Endless Evolution: Last Star Chapter 1: Failed Experiment
"Trash! Another total failure! I should have known better than to expect anything from these slum-dwellers!" Shouting in a fit of rage, the man wearing the white lab coat hurled his tablet aside.
The holographic display was filled with the portraits of teenagers, all between the ages of sixteen and eighteen. Beneath every face, a single word was repeated: Applicant.
"Dammit... the government is bleeding us dry, forcing us to waste elite Spark Seekers hunting for potential in this filth! The success rate is practically non-existent!" The scientist bellowed, his gaze drifting through the massive window toward the cavernous, metallic chamber beyond.
Leaning against the walls were the youths; their expressions held no terror, only a profound, hollow sadness born from the realization that they possessed no talent.
A nightmare creature drifted through the air of the room, characterized by protruding skeletal structures, four crystalline wings, and a trio of amber eyes with slitted pupils. Its four stunted limbs twitched sporadically, and a lengthy tail tipped with a wide, glass-like appendage trailed behind it.
Out of the group of twenty, only one girl remained to be examined. The Spark Seeker drifted toward her.
Hiding her face in her hands, the girl tried to avoid the gaze of the repulsive beast, whose misshapen jaw dripped with thick saliva.
The Spark Seeker angled its tail, observing the girl through its reflective surface. With X-ray precision, the monster peered through her skin to see her skeletal frame, internal organs, and the network of her veins, eventually spotting a flicker of flame within her chest.
"Rrrrrk! Rrrrk! Rrrrk!" The creature emitted a series of jarring screeches that instantly drew the scientist’s focus.
His eyes bulged in shock as his hands began to shake.
"Natural Talent in a commoner with no bloodline...? This is impossible!" The scientist gasped. He slammed a button, causing the heavy mechanical bulkheads to grind open.
"You're dismissed. Return to your quarters; transport back home leaves tomorrow." With a dismissive wave of his hand, the scientist watched as the teenagers scrambled for the exit, desperate to escape the monster's presence.
The Spark Seeker tilted its head in confusion, and as the final boy fled the chamber, the creature attempted to follow them out.
Instead, the heavy doors slammed shut, leaving the monster alone under the icy glare of the scientist, who now gripped a remote device.
"Tsk. It's a fluke we found one talent today, but it's a shame your mirror only lasts for twenty-four hours." The scientist snorted dismissively before hitting a trigger.
Beep. Beep. Beep.
Following the rhythmic chirping, a crimson spark ignited and the monster was torn apart by an explosion that rattled the reinforced room.
Shards of meat and sprays of gore coated the walls, ending another creature's life in the grim pursuit of racial survival.
"Ugh, fine. That's enough work for one day." The scientist sighed, reaching for the final shutdown sequence.
"Can you hear me...?"
A sudden, unexpected voice echoed from within the sealed room.
Spinning around, the scientist spotted a young man with messy black hair and striking blue eyes. Just like the others, he wore the tattered, grime-stained rags of a life spent in poverty.
'What the hell...?' The scientist’s heart skipped a beat. 'How did I miss him? That shouldn't be possible.'
He grabbed his tablet, quickly scrolling until he found a file matching the boy's face.
"Adam Vinter... just more garbage from the slums..." the scientist hissed under his breath before addressing the boy.
Adam stood drenched in the monster’s ichor, yet he seemed completely unfazed by the carnage. His expression was strangely hollow, almost detached.
"It looks like I failed... am I allowed to leave? They promised us some credits and a few days' worth of rations after the screening... My family really needs it." Adam spoke, his only concern being the meager reward.
The scientist rubbed his temples, his face twisted in a mask of irritation and conflict.
"There aren't any spare Spark Seekers at this outpost... The wait time is ridiculous, and processing this brat through the system again is too much of a headache... Besides, there's no way he has the same luck as that girl. Fine... it's decided." The scientist muttered his internal monologue before pressing a different control.
The metal floor groaned and shuddered, dipping downward as if the very supports holding the room were being retracted.
"What's going on?! Open the door!" Adam yelled, struggling to keep his footing as the room tilted.
The scientist gave a cold, indifferent shrug.
"Sorry, kid. You're just a loose end. I don't care how I overlooked you, but it doesn't matter now. In sixty seconds, you'll be a memory to me and the rest of the world."
Adam opened his mouth to scream, but the floor gave way completely. The container detached from its moorings and plummeted into the abyss at a terrifying speed.
Outside the window, a vista of desolate, sun-scorched earth appeared—a landscape of dust and sand that would soon be swallowed by a sandstorm, signaling the arrival of hunting monsters.
"Lana Tiates... your path is set. I hope you become a truly magnificent Phantom."
The scientist then looked down at the churning, toxic river below, a sludge of waste and dark oils.
The metal box hit the water with a thunderous crash, half-sinking as the current swept it toward the Dead Lands—the lawless territory beyond the city’s massive walls and defensive turrets, where even the most seasoned hunters were often devoured.
'No! No! No! I have to get out! I refuse to die like this!' Adam screamed internally, bracing himself against the walls of the tumbling container.
He managed to wedge himself into a corner near the remains of the Spark Seeker, only for a violent lurch to throw him across the floor seconds later.
The river was a direct path to a tar lake located kilometers away from Citadel F1 - Farlun. For decades, this had been the dumping ground for the Morton Observatory, the southernmost research station of the city.
Keeping a spent Spark Seeker was a death sentence, as its scent would draw other predators to the Observatory. Thus, the 'trash' was always discarded into the river.
As a mere slum-dweller, Adam’s life carried no weight; the scientist knew there would be no consequences for his actions.
In a world teetering on the edge of extinction, morality was a luxury few could afford. Without power, people were simply statistics.
Bam. Bam. Bam.
Adam slammed his fists against the reinforced plating until his knuckles were raw and bleeding, but the metal didn't budge.
"Dammit! Why is this happening to me!?" Adam cried out in a mixture of rage and sorrow, his strikes against the wall producing nothing but a hollow, mocking ring.
In his desperation, he forgot the golden rule of the wasteland: noise attracts death.
Two razor-sharp claws, long as swords, suddenly punched through the metal wall, sending a shower of sparks flying toward Adam.
He scrambled backward into the shadows just before the blades could reach him.
Like a tin can being peeled open, the container’s side was ripped away. A long, narrow snout filled with rows of serrated teeth pushed through the opening.
The beast scanned the room, its eyes shifting from Adam to the mangled Spark Seeker. Deciding Adam was the lesser prize, the monster lunged toward the dead creature first.
Panic seized Adam; even if he fled the container, there was no surviving the Dead Lands alone.
Whoooooooosh.
A massive lance, its silver tip spinning like a drill, tore through the monster's flank and shredded its vitals.
A tall figure, cloaked in heavy, wind-resistant fabrics, appeared in the jagged opening.
The man pushed up his steampunk goggles, revealing bright green eyes and a confident, wide grin.
"Well now, kid, how the hell did you end up in this mess?" The man gestured toward the fallen beast.
A swirling white vortex formed in his palm. Glowing runes, resembling strands of genetic code, began to materialize from the monster’s corpse. Though they were few, the man looked satisfied.
Adam’s eyes widened in realization. Revolve—the legendary ability exclusive to Phantoms!
"Not bad. I probably wouldn't have taken down this Two Clawed Cat so cleanly if you hadn't distracted it!" The man retrieved his lance and stepped into the container.
"Come on, get up. You can tell me your story on the move. I’m a First Rank Phantom, so you're safe with me!" The man declared, extending a hand toward Adam.
Adam scrambled to his feet, reaching out.
'Yes! I’m going to make it!' He cheered in his mind.
Then, a shimmering thread, thinner than a strand of silk, flashed before Adam’s eyes.
In a heartbeat, the man’s head slid from his shoulders. A geyser of blood erupted from his neck, drenching Adam as a new horror emerged from the shadows behind the fallen warrior.
"NO!" Adam lunged for the dropped lance, narrowly dodging another shimmering thread that sliced a shallow, stinging line across his cheek.
A massive, heavy paw slammed down toward him, but Adam gripped the spear just in time.
"DIE!!!!" Adam shrieked with every ounce of his soul, putting all his weight behind the weapon. The momentum caused the spear’s tip to hum as it began its high-speed rotation.
The monster’s limb exploded into a spray of bone and sinew. Shards of the beast’s skeleton whistled past Adam’s face, carving fresh gashes into his skin.
The lance didn't stop, burying itself deep in the creature’s chest before the mechanism finally snapped and died.
The massive carcass slumped over in front of Adam, its glazed eyes staring into nothingness.
"Agh... Agh... Agh..." Adam gasped for air, his heart hammering against his ribs like a trapped bird.
Instead of calming down, his pulse continued to accelerate, reaching a fever pitch until a brilliant light erupted in his eyes.
Within his pupils, the silhouette of a seed appeared, rapidly sprouting roots and branches in all directions, rewriting the very fabric of his being.
[Your Evolution Tree has been awakened!]
[You can summon Revolve to absorb genes!]
[Warning!]
[You killed the Silver Weaver!]
[Absorb the Silver Weaver's gene if you want it to become your Initial Gene!]