part1 · 028-ep28

Episode 28: Survival Adaptation

The monster closed in. Ren readied his spear.

The voice he'd heard moments ago still lingered in his head.

《Survival Adaptation confirmed.》

《Beginning adaptation to current threat.》

"...Survival Adaptation."

Ren murmured it quietly. Until yesterday, he hadn't known what was happening. But now was different.

When he got into danger, something happened.

In that case—

"Let's test it a little more."

The monster lunged. Ren leapt sideways. Claws swept past in front of his eyes.

"...I can see it a little."

He could read the monster's movements better than a moment ago. Ren thrust the spear out.

—Slash.

The spear bit into the monster's body. The monster backed away.

"It's working."

His attacks were getting through better than before. But Ren didn't follow up.

He put distance between them. Checked the feel of his own body.

"...What's changed?"

Strength. Speed. Vision.

All of them were changing, little by little. But no single one of them had changed by much.

"...It's changing what I need...?"

Ren thought. Yesterday, to keep up with the monster's movements, his vision and reflexes had changed.

Right now—

his body's movements were changing to match the monster in front of him.

"Does it change depending on the opponent?"

It was worth testing.

　　　　　◇

Ren killed that monster. Then he searched out the next one.

This time, a monster with a bigger body than the last.

"...What happens with this one?"

The fight began. In strength, Ren was outmatched. Take a hit head-on, and he'd be sent flying.

Ren kept dodging the attacks.

But—

his footing gave out.

"Crap!"

The monster's attack bore down. Ren blocked with his arm.

"Gah!"

A ferocious impact. His body was flung backward.

It hurt.

But—

it wasn't enough to kill him.

Ren stood up. That instant. Again, heat rose deep inside him.

"...Here it comes."

His breathing changed. Strength filled his legs. His body was steadier than before.

Ren dodged the monster's attack. This time he dropped low and slipped inside its guard. Drove the spear in.

"...!"

The feel of it was different. It had gone deeper than before.

Ren pulled back and looked at the monster.

"...My strength is changing, too."

Ren was starting to be sure. Survival Adaptation wasn't just something that made his body stronger.

It changed the parts he needed, right now, to stay alive.

　　　　　◇

That day, he didn't push himself any further. Ren returned to his bed.

He set the spear down and leaned against the rock wall.

"...Interesting."

Slightly more than the fear, curiosity had won out. He wanted to look deeper. He wanted to understand more.

And—

he wanted to take another shot at that monster from yesterday, too.

But it was too soon.

"Let's test it more."

Ren murmured.

For the days that followed, Ren would go on stacking up fights with monsters, one at a time.