The deeper Diablo walked into the forest, the more the world changed.
The air grew heavier, the light thinner, the silence less like peace and more like something waiting. The trees towered over him, their trunks wider than the lab walls, their bark cracked and scarred as if they had been carved many times. Roots snaked across the ground, twisting like veins, sometimes rising above the soil like grasping hands.
Somewhere far off, a low, guttural sound echoed through the air — not a growl, not a cry, but something between the two. Something that had learned to hunt long before humans ever walked this world.
The System's block flickered faintly at the edge of Diablo's vision.
" Environment Stability: Low. "
" Recommend: Caution. "
Diablo's bare feet pressed against the damp earth, the soil cool and soft beneath his soles. The forest didn't feel like the world he knew.
It felt like a place that had never been fully mapped.
A place that remembered things the System had not yet written down.
His fingers curled slightly, the dried blood on them flaking away. The System's frame shifted, the numbers adjusting.
" Blood Essence: 40 / 40 "
" Energy: 56 / 80 "
" Stamina: 22 / 100 "
He exhaled slowly. The air tasted like moss and iron.
Something moved in the underbrush ahead.
The System flickered faster.
" Hostile Signature Detected. "
" Designation: Unknown Predator. "
Diablo's eyes narrowed. He didn't move forward. He didn't retreat. He stepped to the side, pressing his back against the nearest tree trunk, the rough bark biting into his skin. The System's frame updated.
" Cover Acquisition: Confirmed. "
The rustling stopped. Then started again, closer.
A shadow slipped between the trees — low, fast, its body hunched close to the ground. A second later, a pale, angular face emerged from the foliage.
The creature was not a wolf.
It was not a wild beast.
It was something older.
Its body was lean, almost skeletal, its limbs too long, its joints too sharp. The thin layer of fur over its skin gleamed faintly, not from light, but from some kind of unnatural sheen. Its eyes were the color of dirty glass, dull and reflective at the same time.
The System's block flickered.
" Classification Failure. "
" Suggested Designation: Abyssal Predator. "
Diablo's muscles tightened. The creature's head tilted, its jaw opening slightly, the air around its mouth warping as if the temperature had dropped.
The System's frame shifted.
" Threat Level: Moderate. "
" Recommended Action: Suppress / Observe. "
Diablo didn't move.
The creature stepped forward, its claws scraping against the earth, leaving thin, dark lines in the soil. It moved cautiously, as if it had learned that not all prey was easy.
For a second, the System's frame flickered again.
" Blood Essence Detection: Confirmed. "
" Prey: Eligible. "
Diablo didn't engage. Not yet. He watched the way the creature moved, the way it shifted its weight, the way its eyes flicked toward him and then away. It was testing.
A low, guttural sound bubbled in its throat, almost like a word, but not a human one.
Diablo's fingers tightened reflexively.
The creature lunged.
Its movement was faster than the wolf, its body twisting midair, its claws stretching out like blades. The air split with a faint hiss, the System's text flashing.
" Hostile Approach: Confirmed. "
Diablo didn't try to dodge the way he had with the wolf. He didn't move away. Instead, he stepped into the attack, the System's feedback racing.
" Adaptive Response: Active. "
" Speed Adjustment: Applied. "
The creature's claws scraped across his chest, the skin tearing open, the blood welling up almost instantly. Pain flared, sharp and immediate, but the System's frame flickered, overriding it with data.
" Health: 54 / 100 "
" Stamina: 20 / 100 "
" Blood Essence: 40 / 40 "
Diablo's hand lashed out. The System's frame lit up.
" Blood Essence Channeling: Active. "
" Crimson Predation: Target Lock. "
A faint, blood‑red aura flickered around his fingers, the System's text aligning.
" Target: Abyssal Predator. "
" Blood Essence Extraction: In Progress. "
The creature shrieked, the sound tearing through the forest, the unnatural light in its eyes flaring. Its body twisted, the claws slashing again, the air crackling.
Diablo's free hand caught its forearm, the System's text flickering.
" Grip Secured. "
For a moment, the two locked in place — man and monster, predator and evolution.
Diablo's eyes met the creature's glass‑like gaze.
The System's frame updated.
" Blood Essence Extraction: Complete. "
The Abyssal Predator collapsed, its body twitching, the unnatural sheen over its skin fading. The System's block stabilized.
" Rounds: 1 "
" Blood Essence: 40 / 40 "
" Energy: 62 / 80 "
Diablo let the body fall to the ground, the soft thud lost in the thick underbrush. His wounds began to close slowly, the flesh knitting together, the System's frame flickering once more.
" Recovery Rate: Low. "
" Blood Essence Regeneration: Active. "
The forest seemed to exhale around him. The faint rustling in the distance paused, the low growls quieting for a moment. As if the creatures had felt something change.
The System's block flickered faster.
" Threat Density: Increasing. "
" Recommended Action: Move Deeper. "
Diablo pushed away from the tree, his body moving forward, the System's text appearing again.
" Forest Zone: Dangerous. "
" Survival Probability: 67% "
He didn't argue. He didn't question.
He stepped deeper into the forest.
The trees grew thicker, the canopy above almost blocking out the sky. The ground sloped downward slightly, the soil turning darker, the moss more dense, the air more humid. At the edge of his vision, the System's frame flickered again.
" Boundary Shift Detected. "
" Designation: Forest Abyss. "
Diablo stepped forward.
Somewhere far ahead, something howled.
Not a wolf.
Not a predator.
Something deeper.
The System's block flickered once more.
" Warning: Abyss Zone. "
" First True Evolution Trial: Ahead. "
Diablo's eyes narrowed.
The forest welcomed him.
And the System waited.