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Chapter 3 - Chapter 03: The Predator’s Beginning

As my eyes opened, I did remember what really happened to me.

The pull was so strong that it dragged me toward the white land—ARCH.

As my eyes cleared, I realized I was standing on green grass.

The grass felt soft under my feet.

But as I looked forward, my heartbeat stopped—

And then started racing like I was running a 100-meter sprint and had to finish it in 5 seconds.

My life is really miserable.

I don't even know what I'm doing...

How the hell did I end up in the Swarm?

As I was thinking about it, an unbearable itching started on my left hand.

When my right hand reached for it, I paused.

I thought of how the original ARCH started.

I looked up and shouted,

"Don't you dare make me do stuff like that! I… I'll take this challenge—and I'll make it so that I become the biggest predator!"

Ding!!

The player has made a goal: To become the biggest predator. A challenge to the ARCH world itself.

Ding!!

The player has chosen a path which is impossible to achieve!

Ding!!

Providing player with best bloodline that is attainable…

Ding!!

Bloodline [Ancient Human] will start integrating into player Adam's body…

As those words came to me, my body started itching again.

Then came the pain.

A dreadful pain.

"What the f***! This is 100 times more painful than the makeover bed!"

Now I know—Trunk-kun wasn't the main culprit. This system is.

And After that, I fainted.

When I woke up, I saw the pending system notification:

Ding!

On every level-up, the player will gain an additional 7 AP due to the upgraded bloodline.

Hmm… 7 additional points?

Normally, when leveling up, we get 3 to 4 attribute points.

But now I'll get 10 to 11 total. That's insane!

If I reach just level 10, I'll already have 110 attribute points.

That's equivalent to a level 27 player getting 4 points per level.

With this…

I could tussle with a medium-sized, non-aggressive dino like a Parasaur—maybe even a Dilophosaur—just using my bare hands!

But yeah, Dilophosaurs spit that disgusting venom…

Plus, they've got claws and sharp teeth.

I hope I don't die a brutal death.

Will I even be able to survive here for a second?

Will I even live for another second?

Having doubts about my survival skills—because, let's be honest, they're close to zero—my eyes kept scanning for danger.

But one thing I forgot…

It's not just the big dinos that live here.

Some small and dangerous ones also crawl around—

And one of them, a white Titanoboa, was slithering right toward me.

I had no idea.

It came so close…

Then it struck.

At first, I couldn't even register what happened.

I was still looking for big predators when it bit me.

But the pain hit hard.

I grabbed the sting area as it started burning. My body got hot—like it was on fire.

And when I looked at the culprit…

I saw two Titanoboas I don't know if it was one or two Titanoboa as

my head was spinning.

I knew my first death—and hopefully not my last—was coming.

I could feel the chill run down my back.

I did not want to get eaten by a snake.

I hoped I would survive—

But it was just a hope…

A flickering candle, blown out in a storm.

I was still conscious…

But I couldn't control my body.

I knew I wasn't going to wake up anytime soon.

And there was no way I could run.

I felt sorry for myself.

And prayed I wouldn't feel pain while getting digested.

But it was just a prayer.

The Titanoboa slithered closer.

It opened its massive mouth…

And started swallowing my head.

I watched it gulp me down like I was nothing.

Once my whole head was inside, everything turned dark.

But I could still feel everything around me.

After some slimy horror, my skin started burning—

Fast. Too fast.

First my skin…

Then my muscles…

Then my bones.

I was dead.

I couldn't take any more pain.

And let me tell you something—

That was a hell of an experience.

I couldn't even scream.

I was under the toxin's control—

Paralyzed, watching everything happen.

As I was pitying my existence, my eyes opened—and I saw I was still in the same place... back in ARCH.

I was scared. Like legit scared. And if someone had dared to ask me, "On a scale of 1 to 10, how scared are you?"I would've slapped the absolute fuck out of them and told them to increase the damn scale. Ten doesn't even scratch the surface. Even a hundred wouldn't cut it.

Why?

Simple. There are thousandsof ways to die in ARCH. I have no idea which hellish method will come next.

Trying to calm my boiling brain, I told myself everything will be okay as I level up. But even that lie didn't work for long. My eyes landed on a glowing map that popped into view—it was a full map of the ARCH Islands.

Does the system want me to pick where I'll respawn now?

Ding!

After dying, the player may select a respawn location. It might be a different island, the default base, or near the corpse. The dead body will be marked by a pouch holding the player's items.

I stared at the map, trying not to have a panic attack. After some deep sighs and silent prayers, I chose Foothpaw Island. Not because I like the name—but because it's way safer than the other death trap islands in the ARCH World.

So yeah. I chose Foothpaw Island as my revival point.

As I stood again—new body, same shitty fear—I checked my stats, praying something had changed after all that pain.

---

SUPREME ARCH APOCALYPSE

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Name : Adam

Race : Ancient Human

Level : 0

Health :300 -> 500

Stamina:120 -> 200

Food :100

Water:100

Oxygen:100

Weight:300

Melee Damage :300

Movement Speed: 100

Fortitude:30

Attribute Points : 00

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Health: Determines how much damage a player can take before dying.

Stamina: Controls how long a player can run, sprint, or engage in combat before tiring.

Food: Regulates how long a player can go without eating before their health drops.

Water: Regulates how long a player can go without drinking before their health drops.

Oxygen: Determines how long a player can hold their breath underwater.

Weight: Determines how much weight a player can carry before becoming encumbered.

Melee Damage: Determines the damage dealt by unarmed attacks and tools.

Movement Speed: Controls how fast a player can walk or run.

Fortitude: Affects how much damage a player takes from various sources, including poison and diseases.

---

Storage? Same as before. Crafting? Still familiar. But now—one shiny bonus:

+10 Extra Engram Points added to the crafting box when ever player level up.

That's actually awesome. I'll need that buffer later when the real crafting will begins I will be able to craft every item. Those extra points might save my ass when I'm starving, freezing, or being chased by a flying murder chicken(Terror bird).

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