Ch 20 : Breaking limit

A week after the virus spread in the parallel world, a new type of zombie was detected. Everyone thought zombies were mindless monsters, but this special zombie shattered that belief, commanding 10 to 12 others in its own language.

People dubbed it a Leader and began hunting it. That's when the Core's existence came to light. Top experts were called to study it, and their findings were staggering: the Core contained a mysterious energy never seen in humans before.

For a century, scientists had struggled to evolve humanity beyond mortal limits, but they'd failed. When they discovered the Core's energy, they realized it could elevate humanity to the next level.

To test it, they chose 10 soldiers, extracted the Core's energy, turned it into a serum, and injected them.

The results were shocking. The soldiers gained new powers and saw a mysterious screen displaying detailed information about their bodies. Scientists confirmed these 10 had evolved into superhumans.

This evolution plunged the world into chaos again. People saw the virus as a twisted blessing, granting mysterious powers. Military leaders, tycoons, and ordinary folk started hunting Cores, birthing a new world's system.

Organizations formed, new laws emerged, and the world became obsessed with seizing the Core's power. A new race for human supremacy began.

"And I joined that grueling race. It took me two damn years to evolve," Lex thought, frustration surging. He had left Lorkel to die at the hands of those zombies in the alley, not wasting a second, and rode back to his Dan Mountain hideout.

Sitting at home, clutching a rhombus-shaped red Core, Lex recalled the struggles in the parallel world to obtain the serum. Anger flared at his superiors, whom he'd served.

"Should I just absorb this Core directly?" he wondered.

The process of turning Core energy into serum was a secret guarded by the powerful to prevent others from evolving and surpassing them.

"Thanks, Dicky-face. If you hadn't tipped me off about this zombie Leader, I'd have waited another week,"

Lex thought, grateful for his old comrade's tip. At first, he'd dismissed it as useless, but now in his orginal world he realized how crucial it was.

"I'm not afraid of dying—I've already died once. What's worse than that?" he muttered, placing the Core in his mouth.

GULP…

He swallowed the core. At first, nothing happened. But after five minutes, a faint warmth stirred in his stomach. The heat grew, spreading from his gut to the rest of his body.

"Ugh… this didn't happen before. Was the serum the right way to take the core's energy…?! Arghhhhh!" Lex groaned.

In the parallel world, the serum injection hadn't caused this heat—just a surge of energy, like gaining strength. But swallowing the core directly was different.

The heat started in his stomach, then spiked, raising his entire body's temperature, as if a scalding object had been pressed against him.

"Arggghhhh!"

The heat brought pain, like he was burning from the inside. Steam rose from his body, his skin faintly glowing red.

"Argggghhhaaaaaaa!"

He began screaming loudly, unable to withstand the intense heat any longer. His clothes started burning due to the scorching heat, and within seconds, they were completely incinerated, leaving him stark naked.

And A black liquid began oozing from his entire body. Even amidst the pain, Lex could sense the foul stench of it.

"Arhhh... fuck! What kind of evolution is this?!"

Seeing the black liquid seeping from his body, he started to panic. It felt as though his body was melting—perhaps that's what he thought—but there was nothing he could do about it now.

"Urhhaaa!"

In the parallel world, the evolution process had been simple, and he hadn't felt any pain. Instead, an unfamiliar energy had surged into his body, allowing him to evolve effortlessly.

But now, because he had directly absorbed the Core, he was forced to endure excruciating pain, as if his bones were being crushed.

"Argh... fuck! I'm not going to die again! I'll overcome this pain!"

Lex began to muster courage within himself. He was determined to become superior, no matter what it took. He knew what it meant to be powerless and had no desire to feel that way again.

After enduring ten minutes of relentless pain, the searing heat in his body began to cool down gradually.

Lex could feel the entire structure of his body transforming. His senses sharpened, and he felt an overwhelming surge of heightened awareness.

Even with his eyes closed, Lex could sense a strange, different energy from the outside world. His body felt lighter than ever before, as if he could now leap five to ten meters into the air.

And finally, what Lex had been eagerly waiting for appeared before his eyes: the mysterious blue screen.

[DING!!]

The sound snapped him out of his trance, and he opened his eyes to see:

[CONGRATULATIONS FOR AWAKENING]

Seeing that familiar yet enigmatic blue screen again, Lex felt a rush of joy mixed with shock.

This blue screen, even in the parallel world, remained a mystery tied to the existence of the virus. How did it operate? Who was the mysterious entity behind this supportive system that helped humanity become more powerful? These questions had no answers, remaining an unsolved enigma.

Many theories had emerged, such as the idea that perhaps a divine being created this system to aid humanity in fighting against the virus.

The virus itself held countless mysteries beyond human comprehension, but no one had ever found concrete answers.

"Ah... fuck! That hurt like hell!"

Lex finally breathed a sigh of relief. For a moment, he had thought he wouldn't survive the pain. But thanks to his luck—or perhaps something more—he had survived and evolved into a superhuman.

"Ugh!!... I need to take a bath, but first..."

The black substance that had oozed from his body was still scattered on the ground, its stench lingering in the air. The foul smell was uncomfortable, and his body reeked of it too, even though the black substance was no longer on him.

Lex decided to endure the odor for a little longer because he wanted to check something. His attention turned to the blue screen in front of him.

| NAME: LEX WINCHESTER

| AGE: 25

| RACE: HUMAN

| SUPERHUMAN (LVL 1)

| ABILITY: ABSOLUTE EYE (Evolution Possible)

| SPECIALITY: CORE DEVOURER

"Hm!! ... SPECIALITY? That wasn't there before."