UNLOCK: I CAN SEE MY STATS

chapter 38 : number 0

The coastal sea, near Haven Island

A gentle breeze drifted over the bright blue water, carrying the sound of waves dancing as they softly struck the sides of the sailboat.

At the edge of the boat stood a tall teenage boy, his hair trimmed so neatly it looked like he had just come out of a military camp. His black eyes stared coldly at the body of a sea creature stretched out on the ground, his face showing only faint disgust.

That was not the only corpse. The entire yard was drenched in blood and scattered remains.

Marcus pulled his sword out of the strange-nosed sea creature’s skull, wiped the blade on his already blood-stained clothes, then kicked the body aside.

Thud!

"I don’t know if all those bastards were here. If some managed to escape... we could be in trouble."

"They might expose our location again, and I’m really tired of running from one island to another." He muttered with a frown while scanning the corners of the building for any remaining prey.

He stepped into a narrow room filled with shelves and maps hanging on the walls. He paused in surprise.

"Hmm... an interesting room..."

He sheathed his sword and started flipping through one of the maps.

"Impressive. This is truly the work of a professional."

He praised inwardly the precision in drawing the coastline and measurements. He sighed bitterly and tossed the map aside.

"Tch! If I had known there was a brilliant navigator among them, I would’ve kept him alive, at least long enough to learn navigation from him."

But then a calm smile formed on his face as he opened a finely handwritten book.

"With transformation number 0, I can learn this myself."

That transformation granted by the bracelet, that tiny creature that at first filled him with disgust. Only four months ago did he realize how foolish he was to ignore it.

Transformation number 0 gave him sharp intelligence and an extraordinary capacity for learning. He could absorb any science available in texts, and even keep that knowledge after canceling the transformation.

He sat on a rickety chair and flipped through the book’s pages.

"What a genius... too bad I killed him." He whispered softly, with genuine regret.

Then he closed his eyes for a moment, memories of that fateful moment flashing through his mind, the day his father was killed, the day he acquired that mysterious bracelet, his greatest and most dangerous weapon.

"Seven whole months... gone by without me even noticing." He whispered with heavy emotions.

"And in just seven months, I’ve been forced to move from island to island."

Silent moments passed, broken by painful memories. When he left with his mother to rescue his siblings, they were forced to flee again less than a month after settling in their new home, once the eyes of the world system discovered them.

His mother’s warning about the intelligence network of the world system wasn’t baseless. A branch of the Marine Army had appeared with five ships. If he hadn’t transformed into the legendary elephant at that time, one of the powers he got from a Dream-Bringer transformation drug, he and his family would now be in iron chains.

But that transformation revealed his new weapon to the eyes of lurking enemies, making him hunted not only as a killer of the Chosen, but as a phenomenon the world system needed to unravel.

His bounty rose to 540 million Rela, and the world system even offered 10 million Rela to anyone who revealed his location.

Because of that huge bounty, someone in a village betrayed him later, and if not for his caution and instinct to retreat, he would’ve been captured. The next time was even more bitter, when even the chief of a village he once saved from savage pirates betrayed him, driven by greed and fear.

All of that brought him to this island.

This time, he was more careful. He sent his mother and siblings to hide in a quiet village, while he himself chose the forests as a refuge to ensure their safety.

But he discovered too late that this land was secretly colonized by sea creatures allied with certain Marine Army units.

He recalled the information he ripped from one of their minds before killing him, then growled

"The world system... even the Marine Army conspires with those scum..."

He clenched his brows violently.

"Should I slaughter all the soldiers at that nearby branch?"

But he quickly shook his head, dismissing the thought.

"If I did, I might attract even more eyes. They would definitely learn where I am."

He kicked the table hard, making the books and maps shake.

"I’m sick of living like this... step by step, always watching my back day and night."

He closed his eyes painfully as he thought of his mother, her deadly illness hanging over her neck like the angel of death waving his scythe.

"I have to find them a safe place. Then I’ll search for her cure... even if it means crossing the deep sea or entering the final land."

A sharp glint lit his eyes.

"Hmm... this might work."

Then the voice of the bracelet spoke in his mind, with its cold mechanical tone.

[Scan complete...]

[DNA successfully acquired...]

[Transformation unlocked...]