Primordial Beast System

EPISODE 8: Survival Simulation 2

Adam now had enough motivation, and his hesitation vanished and a serious expression appeared on his face.

The mantis let out a loud shriek and charged again. It targeted Eve and swung hard.

Alec used his shield to block the attack. The sound of the mantis' arm hitting the shield gave out a large bang, setting off sparks and sending Alec crashing backwards.

While keeping Marcus at bay, Adam had analyzed the mantis. Its exoskeleton was tougher than the weapons they were using and it was relatively fast, especially when it is attacking.

With the aid of the system, Adam had identified the mantis’ weakness.

“Draw its attention Alec, I want to try something.” He shouted.

Eve drew her bow, aiming at the eye of the mantis, she shot an arrow.

Before the arrow could pierce its eyes, the two large arms moved with incredible speed, catching the arrow mid-air.

Adam had observed that the mantis's strength lies in its tough outer shell and how incredibly fast it can attack with its large front grappling legs.

From the impact and the movement of its body, its abdomen does not seem to be covered with the same consistency of tough material as the front legs.

“Only one way to find out!” Adam murmured.

With a gentle leap, he dashed behind the mantis as it threw a barrage of attacks towards Eve and Alec.

As Alec blocks the attacks, his hands start to get numb and the shield he was using has a large crack on it. Eve had shot eight more arrows at the beast. Some were deflected and others simply bounced off its tough exoskeleton.

With her last three arrows, she loaded them all at once and drew her bow, firing them rapidly in a manner that made them look as though they were fired all at once.

The beast deflected two of them and attacked Alec at the same time. As his shield broke in half, the final arrow zoomed through the crack and went right past the two large arms, piercing through one of the large eyes of the mantis.

Using this distraction, Adam stepped on nearby obstacles and jumped high in the air. With all of his remaining strength, he aimed at the beast’s midsection and swung his blade as hard as his strength allowed.

Swirling through the air, for a brief moment, the sound of his sword slicing through the air could be heard, in an instant, the mantis was split in half.

But the mantis was not dead. With green liquid oozing out of its body, it turned and swung its arm at Eve.

Alec pushed her out of the way on time, but he was hit on the arm, sending him wailing in pain.

If this was not a simulation, his hand would have been sliced off. It was understandable to Adam that the pain was unbearable, even if the simulation only inflicted haft of the actual pain.

With that, Adam had set his target, the mantis neck. If he cut through the joint in the neck, it was possible to win.

He drew a deep breath, and held the sword, light in his hand, allowing him to maximize his speed.

With a single leap, he lunged forward towards the mantis which had its back turned to him.

With a single strike, he sliced the head off and instantly, the mantis turned to pixels and scattered.

Congratulations,

You have been rewarded 5 stat points for defeating a simulated extremovore.

Adam was happy with this result, but as he raised his eye to see what was about to happen, his demeanor suddenly changed and he immediately put all of the five stat points he had earned into speed.

A few meters in front of him, across where the body of the giant mantis has disappeared, Marcus had snuck behind Eve who was helping Alec after he was injured.

He had raised his axe and was about to strike Eve from behind.

With a sudden gust of wind, Adam’s body shimmered a bit, right before he vanished.

As he ran across, targeting Marcus’ axe, for a brief moment, everything seemed to have slowed down a bit. Like the gust of wind, his figure shimmered again as he stopped and right in front and blocked the attack.

From Marcus’ perspective, it was as it Adam had disappeared and appeared right in front of him. After being unable to hurt Adam earlier, he resolved to attack his sister.

Even if she were to be injured now, unlike before, the Kennedy family would not be involved, they were no longer the twin outcasts’ guardians. Marcus thought.

Right now, he had been sent falling backwards, his hand numb from the force of Adam’s counter attack.

“Enough!” Eve snapped, turning to Marcus. “If you try that again, you’ll regret it.” She threatened her eyes slightly gleaming blue, which was uncommon for an outcast. Blue eyes are a feature only Pures possessed.

Marcus glared at her but said nothing. He wasn’t ready to back down, but he knew better than to challenge Eve further, whatever power she just slightly displayed, wouldn’t end well for him.

He, hissed and spat on the floor, showing that he was no longer going to keep attacking, but also indicating that his resentment towards Adam was not over.

The group continued their journey through the simulation, tensions running high. They encountered more challenges, treacherous terrain, simulated traps, and hostile creatures, but they managed to push through, avoiding fights and focusing on survival.

As night fell, they set up camp in a clearing. Eve and Alec took the first watch while Adam sat by the fire, lost in thought.

What is the Primordial Beast system?

who made it, and why did it choose him? He wondered.

He also had to confront Marcus, but he needed to be smart about it.

When it was Adam’s turn to keep watch, he found Marcus sitting on a log, sharpening his axe with a piece of metal he had scavenged.

“You don’t trust me, do you?” Marcus asked without looking up.

Adam crossed his arms and answered. “Why would I? You attempted to strike me, and when you failed, you attacked my sister.”

Marcus chuckled. “Smart. But your smartness can't save you.”

“I will eventually crush you. To remind everyone of their place.”

Adam stepped closer, his voice steady. “And what if I don’t let you?” he asked menacingly.

Marcus finally looked up, his eyes gleaming with malice. “Then I’ll make sure you regret it being born.”

Adam’s system flared again.

Congratulations, you have successfully overcome the threat that Marcus poses.

You have been granted two strength stat points.

Suddenly, Adam’s perception sharpened. He could hear the faint rustle of leaves, the distant chirping of insects, and the subtle shifts in Marcus’s posture. The increase in his strength seems to be accompanied by a versatile increase in his perception as well.

“You’ve already lost,” Adam said, his voice calm. “You just don’t know it yet.”

Marcus threw his fist towards Adam, but Adam sidestepped effortlessly, grabbing Marcus’s arm and twisting it behind his back.

“Enough games,” Adam said. “If you want to survive, we do this together. Otherwise, you won’t make it out of this simulation.”

Marcus growled but didn’t resist. Adam released him and stepped back.

“This isn’t over,” Marcus warned.

Adam smirked. “I’m counting on it.”

As dawn broke, the group reached the simulation’s endpoint. Commander Darius awaited them, a satisfied expression on his face.

“Congratulations. Two hundred and fifty-two of you have survived the test,” Darius announced. “But remember, this was just the beginning. The real challenges await you on Arc Aegis.”

Adam glanced at Marcus, who avoided his gaze. Eve stood by his side, her confidence unwavering.

For the first time, Adam felt like he belonged. He wasn’t just an Outcast anymore. He was someone to be reckoned with.