"Garbage! Another failure! I knew there would be no use from the poor slums!" The man in the white coat exclaimed furiously, tossing aside the tablet.
On the hologram screen were pictures of girls and boys between sixteen and eighteen years old. Under their faces, there was only one thing written - Applicant.
"Agh... Fucking government, we're wasting valuable Spark Seekers on finding talent in this scum! The odds are always too low!" The scientist shouted, looking out the wide window at the vast room made only of metal.
By the walls were youths, in their eyes was no fear only endless sadness, because none of them had any talent.
A creepy creature with bulging bones, four crystal wings, and three amber eyes with vertical pupils flew around the room. The monster had four short limbs that only occasionally twitched and a long tail with a particularly wide glass tip.
Among the twenty people, only one girl was not tested, and the Spark Seekers moved toward her.
The girl covered her head with her hands, not wanting to meet the gaze of the disgusting monster, whose crooked jaw was dripping saliva.
The Spark Seeker raised its tail, looking at the girl through a mirror. The monster saw everything through an X-ray - her bones, organs, eyes and veins as well as the tiny fire in her chest.
"Rrrrrk! Rrrrk! Rrrrk!" The monster began to make strange noises, which instantly caught the scientist's attention.
Its eyes went wide and its body trembled.
"Natural Talent in a brat with no bloodline...! Unbelievable!" The scientist exclaimed, then pressed a button, and the massive mechanical doors opened.
"You are free to go. Go back to your rooms, you will be returned home tomorrow." The scientist waved his hand carelessly and the youths immediately rushed forward, away from the monster.
The Spark Seeker was puzzled, not understanding what was going on, and when the last young man ran out of the room, the monster decided to follow them too.
However, the doors closed, and the only thing left was the cold stare of the scientist holding some sort of device.
"Tsk. Lucky at least someone had talent this time, but what a pity your mirror only works for one day." The scientist snorted before pressing a button.
Beep. Beep. Beep.
A beep sounded, and with a red spark, the monster exploded, shaking the entire room that was already sealed.
Flesh chunks with splashes of blood filled the room, ending the life of yet another monster killed in the name of the survival of an entire race.
"Argh, alright, time to call it a day with work." The scientist shook his head about to press another button.
"Can you hear me...?"
Suddenly another voice came from the room.
Turning around, the scientist saw a young man with short black hair and blue eyes. Like the rest of the young men, he was dressed in tattered clothes, dirty and battered by life.
'What the hell...?' The scientist was shocked, 'I didn't notice him? How is that possible?'
The scientist quickly picked up the tablet and found a young man matching his appearance.
"Adam Vinter... Just as scum as the others..." The scientist muttered before turning to the young man.
Adam was covered in the monster's blood from head to toe, but it didn't seem to bother him at all. He looked a little too detached.
"Looks like I didn't pass the test... Can I go now? I was told we'd get some credits and food for a couple of days after the test... It would really help my family out." Adam uttered, worrying only about that.
The scientist touched his forehead with his fingertips, shaking his head from side to side with a complicated expression.
"There are no other Spark Seekers on this base yet... The wait is too long and bringing this kid back and then returning him for a test is too troublesome... Well, I don't think he has the talent I was lucky enough to get today, so... it's settled." The scientist muttered, conducting a monologue before pressing a button.
At the same moment, the metal room shuddered, sagging downward slightly and trembling, as if something that held its weight was gradually loosening its grip.
"What's happening?! Let me out of here!" Adam exclaimed, trying not to lose his balance.
The scientist shrugged nonchalantly.
"Sorry kid you're just unlucky. I don't know how I didn't notice you, but it doesn't matter. In a minute I'll forget about you as well as the whole world."
Adam wanted to shout something, but before he could do so, the room snapped off the hook at breakneck speed falling downward.
Before the scientist revealed a view of lifeless lands, covered only in dust and sand, that very soon would become another sandstorm, a sign that soon the monsters would come out to hunt.
"Lana Tiates... Your future will be bright now, I hope you become an outstanding Phantom."
Then, the scientist looked down at the raging river, dirty and stinky, filled with waste and dark oil.
The metal container plunged into the river, with a mighty splash, half submerged in the water and speeding away into the Dead Lands, a place unprotected by the city's high impregnable walls and battle turrets, here any hunter would fall prey to the countless monsters passing through the wasteland.
'No! No! No! I have to get out of here! I can't die here!' Adam inwardly exclaimed, trying to catch his balance in the constantly rocking container.
Eventually, he managed to scramble into a corner next to the corpse of the Spark Seeker, only to find himself in another part a few seconds later due to the sudden jolt.
The river led to a tar lake a few kilometers from Citadel F1 - Farlun, this was where waste had been dumped for many years, especially from Morton Observatory - the farthest research point on the south side of the citadel.
Leaving an already used Spark Seeker was too risky, as other monsters could smell it and attack Morton Observatory, so the scientists there always dropped the 'trash' into the river leading to the tar lake.
Adam was of no value as a slum dweller, so it was unlikely that the scientist would be punished for what he had done.
In a world where every day could be the last for an entire race, few people cared about moral values, because what was the point if without power people would just die?
Bam. Bam. Bam.
Adam pounded his fist on the metal wall, shattering his knuckles into blood, but all was useless.
"Shit! Why did this happen to me!?" Adam exclaimed in agony and despair, bringing his fists down on the wall, but all he achieved was a muffled ringing.
In his futile attempts, Adam had completely forgotten where he was and that it wasn't safe to be noisy in a place like this.
Two sharp, long claws, like blades pierced the solid wall of the metal container, showering cascades of sparks at Adam.
Before the claws could get close enough, Adam sprinted away, retreating into the far corner.
Then, two creepy paws opened the container like a tin can as a long snout with an extended jaw and two rows of sharp teeth entered.
The monster turned its head to look at Adam, then it looked at the dead Spark Seeker. Naturally, Adam was the less valuable prey, so the monster moved towards the Spark Seeker.
Adam didn't know what to do, because even if he managed to escape in the Dead Lands it was impossible to survive alone.
Whoooooooosh.
A massive lance with a spinning silver tip pierced the monster's body, tearing it apart.
Then, a tall silhouette wearing loose clothing that protected from the dry desert wind appeared in front of the passage.
The man raised his steampunk glasses, revealing his joyful green eyes as a wide smile passed over his face.
"Damn, boy, how did you end up here?" The man waved his hand, exposing it to the monster.
A white vortex appeared in front of his palm, as various runes began to emerge from the monster, like DNA data. There were only a few, but the man was pleased with the result.
Adam's eyes went wide as he knew what it was. Revolve - A unique ability that only - Phantoms possessed!
"Not bad, not bad at all. I doubt I would have been able to kill Two Clawed Cat so easily if it hadn't been distracted by you!" The man pulled out his lance and took a step forward.
"Come on, come with me, on the way you can tell me what happened to you. I am a Phantom of the First Rank, you have nothing to fear with me!" The man said confidently holding out his hand to Adam.
Adam nodded quickly approaching the man.
'Yes! I'm saved!' Adam inwardly cheered.
Then, a thread, thinner than a hair with a sharp sheen, passed before Adam's eyes, quickly moving away from him.
The man's head fell to the ground, a fountain of blood gushing from his neck, flooding Adam whose eyes were wide with horror at the monster behind the man.
"No!" Adam leaped towards the lance and dodged the thread that passed next to his head, leaving a long but not fatal cut.
Immediately, the monster's broad paw came down on Adam, who managed to grab the spear at the last moment.
"DIE!!!!" Adam screamed from the depths of his soul, channeling all his strength into the lance, the tip of which automatically began to rotate due to momentum.
The monster's paw burst into flesh and blood, and the bone shattered into splinters, flying next to Adam's face, leaving scratches on it.
Then, the lance reached the monster's chest, completely piercing it before the lance broke and malfunctioned
The monster's carcass fell in front of Adam, with its eyes wide open, but already completely empty.
"Agh... Agh... Agh..." Adam was breathing heavily, and his heart was pounding furiously.
For some reason, even after a while, his heartbeat didn't slow down, it only kept speeding up until Adam's eyes shone brightly.
In his pupils appeared a silhouette like a seed that began to grow rapidly in all directions, changing Adam's life forever.
[Your Evolution Tree has been awakened!]
[You can summon Revolve to absorb genes!]
[Warning!]
[You killed the Silver Weaver!]
[Absorb the Silver Weaver's gene if you want it to become your Initial Gene!]