"Huff, huff…" A teenager ran wildly through a dense forest as if his life depended on it.
In truth, it did. He had stolen the eggs of a giant bird. The creature resembled a chicken but was much larger, nearly the size of a human, with sharp claws capable of tearing through iron.
The teen skidded to a stop and hid behind a thick tree trunk, glancing around anxiously to see if the monsters were still chasing him.
Soon, the creatures—known as Iron Clawers—passed by him. Their bloodshot eyes burned with fury, scanning the forest for their thief.
Stealing one of their offspring right before them had driven the Iron Clawers into a frenzy. Now, they attacked anything that even vaguely resembled their child's kidnapper.
But that was someone else's problem, not his.
Evil? Maybe. But in this world, only the strong had rights. Survival in this era was built on a single principle: evolution.
It all began 500 years ago, when dimensional rifts descended upon Earth, triggering a cataclysm that merged all the continents back into a single landmass—Pangaea. Nations that once existed collapsed overnight, and new powers rose from the ashes.
Organizations sprang to life, many of which cared little for the survival of the common people. Wars broke out, merciless and unchecked, and within the first 50 years, the death toll had reached a staggering 4 billion, leaving humanity's population halved.
But the worst was yet to come.
As humans explored these new dimensional worlds, they encountered other intelligent creatures—some friendly, most hostile.
And what was this worst outcome? Humanity was weak. Weakness led to humans being hunted for their evolution points. Over time, we became slaves to stronger races.
Every year, we had to sacrifice a portion of our genetic potential just to survive, paying with resources and lives in exchange for so-called "protection." Refusal wasn't an option. What happened to those who defied the system didn't need to be explained.
This subjugation led to a divide within human society—those who accepted servitude and those who resisted. The resulting conflict tore humanity apart once again, and shockingly, the pro-slavery faction emerged victorious.
It wasn't surprising, though. The race that enslaved us—the Were Tribes—had sent their warriors to suppress any resistance, easily crushing even humanity's strongest fighters.
Such a grim fate awaited humanity. And yet, over the years, the demands of the Were Tribes only grew more insatiable. Recently, they had begun to demand living humans as tribute.
Who are the Were Tribes? They're a coalition of werewolves, weretigers, and other werebeasts. Each member possesses inhuman strength from the moment they are born.
How vast is the gap between us? Those who max out their gene cap in the first realm among the Were Tribes can easily overpower humans who have maxed out their gene cap in the second realm.
This difference snowballed so much that even a group of fifth-realm humans teaming up against a third-realm member of the Were Tribes would still be defeated effortlessly.
But what are these realms and gene caps?
When someone enters a dimensional rift, they are teleported randomly to a new world filled with monsters. The only way to leave is through specific exit points, which vary for each race.
Currently, humanity's strongest individuals have only reached the fifth realm. Despite this, we are on the verge of losing our last stronghold. From other races, we've learned there are seven realms in total or there are more, but no one ever reached it. Even the Were Tribes struggle in the sixth realm. They only know of the seventh realm because one of their most powerful gene evolvers successfully ascended to it. However, he never returned, and with no information about that realm, no one has dared to ascend since.
What Are Gene Caps?
Within these realms, there are creatures whose flesh can enhance the human body to superhuman levels. A person's gene cap determines the maximum potential of their genetic evolution.
Gene caps are heavily influenced by ancestry. If someone maxes out their gene cap, their descendants have a chance to inherit a higher cap. However, this is rare—typically occurring in every fifth or sixth child. Most others inherit mixed traits, resulting in a cap similar to, but rarely exceeding, their parents.
This rule applies to all realms. A person's gene cap doesn't decrease as they ascend but remains constant. To ascend to a higher realm, you need to reach at least half of your gene cap in the current realm. However, those who ascend with only half their cap are significantly weaker than those who ascend with a fully maxed-out cap.
The highest recorded human gene cap was 144, achieved by a legendary figure who tragically died 200 years ago during the rebellion against the Were Tribes. It was said he could almost fight weaker members of the Were Tribes to a standstill.
And Our Protagonist?
His gene cap is 31.
Yes, 31. He is considered trash by society, incapable of ever reaching the third realm in his lifetime. To survive in the third realm, a person needs a gene cap of at least 55 maxed out in the previous realms.
Because of his low gene cap, no one wants to associate with him. The average gene cap for humans ranges between 60 and 80, making his number a near-miracle of deficiency. He holds the dubious honor of being the lowest gene evolver ever recorded.
Ridiculed by everyone, he lives in constant humiliation. Even his own family severed ties with him.
His family, though commoners, had respectable gene caps: his father at 67 and his mother at 62. Their marriage was nearly forbidden, as the law prohibits unions with a gene cap difference greater than 3. This law exists to promote the creation of elites with higher gene caps while preventing genetic deterioration over time.
In contrast, those with high gene caps face no such restrictions. A person with an elite cap can have multiple spouses, and society celebrates it. Even if their partner has a lower cap, their children are expected to inherit above-average potential.
But for low gene cap families, my parents serve as the perfect cautionary tale.
And how am I even alive with such a low cap? Because I'm considered a valuable research material.
I had been used as a lab rat for as long as I could remember. No one ever treated me like a human—more like a bug.
When they finally lost interest in me, they cast me aside, leaving me to fend for myself. But this so-called freedom wasn't entirely a blessing.
Thugs, robbers, and loan sharks sought to exploit me.
My gene cap was public knowledge, broadcast far and wide. Knowing how low it was, they dragged me into these realms to use me as live bait.
For four long years, I was nothing more than a tool for their survival. But not anymore.
Now, I have a system.
As if the gods themselves took pity on my wretched existence, they granted me this system.
But there was a catch—it didn't activate on its own. I needed to gather a silver coin to unlock it.
What is a Silver Coin?
After the great cataclysm, paper money lost its value entirely. At first, people traded goods, but eventually, the old-fashioned method of coins took over. Soon, currencies of copper, silver, gold, platinum, and diamond coins were established.
How does such a vast number of coins circulate in the economy? The answer is simple: the realms.
The realms not only strengthened people but also allowed for the extraction of valuable items.
Because of my weak gene cap, I wasn't sent to the mines to labor—I was too frail for such work. Instead, the young master of the mine owner, who had a sick hobby of using people as live bait, found another use for me.
People with great strength had lost their humanity, indulging in their pleasures. To them, those weaker than themselves were nothing but insects.
What About Weapons?
In the early years after the cataclysm, most weapons were either used up or rendered obsolete. The technology to replicate them was lost, and in the face of the realms, they became irrelevant.
Think about it: what good is a gun when someone can move faster than a bullet?
What about nuclear bombs? Or weapons of similar magnitude? No one invests in them anymore when individuals can wield the destructive power of a nuclear explosion.
Radiation, once a mortal threat, is useless against those who've ascended to the fourth realm or higher. The blast itself might still kill fifth-realm evolvers, but for anyone stronger—and most other races—it's nothing more than a minor inconvenience.
Weapons of mass destruction lost their terror long ago.
Back to the Present
I stare at the egg in my hand and the system interface floating before me.
"Please don't disappoint me. I'm betting everything on you!" I whisper to myself.
"Cash out!"