After entering the shelter, Alex did not immediately rush into the wild. He spent a few hours walking through Black Sand Shelter to understand how things worked.
The place felt like a busy frontier town from an old movie, but with a futuristic twist. He saw warriors wearing heavy metal armor and others wearing suits made from the leathery skin of monsters. Most people walked in groups, talking loudly about their kills or mourning their dead.
"Should I join a team?" Alex muttered to himself. He saw several groups recruiting new members.
"Anyone with talent is welcome in our team. You will get a free beast artifact to use as long as you stay with us," a young man was shouting in an open area.
Some newbies gathered there with excited expressions.
"Sir, I felt some pain during the injection. I am sure I have a talent. Please take me in," one of them said eagerly.
"No sir, he must be lying. I felt real pain. My balls were hurting so much, you would not believe it," another chimed in.
The man looked at them with disdain. "The Phantom Team is not for beggars. Get lost, punks," he shouted.
The two young men instantly shut up and left the place in disappointment.
After a while, a beautiful girl came forward. "This is my awakening certificate. Can I join, big brother?" she asked cutely.
The recruiter almost swallowed his saliva. "Of course, sister. Please come with me," he said, then took the girl to his team members.
Alex watched all of this from behind and sighed.
He didn't have a certificate, and he didn't want to explain his "Ultimate" talent to strangers yet. He decided it was better to be a lone wolf until he understood his own power. He used his memory of the internet to find a good hunting spot. The Blood Horn Rabbits were the most common monsters nearby. They were standard grade, which was perfect for a beginner.
He walked out of the shelter gates and headed toward a large lake an hour away. The sun was hot, and the air smelled like dry grass. When he finally reached the lake, he saw his target.
The rabbit was the size of a large dog. It had snow white fur and a single, sharp red horn growing from its forehead. It looked cute, but Alex knew those horns could rip through a human stomach. He crouched low, his heart thumping against his ribs. He was nervous. This was his first real life or death moment.
He crept forward, trying to be silent. But as he moved, his foot snapped a dry wooden stick.
Snap!
The rabbit's ears shot up. It turned its head, its dark red eyes locking onto Alex. It didn't run away. Instead, it hissed and charged at him like a small bull.
Alex panicked. He completely forgot about the beast artifact sword inside his body. He tried to dodge, but the rabbit was too fast. Its horn grazed his thigh, tearing his pants and leaving a bloody gash. The pain was sharp and cold.
"Damn it!" Alex yelled. He finally remembered that he had a sword. He willed the sword to appear.
In a flash of light, the bone white sword appeared in his hand. The rabbit jumped again, aiming for his throat. Alex swung the blade wildly. It was a clumsy move, but the sword was sharp. The edge caught the rabbit in mid air, slicing through its neck.
The creature fell to the ground, twitching before it went still.
Alex slumped down on the ground, breathing hard. He was exhausted just from one fight. His leg hurt, and his hands were shaking. But he was hungry and needed to see if the legends were true. He gathered some wood, started a small fire, and began to skin the rabbit. Soon, the smell of roasted meat filled the air.
He took a large bite of the leg.
[You have gained 1 standard evolution point.]
[You have gained 1 standard evolution point.]
His status panel flickered to life. The warmth of the meat seemed to heal his fatigue instantly. He ate the whole rabbit, and by the end, he had gained 8 points. Even his wounds were healed.
But his meal was interrupted. The smell of the cooking meat had traveled around.
Alex looked up and froze instantly. Seven pairs of red eyes were staring at him from the tall grass. Seven more horned rabbits had surrounded him.
"Oh no," he whispered.
He didn't wait for them to move. He turned and bolted toward the shelter. But the rabbits were much faster than him. They were gaining ground, their hissing sounds getting closer and closer. Alex's brain jammed with fear. He could feel the wind from their jumps behind his back.
In a moment of pure desperation, he stopped suddenly and planted his feet. He remembered a circular sword move from an old anime he loved in his past life. It was a defensive move meant to clear everything around the user.
"Die!" he roared.
He twisted his entire body, putting every ounce of his strength into a horizontal slash. The bone sword hummed as it cut through the air. Because he was so afraid of dying, he used more power than he thought he had.
The blade sliced through the air in a perfect circle. Seven rabbits had jumped at him at once, and seven rabbits were cut clean in half. Their bodies fell into the dirt with heavy thuds.
Alex stood there, covered in dust, panting. "Did I do that? Am I actually this good?"
He laughed loudly, the sound of his excitement echoing in the quiet woods. He quickly stuffed the seven dead rabbits into his large bag and ran back to the shelter. He had learned his lesson. No more cooking in the open.
He reached his personal room in the shelter and locked the door. He felt safe here. He cooked and ate the meat until he couldn't eat anymore.
[Evolution points: Standard (10)]
"Form a gene," Alex commanded.
A strange, tingly feeling washed over his body. It felt like his muscles were being woven with steel wire. It was a bit painful, but it only lasted a minute. When it was over, he felt heavier and more solid.
[Name: Alex Celestus]
[Realm: Ordinary Human]
[Strength: 25 kg]
[Speed: 3 m/s]
[Defense: 25 kg]
[Talent: Merge (Ultimate)]
[Energy: 10]
[Gene: Standard (1)]
One single gene had increased his stats significantly. He felt like he could run for miles without getting tired.
Alex decided it was time to test his talent. He went out to the market square. The sun was setting, and the market was full of lights.
"Standard armor! Body cleansing fruits! Soul shaking grass!" a young man was shouting at a stall.
Alex stopped. He knew about body cleansing fruits. They were supposed to wash the filth out of a warrior's body to make future evolution easier. But they were not very powerful.
"How much for a fruit?" Alex asked.
"For you, newbie? Only 5,000 Fc," the seller said with a fake smile.
Alex only had 10,000 Fc in his account. He wanted ten fruits, but he was too poor. He looked at the other items.
"What about the soul shaking grass?"
"That's 1,000 Fc each," the seller said.
Soul shaking grass was used to confuse enemies. When burned, the smoke made people and monsters dizzy. Alex had a plan.
"I'll take ten," Alex said.
He paid 10,000 Fc, which was all of his money. The seller handed him the ten dull, grey grasses and watched him leave. A girl at the next stall laughed.
"You really ripped that kid off," she said. "Those grasses are only worth 500 each."
The seller grinned. "That's the newbie tax. He didn't even try to bargain."
Alex didn't care about the money. He hurried back to his room and locked the door. He laid the ten pieces of grey grass in a neat row on his bed. He took a deep breath.
"Merge," he whispered.
[10 energy points needed. Proceed?]
"Yes."
Suddenly, Alex felt like a giant straw had been stuck into his soul. Every bit of his energy was sucked out in a second. His head spun, his vision went black, and he collapsed onto the floor, unconscious.
While he slept, a beautiful and strange thing happened on the bed. The ten pieces of grass began to melt into light. They swirled together, turning from grey to a deep, royal purple. The light faded, leaving behind a single, long blade of grass that looked like it was made of purple crystal.
Hours later, Alex woke up. His head throbbed. "I passed out because I used all my energy at once. I have to be more careful next time," he muttered.
He sat up and looked at his bed. His eyes went wide. The grey grass was gone. In its place was a single purple grass.
"Is that... Soul Slashing Grass?" Alex's heart started beating wildly.
He knew his history. Soul Shaking Grass was common and cheap. But the Soul Slashing grass was very rare.
The smoke from this didn't just make people dizzy. It could instantly kill standard monsters and even humans. So the user needed to be extremely careful.
One piece of Soul Slashing Grass was worth at least 100,000 Fc on the market. He had turned 10,000 Fc into 100,000 Fc in a single second.
He was rich. But more importantly, he now had a weapon that could kill a whole pack of monsters at once.
Alex looked at his hands and smiled. The Merge talent was even more broken than he had imagined. If ten pieces of grass could do this, what would happen if he merged beast artifacts or genes?