The cavern was breathing. Not metaphorically—Philippe felt the steady pulse of the stone itself, as if some colossal lung were hidden behind the mineral walls, exhaling slow gusts of warm, damp air. He moved cautiously, his vision still adjusting to the intrusive glow that radiated from his own body. A dim blue bioluminescence emanated from the thin membrane of his forearms and chest, filling the darkness with an otherworldly haze.
He still was trying to understand what he had become.
His thoughts were drifting again, a spiral of quick, fractured impressions he could barely piece together. Names, cities, the familiar chill of a computer keyboard under his fingers, the caffeine-fueled grind of late-night MMORPG raids—all fading, slipping like sand through his claws. The more he tried to seize those memories, the more the pressure inside his skull throbbed, as if this monstrous body threatened to overwrite everything he used to be.
Philippe… I was Philippe.
The name was an anchor. He kept repeating it, mentally carving it into the turbulent fog of his consciousness.
His new body moved with a weight that didn't belong to a man. Muscles coiled under layered obsidian flesh. His tail, long and sharp at the end, swayed instinctively to balance each step. He was no longer walking, he was prowling.
He reached a sharp bend in the cavern, and the air shifted.
A scent.
Metallic. Wet. Alive.
His nostrils flared, widening with a predatory instinct he didn't remember learning. His hearing also sharpened. From deep within the stone labyrinth, a faint rhythm—fast, irregular. Not the breathing of the cavern. The heartbeat of something small. Something frightened.
Philippe crouched, uncertainty clashing with instinct.
His human side wanted to approach carefully.
His monstrous side wanted to leap.
He swallowed the surge of hunger rising in his throat. His mouth, lined with serrated teeth, salivated without his consent.
Then—he stopped.
A faint blue symbol flickered in the air before him. A circular glyph forming out of nothing, rotating slowly like a hologram.
[System Integration… 12%]
His vision trembled.
[Stabilization Protocol Engaged]
[Class Alignment Pending…]
The words vanished.
Philippe blinked hard.
So I wasn't hallucinating. There really was a system.
The cavern around him vibrated—softly at first, then more violently. Loose fragments of stone tumbled from the ceiling. At first, he thought the quake came from the system activation. But then the scent grew stronger, richer, more urgent.
Blood.
He straightened slowly, pulse rising.
Something was coming.
And it wasn't small.
A distant growl echoed through the tunnels, deep enough to rattle the marrow inside his monstrous bones. Philippe felt the vibration in his sternum. Whatever this creature was, it carried mass—more than he did—and it was moving fast.
He hesitated.
In his old life, he would have chosen the rational option: observe, avoid confrontation, collect data before acting.
But here?
His body aligned on its own, claws clicking against the cavern floor, pupils contracting into thin vertical slits.
The predator inside him awakened.
No… I can't fight yet. I don't even understand what I am.
Yet his limbs were tense with anticipation, ready to spring.
The heavy steps grew closer. Each impact shook dust from the ceiling. Philippe started retreating toward a narrower tunnel, trying to force his instincts into silence.
But then a scent cut through the air like a blade.
Sweetness. Fragility. Warm breath mixed with fear.
Not a monster.
A girl.
Philippe didn't understand how he knew, but the scent was unmistakable: human, yet wrapped in notes he couldn't identify—magic? Essence? System energy? She was running, desperately, feet scraping against the stone floor.
She emerged from the shadows like a spark of light thrown into darkness.
Small frame, long raven-black hair plastered to her face with sweat, eyes wide with terror. Her clothes were torn, stained with blood—some hers, most not. She stumbled, nearly collapsed, then forced herself forward.
She saw him.
Stopped dead.
The fear in her eyes hardened into despair.
"You—no… no, no, please…" Her voice cracked. "Not another one… I can't… I can't do this—"
Philippe held perfectly still. She looked at him as if he were death incarnate. Which, objectively, might not be far from the truth.
Behind her, the growling deepened.
A massive silhouette slammed into view—a hulking reptilian beast with scales like chipped stone and three crimson eyes burning with hostility. The creature's neck extended forward, jaws snapping as it charged straight toward the girl.
Philippe didn't think.
His body moved on instinct.
He launched forward.
Not to attack her.
To shield her.
The speed shocked him—blurred air, rushing stone, wind cutting around his horns. He stepped between her and the beast just as its jaws lunged down.
The impact was thunderous.
Teeth met the armored plates of Philippe's shoulder. A flash of pain seared through his body, sharp and electric.
He retaliated instantly, slamming his claws into the reptile's throat. Blood spurted, hot and acidic, burning through the cavern floor. The beast screeched in agony and staggered backwards.
Philippe braced himself as the pain spread through his shoulder. The beast's jaws had pierced deeper than he expected—this body might be powerful, but it wasn't invulnerable.
The girl behind him gasped, stunned.
"You… you attacked it? Why…?"
He didn't answer. Words were still difficult—his vocal cords had changed, and speaking felt unnatural. But the beast didn't give him time to think.
It roared, lunging again, claws carving trenches in the stone.
Philippe reacted with cold brutality. Reflexes sharpened by raw instinct guided him. He ducked, pivoted, and swung his tail upward with violent precision. The spiked tip carved through the creature's scales, tearing flesh.
The beast reeled, shrieking.
Philippe leapt onto its back.
His claws sank into muscle. The creature whipped violently, trying to throw him off. Philippe held firm. He dug his claws deeper, found the vertebrae—
And crushed them.
The reptile convulsed and collapsed with a thunderous crash, dust exploding around them.
Silence.
Then the system chimed.
[Lesser Basilisk – Eliminated]
[Experience Acquired]
[Evolution Path Updated]
Philippe stumbled back, panting heavily. Blue bioluminescent veins flickered across his arms, glowing brighter than before. His shoulder throbbed where the basilisk had bitten him.
The girl stared at him, frozen.
Finally, she whispered, "You're… not like the others."
Philippe turned toward her slowly.
Her eyes—emerald, glowing faintly—locked onto his. Not with fear this time, but confusion. Cautious hope. She took one shaky step forward.
"Do you… understand me?"
Philippe tried to speak.
"…Yes."
The voice that emerged was rough, guttural, distorted by the monstrous anatomy. But the word was unmistakable.
The girl gasped softly. "Then… you're intelligent."
He didn't answer. His shoulder burned. Blood—thick and dark blue—dripped down his arm, steaming where it hit the ground.
She approached carefully, raising her hands. "Let me see your wound. Please. I won't hurt you."
He remained still as she inspected the bite marks. Her fingers brushed his skin—warm, trembling—and Philippe felt a strange ripple of energy run through him.
Her touch radiated something foreign. Ancient? Magical?
She whispered a short incantation. A pale green light wrapped around her hands, then seeped into the wound. The pain receded slightly.
Philippe stared at her, unsettled.
"You're a healer?"
"No," she said quickly. "I'm… something else."
Her eyes darted nervously toward the dark tunnel. "More of those creatures will come. They always come."
Philippe's pupils narrowed. "Why were they chasing you?"
She hesitated.
Then her voice fell to a whisper.
"Because I'm the last surviving vessel of the Oracle Line."
Philippe didn't understand the significance, but her fear made one thing clear: this was bigger than a simple monster encounter.
She looked up at him, desperate.
"Please… don't leave me. I don't care what you are. I just know you saved me."
Philippe didn't know how to answer. Instinct pushed him to move alone, to hunt, to survive. But something deeper—something human—forced him to stay.
He gave a single nod.
She exhaled in relief.
"Thank you. My name is Elira."
Philippe lowered his gaze.
"I am… Philippe."
Her lips parted slightly in surprise. "A human name."
He didn't answer. The cavern trembled again—this time from far away, but consistent, rhythmic, heavy.
More monsters.
Philippe straightened, senses sharpening.
Elira tensed. "They've found the blood. We need to leave, now."
Philippe glanced at the basilisk corpse, then at the endless, branching tunnels ahead. The scent of predators lingered everywhere.
He took one step forward—and realized he wasn't simply moving.
He was choosing.
For the first time since awakening in this body, he wasn't following instinct.
He was following purpose.
Protect. Survive. Evolve.
Elira stayed close behind him as they moved deeper into the cavern's unexplored corridors. The air grew thicker, warmer, vibrating with distant roars. Philippe's shoulder pulsed with each heartbeat, but he forced the pain aside.
New scents drifted toward him—richer, stronger, hungrier.
A nest.
A territory marked by colossal predators.
Elira whispered, terror laced in her tone, "This is the Domain of the Broodfather…"
Philippe's claws tightened.
Whatever awaited them beyond that echoing darkness, he would face it.
His evolution had only just begun.