Mutant awakening: My evolution knows no bounds

[Your soul points are critically low.]

[Consume a soul to restore points before the countdown begins.]

Silas bolted upright, his eyes wide. "What the hell?"

The notification he had desperately hoped to avoid now hovered ominously before him.

"What the hell does this mean? I still have 30 soul points left. I've been careful not to drop below that, so why is it considered low?" Silas voiced aloud, his tone a mixture of frustration and shock.

During his battle with the God of the Realm mutant, he had realized that without using the skill he'd unlocked, he would undoubtedly perish. Engaging such a powerful mutant in his weakened state, especially armed with a broken blade, was a death sentence. That's why Silas had resorted to using his active skill, *Lightning Dash*.

*Lightning Dash* consumed 10 soul points per use, but Silas had calculated that as long as he didn't deplete all his points, he wouldn't lose control.

Or so he had thought.

Now, however, the system had proven him wrong. Even though he still had 30 soul points remaining, the dreaded notification had appeared.

"System, explain to me what's happening—right now!" Silas demanded, his face slick with sweat and his heart pounding in his chest.

The system responded with silence.

"Of course. Just as I thought. What a useless piece of crap!" Silas snapped, getting off the bed and beginning to pace the room. His gaze remained fixed on the translucent window screen before him, his fingers absently rubbing his chin.

"I'll have to figure this out myself," Silas muttered, scrutinizing the notification carefully. "It seems like this is just a reminder… A warning about the countdown. And when that countdown ends, I'll lose control if I haven't consumed a soul."

He furrowed his brow. "If it's a reminder, I wonder how much time I have left before the countdown starts."

The idea of draining someone's soul completely repulsed him. Worse, he had no idea how to even go about it. The last time he'd consumed a soul, he hadn't been in control of his body, so the memory was hazy at best.

"Maybe when the time comes, the system will guide me through the process," Silas mused, his expression contemplative. "Either way, there's no escaping this. It's part of me now. I'll have to find a scapegoat, lure them somewhere isolated, and do what needs to be done. Because if I go berserk, I might end up killing hundreds of students, and the academy would send me to the Iron Barrows for cleansing.

It's safer to absorb a soul now, to prevent that from happening."

Silas concluded grimly, dismissing the screen and falling back onto his bed. He lay there, staring up at the ceiling, his mind a whirlwind of thoughts.

Faces of those who had bullied him and treated him like garbage flashed through his mind. Using one of them as a scapegoat would almost be poetic justice. Perhaps taking out those who tormented him would even make him feel better—it would be doing the world a favor, after all.

"Now, who should I choose from my list of tormentors?" Silas's expression darkened as he pondered his options, but eventually, sleep claimed him, and he drifted off.

---

The next morning arrived, and the sunlight streamed through the small window of Silas Griswold's room, flickering across his face, rousing him from his slumber.

He stood up from the bed, stretching his body. For someone carrying such a heavy burden, he had slept soundly.

The exhausting battle with the God of the Realm mutant had drained every last bit of his energy, and that exhaustion had granted him a restful night.

[Your daily quest has arrived.]

[Complete 20 push-ups.]

As Silas made his way toward the bathroom, a holographic screen materialized before him, halting him in his tracks.

"Daily quests, huh? I was hoping to see something like this earlier since it was a feature in the games I used to play. When I didn't find it, I figured the system didn't have such a function. But here it is," Silas mused, glancing at the notification.

Without a second thought, he dropped to the floor and began doing push-ups on his knuckles. Being a martial arts specialist, 20 push-ups were effortless. Now that his strength had grown significantly, the task was even easier—almost laughably so.

*Pushing himself for the last rep.*

[Daily quest complete.]

[Reward: 5 attribute points.]

As Silas finished the final push-up, a notification appeared. He rose to his feet and eyed it with satisfaction.

"Five attribute points. Not bad. I'll save them for later," he said, stepping into the bathroom.

After a quick shower, Silas dressed in his uniform, combed his hair, and left his room, shutting the door behind him.

The hallways were already filled with students making their way to the cafeteria for breakfast. After eating, they would head to their respective classes for training and lessons.

Silas walked through the bustling hallway until he reached the cafeteria. He joined the line of students waiting to be served their food.

The academy provided meals for students who couldn't afford to buy their own. While the free meals weren't as good as those purchased with tokens, they were still better than nothing.

Silas usually relied on these free meals, despite earning a few tokens from odd jobs. He preferred to save his tokens for weapons rather than spend them on food.

But today, Silas decided to try something different. He stepped out of the queue and headed toward the section where students paid for their meals.

As he approached the vendor, the man behind the counter glared at him, clearly surprised to see Silas standing there.

Silas was well-known for relying on the academy's free food, so his presence in the paying line was unexpected.

"Well, well… What's a piece of trash like you doing here? Lost your way?" a familiar voice sneered from behind him.

Silas turned slowly, locking eyes with three students standing with their arms crossed. He recognized them immediately.

A grin spread across Silas's face.

"Well, guess who's going to be my scapegoat?" Silas muttered to himself, his gaze fixed on Caleb and his lackeys.

"""

A/n: You can vote with Golden tickets now for a mass release.