Mutant awakening: My evolution knows no bounds

Cold sweat trickled down Silas's face. 'Grade 4,' he thought, his heart pounding. Facing one Grade 4 mutant was something he could handle on his own—but there were half a dozen of them now, each more menacing than the last.

Before he could react, one of the orcs lunged forward with blinding speed, its claws slashing down toward him. Silas's eyes widened as he managed, just in time, to raise his scythe and block the brutal attack.

*CLANG!*

'What the...'

The impact drove him to his knees, his body trembling under the mutant's overwhelming strength. His arms shook as he fought to hold up his weapon, the weight of the attack pressing down with merciless force.

The mutant raised its clawed hand again before Silas could regain his breath. This time, without any warning, it swung down with full force. Silas leaped back in response, dodging the deadly strike by mere inches.

He landed a few meters away, his eyes scanning the group around him, each figure looming, radiating a feral power that filled the air. 'Not only are they absurdly strong, but they're nearly as fast as I am.' Silas's thoughts raced as his gaze remained fixed on the orcs, his nerves taut. *This... this must be the real power of a Grade 4 mutant.*

He had battled a Grade 4 mutant once before, but even he could tell that these orcs possessed greater strength and speed than the Crazed Chimptant King he had fought during his first evolution quest. A glance to his side revealed Vic, standing there, his face pale with fear.

"Hey, Vic," Silas called, steadying his voice, "those bastards are all Grade 4 except for the bats. So I'll need your support on this."

Vic swallowed hard, his face resolute as he nodded. "Sure thing. Let's do this!" He stomped his foot down, summoning three sharp, earthen spears that rose and hovered in front of him, ready to strike.

"Focus on those bats; I'll handle the orcs," Silas said, his grip tightening on the scythe as he charged forward.

As he dashed toward the group, he spotted three bats screeching loudly as they flew toward him, with two gigantic orcs charging closely behind them.

*SWWOOSSHH!*

A strong gust of wind swept past him as Vic hurled his makeshift spears, each striking a bat squarely in the head. Dark purple blood splattered as the creatures fell lifeless to the ground. Silas, undeterred, pressed forward, his focus zeroing in on the two orcs that advanced, claws poised for another attack.

When they reached striking range, the orcs swung their claws down together, aiming to tear him apart. In the last moment, Silas sidestepped, and their claws missed, digging deep into the floor instead.

He didn't waste the opportunity. With precision, Silas swung his scythe toward the mutants' arms before they could retract them.

[Passive Skill: Soul Slash Activated]

A blue aura flickered around the scythe's blade as it sliced through the mutant's arm, leaving a deep cut. Dark purple blood spurted out, and the orcs howled, yanking their injured limbs back before retaliating with a swift, powerful swipe. Silas dodged to the side, moving gracefully to avoid the claws.

Just then, a flash of red light caught his eye. A laser beam, moving at blinding speed, shot toward him from his right. Silas reacted instantly, raising his scythe to block the beam just in time, though the impact drove him back several meters before he regained his footing. He looked up to see the orc responsible for the attack.

Each orc had glowing red eyes, but one of them stood out, its eyes blazing brighter than the others. It was different—this one had no claws but instead could fire laser beams from its eyes.

'I'll need to watch that one carefully,' Silas thought, crouching low before launching himself forward.

[Active Skill: Lightning Dash Activated]

Activating his skill, Silas accelerated, moving at a speed that left the orcs struggling to track him. In his perception, they appeared nearly motionless, while to the orcs, he seemed to vanish and reappear instantly.

Within seconds, he was within striking distance. Leaping into the air, he swung his scythe toward an orc's head.

But as his scythe descended, the orc's eyes grew brighter until a laser shot out.

*ZAP!*

The beam struck him, sending Silas hurtling back across the room. He crashed hard against a wall, sliding down to the floor, winded.

"They tricked me," he muttered through gritted teeth.

'They made me think only one of them could fire lasers, hoping I'd lower my guard. Turns out they all can.'

"Silas!" Angelica shouted, her face etched with worry as she ran toward him.

"Don't worry about me!" he yelled back, trying to steady himself. "Go help Vic!"

Nearby, Vic continued to battle the bats. The ground around him was littered with bat corpses, yet they kept coming, wave after wave. His energy was draining, his face drenched in sweat as his breathing grew ragged.

Angelica gave Silas a firm nod and sprinted toward Vic. She extended her hands toward three bats approaching them, fingers twitching in concentration.

"Angelica, do something already!" Vic's voice was tight with confusion as she stood there, hands outstretched, but nothing happened.

"Why isn't it working?" she murmured, eyes wide as she struggled to summon her ability. Panic had paralyzed her, rendering her power useless.

Silas clenched his jaw, frustration boiling over. 'She's too afraid to use her ability... there goes one of our few chances.' He shook his head, refocusing on the orcs, and lunged forward.

The orcs unleashed a barrage of lasers as he closed in, but Silas was prepared. Ducking and weaving, he dodged each beam, which singed the floor around him.

When he was close enough, he activated his skill again.

[Active Skill: Lightning Dash Activated]

At his enhanced speed, the orcs seemed frozen, allowing him to maneuver between them. He swung his scythe down toward an orc's leg, severing it cleanly.

Dark purple blood gushed out, and the creature collapsed onto one knee, howling in pain.

Silas gripped his scythe, positioning himself to deliver a finishing blow.

*SLASH!*

But before he could complete the attack, a searing pain shot through his chest as another orc's claw raked across him, the impact launching him backward. He crashed hard against a wall, pain blossoming across his chest as he crumpled to the floor.

[Host has undergone a critical injury]

[Host has undergone a critical injury]

[-20 Soul Points]

[-20 Soul Points]

Notifications flooded his vision, and within moments, he felt his wounds beginning to heal. Gritting his teeth, he pushed himself to his feet, his gaze drifting toward Vic and Angelica.

Vic was still holding his own, though exhaustion etched his features as he struggled against the relentless wave of bats. Angelica remained frozen, her heart hammering as she grappled with her fear.

'Vic's stamina is almost spent, and Angelica's too frightened to use her power… so it's up to me to finish this?' Silas's gaze flicked to the three advancing orcs, their red eyes glinting with malice.

*DING!*

[You have obtained the Realm's Key]

[The Realm's Key allows the host to cancel the evolution quest and leave the realm. Exiting will forfeit all rewards, including evolution.]

'The Realm's Key… I could leave right now,' Silas thought, glancing at the notification he'd received earlier after killing the first bat but hadn't checked. 'But that would mean abandoning them.'

He lingered on the option briefly, before looking up at the three Grade 4 orcs advancing, their malicious eyes fixed on him, their forms towering and imposing.

'Do I really have a chance against them? Or should I just leave?'

"""

A/N:

5 Golden Tickets= 1 extra chapters.

A luxury Car or Massage chair= 2 extra chapters.

A Magic Castle= A mass release of 10-15 Chapters!