Selene made it back to her base—an abandoned dungeon far from civilization, buried beneath the remnants of a long-forgotten city.
No one came here anymore. The monsters were long dead, the loot pillaged, and the structure unstable.
But that made it perfect for her.
A place to disappear. A place to hide.
She walked slowly, dragging her feet. Her body ached from the fight, but more than that, she felt tired in her bones—exhausted in a way no rest could fix.
Once she reached the stone platform she used as a bed, she opened her system interface with a mental flick.
[Progress Toward Awakening: 25%]
[Cores Consumed: 12/1000]
[Status: Incomplete Evolution]
Her eyes narrowed at the percentage.
It felt impossibly small.
All those fights, all those swallowed cores—and she'd barely scratched the surface.
The mark on her arm pulsed faintly, reminding her again that the countdown had already started.
