Galatic Overlord:I Can Copy Other's Ability

The screams of the dying beast echoed through the night, drawing trouble. As if answering a call, more beasts emerged from the shadows, eyes glowing in the dark, low growls rumbling like thunder.

Dozens of them spilled from the trees, their fangs bared and their claws poised to tear into anything that moved. But Hex didn't step back.

He stood firm, cracking his neck.

"Looks like you all came for me," he muttered with a smirk. "Good. I've still got thirty minutes left."

With hardening,he didn't fear getting hurt from sharp objects.

The moment the first beast pounced, Hex twisted his body, sidestepping it, and slammed his hardened fist into its jaw.

The beast tumbled, dazed. Before it could recover, another lunged from behind. Its jaws opened wide, but when it bit down, its teeth cracked with a horrible crunch. It whimpered and fell back, confused and hurt.

Hex turned slightly. "Biting me won't help. You're chewing on rock."

One after another, the beasts rushed at him. Hex moved between them, weaving through the chaos like a ghost. His body shimmered with his hardened form, making him almost indestructible.

A claw scraped his shoulder like nothing. A beast tried to pin him down but he twisted out and elbowed it across the face. Blood sprayed, but it wasn't his.

Three surrounded him, circling like wolves. Hex snapped the ropes from his waist and swung them wide, smacking two of the beasts back and leaving red lines across their bodies. The third beast jumped at his chest, but Hex grabbed its throat mid-air and slammed it into the ground.

BANG!

"You're not enough," Hex said coldly.

They came in waves, again and again. He punched, kicked, dodged, and slammed his way through them.

Some managed to scratch him, and some even bit into his arms, but none could break through his hardened skin. They were only wasting their strength and their lives.

The forest clearing soon turned into a battlefield of broken bodies and blood. Hex stood in the middle, panting lightly. His breath formed mist in the cold night, but his body burned with energy.

He looked around. "That should be enough... for now."

A few beasts lingered on the edges, growling, unsure whether to charge or flee. Hex didn't give them time to decide. He lashed out with his rope, catching one by the leg and yanking it off balance. As it hit the ground, he slammed his fist into another and kicked off the third.

Then, with the last few seconds of his power ticking away, Hex made his move. He picked up two of the lighter beasts and flung them aside to open a path. He ducked low, spun through the gap, and punched another in the ribs as he ran past.

The others roared and chased, but Hex didn't slow down. He slipped into the shadows, moving like smoke through the trees. Within moments, the beasts lost sight of him.

He had vanished into the dark as dusk slowly crawled in with sun dipping down the horizon.

Hex found a safe spot in the woods, and the first thing he did was start a fire.

He was angry but had no desire to eat the raw meat from the beasts he had killed earlier.

People like him had a strong metabolism—he could survive for now, but without proper food, he would grow weak soon. Using his ancestral knowledge, he took a wooden stick and started rubbing it between his palms over dry wood, trying to create a flame.

The first few tries went poorly. The stick kept breaking under his strength. It took him nearly half an hour to get a small flame going. He quickly added dry leaves and other bits to feed it, then began grilling the meat over the fire.

He picked up a thick chunk of cooked meat and took a bite. The taste wasn't terrible, but it was bland. "A little salt would've made this so much better," he muttered while chewing. He glanced at the rest of the meat.

"I wish I could turn it into jerky, but I don't have what I need for that," he said quietly.

After eating, Hex cleaned up the small area and climbed a nearby tree. He had checked it thoroughly earlier.No snakes or threats were present. Using leaves and vines, he covered his body for warmth. Finally, he allowed himself to rest.

It was just the first day. There was no telling how long this test would last or what the real objective was.

Hex took out a monster core he had collected. Monster cores were easy to use—they could be refined to increase strength. Unlike Gene Essence Crystals, which were banned and controversial, monster cores were legal. People often harvested and sold them.

"What's the difference?" Hex whispered to himself.

From a wide view, there wasn't much difference between monsters and other creatures like humans or animals. "Maybe it's because of the rejection rate. It's easier to absorb power from similar species," he theorized. He didn't find the exact answer in the GDN database, but he could tell that it was close to the truth.

He crushed the monster core in his hand.

This time, no system notification popped up. But Hex could feel that he had gained the power of invisibility. "Now I have two pernmanf powers," he said quietly.

He waved his hand over the fire. Instead of burning him, the flame was pulled into his palm. His hand began to glow, and he quickly released the energy.

Hex had already tested his power before and learned its limitations.

His B-rank skill, Chaos Reflection, allowed him to absorb energy, but only up to a certain point. If someone hit him with energy that exceeded his limit, he would explode—this was the first major risk.

The second drawback was equally dangerous. He couldn't hold the absorbed energy inside him for too long. It would start to burn him from the inside out, causing sharp pain and forcing him to release it quickly.

"Maybe with more training, I can extend how long I can hold it," Hex whispered, looking at his palm with a calm yet thoughtful expression. "I have a strong ability, but it's also dangerous."

The third thing was he can only attack after absorbing some kind of energy lest it's useless.

"Sigh…"

He could collect many powers, but merely gathering them wasn't enough. Without training and control, they were essentially useless. It felt like he had a cheat-like advantage, but it was something he couldn't share with anyone.

He couldn't risk asking for help, even if he needed guidance.So the road ahead was quite cumbersome.

"How can there be fortune without misfortune?" he said softly.

A quiet smile formed on his lips as he blew out the small torch beside him. Darkness settled around him marking the end of day for him.