Instincts

[ SYSTEM ALERT ]

[ ALPHA ACQUIRED THE X-CORE ]

[ SURVIVAL PROBABILITY: <1%]

[ESCAPE NOW TO ENSURE SURVIVAL!!]

The notification popped up in front of Zero's eyes, and a weird sensation filled his heart.

It felt like every fiber of his being was active and telling him something.

"Is this…fear?" Zero asked himself, recollecting his memories, about all the emotions that have faded away.

Zero stood frozen.

[ SYSTEM ALERT ]

[ ESCAPE ROUTE COMPROMISED ]

[ALL PATHS BLOCKED]

His breath caught. The world around him blurred, every sound muffled as if sinking underwater.

So this is… fear? Zero tightened his grip around the metal pipe and closed his eyes.

He was going deep inside the trance of fear, understanding it, embracing it, and controlling it.

His fingers trembled slightly, gripping the metal pipe tighter. His throat tightened, and his heart, or whatever of its essence that was left in him, raged in his body with a weird calmness.

He still doesn't remember the feeling of being on the verge of death, but this feeling was something he was used to.

"So this is what it feels like to be hunted?

Why does this excite me?

Why does it feel so addictive?

Why does it feel like… it's nothing new."

*CRASH!*

[SYSTEM ALERT]

[HOSTILE BIO-SIGNATURE DETECTED]

Zero's eyes darted across the dimly lit workshop.

"Not now, not again, this won't be the day I'll croak; I still have a lot of questions to answer." Zero ran back to the workshop.

He kicked open a supply cabinet.

Rusted tools—JUNK!

A plasma welder with no charge—JUNK!

A cracked visor mask—JUNK!

Then something caught his eye.

A steel rebar blade, jagged, a little worn, but it was still usable.

"Well, I can't be choosy right now…" He picked up the blade and gave it a jerk-swing.

[SYSTEM ALERT ]

[ WEAPON ACQUIRED ]

[ EQUIPMENT SLOT: SECONDARY ]

>> NEW ITEM: REBAR BLADE (Makeshift)

>> Base Damage: 9–15 (Piercing / Slashing)

>> Durability: 67%

>> Status Effect: Bleed Chance 12%

>> Passive Bonus: +10% attack speed when below 50% health

[ PASSIVE SKILL UNLOCKED ]

[ DEFENSE AND LIFE ]

[50% HEALTH RECOVERED AFTER 3 SUCCESSFUL PARRY]

Assigned to Neural Quick-Slot [2]

[ DUAL WIELDING STANCE ACTIVATED! ]

Then suddenly, a shriek tore through the ventilation shaft.

They found him… Dozens of small red eyes reflected from the shadows.

A large swarm of Goblin Apes.

[ WARNING: HOSTILE LIFEFORMS APPROACHING—COUNT: 9 ]

[ELIMINATING HOSTILES WILL INCREASE CRITICAL CHANCE BY 30% (CAN BE USED TWICE)]

"Come on… the work is greater than the reward!"

Zero braced. His muscles, still half-recovered, twitched with some of the adrenaline left in his body.

Slowly his body was recovering, but the core in his chest was rejuvenating him.

With a weapon

He swung the metal pipe and broke a jaw.

*CRACK!*

First ape down!

He spun the rebar with a swing.

*SLASH!*

Second down, bleeding from the side.

Another lunged from the ceiling. Zero noticed, and in the blink of an eye, he ducked…rolled… and then

stabbed upward—

*SHRIEK!*

His mind and body were in sync now.

He was feeling alive…

Every step, every strike, was guided by his muscles and eyes feeding motion back into his memory.

[Echo Strike: 2x Stack]

[+30% Trauma Amplified]

[Enemy Neural Response: Interrupted]

He didn't stop; rather, he couldn't. He knew if he stopped fighting, things would end up worse.

He was swinging his weapon left and right with precision without wasting breath, and in just seconds—

All nine were down.

[ SYSTEM ALERT ]

[ALL HOSTILE LIFEFORMS ELIMINATED]

[CHARGED SKILL ACQUIRED—CRITICAL CHANCE INCREASED BY 30% (CAN BE USED TWICE)]

[ CORE GAUGE: 60% ]

His hands were shaking, not from fear or tiredness, but because of the hot blood raging in his veins. He couldn't stop; he wanted to but couldn't.

Then suddenly the air changed; a heavy, bloodthirsty pressure dropped into the room like a curse.

Something terrible was around Zero…

[!! ALERT — THREAT IDENTIFIED]

[INITIATING EMERGENCY SCAN...]

[CLASSIFICATION: CLASS 8 ANOMALY]

— TARGET PROFILE —

>> Designation: GOBLIN APE — ALPHA VARIANT

>> Alias: The Red Howler

>> Threat Level: EXTREME

>> Combat Priority: CRITICAL

[PHYSIOLOGICAL ANALYSIS]

>> Height: ~1.7 meters

>> Mass: ~98 kg

>> Limb Count: 4 (Enhanced Prehensile Dexterity)

>> Skin: Hardened fungal-carapace hybrid

>> Eyes: Compound, triple-split vision spectrum (thermal, motion, low-light)

>> Heart Count: 2 (asynchronous pulsing)

>> Core Implant: Unauthorized X-Core Integration [STOLEN]

>> Muscle Output: 340% baseline human

>> Reflex Index: 1.1 (Near-instantaneous response)

>> Pain Tolerance: Unknown (non-responsive to conventional trauma)

[ADAPTIVE TRAITS]

>> Direct neural control over lesser variants

>> Pheromone Command Pulse (forces lower-class coordination)

>> Inorganic integration compatibility (symbiosis with stolen tech)

[BEHAVIORAL PROFILE]

>> Pack leader

>> Strategic, silent, waits before striking

>> Observes and mimics combat patterns

>> High territorial aggression

>> Displays signs of memory and recognition

[KNOWN ABILITIES]

>> Sonic Pulse Roar — disrupts nervous system, short-circuits low-grade implants

>> Quadruped Slam — shockwave radius ~4.2m

>> Reactive Armor Plating — shifts on muscle tension, deflects blunt force

>> Berserk State — triggers at 40% health, overrides pain and increases speed

[WEAKNESSES]

>> Neural feedback loop triggered by high-frequency interference

>> Temporary core instability if external power source disrupted

>> Momentary vulnerability during command roar (1.5s window)

[SYSTEM ADVISORY]

>> Avoid direct confrontation unless synchronization is above 60%

>> Weapon-based approach not recommended

>> Stealth, misdirection, or environmental exploitation advised

[REWARD]

>> Retrieval of stolen X-Core

>> Potential system unlocks: [Level Gate], [Memory Node Access], [Core Stabilization]

[NOTE: SURVIVAL RATE: 0.9%]

[Proceed with extreme caution—this is not a standard encounter.]

A shadow, far larger than the rest, emerged from the other side of the broken lab.

Red-black skin, longer and multiple limbs, and eyes that didn't blink.

Mouth full of jagged canines, dripping with foam and saliva, ready to dissolve any flesh torn apart by his teeth.

It wore a makeshift crown of bent metal wires and bones.

The stolen X-Core glowed faintly, embedded in its chest.

"Damn it…" Zero whispered, stepping back.

The Alpha locked eyes with him.

It didn't screech… It didn't charge.

It watched him like he was savoring his dessert with his eyes first.

Then sud

denly—

The Alpha raised a clawed hand and slashed the metal corridor… And every vent, wall, and dark corner started to move.

"Let's do this, either you or me, only one of us is getting out!" Zero glared at him with a smile.