Song Shi had no idea where he got that impression.
If awakening were easy, there wouldn't be these so-called ability-stimulation experiments that came at the cost of human lives.
Before she woke up, she'd overheard someone crying out, "My differentiation rate is only 26%," and "I can't possibly awaken." It was clear that only those with a differentiation rate above a certain threshold were sent here for ability-stimulation experiments. That threshold wasn't much higher than 26%.
Moreover, from her earlier observations, nearly all the test subjects here were young people around seventeen or eighteen. There were no children, no middle-aged or elderly individuals. She guessed that seventeen or eighteen was the cutoff age for awakening. Everyone brought here likely had the potential to awaken but hadn't done so.
Those with high natural talent would have awakened long before this age. In other words, the people sent here were untalented individuals with only a high probability of differentiation.
While "high probability" sounded promising, from the moment she became conscious, Song Shi had only seen one successful awakening—the flying girl. In contrast, the number of deaths was staggering.
It was evident that "high probability" wasn't truly high. It simply meant these people had a higher chance of awakening compared to ordinary individuals.
This experimental base spared no expense and disregarded life and death to place ordinary people with high differentiation potential in life-threatening situations to force awakenings. This reflected the desperation of the force behind this base for awakened individuals.
What was this force? A legitimate government agency or an illegal terrorist organization?
Looking around, the scale of the base was enormous. It was heavily armed, the guards were well-trained, and hundreds of high-probability candidates were gathered here.
Given the immense resources required to construct and operate such a base, it was unlikely that an ordinary organization could manage it. Furthermore, if so many high-probability candidates disappeared from a country every year, how could the authorities not notice?
For the experiment to continue year after year, Song Shi believed it must be sanctioned by the government.
It felt like a mandatory coming-of-age ritual.
Perhaps anyone whose differentiation rate exceeded a certain value—determined through specific testing—was forcibly sent here for ability stimulation if they hadn't awakened by the age of eighteen.
This experiment was undeniably cruel.
Song Shi refused to believe that any government in a peaceful and stable society would permit such an inhumane procedure.
This world must be far from peaceful. There had to be a crisis that humanity's technology couldn't resolve, a crisis that had pushed the government—and humanity itself—to the brink of despair, making awakened individuals desperately necessary.
What was this crisis?
Song Shi instinctively raised her head. The beast's dark vertical pupils gleamed with greed and savagery. It made a low, guttural sound as its front limbs bent, gathering strength.
This was a prelude to an attack.
"Run!"
Song Shi's scattered thoughts snapped back into focus. She was the first to dodge to the side.
The beast, having grown impatient, lunged toward the densest part of the crowd.
Its enormous body leaped forward, its limbs stretching wide, nearly spanning two-thirds of the chamber's diameter.
Every group of test subjects had huddled together upon entering, seeking comfort in numbers.
Although they were high-probability candidates with a better chance of awakening than ordinary people, for now, they were just as powerless as any ordinary human.
When the beast suddenly attacked, even with Song Shi's warning, those in the center couldn't escape in time. They were immediately crushed under the beast.
**Crack.**
The sharp sound of bones snapping echoed as one person was bitten in half like a dry twig. Blood sprayed across the glass chamber, and their innards spilled onto the ground. The pungent stench of human organs filled the air.
Standing temporarily in a safe spot, Song Shi pinched her nose and involuntarily stepped back.
Earlier, when she had observed from outside the glass chamber, she had seen various ways people died—some even more gruesome than this—but the glass barrier had kept the blood and gore distant.
Now, however, she was in the midst of it all. The nauseating stench of blood and death churned her stomach.
"You don't look so good." She felt an elbow nudge her arm. Turning, she saw the boy who had asked to team up with her. She hadn't even noticed when he'd gotten behind her.
Song Shi didn't respond, afraid that if she opened her mouth, she might vomit.
"Run! It's coming this way!" The boy's eyes widened suddenly. He grabbed Song Shi's wrist and yanked her in another direction.
Song Shi also felt the vibrations in the ground. Without even looking back, she observed the direction the other test subjects were fleeing and pulled the boy in that direction instead.
She ran fast, practically dragging the boy along with her.
Behind them, the sound of claws tearing through the ground echoed sharply. Song Shi guessed the beast was braking abruptly to avoid crashing into the glass chamber wall—but it still hit. The deafening impact was followed by a loud hum as the entire chamber vibrated.
For the beast, the glass chamber, while massive for humans, still restricted its movements.
That was good news.
At least she wouldn't be completely defenseless, waiting for death.
She shoved the boy into a cluster of people and turned to look. The beast was already shifting its massive body, preparing to charge toward them again.
Song Shi immediately moved to dodge, but her arm was tugged back by a heavy weight.
It was the boy.
"Take me with you! Weren't we going to work together?"
"I never agreed to that," Song Shi said bluntly, raising her hand to push him away.
### Chapter 2: Transformation
In this situation, she didn't want to carry dead weight.
The boy suddenly wrapped his arms around hers, holding tightly. "You just have to run and take me with you. You're so fast; having me along won't slow you down. If things get dangerous, you can even throw me out as bait." Seeing Song Shi's unmoved expression, his eyes welled up, as though he was about to cry. "You can't repay kindness with betrayal. I warned you earlier about the beast being right behind us."
Song Shi gritted her teeth and had no choice but to take him along.
No sooner had they moved than the beast pounced, its tail striking like a scorpion's stinger. Two test subjects who had run in the opposite direction were pinned down by its rear claws.
The beast's claws had earlier torn through hardened soil, showcasing their sharpness. In the split second it pressed down, the claws pierced their chests, shredding their organs.
Blood mixed with fragments of internal organs gushed from their mouths. Song Shi glanced at them briefly before looking away.
The grotesque sound of crunching bones soon followed as the beast devoured its victims. The enclosed glass chamber amplified the horrifying noise, making Song Shi feel as if her own bones were breaking.
Faced with such a monstrous predator, Song Shi felt a wave of despair. There was no path to survival against this creature. Every step she took was merely a futile struggle before death—a matter of sooner or later.
In this glass chamber, designed to artificially stimulate high-probability candidates to awaken, awakening was the only path to survival.
But the hope of awakening felt impossibly remote.
Song Shi didn't have time to dwell on her despair. The beast quickly finished consuming its prey and turned its gaze toward the remaining test subjects.
The second group of Contract and Berserk candidates had initially consisted of fifteen people. Of the three who had earlier resisted the armed guards, two had been part of this group. Now, another three had been devoured by the beast, leaving only ten.
With each pounce, the beast claimed another victim. No matter how fiercely they struggled before death, it was all in vain.
The daggers couldn't harm it.
The numbers dwindled, but not a single person had awakened.
The floor was now completely covered in bright red blood, seeping deep into the ground. Every step Song Shi took left her acutely aware of the sticky sensation beneath her soles.
Sweat beaded on her forehead. Though her body had decent stamina, she was exhausted from carrying the boy's weight while evading the beast. She had run dozens of laps around the chamber's edge and was nearing her limit.
Finally, only two people remained inside the chamber.
The hope of awakening seemed to rest solely on them.
Song Shi dodged another lunge from the beast, dragging the boy along. Leaning against the glass wall, she gasped for breath, the metallic taste of blood filling her throat.
Her speed had noticeably slowed—this would be fatal.
She might not escape unscathed next time.
"Go on your own," Song Shi said, shoving the boy's arm away. "I've carried you through so many escapes. Don't accuse me of betrayal again."
Reluctantly, the boy let go of her arm, but he glanced over her shoulder and shouted, "It's coming again! Run!" Without waiting for her response, he grabbed her arm and tried to pull her along.
After so many close calls, Song Shi had developed a conditioned reflex. Even though she sensed something was off, she instinctively followed him.
She hadn't expected the beast to move faster this time. Song Shi could distinctly smell the putrid stench of blood and decay emanating from its mouth, along with the hot, foul air rushing against her back.
It was already right behind them.
Song Shi took a deep breath, ready to make one last desperate attempt.
But suddenly, the boy turned. His once fair and gentle face twisted with ruthlessness. With surprising force, he shoved Song Shi straight toward the beast.
Song Shi's first reaction wasn't the terror of being bitten and swallowed, nor was it regret or anger at being betrayed. Instead, it was a murderous intent and fury at her fate being decided by the beast.
This raw emotion burned hotter and more vividly than any fear she'd felt since arriving in this place. In that moment, she felt truly herself, as though she had finally merged with this body.
Her body arched backward as the beast's curved fangs neared the back of her head, grazing her scalp. The overpowering stench of blood enveloped her face. Her blood boiled, and every sense was heightened to the extreme.
At the last possible moment, Song Shi drove her dagger into the beast's mouth, piercing the tender flesh inside its oral cavity—a spot far softer than its outer hide.
Using the force of the impact, she wrenched her head away, pulled out the dagger, and rolled twice on the ground to create distance.
It all happened in an instant. By the time the beast registered the pain and its nervous system reacted with rage, Song Shi was already two meters away.
In stark contrast, the boy who had pushed her stood frozen in place in front of the furious beast.
The beast roared in pain and anger, hot air blasting against the boy's face. He finally snapped out of his stupor and turned to run.
"Trying to run?"
Song Shi's face appeared before him, a smile that didn't reach her eyes.
His face turned pale as he stammered, his voice trembling violently. "I—I didn't mean to… I just got scared when it suddenly appeared—ah!"
Song Shi didn't have the patience to hear his excuses. She raised her foot and kicked him squarely in the chest. His frail body flew directly into the beast's gaping maw.
(End of Chapter)