《The Star Tamer》 A steamer "Good morning, folks! It''s a fun morning, isn''t it?!" a man, seemingly quite young yet mature, greeted his viewers through the camera hanging over the mini drone floating right beside him. "Haha! I apologize for the delay in steam this time; the journey here turned out to be harsher than I expected, but we are finally here. he said while walking out from the frosty tree branches covering the path ahead of him "I thought it would be just a one-night camping journey for me, but the public transport doesn''t provide services here. I had booked a private truck from local to travel 30 miles off-road and then on my feet for 8 miles into this peak, but I guess this time it will be really worth it." He chuckled, showing an excited grin over his face, and finally stepping outside of the cold, dark woods blocking the view, he revealed the sight of otherworldly nature''s beauty to his own eyes and to his viewers through the camera. [- Live Viewers - 567 -] [Holy shit?! Is this for real?!] [Bro, stop scamming! It''s clearly VFX! It''s all edited!] [Chill bruh you are sucking eyes out of my face...] [Damn! OP!!!] The comments of the viewers flooded the screen of his smartphone; there were dozens of them as they witnessed this sight. The scenery of dark, rocky mountains as far as the eyes can see over the edges of horizons covered in layer frost and snow, the endless night sky covered in aurora and millions of stars that no city resident will be blessed enough to witness at their homes But as if such nature''s beauty wasn''t enough, the man pointed his drone camera towards the moon, which was shining unusually in bright blue light tonight, and explained "Haha, anyone can see aurora and nightsky at the poles of the planet; you just need to move your asses here, but ''this''! ''This'' is something you will only get to see once in your entire life; brace yourself as I, ''Silas Bianchi,'' present you with a view of ''Draemoria." As he said, the camera zoomed in towards the moon; it was a quiet sight with viewers also acting confused by the deep silence, but just then all eyes widened as they witnessed several dozen sparkles of light suddenly emerging in the space near the moon. [What the hell?!] [What are those?!] [Holy shit! It''s the comets?! It''s a star fall!] [... Are you serious? There are like... hundreds of them?] Everyone was stunned and amazed; many jumped back to their seats or beds as they saw it and intently glared over their screens, seeing such a sight. It was as if all the stars in the skies had lost themselves and were falling down all around the earth. "It''s marvelous~" Silas chuckled, and quietly holding his white hoodie, he sat down over the stone, and pointing at the moon and those hundreds of falling comets, he explained "Recently some distant asteroid passed through the Kuiper Belt, which is basically a doughnut-shaped region of icy space bodies extending far beyond the orbit of Neptune. Because of that, some of those icy space bodies got pushed towards the inner region of the solar system. Normally, Jupiter sucks up any such thing coming from outside towards the earth, but it didn''t happen this time. A few escaped, and as per my calculations, they will be passing quite close to our earth''s orbit, but they won''t crash on us, but we can still see them.If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement. Silas chuckled, and as expected, as he has explained, the next instant, dozens of comets were seen raining down from the region around the sun, making an even more charming sight while sitting around the aurora in the skies. [... You are a God bro.] I never saw anything this beautiful! Can''t imagine anything this beautiful!!! [Ohhhh~~~ this is absolutely charming!] [Oh! I heard the experts talking about it too! But this didn''t get media attention, as this site can''t be seen from human settlements.] The comments were full of excited people sharing the experience through the camera; there was just plain silence and quiet warmth as Silas observed this sight, sitting over the stone while sipping up warm soup he brought along in a temperature-resistant bottle. But in the middle of that plain silence, suddenly some numbers caught Silas''s attention as he grabbed his phone. "Oh? What''s this..." he muttered, sounding surprised, and with a chuckle, glanced at the view count of his livestream. [- Live Viewers - 866 -] [- Live Viewers - 1088 -] [- Live Viewers - 1943 -] "Haha! Look at the view count¡ªare we suddenly going to go viral in the middle of the night? Silas giggled watching his stream''s view count suddenly increasing rapidly over the phone; in mere seconds, his view count had suddenly increased a dozen times already. [Someone posted your stream in a popular forum!] [Haha! It''s full of space nerds.] [Apparently a celebrity posted its link to his social media just now. Damn.] [Oh yeah, it''s that 10 million subscriber guy.] Silas glanced at his screen seeing those comments and couldn''t help but smile at that silent support he was receiving at the moment; nostalgia filled his mind, and lying down on his back while watching the sight in the skies, he let his emotions follow the suit. "It''s already been 7 years since I started streaming these natural sights, right? I don''t know if it''s because I''m so exhausted or just excited because it all seems worth it; just allow me to spread some sage''s wisdom here. He said and maintained a deep silence for a brief moment, and with a smile quoted, "Life''s depths aren''t measured by breaths we take but by the moments that take away our breaths." [Did he just make it up on the spot?] [Sick!] [That one was actually cool...] [Silas dude! Leave some girls for the rest of us!!] "Haha, worry not; I''m interested in women, not girls." He sniggered, and taking in a deep breath, continued, "Isn''t it fun though? Life is a journey full of adventures; just embrace the journey instead of the destination, and everything will look so much more fun. When you are a child, life has so many restrictions: you can''t go out without permission, can''t go away on long trips, can''t eat many things, can''t do this, can''t do that. But it''s fun, right? There are rarely people whose adulthood is cooler than their childhood. So many restrictions yet so much fun? You know why? You know why even as an adult, when you have no restrictions at all, you still can''t have more than your childhood full of restrictions? It''s because, as an adult, most of us don''t have the thrill we once had in childhood. You are free to eat; you are free to go anywhere you want; you are free to dress how you want; you are free to see what you want, but now you have responsibilities, a job, and a family." Silas released a deep sigh again, and after a nod, continued, "This just places you back at the loop of restrictions, being immature in childhood and being mature in adulthood... So although I don''t know almost anything about your lives, if you can, if you can somehow make up some time, try to free yourself from doors of vehicles and walls of office and home and explore the world outside. Breathe fresh air of mountains, drink some water from clean water streams, and if possible, go out and watch the sunrise and sunset from high mountains and peaks; that will be the peak refreshment in life." [I''m too lazy for motivation...] [Better speech than my principal from middle school!!!] [Now that you mention it, I haven''t gone out on any vacations in the last few years.] [Bro should try out in presidential elections.] "I don''t have enough money to be a politician just yet." Silas chuckled, glancing at the comments in amusement, but just then the sudden increase in the brightness caught his attention. "Hmm?!" Silas''s eyes widened; it was as if sudden sunrise had arrived in the skies above him, the night suddenly started to fade into a day; instinctively, his eyes immediately turned towards the skies. That''s where he noticed one of dozens of meteors suddenly changing its direction; those comets were never supposed to get even anywhere close to Earth''s atmosphere, yet at that moment Silas and all his viewers witnessed a sight that absolutely destroyed all known laws of physics. [Hey? Isn''t it coming right over here?] [Silas!?! Bro, runnnn, bbrro!!!] [Holy shit, it''s coming straight towards the camera!!] [Run!!!] The screen was full of alert and scared viewers; Silas immediately tossed the cup of soup in his hand and jumped down from the rock he had been sitting on. "I know I shouldn''t cuss when my stream viewers can also be children, but... What an actual bloody fuck?!!!!?" all mature composure from Silas''s face vanished right that instant as he rushed as far as he could from that place. "Shit! Shit! Shit! It''s coming straight for my ass!" He cussed yet again while tripping over the root of dark trees around him. He crawled, he walked, and ran again, somehow managing to hold out for himself. [Just run!!!] [Don''t comment! Run!!! [Talk about bad luck... Poles of planets are known to attract more meteors...] [Just hope it''s not a big one...] The phone was still hanging in his grasp, but now wasn''t the time to check those comments; he tried as much as he could to get further away from the location out of pure instinct, and that was until he suddenly fell over the ground after tripping over a fallen tree as he was attempting to make a jump over it. "Fck?!" He cussed, but pain from falling was the last of his concerns, as the next instant he suddenly noticed the brightness in his surroundings increasing at an insane pace; he immediately glanced back, and as expected, the comet was coming right in his direction. "S-shit!!!" Silas immediately crawled right under the collapsed tree he tripped over. It was an enormous, thick tree, still strong from its deep life of at least a century or two. The tree acted as a fortress for Silas, and the next instant the comet made its contact with the ground. "Ackkk!!!" Silas covered up his head with his arms, saving his ears and face as the sound of the comet crashing filled the whole region. It came crashing down for at least about a hundred meters, stopping just about a few hundred meters away from Silas; had he not reacted quickly, his corpse would have been lik e one of many of the trees that have been uprooted from the ground by sheer impact of the comet with the ground "God''s jokes aren''t funny..." Comet "God''s jokes aren''t funny..." Silas muttered as he peeked his head out of the tree, shielding him from the impact of the comet crashing with the ground. Several trees beside him fell right in front of him by the impact of the comet with the ground; luckily enough, Silas wasn''t buried under them, but now he was there standing alone but much farther away from the crash site with just bodies of uprooted trees in front of him. He looked seemingly dazed as he blankly stared at the sight in front of him, the whole ground having been turned upside down, a gaping deep crater in front of him, even the sight of several dozen dark trees burning in front of him, but the flames didn''t seem capable enough to endure the snow and cold winds surrounding them. "... Holy fuck," he couldn''t help but say his emotions out loud as he witnessed the sight and in a daze somehow crawled up over the fallen tree that covered him from impact, but the moment he arrived on the other side, he noticed his drone and the camera it carried had both been absolutely destroyed by impact. "Having all limbs is a blessing already..." Silas sighed with a chuckle; the loss of the expensive drone and camera didn''t seem that deep to him at the moment, and as he glanced at his phone screen, he noticed a few cracks, but the phone still seemed to be working fine. [Stream end] Silas''s livestream had stopped on its own due to a lack of internet connection in the region, and with a lack of drone camera now, he could indeed switch the stream to his phone, but "I really am not getting paid enough for this shit." Silas sighed deeply, and placing his phone into his pockets, and out of insane curiosity, he started making his way towards the crashed comet ahead of him. "After all, how many times do you even see a comet so close and survive?" Silas felt goosebumps from all the excitement, and with a nod, he made his way towards the crash site, jumping over all those uprooted trees, and finding the path through this maze was tough and tiring, but he managed to pass through everything and eventually reached the crash site. "It''s huge..." Silas muttered witnessing the size of the crater, and it was a fact: the hole dug in was more than about a hundred meters in radius, and despite being surrounded in snow, the whole ground seemed to be releasing hot steam, with some places even burning with flames. Silas knelt down and even inspected the ground; the heat was a real deal. "Haha..." he chuckled dryly, and while shaking his head, he remarked, "... Talk about rare experiences in life." Silas remained there standing, observing the ground while his eyes were set over a shining stone-like substance at the center of the crater, the meteor, which came from outside of the planet and almost took his life too. P ''Shall I give it a try?'' Silas asked himself; his legs were ready to march forward, but his mind paused his footsteps, and his eyes moved forward and noticed the crystalline shine around the fallen comet. The very ground has turned into glass because of the extreme heat carried by the comet. This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. The sight made him suck in a deep, cold breath while bracing himself. "... Seems like curiosity will kill the cat today," he muttered and cautiously jumped into the crater. "ACK!?" Finding balance in a slope was a bit hard, but he managed to hold on over his legs and eventually, reaching over the flat part to the crater, slowly started moving ahead towards the fallen comet. "Fuu~" Silas''s face was full of caution, yet the eyes were full of curiosity as he marched ahead, and eventually, as he walked, the vision of the fallen comet on the ground was even clearer, and finally arriving at the core center is the crater, Silas could finally see it. "... Just what the hell is this?" Silas remarked with wide eyes and jaws shaking in disbelief that the comet he had expected to be made up of ice, dust, or rock floating in space had unexpectedly been replaced by something unseen and unique. Instead of a lump of burning hot rock from space, what Silas saw in front of him was a crystalline red sphere with raw, hard, and sharp texture; it seemed like a jewel made up of blood, refined in heart, is sun, surrounded by the shadows of its eclipse. "It''s almost the size of my chest..." Silas muttered as his hands, covered in thick gloves, approached that unknown crimson crystal sphere fallen from the night skies. Silas could already see lots of steam coming from that crimson sphere; without a shred of doubt, that thing was hot, but even Silas didn''t expect his gloves to simply turn into vapor the moment it made contact with that crimson sphere. "Fck?!" Silas immediately snapped his hand back; luckily, his fingers didn''t get burned by that heat, and he stared at that strange sphere with a hard look of surprise. He shook his head and with a deep sigh muttered, "... That was stupid of me." He glanced over at that sphere again and just quietly sat down on the ground beside that crimson sphere while observing it. "How ominous..." Silas chuckled and took out his phone and took several pictures of that sphere with a tiny smile and started attempting to try to find some network in this godforsaken place with the help of a satellite phone. "Hmm... well, thankfully I visited the base before visiting this place, which became my almost grave." Silas chuckled as he adjusted the frequency of the call on his satellite phone, and finally a response was heard from the other side of the call. [Bzzz... This is Fort Icewatch Operations Command. You¡¯re on a secure military frequency. Identify yourself and state your purpose immediately.] "I''m Silas Bianchi! Remember~ I visited the base last month? The guy trying to stream over the North Pole of the planet? The comet guy?" Silas uttered his words in a hurry and with nervousness, but to his fortune, Silas was an impactful personality. [Oh! The steamer! But why are you calling now? It''s a military frequency for rescues?] "I need a rescue dude... A meteor just crashed right over my ass. All my camping equipment is thrashed. Can you send help? I''m sending coordinates." [... That came out of nowhere... Bzzz... Anyway, send coordinates!] "Okay!" Silas yelled excitedly and told them his coordinates and once again collapsed on the ground with a wide grin on his face, awaiting military rescue. "... It will take an hour or two, I guess." Silas nodded, taking note of the time on his phone, and his eyes once again fell over that crystalline red sphere, now covered in a thin layer of snow and melted water around it. "... What the hell is it made of? It cooled off pretty quickly." Silas was amused, and once again picking up the courage, attempted to touch the crystalline red sphere, and this time his gloves didn''t burn off. "Who~" Silas grinned and started to move his hands all around the surface of that sphere, but he couldn''t get the right feel with gloves over his arms; he removed them without hesitation and grabbed the comet with his naked arms. "It''s warm..." Silas was surprised by the amount of comfort it gave to touch that thing with bare hands and started moving his hands around the surface of the crystal sphere, but... That right there was a mistake made in a surge of excitement. "ACK?!" Silas accidentally cut his finger because of the rough, crystalline, raw, hard surface of that sphere. He reflexively took his arms back, shaking up the pain from his arms; he took notice of the wound in his palm. ''... Thankfully not a deep cut; it would be another hell to deal with in such a cold climate,'' he sighed, shaking his head, but in that moment he didn''t even realize the droplets of his blood were being absorbed inside that crimson red sphere beside him. All the blood on its surface was almost instantly absorbed, and the red crimson crystal suddenly started to vibrate and glow up in bright red light, which instantly enveloped the whole region in a flash. "What the?!" Silas was stunned by this sudden red light covering the whole region, but all that happened in just a mere moment, and now as Silas removed his hands covering his eyes... He realized the comet in front of him had changed. The bright crimson crystal has lost all of its color and turned into a seemingly transparent glass-like crystal while still containing the same hardness within itself. "What in the..." Silas''s eyes widened in disbelief, and he immediately lunged towards that crystal, observing it from every corner, but he couldn''t find a trace of redness over that crystal; the one in front of him now was just a plain, transparent, hard crystal. "Have I finally gone crazy?" Rescue "Have I finally gone crazy?" He muttered in confusion and disbelief; his very legs were shaking in a state of horror as he scratched the back of his head with his uninjured arm. He fell down on the ground, watching that transparent crystal in front of him for hours. The hot ground made it a safe place in the middle of snowy hills and frost mountains, acting like a natural shield from the climate outside of the crater, and for hours he just sat there observing the crystal. "... I swear it was red..." Silas muttered, in a state of confusion, his eyes in a daze and his face still trying to make sense of all the strained situation. ''All of it is so weird...'' Silas sighed, and patting the layer of snow down from his legs, he stood up, staring at that crystal, and after some reluctance as he was about to go grab the crystal yet again, the sound of strong metallic wind caught his attention. "Hmm?" He immediately glanced behind him, witnessing two rescue military helicopters making their way towards his direction while cutting through the storm and gigantic lights searching for him in that huge crater. "We got him! Get it down at the core of the crater! Secure the meteorite, rescue the man!" The rescue captain responsible for the mission immediately instructed, and one helicopter was immediately brought above the core of the crater, and instantly 4 military men jumped down through the rope. "Are you okay?!" one of them questioned Silas while approaching him in a rush with others right behind him. "I''m fine! I''m good, just light scratches..." Silas replied with a sigh of relief. They arrived in front of him, and after inspecting for any serious injury, one of them immediately equipped a jacket around Silas and hung the jacket with the rope hanging over the helicopter floating in the skies "Stay with the captain!" they instructed, and the next instant Silas was casually lifted up by the ropes, and within seconds he was hanging right at the entrance of the helicopter, floating midair. "Good work surviving this young lad!" The captain of those rescuers was standing right at the entrance waiting for Silas; he was seemingly much more mature-looking and serious as he pulled Silas inside as if he were a child being carried in a lap and tied the seatbelt around him before releasing the rope bound to his jacket. "Move! Move! The other team will handle the meteorite until the researchers arrive!" The captain instructed, and in just a few seconds, the rescuers also arrived inside the helicopter, and they closed the gates. Meanwhile, at the same time, Silas observed the other helicopter landing outside the crater and people jumping off, rushing towards that transparent crystal meteorite at the center of the crater. "... Is that meteorite perhaps precious?" Silas asked while pointing down at the crater, the captain sitting in front of him just chuckled and responded with, "Everything from space is precious; researchers and big companies pay blind money to get their hands on one of these." "I see... But did you really need the whole unit to secure that meteorite?" "They will just secure the land and surroundings and secure the data of the crater and crash and immediate data about that meteorite until a real team of researchers comes. Who knows what these meteors are carrying with them, maybe some illness we don''t have any cure for? For reasons like this, it''s good to leave it up to professionals." "Ah..." Silas frowned hearing the cautious remark made by them, ''Why didn''t I think about it... We haven''t even explored 5% of our oceans; who knows what''s up there in space? I just went ahead and grabbed that meteorite with bare hands.'' This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. Silas shook his head and, with a bit of hesitation, looked up to that rescue team''s captain, "Captain, do you know about any meteorite that changes color if touched?" "I never heard of such a thing but won''t be surprised if there are any; the human body has so many things, heat, electricity, moisture, anything can be reactive when it comes to contact with mysterious stones of space; why are you asking?" Silas remained silent despite being asked; suddenly the rescue captain''s eyes became flustered, and he shouted out loud with a taken-aback look on his face, "You didn''t grab that meteorite, right?!" "N-no?! Of course not! Of course not!!" Silas instructively shouted back with surprised eyes as he observed the others sitting beside him. They also seem to sigh in relief before leaning back over their seats. "... It''s common sense to not approach the meteorite that just crashed to the ground; you will get your ass melted like lava; that''s how hot they are, not to mention the hidden dangers and governmental procedures for making contact with a spatial object," the rescue captain sighed while repeating the troublesome things that came along with reckless decisions. But the face of Silas just grew more and more grave as he heard those, ''Holy Cow''s Dung that smells like shit... I really just went ahead and grabbed that thing with my bare hand; be surprised I didn''t rub my dick on it?! Just what the hell was I thinking?!!'' Silas was absolutely red in embarrassment and guilt as his eyes once again turned over those men, ''... Better fucking hope I haven''t gotten in contact with some spacial disease.'' He sighed deeply with a frown, countless thoughts seeming to freak him out throughout the rest of the journey, and fortunately enough, it didn''t take long for him to return back over the military base. "Rescued Target is here! Get him checked up!" The doors of the helicopter opened up again, and Silas was taken away by several military men stationed there. He was brought immediately inside the building of the base where a team of military doctors awaited him. They sat him down over a chair before checking up on his pupils, veins, and other basic safety measures to ensure he hadn''t come into contact with something dangerous. "Except for a heightened heart rate, everything seems normal; he is safe," the doctor inspecting him announced. Silas, still somewhat in a daze, was moved over to an empty room to be left alone and rested for some time. ''Everything is going so fast...'' Silas sighed as he fell down over the hard bed, and wearing new warm clothes provided by the military and wrapped inside the blanket, he released a big sigh while looking at the close ceiling. As his the mind was on rest, more and more details about that crash started to flood his mind, from the moment of satisfaction witnessing that legendary sight and then the moment of realization when the comet changed its direction directly towards him, surviving that and then that weird change in colors of that meteorite, everything was just too fast and weird. ''Well, I guess it wasn''t that bad of an experience...'' Silas chuckled, and finally, with some time in hand, he grabbed his phone, left for charging; the screen was pretty much like a shattered mirror, but luckily it still seemed to be working. "Lucky~" Silas chuckled and opened up his phone; there were hundreds of messages flooding his inbox along with so many missed calls. [Oi?! You alive??] [I saw the crash in your stream?! Dude, are you okay??] [Call me if you are alive!] [Silas! Dude! Don''t scare me, dude, wtf?! Pick your damn phone!!!] [Mom¡ª89 missed calls] [Dad¡ª56 missed calls] [Fox fucker¡ª33 missed calls] [Klaus - 8 missed calls] His screen was flooded with ringing notifications and a series of missed calls. Silas''s face was a mix of emotions and surprise as, with a chuckle, he removed all the notifications and dialed up a call to his family. *Ring! Ring! Ring!* [Hello?! Silas?? You okay, love? Hell-] "Very much alive, Mum!" Silas replied with a snigger, but the funny humor took a clash back as his mother immediately bombarded him with a series of angry taunts and worried questions. "Why are you laughing like that?! Did you hit your head?! What happened there! Where are you? Did someone get you rescued? Send me your location; I''m calling your father to get you!" "N-no! Hear me out: I''m fine. There are just some minor scratches. The military got me in their base. One second I''m doing a video call, wait!" Silas took a deep sigh, and the conversation went along for hours with his family. His father joined in the conversation; even that silent man shouted out all his worries with a look of deep relief. It took Silas hours to convince his parents before the call finally ended, leaving his family still reluctant and worried. "I''m going straight home from here! Don''t worry; I will be there by tomorrow night. Okay! I''m ending the call. Good night!" Silas quickly ended the call, all exhausted with a big sigh of relief. "And now..." Silas murmured before he started his stream right there from his phone. "Oh, hello there! Haha, I''m not used to streaming with my phone lol~" starting off with a joke, his eyes fell over the view count of his live stream [- Live Viewers - 6079 -] "Oh damn, 6k already?! Since when did I become so popular?" Silas sniggered, and then his gaze fell over numbers of hot comments from all the viewers. [Dude!!!! Dude!!!! I thought you were dead?!] [Wtf just happened?!] [The whole internet is going crazy. What the fuck!] [Are you okay, dude?! Did you lose a limb?!] "As you can see, I''m fine and alive. The military sent rescue on time, and I will be back home by tomorrow night, and I''m planning to take a vacation from streaming for a few days, so sorry about that lol. Anyway, ask away all the questions you have!" ''It will help me distract from the craziness in my life right now...'' Silas laughed dryly as the rest of the day was spent over streaming there; after that, he was once again flooded by calls and messages of his loved ones, which he received one by one, ending the day with even more exhaustion than the one he faced before but still... "It was a day well spent while being alive!" Back home [Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to Riewa International Airport. We hope you had a pleasant flight. Local time is 07:54 AM. Please proceed to baggage claim and customs. Thank you for choosing to visit the City of White Tigers. Enjoy your stay!] The announcement can be heard in the background as Silas finally stepped out of the airport with just a leather bag in his arms as he made his way outside, dressed up in a thin, furry brown leather jacket and sunglasses. His fashion sense suited his appearance; the brown leather suited his curly brown hair and hazel eyes under the black sunglasses. His eyes seem to be searching for a taxi to return home as soon as possible, but in the middle of all that, some familiar faces caught his attention. "Hmm..." Silas muttered in surprise as almost instantly his face was filled up with a bright smile, his steps rushing towards the direction in front of him, passing by several other travellers; his steps finally stopped as he fell over the arms of a couple awaiting him right outside the airport. "You really know how to give a surprise!!!" Silas sniggered with a bright smile as he tightly hugged those two; the couple also held him tightly in their arms. "You look alright." The man who seemed like a literal older version of Silas wearing transparent glasses commented after taking a deep look over Silas, but instantly cutting him off, his wife retorted, "What''s alright?! Can''t you see all these scratches all over my arm?! Even on cheeks! Oh God! What if it left a scar on my sweet boy!" The woman said in worry, Silas chuckled seeing that amusing yet familiar sight, "Oh, by the way, Mum, I got a local speciality for you; they sell freakin amazing woollen jackets up there in the North! Let''s go! Go!" Silas sniggered, and pushing his family along with himself, they exited the airport, making their way through the car parked right outside, and with a little drive, they arrived back at their home. It was a comfortable and quiet locality for just residence, in a society built over the hills, away from the loud main region of the city. It was a comfortably big modern house. "Mmmm!" Stepping out of the car, Silas''s eyes washed all around his home that he returned to after several months, while stretching, the nostalgia filled his mind. ''... No place as comfortable as home after all.'' He chuckled at the silly and common thought of himself and, unloading the baggage from the car, made his way instantly inside the home with a grin on his face. But that came to a halt as his mother turned back with that uncertain expression on her face yet again, "Oh Silas! I was thinking about making an appointment with the doctor for the evening. We should check up on your wounds and¡ª "Oh right! I took some pictures of the comet! Come here, Dad! Here it is!" Silas, cleverly avoiding the topic, pushed ahead inside the home entrance. Not giving any chance to his mother to strike up that conversation again, he went ahead, showing off all the beautiful pictures of nature and stories behind them on his journey. The caution and worries in the back of their minds quietly vanished as the time went by, and then after the dinner he retreated back to his own room, which was just like the same as before. His PC was placed over the table beside the window of his room on the second floor, with a comfortable bed at the centre of the room with a wooden luxury cupboard right beside that, it was quite the spacious room full of pictures clicked by Silas hanging over the walls in big and small frames. ''They even cleaned up the dust, huh...'' Silas smiled warmly, and after a sigh, removing his T-shirt, he arrived in front of the body-size mirror, looking at his own reflection. There were just some minor bruises on his face and a deep cut that seemed to be effectively healing back around his left cheek.Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings. There were a lot more cut marks around the back of the palm and fingers, and a minor cut over his arms caused by that mysterious meteorite due to Silas''s stupidity. "It''s healing back nicely, huh... I look like someone who came back from a war?" Silas chuckled and started inspecting his eyes in front of the mirror and looking around for some pimples or infection marks over his face, but thankfully there was nothing like that. But instead, what happened next left him even more stunned; some strange information started to fill up Silas''s mind; it was in weird codes and language, but to his surprise, he understood it all. "What the¡ª!?" He instinctively backed off from the mirror, and grasping his mouth in shock with widened eyes, his eyes once again moved over towards his reflection in the mirror. ''Am I having psychotic attacks?'' Silas frowned, but the next instant that same phenomenon happened yet again, strange information filling his mind. ''What an actual fuck?!'' Shivers seem to run down his mind as he felt that strange sensation yet again, strange information in strange codes, which he seemed to understand naturally as if that was his second nature. ''Name - Silas Bianchi Age: 24 Race: Human Title - Prime Awakened Beast - 0 Skill - Regeneration (Tier 1)'' This information has filled his mind; it was something between virtual and vocal information inside his mind. Silas''s face was full of nervous sweats as he confirmed his doubts. ''What the hell is going on here...'' Silas gritted his teeth and immediately rushed outside of his washroom, away from his reflection, and the moment he reached out, the information popping up inside his mind, simply vanished. "It''s my gaze..." Silas muttered in a state of confusion, and after a deep breath, he stepped back, and the moment he glanced at his reflection again, he noticed the strange codes once again filled his mind. ''It''s my data... I don''t know what kind of data it is, but it seems like it pops up when I look into my reflection. Silas took a note of that in his mind: ''Does it work on other things?'' he thought. And with that, he focused his gaze over the bed lying inside his room, and not even a second later, those strange codes filled his mind yet again. ''Name - Double Bed Material: Wood (Pine), Synthetic Foam, Cotton Fabric Condition - 92% (minor wear and tear) Properties: Comfort (Medium), Durability (High) Notes: Suitable for two adults. No abnormalities detected.'' Silas blinked rapidly, his heart pounding in his chest. ''What... is this? An analysis ability? In real life?!'' His breathing grew heavier, and his gaze darted around the room, eyes falling on the clock hanging on the wall. The moment his focus locked onto it, the information surged into his mind like a flood. ''Name - Wall Clock Type: Quartz Movement Clock Condition - 98% (Battery: Full) Time - 9:12 PM Notes: slight delay of 0.3 seconds due to miscalibration.'' His whole body shivered; this strange phenomenon itself was unexplainable, but even more so, this phenomenon or ability, it wasn''t just identifying objects¡ªit was analysing them down to their most intricate details. ''This... this is insane.'' He stumbled back, gripping his head as the sheer overload of information assaulted him. The sensation wasn¡¯t painful, but it was overwhelming, like a floodgate had been opened directly into his brain. He staggered toward the wall, his heart thundering in his chest. ''Stop, stop, stop for a minute!'' he gasped, slamming his eyes shut. The stream of data ceased instantly just like before, leaving a moment for silence. Breathing heavily, he tried to piece together what was happening. His gaze flickered toward his reflection in the bathroom mirror yet again, but this time, he hesitated. His hand hovered over the wall beside him, fingers pressing lightly against the cool surface. ''This... something straight out of a game.'' He bit his lip, heart still racing, but curiosity gnawed at him. He opened his eyes, once again locking them onto his reflection, and as expected, it appeared again... ''Name - Silas Bianchi Age: 24 Race: Human Title - Prime Awakened Beast - 0 Skill - Regeneration (Tier 1) This time, Silas''s gaze lingered on the ''Title - Prime Awakened.'' The moment his mind focused on it, more information streamed in. ''Title - Prime Awakened A title granted to those who are the first of their kind to achieve awakening. As a Prime, you stand at the forefront of evolution. Your awakening may grant abilities unseen in others. Effect: Increases affinity for unique abilities. Greater chance to develop exclusive skills. Enhanced potential for Beast Domination.'' Silas''s eyes went wide as he decoded that strange string of information: "Beast domination? Exclusive skills? What kind of world have I fallen into?" His gaze darted to his listed skill¡ªRegeneration (Tier 1). As if in response to his curiosity, a flood of new information poured into his mind. ''Skill - Regeneration (Tier 1) Type - Passive Effect: Heals minor wounds over time. Recovery speed increases with skill rank. Higher tiers unlock limb regeneration and resistance to fatal injuries. Current Effect: Minor wounds (scratches, bruises, and shallow cuts) heal 3x faster than normal.'' Silas''s mind went into overdrive. ''Healing? Regeneration? I did indeed feel that my cuts and bruises were healing fast, but I just thought it was because they were minor wounds...'' He clenched his fists, feeling his heart steadying. ''No... calm down. Think logically.'' His eyes scanned the room once more, now with purpose. His gaze swept over his desk, his chair, his phone, and even the air around him, wondering if he''d see something strange. And as expected, each time it was a show of those strange codes of information inside his mind, w ith each new object, new data, down to its smallest details! His jaw dropped, and he staggered on his steps. ''This is literal omniscience.'' Omniscience ''This is literal omniscience...'' He looked down at his own hands. His eyes locked on his skin. ''Biological Status - Healthy Adrenaline Levels - Elevated (Stress) Heart Rate - 110 BPM (Above normal) Notes: Subject experiencing anxiety due to unknown circumstances. No critical threats detected.'' Shivers ran past his face, with another look of shock, ''It works like that too?'' He sat on the edge of the bed, his mind reeling with possibilities. If he could analyse objects, time, even himself¡­ What else could he analyse? He hesitated. ''If I look at people... will it work on them too?'' After a moment of caution, he opened the curtains from the windows of his room, and looking outside and searching for a few seconds, his gaze found a watchman making his rounds around the society at night. ''Would it?'' the thought came to his mind, and taking a deep breath, he locked his eyes on that person and... It happened again! ''Name - Jame Sante Age - 38 Race: Human Title - ___ Beast - 0 Skill - ___'' ''Empty spaces on his data? Is it because they don''t have title and skill? Do only I have it?'' Silas took in a deep breath before closing the curtains over his window and falling back over his bed. "Awakened, huh..." Silas muttered, "Prime Awakened? That way my title... First to awaken of my kind, my kind like as in among the humans?" he muttered with so many thoughts running in his mind But there was one thing that was instructively clear in his mind: ''The world is going to change...'' The moment that thought came to his mind, as if to confirm his theory, a loud sound of some crash spread across the whole region. Silas jumped back from his bed, and instantly rushing towards his windows, his gaze fell over the direction the noise came from. From his place, he could see some of the people coming out of their houses, gasping in shock and surprise. In just a moment, the whole place, full of peace and silence, was full of chaos with people screaming in shock. "What the hell is going on?!" Silas cussed; he couldn''t see a thing towards the direction of the crash he heard just now. He immediately rushed up to the roof of his building, where he found his parents already standing with looks of surprise and their eyes locked in towards the direction of the crash. "What happened..." Silas muttered, and approaching behind them, his gaze also fell over the direction of the crash; an enormous meteorite seems to have fallen about a few miles away from his current location into the deeper part of the hills, full of dry trees. Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings. A wildfire had erupted over the place because of a meteorite crash and a large crater that can be seen even at night from a distance of over a mile, from the roof of Silas''s face. "That''s huge..." Silas''s father commented while looking at the sight of the huge crater while fixing his glasses, "Grab my binoculars," he instructed. Silas still in daze, with eyes lost in direction of crater just nodded and rushing downstairs, he came back with binoculars his father had instructed to bring Silas''s father, immediately fixing the lens, looked over the meteorite that had fallen deep into the woods; the sight of the meteorite wasn''t exactly very clear in the midst of all the chaos, but he could see a huge crystalline purple burnt stone-like meteorite. "It''s gigantic..." he muttered in absolute awe. Removing the binoculars from his eyes, one can see the look of relief and horror in his eyes. Silas immediately took the binoculars and saw the same sight. ''... Just a minor disturbance in crash and that thing would have fallen over our heads instead of the woods.'' Silas frowned, and as he was about to remove the binoculars, the strange phenomenon happened again, the data about that meteorite filling his mind. ''Name - Genesis Catalyst Type: Cosmic Relic (Meteorite) Composition: Unknown Crystalline Ore (79%), Residual Cosmic Energy (21%) Purpose: Planetary Infusion Effect: Releases latent ''Primal Essence'' into the environment, triggering genetic evolution across all organic life. Current Status - Dormant (Activation in 05:14:32) '' His whole body felt the touch of hell the moment he became aware of that information; handling the binoculars to his mother in fact daze, his gaze moved over towards his surroundings, full of people on streets and roofs watching the same sight with their families. ''Is this how everything will change? ''Awakening''? Is the awakening the genetic evolution among us?'' Silas sighed, but then his gaze suddenly fell over an insect crawling over his feet; he instinctively jolted, tossing the insect aside, but just then another horrifying thought filled his mind. "If it''s genetic evolution of all living organisms, then..." Silas muttered as his gaze fell over the insect beneath his feet; for a moment, the horror filled his mind. ''Then it''s not just us humans who will awaken! The animals, birds, insects, and fishes... Everything is going to change!?'' mere thought of it seemed to fill his mind with horror, and unaware of the chaos inside Silas''s mind, his father released a big sigh. "This could be on the news for weeks. I bet the government will quarantine the area." stating that he glanced at Silas, noticing his pale face. "You okay, son? You look like you¡¯ve seen a ghost." "Huh? Oh?! Well, I saw a meteorite! Twice" breaking out of his daze, Silas chuckled, laughing off the horror over the back of his mind, ''Well, it''s just one meteorite... Whatever change is going to happen will be limited to this region; there is a 6-hour time before anything happens, so I just need to grab my family and leave this city...'' Silas smiled, nodding with a grin and preparing to say something as he opened his mouth; a familiar vision caught his attention, and a sudden increase in brightness over the skies caught him off guard, and as he turned back, he noticed that familiar sight of marvellous chaos. Just like one before, Silas noticed hundreds of meteors raining down towards the earth from all over the skies. Silas noticed now that hundreds of them were all over the skies, making their way down towards the earth while being covered in burning flames from the atmosphere "What the hell is even going on on this planet..." Silas''s father muttered in shock, taking down the glasses from his face, and right in front of them, along with Silas, they witnessed the sight of several meteorites crashing right within their eyesight all over the region It was as if the night was declaring an end and rebirth with the rain of meteorites all over the globe; Silas was dazed by the sight of it, and focusing his eyes on those falling meteorites, the familiar data caught his attention yet again. ''Genesis Catalyst... All of them are Genesis Catalyst... All over the globe? We are so fucked. Silas frowned with nervousness filling his eyes, and taking out his phone, it didn''t take long to prove his deductions right: these meteorites were really falling all over the globe Thankfully not like the time with dinosaurs, this time these meteorites were extremely small, only creating minor craters on the surface of the earth and now absolute destruction of life on earth, but it didn''t mean it was a good thing either because along with this rain from the skies came mass destruction, way worse than any war humanity knew of. It was night, which rained down flames and meteors from the skies, causing a flood of deaths and blood, leaving an ocean of destruction behind all across the globe. [BREAKING: Meteor Showers Reported Across Continents¡ªGlobal Event Unfolding!] [Fires Erupt as Meteorites Land in Residential Areas¡ªCasualties Confirmed in Several Cities!] [Panic in Major Cities as Authorities Urge Calm¡ªEmergency Broadcast Systems Activated!] The whole internet and news channels were in a buzz; the more he scrolled down on his phone, the more chaos he could see throughout the screen. The real hell hasn''t even started, and it already took the sacrifice of millions of lives already. "Oh God..." Silas felt his knees going weak from all the chaos; gritting his teeth, he sat down over the stairs of the roof, watching more and more chaos all over the internet [@RealEyezNYC: "IT''S NOT JUST US! Meteorites seen in Paris, Tokyo, Rio, and Cairo! Is this THE END?!] [@StormWatcher77: "Live from my window. Look at this insanity! Fireballs from the sky! Never seen anything like it. # Apocalypse] The social media was also full of the same chaos; many were streaming this sight from their phones. Silas was way lucky; he was one of those who just saw this sight among some of the streamers he was watching; many died while on live stream as some random meteorite fell right over their heads. It was a sight straight out of the apocalypse; it didn''t take long for him to shut his phone down and just sit in deep silence, and in just a few seconds even the light of his home was cut off, drowning the whole city in the true darkness of night. "... We are doomed." Ase ''Current Status - Dormant (Activation in 01:03:32)'' The information was clear right in front of Silas''s eyes; most people had retreated back to their houses as the rainfall of comets and meteorites had already stopped long ago. Now it was just him standing over the roof, watching as many people were breaking down in fear and uncertainty; humans are always afraid of the unknown and even more so when that unknown brings harm. They are frightened by things whose cause-and-effect relationships they cannot understand. And at that moment, the whole world was in chaos... [In a joint effort to neutralise incoming meteors, the USA, China, Russia, and India successfully launched nuclear weapons aimed at the space threats. However, a baffling phenomenon occurred¡ªthe meteors appeared to pass through the warheads as if they were mere air. This unprecedented event has left researchers puzzled, as the composition and nature of these meteors remain unknown. Efforts to understand the anomaly are ongoing, with experts emphasising the urgent need for further investigation.] "Passed right through them like air, huh..." Silas frowned reading the articles, "It''s really beyond human control," he muttered with a sigh as he stood up. ''The internet and communications have long stopped; it''s common sense that those meteorites might have also clashed with satellites in the skies, ground-based cell towers, and fibre optic lines. But one thing is clear: the night marks the beginning of a new world. Most governments must have already deployed military declaring martial law in their nations; I can already see military helicopters moving everywhere; it seems like our situation is the same. Most people must be thinking it''s the beginning of the apocalypse; the religious ones must be thinking it''s ''judgement day,'' and the public must just be terrified and try to acquire as much ration and medical goods as they can right now, to the point of causing a stampede and looting. The world has just started to burn, and the panic in people already turned it into hell. This night will be costing a lot of life; we will be having a lot more issues with air pollution, water contamination, and lack of food resources for the next few months, but these are just side effects of the rain of meteorites. Silas groaned as he stood up from the roof, and his eyes roamed towards the sight around him, burning woods, flames everywhere with helicopters running around the whole sky. ''The real trouble has yet to start... Mutation in living organisms, I don''t know how fast that would take place, but if it''s really hell that awaits us, then we really are doomed; current humanity will be having a hard time surviving in the world.'' Silas sighed yet again, endlessly... And picking up binoculars, his gaze once again moved over towards the meteorite in the distance. ''Current Status - Dormant (Activation in 00:57:24)'' There was barely an hour left before everything truly started, the global awakening, which seemed like the beginning of doom in Silas''s eyes, but something changed... ''Name - Genesis Catalyst Type: Cosmic Relic (Meteorite) This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source. Composition: Unknown Crystalline Ore (79%), Residual Cosmic Energy (21%) Purpose: Planetary Infusion Effect: Releases latent ''Primal Essence'' into the environment, triggering genetic evolution across all organic life. Current Status - Dormant (Activation in 00:57:32) Note: ''Ase Rain'' will fall all across the globe with the moment of awakening; the absorption of ''Ase'' can increase human potential.'' A little new detail in the data about Genesis Catalyst¡ªthat''s what shook Silas yet again. "What is... ''Ase''?" Silas muttered in confusion. "Is there something like that?" Silas immediately took out his phone to search it up, but with no internet, there were no answers. "Dictionary?! Dictionary right!" Silas exclaimed with new hope and rushed back down to his home. His room had lights on because of the electricity battery in his house. Searching through his shelves, he grabbed both the dictionaries in his book, but despite searching through both of them, he couldn''t find any word called ''Ase.'' "This makes no sense... What the hell?" Silas''s hopes were washed away like a drop in a storm; deeply mentally exhausted, he collapsed into the bed, muttering to himself with closed eyes. "Just what the hell is ''Ase''?" There was a moment of deep and constant silence across the room. Silas was dead tired, and the lack of sleep was starting to take a toll on him, yet the next instant his eyes jolted away right next instant as a chain of data just emerged right inside his mind. ''Ase is an essence of life, a form of energy unknown to humanity, lying dormant in realms that awaken after the phenomenon of awakening triggered by the Genesis Catalyst. Ase is a form of energy that can be absorbed directly by living organisms through any means, like breathing, absorption through skin, eating, or drinking. The more Ase a being possesses, the more energy reserves they have. It helps with beast taming, skill strengthening, and evolution.'' "Evolution..." Silas muttered, gritting his teeth, and he stood up again. "That word again..." There seemed to be a lot of complicated motions going through his mind: desperation, rage, shock, and mockery at his situation. Silas rubbed his forehead and stepped out of the room, making his way upstairs to the roof once again. ''Humanity isn''t ready for any evolution; this is plain extinction for us. The balance that has allowed us to roam as the greatest species on earth will shatter into pieces the moment the other species on earth start to evolve; this is extinction, not evolution...'' The complicated line of thought was filling his mind, but just then he tripped over a stair. Thankfully, because of the railing, he didn''t fall down, but a thought snapped him out of his serious train of thought. "What the fuck am I doing?" He muttered, seemingly shocked, as an awkward giggle filled his mind. ''... I''m just a steamer, blessed with good parents and good wealth; since when did the burden of humanity''s existence fall over me? It''s not my responsibility...'' "It''s fucking not... I''m not a government that receives damn taxes to protect the public or some organisation like NASA and whatnot..." Silas muttered dryly, but even as he was trying to fill a sense of relief with those empty words, a sense of discomfort was always overwhelming him in the back of his mind. "It''s not my responsibility, but these are my people..." he said with a hurt look in his eyes, and arriving upstairs once again, he fell back on the chair there, watching the same sight of the meteorite crash in the distance and dozens of firefighters trying to extinguish the forest fire in the woods. ''... But either way, what the fuck was that?'' Silas frowned, ''How come the knowledge of that ''Ase'' just popped up into my mind? I never saw ''Ase''... Does this ability work in other ways I''m not aware of?'' Silas''s feet started tapping underneath as he thought, and moving around his gaze, he confirmed his previous theory of the information about things and creatures popping up over the back of his mind. The thing seemed to be working fine, but then he thought of something else. ''What is a sense of despair?'' He thought of something he couldn''t see, something he couldn''t physically feel, something intangible and invisible to the eyes, and what he seemed to be feeling for the first time in his life. ''Despair is a state of hopelessness and helplessness, characterised by feelings of sadness, loss, and frustration, often accompanied by a sense of being overwhelmed and unable to cope.'' And as to confirm his already thought-out theory, he received the answer directly into his mind. "Huh?" Silas stood up with a look of scoff on his face as he glanced over his own arms in surprise. "I''m like an ocean of knowledge?" ''I can gain information about things I can see with my eyes and gain information about things I can''t see, with just a thought in my mind. Is this how this ability works?'' He was mesmerised; the rushing, chaotic emotions seemed suddenly at rest, replaced by a bright shock and amusement. "Is this how omniscience works?" Silas chuckled, and shaking his head, he walked up to the edge of the roof with binoculars in his hands. ''Current Status - Dormant (Activation in 00:02:32)'' Silas sighed, the momentary smile on his face turning cold and dry, and his gaze roamed around his neighbourhood, watching the faces of all the people gathered over the roofs and his parents standing behind him, talking to neighbours standing on the roof right beside theirs. "... It''s all so chaotic! Can you believe it? What the hell has the government been doing?! What the hell are all nuclear weapons for??" the neighbour frantically commented Silas''s parents seemed to be sharing the same chaos in their minds, but they didn''t burst out with emotions. "What can we do about what already happened? Let''s just hope we can recover safely." Silas''s father commented while helping his neighbour calm down. Silas just watched silently from over and corner and once again glanced around all the people there, the sadness grew more and more the more he watched their faces unaware of chaos ahead "The chaos is just beginning..." Silas muttered, and finally the time arrived. ''Current Status - Dormant (Activation in 00:00:02) Genesis Catalyst ------> Ase'' Nightmare ''Current Status - Dormant (Activation in 00:00:02) Genesis Catalyst is fusing with nature; bear witness to the first rain of life and evolution. Awaken souls who have been lying dormant.'' Silas sighed, and his attention moved above his head at the rapidly forming, glowing clouds that can be seen even in the night as they were literally glowing instead of covering the light of the moon in the skies. The loud thunders filled the clouds; it was the coming of the storm as the simple, soothing wind started to grow strong, and so did the loud thunders in the skies, painting myth with lightning and announcing new genesis with the loud thunders. From the space, it seemed like the whole globe had been covered in glowing blue clouds; the Blue Planet was truly shining in the colour of a sapphire in the dark space, standing in front of the red sun and blue moon. As Silas''s gaze observed all the changes, just one piece of data continuously rang inside his mind. ''Genesis Catalyst ------> Ase'' "Ase has arrived..." Silas muttered with his eyes staring over the skies; as a drop of rain fell right over his pupils, he instinctively closed his eyes with a sensation of pain, but along with pain, a strange sensation enveloped his body and mind. He was standing there like a lifeless puppet as more and more drops of Ase and water started to fall over his face and entire body; the little droplets became heavy thunderstorms and hail in seemingly an instant. "Get in the cover! Fast!" Silas''s father shouted, covering his wife; both fled into cover on the roof, and others in the surrounding area did the same, but Silas alone was standing in the middle of the roof, enduring the sharp rainfall like a stone statue. "Silas?" his father uttered with worried eyes, "Silas? What are you doing, boy! Get into cover!" His mother shouted in worry, but Silas didn''t respond, not even a flinch. "Boy?" His father felt something was wrong, and in worry, he immediately rushed near Silas, shaking him up to snap him out of that daze, but he was like a stone statue at the moment. "Boy?! What happened?!" The father, dying of worry, screamed right over the ears, and that loud scream truly awoke him out of the daze he was feeling due to the strange sensation. "Oh? Nothing? Nothing happened?" stepping out of his daze, Silas replied with a chuckle and looked into the worried eyes of his parents, "It''s nothing... I just wanted to feel the rain." Silas chuckled and slowly opened his eyes, revealing a momentary blue spark inside his pupils that vanished without a trace right next instant. "It''s not rain; it''s a storm, boy. Get into cover!" His mother scolded with worried eyes, but Silas just laughed it off and tightly grabbed the shoulders of his parents in the middle of rainfall. "If you are always in cover, when will you experience life? Enjoy the rain, Mum! Enjoy the life!!!" Silas sniggered, and avoiding all resistance from his parents, just pushed them further into the rain along with himself. "Damn nature lovers..." Silas''s father scoffed but didn''t protest seriously, and after a moment he just placed his glasses into his pockets, enjoying the rain alongside his son.Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more. "Family of madmen..." his mother also sighed, joining in the pleasure of rain, and it was one, then both came to a surprised realisation. "It''s surprisingly soft, isn''t it? I thought rain in a storm would hurt, but it''s quite warm. And calm? Even shower water hits harder?" His father muttered in surprise as he experienced the rain; it was like a shower of cottons and not hard raindrops and ice, which hurt like pebbles. "How weird..." They seemed both confused, but Silas was just relieved, and, arriving over a corner of the roof, he closed his eyes again, accepting this strange feeling and the energy that came along with the rain. ''So this is Ase, huh...'' he thought as he experienced it, the feeling of that strange warm yet chaotic energy that was entering his body with drops of water that fell over his skin. Along the water in rain, the ''Ase'' had fused into everything in nature, be it air, water, or land; living creatures or some stone or concrete; Ase had mixed and fused with everything on earth. Be it the creatures on the surface of the earth or the creatures at the bottom of the ocean, all it took was a mere moment for that dimensional energy to spread across the globe in an instant like some sort of invisible and intangible explosion, and the only eyes that seemed capable enough to see it all were those of Silas. ''It''s huge...'' he thought as his eyes looked around him; he could feel that invisible and intangible form of energy, like blue mist sparkling like stars everywhere in the surrounding area, like a tsunami in the ocean spreading everywhere across the globe, and his body was like a black hole, swirling all energy around and absorbing it within himself. ''Relax... Spread my awareness into my surroundings as much as possible, let the physical body expand as much as it can without any force, imagine tendrils made up of my will spread into the surrounding and grab those particles of Ase and absorb them inside my body. A gentle absorption: consume the energy and release the impurities through my breath, let the absorbed Ase become part of me, let it familiarise itself with my body, let it flow like my flesh and blood inside me...'' Silas let his body loose; with all the heavy rainfall, it was difficult to see, but he was covered in thin sparkles and blue sparks all around his body, and the glow around him was constantly growing stronger, and a black smoke-like thing was being constantly released outside through his nose with each breath. He had long stopped taking the breath inside; instead, he was constantly releasing the bad impurities through his nose. At that moment he didn''t seem to have any need of oxygen at all; all his physical needs were being fulfilled by Ase released into his body, and it was rapidly increasing as time went by. In just a few seconds, Silas was already in a state of trance with a whole new level of sensation spreading inside his body; if people could see what he was, they would be watching infinite threads of red light spreading out of Silas and constantly gently absorbing particles of Ase inside his body. If watched from a distance, he was like the core of a swirling black hole, absorbing everything around himself at a monstrous pace, terrifying to the point of scaring nightmares. For hours he was just standing like that on the roof with no thought in mind and no awareness of his surroundings; the time passed, and the rain continued until it was time for the morning itself, and with the first ray of sun touching his head from dispersing empty clouds, Silas opened his eyes, charging with hard and powerful blue thunder sparks in his pupils. "... Enough, I guess," he muttered, seemingly lost in a daze, and his eyes fell over his parents, just sleeping while sitting alongside one another on the roof. ''Name - Miguel Bianchi Age: 48 Race: Human Title - High Awakened Beast - 0 Skill - Sharp Psychology (Tier 1)'' ''Name - Shane Bianchi Age: 47 Race: Human Title - Mid Awakened Beast - 0 Skill - Serene Aura (Tier 1)'' "They awakened too, huh..." Silas muttered as he observed his parents; there was a thick layer of strange auras surrounding them. Silas''s aura was already concealed, but he could still see others''. Silas sighed, and his gaze moved over others in the surrounding crowd; in a crowd of thousands, Silas could barely see just a few with such a strange aura surrounding them. Aside from visual senses, Silas could now somewhat feel the presence of others without utilising his 5 senses. "Not everyone awakened..." Silas observed and took a note of that; finally, his gaze moved over towards the real issue on hand. The gaze moving over towards the woods beyond the sloped cliff beside their hill residence An entire area of miles and miles covered with trees that also experienced a meteor crash last night followed by a forest fire and now in the morning. Silas could finally see the condition of the whole region. The place where the meteorite fell was strangely empty, a few hundred meters around that completely burnt into ashes, but beyond that was where true chaos was hiding. The whole region was in ruins; trees were lying uprooted all over the place, and gigantic holes were dug out in several places. It was a scene that seemed to look like a battlefield of gigantic creatures, with one particular trace standing out the most. "As expected, it was not just humans who awakened; the beasts did too..." Silas muttered with a frown, and grabbing the binoculars, his eyes locked into one particular pile of shed skin lying all over the region. ''Skin and Scales shedded by Green Grade Beast¡ªGiant Pearl Serpent, a creature known to be 500 meters long and 5 meters thick, known for living underground the earth and toying with its prey with a gigantic body before devouring them. "Talk about the nightmare of a reality to wake up to." Grey Hound "Talk about the nightmare of a reality to wake up to." Silas muttered, releasing a dry laugh, watching the sight of plain chaos in front of him. "Someone needs to deal with that guy, and fast," Silas muttered, a wave of unease washing over him. It was the same gnawing discomfort one feels upon hearing that a loose anaconda has been spotted slithering through the neighbourhood. Humans accustomed to peaceful lives for centuries tend to forget the dangers of life, and the moment they are forced to confront it, it''s like a bone stuck to their throats, which won''t settle until either the bone is removed or the person dies. Silas shook his head, scratching his head again and again, and releasing a big sigh, his attention moved on towards his parents once again, who seemed to be slowly waking up from their sleep as the sun rays were hitting right in the direction of their faces. "Good morning~ I didn''t expect the lovely couple to be sleeping so peacefully in the middle of chaos like this~" Silas chuckled, trying to lighten the mood. His parents said nothing, and standing back up from the ground and fixing the glasses, his father''s gaze moved over towards the sight of absolute nightmare in the woods below the cliff that can be seen from the roof of their home. "... It wasn''t a nightmare," he muttered, the expressions on their faces seeming to grow darker as their gazes moved over the entire region with trees uprooted and signs of great chaos across the whole place, a world straight out of an apocalypse. "What the hell is going on in this world?" His mother muttered, her knees feeling weak; she leaned over to her husband, who himself was covering his mouth in shock as he witnessed the entire scenery. Last night was a night without a light; hence they couldn''t really grasp what chaos had been going on there. The rain of meteorites was only chaos acknowledged by their eyes... It was as if the realisation of reality was just now catching up with their consciousness; their faces grew more grim and chaotic as time went by, lost in a daze watching the sight ahead. ''The Ase has characteristics of calming the human mind and suppressing negative emotions like panic and shock; the first time making contact with it and being completely unused to it amplifies the Ase''s characteristics. Last night, all the emotional chaos going through their minds must have been suppressed too; the moment my parents got in contact with Ase, they were more surprised by the softness in rain than the hell that happened just a few hours ago... It is only now that all the emotional chaos is catching up with their minds; it must be tough for them, just like it''s tough for me. Silas frowned while steeling his own resolve for more chaos that has yet to come. He quietly walked up to his parents and placed his hands over their shoulders, trying to provide a sense of comfort to both. As today was the day, humanity lost its balance... ''... Internet? Well, it isn''t coming back quickly...'' Silas sighed, ''Without internet and communications, our phones are going to be useless until we can somehow get humanity back on its track. For now I should focus on finding out. Just how fucked is humanity right now?'' "GRAAAAAOOOHHHHH!!!" As if to answer Silas''s desires, a loud roar filled the whole neighbourhood; it was a deafening sound and screech unlike anything people had heard.The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. "... Shit." Silas cussed, his eyes reflexively following the direction of that loud sound. He, along with his parents, immediately rushed over to the other side of the roof, and looking downstairs was the sight of horror. "Help?! Help me!!!" A man can be seen running through the road in the middle of houses, and behind him was what seemed like a mutated monster that originated from what seemed to be a dog. "Somebody save me!! Save me!!!" The man pleaded for help, but those who were outside on the streets or in their yards instantly retreated back to their houses, closing their doors and windows with horror in their eyes. "That''s Smith?! It''s Smith from house 41!" Silas''s father seemed to instantly recognise this man; the mother covered her face in shock and retreated behind her husband, unable to see the gruesome sight ahead. ''So that''s the ''evolution'' for animals, huh? Humans I saw till now have no physical changes or abnormalities, but I guess it''s different for animals...'' Silas noticed ''If it''s the Smith from house 41... I have seen him walking around with his dog a few times in the morning when I used to go out for milk shopping occasionally. His dog was of the Greyhound breed. Well, it used to be obedient; from what I remember, last year it wasn''t friendly with strangers, though...'' Silas remembered the appearance of that dog; it was of normal size, more on the cute side than being fierce. But now that same thing has evolved into a 7-foot gigantic beast. Its mouth was endlessly drooling with saliva, and razor-like teeth peeked out of the mouth. Fur over its body has increased by a lot, along with its claws and mad look in its eyes. "We should help..." Silas''s father muttered, and gathering up courage, he picked up an earthen pot with a flower planted inside, and as he was about to throw that pot towards the beast, Silas stopped him by snatching the pot away. "You can''t?!" Silas''s loud tone seemed to have stunned his parents, but Silas instantly stepped in and pointed towards the beast. "That creature is in a frenzy! The small pot will do nothing but attract its attention towards us." Silas''s father, coming out of a state of shock, immediately gritted his teeth, and grabbing Silas''s shirt, he screamed, "Then what do we do?! Are you telling me to let the man die right in front of my eyes?!" "Then are you willing to let me and mum die just to act like a hero for a moment in someone else''s eyes?" Silas retorted coldly; it was unlike anything before. His father seemed to snap out of his daze, stepping back and grabbing his forehead in confusion and shock. Silas''s eyes also softened with a guilty look in his eyes, but before he could process much, a sharp slap landed right over his face. *Stunnnn!* His ears were a buzz for a moment as he stepped back in a daze; his eyes slowly moved towards the mother standing in front of him with a complicated frown and a rage in her eyes. "You can''t talk to your father like that..." she said as she turned back towards his father, giving him a soft hug while Silas was just left there alone with a shocked look on his face. "I was just trying to hel... Help..." he said, but the sadness was clear in his eyes, the guilt was also touching the back of his mind, but before his mind could process all that, a loud, gruesome scream filled the entire neighbourhood. "Aaaaahhh! Ah! Uwaah?! Weaaaahh! Help! Help!!! Aaaaaahhhh!" The moment Silas''s eyes turned back, he noticed the same Mr. Smith on the road, being ripped apart by the beast; his legs had been chopped off and swallowed by the beast, and now, with his arms grabbed under the beast''s claw, it was slowly eating his chests and inner organs. The screams vanished shortly with just the loud sound of human meat being ground inside the jaws of that beast. "Oh God!" his mother exclaimed while instantly vomiting everything on the floor with a grey face; his father also seemed just as sick, but he instead just helped out his wife, rubbing her back. And just as the silence was settling, another wave of screams covered the neighbourhood. "Aaahhh! Run!!" "Fuck! What the hell..." "Run!" "Get in that house!" Silas''s eyes immediately rushed over the end point of that road, which was a viewpoint beside the cliff. A bunch of people had gathered early in the morning to see the sight of chaos in the woods, over the other side of the cliff, which was a straight slope and showed the huge view across the region. "Fucking hell..." Silas muttered as his gaze fell over about a dozen people gathered over that viewpoint, including the children running in chaos as their gaze fell over the gruesome sight of that beast in front of them. And as if it was an invitation to hell, the beast''s eyes were also locked in towards the bunch of prey gathered right in front of it, leaving the dead corpse it was eating, the beast immediately rushed in towards them. "I can''t win..." Silas muttered with all the data about that beast right in his mind... ''Species - Greyhound Grade - Yellow Height: 7 feet Length: 12 feet State: Frenzy, Hungry, Rage Strength: Sharp jaws, extremely agile, can recover its wound by devouring blood of others Weakness: Weak Eyesight, Low Intelligence Speciality: Known for its cruel hunting means, immobilising its prey before devouring them in the living state.'' "It''s strong..." Silas muttering, seemingly trying to comfort his own self, but as he was walking backwards in denial, his eyes fell over one little girl collapsed on the ground with her legs shaking in overwhelming fear, just a few dozen meters in front of that beast. "Help me..." The little plea, barely audible, still somehow reached Silas''s ears, spreading a current-like shock throughout his entire body; his pupils suddenly lit up in a bright sapphire glow. "Fuck it!!!" he screamed, gritting his teeth, as he jumped straight out of the roof with his eyes locked in over the back of the beast right beneath him. First Fight "Fuck it!!!" he screamed, gritting his teeth, as he jumped straight out of the roof with his eyes locked in over the back of the beast right beneath him. His both parents were seemingly lost, like statues, as they saw that sight with their son jumping from the very roof of the house, but the moment the reality caught up, both screamed out loud in horror. "Silas!!!?!" Both immediately rushed over the edge of the roof, and looking down, they noticed Silas smoothly land on the ground of the road; the ground underneath seemed a bit cracked and a little crater underneath Silas''s feet, but he himself seemed absolutely uninjured. "Ugh!" but it seems he wasn''t naturally athletic; he accidentally tore off the muscle fabrics over his knees, leading to an insane sensation of pain throughout his leg. "Fuck! "Goddammit!" Silas cursed in pain, and with tears forming over his eyes, his gaze fell over towards the beast who had escaped his grasp and was rushing straight towards the girl, barely a 50-meter distance away. "Oiiiiii!!!" suppressing the unsettling pain, Silas shouted out loud while standing back up, taking the attention of the beast in front of him. The beast stopped on its path, sensing the bloodlust behind him, and turning back slowly, his gaze fell over Silas, slowly standing up with rage and nervousness, both bubbling up in his eyes. "Get your bones, whiny bitch." Silas taunted; the words may not be understood by that beast, but the feeling of scoff surely reached the beast... "Awuuuuuu!!!" With a deafening roar towards Silas, the beast instantly leaped towards Silas, with its teeth constantly striking against one another, releasing metal-like sparks and sharpness. ''Good! I have his attention!'' Silas tensed his muscles, and ignoring the pain over his legs, he intensified his gaze towards that beast, and with a spark, an intense load of information started to fill his mind. "What the?!" For a moment this sudden boom of knowledge and data paralysed him, making him a statue as he saw the beast moving towards him, but just as the beast was about to devour his head, he jumped back, falling over the ground on his back. "Fuck!? Fuuu! Goddammit!" Silas cussed; there was an insane load of self-loathing and helplessness in his screams, but gathering everything at the moment and not wasting any time, he jumped back, barely avoiding the claw of the beast, which crushed the ground underneath like crushing potato chips with a fist. ''I should have brought some weapons along with me instead ...'' Silas frowned; it was only now, as he stood in front of the beast, that he felt the true danger and shivered around his body. "Awooooooo!!!" Silas was just finding some balance in his loose body, but the beast suddenly howled again right in front of Silas; the distance was so close that his ears started to bleed. For a moment, he was momentarily deaf with the strange sound ringing inside his head, but his eardrums regenerated almost within seconds. "What was that...?" Silas was stunned, but that wasn''t the best time to be stunned, because he was instantly tackled down under the claws of the beast with his left arm tightly caged under the beast''s claws.Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon. "Fucking hell..." Silas frowned as he realised the beast''s drool was covering his face and that mad little malicious grin hidden underneath the madness of the beast. ''He is enjoying it? I thought it was low intelligence, maybe just his instincts?'' Silas frowned, but despite how scared he was, he didn''t just jump down from the roof and all this drama without any plans. As the beast was about to crush Silas''s skull under his jaw, an earthen pot fell right over his skull, stunning him on the spot for a moment, loosening its grip just enough for Silas to quickly crawl back out from underneath that beast as right next instant a loud roar was heard. "Get off my son?!! You son of a bitch!!!" Silas''s father screamed, taking deep breaths as he stood over the roof with another pot in hand to toss over that beast. "Right on time..." Silas muttered while wiping blood leaking from his nose; if it hadn''t been for his father, the son would truly be dead at the moment, but that action has more taken away the beast''s hostility for Silas to his father. "Grrr..." he growled with its eyes set over the man on the roof, and as it was about to leap in the direction of the roof, Silas grabbed the metal rod at the side of the road left there for the sake of the construction of the house and instantly smashed the metal rod right over the beast''s nose. "Why is a dog howling like a wolf!?" Silas shouted; the beast, on the other hand, was in a state of extreme pain. The nose is a weak point over the surface of any beast, and Silas took advantage of that. The beast stepped back, whining in extreme pain, which has paralysed its mind, and once Silas got that chance, he didn''t stop. Taking flow in his hand, he rushed straight towards the beast with that metal rod in his hand and thrust the rod right through the eyeballs of that beast. "Awwooooo!?" The beast howled in pain, shaking his head, receiving more pain in the frenzy, and the more pain he felt, the more he moved, the more he screamed. Silas was tossed away on the ground, but the metal rod was still stuck to the beast''s skull, and after a few seconds of rampage, the beast collapsed right there on the ground. Lifeless and dead... Lying on the floor, Silas''s eyes wandered off towards the little girl, now safe in her mother''s arms, staring at him from a distance. Relieved and exhausted, he fell over the ground with a deep sigh. "... What a relief..." he muttered as the pain and exhaustion took over his mind, and he fell unconscious right there on the ground. "Silas! Silas!!! Boy?!" His mother screamed with tears running down her eyes as she immediately rushed downstairs along with the father by the time they reached the gates of the house. There was already a crowd of people gathered outside with two people carrying Silas in their arms. "He is just unconscious..." one of them answered while carefully passing Silas to his father''s arms, and with the help of another young man, they brought him inside the house and let him sleep over the bed right beside the hall. "I don''t know how to think of your son, sir... Truly... If it hadn''t been him today, my daughter..." the parents of the girl he just saved grabbed Silas''s father''s arms with eyes raining down the tears The crowd was strangely silent, the guilt of not stepping up for help and gratefulness for what Silas did, an act of heroism that left no heart untouched; everyone was relieved, everyone was shocked, everyone was pressed under the overwhelming courage that Silas carried. The people wished him health; for a long time, the girls parents cried, trying to express their gratefulness any way could, eventually as everyone left the house with just Silas''s family inside, both the parents collapsed over the sofa in the hall. His father''s eyes were grave and and serious as he was staring at Silas lying unconscious over the bed. His wife noticed, and with a smile she gathered with all her strength, she remarked, "He is just like you..." "No..." the father answered almost instantly, "He is better than me,," he said. The sadness grew into asmile,e, and recalling everything he saw from the roof, he stated, "He is smarter than me, stronger than me... way kinder than me." Silas''s mother... Her face almost seemed to glow with a warm smile as she grabbed her husband''s arms with a tender heart, "And we are proud of that." "We are..." her husband responded with the same smile as the couple hugged with warmth, relieved, exhausted, and happy. "They are... proud." Silas, who just woke up, seemed to have heard the last few sentences; a smile filled up his face, and the pain seemed washed away in the warmth with him just smiling and sleeping without any worry in his bed. But just as he was truly about to fall asleep, a movement inside his room caught his attention; his eyes stood wide open as he turned his head towards the corner of his room behind the curtain, and a little portion at the corner of his wall started to shake right in front of his eyes, and suddenly it collapsed. Just about 7 or 8 bricks fell out of the wall, and Silas watched as about two little pups entered his room from the corner of that wall. ''Species - Lunar Wolf Grade - Green Height: 3 feet Length: 5 feet State: Scared, Hungry Strength - Heightened Senses, Burst Speed, Instinctive Evasion Weakness - Infant Speciality: Known for sharp instincts, incredible loyalty for the pack, the more they eat, the faster they mature, and intelligence grows rapidly with time.'' As Silas observed that pair of black and white wolf pups, the already exhausted eyes almost rolled back to jump into death faster. "Fuck..." The Twin Wolves "Fuck..." Silas cussed while crawling back up over his bed, sitting there while leaning against the wall, his eyes turned towards those two little children of the beast. ''They are strong even as infants; my condition is just too messed up for me to be able to do anything right now, even against these little pups. It will be a tough fight...'' He frowned, and feeling the soreness and pain, his face darkened even more. ''I have torn some muscles under my knees, about 4 of my ribs have cracked, my internal organs are in a little bit of a messy situation, my whole body hurts like hell since the confrontation with that Greyhound beast, and then there are also my parents sitting over the hall right next door...'' Silas slowly crawled down from the bed, and leaning over the wall, he somehow reached the door of his room and quietly closed it, locking it from inside. "Fuuu..." Silas sighed, and grabbing the thick glass vase placed near the door, he turned his attention once again towards the two little pups glaring and growling towards him from the corner of the room. "Let''s get it over with..." Silas muttered with his gaze fixation over the things around his room. ''First I will smash the glass vase towards them; if it hits, then good; if it doesn''t, I will rush and grab the shattered glass from the vase and end the first pup. Grabbing the bedsheet, I will immobilise another one and suffocate it to death...'' Silas released a heavy breath and, tightening his grasp over the vase, intensified his gaze towards the two little pups. ''It''s a simple plan.'' With the blueprint of battle already in his mind, Silas gritted his teeth and prepared to throw the vase towards them, but before he could, the little pups in front of his eyes suddenly vanished. "Fuck?!" Silas cursed, and as his gaze just barely caught up with the blurry figures of those little beasts, he noticed both charging straight in his direction with insane acceleration, unlike anything he had seen before. ''Burst Speed?! So this was their skill?!'' Silas frowned, and the vase he was trying to use for attack, he placed it in front of his chest to use as defence. ''This one is really going to hurt like hell!'' Silas steeled his resolve, prepared for what came ahead, but unexpectedly, the little beasts didn''t pounce him down to the ground; instead, they paused around his legs, rubbing their faces around his feet as if it was a sign of submission. "What the..." Silas was confused by this unexpected outcome, and suddenly a detail popped up inside his head. ''The Beasts have been successfully suppressed.'' "Suppressed? You mean like dominated?" Silas muttered in confusion, and with a pale expression on his face, full of pain, he quietly sat down on the ground, leaning his back over the door as the pups were jumping around his face, full of energy. ''Higher chances of Beast Domination, that was the effect for my title ''Prime Awakened.'' Is this how it works? I guess if I see it from their perspective, it''s quite reasonable. They are barely a foot tall in a state of infancy; they must have lost their parents last night. With the global evolution that happened last night, many creatures in the woods must have evolved, and in a state of unstable emotions, the instincts of predators might have overtaken them. You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author. All the beasts who Awakened last night in the woods must have fought amongst themselves; their instincts to devour and grow stronger must have enhanced their hostile instincts; their mother must have died fighting in a similar manner, and these two who are weak must have escaped here, into human settlement, which had no particular large-scale beast''s awakening unlike the woods. They are hungry, hurt, and weak, and in front of them is a 6-foot adult human with a weapon and intent to kill. In their eyes, I''m clearly stronger and dangerous; they have sharp instincts, so they must be feeling the threat to their lives from me, so they instead decided to submit to me... That''s how it works among the wolves.'' Silas sighed in relief and placed his arms over the furry, soft heads of the pups, which seemed quite cute now as they expressed no hostility or caution towards Silas. "What should I do with them now?" Silas muttered in a daze, but the answer was with him all along: "I guess I know what to do." He chuckled and, with a smile, placed his arms and fingers forward towards the little pups; the little pups instantly bit his fingers, consuming a little bit of Silas''s blood. "It worked!" Silas exclaimed with relief and joy; there didn''t seem to be any instant physical change in the appearance of those little pups, but Silas could see the change. ''Species - Lunar Wolf Grade - Green Height: 3 feet Length: 5 feet State: Hungry Tamer - Silas Bianchi Strength: Heightened senses, Burst speed, Instinctive evasion Weakness - Infant Speciality: Known for sharp instincts, incredible loyalty for the pack, the more they eat, the faster they mature, and intelligence grows rapidly with time.'' The information of both beasts had been updated with ''Silas'' registered as their ''Tamer,'' but it wasn''t just that updated information that was way different; Silas could see something like a golden string made up of Ase and some other form of energies, binding him with the two wolf pups. He felt some change within; it was strange. It was as if Silas''s senses had multiplied; it wasn''t really just on the scale of feeling better anymore; it was as if he had evolved even more as a creature, and at the same time he felt some changes with his own body too, feeling of a swarm of ants crawling all over skin, the sound of blood pumping turning into the sound of a car engine. ''Am I getting some panic attacks?'' He frowned and focused his gaze over his body. ''Biological Status - Injured (Rapidly Healing) Adrenaline Levels - Stabilised Surge (Growth) Heart Rate - 70 BPM (Normal) Notes: Subject is experiencing rapid growth and evolution across his body; due to taming the beasts, the subject''s capacity has further evolved that of the 10% of the tamed beast''s capabilities, leading to enhanced healing factor, senses, physical capabilities, instincts, and emotion.'' "Evolution..." Silas muttered in surprise, ''So this is the way humans will evolve, by taming the beasts who evolve on their own?'' Silas realised and focused all his attention towards his own body: ''My bone and muscle density is growing more; all my 5 senses have been enhanced; the feeling of pain has grown weaker because of increased pain tolerance; and even my recovery speed...'' Silas''s attention moved over towards the little brushes and cuts around his arms; there was a funny feeling around his wounds, which created an itch to scratch. Silas could visibly see his wounds healing very fast. ''It must be due to that...'' Silas remembered something and rushed over to the mirror, and looking at his reflection, he confirmed his guesses. ''Name - Silas Bianchi Age: 24 Race: Human Title - Prime Awakened Beast - 2 Lunar Wolves Skill - Regeneration (Tier 2)'' "As expected, my regeneration skill''s grade has evolved from Tier 1 to Tier 2; it must have happened after experiencing Ase''s rain. This is why I have been feeling so refreshed all this while, and the fight with that beast was bearable despite the injuries; it''s because I had been healing back all this time." Silas''s doubt had been successfully confirmed; a grin emerged over his face as he quickly removed his upper t-shirt, and he noticed a lot of bruises and some areas around his chest that had turned purple and red because of the battle with Greyhound. But in the following seconds, he visibly noticed those marks and wounds just vanish in the span of half an hour, and the body, which was just fit till now, suddenly started to form intense, detailed, and deep muscles across his body; even his face structure grew much more detailed and masculine, though it was still a minor change over his face compared to his body. "... I feel like I grew an inch too?" Silas chuckled; his hair quality also seemed much smoother and silkier, and as he was lost in the joy of this growth, suddenly his two pups jumped over the washing sink platform attached to the wall in front of him. "Woo!" "Roar!" They both seemed to be groaning and grumbling while pushing Silas''s stomach with their furry little heads. "Chill, dude." Silas sniggered and grabbed both the pups in his arms while equipping his clothes back on. "Let''s get you something to eat~" Silas chuckled with both the pups in his arms, and stepping out of his room, almost like a whole different existence, he remarked "Let''s get you a name too..." ***** Join the discord! Mortals~~ link in synopsis outside Family Worries "Let''s get you a name too..." Silas chuckled while stepping outside; he entered the hall, but to his shock, his parents didn''t seem present there. Walking up to the huge curtain covering the glass wall beside the sofa, he quietly peeked outside through the space of enormous curtains. A bunch of people had gathered around the Greyhound he hunted down previously, including his parents outside his house; at the same time, many were covering up the torn corpse of Mr. Smith not far away. There was horror written all over their eyes; some were vomiting out of chaotic emotions, and many looked petrified in shock over their place; there was a silent storm all over the place. The emotions were so out of place that they couldn''t even groan or scream out of horror at the moment, their gazes seemed dead and helpless. It was only now, it was only now they realised the enormous, gigantic holes and uprooted trees all over the woods beneath the cliff of the hills; it wasn''t caused by the earthquakes or storms but due to these same evolved creatures like the Greyhound. "Let''s let them adapt to the new world at their own pace..." Silas muttered with a frown, and closing the curtains, he walked over to the kitchen, taking out whatever was left there in his fridge. "Woo!" "Gruff!" The two pups were already jumping with joy the moment they saw some meat. Silas tossed both aside with his legs, and, making some space, he placed whatever meat was on his hand over the ground. The two wolf pups immediately jumped into action, devouring everything and leaving it spotless. Silas just chuckled, observing them while preparing some sandwiches for himself, and then his gaze fell over the crowd of people outside through the kitchen windows once again. ''It will take time to adapt to the new world, but I hope they adapt to the new world fast because I don''t think this new world will wait for us. Those who adapt live... Those who don''t...'' Silas''s expressions darkened, remembering the image of Mr. Smith being hunted down mercilessly as everyone was forced to just watch in despair. "... perish," he muttered, and releasing a deep sigh, started chewing the sandwich. ''Well thankfully he didn''t have any family behind; he lived alone with his dog. That''s one less thing to be worried about.'' He sighed and just quietly ate his sandwich while watching the people outside, mourning in grief, some petrified in shock, some running inside their homes full of horror, many having their knees feeling weak because of the fear, and some going crazy with changes that only now they were truly realising. *Clack!* Suddenly the doors of his house opened, snapping Silas out of his deep thoughts, and turning his attention towards the hall, he noticed his parents returning back home, and their gazes also met Silas. "You okay, boy??" His mother exclaimed in surprise and rushed over towards Silas, "Isn''t it hurting?" his father questioned in worryThe tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. "No, no, it doesn''t. On the other hand, I look healthier." Silas answered calmly; he has matured so fast in a day that even the gaze felt much deeper and mysterious even to his father''s eyes. His parents were somewhat taken aback, but Silas noticed their surprised expressions and released a chuckle. He shouted, "But didn''t you see the fight?! I was literally fighting like Wiking in the movies! Hahaha! That was literally so cool! You all recorded it right?! Right?!" "Oh... We didn''t?" His mother replied with a bit of a bewildered expression on her face, and Silas acted shocked, "What the hell, man? I was literally so cool!" He murmured, making his way upstairs while quietly hiding the two pups under his clothes, keeping them hidden from the gaze of his parents, but as he was doing so, his father''s gaze was fixated over Silas''s knees. ''Unhurt... No wound or injury?'' He noticed, a frown emerged over his face with an unsettling question in his mind. ''Can a human do that while jumping from the roof of a huge house like this?'' His eyes seem to flicker as they analysed Silas, "Stop," his father suddenly commanded. "Let''s go see Mrs. Brown; she is an ortho specialist in our neighborhood. Let''s get your knees checked. You might not feel any discomfort now, but there can be issues later. Let''s get you checked," his father explained. "There is no need for that! I''m telling you I''m fine. I''m cool. See this?" Silas chuckled, laughing off his father''s worries and stepping back over the stairs he pointed over the kitchen. "Oh, and I took some bread and meat from the fridge to make up some sandwiches. For now I will just go up and rest over the bed. Take it easy; I''m perfectly fine!" Whilst saying all that, he walked back up the stairs while perfectly hiding the pups under his clothes, away from his parent''s eyes, but his words, on the other hand, didn''t seem to convince his parents at all. "It doesn''t matter how you feel! We are going back to see the doctor; too much has happened for little things to be left just because they are little," his father announced in a tense manner with eyes set over Silas in all seriousness. "Sigh..." Silas''s head seemed heavy with all the arguments, and giving up, he nodded, "Very well, then just let him grab another cloth; I spilt some sauce over this one." "Fast," his father announced, and taking a seat along with his father, releasing a big sigh, Silas took the chance and quickly jumped over the stairs, arriving in his room, where he quickly released the little pups from under his T-shirt. "It''s a lot to explain to my parents right now, so you two just stay inside here and don''t let anyone see you until I call you to do so. Stay hidden here." Silas explained as he removed his T-shirt with the pups sitting on his bed, nodding along. ''A Tamer''s command is communicated through the brain waves, and Ase, the voice and words aren''t really necessary; that''s why the beasts who are tamed by the Tamers can understand the language and act accordingly, which, to be honest, is extremely convenient.'' Silas smiled and grabbed a black hoodie and, making his way out, locked his room behind "Okay, I''m ready." Silas came down dressed in that hoodie; his father nodded, and both left the house, making their way to the house next door. *Ring!* They rang the doorbell, waiting for someone to answer, and as expected, not long after, a woman came out. "Oh? Miguel," she exclaimed as she saw the man at her door, and then her gaze moved over towards Silas. "You already woke up, boy?" She said in surprise and immediately leaned over towards Silas, grabbing his wrist and checking up over the face and head. "Hmm, doesn''t have any head injuries; that''s lucky," she examined and opened up her doors. "Wanna come inside?" she offered "We will be delighted," his father answered, and along with Silas, they both entered her house. She lived in a much more spacious house with lots of art placed on her walls and desks in the hall. They both sat over the front hall while Mrs. Brown went ahead grabbing her equipment to check up on Silas''s condition. "Remove the hoodie," she said. Silas did as instructed, removing the hoodie. From the looks of it, there were no signs of injuries; rather, he seemed even healthier, his skin quality and such. Everything seemed perfectly fine; it was healthier too. "What a surprise! I expected some ribs broken and knee joint dislocated or fractured at the very least, but this is one insanely healthy body," she exclaimed in shock, and pinching his wrists and arm muscles, she explained, "His muscle and bone density might be one of the best I ever got to examine; it''s been years since I saw such a rare case." She nodded with a satisfied and relieved smile, and turning to his father, she stated, "He seems just fine; except for a little nausea and shock, he is physically perfect. The boy was lucky, though. I expected a few ribs broken or, at the very least, a big scar when I saw him jumping from that damn roof. Don''t act like a hero again; it''s horrifying when you lose," she scoffed, placing his glasses back in her pockets. "That lessens your worries, right, Miguel?" She asked Silas''s father with a chuckle. His father nodded, and turning his gaze towards the hall, he questioned, "Your art collection seems to have increased a lot since my last visit." "I''m already at the age of retirement; I thought I might as well invest some in my hobbies. I also restarted my arts hobby; by the way, I was planning to show you finished work, but I guess I will have to push back the plan for a while." She chuckled, and both got into a conversation. ''Thankfully she didn''t notice my recovery speed, though.'' Silas smiled in relief; the little bruises and cuts over his face had already healed back up with barely any marks left. ''All that''s left now is to live again tomorrow.'' He thought because he could feel it, with eyes shining in sapphire, his attention was fixated on an enormous serpent-like creature, with its head in the direction of Silas''s settlement. Giant Pearl Serpent "We shall take our leave now, Mrs. Brown. Thanks for your assistance at times like this." Miguel, Silas''s father, stated his gratefulness as they stood outside, ready to leave now. "It was just my duty to help," Mrs. Brown responded with a light smile. Silas nodded, and with that, both made their way back to their home. Entering the home, Silas immediately made his way to his room without so much as a word. Locking the door behind him, he was greeted by the sight of two pups bouncing with excitement at his return. Their small tails wagged furiously as they barked in delight. "Yeah, yeah, I''m back," he remarked while making his way straight toward his study desk. ''We can''t wait...'' he remarked with the presence of the great serpent constantly ringing inside his head as he tightened his grip over the pen in hand. ''It''s in the nature of a serpent to be a master in patience, precision, and ruthless execution; they have poor eyesight but can sense vibrations through the earth. The Great Pearl Serpent is a colossal beast. I assume it can detect us from miles away using this sense alone. For now, it''s waiting to confirm there is no danger to its life. It''s likely he doesn''t recognise the humans to be a threat to its life right now; it must be cautious of any other evolved beast present here, like Grey Hound from before.'' Silas frowned with his eyes lit up in sapphire sparks, ''Thankfully our neighbourhood doesn''t have any other evolved creature just yet, though there are a few who will evolve in the following few days. I hope they don''t go on a rampage like that hound...'' A deep sigh escaped his mouth, and he tossed the pen aside; his arms reached down to pick up the two pups in his arms, the warmth of their fur seemed to soften chills in his heart, and while looking outside through the gap in his curtains, he observed the strangely quiet surroundings. ''Currently most creatures and humans haven''t awakened yet, but slowly but surely they will evolve; within a month everyone will evolve with Ase. This one month time is all I have to secure a safe place to live for my family when half the world will be chaos, and to do that...'' "I can''t wait for people to adapt; I will force them to adapt." Silas''s facial expressions darkened, and turning his head towards the direction of the serpent, who was observing from a distance of miles, he stated "... We will hunt you down tonight, you damn earthworm." "Ruff!" "Gruff!" Suddenly the two pups started to jump fiercely over Silas''s lap, and jumping down from his arms, they started to run across the whole room in excitement. ''Did they sense my thoughts?'' Silas was a bit surprised seeing them suddenly so heated up and excited, "Oh right? Tamed Beasts share some kind of bond with the soul of the Tamer; they also share the emotions, huh?" Silas chuckled seeing the pups, who seemed excited to hunt a mountain-like serpent, which even Silas was unsure about; he couldn''t help but laugh.Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more. "What a confidence you have there," Silas giggled, and, nodding with a serious face, he moved his attention towards the white wolf pup. "Very well, join me in the hunt tonight then; your name shall be ''Asra,''" and moving toward the black one, he announced, "Zerath." "Gruff!" "Ruff!" The pups nodded, surprisingly not much excited but rather like some soldiers receiving commands. Silas chuckled seeing those expressions, but his own face became slowly darker and colder. "Then let''s start the plan for the hunt." With that said, he turned his attention back towards the paper and pen in hand while being lost in deep thoughts, thinking of a thousand scenarios with all possible endings in which they lose so they don''t lose the 100 scenarios in which they win. And without realising it, it was already midnight when Silas finally felt prepared. "Wake up..." he commanded the pups lying over his desk in front of him. Their eyes immediately perked up the moment they heard him. Silas quietly opened the windows in his room and slid outside with the two pups hanging over the pocket of his hoodie; he was also carrying a bag on his back. "Let''s hunt," he said before leaping down from his window to the road outside. This time he wasn''t even slightly hurt or not even a little flinch; his physical flexibility had increased several dozen times, and he immediately dashed forward like a bolt of lightning. ''Physical enhancements since taming the two pups are insane... I have already surpassed peak human body limits; the current me might possess the strength of some animal, like a wild wolf...'' Silas noticed ''I can cover a distance of about 2.5 meters in a single step, my jumps can easily cover 7, and my endurance...'' his feet hit the ground, crushing the stone into dust underneath as he bolted forward at an even faster pace. "It''s insane!!!" he remarked with a grin; the thrill seemed to take control of his heart. ''I have full control over my body; it''s actually moving the way I want?!'' he thought as he practically ran down that slope while still having full control of his body. "This is insane!!!" he shouted, full of excitement, and ran for straight miles inside the woods with barely any serious exhaustion before taking down his pace as he arrived in the region where he finally felt the presence of the serpent. ''... Musky like some leather or dump soil.'' Silas noticed the smell; there was no living creature in the whole area nearby, not even something as little as an ant. ''I see why, though.'' Silas frowned with his eyes sparkling; he could see the pressure emitted by the presence of that Serpent in the region. ''A dense amount of Ase can create gravity-like pressure in the surroundings. The Serpent is constantly releasing his dense Ase in his surroundings, which instinctively ward off weak creatures. He has claimed this region as his own...'' Silas frowned and quietly stepped forward towards the woods, deeper in the direction where Serpent was awaiting him. "Grrrr..." The wolf pups could already feel the danger ahead; they growled fiercely, smelling that familiar scent, and finally Silas arrived in front of an enormous hole in the ground, almost 8 meters in diameter and depth; he couldn''t tell at the moment, there was dark pressure looming inside that deep lair of the Serpent with air strangely humid and salty. "Found you," Silas muttered, eyes gleaming with sapphire sparks. He gripped the two metal rods hanging on his back tightly, with every muscle coiled with focus and no hesitation. He leaped into that pit with Asra and Zerath right behind him. "This might be the dumbest decision I ever made!!!" Silas yelled as he was falling down deeper and deeper, but midway he stabbed his metal rods in hand over the walls of that hole while quickly grabbing his two pups. midair "... But it''s the decision that will lead me forward." Silas grinned, and taking out the rod once again, jumped down, this time landing safely on the ground with a path leading straight towards something like a huge underground cave with two pairs of slit green eyes shining in the dark. "There you are..." Silas muttered while tightening his grip over the metal bars, and his eyes shone in the direction of that serpent whose eyes alone seemed to be as big as the pups beside him. ''Species - Giant Pearl Serpent Grade - Green Width: 5 meters Length: 50 meters State: Slightly cautious Strength: Tremor Senses, Giant, Toxic Breath, Enormous Vitality Weakness: Vulnerable Head, Slow Speciality: Apex predator who remains cautious against even the weakest enemies, known as a strategist under holes, it knows to use its surroundings against its enemies.'' "As expected, it''s strong." Silas frowned, but that wasn''t out of fear or shock; rather, it was just plain caution against a formidable enemy. Silas started first as he tossed the long, sharp-edged metal rod straight toward the serpent''s eyes. With that, he, along with his pups, immediately rushed towards the serpent, but midway, the rod thrown at him got tossed away by the serpent''s tail, and flickering its tongue, the serpent immediately responded in the same manner. Releasing poisonous breath in the dark, which almost instantly filled the whole place in an instant, turning back, Silas realised the path from which they came had already been collapsed, and they were now trapped inside this underground cave-like chamber with the serpent full of poison. ''But I didn''t come here without a plan...'' Silas smirked as he took out a pocket lighter. ''This serpent originally didn''t possess poison; when it evolved, it mutated with its surroundings, creating a special organ for poisonous breath, which works with the same concept as underground gases, which means...'' "It''s like gasoline in the air..." Silas remarked while covering up the pups under him as he lit the flames, instantly igniting all the poisonous gas like gasoline, which lit up the whole cave in an instant, creating a tight explosion. "Aaaahhhh!!!!" Hunt "Aaaahhhh!!!!" Silas screamed as the searing flames engulfed the closed chamber. The heat surged through the air like a tidal wave, scorching his skin in an instant. His flesh sizzled and peeled away, raw pain racing through his nerves like lightning. But it lasted only for a moment. His body, now tempered beyond human limits, fought back. Steam hissed from his skin, and slowly, the burns began to heal before his eyes. His charred flesh regenerated at a visible pace, returning to normal within seconds. A few lingering burn marks remained on his cheek and arms, but even those were slowly vanishing. Arsa and Zerath, the two pups who had been shielded under his frame, emerged unscathed. And now with the walls of the chamber burning with flames, the darkness wall overtaken by heat and light And there it was... The Giant Pearl Serpent. With its 50-meter-long body, the giant had long surrounded Silas and his pups since the moment they came here. It was like standing in the jaws of a predator who had already closed its mouth. Its green, slit-like eyes locked onto Silas with predatory focus. The flames from the earlier explosion danced along the serpent''s scales, leaving blackened marks as the searing heat attempted to consume its body. For a moment Silas''s eyes flashed with the shine of victory, but that didn''t last long as the serpent''s burnt flesh peeled off like cracked stone, revealing pristine, undamaged scales beneath. "Tssss..." the serpent hissed, its forked tongue flickering out to taste the air. "Damn regeneration..." Silas cursed, quite annoyed, but there was just not enough time for him to be expressing his annoyance at that moment; the serpent suddenly flickered its tail, smashing in the direction of Silas. "Tch!" He clicked his tongue and instantly leaped over the wall, and with one step over the wall, Silas''s body flashed in the direction of the Serpent with the metal rod shining in his hands. "Gruff!" Asra picked another rod on the ground and tossed it toward Silas, who picked it midair while taking a giant leap toward the Serpent. "Why is damn Serpent acting like a lizard?!" He shouted as both the metal rods successfully stuck right through the space in the scales of the serpent, piercing the serpent''s thick skin, but the serpent regenerated almost instantly, pushing out the metal rod stabbing its body by shaking its body like a wild horse. Silas successfully landed on the ground, and with a grin, he once again rushed towards the Serpent. "I see how long you can act like this!" He shouted, and as he was about to leap once again, the serpent smashed its huge tail right over the ground; the whole ground seemed to experience the earthquake as debris started to fall from the ceiling of the underground chamber. "Dodge!" Silas commanded as he paused midway, barely avoiding a huge stone that fell almost right over his own head; his eyes scanned the falling large chunks of stones, and, moving accordingly, he somehow dodged them all. The wolves also avoided them all with their instinctive defence, but the moment the stones stopped falling from the ceiling, Silas once again jumped over the Serpent''s back with the metal rods in his hands, piercing right through the gap in its scales.Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original. "Tssss!!!" The serpent groaned, smashing its body over which Silas was standing on, right over the walls of the chamber. But before Silas could get squished like a jelly in the wall, he released the metal rods right there on Serpent''s body and jumped away from its body. The Serpent accidentally pierced the metal rods deeper inside his own body by smashing his huge body with the wall. "Sssss!!!" it groaned in pain with eyes growing even more fierce and hostile towards Silas, "That must hurt like a bitch." Silas sniggered with a cold expression on his face, "Right, bitch?" he scoffed. The serpent didn''t hesitate for a moment before turning its head towards Silas, and with wide fangs dripping with toxic poison, it rushed straight towards Silas to devour him. The serpent was slow compared to Silas, and Silas was more than capable of dodging it, but that was if he had some space to dodge; Silas had been cornered by the serpent, with its gigantic body coiled up around Silas and its wide mouth rushing straight towards Silas to devour him alive. "Ah?!" Silas frowned with realisation, but his frown transformed into a wide grin as he noticed two familiar figures running on one of the walls of that chamber, right above the Serpent. "Kill!!!" Silas commanded with a big grin, and the next instant, Asra and Zerath suddenly both landed right over the serpent''s head, and in a flash, before the serpent could even react, the two wolf pups carved their fangs right inside the eyes of that serpent. "Tsssssss!!!" The rushing serpent suddenly collapsed midway, its eyes burst with blood leaking all over its face from the pupils; the wolf pups jumped down from its head, and Silas also escaped the trap made by the serpent. "Oh my, I guess being blind is truly worse than being short-sighted." Silas chuckled, but his mocking this time truly enraged that serpent; despite the bleeding and pain, the serpent turned its head toward the direction of Silas''s voice. Silas just grinned, and along with the pups, he jumped over the wall, and taking the momentum of his superhuman speed, he somehow managed to reach the very centre of the ceiling of the chamber, where he hung himself by smashing his fist right over the ceiling. "Here! Here!" Silas mocked and enraged, Serpent leaped straight in the direction of the centre of the ceiling, but by the time it reached the ceiling, Silas had already been moved away by two pups right beside him; they grabbed his hoodie under their mouths and jumped down with him. Meanwhile, the serpent smashed its head right over the ceiling, with so much force that it collapsed the roof of the chamber. In an instant, the ground of radius of about 20 meters collapsed right inside the chamber, and the serpent was seen leaping out of that hole under the moonlight; his enormous body could be seen from several miles away, but it wasn''t just the serpent... "Surprise~" Silas chuckled as he himself came out of that collapsed chamber while riding the Serpent''s scales; the Serpent felt his presence over his body in an instant and immediately launched its head towards Silas''s direction. But before its fangs could reach Silas, the wolf pups caught Silas, and grabbing him in their fangs, they immediately launched away from the direction of that serpent''s mouth. "Here is some treat! Fucker!!!" Silas shouted as he tossed his back towards the Serpent, which the Serpent mistakenly devoured instead of Silas himself. "What are you going to do now, blind bitc--" Silas was about to mock again, but his steps words were paused midway as he noticed the serpent suddenly open its eyes. The monster had regenerated its eyes, which were beaming with red killing intent, focused on Silas and his companions. "Never mind..." Silas''s expressions darkened, and now with no chamber entrapping the serpent in its own poisonous breath, the serpent locked its eyes on Silas and released enormous poisonous breath straight in the direction of Silas. The moment even a speck of it made contact with the surroundings, the vital trees instantly became dry, soil transformed to sand, and even the air itself felt cold and lifeless. This time Silas was truly dead, truly dead if he wasn''t prepared already, that is. "Fuck you! You damn earthworm?!!" Silas shouted as he lit up his lighter and threw it straight toward the poisonous breath; the poisonous breath instantly caught the fire, transforming into flames instead of poison. Silas grabbed the pups, and, tightly covering them, he was engulfed into the flames midair, this time with a touch of oxygen outside. His whole hoodie covering the body was instantly wiped into ashes, and with burning back, he fell down half unconscious into the woods. But Serpent, on the other hand, the flames instantly reached inside his mouth, making their way to his inner organs, which produced that poisonous breath, but his inner heat seemed to easily suppress the heat of the flames, but to begin with his inner organs were never the target. It was the baggage of Silas, currently devoured inside the Serpent; the moment even a little flame touched the baggage, it suddenly lit up in flames, and the next instant, an explosion powerful enough to burst the Serpent into pieces suddenly emerged inside the Serpent''s body. Its flesh was torn into pieces, bursting like a balloon everywhere as a huge pearl from inside its body fell down on the ground, rolling up to Silas lying half dead on the ground. ''Name: Pearl of Giant Pearl Serpent Grade: Rare Type: Consumable Properties: Enhances vitality and regeneration capabilities, strengthens natural defence Description: A pearl gained after hunting down the Giant Pearl Serpent, it stores all the energy of the serpent, and consumption can greatly enhance the user''s energy and vitality. "Short sighted lizard worm..." Nice Kitty? "Hunt successful..." Silas sniggered while gritting his teeth in extreme pain. As his arms slowly healed the burn marks, he slowly sat back up. "Hiss!!" He frowned, feeling the extreme pain still simmering throughout his body, but it was healing back efficiently with time, and with those darkened expressions, his eyes fell over the pearl in front of him. "This thing is almost the size of my palm." How do you consume it? Surely I can''t just put in my mou--" Silas was just thinking, but questions to his answers were already there in his mind; after a momentary look of surprise, a little cheeky grin emerged over his face as he grabbed the pearl, and seemingly instantly the bright, shiny pearl transformed into plain ash, which flew up in the air, vanishing into nothingness. And while that happened to the pearl, for Silas it was a blessing; he felt a surge of vitality run across his whole body; he could feel warmth inside his body turning into steam; suddenly the rate of healing and regeneration he was feeling got accelerated by several times. His skin had suffered second-degree burns across his whole back and arms, which was supposed in to take about a dozen minutes to heal back, but the moment he consumed that pearl, the pace of regeneration was boosted so much that all his wounds, including the burns and dislocated right shoulder, all of it healed back within 3 minutes. "Effects are generous..." Silas noticed with a satisfied smile, "I guess my Regeneration Skill must have evolved to Tier 3 now." "Gruff!" "Ruff!" Silas was just celebrating his joy, but just then the two pups joined in the celebration, pouncing over him, licking his face in excitement after a battle victory. "Hahaha!" Silas giggled, "Easy there!" He chuckled while attempting to grab those little pups, but they were simply too fast, jumping around his whole body. Giving up, he stood back up. With his hoodie all burnt up in ashes, his upper body was exposed to the cold air of midnight; it would have been a chilly feeling, but a few burning trees around him kept the warmth. And then there was also a rush of adrenaline as he watched the scenery in front of him, a radius of several dozen meters wet with blood and flesh is the Giant Pearl Serpent, its organs lying all over the place and whatnot. ''Consumption can greatly enhance the growth rate of wolf pups.'' Silas noticed the information, and his eyes moved back to the pups, who were looking at all this meat with light in their eyes. "Go ahead..." Silas commanded with a sigh; the moment he did so, his pups flashed like some bolt of lightning and started consuming all the exploded corpse of the serpent, starting with the biggest chunk of its body containing its head and upper part of its body. ''It''s in the trait of the wolves that they will grow as much as they consume. I think from now on I will let these two consume whatever creature we hunt down after taking out the precious rewards out of its body.'' Silas nodded, and after finishing up the job, Silas quietly returned to his room just as the sun was about to rise again. "I''m damn tired..." he muttered as he lay flat on the bed along with the two pups on his back and under his arms like a cushion. And by the time he woke up again, it was already afternoon. "You woke up quite late?" his mother remarked as Silas arrived downstairs while still yawning in exhaustion. "The days are just tiring," Silas replied, and grabbing a glass of water from the kitchen, his eyes once again moved over the streets outside, where his eyes fell over a bunch of people gathering their belongings in their cars.Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. "What are they doing?" Silas questioned as he observed about 5 families doing that; his mother glanced outside, seeing that sight. "Oh?" she sighed. "They are leaving the place. You know what happened with Mr. Smith yesterday; last night someone''s pet cat in house number 56 also turned into a monster. Thankfully this time, the monster didn''t create a riot like last time. The owner has somehow trapped it inside one of their rooms. No one has the courage to kill it, so the owners themselves left the house along with their neighbours. For now they have moved to another neighbour''s; the world is changing since the rain of meteorites that night. The animals and birds and whatnot are turning into monsters; some people have already started to abandon their pets in the family; a girl killed her pet hamster last night because she was afraid it would turn into something like that. I don''t know what the world has come to..." she sighed deeply exhausted, Silas just frowned hearing all that and placing the empty glass in the platform his eyes moved over towards the house, "But where is the father?" "He went out to discuss things with other neighbours. We have news that some apartment in a skyscraper is being sold; we also plan to move there. The risk of monsters must be less than what''s here in the place surrounded by woods." As she said, the memories of the sight of uprooted trees and enormous holes all over the woods flashed over her mind. But Silas, on the other hand, was taken aback by all this load of information. ''The world is changing fast!'' he remarked. Silas frowned and, equipping a sports T-shirt, questioned, "Where are they discussing things?" "At Miss Brown''s house, her brother lives in one of those apartments, so they are¡ª" "Thanks, Mom!" Silas instantly left the house, making his way over to the other side of the road in a rush; from right over the entrance, he could see plenty of people had gathered inside the house. Along the way he observed way more families were leaving this place than what he expected initially; the whole street was full of dozens of cars loaded with luggage ready to leave. ''Everyone is desperate, huh... To think they all will leave their homes just like that?!'' Silas''s expressions darkened, and finally he arrived in front of Miss Brown''s house. *Knock! Knock!* Mrs. Brown opened the door, seemingly surprised to see Silas there. "Oh, my boy?" she exclaimed in surprise while Silas''s gaze fell over the crowd gathered inside the house. "I also wanted to join..." he stated. Mrs. Brown, though a bit surprised, welcomed him inside before closing the doors. Silas took a corner to stand as the conversation continued inside. "So as I was saying! We need to move fast; the government''s capacity to help is very limited right now. They have sent the military to keep citizens safe over the city. We also need to move over there fast; it''s just been a day; that''s why the prices of apartments are still low, but with time, as news will spread, the prices will skyrocket to millions of dollars!" "I also agree; this place is surrounded by woods. You all saw those holes and uprooted trees below the cliff, right? I swear there is a gigantic snake living there; we can''t stay here..." "It''s like an apocalypse has descended upon us..." "And you never know what monster will appear before us and when?!" The atmosphere inside was grim and serious the moment the conversion continued again, and the danger was real, but at the same time, they were on a mission opportunity. ''Humans don''t adapt to dangers; they try to escape. That''s in our nature.'' Silas frowned. ''No matter what measures we take, it won''t protect us by normal means against those monsters. Even the Giant Pearl Serpent I fought, I don''t think anything less than missiles would work against something like that... The monsters are divided into 12 grades, from the lowest being grey, yellow, green, blue, orange, pink, purple, silver, gold, black, and white, to crimson being the highest. The Giant Pearl Serpent I hunted was green, and the Hound was yellow. These are just low grade, but as time progresses we will see higher grade monsters. There is a possibility even nukes will be useless against those; right now we have the opportunity to grow stronger and tame some beasts while they are still weak; in the future, just survival will be difficult if we don''t make a base for survival right now. I know it''s dangerous, but getting hurt is better than getting your whole race extinct from the face of the planet!'' Silas''s expressions grew serious, and finally the man decided to step in, ''The words I say will definitely face opposition; they will call me crazy, but someone needs to risk it for the survival of all, right?'' Silas sighed, and as he stepped up to say his words, suddenly his voice was overshadowed by a loud screech that rang across the whole neighbourhood. "Scrrrrraaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!!!!!!!" All the windows and glasses suddenly shattered by sheer roar, everyone was instantly shook, their bodies were paralysed for a moment with their minds in a blank state; those who were standing fell over their knees in shock. Only Silas managed to endure the screech and instantly rushed out of the door into the streets, where he noticed a huge tiger-like beast standing over the roof of a house, smashing its paws on the roof while screeching again and again. "That''s not a nice kitty..." First Legend Silas managed to endure the screech and instantly rushed out of the door into the streets, where he noticed a huge tiger-like beast standing over the roof of a house, smashing its paws on the roof while screeching again and again. "That''s not a nice kitty..." he frowned, and his eyes scanned the surroundings, trying to find something he can use to protect himself and others if needed. And just as he was doing so, suddenly people started to come out of the houses, grabbing their heads in pain; the people who were packing their things in vehicles outside also witnessed that horrifying sight. "What''s happening?!" "Is that a tiger?? M-monster?!" "Run! Run back to your houses!!" "That''s huge..." Silas noticed the people coming out of their houses to see the cause of the loud roars, and those outside were seen rushing back inside frantically. "Get inside! Get inside!!!" Silas shouted, "Don''t come out!!!" He pleaded with the people again. Most people followed his command, rushing back inside their homes, as the crowd vanished. Silas''s eyes narrowed towards the direction of that beast. His gaze flicked between the massive beast and the house it was pounding on. Each slam of its colossal paws sent tremors through the roof, dislodging tiles and cracking the wooden frame. ''Species - Phantomclaw Tiger Grade - Yellow Width: 2.5 meters Length: 6 meters State: Agitated Strength: Sonic Roar, Night Vision, Phantom Claw Weakness: Noise Sensitivity Speciality: A race known for strong territorial instinct, known for strong protective instincts towards their packs, and don''t like to be isolated from their pack.'' "Agitated?" Silas muttered, and his eyes quickly scanned the surroundings; people were inside their homes but were still curiously staring at that beast from their glass windows and such. But the beast wasn''t even glancing towards them; instead, its sole focus was fixed on that one house. It was so devoted to tearing it apart as half the roof had collapsed already by now. "Gruff!" "Ruff!" Silas suddenly heard his pups; they were standing over the window in his room, just awaiting his command, with Asra already carrying the sharp metal rod under her fangs. ''Wait...'' Silas commanded, and he cautiously started to move over towards that beast, which was just 4 houses away from his location. "As expected..." he remarked with a realisation, "It''s not interested in other humans..."Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon. He muttered, and just then, information popped up inside his mind; his eyes widened in an instant as his flickering eyes rushed towards the house that that beast was tearing off, and inside that house, Silas sensed the reason for the chaos. He spotted her¡ªa young girl, no older than seven, standing barefoot in a corner of the room inside the house, along with her parents, tears streaming down her face. Her tiny hands gripped the sides of her head, her small frame trembling in confusion and terror. "Mommy! Mommy! Kitty''s mad! Kitty''s mad!" she sobbed, her voice cracking with fear. The beast''s movements became more frantic at the sound of the girl''s voice. It slammed its paw harder against the roof, claws scratching deep into the wood as if it were trying to tear the house open. "It''s that girl!" Silas exclaimed and immediately rushed towards the beast as he commanded, "Asra! Zerath!" The two pups immediately jumped down from the window of his house and rushed over towards Silas. Silas grabbed the two metal rods they carried over under their fangs, and with a flash, jumping over the walls and balcony, he casually arrived over the roof, which the beast was trying to crush. "Easy! Back off!" He shouted with a threatening look in his eyes; the two pups also growled, but the beast seemed even more enraged as it felt Silas was meddling with her. "Grarrrr..." It growled with bloodlust towards Silas. The beast''s head whipped toward him, eyes narrowed with saliva leaking down the corners of its fangs. "Calm down, big girl," Silas muttered, lowering his posture, keeping his gaze locked on the tiger''s eyes without looking away. His voice was calm but firm as he cautiously moved in front of the beast. But watching Asra and Zerath, the beast''s muscles tensed. It was ready to pounce, but Silas reacted first. "Asra, Zerath, stay back," Silas ordered his pups, and they immediately obeyed, retreating with cautious but watchful eyes. "I get it..." he said softly, "Don''t worry; your little girl is safe; just be patient," he explained. The beast''s growls suddenly faltered, and its tails, which had been lashing like a whip, started to slow down. "Just trust me..." He crouched down, setting both metal rods on the roof. The two pups still maintained caution, ready to pounce anytime, but Silas decided to take the risk. "Just one minute, trust me for one minute," he said and decided to jump down from the hole in the roof; the beast didn''t cause any more rampage this time as its gaze was fixated under the roof. Silas landed flat on the ground, and crashing the door locked him in; he went straight over to the other room where the family was hiding in a corner, and the father was standing in front with a metal bat in his arm. "Don''t come here!" The father warned Silas; he himself was scared, but family was a responsibility he couldn''t afford to let them be harmed. "Please calm down," Silas tried to negotiate. "I know you feel threatened, but believe me, that beast isn''t going to hurt anyone. I take responsibility for that. "I don''t care! Nobody touches my wife and daughter!!!" The father roared, getting more cornered, but for Silas, the time was slipping away. He turned his attention towards the little girl hiding under her mother''s arms. "Hey, little one," he called out softly. "Do you know this big girl outside?" The girl blinked, rubbing her eyes. "Y-yeah... that''s Kitty. She¡¯s my Kitty," she replied. Silas nodded gently. "Then you can help me, alright? I need you to be brave. Can you do that for me?" The little girl sniffed, but she nodded, and as she was trying to stand, her mother tried to pull her back, "You can''t!" She shouted, full of caution and worry. But the little girl drowned in chaos and worried, "Kitty''s sad... She¡¯s sad, Mommy." She pleaded in tears, and standing up, tried to reach Silas, but the father stepped in again. "You still can''t; she has changed! Can''t you see it trying to destroy the whole house?!" he shouted. Silas understood his worries. "I know, but you have to believe this time that cat is a pet from your house, isn''t it? You raised her..." "So did Mr. Smith! Now he is dead; it''s not beauty and beast fantasy! It''s my family! I''m trying to protect! Leave if you don''t want to help! Don''t cause trouble!" "I''m not causing trouble! I was the one who killed that hound! I will kill this one too if it even scratches your daughter, but you need to believe in me for just a moment!!!" Silas pleaded, but the father seemed to have made his resolve already; he wasn''t going to risk it. "We can talk about this later then..." Silas released a deep sigh and suddenly vanished from the sight of the parents and, in a flash, grabbed the little girl and left the room in a flash. "Hey?!" the father screamed in horror, and both parents rushed after Silas in horror, "You damn fucker! Release my daughter!!!" They pleaded and cursed, but Silas didn''t stop, and in a moment leaped over the roof with the girl safe in his arms. The beast''s eyes darted towards the girl the moment she saw her. She was about to pounce in excitement, but Silas roared, "Stop!!!" The beast''s fur crawled up in goosebumps. "Easy, girl. She''s right there." Silas muttered while cautiously approaching the beast. The tiger lowered its head, nostrils flaring as it sniffed the air. It let out a deep, rumbling purr¡ªa sound so powerful that the ground beneath them vibrated. ''... You aren''t looking like a friendly big girl.'' Silas''s expressions are darkened; the actions the creature used to do as a cute looked cute, but now the same reactions looked like a predator''s eyes over its prey. His eyes moved towards the little girl in arms, expecting horror in her eyes, but to his surprise,. The little girl smiled. "Kitty!" she cried, reaching her tiny hand towards the beast. The tiger stepped forward slowly, pressing its large nose against the little girl''s arm. It didn''t make any sudden moments. It sniffed the girl¡¯s hand, breathing her in. The rumbling purr grew louder, and its body slumped into a relaxed position. "There you go," Silas said, wiping sweat from his brow. "Safe..." Silas just felt relaxed, but just then a metal bat struck right over the back of his head. "You fucker!!!" the father of the little girl screamed, and as he was about to strike again with his bat, the wolf pups tackled him down over the roof, but before they could tear him down, Silas paused them. "Easy!!" he commanded while casually rubbing off the sensation of pain in the back of his head; the strike was just mild pain for him, and understanding the position of that father, he pointed towards the little girl closely hugging the huge beast and the beast just purring without any harm. "It''s safe..." he stated, "There is no danger to your daughter," he explained, showing a warm smile. The father watched the sight in a daze, releasing a deep sigh of relief with his eyes wet in tears as he stayed down on the ground with a deep relief. And just as the atmosphere was feeling warm and easy, Silas''s gaze spread over the surroundings with people staring out of their balconies and even out on the streets and roofs, all gazes fixated on Silas and that sight of the first human and beast union to human eyes. "Silas..." Even his own parents were in a daze watching him. Silas finally sighed, "Everything is going to change..." he muttered, "From today." Zara Sanders "Everything is going to change..." he whispered, "from today." Silas released a deep sigh; his gaze drifted off towards Asra and Zerath, standing by his side, and the enormous, tiger-like beast snuggling like a cat with the little girl. ''... This shall be the foundation for a new world.'' Silas smiled and stepped up, his eyes scanning all the people staring him down with faces filled with confusion, fear, and doubt, watching him in silence, some still gripping makeshift weapons, while others clutched their loved ones tightly. "As you can see! Not all creatures that have evolved as a result of nature''s unexpected happenings are vile and atrocious!" Silas announced "Some of them are that hound of Mr. Smith, which can be harmful to you and your surroundings, but there are also some like this one, loyal to their partners and a blessing to your lives!" Silas''s words hung in the air like a spark in a room full of kindling. Some of the people''s eyes softened, the suspicion in their gazes beginning to fade, but there were others who remained sceptical, their brows still furrowed in doubt as they watched Silas with a frown. "You have two choices," Silas declared; his tone was cold. "Live in fear, hiding from every shadow, every roar in the night!" Silas observed their shaking pupils and colour drained from their faces, "Or step forward! Learn! Adapt! Understand!" He took another step toward them, his eyes shining like a tsunami. "If we reject everything new that walks into our lives, then we won''t survive the future changes brought by nature!" He clenched his fist, and raising it, he shouted, "The nature isn''t going to wait for us to adapt! We have to adapt to the nature, and we have to adapt fast! We can survive; we can thrive!!!" With that he turned back towards the little girl, and bending down to the little girl''s eye level, he questioned, "What''s your name?" "Zara..." she softly replied with a tiny smile as she saw Silas. Silas warmly nodded, "Then Zara, would you like to make a deal?" "A deal?" the little girl innocently questioned, "What do you want, brother?" "I don''t want anything, haha," Silas chuckled. "I was asking if you want to form a deal with your big cat." "With kitty?!" She questioned in surprise, and Silas nodded and explained, "The kitty will always be with you and protect you from bad dogs, but you need to feed her good food daily. Do you agree?" "I do!" The girl immediately agreed without even a hint of hesitation. Silas chuckled and observed her palm was hurt a bit with a wood splinter stuck on her finger, leaking out some blood. "Then place your hands over her nose."Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel. The little girl did as instructed; the beast immediately licked her hand, absorbing some drops of that little girl''s blood. In an instant it was as if the world outside of the space between the little girl and that beast had just vanished. The vision and senses felt like they had synchronised for a moment, strange threads binding the souls of the two together into one; on the outside, people all over the place could see mist-like purple energy coming out of the beast, which submerged with the silver aura surrounding the little girl. "What is happening..." "It''s magical..." "What''s that strange thing..." People were confused, and suddenly all aura coming out from the two just vanished, and they snapped out of their blank state. "Kitty!!!" The girl exclaimed, feeling strange joy; she felt extremely energetic, her eyes and mind seemed to have just awakened with pupils shining in a silvery glow. ''Species - Phantomclaw Tiger Grade - Yellow Width: 2.5 meters Length: 6 meters State: Agitated Tamer: Zara Sanders Strength: Sonic Roar, Night Vision, Phantom Claw Weakness: Noise Sensitivity Speciality: A race known for strong territorial instinct, known for strong protective instincts towards their packs, and don''t like to be isolated from their pack.'' "Success..." Silas smiled and once again turned towards the crowd of people and declared, "You all can also do the same; we change ourselves, we change the future!" Silas observed all those surprised gazes and raised his fist; he announced, "We gain a future!!!" The whole place was strangely silent; the faces of people seemed unreadable and chaotic. They were all dazed and silent, but the silence broke out. "Oo¡­ ooooaaaaaahhhhhh!!!" a man suddenly yelled out; his scream was like a spark igniting dry leaves. "They can be tamed?!" "What the hell?! If creatures like this will protect us instead of harming us, then that will be..." "Amazing!" "It''s fantastical..." People burst out in excitement, yelling out with bright grins; some were still suspicious, some shocked, and many incapable of accepting such sudden new information after living in peace for centuries. ''It''s understandable that it will be difficult to make sudden changes in their lives, but mere difficulty is nothing in the face of death. I hope more people step up and learn to live in the new world than avoid it...'' Silas''s deep gaze observed them all, but being surrounded by answers to all mysteries, he was still unaware of the future that has yet to come. ******* A few days have passed since Silas performed that miraculous act in front of all the people; he was surrounded and had to answer many questions, hide many answers, and avoid various statements. But even as a few days have passed now, there haven''t been many changes as Silas was expecting there to be, though people were impressed they were still cautious for their lives and their families. Not everyone was a daredevil; most were accustomed to easy lives, afraid of change. Silas also didn''t intervene; he just planted the seed in their mind and left it at that. The only thing different in their current daily lives is the addition of some new members in the house. "Big brother! I brought you snacks!!!" Zara, the little girl, suddenly jumped over the roof of the house while riding her huge beast, ''The Kitty,'' with some snack packets in her hands. "Much grateful," Silas smiled as he accepted the snacks she brought; the tiger padded silently beside him, its tail swaying slowly. The wild rage that he encountered firsthand had faded from its eyes, replaced by calm vigilance. "Guess you''re not so bad after all," Silas muttered with a small grin. "Just a big, overprotective sister, huh?" The tiger huffed, as if in agreement. She didn''t need chains or cages. Respect was the only leash she needed. It just silently took a seat over the corner of the roof. Silas and Zara also sat down while leaning on the warm fur of a huge tiger, staring at red skies over sunset along with Asra and Zerath. The Zara and her family have moved into Silas''s house after the previous house they were refuging in got destroyed. Their own house was in shambles because when this huge tiger got into a rampage inside trying to free itself from the room it was locked inside. She accidentally destroyed the whole house, leaving it in no state to reside in. So Silas''s family took them in; coincidentally, Silas''s mother and Zara''s mother were friends because both fathers were in the same golf club, hence being old friends, and now Silas was guiding this little girl personally while awaiting the night. Because the night was going to mark one of the greatest pillars of foundation for the new world ''Mass Awakening...'' Mass Awakening It was a time of stars filling up the night sky; the whole neighbourhood was strangely quiet; everyone was asleep, yet a few woke up with uneasy feelings in their hearts. Even Phantom Claw Tiger of Zara¡ªnormally stoic¡ªlifted its head abruptly, ears twitching, eyes narrowed at the darkness pooling in the distance. Zara, who had been deep asleep, suddenly widened her eyes, sensing unease in her beast''s heart; her pupils lit up in silver light in the dark as her gaze fell over Silas standing on the balcony outside of her room. "... Big Brother?" She muttered, and her feet slowly landed on the ground underneath; she stood up, making her way forward, her little hands rubbed the fur of her cautious beast. ¡°Kitty feels strange... Is something bad happening?¡± she questioned Silas didn''t answer immediately. Asra and Zerath quietly climbed over the balcony with their gazes scanning the sight in the front. "The time is here..." Silas muttered, with a serious look on his face, and just the next instant, suddenly both Silas and Zara noticed a strange, colourful aura surrounding the neighbourhood-like aurora in the skies. The quiet night was interrupted by sudden uncommon noises emerging from all over the place. Across the settlement, faint glows began to pulse from within creatures¡ªpets, livestock, and wild animals skittering across rooftops. Their bodies trembled violently as if their very essence was being rewritten. "Welp¡­ welp..." "Bark! Bark! Bawoooo!!!" "Sccrrrrr!!!" "Bruuuuu!!!" Some whimpered softly, while others growled and hissed, as their bodies shifted under the light. ¡°Silas...?¡± Zara''s voice carried a note of unease as she hid behind Silas''s back. And just then a sharp, bone-cracking howl split the air. "Awwoooooooo!!!!" "We need to move!" Silas immediately commanded, he grabbed the metal rod from Asra''s fangs and leaped out of the balcony, landing straight over the roof ahead. "Kitty! Protect the house, guard Zara and others!" Silas commanded before he left; the beast did as instructed, lifting Zara under its teeth. She took her inside the dark room with eyes lit up with cold traces of predator. ''Ase in the surroundings has just reached a level that is high enough to force awaken most of the creatures on earth tonight; an insane amount of beasts will be awakening tonight. I can''t say much about the world, but there is surely a way to protect my own surroundings!'' Silas''s eyes scanned with a resolute look in his eyes. "There!" He spotted the danger, over a room inside some house, a hound with eyes glowing red, jaws dripping with blackened saliva. Its muscles bulge unnaturally beneath its fur. With a snarl, it lunged at a man dragging a water bucket inside his bathroom. "Aaaaaahhhhh!" The man spotted the creature but could only scream in horror. Before the beast could bite his head off, a metal rod shot through the glass doors of the balcony, piercing the beast''s head and pinning its corpse to the wall beside him." "Barely..." Silas muttered as he landed softly over the balcony of that man''s house. Asra and Zerath immediately lunged inside the room and pulled out the metal rod along with the corpse of that hound. "You okay, Charles?!" Silas recognised him; the other man seemed seemingly blank in his mind but nodded along quietly in a daze as he fell down on the floor with knees feeling weak.This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there. ''... I don''t have time to calm him down.'' Silas thought with a frown, before leaving, he closed the curtains. "Hide behind the door..." He instructed and left, ''The effects of awakening are way faster than expected; the good news is that most beasts that awaken tonight are of the weakest ''Grey'' grade, but even so, even the lowest grade beasts can kill normal people who aren''t even basically capable of fighting.'' "We need to move faster!" he instructed, looking at Asra and Zerath, who had already devoured the corpse of a whole hound in seconds while still moving along. ''They are also growing...'' Silas noticed his wolves; their fur seemed to have become longer, along with their bodies, though the changes were almost unnoticeable. They were still there; in the middle of the tension, there was still an achievement and hope in Silas''s eyes. He tightened his grip over the metal rod and commanded "Asra, take charge of the left, and Zerath over the right. We need to assist as much as possible tonight!" As he commanded, they immediately split up. And the night of chaos continued; there were endless battles. Unlike the first night in the new world, where only a few strong beasts had an awakening, tonight was the night of mass awakening, where weaker beasts, but in insane numbers, were awakening worldwide. There was no way of knowing what was happening in the outside world, but from what Silas could see from here, it was utter chaos. These weak beasts carried the strength of barely a strong adult human, yet they had the nature of fierce beasts; it was a tough job to protect everyone. "Ahhhhhhh!!!!" There were times when Silas couldn''t reach people in time; many lost their limbs under the sudden attack from beasts near them. "Ah... Grr... Hhhh..." Some even died before Silas could reach them; there was a limit to how fast he could have been, but there weren''t just deaths and losses. "Raaaaaawwwwrrr!" Silas also met a few who remained sane, and instead of killing and raging destruction to their surroundings, they instead fought to protect the humans around them. They clashed against other beasts who had fallen into a frenzy to protect their companions. "Die, you fucker!!!" Silas watched as humans picked up the courage when it was their own families that were now in danger; they fought back the danger of awakened beasts. Tonight, Silas witnessed the first battle where humans and beasts fought side by side against the darkness, frenzy, and corruption. But there were also times when mere bond and courage weren''t enough, because there were also beasts above grey grade, strong as fierce tigers in the wild. "Asra! From the left!!!" But Silas was there to take them down, as he commanded. Asra stuck its fangs over the throat from the back of an enormous bear-like black beast with a huge white mark over the chest. "Zerath! Grab its leg!" The black wolf immediately stuck its enormous fangs inside the bear''s thick leg, making it lose its balance. "Die!!!" Silas screamed, taking advantage of momentum as he crushed the beast''s skull by thrusting both metal rods in his hands straight through the beast''s skull. "Fuu..." he sighed with relief, and taking out the rod from the skull, as the beast''s body fell down lifeless, he slashed open the chest of the beast, and placing his arm inside, he took out something like a glowing stone from inside its chest. "There was one even on this one..." Silas remarked as he crushed that stone under the grip of his hand, absorbing all the energy released from the inside of that stone. This was a new discovery, the existence of ''Soul Core'' or so Silas decided to name it; all awakened beasts have this strange crystal inside their body. It could come in different shapes like stone, crystal, or pearls; they contain the energy of Ase and vitality, which can be absorbed by crushing them. Zerath was the first one to find this, as he gave it over to Silas, like that Silas continued to crush and absorb dozens of these while body-frenzied beasts were devoured by the pups, and by the time the sun came back to the skies in the morning Silas was dead tired, sitting over the roof of an apartment building, soaked in blood, with metal rods in his hands that had long broken and turned dull. He sat there, taking deep breaths as blood dripped from his clothes. Two wolves stood behind him like silent sentinels. They were little pups that barely reached his knees just a night before, but after devouring hundreds of corpses overnight, the pups have already grown into young wolves. Asra''s fur was pure white, sleek and smooth, with faint silver streaks running along his spine. His golden eyes glowed softly in the fading night, calm yet watchful. Zerath was his shadow, with jet-black fur that seemed to swallow the light. His icy blue eyes pierced through the morning haze, sharp and predatory. Though opposite in colour, the two wolves mirrored each other in size and strength¡ªsilent guardians at Silas''s side. "It was a long night..." Silas muttered as a vision of his tired eyes slowly came back to him; he lifted his head, scanning the surroundings. Unlike a day before, he could see a lot of change in the day, today. He could see enormous beasts flying over the large skies in a friendly manner, the evolved beasts standing over the roofs and balconies along with their human companions, full of relief and smiles. The whole place was coloured crimson with blood overnight, but the change was there. One night, that changed the whole world upside down. The leader ''Name - Silas Bianchi Age: 24 Race: Human Title - Prime Awakened Beast - 2 Lunar Wolves Skill - Regeneration (Tier 3)'' "Nothing much changed here, huh..." Silas muttered as he watched the reflection and with a sigh as he casually crushed the tough rock into powder with a mere grip of fingers. ''But it''s clear my physical abilities have grown way above a normal human''s; yesterday, by the end of the night, I was capable of crushing the skull of yellow-grade beasts with my raw fist in a single strike.'' Silas smiled, making his way out, and stepping down, he arrived at the hall of his house, which was now filled with a crowd of people. "There he is..." "We can start the discussions then." "There is are so many issues..." "Make space!" The moment he arrived downstairs, all the attention of people moved over towards him, but Silas didn''t flinch; instead, he arrived there with a calm demeanour and addressed the crowd. "Let''s get on with future discussions!" Silas announced, "Let''s make sure we are on the same grounds, so is it clear that we all have decided to not leave this place?" None in the crowd denied the statement and just nodded silently, "So as decided before, we shall remain united until the world can get back on its feet again." The people nodded, "But what are you going to do about the food problem?" Suddenly one of the people in the crowd raised the issue. "That''s what we are here for; currently our settlement is facing issues of lack of food. By current standards, we have just enough food to survive about 1 more week; by that time everyone should familiarise themself with the beasts they have tamed and learn to command them for future needs." Silas explained, "It''s inevitable for some of us to leave the place and search for some food reserves outside of this place; we can target grain reserves in the city and stores. We will buy it if they are selling; we will loot it if they aren''t. It''s just that kind of world now. We will explore the situation with the world outside; if the government hasn''t adapted to the new reality, then it''s foolish to rely on them. We will decide what to do after we assess the situation outside, but for now we have to decide who will be going outside to secure the goods." The people started to murmur and discuss among themselves. "I will help!" "I have some connections with grainery managers." "I can help out too." "Me too!" Many people raised their hands to assist in a time of need; surviving last night had shaken many, but there were also many who gained the courage to stand up for themselves in the new world and the true realisation of how dangerous it was for them now. made them come out of their shells to learn and liveThe story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement. ''Thankfully, most homes have solar panels; we won''t have problems with basic electricity.'' Silas released a deep sigh and took out a notepad. "Very well then, 1, 2, 3... 9... 12, so about 12 people will be heading out, including me; let''s decide on the leader too." Silas stated, "Outside we will have to make some serious decisions, so who is the leader?" The whole crowd remained silent as if they were confused; they looked around at each other with no words in mind before anonymously coming to a common decision. "It''s you, isn''t it?" "Silas should lead!" "He had good decision-making skills; let the man lead!" "After all this is over! We will turn you into the mayor of the city!" People laughed lightly, and it was clear who was the leader. Silas just chuckled; it wasn''t a surprise even for him. He was the first to save; he was the first to lead; that was clear. Silas nodded and placed the notepad aside; a serious expression filled his face. "Okay, now to the immediate issue, about the beasts you have tamed." Silas began, his voice steady. "I know many of you are still uncertain about how to handle them. Some of you managed to bond with them naturally, while others are still struggling. That¡¯s normal. These creatures weren¡¯t meant to exist in our world until recently. But now, they¡¯re part of it and part of us." A few in the crowd nodded; others shifted nervously. "Make sure there is common respect from both sides; the beast is your companion and partner, not a tool or slave." Silas explained, "While you may have performed the taming ceremony with them, they can still betray you if your bond grows extremely weak or you keep treating it badly. They are also like people with emotions, so make sure you treat them right." The crowd seemed to grow a bit hesitant, Silas noticed, and continued the explanation. "Also, remember¡ªthese beasts are evolving just like us. The bond you share can strengthen your abilities, and vice versa. Some of you may have already noticed slight physical changes. Maybe you feel faster, stronger, or more alert. That¡¯s no coincidence. The closer your beast is to you, the more their strength bleeds into your own. Treat them like a partner, not a pet." A younger woman spoke up from the crowd. "Will the beasts grow stronger?" Silas smiled faintly. "They will, not just the ones you tamed but also the ones who are out running wild; that''s why we need to tame as many beasts as we can right now while they still haven''t grown stronger." ''I can''t explain to them about grades among the beasts; people will panic... They barely survived against the lowest-grade beasts, who would be willing to learn if they knew there were beasts stronger than the ones they faced.'' Silas buried the secrets in his silence. "For now, everyone with a bonded beast will focus on basic commands and strengthening your connection. As for those without beasts¡­" Silas paused for a moment, glancing toward the door leading outside. "Your time will come soon. There are still many beasts roaming out there. Some of you will bond naturally during fights; others by chance. If you see an opportunity, take it. In this world, not having a beast puts you at a disadvantage." The room fell silent as his words sank in. "Any other questions?" Silas asked, but the room remained silent. "Good. We¡¯ll meet again at dusk. Make sure you familiarise yourself with your beasts by then. If anyone needs help or advice, come to me directly." Silas stepped forward and addressed the volunteers who would be heading out. "For those going with me to secure food, we leave at first light two days later. Be ready." With that, the meeting concluded, and Silas let out a quiet breath. The crowd slowly left his house, with a few still there to discuss their doubts. After resolving everything, he fell down on a seat, with a map running inside his mind as he considered various factors and locations he could secure the food from. "Silas..." his mother, who had been observing him, couldn''t help but look at him with worried eyes, "He will be fine," but Silas''s father assured her in silence. The next day, Silas started to gather the volunteers to watch the coordination with their beasts firsthand. They went out on a run, and time was spent along with the beasts. This helped everyone familiarise themselves with their beasts while also assuring other people without beasts that these beasts were safe, calming down their nervousness and suspicions. And before everyone realised it, they were already starting to adapt to their new lives, and finally the morning came. "Get moving! Move! Move!!" Riding in huge trucks and large vehicles, led by Silas, all the volunteers set out from the hill settlement, making their way to the city to secure the food for everyone. Thrill "Get moving! Move! Move!!" Riding in huge trucks and large vehicles, led by Silas, all the volunteers set out from the hill settlement, making their way to the city to secure the food for everyone. The journey was unlike anything they had made before; moving through their quiet but alive neighbourhood, their vehicles moved through the curvy roads that led to the city region from this hilly residence. The area up to a mile from the hills to the city was always quiet because of the lack of human residence; it was just surrounded by greenery and trees with empty paths. After a few days of chaos, it felt like it had already been months since they had seen this path again; every time they felt so weird, with constant caution towards their surroundings, a fear that suddenly an evolved beast would jump out of the woods and attack their vehicles. But led by Silas, there was somewhat of a relief in their eyes; Silas also felt somewhat assured leaving the place as Zara and her Phantom Claw Tiger were still stationed back at home, capable of dealing with most variables that might come their way. "Charles!!!" Silas suddenly shouted out from his car windows; the person driving a truck right behind him momentarily closed his eyes; his vision seemed to be shared with his tamed eagle-like beast flying above the trucks in the sky. Inspecting the surroundings with the eyes of his beast, he reported, "No issues!!!" Silas nodded and glanced over at his two young wolves sitting right beside him and on the trunk of the truck. "Be cautious..." he commanded before accelerating the vehicle as they finally arrived outside of the woods. Normally the woods are dangerous with fear of wild creatures everywhere, but escaping the woods without issue made them even more cautious of what might be in the city. And finally they reached the outer region of the city, but the whole city was strangely quiet, and not just quiet; the smell of blood and flesh everywhere made it disturbing to even be here. The city that used to hum with life now sat dead, frozen in time. Faded billboards hung loosely from steel frames, creaking as the wind tugged at their edges. The only sound was the steady rumble of engines and the crunch of tires on the ground. No people. No cars moving. Nothing but empty streets and hollow buildings, their broken windows like dead eyes watching from the shadows. Silas leaned forward in his seat, eyes narrowing as they passed by a gas station, its glass doors shattered and the pumps dented. The signs of struggle were everywhere¡ªbullet casings glittered faintly on the ground, and the walls wore dark stains of blood that no one needed to question. The deeper they went, the worse it got. Cars left abandoned in the middle of intersections, some flipped on their sides, others burnt down to their frames. A few still had their doors wide open. On the walls, spray-painted messages screamed out at them. TURN BACK MONSTERS AHEAD, DON''T GO RUN AWAY! GET INSIDE MILITARY DOME Silas¡¯s grip tightened on the wheel as they rolled by a checkpoint¡ªwhat was left of it, at least. And this is where their true chaos was witnessed. Silas and a few others were left in absolute daze and disgust as they witnessed that sight, corpses of humans lying everywhere with many corpses of beasts. Their limbs were missing, some had their heads crunched away, and many crushed to the point their bodies were unrecognisable, an absolutely gruesome sight; the smell of blood and decay still lingered all over the place.If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it. The people besides Silas couldn''t help but narrow their eyes and steel themselves; many even vomited on the spot, feeling extremely sick, but just as Silas was thinking this sight was the danger, his wolves stirred beside him, their ears twitching with their eyes scanning the surroundings around them. ¡°We¡¯re not alone,¡± Silas muttered under his breath before once again starting his vehicle, which carefully avoided that bloody path ahead. Charles¡¯s eagle circled high above, but even through its eyes, the city looked deserted. Not a single soul walked those streets. It was too quiet. As they made their way past an old market square, overturned stalls and rotting fruit lay scattered everywhere. ''We are almost at the grainery...'' Silas sighed, and making their way past the chaotic roads, they arrived at a huge grainery made up of concrete walls. They parked their trucks outside and quietly stepped outside, quite alert and cautious of their surroundings. "There is no one here..." someone from the group muttered as he looked around, no security, no people, no nothing. "The whole city has fallen..." "We were thinking we had it worse, but there is a whole apocalypse going on in the world outside." "Is humanity even going to survive?" "What the hell did the world come to..." Everyone frowned, gritting their teeth, but no solution was visible to their eyes right now. "Let''s get moving! Move! Move!" Silas''s loud voice broke the strange, depressing silence that was overtaking the atmosphere, and while hanging his hands over the truck''s metal frame, he commanded. "Let''s think about world peace when our stomachs are full! Seems like the option to buy things isn''t here! Just grab as many bags of grains as you can and get moving! Fast!!!" "Yeah..." "We don''t have time! Get moving!" "Fast!" "Fast!!!" Silas took the lead, crushing the lock on the building with his mere fist, and everyone rushed in, with enhanced physical abilities carrying a few dozen kg worth of weight was not that much of a tough job. But even inside they noticed many bags of grains were torn apart with traces of the monster''s visit here, but in silence everyone agreed to not question things now. They quickly grabbed the grains and filled up their trucks with as many bags of grains as possible and after filling up 12 trucks full of grains, they closed the trunks and the doors is that grainery "Let''s get moving fast!" Silas remarked, signalling everyone to get moving. They nodded, and starting their trucks, everyone charged forward at full speed with a face full of sweat and blood, jumping up and down across their bodies. The sound of engines roared through the air, the trucks pushing forward as the convoy surged out from the city, everyone keeping his foot on the gas, hands steady on the wheel, but heart pounding hard in the chest. Silas was the one furthest in the back, keeping an eye out for any danger; not for one moment did anyone dare to look back once they charged forward in their vehicles. But despite all the tension, nothing happened, even as they crossed the whole city. Their heartbeats seemed to stabilise; even Silas sighed with relief, "Sigh..." But just then his eyes fell over the side mirrors; there was nothing but empty road behind them, but tension too heavy in the air. Suddenly, a low growl echoed through the air, barely audible over the sound of the trucks, but enough to send a chill down everyone¡¯s spine. Silas¡¯s eyes snapped to the rearview mirror, his heart skipping a beat. "Charles!" Silas shouted, his voice tight. "What''s behind us?" Charles¡¯s voice immediately shouted back, strained and sharp. "I don¡¯t know! It¡¯s... too many! They¡¯re coming out of the trees!" Before Silas could respond, suddenly Silas''s truck was tackled with a huge black goat-like beast with its whole body covered in black, heavy fur and two enormous horns growing backwards. "Fuck!!!" Silas cursed, and his truck almost lost its balance, crashing into the woods, but he gained the balance and accelerated the gears As he looked back through his side mirror, Silas noticed more than dozens of similar beasts stepping out of the woods, all charging forward towards the trucks running on the road. The sound of the mass crowd of those creepy creatures was enough to make the blood run cold. "Go! Go! Go!" Silas¡¯s voice thundered through the chaos. His foot slammed harder on the accelerator, speeding forward; the others did the same, charging their vehicles at full speed. The chase continued all the way, and with time they started losing sight of those beasts, but just as they thought they had escaped suddenly, a figure suddenly landed straight over Silas''s truck''s hood. "Ahhhhhh!!!" Silas covered his face as his truck suddenly came to a halt, and glass from the front windscreen fell all over him; the airbag barely saved him. And in front of his eyes was the beast¡ªa hulking, twisted creature with glowing red eyes¡ªits sharp jaw dripping with saliva as it stared straight at Silas with something like a grin. Silas''s eyes narrowed, full of frown and crazy heartbeats, as he looked straight into the eyes of that creature with rage boiling up in his eyes. "Another crazy fuck..." Stay down!!! "Another crazy fuck..." Silas cursed, but his eyes widened right next instant as the beast''s head immediately rushed over towards Silas''s head inside through the shattered front glass of his car. "Shit!!!" Silas cursed and immediately pushed his seat further back, utilising the recliner to place his body as far away as he could. "Silas?!" "Shit?!" "It''s huge!" "Move! Move!!!" The people who came along with Silas suddenly stopped their trucks, seeing Silas in a tough spot, their faces drenched with horror and shock. The beast instantly tried to grab Silas with its enormous two fangs peeking out of the corners of its mouth but remained unsuccessful; the saliva leaking from its mouth was all over Silas''s body, but its fangs couldn''t reach his head with a mere distance of a few little inches. "... Fuuu..." At that moment, insane relief washed over Silas, but seeing the several trucks stop, the beast who had failed in capturing Silas turned its attention towards them. Silas''s eyes instantly widened the moment he noticed that and immediately grabbed the metal rod from the Asra''s fangs, who was sitting beside him. "Run!!!! Go! Go! Go!!!" Silas commanded, and removing his seatbelt, he instantly leaped out of his seat toward the beast with its front legs right over his truck; his arms flashed like a bolt of lightning and pierced right through the front leg of that beast, whose attention was diverted towards his allies. "Grr-rrrrr-rrrrr-rrrroooohhhh!!!" The beast screeched, but Silas didn''t release his grip over the metal rod; he clung to his legs like glue. Asra and Zerath also jumped out of the vehicle. Both immediately grabbed the back legs under their fangs, and pulling it back, they crashed the beast''s head right over the floor. Silas immediately took his metal rod out and once again pierced further up around the chest of that beast. "Run!!! I will be back! Run!!!" Silas commanded the people who followed him; they all had basic grey-grade beasts. There was no chance of them providing any help without severe casualties. "You are of no help! Fuck off from here! I can handle it!!!" Silas shouted as he stood over the back of the beast with two metal rods in his hands, which he pierced perfectly over the back of the beast''s shoulders. "Fck??" "We will be back, Silas! Just hold!!!" "Shit? Shit!!!" "Damn it!" They were helpless, darkened frowns on their faces, and guilt drenched their eyes; they fled away, stepping hard on their gas, accelerating at a fast pace. Silas sighed with relief that they didn''t remain there acting as a distraction, and finally his full focus diverted back over to that beast, "Now then..."If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. "Grow!!! Grrr-rrr--rooh! Roooohhh!" Silas took out the metal rod slowly; the beast screeched in slowly stimulating pain, going berserk every second. It shook its limbs as if life depended on it. Asra and Zerath were forced to release its legs and retreated, but this gave the beast enough time to stand back up again, but Silas wasn''t willing to let go of that opportunity. "Stay down!!!!" He shouted as his left metal rod pierced right over the throat area of that, but with the body of that size, his thick metal rod was like a needle, incapable of killing it in an instant, but Silas also didn''t stop. "I said stay down!!!" he cursed as he thrust another rod and pulled it back again, once again thrusting it right over the throat region, gushing out blood everywhere. "Stay down, you fucker!!!" He shouted, and as he was about to thrust again, the beast tossed him out of its back by jumping like a freak. Zerath caught Silas midair, and taking advantage of momentum, Silas jumped and rode on Zerath''s back and commanded "Asra!" Without a need to say much, Asra instantly rushed towards the beast, and with its sharp fangs, it instantly leaped to bite down the beast''s throat, but the beast jumped back on time, "Fool" Silas chuckled with a cold grin, just as he planned, Asra was just a distraction. "Fuck off!!!" Silas cursed, launching the metal rod in his hand like a javelin, which got stuck right over that beast''s throat, and not waiting for a moment, all three immediately leaped over that beast. With Zerath and Asra ripping the beast''s head into shreds and Silas crushing its skull with raw fists, pouncing on its skull Only when all the moments on its body ceased to exist did they finally stop, leaving its corpse lying down cold on the ground with the body covered in blood everywhere. "Fuu..." Silas sighed and finally took some time to read its information in his mind. ''Species - Iron fang Goat Grade - Green Width: 5 meters Length: 9 meters State¡ªDead Strength: Iron Fangs, Hardened Skull, Group Coordination Weakness ¨C Vulnerable Skin, Poor Mobility Speciality: A creature known for living in large groups, they charge at enemies with enormous force. While formidable alone, they are rarely isolated, often attacking in packs to overwhelm prey with relentless coordinated assaults.'' "Green grade... This explains why it seemed stronger than my expectations." Silas sighed and, with a frown, looked at his swollen fist. "I should have read the information before instead of just punching its skull like that..." His fists seemed to be feeling numb after punching repetitively on that hard skull on the beast, finally relieved now, Silas''s eyes fell over the metal rods; the both were twisted like a loop by now. "... Metal rods are too weak," he murmured with a sigh as he tossed them inside his truck. "Gruff!!!" "Guru!!" Asra and Zerath, already finished devouring the beast, returned to Silas''s side, rubbing their blood-drenched faces over Silas''s head, sniffing him while enjoying some scratches. "How hard-working~" Silas giggled, he was more than pleased to love his two companions, giving them lots of scratches, but the peace didn''t last long as Silas observed the pebbles on the road suddenly shaking because of vibrations on the ground. "Shit..." Silas frowned as his eyes moved over towards the road behind him; far in the distance, he could see the enormous crowd of these similar beasts rushing towards him. ''Species - Fang Goat Grade - Grey Width: 1.5 meters Length: 3 meters State¡ªEnraged Strength: Sharp Fangs, Hardened Skull, Group Coordination Weakness ¨C Vulnerable Skin, Poor Mobility Speciality: A creature known for living in large groups, they charge at enemies with enormous force. While formidable alone, they are rarely isolated, often attacking in packs to overwhelm prey with relentless coordinated assaults.'' There were dozens of them; most were grey grade, but occasionally there were a few rare yellow grade beasts too. Silas''s eyes narrowed with a frown, along with his two wolves, who also started to growl with hostility towards the pack of creepy creatures rushing at them. ''The truck is already busted; even if it worked, I wouldn''t just rush back towards home, leading this bunch of monsters straight back to my home and endangering everyone else''s life...'' Silas frowned, but Asra just took out two more spare metal rods from inside the truck; Silas chuckled, seeing the fighting spirit already lit up in her eyes. "Gruuff!!" "Not like we have any other choice..." Silas chuckled and grabbed the two rods and jumped over the truck unloading the rest of the grain bags that hadn''t fallen down yet, and emptying the truck, turned it over towards the downhill road in the direction of those rushing beasts. "Huppp!" Silas ignited the seat of his vehicle in flames and pushed it downhill towards those beasts. The truck rolled down the hill, and as expected, the moment the truck reached close to the group of beasts, many of them charged right to the truck with their strong skulls, but this time, that metal frame wasn''t just a truck but a time bomb set to explode in flames. The moment the truck came to a sudden halt, flames spread all over the truck, instantly reaching its gas tank, and it exploded, spewing flames and its fragments everywhere in the middle of a crowd of those creepy goat-like beasts. "Charge!" Silas commanded, jumping over the back of Zerath, both arms equipped with metal rods as they charged over towards the swarm of those beasts. "Awwoooooooo!!!" "Wooooooooo!!!" Both wolves released a war cry along with Silas, whose face was wide with fright, and the moment they got close, Silas jumped right over the swarm with his metal rods, instantly taking out two of the beasts with a single thrust, and taking them out, now covered in blood of those beasts, he charged towards the rest of them. "Aaaaaaaaaaaarrrgghhhhhhhh!" His war cry rang like signature doom across all the woods, instilling the fear across all the hearts of those beasts. "Die! You mutt!!!" Symbol of Hope ''This is getting hard...'' Silas noticed as he was fighting against the swarm of those dark fur-covered beasts, the swarm was like the spawn of the devil, massive in numbers and tough to kill swiftly. ''When they work in groups, they have strong coordination, despite knowing their weakness. I can''t utilise all their weaknesses against them with my current limited skill set.'' Silas thought while thrusting metal rods in the back of the heads of two beasts and pulling out once again charged over another one. ''Because of their thick coat of fur, the slashes barely have any impact; even a blunt fist isn''t enough with my current strength; the only thing that works is thrusting sharp metal rods...'' He clicked his tongue, and his gaze went over his wolves. They, on the other hand, were more energetic, but even they were slowly starting to show the signs of exhaustion as time went by. "Tch!" Silas frowned, and his attention was finally drawn to the enormous Soul Core inside the pocket of his pants, which he obtained after killing the first Iron Fang Goat. "... I wanted to absorb when I was alone and relaxed since it had a stage mark over it," Silas muttered as he jumped over the branch of a nearby tree and took out that special marked Soul Core. It was a flat stone-shaped crystal core with a strange black mark imprinted on it. Silas was hesitant, but just then, suddenly, the nearby beasts started to smash their skulls on the tree he was standing on, trying to crush the tree. "Tch!" Silas clicked his tongue. "Whatever!" he cussed and crushed the Soul Core under his hands, and this time it was strange; in an instant, he felt a surge of energy flooding inside his body. "Huh?" But that wasn''t all; it was as if his muscles, tendons, bones, and skin had suddenly obtained a layer of iron over them. ''It can''t be--!'' ''Skill - Ironhide Reinforcement (Tier 1) Type - Active Effect: Skin and muscles subtly harden, granting enhanced durability and resistance to physical damage. Blades struggle to cut deep, and blunt strikes are dulled. The duration and defence increase with skill rank. Current Effect: Enhances your overall defences by 10% and over 35% when the skill is activated, accelerates stamina recovery.'' "Amazing..." Silas muttered in awe, ''So it was indeed a skill after all, like regeneration? I can obtain skills like this too?'' Silas was surprised, but just then the tree suddenly shook again, almost making him fall off in the middle of the swarm of beasts gathered below. "Let''s think about it later..." Silas sighed and once again diverted his attention towards the swarm of beasts, "Attention-seeking retards..." Silas scoffed, and tightening his grip over the metal rods, he jumped down with a roar, "Ironhide Reinforcement!!!"Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon. In an instant it felt like his body was covered in some sort of shell, as if he had reached the prime of his current mortal state. Silas landed straight on the head of one beast, crushing its skull. He flexibly moved over to another one. Instead of exhaustion, he was feeling more energetic while moving forward; the punches, which were taking a toll on him, felt much more relaxed and powerful, whilst he needed to punch twice to crush their skulls till now; just one punch was enough to end their souls now. "Ride on the flow!!!" Silas commanded with a grin; his wolves followed it. "Gruff!!!!" "Wooooooo~" They charged ripping off those beasts in front of them; there seemed to be some sort of synergy between them. Just like Silas, they also seemed much more energetic; exhaustion tiring them felt to be loosening up. ''Is my skill also shared with my beasts?? I never saw them receive serious wounds, so it''s possible my regeneration skill never activated around them, but I can definitely feel they are more active and free...'' Silas noticed there was a sudden change of mood on the battlefield. The three who seemed to be fighting cautiously and defensively suddenly started to charge like frenzy warriors; of course, they received some charges, but the effects were almost negligible. "Crush these ma ma black sheep!!!!" Silas grinned while raining blood across the whole area. Metal rods pierced through skulls like needles into fabric, and Silas danced between the beasts like a ghost clad in iron. His body felt unbreakable, fists hammering through fur and bone with raw, relentless force. Each step forward left another corpse behind, and the wolves mirrored his savagery, tearing through the swarming beasts without hesitation. By the time the last beast dropped, gasping its final breath beneath Silas''s boot, the road was unrecognizable. A mountain of mangled corpses lay stacked upon each other, their glassy eyes reflecting the faint rays of the sun peeking through the branches. "Hahh... Huff... Haaah..." Silas exhaled slowly, his muscles throbbing in pain now as the effects of his skill had washed away. The sweat fell down his forehead, full of blood across his face. With a grunt, he sat down at the highest point of the pile, full of exhaustion. ''Crazy bastards... To think they will remain in such a frenzy that they would jump over corpses of their own kind to try and kill their target...'' Silas sighed, ''Considering them living beings is foolish; they are just killing machines...'' Silas scoffed, and his eyes fell over the scenery he had created with his own hands, carcasses lying dead everywhere and thick blood dripping from the leaves of the trees nearby; the humid air was full of the scent of blood. And the two wolves devouring the flesh in a corner. It was almost beautiful in a twisted way. Finally the faint hum of engines brought Silas back to a subtle state of consciousness. The convoy returned, trucks rumbling down the road as the people who had fled returned with even more people and weapons in their hands, many with even guns in their hands. Their vehicles slowed to a crawl as they approached the scene, eyes widening in disbelief at the sight awaiting them. Silas sat atop the mound of bodies, like a king on a throne of flesh. His face was calm, his eyes half-lidded, with blood dripping from the corners. The wolves stood up, licking the blood from their fur. Charles stepped out first, his boots sinking slightly into the mess of blood beneath him. "Holy shit..." His voice trailed off as he took in the destruction. The others followed, some unable to mask their disgust while others simply stared in awe. "You took them all down yourself...?" Charles asked, still processing the carnage. Silas shrugged. "Better than letting them follow me back home..." A faint chuckle left Charles''s lips as he shook his head. "Unbelievable..." "Believe it." Silas sighed as he jumped down from the mountain of corpses and, pointing over the bags of grains at the upper area of the road, instructed, "Grab the grains." They nodded, and Silas quietly took a seat inside the truck closest to him. The two wolves jumped back over the trunk of the truck, and Charles geared up the vehicle, and with that, the convoy returned to their homes in the hills safely. "..." A crowd had gathered around Silas''s house. As the vehicles returned, Silas''s parents stepped out of their homes, with their eyes scanning for Silas in the seats of all those vehicles. "Silas?" It was only as Silas stepped out that their eyes finally felt relaxed and relieved. His mother couldn''t even take a moment away from her son in such a situation; she rushed in, and without care for all the blood he was drenched in, she immediately covered her child in her hands with a warm hug. "Mum..." Even Silas was quite taken aback, but he needed it. He wasn''t some Incarnate of a thousand-year war general. Just another young man who knew more than others... "... I''m fine." He felt relief in that embrace, the weight and burden lifting off his body, "Bring in the water!!!" His father instructed, and the people around immediately rushed in to help, showering him with several water pipes with a good thrust of water, washing off all the blood that drenched his body. Now with washed-off blood, he seemed to look like any other ordinary youngster wet like some cat; with a chuckle, he was brought inside to home; the wolves also followed the suit, showering in water. "Gruff!!" "Ruff!" ''How... adorable!!!!!'' But it seems for them there will be a special service. The two wolves looked like any other giant pups to people when they were showered, the dog lovers immediately stepping in, thoroughly scratching their fur and showering every bit of their body. And finally the day ended with minimum casualties and securing some amount of food enough to survive for just a few more weeks, but a symbol of hope... whose existence alone was enough to live for years. ******* Join the discord peasants