Daniel was in a bad mood, and the confusion hit him almost as hard as if his eardrums had been ruptured again. He kept staring at the glowing button, as if it were about to transform into something even more absurd.
"Fuck it." – he sighed heavily.
He clicked.
[ENHANCED HUMAN]
[All your stats have significantly increased – you are now twice as strong, fast, and resilient. Even your intelligence has doubled, allowing you to absorb knowledge and analyze information twice as fast.]
[STATS]
[Strength - 4]
[Agility - 5]
[Endurance - 3]
[Intelligence - 2.2]
[NEW!]
[Soul Power - 16]
[All your stats have doubled, and you have unlocked a new stat "Soul Power." You can now create soul artifacts.]
[You are as fast as the fastest people on Earth, your strength is immense, like a professional strongman, and your endurance is higher than that of an amateur runner.]
"Hm?" – he sighed quietly, staring at the stats.
— I have agility at level 5, which makes me as fast as the best runners… Strength at 4, which is at the level of professional strongmen… — he furrowed his brow. — So if a stat reaches 5, that's the peak of human potential..?
He pondered for a moment, then focused his gaze on the screen.
[You have undergone a terrifying evolution. You can choose your first skill.]
• [Pierce]
• [Blood Heart]
• [Critical Strike]
Daniel looked at the words appearing before him. The new information unsettled him, and his thoughts were swirling in his head. He sighed quietly, trying to calm himself, then clenched his fist.
"Which one do I choose?" – looking at the 3 options, Daniel knew that probably 2 of them were combat-related. He knew he was as weak as a fly compared to the destruction those damn beasts had caused.
So he clicked…
• [Blood Heart]
[Congratulations, you have learned the skill "Blood Heart." You are like a bloodthirsty killer, driven by cold calculation and a desire to survive. The pain you feel is doubled in intensity, but strangely… addictive. Every wound reminds you that you're alive, and every fight is a necessity – once a month, you must take a life for your own to remain intact.]
Immediately, a sharp, pulsating pain pierced him, as if something were tearing him apart from the inside. His heart began to beat faster, and every nerve seemed to be on fire.
[Effects of the "Blood Heart" skill:]
– You feel 200% of the pain you would normally feel.
– Your endurance has increased by 50%.
– Increased Intelligence
– Your personality is changing – you become colder, more calculating.
– Skill rule: once a month, you must kill in combat.
Daniel felt something within him change. His thoughts slowly gained a cold detachment, and the emotions that had been tormenting him moments ago seemed to fade. The world around him was still the same, but he was not.
He raised his gaze.
— Something like this… — he whispered, relaxing his fist. This time, he didn't even feel anger. Only coldness.
He looked at the stats again, noticing a slight change.
[Stats]
[Strength - 4]
[Agility - 5]
[Endurance - 4.5]
[Intelligence - 3]
[Soul Power - 16]
Seeing the "Skills" section under them, he checked it by clicking the label.
[Blood Heart]
[29:23:59]
[Upgrade possible]
[Requirements unknown]
He looked at the label of his new skill, highlighted in purple.
Without thinking much about the red-dark screen, it disappeared from his view. Without surprise, he thought for a moment, and it reappeared before him.
"I guess I can call you the system."
If Daniel had looked in the mirror, he would have seen how much he had changed.
From a thin, athletic teenager, he had transformed into a well-built young man. His physique had gained clear musculature – not excessively pumped, but strong and compact enough that every movement seemed more precise, almost predatory. He had grown to 192 centimeters, which meant he was now 8 centimeters taller than before.
However, his eyes revealed the most change. His former, slightly cold green color, inherited from his mother, had completely disappeared. Now, his gaze was dark and cold, as if drained of former emotions, like a sheet of ice that reflected nothing but emptiness.
Looking down, he noticed his well-built body, even hidden beneath the fabric. Unconcerned by this fact, he saw that he had grown and definitely gained weight. His former hoodie now resembled a T-shirt, with torn material on both sides of his shoulders and no hood. The already torn pouches on his shoes were now gone, and his shoes with holes where his toes stuck out were ready to be thrown away. Only his jeans hadn't torn and still somewhat fit.
Taking off his shoes and torn socks, he stood on the cold ground, which still slightly resembled the classroom he had entered. He felt cold with every step, but it was nothing compared to the pain he had felt earlier.
He took a few steps, which almost instinctively turned into a brisk walk. He didn't think about it – it was as if something deep within him told him to approach closer. He stopped over the dead body of a beast, feeling an instinctive urge.
Without hesitation, he extended his hand and placed it on the cold, deformed body of the mutant. At that moment, a system interface appeared before his eyes.
[Soul Power +0.2]
His gaze instinctively moved to the stats. A slight change. But still, a change.
[Soul Power: 16.2]
He felt it. It was barely perceptible, almost fleeting… yet real. Something inside him was growing.
He looked around the entire area. He knew his vision had become sharper – it took only a moment to quickly assess the number of mutant bodies that hadn't been torn apart. Three hundred and eighty-six. The rest were just scattered remains – severed limbs, torn guts, pieces of meat. He felt there was no point in touching them.
Without a word, he moved forward. He felt that he should do this. Maybe it was instinct, or maybe a new part of himself he didn't yet understand. He approached each body, placed his hand on it, and almost immediately, the familiar notification appeared.
[Soul Power +0.3]
[Soul Power +0.011]
[Soul Power +1.08]
[Soul Power +0.15]
[Soul Power +0.25]
[Soul Power +0.02]
[Soul Power +0.9]
[Soul Power +0.4]
[Soul Power +0.5]
[Soul Power +0.17]
[Soul Power +0.33]
[Soul Power +0.08]
[Soul Power +0.19]…
Each time his hand touched a dead body, another notification appeared, until he finally reached the massive, two-elephant-sized, four-meter mutant – the fourth such one he had seen.
[Soul Power + 8.10]
Looking at the stat now, he saw a huge change:
[Soul Power: 138.34]
He saw a blank window above the stats window, glowing dark red with a clear + sign. After a moment of thought, he clicked it.
Suddenly, he felt a big loss, unfamiliar with it, but he wasn't scared. He took it calmly, as he didn't feel it was something terrifying, seeing the Soul Power stat go through another change.
[Soul Power: 38.34]
He examined the place where the mysterious plus had once been.