Chapter 7: The Path of Evolution

I sat cross-legged on my bed, staring at my hands. My fingers trembled slightly, but not from fear. No, this was something else. Excitement. Anticipation.

I had just lifted objects with my mind. I had felt something unlock within me. But that wasn't enough.

I needed more.

Taking a deep breath, I closed my eyes and focused inward. That strange pressure between my eyebrows—the one that had lingered since last night—was still there, pulsing faintly. I allowed my awareness to sink into it, deeper and deeper, as if diving into an abyss within my own mind.

The world around me blurred. And then… I was back.

The void stretched endlessly before me, but this time, I wasn't distracted by its emptiness. My focus was on the floating red sphere at its center.

It pulsed. Almost like it was alive.

Hesitation crept in, but curiosity drowned it out. I reached out—not with my hands, but with my spirituality—and touched it.

And in an instant… knowledge flooded my mind.

Any species' essence can be extracted.

Boil their blood at an extreme temperature, and what remains is their pure DNA essence.

Consume it… and let your spirituality inscribe it into your empty DNA spaces.

But something else surfaced—something crucial.

These abilities weren't instant. I couldn't just drink blood essence and suddenly become something else.

I had to tap into each power with my spirituality until it reached 100%.

If my spiritual power ran out before that… I wouldn't be able to access that power at all.

My breath hitched as I yanked my mind back to reality. My chest rose and fell rapidly, my thoughts racing.

This… this was insane.

A method to rewrite my own DNA? Not just filling in the gaps but choosing what I became?

A million thoughts flooded my mind, but one stood out.

"If I can do this… does that mean all spiritual users can?"

The thought gnawed at me. But something in my gut told me this power wasn't normal.

The red sphere was inside me.

My spirituality wasn't like others.

I exhaled, forcing my heartbeat to slow. Fine. It didn't matter right now. What mattered was what I could do with this knowledge.

And there was only one way to find out.

I needed blood.

Not just any blood. The right blood.

I turned to my dusty, barely functional computer and powered it on. The old machine hummed to life, flickering slightly before stabilizing.

Opening a private browser, I typed in a familiar address.

The Black Market.

It wasn't exactly legal, but I wasn't looking to buy weapons or drugs. Just blood. Specifically, blood from a species with insane energy levels—something that could boost my stamina so I didn't collapse every time I used my powers.

I typed:

"High-energy animal blood essence."

Search results flooded the screen.

Cheetah – Speed but not endurance.

Horse – Stamina, but no major energy boost.

Wolf – Good muscle density, but nothing extraordinary.

Elephant – Massive energy reserves.

I paused, my eyes locking onto the last one.

An elephant's body required enormous amounts of energy just to function.

If I could integrate its energy-producing capabilities into my DNA, I could push myself further—maybe even remove my body's natural limits.

I checked the price.

Way too expensive.

My entire seven years of saved-up pocket money wasn't even enough for a liter of high-purity elephant blood.

My fingers clenched into a fist.

Damn it…

I needed it. But this wasn't something I could rush. I'd have to find a way to either make more money… or start small with something else.

For now, I added it to my cart.

But as I leaned back in my chair, my mind shifted toward something else.

Mr. Carter.

The bastard who had sent thugs after me. Who thought I was nothing.

I glanced at my hand, flexing my fingers.

I wasn't the same Adam anymore.

He had made a mistake. And soon… I would show him just how big of one it was.

A slow grin spread across my face as I leaned back in my chair, mind already crafting a plan.