My SSS-Rank Innate skill: Infinite Adaptation core

The unbearable hunger and thirst had already driven him beyond reason. His body screamed for nourishment, his instincts forcing him to consume something anything that could keep him moving for even a little longer.

Nova bit down harder, tearing apart the hard raw flesh of the wolf beast and forcing the demonic meat into his mouth. Thick blood spilled over his lips and down his chin as he swallowed it without hesitation.

He didn’t care if it killed him. At this point he welcomed it.

The moment the flesh slid down his dry throat, a burning pain spread through his body. Nova could clearly feel the chunk of meat painfully forcing its way into his stomach, his insides twisting violently from the foreign flesh.

But he had no time to react.

The second Hunter Wolfang lunged toward him.

Nova twisted his body at the last possible second, barely avoiding the claws that tore through the air beside his face. With desperation and madness fueling his movements, he slammed his fist into the wounded beast’s throat before grabbing the longsword and driving it upward through the creature’s jaw with brutal force.

CRACK.

Bones shattered violently.

The first Hunter Wolfang collapsed onto the ground lifelessly as system messages flooded before Nova’s eyes one after another. But he had no time to read them.

Not with the endless wave still charging toward him. Not with the unbearable churning pain inside his stomach.

Several beasts instantly lunged at him from all directions, their sharp fangs and claws aiming to tear apart different parts of his body while savage howls echoed across the dungeon.

Nova was no longer in any condition to fight properly.

In desperation, he grabbed whatever weapons were scattered among the drops on the ground and hurled them toward the approaching beasts with all the strength he had left.

The pain surging through his body was so intense that he nearly lost consciousness.

[You have killed a Level 18 Hunter Wolfang.]

[You have killed a Level 10 Hunter Wolfang.]

[You have killed a Level 12 Hunter Wolfang.]

[+EXP Earned.]

[You have leveled up!]

[You have leveled up!]

[All Stats Increased by 2.]

[You have gained 2 Stat Points.]

Demonic energy began flooding through his stomach the moment the flesh settled inside him. It felt as if countless sharp daggers were tearing him apart from within. Nova violently spat out blood, his mind buzzing painfully as his senses became distorted.

Before he could react properly, a low-level beast slipped through his defense and clawed across his waist, tearing apart flesh and forcing him to stumble backward.

Blood poured uncontrollably from the countless wounds covering his body. Even standing had become difficult. Yet Nova still forced himself to move, pushing his exhausted body backward with whatever little strength he had left.

Then another notification flashed before his blurred vision.

[Critical Condition Detected: Host life is in danger.]

[Analyzing Threshold...]

[Infinite Adaptation Core Activated.]

[Generating Skill...]

A brief pause followed.

Then—

[Congratulations!]

[Legendary Skill Acquired: Mutation]

[Rank: S]

[Activating Mutation...]

But the pain made it impossible for Nova to properly see anything around him. He was barely managing to dodge the incoming attacks, his body feeling completely devoid of strength.

The agony was beyond unbearable.

It was gut-wrenching.

Nova suddenly dropped to his knees, clutching his stomach tightly. His insides churned violently as if something alive was tearing through him from within. His muscles spasmed uncontrollably while his entire body twisted in unnatural ways, almost as though it was rejecting itself.

Then—

CRACK.

His bones began breaking.

Tendons twisted painfully beneath his skin as his body trembled on the verge of collapsing entirely. A scream escaped his throat as the horrifying pain consumed him completely.

Even Pain Resistance couldn’t suppress this level of agony.

It was common knowledge in this world that the blood and flesh of demonic beasts found inside dungeons or outside were deadly to humans. Consuming even the smallest amount would result in a slow and painful death. Many people trapped inside dungeons with nothing left to eat chose starvation instead of touching that cursed meat.

To humans—

it was no different from lethal poison.

As if the unimaginable pain wasn’t already enough, Nova still forced himself to move. At this point, he no longer wanted to die in this cursed place.

Not after everything.

He had endured hell in his previous life, and now for the first time he finally had something worth returning to. A real family. His father and mother were waiting for him at home.

That thought alone kept him conscious.

Gritting his teeth, Nova somehow forced his trembling body back onto its feet. Every movement felt like torture, his muscles barely responding anymore. He staggered backward and used the fallen beast corpses as makeshift shields, piling them together to obstruct the incoming waves of monsters.

Then another notification appeared before his eyes.

[Demonic Energy Detected Within Host Body.]

[Mutation Skill Activated.]

[Analyzing Foreign Energy...]

[Attempting Adaptation...]

[Process Failed.]

[Reattempting Adaptation...]

[Process Failed.]

[Reattempting Adaptation...]

[Process Failed.]

[Reattempting Adaptation...]

[....]

[....]

[Adaptation Successful.]

[Demonic Energy Compatibility Achieved.]

[Partial Absorption Initiated.]

[Warning: Host body has begun adapting to demonic energy.]

[Continued consumption may result in irreversible mutations and unknown evolutionary changes.]

The moment the message appeared, Nova felt the unbearable pain inside his body slowly begin to stabilize. The violent burning sensation remained, but it no longer felt like his insides were being torn apart completely.

Instead something else was happening.

His body was changing.

His skin burned as dark energy spread through his body from the demonic flesh he had consumed. The veins along his arms pulsed violently, turning pitch black beneath his skin while his heartbeat thundered inside his chest like a war drum.

For a brief moment, his eyes glowed crimson.

Then something changed.

The flesh inside his stomach finally dissolved completely, and the unbearable agony that had nearly driven him insane slowly transformed into a warm, soothing sensation spreading throughout his body.

A complete contrast to the torture he had just endured. At the same time, notification after notification began flooding his vision.

[Mutation Skill Activated.]

[Analyzing Host Body Condition...]

[Infinite Adaptation Core Synchronizing with Surrounding Environment...]

[Assessing Nearby Threat Levels and Lifeforms...]

[Initiating Automatic Evolutionary Adaptation...]

[Adaptation in Progress...]

[Generating Survival-Oriented Skills...]

[Passive Skill Acquired: Enhanced Night Vision]

[Passive Skill Acquired: Stamina Recovery Enhancement]

[Passive Skill Acquired: Mana Recovery Enhancement]

[Passive Skill Acquired: Calm Mind]

[Passive Skill Acquired: Poison Resistance]

[Passive Skill Acquired: Demonic Aura]

[Passive Skill Acquired: Weapon Mastery]

As the messages continued appearing one after another, Nova could physically feel the changes happening inside his body.

His senses sharpened.

The darkness around him became clearer.

His exhausted body slowly regained strength while his chaotic thoughts calmed unnaturally fast. Even the demonic energy spreading inside him no longer felt hostile.

Instead it was becoming part of him.

Nova sucked in a deep breath as the pain slowly began to lessen. A comforting warmth spread throughout his body, soothing the agony that had nearly driven him insane moments ago.

But the notifications still continued.

[Passive Skill Activated: Calm Mind.]

[Passive Skill Activated: Enhanced Stamina Recovery.]

[Passive Skill Activated: Enhanced Mana Recovery.]

Almost instantly, the pounding headache and overwhelming sleepiness began fading away. Nova’s vision became clearer than ever before, while an unnatural sense of calm spread through his mind despite the blood-soaked battlefield surrounding him.

At the same time, he could clearly feel his stamina and mana recovering at terrifying speed—at least three times faster than before. The exhaustion weighing down his body slowly disappeared with every passing second.

Even then, Nova still struggled to dodge some of the incoming attacks while taking opportunities to kill the weaker beasts charging toward him. However, now that his body had changed, his movements became sharper, faster, and far more deadly.

As his eyes finally scanned through the endless chain of notifications, shock flashed across his face. His seemingly overpowered innate skill, Infinite Adaptation Core, wasn’t merely helping him survive it was continuously granting him new abilities perfectly suited for his environment.

And every single one of them was absurdly useful. Infinite Adaptation Core... Mutation... just what kind of skills are these?

This is far beyond normal.

Even top-grade skills would pale in comparison to this.

Calm Mind.

Mana regeneration.

Stamina regeneration.

Every one of them possessed terrifying value in battle.

Nova quickly understood something else as well.

The flesh he had consumed belonged to a demonic beast—a poisonous existence deadly to humans. Yet despite eating its meat and drinking its blood, he was still alive.

Not only alive he was actually recovering.

”So that’s why I’m not feeling hungry or thirsty anymore...” Nova muttered under his breath.

”I really ate the flesh of a demonic beast and drank its blood...”

For a brief moment, his expression turned complicated.

”Can I even still be considered human?”

Before he could think further, his sharpened senses detected movement ahead.

Another wave was coming.

New wolfangs had already begun emerging from the darkness to replace the dead.

Nova let out a slow breath before tightening his grip on the weapons scattered around him. He picked up another sword from the ground, now holding one blade in each hand as he steadied his stance.

Another bloodbath was about to begin.

But this time he was different.

His body no longer suffered from hunger, thirst, or exhaustion, and with the new abilities flowing through him, he stood almost at peak condition once again.

Thanks for reading....