. skin and muscle flayed open like paper. The beast shrieked and tried to swipe, but Jayden caught its wrist...
SNAP.
Another joint, gone.
The Wolverine tried to back away.. but it was too slow
Jayden's leg whipped forward in a savage kick to the beast's chest..
CRACK.
It's ribs shattered. It collapsed, wheezing, still trying to crawl..
Jayden walked. Slow and Deliberate. Like a predator playing with its meal.
He crouched beside the whimpering creature, cocking his head slightly. One golden eye burning like a fiercely furnace.
Then.. He lunged straight at the beast's neck, faster than any bullet.
CRRKKH!
He sank his teeth... fangs deep into the beast's throat, jaws clamping down with great force.
The Wolverine let out a final, trembling roar... Then it went silent.
Jayden ripped his head back.. Tore the beast's throat out, blood erupting like a geyser.
He stood there, chest heaving, black-stained fangs bared. The beast collapsed behind him, twitching once... Then forever still. It was finally dead
But Beast-Jayden wasn't satisfied, he lifted the Wolverine Stalker's corpse and stretched out his claws.
And then...
SWISH!
THUD.
In one swift motion, Jayden sliced off the beast's head with his claws. The head seperated from the beast's shoulders and rolled to the ground.
Then Jayden dropped the headless corpse and sighed in satisfaction. He stared at the corpse for a moment and then scoffed. As if saying...
"Ha! Try regenerating from that,"
Then the forest fell silent. Even the air knew what had happened.
The silence hung heavy. Not peace. Not relief. Just... weight.
Jayden remained still in the clearing, blood dripping from his chin. A C-Rank beast lay beneath him, blood gushing out from where the head used to be.
But Jayden wasn't moving. Not anymore.
His golden, beast-like eyes began to flicker, the glow fading like embers losing their flame. His breathing slowed, dropping from feral growls to ragged, human exhales.
Then a system notification appeared
[Partial Transformation Deactivated]
[All stats have returned to normal]
Then... the fur on his face and arms receded. Fangs withdrew. Claws melted back into flesh.
The primal jaw structure reformed. His skin returned to normal, and he looked more human again. He was.. back.
Jayden blinked... Twice.
Then he looked down... at the blood smeared across his hands, splattered across his chest, soaking the earth beneath his feet.
Then his gaze landed on the beast... Or what was left of it.
His eyes widened.
"What the hell...?" he whispered, his voice hoarse and low.
His knees buckled slightly, and he stumbled backward, falling into a sitting position in the bloodstained dirt. His chest rose and fell, breath hitching like he was waking up from a nightmare. He was in shock
He glanced down at his trembling hands. He couldn't remember what happened. He couldn't remember any of it.
"I... I saw the system," Jayden thought. "My heart rate hit 200 and then... I passed out,"
"I killed it?" he whispered. "But I don't remember doing it. I don't remember anything,"
[Jayden...] Luna's voice was quiet. Cautious. [Are you... you again?]
Jayden didn't answer. He just stared.. wide-eyed, shaking at the monster he'd torn apart...
"Luna, what happened?" he muttered. "Did I do this?"
Luna sighed. [Yes, you did. Your rage increased so much that you became...] she paused
Jayden frowned. "Became what?"
[You transformed] Luna admitted. [It was like that day, when your heart rate exceeded 120. But this time, it kept increasing]
Jayden exhaled, raising his hands and glancing through his body. There was no wound, no injury. No sign of a battle except for his tracksuit, which was completely covered in blood.
"That day," he began. "I was entering some kind of trance, but Master Jin snapped me out of it,"
"I think it's the same that happened today, but this time... I gave in. I lost control," Jayden muttered
[Yes] Luna said. [But you shouldn't worry about that. You won. That's all that matters, right?]
Jayden nodded, already recovering from his shock. "Right. But I'm just thankful I didn't lose it during the spar," he muttered. Thinking of what might have happened if he actually entered into the trance that day.
"But if this is what happens when my Bpm hits 200," Jayden muttered to himself, staring at the decimated beast. "I have to make sure it never happens again... Or someone could get hurt,"
Then he stared into the sky, taking in the beautiful view of the clouds. But that view was quickly interrupted, as a series of notifications began to appear in his line of sight.
[C-Rank Beast Defeated]
[1 C-Rank Beast Crystal Gained]
[Beast Crystal has been added to Inventory]
[50 Exp received]
*Quest Complete
[Defeat the Greater Wolverine Stalker]
[You have leveled up]*
*Seasonal Quest Complete
[Integrate your first beast gene within a month]
[You have received a new skill; Dragon Eye]*
*Daily Quest Complete [3/3]
[10 Exp received]
[10 Stat points received]*
Jayden scanned the system notifications carefully, eyes dancing over the lines, but only one thing really caught his attention.
"The new skill," he muttered, half-distracted, thumb hovering over the notification. But before he could dive in..
His gaze caught something else.
"Huh?" he squinted. "Inventory?"
A small smile tugged at the edge of his mouth.
"I didn't even remember I had one," he said, chuckling. "Good, it would be quite helpful."
Then his eyes narrowed, spotting something odd.
"Wait, Luna... why did the C-Rank beast crystal enter my inventory automatically?" he asked, genuinely puzzled.
[Because you gained it,] Luna replied, as if it were obvious.
Jayden sighed. "I know that. But when I killed the E-Rank Wolverine Stalker, nothing got stored. Not even yesterday, after those two Howlers. So why now?"
"Does it only happen with C-Ranks or what?"
Luna groaned. [This is going to be a lot to explain, but... Fine, I'll enlighten you]
[Yesterday, after you killed the two E-Rank Howlers, the system asked if you wanted to acquire their energy. Remember?]
Jayden nodded. "Yes, but I couldn't give a reply because the Alpha arrived,"
[Yeah] Luna confirmed. [If you'd said yes, the energy would've been absorbed. But if you say no, the system defaults to storing the beast crystal in your inventory]
Jayden furrowed his brows. "Wait, so what happens to the beast crystal of a beast whose energy I acquire?"
[Well... It goes poof] Luna replied
Jayden raised a brow. "It disappears? Why?" he asked
[Because it is the energy... well part of it] Luna stated. [A beast crystal contains the energy of the beast which is basically the abilities. But the crystal itself is like a shell that encloses the energy. And it is made up of the beast cells that come together around the energy to form a hard, crystalline structure]
[So when you're acquiring a beast's energy, the shell breaks down and you acquire the energy inside. Which then gives you the gene and abilities of the beast]
Jayden's eyes lit up in realization. "Wait... that sounds almost exactly like how they make evolution serums. They extract the energy from crystals and process it with other elements."
[Hm. You don't say,] Luna teased.
Jayden laughed. "That's insane. What takes scientists, labs and machines, I can do in seconds,"
"Wait!" A thought struck him. His eyes widened "Doesn't that mean I can just buy beast crystals and begin to absorb them?" he added
Luna scoffed. [I knew you'd think of that... but sorry to disappoint you. It doesn't work that way. The beast corpse is required for the absorption of the genetic code, along with the breaking down of crystals into particles. The gene absorption happens directly from the body] she said
"Ah," Jayden muttered. "That makes sense, I guess."
[Also, don't forget: you only gain energy from beasts you defeat. Or... who willingly give it to you] she added with a sarcastic tone. [Which is hilarious, since giving up their energy kills them anyways]
Jayden exhaled. "Right. So the system won't let me farm beast crystals like some cheat code. Well, I wasn't really optimistic anyways,"
Luna giggled. [Cheer up, Jayden. You can still absorb the crystals of beast who's energy you have acquired before]
Jayden furrowed his brows. "What do you mean?"
[Once you have acquired the energy of a beast, you can't absorb the same kind of energy again. For instance, you acquired the energy of an E-Rank Wolverine Stalker earlier. This means you can't acquire the energy of any Wolverine Stalker again]
Jayden nodded in understanding. "Oh, so I can only acquire the energy of a beast specie once,"
[Precisely] Luna agreed. [Even if it is of higher rank]
"So that explains why the C-Rank Wolverine Stalker's crystal automatically entered my inventory. I couldn't absorb the energy,"
[Yes, but you can still absorb the crystal]
Jayden raised a brow. "Huh? How? Didn't you just say..."
[You still don't understand, do you?" Luna cut in. [The energy acquisition takes both the abilities and genes of a beast. Then the gene is integrated as a part of you, which is why you can't use the energy acquisition skill on the same type of beast again. But you can still absorb more crystals from that species to boost the rank]
Jayden placed his hands on his chin. "So I can absorb the C-Rank Wolverine Stalker's crystal, to increase the rank of the E-Rank Wolverine Stalker inside me," he muttered
[Exactly] Luna said. [See, that wasn't so hard to understand]
Jayden scoffed. "Yeah, whatever. So how do I absorb it? And how many do I need to absorb?"
[You can go to the 'Beast Genes' tab and see for yourself... or just give a direct command] Luna replied casually
Jayden exhaled and opened the Beast Gene tab, he hadn't been there before so he decided to check it out.
*Acquired Beast Genes (1):
1. Wolverine Stalker(E-Rank)
*Integrated Beast Genes (1):
1. Wolverine Stalker:
-Current Rank: E
-Crystals required for next rank: [0/10]
-Ability: Nil (Available at Rank D)
*Beast Gene Integration slots left: 1
Jayden sighed after reading the words on the screen, he was clearly disappointed.
"Where am I supposed to find 9 more C-Rank Wolverine Stalkers?" he muttered.
[Relax, Jayden] Luna replied. [They don't have to be C-Rank. Any rank of that species will do]
Jayden exhaled. "Okay, that's better. I can simply just absorb E-Rank crystals," he said
"But what about the Gene integration slot? I have just one left,"
[The number of available slots will increase as you level up or complete specific quests.] Luna explained. [But you can keep acquiring beast energy without integrating them right away]
Jayden tilted his head. "So I could store up dozens of beast energy... and pick what to integrate later?"
[Exactly] Luna confirmed. [And you know what's exciting? If the beast had an ability when you acquired its energy, that ability gets added to your arsenal immediately... regardless of integration]
Jayden smirked, it was all too exciting. "Even the most powerful evolved humans can only hold two abilities... This would definitely bring a lot of attention,"
[You'll probably get hunted by the EVA] Luna said
Jayden chuckled. "Not if I hunt them first," he said in a cold tone
"But even after the EVA falls, more organisations and influential families would come after me. I'll later have to pick just one ability as the major. While the rest would remain a secret," he said
[Well, you already have Telekinesis] Luna muttered
"Yes, but I don't even know how it works yet," Jayden sighed and stood up, dusting his hands.
"For now, I'll just stick to brute force and pure strength," he added. "Oh, that reminds me. System, absorb C-Rank Wolverine Stalker crystal,"
Almost immediately, the system screen appeared with a notification
[1 C-Rank Wolverine Stalker crystal has been absorbed]
*Crystals required for next rank: [1/10]