The forest returned to its usual calm, but the warning had already been made clear.
Akhil, Aria, and Nibo stood in a clearing where the moonlight could reach them. In front of them lay the body of the mutated puffling that had learned too late what being "cute" cost when it came with claws.
The last one had made a sound—"Pow pow"—that might have been funny if it hadn't been trying to tear Aria's throat out at the time.
Akhil already knew how terrifying those cute little monsters could become once they began their onslaught.
'It's no different from the game… Even before the scenario starts, these signs begin to appear.'
This was terribly bad for him. Not only did he have no idea how the current system worked, but it also seemed the AI had modified the game into this twisted version of reality. Now they had to face a scenario.
And just to show how bad his luck was, someone was already setting up the goblins just like he did in the game.
Only this time, he was on the receiving end.
Akhil checked his shoulder where the thorn-hedgehog's quill had grazed him. The wound was shallow.
Aria's wrist, on the other hand, was swelling purple where another hedgehog had tagged her with venom-tipped spines. She hid the wince poorly.
Nibo wiped his axe on the grass. "What the heck was that?"
No one had seen it coming—the cutest beast they'd encountered since the game began turning out to be such a ferocious monster.
"A reminder that looks don't matter in this new world," Akhil said calmly.
He scanned the treeline with his heat-sense. Red glows pulsed faintly in the distance—animals that had decided this fight wasn't theirs. The clearing would hold.
The system chimed.
{Ding!}
{Congrats! You are now level 3!}
{Loot Summary}
{Puffling Beast — Cleared}
• Final Strikes: Player Nexus.
• MUT Coins: +500 (Nexus)
• Skill Shards (1-use): Nimble Instinct x1, Keen Edge x1
• Event Bonus: First-Sight +20 MUT
• No Support: +100 MUT
Before he could take in the notification, another one popped up—but this time, everyone could see it.
[SYSTEM ANNOUNCEMENT]
⚔️ World Achievement Unlocked! ⚔️
«↑Player Nexus has slain the world's first Level 16 Beast↑»
After the announcement, another flurry of notifications appeared before him.
• Title Earned: Beast Slayer 🩸
• Description:
You have accomplished the impossible—defeating a creature far beyond your level. Your name will echo in the records of every hunter who dares to challenge the unknown.
• Title Effect:
– +10% damage against all beasts.
– Instills fear in lower-level monsters.
– Reputation increased among hunters and guilds.
The wilds now remember your scent, Slayer.
Achievement Rewards: +200 MUT
{MUT Coins: 1,027}
"One time we didn't help, and you went ahead to steal all the rewards," Nibo laughed lightly after seeing the notification.
"If only I wasn't deceived by the looks of that monster," he sulked.
It was clear none of them had expected it.
If it weren't for Akhil's interference, Aria would have been caught by the ferocious beast.
"How did you even know what it was? Have you seen it before?" Aria asked, still rubbing her wrist.
"You could say I encountered it earlier when I woke up," Akhil replied with a wry smile.
Aria didn't press any further; she simply showed her appreciation for his help.
Akhil told her to buy a potion from the system to heal herself, and she did exactly as he said.
After the fight, no one felt like resting anymore.
It was worse for Gon—he couldn't fight. He knew that if the beast had gone for him instead of Aria, he would have died. He was much slower than her.
And since he still held bad blood toward Akhil, he wasn't sure the man would have helped him the same way.
After weighing all his chances of survival, Gon quickly dismissed the idea of resting for the night and urged the group to continue their journey. He didn't want to take any chances.
While they traveled, Akhil finally had the opportunity to check out the system.
What amused him most was the level-one status he had earned after killing the beast.
This made things a lot clearer.
Mutant levels only showed their compatibility with the mutation, but it didn't necessarily mean they couldn't level up as they did in the game.
The system had confused Akhil at first, but now it seemed it required that he kill a specific number of beasts to unlock his next level.
Essentially, this could only mean that even with a lower mutant level, a person with a higher player level could still defeat a stronger mutant.
'I thought of the possibility before. But after killing a few beasts, I assumed that wasn't the case. Guess I was wrong.'
With that clarified, Akhil shifted his gaze back to his coins.
He had been keeping track of them since their journey began. While the fight had been completely unexpected, he was also glad it happened.
Now, he could finally buy the item he'd been eyeing all this time.
{Gene Stabilizer [Arc-Alpha]}
{Type: Serum (Consumable) — Tier: Rare}
{Price: 1,000 MUT}
He opened the full description, which was only visible now that he had enough coins to afford it.
{Gene Stabilizer [Arc-Alpha]}
{Use: Stabilizes mutant gene expression; reduces mutation backlash; unlocks latent pathways.}
{Per Dose: +20% Gene Compatibility; +15% Strength & +15% Agility for 10 minutes; minor regeneration; mental clarity.}
{Limits: Effective doses per host: 2. Further doses—no effect.}
{Binding: On use; non-transferable after binding.}
{Warning: Overuse beyond limit has no additional effect.}
{Price: 1,000 MUT}
He'd been interested in the item for two reasons—first, the name, obviously.
And second, because he was curious about what kind of effects it might have.
Now, seeing the details, an idea formed in his mind.
This item was definitely going to change a lot of things.
Without further thought, he made the purchase.
{Purchase Confirmed}
{MUT Coins: 27}
{Gene Stabilizer [Arc-Alpha] x1 (Dual-dose) — Added to Inventory}
The vial appeared in his inventory—a slim holster containing two doses. He could use both on one person or split them between two. The system confirmed what he already understood.
{Note: Arc-Alpha vial is dual-dose. Effective uses on a single host: 2.}
Akhil closed the interface and looked toward Aria, who was still trying to pretend her wrist didn't hurt. He didn't say anything yet. The camp was close. He'd deal with it there.
Unbeknownst to him, the announcement from earlier.... Had just set off a chemical reaction.