Moonlight barely pierced the clouds, leaving the field drowned in darkness.
Three blue UAV lights hovered in the air—flickering, struggling—while shadows gathered beyond their reach.
Two of those shadows dissolved.
The dark mist flowed toward one of the lights… and into Seed.
A system screen appeared.
Basic Night Creature absorbed
Basic Night Creature absorbed
Another message followed.
4 Attribute Points gained
Shadow Affinity increased
Then—
Quest Received
Consume 5 Basic Night Creatures to level up
Seed's breath shook.
"What the hell…" he muttered.
"I'm weak. They're waiting for the lights to go out."
A new message appeared.
System Hint
Allocate attribute points in the Attribute Tab
"Attribute tab…?"
He focused.
The screen shifted.
Status
Name: Seed
Race: Human
Level: 1
HP: 8 / 8
Strength: 6
Durability: 1
Stamina: 10 / 10
Agility: 9
Available Points: 4
Even if I hit them, I won't deal damage…
Seed made his choice.
Points allocated to Strength
Strength rose.
Pojay was surrounded.
"They're multiplying," he shouted.
"Hold them back," Nina replied, steady but strained.
Seed gripped his E-rank sword awkwardly, like a club. Wind gathered around the blade.
He swung.
The creature dodged and ripped a massive rock from the ground, hurling it at him.
Seed barely rolled aside.
The rock slammed down behind him, carving a crater into the earth.
"You okay?!" Pojay yelled.
"I need a moment to adapt!" Seed shouted back.
"We only have three minutes left!" Nina warned.
Seed clenched his teeth.
"…Then I'll force them."
He deactivated his UAV light.
The creatures froze—then charged.
Seed swung with everything he had.
The blade connected, sending one creature flying—but pain exploded through his back as another struck from behind.
HP: 4 / 8
A warning flashed.
Emergency Recovery Activated
Shadow Energy assimilation required
Dark mist surged into Seed's body.
The pain dulled.
HP: 8 / 8
Seed staggered—but stayed standing.
Nina struggled as three creatures surrounded her.
The creatures changed tactics.
Two of them tore chunks of earth from the ground and hurled the rocks toward Nina. The impacts slammed into her barrier, sending violent ripples across the surface. She braced herself, channeling light through her sword to reinforce the shield.
Then—
One of the creatures struck her shadow.
Pain exploded across Nina's chest—as if the blow had landed directly on her body. Her breath caught in her throat, knees buckling for a split second.
Shadow attacks bypassed defenses.
Gritting her teeth, Nina widened her barrier, forcing it to cover both her physical body and the shadow beneath her feet. Sweat ran down her face as the strain increased.
The creatures screeched.
They understood.
Their bodies melted downward, slipping into their own shadows. Darkness crawled along the ground, sliding beneath the barrier's edge—where light could not reach.
They emerged inside.
Nina reacted instantly.
She charged forward, pinning one of the creatures between the inner edge of her barrier and the blazing UV light. Its skin hissed and burned as it shrieked in agony.
Without hesitation, Nina drove her sword forward.
The blade of light cut cleanly through its neck.
The creature dissolved into mist.
But she had no time to recover.
Another rock slammed into the barrier from outside, shaking her focus.
A shadow surged upward beneath her.
The strike landed against her head.
White swallowed her vision. The pain was overwhelming—far worse than before. Her body collapsed, strength leaving her as consciousness slipped away.
The remaining creatures closed in.
One of the creatures of the night lunged forward, forcing Pojay to the ground.
Pojay blocked with his sword just in time. Lightning and fire surged along the blade as he drove it upward—straight through the creature's open mouth.
The beast let out a distorted screech before collapsing into mist.
Pojay gritted his teeth.
"I can't believe it… it pushed through the UAV light."
Another creature charged him from the side.
Pojay spun, swinging his sword in a wide arc. Fire and lightning followed the motion, forming a blazing crescent that sliced cleanly through the creature's body.
It split apart before dissolving into shadow.
As the remains faded, Pojay's eyes widened.
Nina lay motionless on the ground.
Two creatures circled her.
"NINA!" Pojay shouted.
Flames erupted from his legs as he launched himself into the air. Lightning gathered around his body as he descended, crashing down between the two creatures in a violent burst of energy.
The shockwave stunned them both.
Pojay didn't hesitate.
He hurled a fireball at the nearest creature, blasting it backward into the range of Nina's UAV light. Its shadowy form burned away, screeching as it vanished.
The last creature tried to retreat.
Pojay surged forward, gripping his sword with both hands. Fire roared along the blade as he brought it down in a powerful diagonal strike.
The creature was cleaved apart.
Silence followed.
Even the light had limits—stronger creatures could force their way through it.
Seed felt more energy flood into him.
Basic Night Creature absorbed
Basic Night Creature absorbed
4 Attribute Points gained
Shadow Affinity increased
Without hesitation—
Points allocated to Agility
Seed moved.
Faster than before.
In one clean strike, he severed the creature's head.
Its essence dissolved into him.
A final screen appeared.
Quest Complete
Consume 5 Basic Night Creatures
Level Up Available
Warning: Evolution is irreversible
"Yes," Seed said hoarsely.
"I don't care."
Evolution Initiated
Pain exploded through his body.
Bones screamed. Muscles burned.
Seed collapsed, unable to move, as his UAV light activated instinctively.
Darkness pressed in.
And something inside him changed.