The First Mutation
Jarek's body changed.
At first, he thought he was dying.
His veins burned like molten steel had been injected straight into his bloodstream. His muscles clenched, spasming so hard that his back arched off the ground. His bones groaned under the pressure, reshaping, reinforcing—
Then, just as suddenly, the pain vanished.
Jarek gasped, blinking rapidly. His vision was still glowing, symbols flashing across his mind like an interface burned into his skull.
[GENETIC INTEGRATION COMPLETE.]
NEW MUTATION ACQUIRED: "STRIKER'S REACTION" (PHASE 1).
NERVE RESPONSE TIME BOOSTED BY 42%.
MUSCLE FIBER EFFICIENCY +25%.
His heart pounded. His breath was steady. Too steady.
His body felt… different.
Lighter.
Faster.
Stronger.
Not superhuman. Not like an Apex Hunter.
But more than he was before.
And yet, the realization sent a chill through him—he was still deep in the ruins, far from the Safe Zone.
A low, wet growl made his skin crawl.
Jarek's head snapped up.
The Razorback Striker was still alive.
It was staggering, its wounded side dripping blood onto the cracked pavement of the old subway station. The tunnels had long been abandoned, overrun by creatures like this—beasts that had no business existing in the real world.
But Gates had changed everything.
It wasn't just the dungeons anymore. The mutations had spread. Areas outside the city walls, once livable, had turned into lawless mutation zones.
And Jarek was standing in one. Alone.
The Striker's slitted yellow eyes burned with fury.
Jarek froze.
Then—the beast moved.
A blur of muscle and speed, its bone-spiked forearms slicing toward his throat.
Jarek's body reacted before he did.
He threw himself backward—barely escaping as the claws ripped past his face.
The Striker didn't stop. It spun, claws flashing again.
Jarek's hands moved—faster than he'd ever felt before.
His steel pipe swung up just in time—
CLANG.
The impact sent a shudder through his arms, but the claws didn't tear into his chest. He had blocked it.
I actually blocked it.
The Striker's muscles bunched. It was already lunging again—a relentless, brutal attack.
Jarek barely ducked, rolling under the next swipe. His new speed wasn't perfect.
He was still slower than the beast.
But now—he was just fast enough.
And he had to survive long enough to get back to the walls.
Jarek's foot slipped on blood.
The Striker saw it.
It launched forward—teeth bared, claws aimed straight for his skull.
Jarek had no time to dodge.
No choice but to fight.
He whipped the pipe upward, using its own momentum against it.
The steel crashed against its jaw—hard, but not hard enough.
The Striker recoiled, snarling, but recovered instantly.
Jarek forced himself to move.
If he let it control the pace, he was dead.
He dashed right, faking an opening.
The beast lunged for it—just what he wanted.
He twisted, pivoting on pure instinct.
Leading the Striker so its wounded side was exposed again.
Jarek swung.
The pipe slammed into the open wound.
The beast shrieked in agony.
The Striker was still moving—but slower.
Jarek could see it now. Its movements weren't as sharp. The blood loss was catching up.
He just needed one last opening.
The beast lunged again—its attack sloppier than before.
Jarek sidestepped at the last second, spinning with the force of its charge.
He lifted the pipe—both hands gripping tight.
And he drove it straight into the beast's skull.
The Striker collapsed mid-lunge, its body crashing onto the bloodstained concrete.
For a moment, Jarek stood there—panting, pipe still raised.
The beast didn't move.
He had won.
But the real fight wasn't over.
Now, he had to make it back.
Jarek's hands weren't shaking.
[ADAPTIVE EVOLUTION: STAGE 1 INTEGRATION COMPLETE.]
He exhaled slowly. His body still felt… strange.
He should have been exhausted. Beaten half to death.
Instead, he felt alive.
But more than that—he felt hungry.
And the Safe Zone was still miles away.
Jarek looked down at the Striker's corpse.
Blood pooled beneath it, thick and dark.
A cold chill ran down his spine.
He had absorbed the beast's traits from its blood.
But what if…
He could take more?
His fingers twitched.
Was there a limit?
Could he absorb multiple mutations?
A terrifying possibility clawed its way into his mind.
What if he wasn't just evolving?
What if he was becoming something else entirely?
A terrifying possibility clawed its way into his mind.
What if he wasn't just evolving?
What if he was becoming something else entirely?
Jarek forced himself to move. His body still felt too light, too fast. He had changed, but he was still far from understanding it.
The Safe Zone walls were still far away.
But he didn't move yet.
His gaze lingered on the Razorback Striker's corpse.
Something wasn't right.
Something still called to him.