I stood up, brushing the mud from my pants. My breathing was steady, only slightly elevated.
I walked to the edge of the pit. Down there, the bear was still alive. Three sharpened ironwood stakes had impaled its abdomen and hindquarters. It let out a stifled groan, trying to rise, but the stakes were driven too deep, pinning its massive frame to the earth.
Black blood began to pool.
I stared at it. There was no joy. No triumphant cheering.
This wasn't a gladiator match. It was problem-solving.
Problem: Starvation & Threat. Solution: Elimination.
Its eyes met mine. Wild. Afraid. It was a living creature. It wanted to survive, just like me.
"Sorry," I whispered. Flatly. "Energy efficiency."
I wasn't going to torture it. Letting it die slowly would only invite other predators, drawn by the scent of blood. I jumped down into the pit, landing on its immobilized back. The bone spear in my hand was raised.
I recalled mammalian anatomy diagrams. The gap between the skull and the first cervical vertebra. The brainstem. The control center. Flip the switch.
SHUK.
The giant body convulsed once. Then, it went limp. Silence embraced the forest once more.
I pulled the spear out. My hands were shaking. Not from the horror of killing. But from adrenaline withdrawal. My body demanded more action, but my brain forced it to stand down.
Now for the most important part.
I used my stone knife to dissect the bear's chest. Slicing through thick layers of fat, separating muscle, until I found its core. A red crystal the size of a fist. Still warm. Pulsing.
The moment my bare skin touched it, the sensation hit. It wasn't 'power' like in the fantasy novels. It was an invasion.
"Argh..."
I let out a low groan. It felt like thousands of microscopic needles piercing my palm, crawling up my arm, seeking out neural pathways, forcing their way into my bone marrow. The crystal wasn't giving me energy; it was rewriting my genetic code.
My cells were forced to mutate. Torn muscles were repaired with denser fibers. Micro-fractures in my bones were patched with harder calcium. My biological system was being hacked.
Update in progress...
Optimization complete.
The pain subsided, leaving behind an alien, cold sensation in my veins.
I slumped down next to the bear's carcass. I steadied my breathing, noticing how much lighter it felt. My lungs were absorbing oxygen with a terrifying efficiency. I reached into my pocket and pulled out a dented pack of cigarettes. Struck a light.
Haaa...
White smoke billowed out, a stark contrast to the metallic stench of blood filling the pit.
Was I becoming stronger? Or was I just losing the "humanity" that held me back? Emotions... empathy... hesitation... All of those were just latency in the process of survival. And this crystal seemed to be slowly patching out that latency.
I pressed a hand to my chest. My heartbeat was slow. Extremely slow. Around forty beats per minute. Like an engine left on idle.
"I'm still alive," I murmured to the silence.
But my definition of "living" had shifted. It was no longer about experiencing joy or sorrow. Life was about function. About caloric input and energy output. About killing before being killed. I stubbed out the cigarette on the bear's thick hide.
The work wasn't done. Skinning. Harvesting the meat. Preserving it. Forget feelings. Focus on logistics.
I stood up, stone knife in hand, ready to work like a nameless butcher.