The hallway welcomed Orion with its usual decay—flickering shadows, bloodstains, and the overwhelming silence that crept under his skin. The air was cold, stale, thick with tension.
He stepped forward with careful precision, each movement deliberate. In his right hand, he held a piece of broken metal piping, about a foot and a half long, scavenged from the wreckage of the previous room. It was crude, but for now, it was a weapon.
He focused on the sounds, hearing nothing new except for the two mutants he heard before.
" Lets see…" he whispered, keeping his voice low, as his ears honed in on the growing echo ahead trying to determine the distance of the mutant in front "it doesn't seem that far away"
His enhanced hearing gave him a rough map. One mutant was somewhere around the next corner, growling intermittently. The other was in the other direction, further behind, probably stuck in one of the lower halls. He'd deal with them one by one.
he moved his legs inching towards the sound, His footsteps slowing, each step lighter than the last. He crept forward like a shadow, trying to avoid even the slightest noise. Afraid of alerting the mutant. Every floor tile he stepped on was a gamble. His heart beat a steady, heavy rhythm, echoing in his skull.
As he moved closer the growling sound became louder , more pronounced, indicating his decreasing proximity. Cold sweat started forming on Orion's forehead, his heart beat starting to race.
Even though he had practiced before, had realized his strength, and had prepared himself mentally, when it came to the moment of truth he couldn't help but start to feel nervous again.This wasn't a game. One wrong move, one second of hesitation, and he could end up dead.
But Orion knew feeling this way was inevitable, he was after all living a peaceful life, before, far from violence, and all the fighting, killing and monsters would take time getting used to, there was no way around it.
He came to a halt near a closed door, taking a deep breath , trying to calm his erratic thoughts and his trembling body. He could hear the voice coming from inside, a deep suppressed growl. From the sound Orion could paint a mental picture , the mutant was probably standing still in a corner of the room.
Orion leaned toward a narrow glass pane embedded into the wall beside the door. Though cracked and smeared with grime, it let him peek through.
The room inside was drowned in shadows. With the sun not yet risen and the building's power long dead, the only illumination came from the faint, pale twilight creeping in through shattered windows.
Furniture lay splintered across the floor, dried blood painted the walls, and claw marks scarred the concrete like a savage mural. In the far corner stood a hulking figure, nearly seven feet tall.
It was motionless.
Orion could barely make out the silhouette, but it was enough to make his throat tighten. It was larger than the last one.
" almost 7 feet. This one's even bigger than the one I fought...dammit."
He thought in a grave tone, fear starting to slowly creep into his eyes, only to be forcibly suppressed away, replaced by a forceful determination.
Taking a deep breath he cheered himself on.
" take a deep breath… you can do it, no need to feel nervous, you're stronger than it…" he thought before taking another look at the towering stature of the mutant "...Probably."
"Let's get a closer look." He activated his skill silently. "Appraisal."
A blue translucent window flickered open in front of him, data loading in with a faint hum.
[STATUS – Mana Mutant]
Name: —N/A—
Race: Mutant
Level: 3
Class: -
HP: 220
MP: 40
Strength: 24
Agility: 15
Endurance: 18
Stamina: 20
Mana: 4
Spirit: 1
Abilities:
[Corrupted Mana] (Rank F - Passive)
Corrupted Mana flows through your body.
• Minor regeneration
• Enhanced pain resistance
• Passive Infection: Physical attacks infect targets with corrupted mana, slowly mutating them.
Skills:
[Mutant Claw Strike] (Rank F – Active)
A savage swipe with elongated claws, reinforced with mana.
• Can pierce lightly armored targets.
• Cooldown: 5 sec
• Mana Cost: 2 MP
---
Orion's brow furrowed. "Level 3… three levels higher than me ," he whispered. "Still within range though."
He checked his own strength. His stats outclassed it. He had better speed, strength, and mana—but the mutant had something he didn't: experience.
The corrupted things had adapted faster than humans. While most people were still panicking, hiding, or dying… These creatures were learning to kill.
Orion took a step back and pressed his back to the wall, steadying his breathing.
I won't run this time.
He gripped the pipe tightly, let the cold metal bite into his palm, and activated his skill.
"Stone Skin."
A dull warmth coursed through his body as patches of his skin took on a muted, grey hue. He felt heavier, but sturdier. Like armor forged from his own flesh.
Then—
"Rush."
He exploded forward, kicking the door off its hinges with a loud CRASH as he shot into the room.
The mutant shrieked, a grotesque, inhuman wail—
"SKREEEEEEAAAAAAGHHH!"
It turned too slow. Orion was already within reach. He slammed the pipe across the side of its jaw with a sickening CRACK. Bone splintered. The creature stumbled back, dazed.
Orion didn't give it a chance to recover.
He spun and struck again, this time lower—smashing its kneecap, trying to incapacitate it. The mutant dropped to one leg, groaning, madness flaring in its glowing, sunken eyes.
Its claws lashed out in desperation, but Orion ducked under the swing.
He could feel it. He could see it.
His senses were sharper. His body was faster, moving almost on instinct.
The training was working. He wasn't panicking this time. He was in control. He could now somewhat properly use his strength.
The mutant roared again, leaping toward him in a blind frenzy. Its claws sliced the air just inches from his throat. Sweat covered Orion's back while chills ran down his spine. That was close, he had almost gotten his neck decapitated —but Orion didn't back off.
Instead he braved his fear as he stepped into the creature's range and drove the pipe straight into its gut, pushing with all his might. The metal pierced through its flesh, bending from the force.
Blood sprayed across Orion's chest. The mutant howled, flailing wildly.
Time to finish it.
"Predation – Chains of Greed."
A single golden black chain erupted from his shadow, coiling through the air like a snake. It stabbed towards the mutant's eye with terrifying speed and precision.
The creature's eyes bursted as the chain entered his skull, cutting through muscle and bone like a blade.
"Go to sleep," Orion muttered coldly.
With one last pull, the chain moved completely crushing its brain into mush, and the mutant collapsed.
[Experience Gained +140]
[Predation Available – Devour Target? Y/N]
Orion reached out with one hand.
"Yes."
Dark tendrils of shadow burst forth, coiling over the corpse, dissolving it into floating strands of energy that flowed into his body like mist.
[Predation – 100% Complete]
[+6 Strength | +5 Endurance | +5 Stamina | +4 Agility | +3 Magic]
[Ability gained:]
[Corrupted Mana (Rank F - Active)]
[Skill Gained:]
[Mutant Claw Strike (Rank F - Active)]
[Organic Energy Gained: +17 Corrupted Mana | +6 Bio Energy]
A warm rush flooded through his limbs. His muscles tensed, then relaxed—stronger. Faster.
A new window popped up.
---
[Level Up!].
Stat Points Gained: +10
---
Orion stumbled back, letting the power settle. He dropped to a knee, panting—part from exhaustion, part from exhilaration.
His body was humming. Not from strain, but potential.
He had done it.
His first real fight. No panic. No hesitation. Just instincts, training, and power. And he had won.
"I… leveled up." A small smile tugged at his lips.
He glanced down at his hand—the one that had activated Predation. It trembled slightly. Not from fear, but hunger. Not physical hunger—but something else. The craving for more.
More strength. More kills. More growth.
He rose to his feet slowly, wiping the blood from his cheek with the back of his sleeve. He looked around the ruined room—broken furniture, dried blood, splintered walls—and then at the spot where the mutant had vanished.
"Level 1…" he whispered. "Let's see how far I can go."
And with that, he stepped back into the hallway, shadow following behind.