Jack sat on his sofa, a bloodied bat next to him.
He was currently drinking from a can of soda, chugging the contents. He went through the entire can before letting out a long, drawn-out sigh of contentment.
If one were to look around him, they'd see multiple green corpses spread around him, and if one were to strain their hearing, the sound of muffled screaming from nearby houses was present.
Jack looked out of the window of his living room and saw the street he lived on. There was a crashed car surrounded by small green men.
Inside the car was a body. The body was that of a man who Jack knew very well; His Father.
When he looked into the dead blue eyes of the man, Jack felt himself hollow out. Compared to how he thought he'd feel, he didn't feel anything. The fact he didn't feel anything only hollowed him out even further, causing him to feel saddened by himself.
His growth-rate seemed to have changed him in more than one way. He hated it. He hated how apathetic he was about his father's death...but there was nothing he could really do.
He slowly stood up and picked up the bat that was lying on the sofa, soaking it in blood. He turned his head and took one last look at his father's corpse. His yellow eyes went a bit more metallic, a bit colder and a bit more crazed before he turned away and opened up his status.
Name: Jack Clancy
Age: 19
Growth Rate: Goblin (Warrior)
Evolution Progress: 90%
Strength: 23
Agility: 10
Vitality: 23
Dexterity: 20
Wisdom: 9
Intelligence: 10
Seven Goblins had fallen prey to his bat and he gained a message just like everyone else in the world. Jack brought up the message once more, wanting to look over what it said.
{Over half the population on Earth has died...They were weak and couldn't evolve. But those of you who have survived did evolve! For this, you will all be awarded the chance to awaken your Innate Skill! And your chance of successfully evolving your Growth-Rate has been increased by 50% for the next 2 days...so, good luck!}
"I wonder...what is my innate skill? Hopefully something strong..." Jack smiled as he wiped his forehead with the back of his hand before walking to the back of his house.
He walked out of the door and into his garden. He walked over to fence panels and jumped, caught the top and brought himself over the fence and into his next door neighbors garden.
Jack still couldn't get over his athletic ability. He'd also made some headway on what the difference between Agility and Dexterity was.
As he Evolved, his overall speed didn't increase. So, he assumed that Dexterity raised his reaction speed and also his control over his body and his body coordination. Because they definitely improved.
He also snuffed out the thought that he was 2 times stronger than a Human. He wasn't. He was only 2 times stronger than his past self, and overall, he was around the same level as an entry-level athlete.
If before he could lift about 40kg with relative ease, he could now lift 80kg with relative ease. This increase in strength allowed him to easily support his own body weight, which made athletic displays like vaulting over a fence much easier.
Jack looked around the garden, before looking in through the back windows for the house. Seeing no one inside, he moved onto the next house. And then the next, and the next after that.
All until he got to the end of the street where he vaulted over the fence and landed in the street. He looked left and then right before walking in the direction of his sister's school.
While he was 19, she was only 16, this kind of world was hard on normal people, not everyone probably became like Jack: Apathetic to death.
And if one of the teachers or students gained a good Growth-Rate, they may go a bit power crazy...In that case, Jack thought it would be best if he could evolve before getting there.
But he soon snuffed out that idea as he picked up his speed. As he took off at speeds that could qualify him as a professional sprinter, Jack really wondered what Agility did as even with his Agility not having changed he was much quicker.
Maybe it had something to do with overall maneuverability? Or flexibility and balance? Jack stopped his thinking, knowing he could probably find out first hand on what it did if he finds someone with that growth rate.
Suddenly, Jack ducked his head and a spear went flying over it. His yellow eyes shot in the direction of the spear thrower.
He saw a bearded man with a cocky smirk on his face. He had icy blue eyes and long flowing black hair, he looked at Jack with disdain.
"Who do you think you are to come across my hunting ground? Hmm?" he raised his eyebrow, to which Jack unconsciously let out a growl which caused the man to laugh, "Oh? Are you more beast than man or something?" he went onto laugh even more.
Jack didn't have time to sit around so he charged at the man with his incredible explosive speed. The man instantly pulled out a sword from his side before getting into some kind of sloppy stance.
Jack let his instincts guide him as he slipped into his own much more primal-looking battle stance.
When he soon got in front of the man, Jack swung his bat, letting his momentum carry him. The man braced himself but when the bat hit, his was pushed back a few steps.
"What?!" he shouted in shock before trying to push back against Jack's bat. His sword, a katana, was pushed back into his chest as his fear-filled pupils shrunk to their smallest size, "B-but I'm a Hero! That's my growth-rate! I can't be beat!?"
Jack ignored the man, before pushing further into the man, sending him skidding backward into a wall knocking the air out of his lungs. Jack wouldn't let this chance go by.
He charged at the man and lifted his bat into the air before bringing it down on the man's head with a sickening crunch.
Jack could tell the man had undergone small percentages of evolution but he hadn't gone to the point where he had more of a physique than him. Which actually surprised Jack, wouldn't 1% of a Hero beat 90% of a Goblin?
What Jack didn't know, however, was that his points had been invested in Agility, Vitality, and Dexterity, so he naturally lost out in terms of strength to the Strength focused growth-rate of Jack.
Seeing that the man hadn't died, Jack thought for a moment before bringing his arm up and smashing the bat down once again.
The man's head cracked fully open like a melon; blood, brain, and skull, all flowing out. Once again, Jack was disturbed by his lack of disgust at the sight and how easily he decided to take another's life.
But before he could wallow further, a screen appeared in front of him and Jack instantly knew what had happened.
"Shit! I'm evolving!" Jack's voice was full of worry as he thought about his sister, but also excitement as he thought about getting stronger.
{Criteria for Evolution has been met.}
{Goblin will Evolve into Orc due to Strength, Vitality, and Dexterity Focus}
{Evolution...start...}
Jack dropped his bat as he curled into a ball on the floor and a cocoon of green string-like energy came from seemingly nowhere and covered him.