Chapter 3: The First Harvest
The wet, deflated corpse of the Abyssal Larva lay twisted across the rusted subway tracks. What was once a terrifying, minivan-sized apex predator now looked like a dried husk, its vibrant purple skin turned into a brittle, ash-gray shell that cracked under the slightest shift of the wind.
Leon stood over it, his chest heaving as the residual dark energy of his domain slowly receded back into his skin. His hand was still coated in thick, black ichor, but he barely noticed the mess. His attention was completely glued to the holographic text flashing aggressively before his eyes.
[Absolute Extraction Complete.]
[You have permanently stolen 10% of the target’s base attributes.]
°Strength +14
°Agility +18
°Constitution +22
°Mana +12
[You have successfully absorbed a portion of the target’s fragmented memories.]
[You have extracted the Unique Skill: ]
A sudden, violent wave of heat rushed through Leon’s veins. It wasn’t painful, but it was incredibly intense—like drinking boiling liquid silver. He could feel his muscle fibers tearing apart and reweaving themselves into something denser, stronger, and far more efficient. The chronic lower back pain from his years as a desk-bound logistics clerk vanished in an instant. His vision sharpened, cutting through the damp gloom of the subway tunnel as if someone had turned on a high-powered flashlight inside his mind.
"So this is what it feels like to be a monster," Leon murmured, flexing his fingers. A quiet pop echoed through the tunnel as he clenched his fist. The raw power humming beneath his skin was intoxicating.
In his past life, a normal E-rank Awakener needed months of grueling, life-threatening dungeon raids just to increase a single attribute by five points. Leon had just gained a massive jump across the board in less than three minutes, all while remaining a Level 1 mortal on paper.
"Status Menu," he commanded under his breath.
A sleek, translucent black crystal screen materialized in front of him.
[STATUS MENU]
°Name: Leon Graves
°Class: Sovereign of Finality (Rank: SSS)
°Level: 1 (0/100 EXP)
(Note: Leveling up is suppressed until the World System officially initiates at 12:00 PM).
°Health: 320 / 320
°Mana: 220 / 220
[ATTRIBUTES]
°Strength: 24 (Mortal Average: 10)
°Agility: 28
°Constitution: 32
°Mana: 22
[CLASS SKILLS]
° - Level 1
[EXTRACTED SKILLS]
° - Level 1: Temporarily hardens the user’s skin to the density of reinforced steel for 30 seconds. Costs 20 Mana.
Leon studied the numbers with a grim, satisfied nod. His physical stats were already triple that of a regular human athlete, and the addition of a defensive skill like Chitinous Plating meant he was no longer a glass cannon. He could take a hit from a low-level monster and walk away without a scratch.
But he didn’t have time to celebrate. He glanced down at his watch. 10:25 AM.
He had roughly an hour and thirty-five minutes before the sky shattered. The Abyssal Larva was dead, meaning the future "Subway Massacre" had been completely erased from the timeline. But more importantly, the real prize was still waiting inside the monster’s carcass.
Leon stepped forward and kicked the brittle, dried head of the centipede creature. With a loud crack, the withered flesh crumbled into dust, revealing a fist-sized, glowing violet crystal pulsing with a mesmerizing, dark light.
The Abyssal Core.
This was the catalyst that the future S-rank hero Bradley had used to jumpstart his legendary career. In the original timeline, Bradley found it by accident after the military cleared the area. This time, Bradley would find nothing but dirt.
Leon picked up the heavy crystal. The mana inside it was volatile, humming with a low vibration that made his palm tingle. Normal hunters needed a specialized alchemical setup to refine a core of this caliber, but Leon didn’t operate by normal rules.
"Extract," he commanded, tightening his grip.
The Absolute Extraction skill flared to life. Dark, misty tendrils erupted from Leon’s palm, wrapping around the violet crystal like hungry vines. The core violently vibrated, resisting for a split second before the supreme concept of Finality forced its energy structure to collapse.
The crystal dissolved into a liquid stream of pure, unrefined mana, pouring directly into the pores of Leon’s hand.
[Warning: Absorbing an unrefined Elite Overboss Core as a mortal is highly dangerous.]
[Class Authority ’Sovereign of Finality’ has forced compliance.]
[Extraction Successful.]
°Mana +30
°Hidden Stat unlocked: Perception +10
°Evolution Progress achieved: Your class skill has experienced a resonance shift.
The rush of power this time was almost deafening. A high-pitched ringing echoed in Leon’s ears as his mind expanded. The dark tunnel around him suddenly felt smaller, every vibration of the dripping water and the distant hum of the upper subway platforms echoing clearly in his mind.
He could feel everything. His Perception stat had broken through the mortal barrier, allowing him to sense the flow of latent energy in the air.
He stood in the dark, covered in dust and dried ash, looking like an ordinary office worker who had survived a terrible accident. But beneath that cheap, dirt-stained button-up shirt was a body that was rapidly turning into a living weapon.
"One hour left," Leon said, his voice flat and devoid of fear as he turned back toward the metal exit door. "Time to go above ground and wait for the gods to drop their toys."