Origin Beast Soul
In the forest outside, far from Zenlife Shelter's humming barriers, Austin knelt beside a slain blue-furred creature, its glassy eyes wide and lifeless. It resembled a rabbit—but with floral patterns blooming faintly over its fur and fangs longer than its legs. Roughly the size of a basketball.
A bloodied dagger hung from his hip, and in his hand, he held the still-warm corpse of a Floral Rabbit Alien—a small, blue-furred creature no bigger than a basketball. Its body emitted a faint floral scent, deceptively sweet for something so deadly.
You have killed an Ordinary-Class Floral Rabbit Alien!
No drop item obtained.
Consume its flesh to gain EvoCells.
Austin crouched by a tree, wiping sweat from his brow. He flicked open the interface on his Genesis Watch, eyes narrowing as he scanned the data.
Name: Austin Veyne
Class: Low-Level Superhuman
Status: None
Element: None
Lifespan: 100 Years
EvoCells Required for Evolution: 200
Current Ordinary-Class EvoCells: 72
He let out a tired laugh. "Only 72... At this pace, I'd need to kill another hundred just to reach the baseline. And that's assuming I don't die from exhaustion first."
Even though these were just Ordinary-Class EvoCells, he wasn't complaining.
"My strength's nearly doubled... but still not enough to take on a Blazed-Class alien."
His black shirt clung to his sweat-soaked skin, and his formal pants were already stained with blood and grass.
It had been nearly a week since the Lyra incident. The nickname "Peach Hunter" still echoed through the shelter like a cursed anthem. But strangely... Lyra hadn't made a move yet.
"Odd…" he muttered, eyes narrowing. "She's one of the elites. With her pride, I figured she'd try to stab me back in my sleep."
He shook his head and pulled out a crude knife from his belt. With practiced ease, he sliced into the rabbit's belly, tore off a piece of meat, and stuffed it into his mouth.
The taste was not bad it almost tasted like wild chicken, chewy but oddly refreshing.
+1 EvoCell (Ordinary-Class Floral Rabbit Alien)
+1 EvoCell (Ordinary-Class Floral Rabbit Alien)
+1 EvoCell (Ordinary-Class Floral Rabbit Alien)
...
Olivia scoffed in his mind. "You know, EvoCells are microscopic units of alien vitality—compressed alien genes. The more you gather, the closer you crawl along the path of evolution. Not that you've evolved much yet, obviously."
"Mmh." He swallowed and licked the blood from his fingers, grinning. "Not bad. Nine EvoCells."
He glanced at the updated display: "Current EvoCells: 81"
Just then—
Crack!
A faint snap came from the west.
Austin froze. His instincts sharpened immediately, he dropped the remaining meat, stood up, and slowly unsheathed his dagger. The air was still, too still.
"That wasn't a rabbit. That was... heavier."
Without a sound, he crept toward the noise, weaving through the underbrush, boots silent against the dirt. The deeper he went, the colder the air became.
After two miles of cautious stalking, the trees thinned out.
And then he saw them. Two beasts. Locked in a vicious brawl.
A Serpent easily ten meters long, its obsidian scales glittering with electric current, hissed and slammed its tail like a whip. Sparks scattered through the air as it clashed with its opponent—a monstrous Mongoose, bulky with silver fur and glowing amber eyes, muscles twitching with every movement.
"Holy shit…" Austin's mouth went dry. "Stellar-Class… both of them."
Austin ducked behind a thick root and held his breath. "Stellar-Class... that's two whole levels above Ordinary. One mistake and I'm dead."
The ground shook beneath his feet with each strike exchanged. Trees were crushed like twigs from the shockwaves. Rocks exploded under their feet. Fangs, claws, lightning, and raw fury tore at the very earth.
The Serpent lunged, mouth wide, fangs dripping green venom. The Mongoose leapt, flipped mid-air, and clawed at the snake's eyes with blinding speed.
CRACK!
A bolt of green plasma-like lightning erupted from the serpent's mouth, blasting a crater into the ground. Austin felt the shockwave in his bones.
Shockwaves from their attacks flattened the grass and sent smaller creatures fleeing. Trees were splintered. The air was thick with rage, power, and alien blood.
"Damn… That would've vaporized me if I were five steps closer."
He didn't move a muscle, just watched in awe and terror.
"This… This is what power looks like."
"This is the world I've entered."
Deep inside his chest, a soft pulse echoed.
Olivia stirred. Her voice was sarcastic, but shaken—rippled inside his mind.
"Austin, are you insane? These aren't rabbits. If either of them senses you, you'll be shredded before you can blink."
He didn't answer right away.
Instead, he smiled.
That cold, calculating smile.
"I know," he whispered. "But… they're tearing each other apart. Look at them. Even monsters bleed when they're exhausted."
Olivia's voice sharpened. "Don't tell me you're thinking of—"
"I am."
"You'll die."
"Maybe."
He leaned closer to watch. The mongoose now had gashes along its ribs. The serpent's left eye was gouged, leaking dark blood.
Austin clenched his fists.
"I've killed dozens of Ordinary-Class aliens. But my Void Genesis Core hasn't awakened. Not even a twitch. It's like it's asleep... or incomplete."
"But these," he whispered aloud, "these are monsters. Maybe this… this is what I need to trigger it."
He looked down at his wrist.
Genesis Watch interface: working.
Genesis Core: inactive.
"My watch is running from my body's basic analysis. My Genesis Core doesn't respond to anything."
Back on Earth, Austin had not awakened his Void Genesis. When he received the Genesis Crystal, he consumed it with full anticipation—but to his disappointment, nothing happened. The Void Genesis never awakened.
Olivia went quiet, clearly thinking. Then said, "...Maybe you're right. Maybe it needs something more. Something stronger. But if you're wrong..."
He smirked. "Then at least I die with a better view."
The battle reached its peak. The serpent's tail lashed out and crushed the mongoose's left leg. But at the same time, the mongoose bit into the serpent's neck and refused to let go.
Both let out guttural, agonized roars.
But what Austin failed to notice was the silent presence above.
High atop the thick branches of an ancient alien tree, a figure crouched, half-shrouded in shifting shadows. Dressed in plain hunter's garb, his face was wrapped beneath a red-and-black scarf, hiding all but a pair of sharp eyes—eyes that glinted with intelligence and curiosity.
He watched Austin with calm interest. "So that's the Peach Hunter… Austin Veyne," the figure murmured inwardly.
"He's seriously thinking of charging two Stellar-Class beasts? Is he mad… or is there something else to him?"
His gaze flicked between the battle-scarred clearing and the crouching boy below. Though his face was hidden, his thoughts were sharp and calculated.
"Even if Lyra only used small percent of her power back then, a normal newcomer shouldn't have walked away with his life intact. I need to know what this guy's hiding…"
But he didn't move. Didn't reveal himself. Just watched silently.
Down below, the serpent and mongoose faced each other with burning hatred, blood streaming from their broken bodies. Their roars had weakened into raspy growls. But the killing intent in their eyes had not dulled.
Austin crouched, dagger in hand, breath quickening. His heart thundered in his chest.
"They're almost dead... This is the moment."
His pulse pounded as he bolted forward, his boots slapped against the scorched ground. Every step sent adrenaline coursing through his veins. He could feel every instinct in his body screaming run.
The serpent hissed sharply, its forked tongue flickering with venom. The mongoose snarled, head turning just enough to catch the blur approaching. "GRAAHHHH!"
The serpent lashed its massive tail like a whip ten meters of raw muscle tearing through the air.
"Shit!" He leapt aside at the last possible moment.
BOOOOOM!
The tail slammed into the earth, sending up a fountain of dirt and stone.
Austin ducked and rolled to the side—dust exploded beside him as the tail barely missed, grazing his shoulder. Pain flared, but he gritted his teeth and kept moving.
"That was too close…" he thought, his shoulder throbbing. "Even half-dead, these bastards are monsters."
He scrambled to his feet, eyes darting to the mongoose, who stood panting and just watching. Not attacking.
He darted forward not towards the serpent. But towards the mongoose the weaker of the two.
The giant beast glared at him with intelligent eyes, confused for a brief moment.
Then Austin did something. He picked up a large, jagged rock from the ground and, with all the force his body could muster, hurled it at the serpent's mangled face.
WHACK!
The stone struck just above its injured eye. The serpent reared back with a screech of rage and humiliation. Its body crackled with venomous energy.
Olivia gasped in his mind. "Austin, what the hell are you—"
He smirked and replied, I wanted to piss off that serpant!
The Serpent's obsidian scales flared green, and the air around its mouth shimmered. A massive charge began building between its fangs—concentrated plasma mixed with raw venom.
"HHHIIISSSSSSSSS!"
With a roar that shook the trees, the serpent unleashed a twisting beam of emerald plasma, laced with venom, like a lance of death aimed straight at Austin.
But Austin... didn't run.
He charged forward.
At the last moment, he pushed off the ground with both legs and leapt skyward.
Time slowed.
Below him, the beam of death passed under his body—and struck the mongoose square in the chest.
BOOOOOM!
A thunderous explosion shook the forest.
The shockwave sent trees bending and dust flying. Birds and smaller beasts fled. The serpent, drained of life, slithered backward a few meters, its one eye dimming.
When the dust cleared...
A deep crater had formed.
And inside it—the mongoose lay still. Its chest caved in. Steam of blood rushing out from a massive hole where its heart had once been.
It was alive—but only barely.
Austin's body landed on the edge of the crater. His knees buckled from the impact, but he didn't waste a second. He leapt down.
"That was too close… but it worked."
Then, with a single clean motion, he slit its throat.
You have killed a Stellar-Class Giant Mongoose!
No drop item obtained.
Consume its flesh to gain EvoCells.
The notification flickered on his watch, but Austin's focus had already shifted. He exhaled sharply, hands trembling.
"No drop… but not bad for a gamble." His heart still hammered, the adrenaline refusing to fade.
Without pause, he turned and sprinted across the ruined battlefield, past broken roots and scorched earth, toward the dying serpent. Its body lay coiled like a collapsed building. But its energy was spent. It had burned its core dry with that last attack.
"Time to end it."
He dashed forward.
The serpent lunged one last time, slow and shaky. Austin ducked under it, rolled to the side, and leapt onto its neck.
He drove his dagger down—right between the eyes. SKRRRK!
The blade sunk deep.
The serpent spasmed once… then went still.
You have killed a Stellar-Class Venom Serpent!
Origin Soul obtained!
Consume its flesh to gain EvoCells.
Austin froze. "Origin Soul… obtained?"
His eyes widened. Slowly, he raised his wrist to glance at the Genesis Watch.
The interface flickered with unfamiliar brilliance.
A glowing crystal-shaped icon had appeared next to the kill log.
A flicker of eerie green light floated out from the serpent's skull—a translucent wisp that drifted into Austin's chest.
[Origin Soul: Stellar-Class Venom Serpent]
"This… this is the first Origin Soul I've ever gotten. And it's Stellar-Class…!"
His heartbeat thundered—not from exertion, but from anticipation.
"Wait… did that just say Origin Soul?" Her voice dropped to a whisper. "You really did it, Austin."
High above, in the tree's shadow, the red-scarfed figure was still watching.
But this time, his eyes held more than curiosity, they held respect.
"He gambled with his life... and actually did it," the young man murmured. "That wasn't luck. That was strategy. Timing. Guts."
He turned, his red-black scarf fluttering slightly in the breeze, and disappeared into the depths of the forest.
"Austin Veyne... you're not just lucky. You're lethal. And lethal men... don't stay unnoticed for long. I'll be watching."