In the center of the faculty room, the group sat in a tight circle on the carpeted floor. The only light came from Pyro's lighter, a small, flickering flame that cast long, dancing shadows against the rows of empty desks.
The simple dinner of biscuits had taken the edge off their hunger, but the silence was heavy. Primo knew that if they were going to survive the trip to the hospital shelter tomorrow, they needed to know what they were capable of.
"We should talk about our skills," Primo suggested quietly. "We saw what happened in the gym. If we don't know what we can do, we're just waiting to die."
One by one, they began to open up, and as they did, they shared how they ended up together.
Like Wyn, they were the students who hadn't gone home for the holidays—some because of the cost of travel, others to work part-time jobs. Last night, their dorm had turned into a slaughterhouse. They had heard blood-curdling screams from the first floor and realized mutated beasts had broken in. In the chaos, students grabbed whatever they could and scattered in every direction.
These seven had coincidentally fled toward the university, climbing over the same crumbling section of the wall Primo had used. But the escape had been costly; Pyro's girlfriend, Gwen, had broken her leg during the frantic run.
They had taken refuge in the gymnasium to hide for the night. When morning came, they were too paralyzed by fear to move. It wasn't until nearly noon that the boys finally agreed they couldn't stay forever without food. They left the girls in the bleachers and went to scout the nearby buildings. They had only been gone a short while when they heard the screaming. By the time they rushed back, the python had already cornered them, its body coiling tightly around Gwen.
Then they shared their "System" details.
The first was Pyro. He was a second-year Culinary student. He had suffered a fever for five days. "The system says I have [Low Mana Affinity (Rank E)]," he muttered, staring at the flame. "It let me learn [Fireball (Rank F)]. Gwen... she had [Enhanced Eyes (Rank E)]. She was out for two days."
Next were Alan and Ben. Both had one-day fevers. Alan had [Good Strength (Rank F)], giving him a +1 bonus strenght, while Ben had [Good Eyes (Rank F)]. The girls, Sheena and Myra, also had one-day fevers, gaining [Good Agility (Rank F)] and [Good Ears (Rank F)] respectively.
Then there was Wyn. "I was out for three days," Wyn said, glancing at Primo. "The system gave me [Great Strength (Rank D)]. I guess that's why I could dent that bat."
Primo processed the data. He noticed a pattern: Alan, Ben, Sheena, and Myra had one-day fevers and Rank F skills. Wyn had a three-day fever and a Rank D skill. But Pyro was the outlier—he had a five-day fever, yet his skill was only Rank E.
It seemed the duration of the fever often corresponded to the rank of the skill, though Pyro was an outlier—five days of fever for an E-Rank skill. Maybe Mana-based skills take longer for the body to accept, Primo mused.
Finally, all eyes turned to Primo. He felt the weight of the Mid-Grade core in his pocket and the secret of his S-Rank skill burning in his mind. He looked at Wyn, then at the others. He didn't know these people. In a world where resources were scarce, an S-Rank skill was a target on his back.
"I had the fever for four days," Primo lied smoothly, keeping his voice steady. "I have [Great Ears (Rank D)]. That's how I heard you guys in the gym from outside."
It wasn't a total lie—he did have that skill—but he kept Controlled Assimilation and his Great Nose to himself. He would tell Wyn the truth when they were alone, but for now, caution was his best weapon.
After the introductions, Ben leaned forward, his eyes catching a faint glimmer from Primo's pocket. "Hey, Primo... what was that thing you pulled out of the snake earlier? We saw you digging for it... If it's okay for you to tell us?"
The room went quiet. Primo hesitated, but he realized that if they were going to survive as a group, he couldn't keep them in the dark forever. Secrecy would only breed distrust. He pulled the deep crimson crystal from his pocket, letting it catch the flickering light of the lighter.
"I'll tell you exactly what this is," Primo said, his voice serious. "But I have a condition. Can I have this? In exchange, I'll tell you everything I know about it."
Wyn and Pyro didn't even blink. "Take it," Pyro said firmly. "Without you, we'd all be in that thing's stomach right now. You saved us." The others nodded in quick agreement.
Primo exhaled, relieved. "According to the system, this is a Gene Core. As far as I can tell, every mutated beast has one. I accidentally swallowed a smaller one before I found you guys. It gave me additional status points and something called 'Evolution Points,' though I'm still figuring those out."
The group was stunned. The idea that they could literally absorb the strength of the mutated beast changed everything. The fear in the room shifted slightly, replaced by a spark of hope.
Once the talking was done, they organized a watch rotation. They decided on pairs, two hours each, to ensure someone was always alert. The first watch fell to Primo and Wyn.
As the others drifted into a heavy, exhausted sleep, Primo and Wyn sat by the door, their backs against the wall. They spoke in low whispers, catching up on the terrifying events of the last few days. But as the hour grew late, Primo's expression turned solemn.
"Wyn, I need you to watch me closely," Primo whispered. "I'm going to consume the python's core now. Whatever happens, don't panic and don't wake the others. It's going to look bad, but it'll pass."
Wyn looked worried. "Wait, what do you mean 'look bad'? Is it dangerous?"
"Just trust me," Primo said.
Primo sat in a meditative position. He placed the Mid-Grade crystal in his mouth and swallowed. He took a piece of clean cloth, rolled it up, and bit down on it hard. He didn't want to make a sound.
The reaction was instantaneous and violent.
[Assimilation in progress...]
[Target: Feral Litho-Python Core (Mid-Grade)]
[Status: 5%... 10%...]
Unlike the dog's core, which had been a sharp sting, this was an inferno. Primo felt as if his very marrow was being replaced by molten lead. His muscles cramped so hard they felt like they would snap his bones, and his skin turned a deep, angry red.
Wyn watched in horror. He saw Primo's knuckles turn white as he gripped his pants, his body trembling with the effort of suppressed screams. Sweat poured off Primo's forehead, drenching his shirt in seconds.
The process was agonizingly slow. Because it was a Mid-Grade core, his body was being forced to adapt to a much higher density of essence. For five long minutes, Primo lived through a blur of white-hot pain, his jaw aching from biting the cloth.
Finally, the fire receded. Primo spat the cloth out, his head sagging forward as he let out a long, ragged breath. His body felt heavy, yet pulsing with a new, terrifying layer of power.
[Assimilation Complete]
[Feral Litho-Python Core (Mid-Grade) Absorbed]