Adaptation

Ares sat against the cold stone wall, breathing slow and deep.His body was still recovering, his wounds closing faster than should’ve been possible. The pain had dulled, reduced to a lingering ache rather than a burning agony. He could feel his heartbeat—steady, strong. His muscles still trembled from exhaustion, but something in him was different. 
Not stronger. Not faster. Just… changed.
System: [Cellular stabilization in progress.][Energy reserves partially restored.]
His eyes flicked to the Cave Lizard’s half-eaten corpse. He had forced himself to keep eating, even when every bite made his stomach twist. The system had digested the raw meat rapidly, breaking it down into something his body could use.And then—that warmth.That energy.It was still there, pulsing faintly in his veins, though weaker now. The system had tried to analyze it—and failed.
System: [Unknown energy source detected.] [ERROR—Classification unavailable.]
Ares exhaled slowly. The fact that the system didn’t recognize it meant it had never encountered anything like this before.Or at least, not in whatever world it had come from.
He flexed his fingers experimentally. His hand still ached from gripping the rock so tightly during the fight, but the raw pain was fading. His arm—where the Cave Lizard had bitten him—was no longer bleeding. Instead, the wounds had sealed with fresh, pink skin.Not instant healing. But fast. Too fast.
System: [Minor biological adaptation detected.]
Ares stiffened.What?His vision flickered as another glitched message appeared, the text slightly distorted.
System: [Attempting analysis…] [ERROR—Data fragmentation detected.]
The system still couldn’t fully process what was happening.But Ares could feel it.
The food had done more than just keep him alive. It had changed something inside him.It wasn’t an immediate transformation, but subtle—like his body had taken something from the Cave Lizard.Ares pressed his fingers against his forearm, feeling the new skin.
System: [Genetic markers shifting…][ERROR—Adaptive process unstable.]
A slow breath.His body was adapting.Not mutating—adapting.But into what?
He let his head rest against the cave wall, his thoughts churning.If eating monsters could make him stronger, then survival wasn’t just about fighting.It was about consuming.About becoming something else.The question was— how far would it go?Ares exhaled sharply and closed his eyes.
For now, he needed rest.