Beast Evolution Forge

Chapter 3 Awakened

Morning arrived, afternoon passed, and only when evening came did he finally wake up. His eyes were still blurry, but they quickly cleared, revealing the disgusted looks from the people walking by him. This was normal, so he ignored them. The real problem was his body. He tried to get up, but a sharp pain shot through his entire being, almost making him scream.

His body was a mess, and upon examining it, he noticed that aside from the wounds, his legs and arms were swollen.

"Kugh! Yep, I definitely overdid it. But I completed the mission. Where's my reward?"

His heart rate increased when he realized the screen was no longer visible. A disappointed little laugh escaped his mouth as he stared at the sky.

"So, it was all for nothing, huh? ...FUCKING HELL, YOU PIECE OF SHIT! HOW DARE YOU LIE TO ME? I WENT THROUGH HELL TO COMPLETE THE MISSION! I KNOW YOU HEAR ME, YOU FUCKER! GIVE ME WHAT I'VE EARNED, DAMMIT!"

People stared; some took videos. He looked like a crazy person shouting in public, and his appearance didn't help. His life was sinking into depression. This was his one-in-a-million chance, but had it turned out to be fake?

It hurt, more than the physical wounds and he couldn't stop the tears as they began to flow.

"Why is life so cruel? Maybe I should just leave everything behind and escape this suffering."

Before he could make a decision, the screen reappeared, and his heart felt instant relief.

"You little piece of shit. Do you know what I almost did because of you?"

A smile crept onto his tired face as he read the message.

[Upgrade complete. System fully activated.

Glad you're awake, master.

Shall I give you your reward now?]

"Huh, did you talk?"

He was already creating his core. He listened at first but quickly understood what he needed to do. He formed his core near his heart and two more, one on the right side of his chest and one below his stomach.

[...You shouldn't be able to do that yet...]

He tried to create more, but his body couldn't handle it, so he stopped at three. He could feel the mana inside him, but something was blocking it. He concentrated, making the mana spin like a drill, forcing his pathways to open. Was he a genius, after all?

[Are you stupid, master?]

Guess not.

He also sensed the thick, sticky impurities in his body. This was another easy victory for him. He simply pushed them out with mana until none remained. Although this process seemed quick, it actually took him a month. If he had followed the system's instructions, it would have taken several months.

[Wow... Congratulations. You have fully awakened. The system is now fully integrated. You can use me as an interface to perform various tasks.]

He exhaled, not really paying attention; his focus remained on his body. His muscles looked refined, and his appearance now matched his eyes, he looked younger. His torn muscles and every wound had healed, his breathing was calm, and his senses were sharpened.

"So, this is how it feels to have power? I see why people get drunk on it. It feels amazing. So, now that I'm fully awakened, what's next?"

[I should first explain what type of system I am.]

He opened the dumpster and jumped out, landing gracefully.

"Let me guess, you're some cheat system that will let me grow stronger faster than other players?"

He looked around, realizing he smelled even worse, and his clothes were falling off due to how lean he'd become. His eyes scanned the surroundings until he noticed a woman hanging clothes nearby.

[No...I can only tame beasts.]

He abruptly stopped, a dumbfounded look on his face.

"What?"