The demon's corpse lay twisted among the roots, its blood steaming in the cool night air. Aric stood over it, breathing hard, the broken branch still clutched in his hand. His heart pounded—not from fear, but from something deeper. Something ancient.
The system stirred again, its voice like a whisper behind his thoughts.
**"You felt it, didn't you?"**
Aric didn't answer. He stared at the blood soaking into the soil, watched it shimmer faintly with unnatural light.
**"The pulse. The exchange. One life for strength."**
He dropped the branch and flexed his fingers. His body felt… sharper. His vision clearer. His muscles tighter. It wasn't just adrenaline. It was something else.
**"You are evolving. Slowly. But it will accelerate."**
Aric turned away from the corpse and walked back toward the village. The moon hung low, casting long shadows across the fields. He didn't know what the villagers would say if they found the demon. Maybe they'd panic. Maybe they'd blame him. Maybe they'd thank him.
He didn't care.
He wasn't doing this for them.
---
The next morning, Lira found him sitting by the well, staring into the water.
"You're quiet today," she said, handing him a bowl of stew. "More than usual."
Aric took it with a nod. "Just tired."
She sat beside him, swinging her legs. "You've been different since the woods. Not bad. Just… different."
He glanced at her. She was watching him with concern, but also something else. Curiosity. Fear.
"I'm fine," he said.
She didn't press. She never did.
---
Later, while hauling sacks of grain to the barn, Aric felt the system stir again.
**"You are surrounded by weakness. But that is not your fate."**
He paused. "What do you mean?"
**"This body was built for labor. Yours will be built for war."**
Aric dropped the sack and stepped outside. The sky was clear, the sun warm. Children played in the distance, laughing. It felt wrong. Too peaceful.
**"There is a threat nearby," the system said. "Lesser. But useful."**
"Where?"
**"North. Near the river. You'll know it when you see it."**
Aric didn't hesitate. He grabbed a rusted sickle from the barn wall and headed toward the river.
---
The forest thickened as he walked. The trees grew taller, the air cooler. Birds scattered as he passed, and the underbrush rustled with unseen movement.
Then he saw it.
A creature hunched over the riverbank, drinking. Its skin was mottled gray, its back covered in jagged spines. It turned slowly, sensing him.
Its eyes glowed red.
Aric didn't wait.
He charged.
The sickle sliced through the air, catching the creature's shoulder. It shrieked and lunged, claws flashing. Aric ducked, rolled, and drove the blade into its gut.
Blood sprayed. The creature thrashed, then collapsed.
Aric stood over it, panting.
**"Well done," the system murmured. "You are adapting."**
He felt it again—the pulse. The surge. His body tingled, his mind sharpened.
**"Level increased. Strength +1. Reflex +2. Skill unlocked: [Pulse Sense]."**
Aric blinked. "Pulse Sense?"
**"You will feel threats before they strike. You will know power when it nears. You are becoming more."**
He stared at his hands. They didn't look different. But they felt different.
He was changing.
---
Back at the village, no one noticed the blood on his boots. No one asked why he was gone. They were too busy with harvest, too busy surviving.
That night, he sat alone by the fire, staring into the flames.
"Who was the original Aric?" he asked.
**"A boy. Kind. Quiet. Weak."**
"And his family?"
**"They loved him. They still do."**
Aric looked toward the small room where Lira slept.
"I'm not him."
**"No. But you wear him well."**
He didn't sleep. He couldn't. His mind was too loud. The system didn't speak again, but its presence lingered—like a shadow behind his thoughts.
---
The next day, while chopping wood, he felt it.
A flicker.
A pulse.
He turned sharply, eyes scanning the treeline.
Something was coming.
Something stronger.
**"Prepare yourself," the system whispered. "This one will test you."**
Aric dropped the axe and walked toward the forest.
He didn't know what waited for him.
But he knew what he'd do when he found it.