First evolution quest

Silas jolted upright in his bed the moment the morning sun shone brightly into his eyes. He sat there, his heart pounding in his chest, his entire body drenched in sweat.

Glancing around the room, a puzzled expression crossed his face.

"My dorm room?" he muttered in disbelief as he scanned his surroundings. "How the hell did I get here?"

Silas had no memory of returning to his dorm. The last thing he recalled was being out in the academy courtyard with Caleb and his minions.

Fragments of the previous night's events flashed through his mind—his encounter with Caleb, the fight, the sharp pain as the blade pierced his chest. After that, everything went black, and now he had woken up in his room as if nothing had happened.

"Before I blacked out... I remember the system notifying me that my soul points were empty, and that I would lose control. Don't tell me..." Silas's eyes widened as the realization struck him.

Out of curiosity, he opened the system interface.

**----------------------**

**[Name: Silas Griswold]**

**[Race: Half-breed]**

**[Level: 21]**

**[Health: 100/100]**

**[Soul Points: 100/100]**

**Attribute Panel:**

**[Strength: 30]**

**[Speed: 10]**

**[Reflex: 10]**

**[Agility: 15]**

**[Intelligence: 10]**

**[Available Attribute Points to Distribute: 5]**

**Skill Panel:**

**[Lightning Dash: Increases speed for two seconds. Costs 10 soul points.]**

**[Active Skill: Soul Claws: Allows the user to extend unique claws from the tips of their fingers. Costs 1 soul point.]**

**Arsenal:**

**[Chest Armor (Grade 2)]**

**[Leg Armor (Grade 2)]**

**[Scythe (Grade 2)]**

**----------------------**

Silas examined the interface with a furrowed brow, his fingers rubbing his chin thoughtfully, his expression neutral but focused.

"My soul points have been fully restored. It's obvious what happened last night—I killed Caleb and his minions." Silas mused aloud, his gaze fixed on the screen, fingers still absently rubbing his chin.

He wasn't troubled by the thought or feeling guilty. They deserved it after everything they had done to him. What concerned him more was what transpired after he consumed their souls.

Had he killed anyone else?

Had he been discovered by the academy's higher-ups?

And most troubling of all—who had brought him back to his dorm?

These questions nagged at him as he stared blankly at the interface. He knew what he was capable of when his soul points ran out, and the possibility that he hadn't stopped after draining Caleb, Sammy, and Carlos was a very real concern.

"If the academy's higher-ups had found me, they wouldn't have just brought me back to my dorm and let me sleep peacefully. They would've locked me up in the dungeons by now. So what really happened?" Silas pondered, tapping his chin as he searched for answers.

As his thoughts churned, the screen in front of him suddenly vanished, only to be replaced by a new one.

**[Ding! Your first evolution quest has arrived!]**

**[Complete the quest to evolve into a Tier 5 Soul Devourer mutant.]**

**[Soul Devourer Tier 5 Info: The lowest tier of Devourer mutants. A mutant capable of growing stronger by consuming the souls of fellow mutants.]**

**[Once the host evolves into a Tier 5 Soul Devourer mutant, the host will gain attribute points from each soul consumed—human or mutant.]**

**[You have until sundown to accept the quest.]**

**[Failure to accept the quest will result in cardiac arrest.]**

**[Quest Info: Clear a Grade 3 mutant realm without assistance and consume the soul of the realm's deity.]**

**[Rewards will be displayed upon completion.]**

Silas stared at the screen in silence, processing the new information.

"Evolution?" he muttered, his fingers once again tapping his chin thoughtfully. "That's right—I remember the system mentioning something about an evolution back when I absorbed the artifact."

He had read plenty of novels where the protagonist evolved by completing quests, so he wasn't completely unfamiliar with the concept. However, the mechanics here seemed more intense and far more dangerous than anything he had encountered in fiction.

"Tier 5 Soul Devourer mutant... That's the lowest rank of the Soul Devourer types, which means there'll be future quests to evolve into higher tiers."

Soul Devourer mutants, as the system had described, were mutants that gained strength by feeding on the souls of their own kind. There were a total of five tiers, each with its unique attributes. The Tier 5, which Silas would soon become, granted him the ability to gain extra attribute points from every soul he consumed, whether human or mutant.

"At least I won't have to worry about hunting down students to drain them of their souls," Silas intoned, a grin tugging at the corners of his mouth. But as he glanced further down the screen, the grin quickly faded.

"Clear a Grade 3 mutant realm without a party? Is this system trying to kill me?"

Though Silas had the strength of a Grade 4 mutant ability user, he wasn't confident in his ability to clear a Grade 3 realm on his own. Typically, it took at least three Grade 3s and two Grade 2s to clear a realm of that level, and now the system expected him to do it solo.

"Punishment is death if I refuse, and an attempt to complete the quest might be death too. It's confirmed—the system is out to kill me," Silas muttered, frustration lacing his words.

"I guess I have no choice but to give the quest a shot. But wait—how do I even gain access to a mutant realm? Students aren't allowed to travel through portals unless it's for a test or if they've been approved by staff for a raid. So where the hell am I supposed to find a Grade 3 portal to clear?" Silas wondered, his fingers still absently rubbing his chin as his brow furrowed in deep thought.

"Maybe the system will transport me to the realm once I accept the quest. I guess I'll just have to wait and see." Silas concluded, dismissing the system interface.

Before he could head to the bathroom to freshen up and prepare for the day, a sharp knock on his door made him freeze in place. His heart skipped a beat as his gaze darted toward the door.

He stood still for a moment, listening intently, then slowly made his way toward it. Taking a deep breath to steady himself, Silas opened the door cautiously.

Standing before him was Kara, her expression grim, her eyes burning with intensity. She looked every bit as furious as she did concerned.

"We need to have a serious discussion about last night, Silas," Kara said, her tone leaving no room for argument.