Instant Kill on the Shadowwind Wolf, Absorbing the Gene Crystal
Xalen's vision went black for a moment. When his sight returned, he found himself standing in a gloomy forest.
He looked around and saw towering trees on all sides. Craning his neck upward, their massive canopies almost completely blotted out the sky.
The ground was littered with rotting leaves and branches, giving off an odor that mixed decay with a strange, sharp freshness.
There was nobody else around, only the hollow cries of some unseen insects.
"Looks like you really do get randomly teleported to some corner when you enter an instance."
Xalen muttered to himself.
He wasn't surprised to find himself alone.
David had already told them that spatial rifts scatter people at random upon entry.
Right then, a chime from the Global Evolution System sounded in his mind.
[Ding! Congratulations on entering the Shadowwind Wolf instance. Timer starting now!]
Then a 72-hour countdown appeared.
This was the time limit set by the Global Evolution System for clearing the instance.
Survive here for three days, and you'd clear the instance.
Afterward, the system would grant rewards based on each person's performance rating inside the instance.
The higher the score, the better the reward.
And that was the condition for clearing the Shadowwind Wolf instance: survive three days.
As for the academy, they required students to kill a certain number of Shadowwind Wolves.
Ten kills was a passing grade.
All you had to do was bring the corpses out.
With that in mind, Xalen didn't hesitate and immediately strode off.
Anyone else would be thinking about how to safely make it through three days.
But not him. He was focused on how to kill as many Shadowwind Wolves as possible within those three days.
In a sense, this graduation trial was actually a benefit the gene academy provided its students.
Because after graduation, applying to enter a spatial rift wouldn't be easy at all.
That was exactly why Xalen was even more determined to seize this chance and kill as many Shadowwind Wolves as possible.
To him, these Shadowwind Wolves represented not just his grade, but also victory in his bet.
Even though his wager with Rick and the others only required him to pass, what Xalen wanted was far more than just a passing mark—he wanted first place in the trial, and not just any first place, but a first place so dominant it left everyone else in the dust!
Taking first in the graduation trial naturally came with a reward from the academy.
He didn't know the exact reward, but it was probably worth no less than a hundred thousand credits.
If so, it would basically equal his winnings from the bet.
So he had even more reason to take first place—kill two birds with one stone.
As Xalen moved boldly and openly through the forest, his presence was finally noticed by the local inhabitants.
A black wolf the size of a tiger!
Its pair of cyan eyes glowed with a harsh, icy light.
It was a Shadowwind Wolf!
Almost the instant it spotted Xalen, the wolf bared its fangs and charged, paws flying like the wind.
Swish. Swish.
Leaves scattered in its wake, swept up by the eerie gusts the wolf stirred.
"Perfect!"
Xalen wasn't alarmed—he was delighted.
He planted his feet, then instead of retreating, charged forward to meet it.
His pale fist shot straight out.
He didn't try to play smart or avoid its strengths. He went head-on against the wolf's claws.
Beating up that black-haired guy earlier hadn't been satisfying enough for Xalen.
Now he was itching to use this chance to test the true extent of his own power!
Bang!
The next second, a dull, heavy sound rang out.
Xalen's fist overpowered the Shadowwind Wolf's claws and then slammed squarely into its face.
In an instant, blood sprayed and bone fragments flew.
The wolf's body hung in midair for a moment, then crashed to the ground like a broken rag.
Thud.
The wolf shuddered once, then its life force faded entirely!
One punch, instant kill!
Xalen glanced at his fist.
A gash had appeared on the surface of his knuckles.
But the very next second, that wound healed completely.
If not for the bloodstains still on it, you'd never guess he had been injured at all.
"Nice."
Xalen clicked his tongue in admiration.
Even though he'd already seen the horrifying recovery speed of the Indestructible Tyrant Body, witnessing it again still filled him with awe.
This wasn't simple self-healing or regeneration anymore—it was limitless regeneration!
Xalen had a strong feeling that even if he cut off a limb, it might grow back!
Of course, Xalen wouldn't do something so foolish.
After all, his Indestructible Tyrant Body's recovery wasn't without cost—it was tied to his stamina.
Without a doubt, the more severe the injury, the more stamina it consumed.
Regrowing a severed limb might even drain him dry.
He certainly wouldn't try that while inside an instance.
But when he had the chance later, he might give it a test.
After all, only by knowing the limits of his Indestructible Tyrant Body could he better control his power.
Just like attacking—if you don't know the limit of your attack power, how can you fight with ease and precision?
Thinking this, Xalen walked over to the Shadowwind Wolf's corpse.
The body had practically turned into a pile of mush.
He looked at its shattered skull, his expression one of surprise and delight.
David had taught them to target a Shadowwind Wolf's waist for a quicker kill.
But now Xalen realized he didn't need to hit weak spots at all against these wolves.
A casual punch from him was enough to crush one to death!
This was the raw base strength granted by the Tyrant Dragon!
Awesome!
Xalen smiled and crouched down to collect his spoils.
He pulled a sharp dagger from his spatial backpack and began bleeding the wolf, then gutting it.
Soon, inside its heart, he found something hard.
It was a crystal-clear, thumb-sized transparent crystal.
[Ding! Gene Crystal detected. Absorb?]
At that moment, the system's chime sounded again in his mind.
Xalen silently confirmed.
Yes!
In that instant, specks of white light appeared within the Shadowwind Wolf's heart and then flowed into Xalen's body.
Xalen focused his senses inward.
Somewhere deep inside, his Tyrant Dragon Gene seemed to have grown a tiny bit stronger.
Xalen nodded to himself.
He knew this was the exact path of gene evolution.
Every Aberrant Creature carried a Gene Crystal of varying size within its body.
Absorbing these Gene Crystals would nourish one's own gene.
With enough nourishment, a Gene Soldier would advance in level.
Levels 1 through 9 were the Gene Soldier ranks.
And at Level 10, one became an Awakened Master!
The hallmark of a Gene Soldier was Localized Beastification.
An Awakened Master, however, could materialize Gene Bones and deploy Exoskeletal Armament.
Of course, such things were still a bit too far off for Xalen right now.
He hadn't even grasped Localized Beastification yet.
So for now, his goal was to absorb as many Gene Crystals as possible in order to unlock Localized Beastification.
Like being able to transform his arm into a dragon claw.
That way, his attacks would not only hit even harder, but they also wouldn't hurt his own body in the process!
With that thought, Xalen stored away the Shadowwind Wolf's corpse, then looked ahead into the dark, dense forest with anticipation.
To him, this wasn't a dangerous trial instance—it was a treasure trove waiting to be plundered!