The air was too still.
Jin Seok-woo forced his breathing to slow, his eyes scanning the alien landscape before him. The sky, a deep and unnatural crimson, stretched endlessly above twisted forests and rivers of molten gold.
He could still see the faint shimmer of the Rift entrance far behind him, but it might as well have been on another planet.
The translucent blue System window hovered silently beside him, the words pulsing softly:
[Mission: Survive. Clear the Rift. Ascend.]
He swallowed hard.
"Focus," he whispered to himself. "One step at a time."
No weapon. No equipment. No skills. Just raw, fragile flesh standing in the middle of the unknown.
Then he heard it.
A low growl, guttural and sharp, rippled through the air. From the twisted trees ahead, two glowing eyes appeared. A creature—twice the size of a wolf—emerged. Its sinewy frame was unnaturally stretched, covered in black, scaly hide. Talon-like claws scraped the earth as it crept closer, teeth bared in a grotesque snarl.
[Threat Detected: Rift Predator — Level 3]
Seok-woo's heart pounded violently.
"I can't fight that..."
The beast lunged.
Instinct—not training—saved him. He dove to the side, the creature's claws slashing through empty air. He hit the ground hard, pain blossoming in his ribs.
Dirt and alien grass clung to his palms as he scrambled to his feet, the growl of the predator circling him like thunder.
Panic clawed at his mind—until the System chimed.
[Emergency Protocol Activated: Instinctive Evolution Unlocked.]
[Choose One Temporary Evolution:]
> 1. Boost Agility (30% increase for 10 minutes)
> 2. Minor Physical Reinforcement (+5 Strength temporarily)
> 3. Predator Awareness (Enhanced reflexes and perception)
Time seemed to slow.
Somewhere deep inside, something stirred. His hand moved almost of its own will as he selected:
Option 3: Predator Awareness.
The effect was immediate.
The wind. The weight of the creature's steps. The tension in its muscles. He could sense it all.
When the beast lunged again, Seok-woo moved.
He wasn't fast enough to dodge completely—the claws grazed his shoulder, hot blood blooming—but he avoided the killing blow. Acting on pure instinct, he slammed his elbow into the side of the creature's neck, staggering it.
[Instinctive Counterstrike Executed: +5 XP]
His breath came in sharp bursts, but his body moved on its own. The Rift Predator circled, slower now. Warier.
"I can do this," he murmured, eyes locked. "I can survive."
The System pulsed once more:
[Temporary Evolution Active. Continued combat will increase Adaptation Rate.]
The Predator roared—and attacked.
This time, Seok-woo met it head-on.
He ducked low, rolling beneath its claws, and with a desperate yell, he drove a jagged rock—ripped from the ground—straight into the creature's eye. The Predator shrieked, twisted, collapsed.
It didn't rise again.
[Enemy Defeated: +40 XP]
[Level Up: Lv. 2]
[Stat Points +3. Skill Points +1]
The System glow bathed him in soft light as warmth spread through his limbs. He could feel it: power, change, growth.
For a long moment, Seok-woo remained kneeling, his breath ragged, his hands stained red.
But slowly—he smiled.
Not because someone saved him.
Not because he had been chosen.
But because for the first time since the world shattered—
He had saved himself.