Exo Seeker: The Strongest Human Woke Up In The Future!

It was a reckless move, but Kael was confident it would work. Even if people got suspicious, they wouldn't be able to pin anything on him. No evidence, no crime.

"You… what did you do?" Trey asked from behind, his voice filled with bewilderment.

Kael wasn't surprised. His hand had become a blur—something most wouldn't notice unless they were already watching him closely. And Trey, always cautious around Kael, was watching.

Most people would've brushed it off as a trick of the eye. Trey might've done the same… if this were before he met the lunatic named Kael.

Now? Even a twitch from Kael was enough to send chills down his spine.

That sudden blur in Kael's movement made Trey's heart go cold. There was no mistaking it—Kael had done something. Especially after what he said earlier… about revenge.

"What did I do?" Kael turned, flashing Trey a mysterious smile. Then he leaned in and whispered, "Let's watch an amazing show. Ever seen a pig roasted alive?"

"A pig roasted alive?" Trey's gaze jumped from the lunatic beside him to the chubby man inside the Level Up Pod, who was moments away from being swallowed by the white smoke.

The man was already holding a Second Grade Growth Orb, staring at them with the same mocking look as before.

Clearly arrogant. Clearly clueless. And clearly about to be made an example.

"Don't tell me—" Trey's eyes widened as realization dawned.

"Shh." Kael raised a finger to his lips, the same eerie smile never leaving his face. His eyes locked onto the Level Up Pod, waiting for the show to begin.

Before the chubby man entered the pod, Kael had tossed something toward the connecting point of one of the transparent fluid tubes—a tiny screw, barely visible. One of the Swarm Screws Trey had bought from the Mechanic Store. An essential tool for any Engineer or Mechanic.

Swarm Screws were fragile, no larger than a grain of rice. Made from lightweight neo-polymer with a magnetic alloy core, they could be crushed between fingers. Individually, they were useless. But in numbers, they became a collective fastening unit.

Harmless… in most hands.

But in Kael's?

They became weapons.

Deadly, if used right.

And Kael had just used this "weak," crushable screw to alter the pod in front of them.

If the authorities suspected foul play, they'd find nothing. The screw had already dissolved inside one of the transparent fluid tubes—completely untraceable.

Trey gulped, unsure of what to do. In the end, all he could do was stand awkwardly, nervously waiting for the inevitable.

Meanwhile, inside the Level Up Pod, the chubby man carried on like nothing was wrong.

After taunting Kael one last time, he turned to begin the process. Holding the Second Grade Growth Orb, he tapped the glass in front of him, bringing up a holographic interface.

He began tapping through the screen, adjusting settings and preparing for his Level Up. After double-checking everything, he finally pressed the start icon. The white smoke thickened instantly, engulfing his body and cutting off the view from outside.

With a smug grin, the chubby man kissed the orb and closed his eyes.

He'd already checked the orb's success rate: 79.9%.

And ever since he became a Primer, anything above 70% had never failed him.

"Come on, baby, make me stronger!" the chubby man shouted.

Suddenly, a muffled explosion echoed inside the pod.

Hearing it for the first time, the chubby man opened his eyes in confusion. Nothing seemed wrong—the white smoke was still surging steadily. But just to be sure, he pulled up the holographic screen to check the state of the Level Up Pod.

"Nothing's wrong… wait, this red tube—its capacity is at 98%… shouldn't this be a hundred?" he muttered.

He scanned the rest of the interface, looking for anything else suspicious, but everything else seemed normal.

Maybe it's always like that? Or a bug? he thought. Everything looks fine… maybe I'm overthinking things.

Shaking his head, he closed his eyes again. But just as he was about to savor the feeling of getting stronger, another muffled sound reached his ears.

"What the hell is that?" he grumbled, eyes snapping open in irritation.

Another muffled boom echoed inside the pod. He hurriedly pulled up the holographic screen again—and this time, what he saw made his eyes widen in disbelief.

"It's at 86%? And still dropping?" he muttered, staring at the transparent fluid tube as its capacity ticked downward by the second.

That red tube contained a weak version of volatile bio-enhancer—a substance designed to supercharge the brain and nervous system during the final stage of the Level Up. Under normal conditions, it remained contained and was pumped in micro-doses into the pod's chamber via filtration nozzles. Its fluid level shouldn't even dip to 98% if a Primer successfully leveled up.

But if it malfunctioned and leaked directly into the pod…

"Sh*t! I have to get out!"

Panic flared in his eyes as he lunged toward the glass door. But before he could touch it, the white smoke suddenly turned red, and the red tube's level plummeted to 70%.

The instant the red smoke filled the chamber, the chubby man's breath caught in his throat. He couldn't breathe. The temperature inside the pod spiked, so intense that his sweat began to evaporate off his skin.

Then came the pain.

His skin turned red as if boiling from within, and a searing, unbearable burn spread through his entire body—like he'd been dropped into a furnace.

Gasping, choking, the chubby man clawed at his throat. His trembling hand reached for the door controls on the holographic screen… only to watch the screen flicker once—then vanish completely.

Panicked, he turned to the emergency switch beside the door. His eyes lit up with a flicker of hope, and with everything he had left, he yanked the switch.

However... it didn't budge.

His hand fell limply to his side.

"I'm… I'm… going… to die… Argh!" he croaked before his voice gave out entirely. His scream—hoarse, ragged, and raw—was muffled from the outside world.

In seconds, his vocal cords failed. His hair and skin began to fall off in clumps, and then—with a sickening pop—his eyes burst.

The rest of his body followed suit, until nothing remained but a scorched, charred pile of human meat on the pod floor.

The red smoke continued to swirl inside, completely obscuring the view. But the sudden change from white to red had already drawn the attention of every Primer present.

"I wonder what he looks like," Kael muttered, eyes gleaming with a chilling mix of curiosity and fascination.

Trey, now standing beside him, heard the lunatic's words clearly. A cold shiver ran down his spine. Slowly, he turned to Kael, eyes trembling, lips parting as he tried to say something—

But the words just wouldn't come.

He swallowed his saliva a few times before finally managing to speak. "Is he… dead?"

"I don't know." Kael shrugged, but the evil smile curling on his lips told Trey everything he needed to know.

"W-what did you do?" Trey whispered, his voice barely audible as the strange change in the Level Up Pod had already drawn the attention of nearby Primers. It wouldn't be long before the staff from the Level Up Center arrived to investigate.

"You know what that red tube is?" Kael asked, his voice low, careful not to be overheard.

"Yes," Trey nodded. As an engineer, he had some understanding of Biochemistry and basic knowledge in Chemical Engineering. "That red liquid inside the tube is a Neural Acceleration Compound—NAC."

"Correct. And what happens if it leaks into the stabilizing chamber? Especially with the white smoke—the bio-mist?" Kael asked, eyes locked on the now red-hazed pod.

"Let me think…" Trey furrowed his brows, then his eyes widened with realization. "The NAC would undergo a thermal cascade once exposed to the bio-mist… That means… ultra-fast combustion."

His gaze slowly returned to the pod. His pupils trembled, and the image of the chubby man inside played in his mind—flesh bubbling, skin peeling, eyes bursting.

"So yeah, he's dead for sure," Kael chuckled.

"Don't laugh…" Trey groaned, massaging his forehead as a headache bloomed. "What if they find out you did this?"

Just as he said that, staff members rushed in. The situation had been confirmed as a major incident, and authorities were being contacted for an official investigation.

"They won't. Trust me." Kael gave him a playful wink before turning to walk away.

He had every reason to be confident. No one would believe that he used a Swarm Screw to orchestrate the 'accident.' And even if someone caught the faint blur of his movement on surveillance, it wouldn't be enough to link it to him.

He was just a normal human with below-average stats—what could he possibly do?

Besides, the Swarm Screw he used had already melted upon contact with the NAC. There was no evidence left behind.

"Sh*t… I shouldn't have focused on you," Trey muttered, following after the lunatic.

"Let's go find another pod to use," Kael said casually. "Hopefully, the accident freed up a few."