### Chapter 1: The TrialLogan Smith stood at the edge of a cliff, his eyes fixed on the three beasts charging toward him.They were closing in fast. Their claws tore through the ground, and their growls echoed across the rocky landscape. Logan tightened his grip on the weapon in his hand, but he already knew he couldn't win this fight.His current strength wasn't enough to kill even one of them, let alone three.He glanced over his shoulder. The cliff dropped into a deep valley, and he couldn't see what lay at the bottom."Damn it. If I stay here, I'm dead for sure. If I jump, at least there's a chance I'll survive."The beasts were almost upon him.Logan took a deep breath, stepped backward, and threw himself off the cliff."Let's hope this works!"Click.The world went black."Logan! Get up. That's enough gaming for today!"Logan pulled off his VR headset and blinked at the familiar ceiling of his bedroom. The rocky cliff, the charging beasts, and the feeling of falling had vanishe

Logan stood in front of the television, staring at the translucent screen floating before his eyes. Status: Unmarked. The word bothered him more than it should have. According to the news, Unmarked people had no access to the system. Yet he could see his own status, and he even had a skill called Inspect. What made him different? "Logan?" His mother's voice pulled him out of his thoughts. He turned toward Mary. "Yeah, Mom?" "What are we supposed to do now?" Logan looked at her, then at Liam, who was still examining the five marks on the back of his right hand. His younger brother kept turning his hand over, as if expecting the strange markings to disappear if he looked at them long enough. Logan forced a smile. "I don't know yet. Let's wait for more information. I'm sure we'll figure something out." He wasn't sure of anything. But there was no point in frightening them further. A sudden flash outside caught his attention. Logan turned toward the balcony just in time to se

Logan could barely keep his eyes open.Blood soaked his clothes, and every breath sent a sharp pain through his chest. His stomach felt as though something had torn it apart from the inside. He could hear Mary calling his name, but her voice seemed distant, as if she were standing on the other side of a thick wall.The system screen remained in front of him.[A compatible Evolution Core has been detected.][Host's condition is critical.][Do you want to consume the Evolution Core?][Yes / No]Logan stared at the two options.He didn't understand what an Evolution Core was. He didn't know what would happen if he accepted it, and the system had given him no explanation beyond the fact that it was compatible with him.But he understood one thing perfectly.If he did nothing, he would die.His gaze shifted toward Mary and Liam. His mother knelt beside him, pressing a trembling hand against his shoulder while trying to stop the bleeding. Liam stood nearby, his face pale and his eyes fixed

The explosion had left the house trembling.For several seconds, Logan, Liam, and Mary remained still, listening for another blast. Dust drifted from the ceiling, and a few small pieces of plaster lay scattered across the floor.Logan slowly rose from the cushions, using the wall for support."Don't even think about running outside," Mary warned immediately."I'm not going outside." He glanced toward the broken entrance. "I just want to see if the explosion damaged anything else.""You can barely walk.""Then I'll walk slowly."Mary gave him a disapproving look, but she didn't argue further. Instead, she followed him toward the hallway, with Liam close behind them.The explosion hadn't caused any major new damage to their house, but the destruction from the earlier attack was bad enough. Their front entrance had been shattered, the living room was a mess, and a long crack stretched across one section of the wall. Several pieces of furniture had been damaged during Logan's fight with t

Logan sat beside the window, watching the deserted street through a narrow gap in the barricade. The neighborhood had become quieter over the past few days, but he had learned not to mistake silence for safety.Behind him, Liam was staring at his right hand.Five Marks. Five different evolutionary paths.Even after spending hours studying his System Screen, Liam still seemed unable to believe what had happened to him."Logan, look at this."Logan turned away from the window. "What is it?""My system shows the progress of each Mark separately." Liam raised his hand. "Each one has ten Stars, and every Star requires a hundred Genome Points.""So you need a hundred points to fill your first Star?""Yeah. And then another hundred for the next one." Liam opened his System Screen again. "But I don't know whether I can distribute my points between the Marks or if each Mark tracks its own progress."Logan leaned forward, examining the display."Does it show how many points you have right now?"