Chapter 3: Unstable Evolution and The Hunters in the Dark
A Dangerous Hunger
Daniel staggered through the ruined streets, breathing heavily. His hands trembled as he examined them—black scales flickered across his skin, vanishing and reappearing unpredictably.
Something was wrong.
The Unstable Dimensional Mutation he had absorbed wasn't just powerful—it was volatile, shifting like a living thing inside him. It felt like something crawling beneath his skin, waiting for an opportunity to break free.
[Warning: Unstable Mutation Detected.]
[Condition: Unknown Evolution Triggered.]
"Yeah, no kidding," Daniel muttered, gripping his wrist as a surge of pain wracked his body. "Okay, System, any chance we could not turn me into a cosmic horror?"
No response.
Figures.
He took a shaky breath, glancing around. The city had gone eerily quiet, aside from the distant, guttural growls of roaming Dimensional Beasts. Fires still burned in the wreckage, casting long shadows across the streets.
His body was changing. He could feel it. But he didn't have the luxury of panicking.
He needed answers.
And, more importantly—he needed to find a safe place before something stronger found him.
---
The Hunters Arrive
Daniel didn't get far before a strange noise cut through the silence.
A whistling sound.
He spun—just in time to see a bolt of red energy slicing through the air toward him.
"Shi—!"
Daniel barely managed to dodge as the blast struck the ground beside him, sending concrete and metal flying in all directions.
He landed in a roll, snapping his head toward the source of the attack.
Standing on the rooftop of a half-collapsed building were three figures, cloaked in high-tech armor lined with glowing, blood-red circuits. Their helmets obscured their faces, but their movements were deliberate—predatory.
They weren't Dimensional Beasts.
They were human.
Or at least, they used to be.
"Target located," one of them said in a distorted voice. "Subject is confirmed as a system user. Proceeding with elimination."
Daniel stiffened.
These guys weren't just random survivors.
[New Threat Identified: Hunters of the Crimson Order.]
The who now?
Before he could question it, the system fed him more intel.
---
The Crimson Order: Hunters of System Users
The Crimson Order—a secretive, militant organization that emerged immediately after the dimensional collapse. Unlike scattered survivors struggling to make sense of the apocalypse, the Crimson Order was prepared.
They had knowledge of system users and pre-existing technology capable of countering them. Their mission?
Eliminate unstable system users before they become threats.
Control or destroy anyone who could disrupt their unknown agenda.
Extract powerful system abilities for their own use.
But the most terrifying part?
They weren't fully human anymore.
Something about them felt... wrong. Their movements were too perfect, their reflexes inhumanly precise. The system couldn't detect their energy levels properly, as if their very existence was partially erased from reality itself.
That meant one thing—
They weren't just hunting monsters. They had become something worse.
---
Outnumbered and Outgunned
The first shot fired—a searing blast of energy that ripped through the air—but Daniel's newly-enhanced reflexes kicked in, and he twisted mid-run, the shot barely missing his shoulder.
"Okay, yeah, don't wanna get hit by that."
He dashed toward cover, sliding behind a rusted car as another blast struck the pavement, melting the concrete on impact.
[Assessment: Hostile Targets Are Significantly Stronger.]
[Recommendation: Devour to Gain Power or Escape Immediately.]
"Gee, thanks for the strategic advice, System," Daniel muttered. "I totally wasn't thinking about that."
Another shot blasted the car apart, sending him diving for his life.
One of the hunters leaped down from the rooftop, moving unnaturally fast. The moment he landed, he vanished, reappearing right in front of Daniel with a blade made of pure crimson energy.
Daniel's eyes widened.
Oh, come on!
---
Mutation Awakens
The hunter slashed.
Daniel moved—but not fast enough.
The energy blade sliced into his side, and a burning agony surged through his body.
But instead of collapsing, something inside him reacted.
The pain vanished.
Instead, his wounds sealed almost instantly, and a dark, liquid-like energy spread across his arm.
The hunter hesitated.
Daniel grinned.
"Oh, I like this."
His arm shifted, black tendrils flickering as it reshaped into something inhuman—a twisted fusion of his own flesh and the monstrous energy he had absorbed.
Before the hunter could react, Daniel lunged forward and slammed his newly transformed clawed hand straight into the man's chest.
[Absorbing Target…]
[Success! You have acquired: Blink Step.]
The hunter screamed before vanishing into a swirl of black mist, devoured completely.
The other two hunters stiffened.
Daniel looked down at his arm. It twitched, pulsing with unstable energy, before returning to normal.
"…Okay, that was terrifying," he admitted.
But also awesome.
---
Escaping the Hunt
The remaining two hunters exchanged silent glances. Then, as if responding to an unheard command, one of them stepped forward, while the other vanished into the shadows.
"Great. These guys can coordinate," Daniel muttered. "Because my life wasn't hard enough already."
The remaining hunter charged, his energy blade humming with raw power.
But this time, Daniel was faster.
He tapped into his newest ability—Blink Step.
A rush of spatial distortion twisted around him, and before the hunter could strike—Daniel was behind him.
"Wha—?"
CRACK.
Daniel drove his fist into the back of the hunter's helmet, shattering it instantly.
The armored man collapsed, unconscious.
No need to absorb him. He'd gotten what he needed.
That just left—
SHNK.
A sharp pain shot through Daniel's leg.
He looked down to see a thin, crimson blade impaled through his calf.
The third hunter, the one who had disappeared earlier, was now right behind him, his helmeted face mere inches away.
"You are not ready for what is coming," the hunter whispered.
And then—he vanished.
Daniel collapsed onto one knee, breathing hard.
The third hunter… let him live?
---
The Crimson Order's Warning
Daniel sat against a broken wall, panting. His wound was already healing, but his mind was spinning.
What did that guy mean?
"You are not ready for what is coming."
Who the hell were these Crimson Order freaks?
And why were they hunting system users?
More importantly—what did they know that he didn't?
One thing was clear.
This wasn't just about survival anymore.
There was something bigger going on—something far more dangerous than just the apocalypse.
And Daniel was right in the middle of it.
---
What Happens Next?
Daniel's Unstable Mutation begins to take form.
The Crimson Order's hidden agenda is revealed.
A mysterious ally appears—but can Daniel trust them?
The apocalypse's true origin starts to unravel.
Find out next time on Ancient Legends: In the Apocalypse with My Dimension Devouring System!