By the edge of a rugged stream, Lucian Vale knelt beside the lifeless husk of a monstrous beetle. Its metallic-black carapace gleamed dully under the pale sunlight, its twitching legs curled inward in death.

  With swift precision, Lucian drew his dagger, the blade biting through the chitinous joints. He severed the limbs, then pried open the beetle’s shell, revealing the soft, pale flesh within. Without hesitation, he bit into the meat, tearing it apart with sharp, practiced motions.

  "Hunt completed. No beast soul obtained. Consuming Black Beetle flesh… potential gene gain: 0 to 10." "Gene gain: 0."

  The words appeared in his mind like a digital overlay, stark and indifferent.

  Lucian scowled. Thirty beetles… and still nothing. He clenched his fists. I’ve reached my limit with these creatures. If I don’t find something stronger, I’ll never evolve.

  A century ago, humanity’s technological triumphs led to the creation of space teleportation gates. But those who entered them soon realized the bitter truth: technology had no power in the Sanctuary.

  Guns? Worthless. Even a blade of sharpened steel was more useful than an assault rifle. Missiles? Dead weight—nothing more than chunks of metal. Electronics? Silent. Dead. Useless.

  In this new world, humanity found itself at the bottom of the food chain. The creatures of the Sanctuary were merciless, their flesh and blood infused with a mysterious energy capable of rewriting the human body itself.

  Then came the discovery that changed everything: by consuming the creatures of the Sanctuary, humans could evolve. Their strength, endurance, and speed grew with every bite. Those who survived long enough became something more than human.

  And the key to absolute power? Beast Souls.

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  These ethereal entities, harvested from slain creatures, granted incredible abilities. Some could be summoned as monstrous allies. Others took the form of armor or weapons, imbuing their wielders with supernatural prowess. The rarest allowed a warrior to merge with the Beast Soul itself, becoming something greater—something terrifying.

  None of that mattered to Lucian Vale.

  Born into the lower ranks of human society, he had only the bare-minimum training required before being thrown into the Sanctuary at sixteen. Unlike the privileged elites who entered with powerful mentors and rare Beast Souls, Lucian had nothing.

  For months, he had fought for survival, preying only on the weakest creatures—the lowly Black Beetles. Their meat had given him strength at first, but now? His body had reached saturation. He was stuck. No evolution. No growth.

  He had tried to hunt something stronger before. A Bronze-Tooth Boar—one of the weakest of the Primal Beasts—had nearly torn him apart. The wounds had taken a full month to heal.

  Now, he had only one option left: risk it all for greater prey.

  As he weighed his choices, something in the stream caught his attention.

  A shadow moved beneath the water.

  Lucian froze, eyes narrowing. Another Black Beetle? He had killed dozens of them before. But something about this one felt… wrong.

  Then he saw it. And his breath caught in his throat.

  A normal Black Beetle was dull, its shell absorbing light like a void. But this one… this one was different.

  Its carapace shimmered gold, gleaming as if forged from pure sunlight. Its eyes glowed like molten amber, a deep, unearthly radiance flickering in their depths.

  Lucian’s heart pounded. A mutation? No… something rarer. Something stronger.

  A Godblood Black Beetle.

  He knew he had seconds to act.

  The beetle moved, its golden form shifting through the water.

  Lucian didn’t hesitate.

  With lightning speed, he lunged, his hands snapping around the creature’s shell. He drove his dagger into its underside, twisting deep. The beetle screeched, its golden limbs flailing in a final death throe before falling still.

  "Hunt complete. Godblood Black Beetle slain."

  "Beast Soul obtained."

  "Consuming Godblood Black Beetle flesh… potential gene gain: 0 to 10."

  Lucian’s grip tightened around the dagger. Finally. A breakthrough.

  This was just the beginning.