Ricky's consciousness was like a tiny boat in a storm, tossed helplessly by waves beyond his control.
A roar split the heavens.
A blast of force rippled through the air, like a hurricane tearing through the trees.
Animals in front of Ricky collapsed instantly, their bodies twitching, trails of white smoke curling from their mouths.
Even his own fragile frame shuddered violently, his wings trembling under the unseen pressure.
"Should I use it?"
The thought barely formed before another shockwave slammed into him.
Ricky felt like a nail being hammered into the earth. His vision blurred, his mind reeled. The world around him tilted—or was it him who was falling?
"No... no!"
The last thing he saw was a blazing sun of fire plummeting toward the ground.
Then—
Darkness.
---
Ricky didn't know how long he had been unconscious.
When he woke, the scent of blood and burnt flesh hung thick in the air.
Around him, dozens of animals lay sprawled across the forest floor, their bodies rising and falling in shallow, uneven breaths.
He wasn't alone.
A slow, predatory hunger coiled in Ricky's chest.
His instincts took over.
---
The forest stretched endlessly in all directions—a world of shadow and light, tangled roots and swaying leaves.
In this vast domain, a single mosquito danced through the air, flitting from one unmoving body to another.
Each time his proboscis pierced flesh—
[+6 Hours of Lifespan Absorbed]
[+1.5 Hours of Lifespan Absorbed]
—warmth flooded his tiny body, a sensation so intoxicating it made his wings quiver.
Life.
Theirs, now his.
The animals were many. The feast was endless.
Ricky drank and drank, his hunger insatiable.
By the time he was done, his lifespan had multiplied.
[Status Window – Stage 1, Rank 2]
[Name: Ricky Stormwind]
[Bloodline: None [Gather more genes to awaken a suitable bloodline]]
[Lifespan: 100 Days]
[Rank: Stage 1 - Rank 2]
[Evolution Progress: 69%]
[Spiritual Force: 0.004]
A bottleneck.
He could feel it—like a door half-open, refusing to budge.
His evolution progress had slowed.
Ricky narrowed his eyes. He had come to realize something.
The stronger the prey, the greater the growth.
It's time to change the hunting grounds.
A quiet chuckle escaped him, the sound almost alien.
Was he... enjoying this?
If only I could absorb lifespan faster...
He turned his gaze toward the scattered bodies still untouched.
He hesitated.
The forest was waking up.
Predators were arriving.
Something—someone—had been keeping them at bay. And now, that presence was gone.
It was time to leave.
---
He followed the scent of power.
The closer he got, the thicker the air became. A strange, invisible pressure pressed down on him.
It wasn't just air anymore.
It was... something more.
Something alive as if the very air had come to life.
For the first time, Ricky realized the world wasn't as simple as he had thought.
There were forces at play beyond his understanding.
And his body—his very being—was awakening to them.
The realization sent an unfamiliar shiver through him.
Fear?
Excitement?
He didn't know.
But he continued forward.
The forest suddenly broke open, revealing an enclosed stone courtyard.
At its center, a colossal tree towered into the sky, its bark smooth and obsidian-black, its twisting branches heavy with large crimson fruits that pulsed with a faint, internal glow.
Ricky's compound eyes reflected the sight.
This is it.
The moment he saw the fruits, his body moved on instinct, his wings pushing him forward—
Then he stopped mid-air.
An unnatural silence pressed against his senses.
The wind stirred, rustling the tree's vast canopy, but...
There were no insects.
No creatures.
Not even a single bird.
A cold, gnawing dread coiled around Ricky's tiny frame.
Something was wrong.
He turned his gaze slowly—toward the source of the strongest scent of spiritual force.
A human.
---
The man lay crumpled at the base of the tree.
His robes—once deep black—were charred and torn, the fabric still smoldering.
Blood pooled beneath him, thick and dark, yet his presence remained oppressive.
Even in such a state, his very existence warped the air.
The space around him bent, twisted—rejected reality itself.
Ricky froze.
His body screamed at him to flee.
But he didn't.
He couldn't.
For the first time in this world, Ricky looked at another human being and felt... nothing.
Not relief. Not kinship, as if the man infront of him was an alien.
Only a question.
What... are you?
He didn't dare go closer. Not yet.
Instead, he turned back to the tree.
The fruit was still there. Tempting.
His wings twitched.
He moved—
And then he saw it.
--
High up on a thick branch, an eight-legged horror stirred.
A spider.
Its body was pitch black, its eight eyes like empty voids reflecting the dim light of the courtyard.
It didn't move.
Didn't twitch.
But its gaze was locked onto him.
Watching.
Waiting.
A chill ran down Ricky's exoskeleton.
The weight of its presence was unnatural.
Then—
[Stage One Being Detected.]
Looking at the notifications Ricky stiffened.
His instincts had been right.
Another system's prompt flashed before him, but he barely noticed.
His mind was already screaming:
Leave. Now.
Carefully, he retreated—inch by inch, foot by foot—until the unbearable pressure eased.
Only then did the spider's unblinking gaze shift away.
It wasn't interested in chasing.
It was only interested in guarding.
Ricky exhaled shakily.
Then, curiosity overcame his fear.
He clicked on the new system window.
[Status Window]
[Nether Swan Spider – Stage 1, Rank 3]
[Bloodline: Spiritual Fruit]
[Lifespan: 100 years]
[Spiritual Force: 0.934]
[Abilities: Nether Thread (E Rank), Fruit Cultivator (EE Rank), Guard (FF Rank)]
Ricky stared at the screen, his entire body numb.
That gap between them... was unimaginable.
But that wasn't what shocked him most.
It was the Bloodline.
"Spiritual Fruit...?"
His gaze slowly shifted back to the glowing red orbs hanging from the branches.
For the first time since he woke up in this world, a new hunger surged within him.
Not for blood.
Not for mere survival.
But for something greater.
For power.