The savanna did not fall silent immediately after the hunt.

  The Nuxali remained tense; the echo of the chase still seemed to hang in the air. The scent of blood thickened, sharp and metallic. Four blue bodies lay across the flattened grass, their fan-shaped bony crests tilted at unnatural angles.

  The Nuxali stood over the carcasses. They had won, but not without cost.

  Metabolic Surge had fully withdrawn. The hunters who had run the hardest were the first to falter. One nearly collapsed before catching himself at the last second. Another’s legs trembled violently before he finally sank to the ground. Their breathing burned in their chests. Muscles twitched uncontrollably beneath dark hides.

  It was time to pay the price, and no one complained.

  The Second Queen moved slowly toward the fallen prey. The fatigue from the mental abilities they had used was visible. Her breathing was deeper than usual.

  The Prime Queen reached the carcasses at last.

  Her mental presence expanded once more.

  The familiar pressure settled over the swarm again. Instincts aligned.

  Feed.

  The command was simple.

  They moved toward the bodies.

  There was no rush. Four gazelles meant recovery. Strength. Continuation.

  Alexander approached more slowly than the others. His side still throbbed, but the wound was closing. The scent of fresh blood sharpened his hunger again.

  He lowered himself beside one of the gazelles.

  Around him, the savanna had turned golden. The wind shifted as the sun descended, the air cooling. Tall grasses brushed against one another with a soft whisper.

  Since arriving in this world, Alexander had felt the air gradually growing colder.

  “Winter is coming,” he thought.

  The line from an old show he once watched surfaced in his mind.

  A faint smile formed within him.

  Apparently, some of his memories were still intact.

  He refocused on his meal.

  There was no immediate threat.

  No advancing silhouette.

  Only open land.

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  After feeding, the swarm entered a new cycle of rest and recovery.

  But one among them did not lie down like the others.

  Alexander had opened his system window.

  [PROGRESS] 48.9 / 100

  “Finally, an analysis moving quickly,” he thought.

  “My body is already composed of Nuxali DNA. I wasn’t surprised by the speed of the progress... But I didn’t expect it to be this fast. It hasn’t even been two days yet.”

  After a short while, he stopped browsing the system interface.

  Aside from the analysis tab, nothing had changed significantly. Night had fallen, and as Alexander lay there thinking about the new template he would design and the traits he would acquire, sleep eventually claimed him.

  The following days passed without incident. In several hunting attempts, the Queen and the Second Queen did not hesitate to use their mental abilities to guarantee success.

  It seemed they had chosen to accept the mental fatigue and the temporary weakening of their influence over the drones for the good of the swarm.

  After three smooth days, the swarm set out toward their former campgrounds, their bellies completely full.

  Only a few hours into the journey, Alexander felt it.

  The analysis was complete.

  He could feel that he now understood the male Nuxali system in depth. After no previous analysis had he ever felt this much control over the systems of a creature he had examined.

  It was familiarity.

  Integration.

  “I suppose analyzing my own species is far easier for my body,” he thought.

  After that, as they marched, he began designing his new template in his mind.

  The process placed strain on him, not physically, but mentally. A dull pressure settled behind his eyes as he structured pathways, recalculated hormonal balances, and adjusted growth thresholds. It was not pleasant. The headache pulsed steadily.

  He accepted it without hesitation.

  The journey back home lasted nearly a day and a half. The swarm was fortunate along the way. They had stolen fresh prey from a nine-tailed green fox that had just completed its own hunt. The creature had not dared contest them once the Queens’ presence pressed down upon it.

  Later, they managed to capture several hares and even bring down a large stag with subtle coordination and careful positioning under the Queen’s guidance. The stag was massive. Dragging it slowed the swarm to nearly half their usual pace.

  Still, the Queen insisted on bringing it back to camp.

  And the swarm did not resist the decision.

  When they finally arrived, exhaustion spread through them like a shadow. The stag’s body was dropped at the center of the camp. One by one, the hunters dispersed to rest in scattered positions around the perimeter.

  The three hunters who had remained at the camp attacked with intense hunger and ate nearly a third of the large deer before they were satisfied.

  The only reason they had managed to endure the hunger until now was because they had taken turns keeping watch and occasionally succeeded in catching small animals for themselves.

  As the three predators ate with intense hunger and the smell of blood and the sounds of tearing flesh spread throughout the camp, beneath a tree a five-month-old cub finally completed his new template.

  He went over it one last time: uninterrupted growth acceleration unless he adjusted it himself, peak-level hormonal enhancement without disrupting systemic balance, suppression inhibitors disabled, and increased receptor sensitivity.

  Satisfied, he exhaled slowly.

  Then he initiated the process.

  He felt, even if only slightly, that the change had begun. His body was starting to rewrite itself.

  With that feeling, sleep also began to come.

  Old cells would die over time, and new ones would be created according to the updated instructions.

  Under the green sky adorned with a violet glow, in the blood-scented shade of the camp on the savanna covered with yellow grass, Alexander felt the joy of taking another step toward power.

  Without hesitation, he released a roar toward the sky that reflected the happiness, pride, and ambition within him.

  The surrounding Nuxali were surprised by his action, but they did not question it and began roaring together to celebrate him.

  And thus, the wild swarm once again declared its claim of dominance over the savanna.

  ------------------------

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