Ch 24 : Absolute Eye

Dan Mountain...

Crack!

BOOM!!!

"What the hell?! Was that tree weak or something?!"

In front of Lex's hideout, a cluster of trees stood tall. After freshening up, Lex decided to test his superhuman strength.

He threw a medium-speed but full-power punch at a tree, not expecting that a single blow would bring the massive tree crashing down.

When he first became a superhuman in the parallel world after two years, his strength wasn't enough to destroy a tree with one punch.

Back then, it took four or five punches to crack a tree and make it fall, and even then, the damage was nowhere near as devastating as what his single punch had just caused.

"Maybe the tree was just weak,"

Lex muttered, refusing to believe he had taken down an entire tree with one punch. He blamed the tree itself for the fault.

"Hm! This one looks strong,"

He said, approaching another tree and touching it to check its sturdiness. Feeling confident it was solid, he stepped back, clenched his right fist, and—

BOOM!!

The sturdy tree collapsed with a single punch, crashing to the ground.

"Holy fuck! I actually took down a tree with one punch!" Lex was utterly shocked.

"But how is this possible? I'm only a Level 1 Superhuman, and this is, like, Level 2 strength!"

Lex knew how powerful a Level 2 Superhuman was because he had evolved into one in the parallel world.

Each level is three times stronger than the previous one. For example, three Level 1 Superhumans combined could barely match the power of a single Level 2 Superhuman.

So, when Lex felt the strength of a Level 2 Superhuman punch, he was baffled. He had no idea how he had achieved this, especially since he was still at Level 1 yet capable of rivaling a Level 2 Superhuman.

"Could it have something to do with that black substance?"

The thought of the mysterious black substance that had oozed from his body suddenly crossed his mind. He vividly remembered the excruciating pain from that moment.

He knew he couldn't access such power without first becoming a Level 2 Superhuman. Every level has a limit, and to cross from one to the next—especially from Level 1 to Level 2—requires a tremendous amount of experience and the energy of at least 50 Cores.

"I need to check that substance," Lex decided. He was determined to uncover the truth behind his newfound Level 2 Superhuman strength.

Lex went underground to where the black substance still lay. He hadn't cleaned it up, thinking it might be useful in the future.

But when he reached the spot, only a small amount of the black substance remained, as if it had been evaporating due to the heat.

"Ugh!" As soon as he got close to the black substance, that same foul stench hit him again.

"Maybe in a little while, it'll completely evaporate and disappear," Lex mused, noticing a faint vapor rising from the remaining black substance.

"ABSOLUTE EYE!"

Activating his skill, Lex focused on the substance. As soon as he spoke, a blue light began to glow from both his eyes, and a blue screen appeared in front of him.

[ Black Flux: This is a type of waste liquid expelled from the human body. It is a substance accumulated from every cell, bone, and hair in the body. To separate from these, it requires a limited amount of internal heat.

With this heat, the Flux drains from the cells, bones, and hair, exiting the body. In this process, all cells and bones become ten times more powerful, essentially reconstructing the human body as if it were brand new.]

"This!!"

Lex was stunned as he read about this mysterious Black Flux.

In the parallel world, he had never heard of or seen Black Flux coming from anyone's body.

"No wonder I felt so fresh and my body so much stronger than before!"

Lex snapped out of his shock, finally understanding the reason behind his Level 2 Superhuman strength.

If he didn't have Absolute Eye, he might never have learned about Black Flux.

When someone evolves, they gain skills based on their body and mind. When Lex Winchester was surviving in the parallel world, he was hyper-aware of his surroundings.

Even while sleeping, he was so alert that he would wake up at the sound of footsteps from meters away, instantly shifting into fight mode. He spent two full years like this before evolving into a superhuman.

When he finally evolved, he gained a skill perfectly suited to him: '' Absolute Eye '', which remained active even during deep sleep. If anything entered its range, it would warn Lex, allowing him to prepare fully.

If he detected someone stronger, he would flee. If they were weaker, he would attack stealthily, avoiding direct risk. This was how he survived for eight years, relying on Absolute Eye.

[ DING ]

[ WARNING!!! : Three unknown living things detected within a 100-meter range ]

Lex was lost in the thrill of his newfound strength, but the sudden warning from Absolute Eye snapped him to attention. He instantly became alert.

" Oh, just three living things! " he thought to himself, but a sudden jolt hit him hard.

"What the heck?! You can actually talk?!"

Lex exclaimed. He wasn't shocked by the unknown entities approaching his hideout but by the fact that the blue screen, which had always alerted him with just a DING sound, was now speaking its warning.

[.....]

The screen gave no reply. But then, the same voice issued another warning...

[ WARNING!!! : Three unknown living things detected within a 50-meter range]

"The hell?! Hey!!!" Lex shouted.

[.....]

Lex was baffled by the mysterious voice. Since returning to his real world, he had been certain everything would unfold exactly as it had in the parallel world.

But in the last hour, things he never dreamed of had happened: he had gained Level 2 Superhuman strength while still at Level 1, and now he was hearing this mysterious voice—something he hadn't experienced in eight years in the parallel world.

[ WARNING!!! Three living things detected within a 30-meter range ]

"Ah, fuck! I'll deal with these things first, then figure this out later!"

Lex was irritated by the repeated warnings. He desperately wanted to understand the mysterious voice, but it only kept issuing alerts before going silent.

When he called out to it, there was no response. So, he decided to handle the immediate threat first and investigate the voice later, knowing it wasn't going anywhere—it was tied to him.

Lex climbed out of the underground hideout and stood in the open area outside.

He spotted three dogs charging toward him at high speed, but something was off. They weren't normal-sized dogs—they were massive, about two meters long, with bodies as large as tigers.

Drool dripped from their mouths, and they looked ravenous, like they hadn't eaten in days.

"What the?! Mutated dogs?!" Lex was shocked.

" How is this possible...!!? The mutation was supposed to spread a week from now!. Has something changed in the timeline between the parallel world and this world?"

In the parallel world, the mutation virus had spread to animals a week after it began, causing their bodies to double in size rapidly. Those mutated animals had caused chaos everywhere.

Doubts began to flood Lex's mind. The major events he expected in the future might not follow the same timeline as the parallel world. They could happen even sooner.

Lex had made extensive plans for the future, but seeing these mutated dogs, he realized he'd need to act on those plans immediately.

If he didn't, he risked falling back into the same powerless, roach-like existence he had endured in the parallel world.