Hatchet and seed

An evolution tree was also shown, displaying the powers he would unlock once he pushes his stats to a certain point.

For example, pushing the stamina stat to ten points would unlock the Stamina Recovery passive. With this skill, he would recover half a unit of stamina every five minutes when not in combat. When in combat, the recovery rate would be halved, but it would still allow him to fight longer than what should be possible.

Leon was just an Ordinary Rank 1 human who simply couldn't improve his stats past the 3-point mark, so even the most basic abilities in the ability tree were out of reach for now.

As per his newfound memories, the ladder of evolution was enormous, and races were classified into different power levels depending on how far up the evolutionary ladder they had climbed. 

He only had knowledge about the first three.

They were Ordinary, Extraordinary, and Elite.

Each stage was further divided into ten ranks.

Ordinary Rank 1 individuals were considered the weakest, while Elite Rank 10 individuals were considered the strongest.

Evolving would improve his rank by 1, enhancing his potential and loosening the constraints imposed on him for being born human.

He needed to find and kill ten Feral Beasts to evolve. However, he didn't know where to find them. 

Disappointment, hope, and a burning desire to evolve; Leon felt a mix of emotions after going through the self-development panel 

However, he didn't let his emotions dictate his next course of action, staying rational.

He closed the panel with a thought, making it vanish from his sight, and went through the notes he'd acquired earlier, hoping to gain an understanding of the other two items placed on the pedestal, and he wasn't disappointed.

Effect: Increases strength by 100%. 

Effect: Grants a random growth-type ability upon consumption. 

Leon looked at the hatchet, which had a wooden handle and an iron blade with a rough, unpolished surface. Except for a star-shaped symbol etched near the base of the blade, nothing about it stood out. Even the symbol looked somewhat cartoonish, as if drawn by a child. 

Such a plain-looking weapon could double his strength? He doubted the seemingly dubious claim. 

He picked it up but experienced nothing out of the ordinary. 

It just felt like holding an ordinary hatchet.

Had he grown stronger or not? He wondered with furrowed brows.

He opened his panel and saw that the information mentioned on it had undergone a change.

His strength stat had reached 2.2 points because he was holding the hatchet.

The wheel in his mind turned.

Strength determined both physical damage and defense power. If the displayed information was accurate, he had become twice as strong and tough as a well-trained soldier! 

Now he just had to confirm it.

He took out the combat knife strapped to his waist, gripped it tightly and struck the pedestal with all his strength while holding the hatchet.

The blade sank into it, leaving a noticeable cut. 

Then, he set the hatchet down and struck the pedestal again with the same knife, using all his strength.

This time, he only left a shallow mark on its surface. 

Comparing the two results, it became obvious. His strength had indeed doubled when he was equipping the hatchet.

The notes weren't false. 

The hatchet was an enchanted item that could double one's strength. And the primordial seed had the potential to turn a simple man into a superman. 

Hoping for the best, he picked up the Seed and consumed it. Immediately, he opened his panel to check for any changes.

And he caught one.

[Skill] 

[Sacrifice]

- Effect 1: You can sacrifice your kills to improve your stats by 1%.

- Effect 2: Sacrificing creatures with special skills, traits, or abilities has a 1% chance of granting you one of their powers. 

- Effect 3: This ability grows with you. The stronger you become, the more powerful it becomes.