Darkness. Cold. Pain.

  He didn’t remember how he got here, but the fading echo of gunfire lingered at the edges of his mind. The sharp crack of a bullet ripping through his chest. A flash of light. Then… nothing.

  Now there was only dampness and pressure. His body—if it could even be called that—felt strange. Soft. Heavy. His senses were dull, yet somehow sharper than before. The ground beneath him pulsed faintly, and a strange hum resonated in the back of his mind.

  System Initialized.

  Basic Form: Slime.

  Evolutionary Progression Unlocked.

  He drifted through the darkness, his awareness stretching outward. The sensation of movement wasn’t quite right. He wasn’t walking—he was sliding. Shifting.

  What the hell happened to me?

  His thoughts sharpened as a low growl echoed through the cavern. A pair of pale yellow eyes glowed in the distance, followed by the glint of bone-white fangs. The creature stepped closer, claws clicking against the stone floor. Its emaciated frame was covered in cracked, leathery hide, ribs jutting out beneath thin flesh. A hunting beast.

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  The slime stilled, instincts flaring. He could feel the predator’s hunger. Smell the stench of old blood on its breath. It crouched low, muscles tensing beneath its ruined skin.

  The beast lunged.

  He moved without thinking, flattening himself against the stone. A flash of pain cut through his form as claws raked through his gelatinous body, slicing away chunks of semi-solid mass. He felt himself weaken. Felt himself… bleeding?

  Panic surged. He twisted, sliding back, but the beast was already adjusting. It circled him, low growls vibrating through the cavern walls. He was too slow. Too weak.

  No. Think. Adapt.

  His awareness sharpened as the system’s cold presence expanded.

  Predator Threat Detected.

  Survival Priority: Activate Core Assimilation.

  A thin, flexible tendril slid out from his side, brushing against the stone. A jagged outcrop of rock caught his attention—sharp and broken at the edge. He shifted toward it, molding his body into a low pool of quivering mass. The predator lunged again.

  He reacted. Fast. The tendril shot out, wrapping around the jagged rock. He yanked it down just as the beast pounced—

  CRACK.

  The rock speared through the creature’s throat, cutting off its snarl mid-air. The beast crashed to the ground, twitching, blood pooling beneath it. The slime pulsed with cold satisfaction.

  Threat Eliminated.

  Predator Assimilation in Progress.

  Skill Gained: Shadow Step (Lesser)

  Trait Gained: Night Vision (Basic)

  A rush of sensation flooded through him as dark energy coiled beneath his gelatinous surface. He could see more clearly now—the shadows peeled back as his vision sharpened. His form pulsed, growing stronger.

  And for the first time since waking in this strange new form, he felt… hungry.