The Tier 1 Predator tilted its head, sniffing the air again.

  Even cloaked, I felt like a rabbit standing in front of a dragon.

  Its eyes — or what passed for them — were sockets of molten metal, scanning through reality like fire looking for oxygen.

  And I was leaking desperation.

  [Cloak degrading — 3… 2… 1…]

  The shimmer broke.

  It turned.

  And then it charged.

  There was no roar. No dramatic pause. Just a living freight train covered in serrated armor and pulsing data, sprinting like death was chasing it.

  I dodged. Barely. It skidded past, gouging a trench in the ash-covered ground. I slashed with the bone-blade, aiming for a gap in the armor.

  Nothing. It bounced off like I’d thrown a twig.

  The Predator pivoted and swiped.

  This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

  The world flipped sideways.

  Pain exploded in my ribs — something cracked, maybe snapped — and I hit the dirt hard.

  [Health: Critical]

  [Fractured Ribs. Internal Bleeding Detected.]

  The System tried to heal. It pulsed, flashing red across my vision. But it wasn’t fast enough. I was dying.

  [Emergency Protocol Available: DATA OVERLOAD]

  Warning: Activation may corrupt neural pathways, memory loss, personality fracture, or death.

  I didn’t even hesitate.

  “DO IT!”

  [Data Overload Initiated…]

  Time fractured.

  It was like plugging my brain into a lightning storm. I saw everything at once — the Predator’s structure, its weaknesses, its combat protocols, its decision trees. Data poured into me like poison mixed with adrenaline.

  [Overload Target: Predator - Class Omega Aberrant]

  Skill Fragment Acquired: Adaptive Counter (Tier 1 - Incomplete)

  Effect: Analyze pattern and shift stance to counter known attack forms. Durability cost: High.

  My body moved on instinct.

  When it lunged again, I rolled under the strike and stabbed upward. Not into its chest — but the exposed wiring beneath its underarm.

  Sparks flew.

  The Predator roared — the sound digital and alive, like a corrupted engine screaming in pain.

  I didn’t stop. I climbed its arm, drove the rib-blade into its shoulder joint, and screamed as I poured everything into the strike.

  [Data Leech Activated — Forced Mode]

  [Absorbing Data Fragment…]

  …System overload detected. Memory sync compromised.

  My vision blurred. My thoughts spiraled.

  I saw images — not mine — of the creature’s last moments before it was transformed, torn apart, reprogrammed. It had been human once. Or close. A warrior. Betrayed. Burned alive and given new purpose by something higher.

  Gods. Algorithms. Monsters. Whatever ruled this world, it didn’t play fair.

  I hit the ground hard as the Predator finally collapsed, twitching, its data-stained life draining into the earth.

  Silence.

  Then…

  [Survival Confirmed.]

  [Data Rewritten.]

  [New Trait Gained: Shattered Reflex (Tier 1–Corrupted)]

  Effect: Once per battle, instantly respond to lethal threat with counterattack. Side effects: Phantom pain, delayed trauma feedback.

  I lay there.

  Bleeding. Broken. Smiling.

  “I’m still here,” I whispered. “Still in the game.”

  [System Calibration: 57% Complete]

  [New Directive Unlocked: Ascend Through System Layers — 1/7]

  A soft chime echoed in my head — different this time.

  Hope?

  No.

  Hunger.

  And I had just taken my first bite of what it meant to rise in a world that wanted me erased.