One piece: Without a system, I have to survive!

The jungle was silent again, but this time, it wasn't because of fear.

It was anticipation.

The mysterious woman stepped forward, her piercing green eyes locked onto mine. Every move she made was calculated, filled with the grace of a predator that had been waiting patiently for its prey.

Yet, despite the tension in the air…

I didn't sense hostility from her.

Only curiosity.

"You handled that beast well," she said, her voice smooth yet carrying an undeniable edge. "But I'm not surprised."

I frowned. "What do you mean?"

She stopped just a few feet away from me, close enough that I could feel an aura radiating from her—one that felt eerily similar to the energy surging through my own body.

"You felt it, didn't you?" she asked. "The way your body moved. The way your mind processed the battle. That wasn't normal."

I clenched my fists. She was right.

Everything had felt different. Faster. Sharper. Like I was moving with an awareness that wasn't my own.

Like something inside me had awakened.

"You've been suppressing it all this time," she continued, crossing her arms. "But now… it's starting to break free."

Shira stepped closer, her hand still on her sword. "And who exactly are you to know all this?"

The woman didn't look at her. She kept her gaze locked onto me.

"My name is Selene," she said at last. "And I am like you."

My eyes widened.

Like me?

I glanced at her golden mark, glowing faintly on her arm—an exact match to the one on my palm.

"What do you mean 'like me'?" I asked, my voice careful.

Selene's lips curled into a small smile. "You're not the first, Ardan."

A shiver ran down my spine.

Not the first?

Selene turned slightly, looking at the fallen beast. "Creatures like that… they're drawn to our kind. To our energy. That's why it attacked. That's why more will come."

I swallowed hard. More?

Smoker exhaled a cloud of smoke. "Great. So we've got a whole damn ecosystem trying to eat us."

Selene chuckled lightly. "Only if you're weak." Her gaze returned to me. "But you… you're already starting to evolve. And soon, you'll have to decide."

"Decide what?" I asked.

Selene took another step forward, this time lowering her voice. "Whether you'll embrace what's inside you… or let it consume you."

The weight of her words settled deep in my chest.

I didn't know what she meant exactly, but something told me she wasn't exaggerating.

Because whatever had awakened inside me today…

It wasn't just power.

It was something more.

Something dangerous.

And something told me—I was running out of time to figure it out.