The Janitor Who became a God

Chapter 5: Predator Awakened

The warehouse trembled under the sound of approaching death, two riot-class enforcers, each a mountain clad in reinforced armor, stormed toward Fred like twin battering rams forged for war. With every step, the cracked concrete groaned. Their metal fists caught the flickering overhead lights, casting shifting, monstrous shadows.

Fred didn’t run. Instead, he lowered his stance, breath steadying even as his limbs ached from earlier skirmishes. His eyes narrowed, tracking every movement.

[Instinct Surge: Critical Reflex – Active]

Target Weakness Detected: Joint gaps – Neck, Knee, Underarm Adrenal Core: Engaged Fire Surge – Lv.0: Ignited

Mutation Sync: 97%... Surge Possible He inhaled and moved. BOOM!

The first enforcer’s strike came like a meteor. Fred ducked under the swing, twisted, and slammed his open palm into the armored underarm, just beneath the shoulder plating, A jet of flame erupted from his palm.

FOOOOOOM!

The impact melted armor like wax. Metal hissed, and synthetic muscle tore beneath the superheated burst. The enforcer roared in pain, staggering back, but Fred was already gone, rolling low behind the second, this one was faster.

A punch shot toward Fred’s back. He tried to dodge, too late.

CRACK!

His body flew like a ragdoll, crashing spine-first into a metal support beam. The breath left his lungs in a wet cough. Blood splattered from his mouth.

[System Damage: 38%] Pain Resistance: Holding Suggestion: Fallback / Use Item – None Available

Fred groaned. Pain spiderwebbed through his chest. One rib? No, three at least. His arms trembled, legs refusing to obey. But his eyes didn’t shut, Across the warehouse, he saw her, Emily—hands tied, face bruised, eyes wide with terror as the armored guards began to advance on her. No...

His vision blurred. Something in him screamed to stay down, to give in. To save what little remained of his own body. But then, something ancient stirred, A memory, or perhaps a presence, curled around the back of his mind. It wasn’t human. Not entirely, A whisper echoed through his soul. "Will you fight to protect... or perish trying?"

Fred’s breath hitched. The world slowed. [Mutation Threshold Reached: 100%] Primordial Core Activation – Tier 1: Awakened, Time snapped back to speed. The air around Fred ignited. His veins burned gold. Flames surged beneath his skin, not consuming, but fueling. His body lifted, pain drowned beneath the tide of power. His eyes turned to molten amber. His stance stabilized, fists clenched.

The guards hesitated, only a moment. Too late. Fred launched forward, flame trailing his limbs like comet tails. CRACK! BOOM!

His fist collided with the first enforcer’s helmet. The impact echoed like a gunshot, steel crumpled inward with a screech, the visor shattering. The giant toppled backward. The second guard reacted, raising both arms.

But Fred vanished in a blur, reappearing behind him in a crouch, flames coiling around his knuckles like living serpents.

[Fire Surge – Level Up! Now Lv.1] Special Trait Unlocked: Chain Combustion, He unleashed a flurry of strikes. One. Two. Three, twelve hits in under three seconds, Each impact detonated like a bomb. Flame exploded from his fists, tearing through armor, ligaments, bones. The enforcer screamed, then collapsed, smoke rising from seams in his suit. Metal fused to skin. Steam hissed from within.

Silence. Just for a breath. Then came slow, echoing footsteps. A single pair, Don Raze. Clad in a pristine black coat, his white gloves clapped slowly as he emerged from the shadows, untouched by the carnage.

“Impressive,” he said, voice smooth as oil. “You’re stronger than expected.”

Fred’s body still burned with power, but his face twisted with rage. “You hurt my sister,” he growled. “You took girls. You’re done.” Raze tilted his head, expression unbothered.

“I don’t dirty my hands. I build monsters.” He raised a hand, and snapped his fingers.

THOOM. The warehouse floor vibrated. A hidden chamber hissed open, From it, a metallic capsule rolled forward, steam venting from the seams. A locking mechanism hissed, and the capsule’s side peeled open like a cracked egg. From the darkness within, it crawled.

A fusion of man and machine, bone and chrome. Limbs bent wrong. Claws extended like knives. Its spine twisted unnaturally, rotating with mechanical grinding. Its eyes, blood-red, lifeless yet furious, locked onto Fred.

[Warning: Gen-1 Bio Hybrid – Designation: Helhound]

Power Class: 2.5

Status: Unstable / Berserk Risk – 62%

Fred’s breath caught. Even with fire pulsing through him, this thing… was on a different level, The Helhound let out a distorted growl, half-scream, half-machinery malfunction, And then it charged, Above the Warehouse – Rooftop

Rain drizzled on cracked concrete. A girl in a white cloak stood on the rooftop, wind brushing her silver-white hair across her cheek. Her eyes, sharp and ancient, watched the battle unfold through the open skylight.

“Interesting,” she murmured. A hovering drone buzzed beside her.

“Subject 013 has achieved Tier 1,” the drone announced.

She smiled faintly. “So the fire-blooded boy finally lit the match. Let’s see how long it burns.”

She reached inside her coat, pulling free a long, curved blade. The weapon shimmered, not metal, not quite energy. Something in between. Silver light glowed along the edge. “If he dies now… a waste.”

The drone beeped. “Shall I prepare support?” She didn’t answer. Not yet. Warehouse – Ground Floor

Fred barely rolled aside as the Helhound’s claws slashed through the air where his neck had been. Sparks erupted as talons carved through metal crates like butter, Who the hell made this thing?!

He leapt back, flames surging at his feet. With a roar, he hurled twin firebolts, direct hits.

BOOM!

The creature staggered, flames engulfing it, But then, its torso expanded. Something beneath the skin pulsed.

FWOOSH.

With a sudden burst, the Helhound’s skin vented steam. The flames extinguished. Fred’s heart sank. His fire wasn’t enough. The Helhound grinned, a horrible, broken distortion of a human expression, and lunged again. Fred raised his arms to block, too slow.

CRUNCH!

Claws ripped into his shoulder. Blood sprayed. Fred screamed, retaliating with a burning elbow to the creature’s face. The Helhound reeled but didn’t fall. It came again.

Another claw. Another dodge. Another slice. Fred was fast, but the Helhound was faster. Stronger. Its attacks weren’t brute force, they were calculated, predatory. It was learning him.

[System Damage: 64%]

Stamina: Falling
Mutation Stability: Waning – Surge Risk Imminent

Emily’s voice called out faintly through the haze of noise and pain, “Fred!” He staggered, vision dimming. The creature pinned him against the wall, claws raised for the kill, His flames surged weakly, no longer defiant. Desperate. He closed his eyes. Sorry… Em.

Above

The girl narrowed her eyes. The blade in her hand shimmered brighter. “Time’s up.” She leapt. The air cracked. Warehouse – Flash Impact. FWOOOOOSH—CRACK!

A streak of silver light tore through the ceiling, trailing mist and moonlight. It struck the Helhound’s claws an instant before they reached Fred’s chest. BOOOOM! Light exploded.

The Helhound screamed, not in anger, but agony, as its arm was severed in a clean, blinding arc. Sparks sprayed. The force sent it crashing backward, skidding across the floor. Fred fell to his knees, barely breathing. The white-haired girl landed like a ghost, coat fluttering. She looked at him. He looked up, bloodied and dazed.

Her voice was calm. “You’re not allowed to die. Not yet.” She turned toward the Helhound, blade humming. Her eyes burned brighter than Fred’s fire.

He blinked. “Who... are you?”

She didn’t look back. “Your next evolution,” she whispered.

And then she moved, so fast, she vanished. Fred, still kneeling, watched silver and fire clash in a storm of chaos, and somewhere in his fractured mind he realized this was just the beginning.