God's Universe

An Unmarked Anomaly

The first thing Logan noticed was the pain.

It wasn't as unbearable as before, but it was still there, spreading across his chest and stomach whenever he tried to move. His body felt heavy, his throat was dry, and even breathing required a little more effort than usual.

He slowly opened his eyes.

The ceiling came into focus above him. Dust covered the nearby furniture, and cracks ran along one of the living room walls. The front entrance was still a wreck, its broken pieces scattered across the floor.

For a few seconds, Logan simply stared at the ceiling.

Then everything came rushing back.

The monster. The fight. The blood. The strange crystal that had floated toward him.

And the system.

He immediately tried to sit up.

Pain shot through his abdomen.

"Ah, damn it!"

He dropped back onto the cushions, breathing through clenched teeth.

"You're awake!"

Mary hurried over from the kitchen. She looked exhausted, with dark circles beneath her eyes and dust covering her clothes. The moment she reached him, she placed a hand against his forehead and examined his face.

"Don't move so suddenly! You've been lying here for hours."

"Hours?" Logan swallowed, his throat painfully dry. "What happened?"

"You passed out after killing that thing. Your wounds started closing, but you didn't wake up." Her voice trembled slightly. "I thought I was going to lose you."

Logan looked at her properly.

"Mom, I'm fine."

"You're not fine." She gave him a stern look, though tears still glistened in her eyes. "You were covered in blood. You could barely breathe. And now you're telling me you're fine?"

"Okay. Maybe not completely fine."

"Logan!"

"Sorry."

She sighed and helped him drink some water. Logan took several small sips, letting the cool liquid soothe his dry throat.

"Where's Liam?"

"Right here!"

Liam appeared from the other side of the room. He looked relieved, but his expression quickly turned serious as he approached his brother.

"How are you feeling?"

"Like I got run over by a truck."

"More like you got attacked by a monster."

"Same difference."

Liam didn't laugh.

Logan noticed the worry in his brother's eyes and gave him a reassuring smile.

"I'm still here, aren't I?"

"Yeah." Liam looked away briefly. "You scared us."

For once, Logan had no joke ready.

He glanced toward the broken entrance. The dead beast was no longer where it had fallen. Its body had been dragged farther from the doorway, though neither of them had completely removed it from the house.

"Did you move the monster?"

"Only enough to clear some space," Mary answered. "We couldn't leave it right in the entrance. Liam helped me move the furniture, too."

Logan nodded. Their house was damaged, but the walls were still standing. They had shelter, some supplies, and a little time to figure things out.

For now, that would have to be enough.

"Mom, can you give us a moment?" he asked. "I want to check something."

Mary frowned. "What kind of something?"

"My system."

She hesitated before nodding. "Don't try anything stupid. I'll be in the kitchen."

Once she had moved away, Logan turned toward Liam.

"You should check yours, too. See if anything has changed."

Liam glanced at the marks on the back of his right hand. "I already checked. Everything looks the same."

"Good. Tell me if anything changes."

Liam nodded and gave him some space.

Logan took a slow breath and focused on the translucent screen that appeared before his eyes.

Unlike the system notification he'd seen while drifting in and out of consciousness, this one was clear and stable.

[PERSONAL STATUS]

Name: Logan Smith Race: Human Status: Unmarked Level: 1 Unique Path: Path of Evolution Evolution Ability: Cellular Healing Passive Ability: Evolution Core Absorption Skill: Inspect

Logan read the information twice.

His status still said Unmarked.

That was strange enough, but the other entries made it even stranger. He had a unique path, an evolution ability, a passive ability, and a skill. None of this matched what the news reports had said about Unmarked people.

According to the reports, people without marks had no access to the system.

Yet here he was.

He focused on the entry for Cellular Healing.

[Cellular Healing]

Type: Evolution Ability

Description: Accelerates the body's natural cellular repair process, allowing injuries to heal faster than normal.

Limitations: Recovery depends on the severity of the damage and the host's remaining physical condition.

Logan stared at the description.

"So that's what happened to me."

He remembered the burning sensation that had spread through his body after he accepted the Evolution Core. His wounds had started closing, but he hadn't felt any sudden burst of strength. He was still weak, and his stomach hurt whenever he moved.

The ability could repair his body, but it couldn't simply erase everything that had happened to him.

He focused on the entry again, hoping for more information, but the screen didn't change.

"That's helpful," he muttered. "A healing ability with no instructions."

Still, he wasn't going to complain. Without it, he would probably be dead.

Next, he selected Evolution Core Absorption.

[Evolution Core Absorption]

Type: Passive Ability

Description: Allows the host to absorb compatible Evolution Cores through the Path of Evolution.

Current Evolution Cores: 0

Logan's eyebrows rose.

"Zero? Didn't I just absorb one?"

He thought about it for a moment. The core had been consumed to activate his path and grant him his first ability. Perhaps it no longer counted as an available core.

That was only a guess, though.

He had no intention of treating guesses as facts when his life depended on understanding this system.

Finally, he selected Inspect.

The familiar skill entry appeared, but it offered no new explanation. He already knew it could reveal information about people and creatures. What he didn't know was how much information it could provide, or whether it had any limitations.

He would have to test it later.

For now, there was one more thing he wanted to understand.

The beast.

Logan turned his attention toward the creature lying near the entrance.

[Inspect]

A new window appeared.

Name: Blood Hound Drauger Classification: Beast Status: Deceased

Logan's eyes narrowed.

"Blood Hound Drauger?"

At least the system had given the creature a name. He focused on the remaining space, expecting more information, but nothing else appeared.

No level. No abilities. No explanation of its regenerative properties.

"Seriously? That's all?"

He dismissed the window.

Still, the name was useful. If other creatures had their own classifications, Inspect might help him identify them before they became a threat.

That alone could make the difference between surviving a fight and walking straight into a death trap.

He shifted his attention back to his status screen.

Path of Evolution.

The words stood out more than anything else.

Whatever this path was, it had activated only after he killed the Blood Hound Drauger and accepted its Evolution Core. It had also created a mark at the back of his neck.

He reached behind his head, feeling the unfamiliar symbol beneath his hair.

It was real.

He hadn't imagined it.

"Logan?" Liam's voice interrupted his thoughts. "What does your system say?"

Logan hesitated.

He could tell Liam about everything. They were brothers, and he trusted him more than anyone else.

But he still didn't understand what was happening. If the system was different from the normal Mark System, revealing everything before he knew the consequences might be a mistake.

"I got some information about the beast," Logan said. "It's called a Blood Hound Drauger."

"That's its name?"

"Apparently."

"What about your abilities?"

Logan glanced at him.

"I got a healing ability. That's probably why my wounds started closing."

It wasn't a complete lie. Cellular Healing was responsible for his recovery, and Liam deserved to know enough to understand what had happened.

But Logan kept the rest to himself.

He didn't mention the Path of Evolution, the passive ability, or the system's declaration that he was an anomaly. Not yet.

Liam studied him for a moment but didn't press further.

"Well, I'm glad it worked," he said quietly.

"Me too."

Logan dismissed the system and tried to stand.

His legs immediately threatened to give way.

Liam caught his arm before he could fall.

"Are you crazy? You can barely stand!"

"I just wanted to see if I could."

"And now you know you can't."

Logan reluctantly sat down again.

His wounds had improved, but the rest of his body felt drained. His muscles were weak, his head felt heavy, and even the short attempt to stand had left him breathing harder than he wanted to admit.

Cellular Healing was useful, but it wasn't a miracle.

He needed rest, food, water, and time. Until his body recovered, he couldn't count on fighting another beast.

That realization was more frightening than he expected.

The creature they'd killed had nearly torn him apart, and he'd survived only because he had found a way to exploit its weaknesses.

If another one entered the house now, he wasn't sure he could repeat the performance.

"Get some rest," Mary said as she returned with a small plate of food. "You need to recover before you do anything else."

Logan accepted the plate. His appetite wasn't great, but he forced himself to eat a little.

Outside, the neighborhood remained unnervingly quiet.

No voices. No familiar sounds of traffic. No signs of ordinary life returning.

Only the occasional distant noise reminded them that the world beyond their damaged house still existed.

Then—

BOOM!

A powerful explosion erupted somewhere in the distance.

The floor trembled beneath them. Dust fell from the ceiling, and a cracked window rattled violently in its frame.

Mary dropped the cloth she was holding.

Liam jumped to his feet.

Logan immediately turned toward the ruined entrance, every muscle in his body tightening despite the pain.

For a moment, nobody spoke.

Then another faint rumble rolled through the neighborhood.

Logan slowly set his plate aside.

They had killed one beast.

That didn't mean the neighborhood was safe.

It only meant they had survived their first encounter.