The empty plate on the table looked like a bad joke. Daniel leaned back against the cushioned seat, letting out a heavy sigh as he rubbed his stomach.
He had just devoured the equivalent of three full meals before finally feeling satisfied.
"Seriously, System? Is my appetite going to scale along with my strength?" he muttered to the ceiling. "If I reach level four, am I going to have to start biting the trees in this town?"
[Your body has undergone an intense biological restructuring. Larger engines require more fuel. But don't despair. Once you reach higher stages of evolution, you will transcend basic human needs. You might even perform photosynthesis like a mystical fern, if that makes you happy.]
"Even if I turn into some cosmic entity that feeds on stardust, I'll still eat a good steak," Daniel shot back as he placed the plate in the dishwasher. "Food is one of the few real pleasures that exist."
He slid into the driver's seat, turned the key, and let the motorhome rumble to life before heading back to Colony House.
As soon as he arrived, Daniel stood up, adjusted his jacket, and stepped out of the vehicle. The moment his boots touched the grass, he noticed the movement.
Three men were pushing wheelbarrows stained with dirt and blood, transporting bodies wrapped in makeshift tarps into town.
Daniel made his way to the forest trail, focused on checking his traps. However, before he could pass the porch, a hoarse, tired voice stopped him.
"Hey. What the hell happened to you?"
Donna had just stepped out the door, arms crossed, eyes narrowed as she scanned him from head to toe.
Daniel stopped, feigning ignorance. "What do you mean?"
"Don't play dumb with me," she snapped, uncrossing her arms and stepping closer. "I saw you a few hours ago. You weren't this big, and your face... you look different."
"Ah, that," he said, touching his smooth chin with an ironic smile. "Must be a late growth spurt. Hormones are full of surprises."
He had gotten more muscular and only later realized he was also a few centimeters taller.
Before Donna could fire back with a well-deserved insult, the sight of Jim and Jade approaching the porch caught both of their attention.
"Looks like you've got visitors," Daniel commented, nodding in their direction, cutting off the interrogation.
The two men stopped near Donna, but the urgency on their faces vanished the moment Jade's eyes landed on Daniel.
The businessman blinked three times, his mouth slightly open, before letting out an incredulous laugh.
"What the hell is this?" Jade blurted, pointing directly at Daniel's chest. "What did you take? Because I want two doses of that. You look like one of those fitness magazine models fresh out of a spa."
"It's called lifting weights, Jade. No magical shortcuts."
I could get into politics at this rate, Daniel thought, amused by his own shamelessness.
Jim frowned, studying him with the same suspicion as Donna. "It's not just the muscle. Your expression... your scars are gone. You're different."
Even knowing that injuries healed faster in this place, Jim clearly remembered the scar on Daniel's forehead from the accident earlier.
Realizing the puberty excuse wouldn't hold with this audience, Daniel shifted tactics. "Let's stop focusing on my skincare routine. How's Julie?"
Jim and Jade exchanged a quick glance, both aware the subject had been deliberately changed. But what were they supposed to do? Tie him up and demand answers?
"She's fine," Jim replied reluctantly. "She's resting."
Turning away from the walking mystery that was Daniel, Jim addressed the leader. "Donna, we came to ask for your help. Or rather, your permission."
Donna raised an eyebrow. "Permission for what?"
"We want to build a tower on the roof of Colony House," Jim explained, his voice gaining the firmness of an engineer presenting a project.
He quickly outlined the plan: the need for height, the antenna he had tested, and the real chance of sending a signal to someone outside.
"Sure. Go ahead," Donna replied immediately, without a hint of hesitation.
"Really? You're okay with that?" Jim asked, surprised by how easily she agreed.
Donna's expression darkened. She glanced at the wheelbarrows disappearing down the road. "Do you have any idea how many people died here last night, Jim?"
She paused, letting the weight settle.
"Fifteen. And there are still people missing in the woods. I don't think the survivors are exactly eager to come back."
She sighed, turning her hard gaze back to the engineer. "Let's find another use for the house."
Daniel, who had been silently following the conversation, spoke up as he stepped away. "The telecommunications engineering talk is fascinating, but I've got traps to check. Excuse me."
He waved two fingers casually and turned his back on the trio, striding toward the tree line.
As soon as the dense shadow of the forest swallowed him, the Predator's Senses ability flared almost instantly. Someone—or something—was watching him.
Daniel stopped, his eyes sweeping the surroundings, and spotted a crow flying lazily as it followed him. Having reached Level 2, his vision could now pick up things that had once been impossible.
I'm still going to rip your feathers out. Just wait and see, Daniel thought resentfully, remembering the broken cameras.
He resumed walking, not sensing any malice coming from the creature.
The first trap revealed a gray-furred rabbit, hanging and struggling uselessly against the ropes.
Nearby, the second one was untouched. He decided to leave the prey hanging for now and pushed deeper into the unknown territory.
Every dozen meters, he used a blade to carve deep marks into the tree bark, securing his path back.
Patience paid off when the ground revealed hoofprints pressed into the damp soil. Large animals.
Daniel reached inside his jacket, pretending to pull the materials from there—a cynical performance for the crow still following him from above, even though the Inventory was no longer exactly a secret.
With the knife, he cut thick branches and worked the sturdy rope he had found earlier inside the vehicle to set up the traps.
He moved between three separate points, channeling his spiritual energy.
Sixty points drained away as he activated Hunter's Web, ensuring that any creature large enough to trigger the mechanisms of the three traps would have no chance of escape.
Fifty minutes had passed since he left the forest's edge. As he prepared to head back, the sound of rustling leaves caught his attention.
Two wild chickens, plump and oblivious to danger, pecked at the ground near a thorny bush.
The perfect opportunity to test his +50% accuracy.
Daniel lowered his stance, his steps becoming light against the forest floor. Every movement calculated, his breathing controlled.
When he reached what he considered an appropriate distance, he made a fluid motion and threw the knife. It cut through the air and lodged directly into the first bird's chest. Instant death.
The dull thud sent the second prey into panic, its wings flapping wildly as it darted between the roots.
Daniel sprinted after it, but didn't use the full extent of his twenty-four Speed points.
With the cold sensation of the crow's gaze on him, he restrained himself, masking his true physical attributes.
Running at a controlled pace, he drew two more blades. He threw the first. The knife struck a root, missing by inches.
The surviving bird squawked, zigzagging erratically. He threw the second weapon, a larger knife he had used to cut branches. The metal grazed the tail feathers and vanished into the brush.
Moving targets are a pain, he thought, frustrated.
On the third attempt, his focus tripled as he whipped out the Glock. The shot hit the animal square in the back, dropping it into the leaves.
The difference in accuracy between a stationary target and one fleeing in zigzags was something he would need to train.
He gathered the kills, retrieved the knives lost during the hunt, wiped them on his pants, and began the return path, following the marked trees.
As he passed by the first trap, he released the rabbit alive. The animal hissed aggressively and tried to sink its teeth into his hand.
Daniel didn't hesitate. With a quick motion, the snap of its neck echoed softly, and the body went limp instantly.
Back in the safety of his motorhome, he tossed the three carcasses into the metal sink of the kitchen. Placing both hands over the freshly killed prey, he focused on the System command.
Devour.
[Targets detected. Do you wish to devour only the soul or both body and soul?]
"What's the practical difference?"
[Devouring only the soul grants 50% of the calculated rewards. Useful if the host wishes to preserve the meat for physical consumption. However, the chickens are already empty. The soul of an organic being detaches from its vessel half an hour after death.]
Assessing that his meat stock would last another three days and that silver coins and points were essential for his evolution, the choice was easy.
The morality of killing animals wasn't a burden. In his past life, he had hunted to survive during extreme expeditions. This was simply the law of the strong.
"Devour everything."
In the blink of an eye, a dense black smoke burst from his palms. It didn't dissipate into the air; instead, it behaved like a swarm of starving insects, completely covering the rabbit and the birds.
The sound of something being pulverized at a cellular level filled the kitchen for three seconds before the smoke receded back into Daniel's pores.
[Devouring complete.]
[Reward: 150 Silver Coins | 4 Skill Points.]
Daniel made a quick calculation. Small animals didn't grant physical attributes, only a fixed rate of 50 silver coins each, along with a few random skill points.
Opening the shop, he checked that a whole chicken was worth 10 coins, so it definitely wasn't worth hunting for food; it was better to devour them and buy meat directly from the store.
Satisfied, he opened the skill tree. With a thought, he dumped 5 points directly into upgrading his Appraisal Gaze, raising it to level two.
Now, the skill wouldn't just give vague numbers, but would display the precise attributes of his targets. With that, when night came, he would be able to see if he was truly faster than the creatures.
He was about to grab a bottle of water when the sound of three knocks echoed on the vehicle's door.
Daniel opened it, finding Nathan standing there, nervously wringing his hands in front of his body.
"Hey, Nathan. Did something happen?" Daniel asked, leaning against the frame.
"Sara asked me to tell you something," the young man began. "But I couldn't find you all morning. I ran into Donna a little while ago, and she said you were here."
Daniel stepped aside. "Come in."
"What did she hear?" he asked after closing the door, already guessing it had something to do with the voices.
"They said we need to be very careful with Rick."
"Is that all they said? No explanation?" Daniel asked.
"That's it. She said that just when it seemed like they were going to say more, they suddenly went silent."
How convenient, Daniel thought. He would have to stay alert, especially since if there was anyone Rick might be angry at, it would be him.
Then again, Daniel didn't know whether the voices were just trying to stir up trouble or not.
"I see," Daniel said in a serious tone. "Thanks for tracking me down to tell me, Nathan. And how is Sara handling all of this?"
"She's holding up," the young man replied, exhaling through his nose. "Father Khatri has been talking to her a lot, which helps a bit."
"Wait here for a second," Daniel said, pointing to the couch. "I'll give you a ride back to town, I just need to grab something first."
Receiving a nod in response, he stepped out of the vehicle and entered Colony House. The silence in the corridors that had once been so loud was unsettling.
Climbing the stairs and ignoring the dried stains on the carpet, he entered Ellis's room. His eyes scanned the shelves until they found what he was looking for: the bouquet he had given Julie the night before.
Daniel picked up the vase with the flower and made his way back outside.
As soon as he stepped onto the grass again, he spotted a familiar figure slowly walking toward the porch.
Victor held tightly onto the handle of his lunchbox, his gaze lost on the horizon and his posture slouched with exhaustion.
"Victor," Daniel called out, slowing his pace. "Where did you disappear to all night? Are you okay?"
The man stopped, clutching the lunchbox against his chest. "I stayed in my hiding place. It's safe there."
"I believe you," Daniel agreed, knowing Victor understood the secrets of that forest better than anyone. "But look, there's no one in the house. Donna and the others went to town to stay for a while until things settle. Want a ride?"
Victor shook his head stubbornly, his messy hair following the motion. "I'm not going to town. This is my home."
Daniel didn't waste time arguing; trying to convince Victor to break his own rules was pointless. "Alright, your choice. But do yourself a favor: get a talisman from Donna or find one that's left and hang it on your door when it gets dark. Don't take chances."
Letting the veteran continue to the empty house, Daniel returned to the motorhome.
Even though he believed no one among the residents knew how to take care of themselves better than Victor, he would inform Donna about his whereabouts as soon as he saw her.
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