The growl was a physical blow, a low, guttural rumble that vibrated through Kai's very bones. It wasn't just a sound; it was a statement of intent, a primal hunger. The beast, a hulking silhouette against the bioluminescent undergrowth, tensed, its glowing red eyes fixed on him like twin embers in the deepening twilight of the forest. Every instinct screamed run.
And run he did.
He didn't think, didn't plan. His legs, stiff and aching moments before, propelled him forward in a desperate, clumsy scramble. He crashed through the dense vines, the broad, fleshy leaves slapping against his face, stinging his eyes. The thorns, surprisingly sharp, tore at his office shirt, leaving thin, burning trails on his arms. He didn't care. All that mattered was distance.
Behind him, he heard the heavy thud of paws hitting the earth, surprisingly light for such a massive creature, followed by the snapping of branches. The beast was fast. Faster than he could have imagined. Panic, a cold, suffocating blanket, threatened to overwhelm him.
Run, you idiot! Faster! his mind shrieked.
His lungs burned, his side, already bruised, flared with sharp pain with every jarring step. He sucked in ragged breaths, the clean, metallic-sweet air of this alien forest doing little to ease the suffocating tightness in his chest. He stumbled again, a gnarled root catching his foot, sending him sprawling. His bruised side hit the ground first, a gasp of pain escaping his lips.
He pushed himself up, scrambling on all fours, his eyes darting frantically. The glowing red eyes were closer now, just beyond a curtain of shimmering vines. The beast snarled, a low, chilling sound that promised a swift, brutal end.
This is it, Kai thought, a wave of despair washing over him. After everything, I get eaten by a monster in a fantasy world. At least it's not another spreadsheet. A faint, desperate humor sparked, then vanished, replaced by stark terror.
Just as the beast began to crouch, muscles coiling for a lethal leap, a sudden, blinding flash erupted in Kai's vision. Not the swirling vortex of his arrival, but something internal, like a surge of pure energy behind his eyes. The transparent screen, the System Interface, which had been hovering passively, flared with an intense, urgent light.
And then, new text materialized. Not a scroll, but a stark, imperative command, emblazoned in glowing red letters across the center of the screen, momentarily obscuring everything else.
[DANGER IMMINENT!]
HOST CONDITION CRITICAL: IMMINENT THREAT DETECTED.PRIMARY OBJECTIVE: SURVIVAL.
NEW ABILITY UNLOCKED:
INSTINCTIVEEVASION
- Level 1 (E) (A subconscious reaction skill. Grants a brief, momentary burst of enhanced agility and awareness to avoid immediate danger. Automatically activates under extreme duress.)
UTILIZING UNIDENTIFIED TALENT: SSS-Rank (Dormant) - Activating Core Sub-Function:
AdaptiveReflexes
The text flashed, imprinted itself directly onto Kai's mind, bypassing conscious thought. Before he could even process the words, before the beast could leap, his body moved.
It wasn't a conscious decision. It was an instinct, pure and raw, guided by an unseen force. A primal urge to survive. His bruised side screamed, but his limbs responded with impossible speed. He twisted, a sudden, unnatural flexibility allowing him to roll sideways, a blur of motion.
A sickening thwack echoed where his head had been a split second ago. The beast's massive paw, tipped with claws like obsidian daggers, slammed into the mossy ground, gouging a deep furrow. The sheer force of the blow sent a shockwave through the air, chilling Kai to the bone. If he hadn't moved...
He scrambled up again, the burst of agility fading as quickly as it came. But the beast was off balance. That momentary advantage, granted by the mysterious
InstinctiveEvasion
and the terrifying SSS-Rank Talent, was his only chance. He bolted, not in a straight line, but weaving frantically through the trees, using their massive trunks as cover, the System's screen now flickering with a frantic urgency.
The glowing red eyes followed. The beast recovered instantly, a low growl of frustration rumbling from its throat. It was cunning, relentless. It moved with a silent, fluid grace, a predator perfected.
Kai ran until his lungs felt like they would burst, until his legs were numb, until the world spun around him. He didn't know how long he ran. Minutes? Hours? Time had lost all meaning. He was just a raw bundle of fear and adrenaline, a primal creature fighting for its existence.
He passed through groves of glowing fungi, skirted patches of carnivorous-looking flora, and heard the unsettling cries of unseen beings. Each time the beast got too close, that internal flash would occur, that strange, ethereal glow from the System, and his body would move, a half-roll, a sudden jink, a frantic dive. He was a broken toy, malfunctioning, yet inexplicably dodging death.
Each evasion, however, exacted a toll. His muscles screamed with delayed pain. The bruises on his side throbbed. He was reaching his limit.
Need… shelter… The thought, ragged and desperate, barely formed.
And as if in response, a new, faint detail appeared on the System screen, now permanently fixed in his upper peripheral vision, a constant ghostly presence. A faint, shimmering dot, a tiny green beacon, pulsed weakly in a corner of the display that looked like a rudimentary, simplified map. It seemed to indicate a direction. And above it, a single word:
TEMPORARYSAFEZONE?
Hope, fragile but potent, surged through him. A safe zone. He didn't question it. He simply changed direction, stumbling towards the pulsating green dot. The forest seemed to part, or perhaps his senses, subtly enhanced by the System, were guiding him to a slightly less dense path.
He crashed through another thicket, collapsing onto a small, muddy ledge. Below him, the ground dropped sharply into a narrow crevice, almost a cave, obscured by thick hanging vines that mimicked the forest's luminous flora. It was barely wide enough for him to squeeze into, but it was something.
He didn't hesitate. He slid down the muddy incline, his clothes getting even more torn and dirty. The narrow opening swallowed him, and he wormed his way into the damp, earthy darkness. The hanging vines, thick and resilient, fell back into place, forming a natural curtain, almost completely concealing the entrance.
He lay there, gasping, pressed against the cold, damp rock. His entire body trembled uncontrollably, a violent shiver that had nothing to do with the cold. He could hear the beast's snarls above, its heavy paws thudding around the entrance, sniffing, frustrated. It circled, a low, ominous whine escaping its throat. But it couldn't see him. The vines held. The darkness protected him.
Minutes stretched into an eternity. The sounds above gradually receded, replaced by the normal (or what passed for normal) alien hums and chirps of the forest. The beast had given up. For now.
He was safe. He was alive.
He slowly, painstakingly, pulled himself into a sitting position, leaning his aching back against the rock. His eyes, now adjusting to the dimness, could see the faint bioluminescent glow from the vines outside, filtering through the gaps. It was enough to cast eerie, shifting shadows on the rock walls.
His gaze instinctively drifted to the System screen, still hovering before him, luminous in the dark. It was back to its previous display, the red warning gone.
[SYSTEM STATUS]
HOST DETECTED: Kai (Unbound)STATUS: AwakenedINTEGRATION: 100%
[BASIC ATTRIBUTES]
NAME: KaiRACE: Human (Earth Variant)AGE: 30LEVEL: 1 (Initiate)
STRENGTH: 5AGILITY: 6CONSTITUTION: 7INTELLIGENCE: 8WISDOM: 7CHARISMA: 4LUCK: ??? (Undetermined)
[PRIMARY TALENT]
UNIDENTIFIED TALENT: SSS-Rank (Dormant)
[SKILLS]
BASIC SURVIVAL: Level 1 (F)(Rudimentary knowledge of foraging, shelter building, basic first aid.)
BASIC WEAPON PROFICIENCY (UNARMED): Level 1 (F)(Minimal combat experience.)
INSTINCTIVE EVASION: Level 1 (E)(A subconscious reaction skill. Grants a brief, momentary burst of enhanced agility and awareness to avoid immediate danger. Automatically activates under extreme duress. NEW!)
[CURRENT OBJECTIVES]
1. SURVIVE. (COMPLETED - TEMPORARILY)2. EXPLORE.3. GROW STRONGER.
[NOTE: Further System functions will unlock as Host progresses.]
Kai stared at the new entry. INSTINCTIVE EVASION: Level 1 (E). NEW! So that's what saved him. And the "Utilizing Unidentified Talent" part… the SSS-Rank, even dormant, had done something. It wasn't just a number; it was active, protecting him, even without his conscious input. The sheer, unfathomable implications sent a shiver down his spine that had nothing to do with the cold.
He tried to interact with the screen again, more deliberately this time. He thought Skills, and instinctively, the System changed its display. The [SKILLS] section expanded, showing a brief description for each. He tried to mentally "select" Instinctive Evasion. No new information. It seemed like he could view, but not actively control, what was listed.
His gaze drifted to UNIDENTIFIED TALENT: SSS-Rank (Dormant). Why dormant? What would happen if it activated? The earlier flash of light, the shattering appraisal device… that was all tied to this. He felt a mix of awe and profound fear. This wasn't just a powerful ability; it was an unknown, potentially volatile force within him.
He tried to mentally scroll down, mimicking the action he used on his phone. The screen flickered slightly, then shifted, revealing a new section.
[SYSTEM LOGS]
00:00:01 - Transference Event Detected. Host Integration Initiated.00:00:05 - Host Consciousness Stabilized. Environment Scan Complete. 00:00:10 - Primary Talent Appraisal: SSS-Rank Detected. Unprecedented. Auto-designation:
AdaptiveOmniscience
. Sub-Functions Delineated. 00:00:12 - Talent Condition: Dormant. Reason: Host physiological and psychological state not yet compatible for full activation. Power Draw Minimal.00:00:30 - Initial System Interface Manifested.00:01:45 - Threat Detected. Beast Classification: Forest Stalker (Tier 1). 00:01:50 - Host Danger Level: High. Initiating SSS-Rank Sub-Function:
AdaptiveReflexes
. 00:01:51 - Skill Acquired:
InstinctiveEvasion
(E-Rank). 00:02:10 - Host Successfully Evaded Threat. 00:02:15 - Initiating Environmental Scan for
TemporarySafeZone
. 00:02:20 -
TemporarySafeZone
Identified. Guiding Host. 00:02:35 - Host Secured in
TemporarySafeZone
. Threat Receded.
Kai's eyes widened as he read the log. It wasn't just a System; it was a companion, a guardian, an incredibly advanced AI that had been silently operating since the moment he arrived.
AdaptiveOmniscience
. That was the name of his SSS-Rank Talent. Adaptive. Omniscience. The words resonated with a profound weight. It wasn't just about being strong; it was about understanding everything, about adapting to anything.
And the logs provided chilling clarity. The 'appraisal device' hadn't shattered in his memory; it had likely shattered when it tried to appraise an SSS-Rank talent named Adaptive Omniscience. His 'dream-like transition' was very real. And the System had been with him from the very first second.
It had guided him to water. It had protected him from the beast. It had even helped him find this hiding spot. He wasn't alone.
But the most unsettling part was: "Host physiological and psychological state not yet compatible for full activation." What did that mean? What would full activation do? And if even a dormant SSS-Rank could grant Instinctive Evasion and save him from a Tier 1 Forest Stalker, what was its true power?
He also noted the time stamps. Only a few minutes had passed since his arrival. The entire terrifying ordeal with the beast, the desperate run, the discovery of the stream – it had all happened in less than two and a half minutes. It felt like an eternity.
He exhaled slowly, a long, shaky breath. The adrenaline began to recede, leaving him feeling utterly drained. His body ached, his head throbbed, and his stomach rumbled painfully. He was still in danger. The beast could return. Other, unknown threats lurked in this alien forest.
But he had a new variable. The System. And the SSS-Rank Talent: Adaptive Omniscience.
He looked at the objectives again. 1. SURVIVE. (COMPLETED - TEMPORARILY). The parenthetical note made him grimace. Yes, temporarily. 2. EXPLORE.3. GROW STRONGER.
He was alive. That was the primary objective. For now, in this cramped, damp crevice, illuminated by the ghostly glow of the System screen and the faint bioluminescence of the outside world, Kai, the ordinary accountant from Mumbai, began to process the extraordinary reality of his new existence. He had survived the fade to black, and stumbled into a world of echoes, where a ghostly interface held the key to his unfathomable potential. The journey had truly, frighteningly, just begun.