"This should do it," Leo gasped out, kneeling by the roof's edge. His fingers and legs twitched, fighting the urge to jump down and slaughter everything in sight. "Nyx? Good enough? I doubt we will find a better place."

The massive feline stepped closer, peeking over at the large parking lot below and the streets surrounding it. Almost right away, her tails began to sway wildly as she licked her snout.

'A worthy feast to begin with,' she pretty much purred. 'My Essence is screaming for their blood. I know you feel the same, Leo. But remember, don't let this hunger control you. This will be the first time you experience the heat of battle without Hunter overseeing your rage and bloodlust.'

"I know," Leo growled through his teeth before taking a deep breath. The boiling hunger inside him couldn't be stopped at this point. It came out of nowhere and almost forced him into Ruthless Efficiency when he left the new Safe Zone. Hell, it was a real possibility that he could have gone on a rampage if things continued.

Not something Leo wanted. Not with Holden and the others close by...

Thankfully, with her quick thinking, Nyx merged their senses and absorbed a good chunk of his burden. It cleared his head for a good few minutes, immediately forcing some important questions to the forefront of his mind.

What happened? Why did this relentless hunger appear now, hours after his fight inside the nest? Where did it even come from?

However, even if they wanted answers, neither Leo nor Nyx could withstand the overwhelming force pushing at their minds and souls. And so they escaped a block or two away from the Safe Zone, bringing them here.

The parking lot of the biggest supermarket in Wolford...

Their first hunting ground...

As bloodlust spiked at the thought, joining the mindless hunger, Leo released a long sigh. Fucking hell... I'm so glad I decided to split from Holden and Clara. They would have seen too much... Did my new instincts protect me again?

Next to him, Nyx snorted. 'Probable but doubtful. This was most likely just a happy coincidence. The feline's grin turned feral. Now come, Leo. Let us bathe in the blood of our prey!

Leo would have rolled his eyes at Nyx's bloodlust; he really would have if he could. Instead, at that moment, his body and mind decided to betray him. On their own, the blades upon his arms extended, while at the same time, violet hues slowly spread over his vision.

Ah fuck it. Let's hunt!

Yet before he could move, three strong tails wrapped around his body, forcing Leo to look in Nyx's direction.

The feline's eyes were wide, the glint of madness momentarily gone. 'Shit! Leo, listen! Let the hunger feed, but don't release your bloodlust! Do you hear me?!'

Leo swallowed hard, gritting his teeth as the haze over his mind backed off a step. Y-yeah... Got... got it... H-hurry...

Instantly, the weight of Nyx's tails disappeared from his shoulders as the feline nodded. 'Alright. Just remember. Hunger. Not Bloodlust. Focus on it. Feed it.' With that, the crimson speck within her eyes expanded, a growl escaping from her throat. 'Now... The feast is waiting.'

Like two dark angels, an Akirian and an Apex descended upon the parking lot, any notions of stealth forgotten. Essence rushed through their bodies as the shadows around them moved.

The moment their feet hit the ground, the duo split, each beast choosing to feed separately. However, even if there was a distance between them in the physical realm, in their minds, they were as close as ever. Not that either of them cared, not when only a single emotion flowed through their heads.

Hunger.

The first Cursed Runner fell to Nyx, her long tails cutting the monster's body into three bloody pieces. A normie collapsed next, without a head attached to its body as Leo sprinted past it, not even sparing the dead beast a glance.

Too weak.

Vision fully tainted by shades of violet, he snarled, spinning around as the black flash of Kiss of Death shrouded his tails. A group of three Voidlings took the hit head-on, their broken and bleeding bodies falling to the ground a few feet away.

Before continuing, Leo snatched a part of one of the corpses. Devour activated without a single conscious thought, turning the sack of flesh into dust within the blink of an eye. Hell, he didn't even stop to wait for the drain to finish...

For just a moment, the hunger attacking his mind paused. Yet when no more sustenance came forth, its assault began anew. Instantly, shadows escaped Leo's soul, forming into a about a dozen jagged blades above his head.

His tainted vision honed on the new targets within a second, and so the projectiles shot forward, leaving dark mist in their wake.

Even as screeches of pain filled the lot, Leo scowled as a few blades missed their mark. Essence exploded through his body, Reinforcement igniting his muscles with renewed power.

With speed unmatched by any beast on the field, Leo barrelled right into a large of group of monsters. His claws, blades, and tails always remained in motion, drawing blood with each strike. The sweet screams of death filled his ears as Voidling after Voidling fell, never to wake up again.

In a matter of seconds, only corpses remained around him, and despite all of the dead Voidlings being weak, his hunger couldn't wait any longer.

Dozens of thick shadow tendrils erupted from his arms, piercing all the bodies. Later on, Leo would have no idea how it even happened, but somehow, Devour activated. It connected with the shadows and tugged at the Essence remaining in the corpses, dragging it back to his soul.

Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.

As more and more energy flowed back, the haze of overwhelming hunger started to fade, returning bits of clarity to Leo's mind. It was enough to wash away some of the wildness that consumed his thoughts and actions.

"Fuck!" He hissed as the corpses turned to dust, leaving the hunger to fester once more. "What the hell is going on?!"

'Focus, Leo. You got a Brute incoming,' Nyx warned with a growl. 'Consume it, and everything should get better. I can help if you want."

Twirling around, Leo spotted the running Brute. Twelve levels of huge naked muscles stomped upon the ground, a roar escaping from the beast's throat.

No... I got it. Leo roared back, firmly grabbing over half of the Essence remaining in his soul. Shadows and the constant rage that came with Ruthless Efficiency followed, spiking the gathering energy with even more power.

Only a few meters separated the Brute from Leo when he plunged his claws into the earth, letting the shadows escape. With every single bit of focus he could muster, he directed the Essence towards its target, just like Nyx taught him.

Just overpower it, you say? Well, here you go. Eruption!

At once, shadows exploded right underneath the Brute. Spike after spike grew out of the earth, forming a huge cluster. They all speared right through the beast's body, stopping it in place but not killing it.

The Brute howled as blood escaped from wounds in liters, its trapped limbs twitching, trying to move. Only it was all for naught as Leo didn't waste another second and pounced, sinking his claws into the beast's flesh.

This time, Devour activated with his command; the greedy ability swallowing the offered meal.

With each passing moment, the all-consuming hunger slowly faded away from Leo's mind. Thus, when nothing remained of the Brute, the thirst was still there, but at this point, he could ignore it.

Holy shit... Leo shuddered, for a moment forgetting he was in the middle of a battlefield.

Beware! Ruthless Efficiency is close to advancing to the second stage.

Brute (LVL: 12) slain | Experience awarded | 21 Ether gained

Level 17 reached. Class and Racial attributes have been distributed. Please assign your 3 free attributes.

Oh hell no! Leo scowled, ignoring any other message than the first one. I didn't free myself of this fucking hunger only to fall into another trap.

With all his mental power, he grabbed the leaking bloodlust and pushed it back to the depths of his mind. Instantly, the violet hues in his vision disappeared as his body relaxed, washing away all the power boost from Ruthless Efficiency.

That's one thing less to worr-

'Leo!' Nyx's sudden shout interrupted his thoughts as she landed next to him, slapping away a Voidling that got far too close to him. 'I'm glad you're better now, but focus. Our hunt is far from done!'

Almost flinching at the harsh tone, he nodded. I know, sorry. Just protect me for a moment. Need to deal with the level-up.

Nyx hissed at the small army of Cursed Voidlings approaching, shadows gathering around her tails. 'Understood.'

As her limbs became a whirlwind of death, Leo ignored the sudden notifications about her kills and gave the level-up full attention. Not that it was really needed; he knew well what attribute to choose this time.

System, you know what to do.

A shiver traveled through Leo's body when power flooded his soul. It went away just as quickly, but even with only three additional points, he could already feel the boost.

Now let's clean this place up.

With hunger's remnants and bloodlust trying to force its way to the forefront of his mind, he joined Nyx. Claws, blades, and shadows answered the waves of monsters, bathing the parking lot in the blood of the Void.

Sometime during the battle, Leo even spotted a single Maniac minding its own business in the distance. Curiosity quickly got the better of him, and with a short command, a long shadow spear shot toward the monster.

The projectile flew true, and at the moment of impact, the Maniac exploded in a shower of gore and violet toxin. The bang from the explosion stilled the entire battlefield for a second, but not Leo and Nyx.

Like the monsters they were, they descended upon the frozen Voidlings without mercy. No beast stood a chance against their combined might, and soon, nothing but corpses surrounded them.

"This was..." Leo grinned, devouring another body. "Something else... I knew we were on a different level, but a slaughter is an apt name for what we just did."

Close to him, Nyx purred as she feasted on a random corpse. 'They might have been weak, but indeed... this was a good hunt. The beginning could use a bit of work though.'

The smile fell from Leo's face, a frown replacing it instantly. What the hell was that, Nyx? Where the fuck did that hunger even come from? I was fine for hours, and then it came out of nowhere.

Her meal forgotten momentarily, Nyx raised her snout, ears flattening. 'I have a theory. Unfortunately, it doesn't explain much.'

What is it?

'Hunger like this should only appear when a Voidborn starves themselves almost to death. And that's nearly impossible with Void Essence flowing in the air, much less in your situation,' Nyx explained, sitting down.

Yet it happened.

Nyx nodded. 'Indeed, and considering that you were fine before, only one thing could have caused that. The Safe Zone's miraculous healing.'

Leo froze, his eyes widening. You mean? But how? If it caused this, then why were Hunter's instincts so accepting of the healing? That doesn't make sense.

Nyx sighed, lying down on her paws. 'Your inherited instincts are still weak and far from infallible... And I already mentioned it. This is only a theory. Remember, I was cut off from you during the process.'

Shit! Leo growled, pacing back and forth in the middle of the parking lot. What if something similar or worse happened to the others?

'Unlikely,' Nyx huffed. 'They are as far as they can be from a Voidborn and didn't need healing. At least not as much as you. Besides, even in its current state, the System shouldn't be able to cause harm to survivors directly. What happened to you is most likely just a side effect due to your nature.'

Leo paused. Sounds... reasonable. Still, we have to head out soon, just in case. We can still kill everything along the way.

'As you wish.'

Good. Leo nodded and quickly summoned the System. Just give me a second. Need to check out what it wants.

The passive of the Install-type item Touch of the Void (Epic): Second Circle has reached its maximum threshold. Do you wish to proceed with your item's advancement? This action is irreversible and might lead to some unexpected outcomes.

Additional assessment: The user's soul should be capable of incorporating the item's increased power. Warning! The user should still be wary of overloading his soul with Install-type items.

Finally? I almost forgot about this...