A cold tingle crawled up my spine, sharp and fast.
Someone was watching. Aiming. I could feel it in my bones — that tiny spike of killing intent scraping against my back.
I grinned again, my shoulders tensing just a little.
Didn't know who it was. Didn't care.
Sixteen cores on me — yeah, that'd make anyone stupid brave.
That's the thing about these cores — they leak energy, like a goddamn beacon. Any superhuman can sense it, doesn't even need a skill.
And those "brilliant" teachers knew it.
Those cheap bags? Deliberate. They don't block a damn thing.
They call it training. I call it a cull.
Yeah, sure. Let the kids fight each other for monster cores. Real smart, right?
"Hey, nice core you got there."
"Oh, sure, take it! No stabbing today!"
Idiots. They knew exactly what would happen.
When your teachers stop seeing you as people, it hits me — hard.
To them, we aren't students. We're numbers. Lab rats in a cage, told to 'grow stronger' while they sit in towers and tick off who survives.
"Monsters eat because that's what they are," I said softly, looking at the empty ground. "But humans? They hide behind their rules, act like they're better while doing the same thing."
I glanced down at my sleeves, stained and half-dried. The air still smelled like iron.
"They smile while they feed — on fear, on power, on lives. Same damn hunger, just prettier words."
A quiet laugh slipped out of me. "I used to think I was different. Thought maybe I could stay clean in this mess."
My grin came back, slow and steady. "Now I know better. If this world's ruled by beasts, then I'll be the worse one. I'll tear down both — the monsters outside and the ones wearing human faces."
I sighed, rolling my shoulders, grin still stuck on my face.
"Fine…" I muttered, eyes scanning the trees. "Let's see who's hunting who."
"Blood Instinct."
I closed my eyes, and the world quieted down. Even the wind felt distant now. Then the image formed in my head — not a map, but lines of red, thin and alive, moving like rivers through the dark.
Two of them. Behind me. Trying to hide, holding their breath, thinking they were safe.
Their hearts gave them away first — slow, heavy beats that echoed somewhere deep in my chest. Thump… thump… thump.
Then I saw the blood itself — glowing faint, sliding through their veins like threads of light. Every movement, every twitch, I could see it all.
Both aiming at my back. Both waiting for the right second.
I didn't need to open my eyes to see them. The grin came on its own. "Got you."
They were thinking about me. I didn't even need to hear them.
Their heartbeats were loud in my head, the blood bright like thread. I could read the shape of their thoughts — hunt, envy, greed. Close enough.
"Hey, look, that's Shen Yan. Null Bloodline."
"Yeah, weak. Easy kill. But why the hell does he have sixteen monster cores?"
"Doesn't matter, man. He probably stole them."
"Doesn't matter. We kill him, take everything. Trash like him shouldn't have this much anyway."
I couldn't help it — a quiet laugh slipped out before I even noticed.
It was just too damn funny, imagining their faces while they were hiding there, thinking they were predators.
Trash with no bloodline. Easy target. Yeah, sure.
My grin stretched wider, eyes still closed. "Come on then," I whispered. "Let's see who ends up as trash."
My head was already running wild with how to kill them.
The second that thought came, my heart kicked hard — not fear. Excitement.
Devour.
Devour.
I clenched my teeth, trying to hold it down, but the rush wouldn't stop. My hands twitched. I looked at them — they weren't shaking from fear. It was craving. My body wanted blood to shut it up.
Kill them.
Kill them.
They hide there.
Waiting for you.
Aiming for you.
Those who aim at you… don't deserve the light.
The voice came again, deep inside my head. Not mine. Just there. Like it had always been waiting.
My chest burned hot. My grin came on its own. The thought of ripping them apart made my heart beat faster — too damn good to fight back.
I loosened my fists. My hands went loose — fingers flexing on their own.
My grin twitched wider without me telling it to. It was like my body was enjoying this on its own.
"Bring them," I said, quiet and flat. I walked forward
But as soon as I put my foot forward, something weird hit my nose.
A smell I couldn't really make sense of.
I knew the scent of Venomfangs. I knew BoneCrawlers too — I could tell those apart easy now.
But this one... this one was off.
It smelled like oil burning on skin. Bitter.
My brain tried to match it, but nothing came up. No picture. No memory. Just that stench sitting in my head.
First time smelling something like this. Then I actually laughed at myself.
"Obviously it's my first time, genius. You just got the damn skill."
I stopped moving. My whole body went still, like it already knew something was wrong.
New smell meant new thing.
And new thing in this damn zone... usually meant trouble.
I let out a slow chuckle.
A perfect idea hit me.
Use those fools as bait. Let them fight the new thing, tear each other apart, and I'll just watch from the back.
I tilted my head, still smiling. "Heh… what a plan."
My heart slammed once, hard enough to feel it echo in my ribs. The seed inside me… yeah, it laughed too. Quiet, low, like it was enjoying the idea more than me.
Those two idiots really were a gift from heaven. Perfect bait handed right to me.
And hey, it's not like I'm the bad guy here. They came after me first, tried to gut me before I could even blink. So if I use them a little? That's just balance.
Honestly, it'd be rude not to give something back.
So what do I do?
Nothing.
Just laugh… and run while they chase me.
"Foxfire Step."
Flames rolled under my feet as I burst forward.
It felt different now — the air wasn't just cutting my face anymore; it was piercing straight through, sharp like niddles against skin.
My eyes watered, but I couldn't stop grinning.
My vision stretched, everything smeared together.
For a second, it didn't even feel like I was running anymore — more like the ground was trying to catch up.
Yeah… that's F-4 speed for you.
Funny thing — F4's faster than F1.
Guess I just broke the human version of Formula Racing.
I aimed straight for that strange smell my nose had caught.
The air roared past my ears, loud enough to block everything else. My heart kept pounding, chasing my legs like it wanted to burst out.
The trees blurred, the ground became a smear, and for a second when I looked down—it didn't even feel like running anymore. My feet were hitting the dirt so fast it was more like I was skipping over it.
I almost laughed. "So this is F-4, huh? "Guess gravity's just optional now."
Then it hit me.
I messed up.
Caught up in the rush, the speed — the damn thrill — I just ran.
Didn't think. Didn't look back.
When I finally slowed, the world went quiet behind me.
"…Great. Lost the damn turtles."
They were gone.
Or more like, left behind.
I was flying while those two were still crawling like turtles on pain meds. To me they were more like turtles but to some they would be rabbit.
I let out a dry laugh.
"Perfect. I'm the rabbit now. Guess I should slow down before I win the damn race alone."
I slowed down a bit, peeking through the trees. The forest was quiet except for my own breath.
Way behind me, I could see them — tiny dots running, grunting, still chasing like they were part of the plan.
I narrowed my eyes, trying to get a better look — and the view just… zoomed.