The Changing Body

The Safe Zone's outer district wasn't a place for the strong.

It was where the leftovers gathered—the ones who never Awakened, the Hunters who weren't talented enough to join guilds, and the civilians scraping by in a world ruled by the evolved.

Jarek moved through the winding alleys, hood pulled low. Flickering neon signs cast uneven light over cracked pavement, advertising cheap gear repairs, unlicensed medics, and underground fights.

He kept his head down, out of habit more than necessity.

No one here would recognize him.

Or so he thought.

"Didn't think I'd see you again, Zero."

Jarek paused.

A man leaned against a streetlight, arms crossed, smirking.

Kalen Voss.

Late twenties, built like a fighter but with the lazy confidence of someone who had already lost too many times to care. A former Hunter. One of many who had washed out.

Jarek sighed. "I'm not in the mood, Kalen."

Kalen let out a short laugh. "That's new. You never used to be in the mood for anything."

Jarek ignored him and kept walking.

Kalen pushed off the pole, falling into step beside him. "You know, I figured you were dead. You disappear for a week, and then I see you walking around like nothing happened?" His eyes flicked to Jarek's clothes. "You lose weight?"

Jarek kept his expression neutral, but deep down, the words stuck.

So it's noticeable.

He wasn't just imagining it.

His clothes fit looser. His movements were sharper. His face, reflected briefly in a storefront window, looked leaner, more honed.

His body was changing.

"You actually working as a Hunter now?" Kalen continued.

Jarek snorted. "Since when do Hunters get paid for wandering around?"

Kalen smirked. "Fair enough."

For a moment, Jarek thought that was the end of it. But then Kalen's tone shifted, lower, almost serious.

"If you ever need backup, you know where to find me."

Jarek stopped walking.

Kalen never said things like that.

He turned, meeting his gaze. "Why?"

Kalen shrugged. "Call it a hunch. You look different. Not in a bad way. Just… different." He hesitated, then grinned. "Figured if you're dumb enough to go out there alone, might as well offer you a smarter option."

Jarek studied him for a second, then shook his head. "I work alone."

Kalen smirked. "Yeah. Figured you'd say that."

He didn't press the issue. Just gave a casual wave and strolled off toward a row of bars.

Jarek exhaled.

He didn't have time to deal with Kalen.

Jarek barely made it three blocks before he heard something that stopped him in his tracks.

"I'm telling you, that thing wasn't Feral. It was Predator-Tier."

His head turned slightly.

A group of Hunters stood outside a supply shop, their voices low but tense.

"Bullshit. You saw a Predator and walked away?"

"The hell I did. If it was an Apex, I'd be dead. But Predators? Those are the things that separate real Hunters from the wannabes."

Jarek lingered nearby, pretending to study a weapon rack.

Feral. Predator. Apex.

He'd heard the words before but never really thought about them.

The first Hunter scoffed. "Feral beasts are nothing. You kill a couple of those and suddenly people think they're Hunters."

His friend grunted. "Yeah, but Predator Tier? Different story. That's where people start dying."

Jarek clenched his jaw.

So that's the line?

He had been taking down Feral-Tier beasts so far, or at least he thought.

But Predator-Tier… that was what the real Hunters fought.

That was the gap between survival and strength.

And Apex?

No one hunted those alone.

Jarek exhaled.

If he wanted to climb this world's hierarchy, he had to push higher.

Jarek barely made it another block before he felt it.

A presence.

Not like before—this wasn't a person watching him.

This was something else.

He slowed his pace, adjusting his grip on the pipe strapped to his back. No sudden movements.

Then he heard it.

A faint rustle. A whisper of movement where there shouldn't be any.

He turned—too late.

A blur of dark fur shot toward him from the rooftops, a streak of motion barely visible in the neon haze.

Jarek rolled back just in time as claws raked the spot where his throat had been.

It landed on silent paws, hackles raised, golden eyes calculating.

Small and agile. Not built for power—but for precision.

A Shadewhisper Fox.

This was an assassin.

It must've followed him back from the wildlands.

The fox moved first, vanishing into the darkness.

Jarek's Phantom Reflex kicked in, sharpening his focus.

There—a shift in the air to his right.

Jarek twisted just in time to deflect its attack with his pipe, metal sparking as claws scraped against it.

Too fast.

Even with his enhanced reflexes, he couldn't track it through sight alone.

His grip on the pipe tightened.

Fine. Let's change the game.

He stopped moving.

The fox circled him, waiting. Predators were cautious—if they sensed uncertainty, they struck.

Jarek forced himself to breathe slower, to focus.

The air. The sounds. The weight of the silence.

There.

A flicker of motion to his left.

Jarek spun—not dodging, but attacking first.

The steel pipe collided mid-air with fur and flesh.

A sharp yelp. A blur of movement hitting the ground.

Jarek didn't hesitate.

He moved in before it could recover, driving his weapon down.

The Shadewhisper Fox let out one last growl—then stilled.

Its blood splattering on his hands.

 [GENETIC INTEGRATION COMPLETE.]

 NEW SKILL ACQUIRED: "Shadow Step" (Basic Stealth Skill).

Jarek stiffened.

A skill?

He had only absorbed traits before—reflexes, strength. Physical changes.

But this felt different.

"Shadow Step" – Movement becomes naturally quieter. Harder to detect.

It wasn't a mutation—it was a technique.

Something he could use.

Jarek stepped forward on instinct—his foot landed soundlessly.

His brows furrowed.

So he didn't just evolve physically.

He could learn.

Jarek turned back toward the Safe Zone, but something felt off.

His body still pulsed with new power, but this time, the hunger hadn't faded.

It wasn't unbearable. Not yet.

But it was there.

Gnawing at the edges of his mind, whispering that one wasn't enough.

Then, as he passed another window, he caught his reflection again.

The same sharp eyes. The same lean, honed frame.

But for the first time, he felt like he was looking at someone else.

Someone more than human.

Or maybe, something less.

Jarek exhaled, forcing his gaze forward.

He needed a hunt.