Selene made it back to her base—an abandoned dungeon far from civilization, buried beneath the remnants of a long-forgotten city.
No one came here anymore. The monsters were long dead, the loot pillaged, and the structure unstable.
But that made it perfect for her.
A place to disappear. A place to hide.
She walked slowly, dragging her feet. Her body ached from the fight, but more than that, she felt tired in her bones—exhausted in a way no rest could fix.
Once she reached the stone platform she used as a bed, she opened her system interface with a mental flick.
[Progress Toward Awakening: 25%]
[Cores Consumed: 12/1000]
[Status: Incomplete Evolution]
Her eyes narrowed at the percentage.
It felt impossibly small.
All those fights, all those swallowed cores—and she'd barely scratched the surface.