Evan sat on the edge of the bed in the small apartment he had taken over, his hands folded as he stared at the floor. The room was silent except for the distant hum of a passing car outside, but his mind was anything but quiet.
It had been a single night. One sleep.
And now?
Everything was different.
The world felt slower, clearer, more structured.
When Evan first activated the Passive Evolution System, it had scanned him for any existing traits—but found nothing.
No mutant abilities. No enhancements.
But it had found one thing.
A mind.
And so, the system had seized upon it, transforming his cognitive abilities into something evolvable.
That was how he had gained his first passive skill.
[Passive Skill Unlocked: Enhanced Neural Processing]
Level 1 → Level 2 (Progress: 100%)
It had seemed like a minor boost at first.
A slight increase in focus. A subtle improvement in memory.
But now?
Now, it was something far greater.
Enhanced Neural Processing – Five Evolutionary Stages
Level 1: Increased Information Retention (Unlocked at System Activation)
Memory recall improves. Faster mental organization. Basic emotional stability in stressful situations.
Level 2: Accelerated Cognitive Processing (Unlocked Overnight – February 8, 1963)
Thought speed increased fivefold. Mental fatigue drastically reduced. Emotion control optimized.
Level 3: Multi-Layered Thinking (Estimated Unlock Time: One Week)
Ability to process multiple complex thoughts simultaneously. Predictive reasoning improves dramatically. Mental resistance to psychic interference.
Level 4: Hyper-Logical Analysis (Estimated Unlock Time: One Month)
Near-perfect information recall. Increased strategic foresight and subconscious planning. Ability to manipulate speech patterns for persuasion.
Level 5: Limitless Intelligence (Estimated Unlock Time: One Year)
The mind ceases to experience fatigue. Instant mastery of logical subjects. True hyper-awareness—perceiving details beyond normal human comprehension. The Immediate Changes – Level 2 Effects
Evan exhaled, rolling a coin between his fingers as he processed the enhancements to his mind.
The first thing he noticed?
His perception was accelerating.
When he glanced at the clock on the wall, he didn't just see the time—he could instinctively calculate the exact number of seconds since he last checked. Down to the millisecond.
His thoughts moved at impossible speeds.
Before, when he formulated plans, there were gaps. His brain had needed time to connect ideas, weigh consequences, and adjust decisions.
Now?
Everything connected instantly.
Every event from yesterday, every conversation, every subtle change in behavior—it was all indexed and stored, waiting to be recalled.
He had become faster, sharper, and completely in control.
A Test – The Coin Flip
Evan flipped the coin into the air.
And the world slowed.
It wasn't time itself—it was his mind accelerating.
He could see the individual rotations of the coin, the way the light reflected off its surface, the exact trajectory it would follow.
His brain calculated its landing position before it even fell.
Without hesitation, his hand snapped forward, catching it mid-air with pinpoint accuracy.
He stared at the coin in his palm.
That wasn't reflexes.
That was prediction.
The Emotional Firewall
Another difference was his control over emotions.
He still felt them—anger, satisfaction, frustration, amusement—but they were regulated.
If something irritated him, his brain immediately dampened the reaction, replacing it with rational thought. If something unexpected happened, instead of panic, his mind focused only on the solution.
It wasn't cold detachment.
It was optimization.
He wasn't an emotionless machine. He still cared. He still had desires, ambitions, and motivations.
But nothing would ever cloud his judgment again.
Drawbacks of an Enhanced Mind
Nothing came without consequences.
Information Overload: He noticed too much. Every flicker of light, every minor background sound, every shift in people's expressions—his mind analyzed it all.
Boredom: Conversations felt predictable. He could often anticipate what someone was about to say before they said it, making small talk feel tedious.
Sleep Disruption: His mind refused to shut down. Even when he tried to rest, his brain kept processing, replaying, analyzing.
He could adjust. He had to.
Because this was just Level 2.
Evan pushed himself to his feet, rolling his shoulders.
He had one major problem left.
He had no legal identity.
Without a proper ID, he couldn't open a bank account, rent a real place, or even move freely without suspicion.
That meant he had two choices.
Forge an identity. Find someone who could make one for him.
Option one was too risky. He lacked the tools and connections to create flawless fake documents.
That left option two.
He needed someone with connections to the black market, someone who could provide new identities, no questions asked.
And in 1963 New York, the best place to find those kinds of people?
The underground clubs and gambling dens.
He glanced at the wallet he had taken from Michael Carter.
There was a membership card inside.
The Black Oak Club.
A place where people with money, power, and secrets gathered.
A place where illegal business flourished.
A place where he could find what he needed.
Evan smirked slightly, tucking the wallet into his pocket.
It was time to pay them a visit.