The First Mutation Encounter

As they moved through the misty forests, everything was quieter than it should have been. No birdsong. No wind. Only footsteps... and tension. Zeyna was walking ahead—fast, agile, and careful, as if she could smell danger instinctively.

Fade trailed slightly behind. With each step, he scanned his surroundings, trying to suppress the echoes in his mind. The crystal in his pocket kept vibrating softly.

"This silence isn't a good sign," Kaela whispered. "Nothing in nature stays this quiet."

At that moment, Fade stopped. Something caught his eye, stuck in the roots of a tree. He bent down, squinting.

A squirrel... but nearly a meter long. Its body was covered in bristle-like fur, its eye sockets empty, mouth frozen open. Its teeth were sharp and protruding.

[??? Mutant Form – Unidentifiable]

"This... isn't evolution," Fade muttered. "This is... corruption."

Just then, the ground trembled. As Fade loosened his chain, Zeyna turned her head to the left and smiled.

"Get ready," she said. "This is like the scent of perfume... just a warning before it hits."

The ground cracked. Five massive creatures burst out beneath them—chunky, frog-like but toothed monsters, moving with leaps. They had no eyes. No ears. But their noses twitched, locking onto targets by scent.

[Detected Entity: Mutant Howlbeast]

Level: 8

Size: 1.2m

Threat: Group assault, rapid reproduction, acidic saliva

Weak Spot: Nape near spine

Darin raised his shield in the front. "Take position!"

As Fade coiled the chain into his hand, Zeyna had already launched forward.

"I'm going in, slowpokes!"

Zeyna leapt onto one of the mutants. Her daggers stabbed into its back. But the skin was so tough, the blades bounced off.

"Damn... that's new."

Kaela, staying back, fired a beam of light from the launcher rifle on her shoulder. It hit the creature's left eye—or what was left of the socket.

[Mutant Howlbeast -27 HP]

[Side Effect: Blinded – 10 seconds]

Zeyna didn't waste the chance. She stabbed her daggers in a cross motion. The creature groaned before collapsing.

[Mutant Howlbeast KILLED]

+120 XP

+Item: Mutant Eye Orb

+Biological Material: Tainted Hide

Fade swung his chain. It struck another creature. As the chain coiled around its throat, he activated the "Wraithstep" skill.

[Wraithstep Activated – Shadow Step]

Fade vanished briefly into the shadows, reappearing behind the creature. He had enough energy for "Soulfall."

[Soulfall – Spirit Blow Activated]

Spiritual Power 100% → Physical Damage +60%

[Critical Hit: -190 HP]

The creature staggered and dropped. Fade's eyes scanned three more shapes still moving in the mist. Arven shot one in the leg. Kaela blasted another with a concentrated beam. Zeyna lured the third to herself—bloody, savage, and smiling.

Zeyna shouted:

"Fade! Throw me your chain!"

Fade didn't hesitate. He hurled it. Zeyna caught it, wrapped it around the mutant's neck, and with one motion, crushed its throat. The chain was alive—still pulsing with Fade's energy. The creature collapsed, spewing blood.

[Mutant Howlbeast KILLED]

+110 XP

+Item: Mutant Tongue

+Tainted Fluid: Acidic Enzyme

The last creature tried to flee, but Fade caught it with "Quick Strike II."

[Quick Strike II – 3 consecutive hits]

[Damage: 65 + 42 + 58] = Total: 165 HP

[Mutant Howlbeast KILLED]

+115 XP

A brief silence fell again. Everyone was breathless.

[Combat Complete]

5 Mutant Howlbeasts Eliminated

+580 Experience

Fade → Leveled Up!

→ Level 7

→ +5 Stat Points

→ +2 Skill Points

New Item: "Mutant Sample Pack" (For Research)

Fade dropped to his knees. Blood had splattered on his armor. The crystal still trembled.

"Were these... ordinary mutants?" Kaela asked, removing a bloodied round from her gun.

Zeyna tossed the tongue she'd taken from one of the creatures.

"They were. But they won't stay that way for long. This is only the beginning."

Fade looked deeper into the forest. Something was moving beyond the branches. Larger. Older.

"Be ready," he said quietly. "This world has changed. And we're only scratching the surface."

The mutants' corpses were partly vaporizing, acidic fluids bubbling on the ground and melting the soil. The forest was briefly quiet again, but Fade could feel something else stirring behind that silence.

Zeyna crouched down, ignoring the blood on her hands. She grinned at Fade.

"Not bad. You handled the chain well."

"But if you'd been any slower, I'd have had to save you."

Fade turned to her. His eyes were serious, but his voice was calm.

"Watching you... I noticed something. You have chaotic energy. But useful."

Zeyna winked. "I'm not useful. Actually ı'm funny. But yeah... sometimes I help."

A short silence followed. Both were catching their breath without taking their eyes off the corpses.

"Fade," Zeyna said in a lowered voice, "I've never seen someone like you before. Even shadows seem to flinch from you. There's... something else inside you. I don't know what. But I want to find out."

Fade looked down. "I don't know either. But I intend to."

[SYSTEM NOTIFICATION – STAT WINDOW UPDATED]

[STAT WINDOW – UPDATED]

Name: Fade

Type: Half Human / Vantablade

Level: 7

Experience: 100 / 2500

Health: 150

Power: 23

Agility: 28

Intelligence: 13

Endurance: 9

Defense: 8

Mental Resilience: 7

Spirit Power: 10

Stat Points: 5

Skill Points: 4

[PASSIVE ABILITIES]

Warrior's Instinct – 5% chance to anticipate enemy attacks

Sword Mastery II – +20% accuracy on sword attacks, +attack chain speed

Speed Boost – +2 permanent agility, improved reflexes

Unreflectable Move II – First strike cannot be reflected

Echo of the Soul – +15% mental resistance, reinforced by past memories

Shadow Harmony – +10% effectiveness in shadow skills

[ACTIVE SKILLS]

Quick Strike II – 3 consecutive strikes, 150% total physical damage

Shadow Contract – +30% attack and defense for 30 seconds (1-hour cooldown)

Wraithstep – Short-range shadow dash

Soulfall – Converts soul energy into a powerful physical blow

Shadow Chain – Throws chain to bind or pull enemies/weapons

[NEW LOOT]

Mutant Eye Orb

Tainted Hide x2

Mutant Sample Pack – Contains special samples for research

Acidic Enzyme – Usable in poison/acid-based ammo

[TITLES]

Shadow Slayer – +10% extra damage to shadow creatures

Chosen of the Path of Death – Recognized by Azrael; +5% Spirit Power growth

Fade took a deep breath before closing the system screen. Zeyna straightened on her knees and raised an eyebrow.

"So, what now?"

Fade looked ahead. The mist was thickening again. But this time... his instincts felt different. Not a warning, but an invitation.

"We keep moving," he said. "This corruption... it's not natural. Someone or something is behind it. And I intend to find it."

Zeyna grinned. "That's the part that interests me. Wherever we go, it's gonna be fun."

And so, the group resumed moving through the quiet forest. But now, the silence wasn't loneliness—it was the kind that holds a lurking chaos, waiting to strike.