2026-02-28 07:25:51'Is it possible they came here because of the smell of coffee?' Raka thought confusedly.
The dripping sound became faster and more urgent. The sharp sour smell was now so thick that it made Raka's eyes water. Behind the ventilation grille, small red eyes flickered.
Raka didn't wait for them to leave. Two days of recovery had given him more than just a healed leg; it had given him time to think.
“Baginda, up!” he ordered in a low and firm voice.
The swan flapped its wings and flew upward. It perched on one of the highest washing machines, out of reach. Raka himself grabbed a thick plastic tarp he found in the corner and slowly backed to the other end of the room, crowbar in hand.
The ventilation grill finally broke free from the ceiling with a metallic screech. From the gaping hole, the creatures fell. They were small, no larger than a large rat, with pale, smooth, hairless skin. Their bodies resembled those of a lizard, but with jaws that could open wide. From those jaws dripped a corrosive liquid.
“A mutant lizard?” he whispered, seeing the creature’s body shape.
They landed on the floor and hissed in unison. As if on command, they charged at Raka simultaneously.
Raka is ready. As they approached, he swung the plastic tarp like a bullfighter and swept it across the floor. The little creatures ran right over him.
With a powerful tug, Raka lifted the tarp and wrapped the dozen acid monsters in a single bundle. He could feel them struggling and spitting against the inside of the tarp. Because the tarp was thick, the corrosive liquid spewing from the monsters' mouths couldn't penetrate it.
“Gotcha,” he hissed.
He slammed the bundle against the wall repeatedly until the movement inside stopped, then threw it into a corner.
Because of the coffee, adrenaline, and training he did for two days, his abilities and courage increased.
After the minor threat was overcome, he finally gave himself a small reward. With a portable grinder in hand, he ground a handful of Gayo Arabica beans. The aroma of fresh coffee filled the air, finally dispelling the sour smell.
Raka brewed it carefully, a ritual he found sacred in the face of the end of the world.
“It’s so delicious,” he whispered as he took a sip of the thick black liquid.
A different warmth flowed through him. He didn't think it was the panic-inducing jolt of instant coffee. It was a controlled power. He felt focused and stronger.
A blue notification appeared in front of him, this time without any mocking tone at all.
[Physiological Adaptation Detected. High-quality caffeine intake has triggered system evolution.]
[Congratulations, Host. Your heart has been upgraded.][Caffeine Heart Level 1 upgraded to Caffeine Heart Level 2]
- Maximum BPM Safe Limit: 180 to 200 - Base 'Bullet Time' Effect Duration: increased by 3 Seconds - Fuel Efficiency: Increased by 15% (Daily caffeine requirement slightly reduced)A faint smile appeared on Raka's lips as he read the writing carefully.
“Upgrade, huh?” He nodded slowly and clenched his fists.
Raka could feel a new strength pulsing beneath his skin, his heart beating at a stronger, steadier rhythm.
“Good,” he said happily. “This is very good.”
He got up, feeling more prepared than ever. It was time to leave the shop he'd occupied for two days.
Raka walked to the door, looking at the street which was now starting to dry after the rain had stopped. That's when he heard something.
Ting… ting…
A strange and out-of-place sound. The rhythmic chime of a small bell came from down the street. It wasn't a cat with a collar.
Raka narrowed his eyes. A Sleeper figure was walking slowly down the street. But this Sleeper was different. He was taller, thinner, and his movements were more graceful, like a model walking on a catwalk .
Hanging from the Sleeper's long neck was a large, rusted bronze bell. It jingled softly with each step the monster took.
[Warning! Detected Mini-Boss: 'The Bellringer'!]
[Function: Guidance Unit. Its bell is capable of emitting low-frequency sonic waves to summon and coordinate all Sleepers within a two-kilometer radius.]Raka swallowed as he read. A summoning unit. If the creature rang its bell loudly, the area would become a death zone in a matter of minutes.
'We have to run,' he thought for a moment. It was his automatic reaction. Raka's old reaction.
Previous Chapter
Latest Chapter
Chapter 162: Opened Eyes
"Incredible... perfect. He is a masterpiece," Vanya muttered.Her eyes never left her cracked tablet screen, ignoring the temperature inside the meat factory which now felt like a sauna.On the stainless steel table, Raka's chest which was now layered in metallic black scales rose and fell with a slow breathing rhythm. Hot steam billowed from the crevices of his new skin, mixing with the remaining cold air in the corners of the room.Luna could not share the same enthusiasm as the doctor. The mute girl held her injured left arm.Her hunting instinct warned her that the silence enveloping the Cold Storage right now was not a sign of peace.And Luna's instinct was never wrong.DOOM... DOOM... DOOM...The sound of very heavy footsteps was heard from the darkness outside the broken steel door. The steps were slow, heavy, and full of certainty. Every step made the puddles of ice water on the factory floor vibrate.Luna immediately turned around then raised both her scalpels in a low stance
Chapter 161: Bio-Mechanical Fusion
"His human chromosomes surrendered without a fight!” Vanya kept babbling. “The heart is overhauling the structure of the surrounding skin into a natural shield!"Before their eyes, the layer of Raka's human skin began to harden and blacken instantly. Micro scales with a metallic texture grew piercing through the skin pores, spreading to cover the left chest area up to the base of his neck.Those metallic black scales reflected the magma red light which could create a visual illusion as if Raka were wearing a chest protector made of molten iron.Luna stared in horror from ten meters away. The temperature inside the hallway was now spiking drastically. The frost flowers on the factory walls began to melt quickly, dripping water that turned the floor into warm puddles.“You see it?” Vanya asked, then turned to Luna.Her face looked mesmerized by Raka's body which was still emitting light.The mute girl gave rapid hand signals toward Vanya. 'THIS FACTORY FEELS LIKE AN OVEN! IS HE GOING TO
Chapter 160: Hybrid Evolution
"Take this," Vanya roared.The woman in the white lab coat stood at the side of the operating table, her feet planted firmly. Both her hands gripped each thick jumper cable that kept sparking flashes of blue electricity.Before her eyes, the metallic black-scaled Dragon Heart was still silent inside Raka's chest cavity."Live, my Masterpiece!"Without a second's hesitation, Vanya slammed both ends of the high-voltage cables directly onto the surface of the mutant organ.ZAAAAAAPPPPP!!!The electric shock exploded instantly. An incredibly blinding blue light illuminated the entire contents of the frozen meat factory and chased away the shadows in every corner of the Cold Storage.Raka's body jerked violently. His waist lifted half a meter off the surgical table, his muscles tensing, enduring the thousands of volts of electricity forced into him.Then, a long screeching sound was heard from the generator box in the corner of the room. That matter made Vanya almost step back due to the e
Chapter 159: Organ Rejection
Raka's body convulsed wildly on the stainless steel table. The Dragon Heart struggled, releasing dark red flesh roots that pierced and ground into Raka's muscle tissue.Raka's biological body responded with a defense. His antibodies went to war against the mutant organ."Damn it! Hyperacute tissue rejection!"Vanya shouted with eyes bulging behind her futuristic glasses whose data screen was blinking bright red with the text [IMMUNE SYSTEM OVERLOAD].Raka's skin, which was previously pale, now began to change color to a purplish blue. The blood vessels in his neck and arms bulged, then blackened like rotten tree roots. Gray foam mixed with blood began to come out from the corners of his tightly closed lips."His body considers this Dragon Heart as a foreign object that must be destroyed!" Vanya gritted her teeth with trembling hands as she tried to hold Raka's body to prevent it
Chapter 158: Server Tower
"I mean," the Admin interrupted. He raised his face with a bitter smile that was very unsuitable for a child's face, "if you destroy that Transmitter to save your world, you also destroy me. I will be deleted permanently. Log Out forever."Silence emerged between them. Raka felt as if the transparent floor beneath him had just been removed.This System, which used the form of this annoying boy, was the entity that always cursed at him, that made a live stream of his suffering, that gave him ridiculous weapons from Netizen voting results.But also the one who saved his life repeatedly. Who kept him company when he was almost going crazy. Who became the only 'voice' in his head when the real world was too brutal to face."No." Raka shook his head firmly. His voice began to rise. "No, that makes no sense. There must be another way. Vanya is a genius, she can hack the system! We can cut the monster conne
Chapter 157: Final Quest
BZZZZZZZT! ERROR! [BIOLOGICAL FUSION REJECTED]Raka staggered and almost fell backward as the sight of the frozen meat factory and Luna's panicked face suddenly shattered into blazing red pixel dust.He was sitting back in the transparent chair, right in front of the Admin's chrome gaming desk.On the desk, the loading bar that was almost full earlier was now blinking aggressively with warning text.[RESPAWN FAILED. ORGAN REJECTION DETECTED. RELOADING EMERGENCY PROTOCOL...]"Dammit! Why am I back here?!" Raka slammed the black glass desk. "I saw Luna! She was surrounded by monsters! Send me back there now, Admin!"The Admin, who was still sitting cross-legged in his luxurious gaming chair, did not answer immediately. The boy in the black hoodie was staring at the main monitor screen displaying
You may also like
My Money Spendrift System
R. AUSTINNITE45.1K viewsThe Super Doctor Calvin Hudson
Cindy Chen30.0K viewsGod of System Analysis
NFA80.8K viewsI Became A Vampire Demon
Zenick42.5K viewsUseless?! Ha! I Get $10,000,000 For Face-Slapping!
Sweet savage3.9K viewsThe Soul-Code Warden: Rise of the Ghost Heir
Olso Sterling205 viewsPHANTOM IN THE SHELL: MEMORY FORGE
Harley Brooks 162 viewsThe Lawyer Who Never Loses
Rosehipstea 208 views