"If you take away its close distance to the Supercluster, this place isn't anything special," Leo noted as they stepped into the underground metro station.

While the Void already made itself at home here, it didn't create anything incredible. Vetilim just continued to slither along the walls, and pieces of Corcera shone through here and there. Hell, even normal Voidlings didn't come down here, which maybe should have been a bit disconcerting in hindsight.

Not that we are alone anyway. He clicked his tongue as another pebble flew at him. Instead of dodging like he usually did, he just raised his hand and let it take the burn of the attack.

The rock hit his skin and shattered into smaller fragments upon impact. He grimaced just a bit, but apart from that, he didn't even feel a thing. His last choice of mutation definitely paid off.

Not bad, not bad at all. Leo mused, glancing at the point of impact on his arm. Aside from a tiny bruise, the stone barely left a sign on his new snake-like skin. And ain't that weird? Of all things, I definitely didn't expect to become part snake. What's next? Dragon scales?

However, there was really nothing to complain about. He had already run multiple tests on his improved skin, and just like the description said, it became at least two times harder to damage. This, for a human, may not have been that much of an improvement, but as a Prime Night Hunter, his skin was already harder to pierce. With this mutation, this durability just jumped to another level.

Mutation: Basic Natural Armor (Gamma Tier)

On the field of battle, sometimes you just have to take a hit head-on and continue fighting. Natural Armor is here to help you survive and make your life a bit easier.

Effects:

Basic tier of this mutation will improve the durability of your skin, making it at least twice as tough to pierce. Additionally, it will heal all previous skin injuries upon acquisition.

Makes you wonder what it can do on higher tiers. Leo had already tried to check that, but the System decided to block his ability to upgrade mutations for now. Why? It didn't say. Maybe I need to evolve again? We will see soon enough.

'Leo... For the love of god, focus. I'm bored too after all this running around the city, but you don't see me with my head in the clouds,' Nyx grumbled suddenly, breaking his thought process.

Sorry. He sighed, leaning away from another pebble sent in his direction. I just had to occupy myself with something. Those bloody Rock Eaters won't even come out to entertain us.

The feline snorted. 'They aren't that stupid. The moment they show their heads, they are dead. Maybe if they were as strong as the Voidlings outside...' She shook her head. 'Doesn't matter. We came here for a reason. Focus on the trail. I can't feel it any longer.'

This time, Leo frowned as he stopped and kneeled with one hand coming to touch the ground. Essence gathered around his fingers, only to leave them a moment later in a wide pulse that consumed the entire tunnel.

Instantly, a few spots on the floor ignited in a bloody red glow, showing him the same tracks they had followed for the last few hours. The trail continued deeper into the underground metro, and so he stood up, motioning for Nyx to follow.

It's getting stronger. We must be close. He called over the link, his body tensing as he sped up a bit. Rock Eaters stopped attacking, too. If this ain't it, I give up. We've wasted enough time on this.

'Agreed. I would like to hit the nest in the ruined hospital if you don't mind.'

He furrowed his brow. The one with the two-headed lizards?

'Exactly,' Nyx nodded.

Sure, why not. Let's finish here quickly then.

Determined to put this mess behind them, they picked up the pace. The further they went, the trail illuminated by his Hunter's Pulse grew brighter. And it wasn't until a few minutes later that they finally had to stop.

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A cave-in? Leo frowned, inspecting the mass of rocks combined with Vetilim blocking their path. To make it more interesting, the trail was also scattered all along the blockade. Do you see anything?

Nyx, still sitting a distance away from the cave-in, narrowed her eyes. 'See? No, not really. But I feel quite a bit of Essence in this thing. Try it for yourself.'

Nodding, he extended his senses as well as he could while firing off another Hunter's Pulse at the same time. The feedback was instantaneous, and just like the feline said, the amount of Essence in this blockade was unnatural.

Stay back and be ready to pull me out. I will see if I can cut through. Leo ordered as he stepped closer, his blades snapping out. Let's start with only Kiss of Death for now.

He raised his arms, and just as he was about to swing them at the barrier, a muffled shout came from within. At the same time, a small part of the middle of the cave-in shifted as if an illusion had been lifted from it. In its place appeared a tunnel, blocked by a large metal door.

"Please stop! That won't be necessary! You passed. Just give me a moment," a male voice announced.

Right away, Leo jumped away, landing next to Nyx as his body tensed. Essence and bloodlust stirred underneath his skin, ready to come out at a moment's notice.

I passed? He frowned just as the door slid open, illuminating the rest of the tunnel in low light. A moment later, a figure stepped out, earning a raised eyebrow from him. Okay, now it's getting interesting.

Apex Abyss Walker | LVL. 26

The man walking towards them was unlike anyone else Leo had ever seen. He still had the standard build of a human, but that was where the similarities ended.

For one, just like him, the man had claws on his hands and feet, and they all gave off an eerie crimson glow. Another thing they shared was their skin color, although the Abyss Walker's was a bit lighter with flecks of red thrown into it.

Then there was the man's head, which, while staying mostly human, possessed some features of vampires straight out of horror movies. The crimson-eyed gaze only added to the image.

And is that a wing? Leo blinked, spotting the single leathery appendage tugged to the man's back. That's got to be uncomfortable. Where is the other one?

He didn't get any more time to wonder about that as the man stopped and spoke up again. "No need to be all tense. We didn't lead you here just to fight," the man grinned. "I don't have a death wish."

Leo frowned. "We? Lead us? What the hell are you talking about? Explain fast." At the same time, he contacted Nyx. One wrong move, and we take him out. No killing though. I want information.

'Got it.'

"Like I said, I'm not here to fight. I just want to talk," the Abyss Walker repeated.

"I heard that somewhere before," Leo snorted, relaxing his stance just a bit. "So I ask again. Who are you? How and why did you lead us here?"

"Ah yes, your encounter with the Holy Morons. Bastards can't even keep their word," the man spat. "This won't be a problem here... But yes, introductions... I'm Malcolm Dale, a humble ex-baker if you believe me. I'm one of the leaders of the Wildborn, as we like to call ourselves. What about you and your... friend here?"

"Leo and Nyx," he answered before his eyes narrowed. "You saw me fight the Emissaries and then baited me here. What do you want?"

Malcom raised his hands. "Woah, woah, woah. Calm down, mate. Yeah, one of mine saw your scuffle with the Treant and those idiots. Honestly, it was hard not to with all the explosions, but we didn't bait you here. I prefer to call it an invitation with an attached test."

This time, Leo shot the man a blank stare. "You literally had me following an unknown trail for over two hours. I still want to know how you managed that."

The Walker shrugged. "Beats me. I have a hunter with real-life experience who figured this out. I just gave him the green light to go along with his plan."

This guy. Leo shook his head, feeling that they were getting nowhere. "Whatever... Tell me what you want, or we're leaving."

Malcolm shot him another grin. "Oh? Isn't it obvious? I would like for you two to join my group. And if not that, I will be happy with an alliance."

Is he serious? Either he is even more desperate than Holden, or they have been observing us for longer than we know. Leo observed, not showing his surprise on the outside.

Instead, he just asked while crossing his arms. "Why would you give an offer like that to someone you've just met? To someone who is stronger than you? Aren't you worried? Where’s your survival instinct?"

"Worried?" Malcolm snorted. "Of course I am, but I have my reasons. One of which is you completely destroying the Holy Morons and cutting off that bitch's arm. Personally, I would have gone for the head, but still, I'm a big fan of your work... So what do you say? Want to go inside?"

Leo and Nyx shared a look at that. You know, I think we just met Frank 2.0, only a bit more mad. Don't you agree?

The feline only snorted.