The universe is vast beyond comprehension. It is merciless, cruel, and unrelenting in its longing for power. It is a harsh life out there in the dark of space.
From the ever-growing hordes of the Death Dealers and the servants of the Plague Gods, the Paladins and the brave Heroes that carry the banner of the Temple of Light and the High Heavens, the innumerable armies of the Abyss Walkers, the endless Formarchian Swarms all the way to the traitorous fleets of the Cybernetic flesh engravers, the legions of Hell and the Demon Gods, the followers of the Old Ones, the fanatic and the lunatic brothers and sisters of the Temple of War, the Overlords of the Seven Origin Planets and everything in between.
Throughout the universe, all these powers be they the weakest wandering planets of the cosmos or the homeworlds of those powerhouses that stand at the summit, each and every single one values gifted individuals.
These "gifts" refer to special abilities that cannot be acquired through hard work nor can they be learned.
Individuals are born with their gifts and when they eventually die, they take it with them. That is why although every power seeks out gifted individuals and rewards them handsomely, even going as far as starting all-out wars with each other over a handful of them, there is a very real line that they do not cross.
Maybe only once in a hundred thousand years will a talent appear that would be worth fighting for. These people are protected and kept hidden until the very last moment. They are mostly the last resorts, living unfulfilled lives in gilded cages.
You would almost never find them fighting in the front lines, at least not under their own titles.
Instead, it is the average warrior that is often more desired.
These countless unnamed fighters and warriors that fight the daily battles for resources. They start out with nothing, going from one battle to another without end and if they manage to survive and hone their skills under the blade of their enemies, perhaps one day they will get lucky enough to awaken most revered and sought after "Instincts".
That is the reason all types of powers send their gifted young out into the chaos, in hopes of awakening even a smidgen of the true battle instincts that could set them on the path of glory.
A single gifted individual may be equal to a thousand or even ten thousand normal warriors, but just one average warrior that has awakened his or her Battle Instincts could kill tens of gifted geniuses.
It is simply a game of numbers. Talented individuals come and go, they can be born anywhere and die at any time but those warriors that have awakened their Instincts can come from any fighter.
And then they become something more, something special. Their battle instincts help them kill faster or survive longer and there is no real limit to them. But what truly sets them apart from the rest is that sometimes, these battle instincts can be taught, passed on to the next generations.
Then there can be tens, even hundreds of warriors that can read the attacks of their enemies before they even make a move and strike at just the right time with just the right force, or find gaps in their opponent's defenses or do any number of things that would normally be out of their reach.
There are many different types of instincts and none of them are truly useless. Because of this there are many races and clans out there that solely focus on awakening their battle instincts and honing their arts in live combat.
Hao Xuan's awakened state that was created by the help of the nanotech within his bloodstream was similar to a type of battle instincts that are perhaps one of the most sought after because they can help awaken other types of instincts as well.
The warning bells that Hao Xuan had been hearing inside his head warning him not to jump were one such kind. He had just awakened his first set of battle instincts under the threat of death, giving him another chance at life.
**
"Suggestion: kill it or at least destroy the appendage to inhibit it utilizing its ability."
A vein threatened to pop on Hao Xuan's forehead from pure exasperation.
