"You think you have seen it all? Bah, you couldn't be more wrong. Void, the System, the factions, and so much more. I have lived for more cycles than most, yet even I know that there is so much more for me to see. After all, with every new Universe crushed, we get a new one, just waiting to be explored."
~Lone Traveler to his audience, 52nd Outbreak
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Touch of Carnage. Doesn't sound ominous at all. Leo thought, staring at the floating orb, and the object stared back as if alive. The violet energy still swirled around the item, but now that Leo stood close to it, the orb seemed calmer, waiting for him to act.
And so Leo did, his hand moving forward. Hopeful that Identify didn't forget to add some vital information on how the orb could kill him with a touch. It certainly would be ironic considering the item's name…
Leo's hand was not even an inch away when the orb moved. It spasmed, shrinking as it slowly landed in the outstretched hand. Leo gasped, the power of the sphere tingling across his skin.
Almost instinctively, he guided his own Essence into his palm, slowly forcing it into the object. A second, ten, passed as Leo stood there transfixed, his energy mixing with the orb's own.
And then it happened.
Do you wish to Install Touch of Carnage into your soul? Install-Type items can be removed any time you want.
The System and growing amounts of Essence waited for Leo's command. He gulped as the final choice flashed before his eyes. Did he use the item and endure any potential consequences, or take it with him without installing the mysterious object?
Leo's gaze went to the benefits gained from the orb, a sigh leaving his lips. Too much to gain and nothing really to lose, even if the passive is disconcerting... Besides, I can remove it if anything goes wrong.
Leo gave the command and groaned as Essence reversed its flow. The energy stopped flowing out of his body and was dragged back inside along with the orb's power. The violet glow covered Leo's entire hand as he gritted his teeth, fighting the scream that wanted to leave his throat.
The new power spread all over his body before the majority of the energy settled inside the pond of Essence that made Leo's soul. He gasped as his senses sharpened again, his body burning as small bits of the orb's energy melded with his every muscle.
It was completely different from when Leo leveled up. With every level, he felt his body and senses becoming stronger thanks to some alien force that the System provided, but now? Now it was all thanks to the Essence within the small orb that somehow affected Limit Break.
There was also something more to the item's power, probably the passive, but for the love of god, Leo couldn't figure out what even 'Blood is the answer' meant.
Apart from the positive effects, the System wasn't lying with the warning. As Leo closed his eyes and touched his small pond of Essence, he felt the additional force weighing down his soul. And even if it didn't hinder him now, Leo wasn't sure what would happen if he installed another item.
Eyes opening, Leo grimaced. With his focus entirely on the object, he almost forgot the state of the room he was in.
Leo backed off a few steps and left the office. No matter how much Essence he could still drain from the remains of Voidlings, Leo had no plans to step that low yet. Outside he had more than enough Essence to drain, and it didn't require him to bathe in the blood and gore of monsters.
Wait a second... Stopping outside the office, Leo scooped a tiny bit of Voidling's blood off the door's frame. Almost instantly, a dim violet sheen covered the black substance, only to vanish a moment later, along with all of the blood. Well, blood certainly is an answer, but to what?
He didn't feel any different after absorbing the blood, and the description of the item — which he apparently could bring out whenever he wanted — didn't change one bit. Maybe it needs more? Something to check later on. I really need to get out of here.
With that in mind, Leo moved to the shop's entrance and quickly looked outside.
The rest of the station was devoid of Voidlings, as expected; they were all slain in the explosion or the conflict that followed. Leo only managed to spot a few monsters moving down the street. However, none even tried to approach his location, apparently happy with their position on the road.
I still have a few notifications to check out... They will need to wait.
The area seemed safe, but Leo didn't want to risk being caught off guard. Especially considering the sheer number of notifications waiting for Leo's attention. And so, no matter how hard his curiosity burned, Leo decided to wait a few more minutes.
He only had to get to the small neighborhood near the industrial area and find an empty house. It had been over half a day since Leo began his journey, and he needed some time to rest and eat. Besides, his back deserved to rest a few hours without any additional abuse. There was no way Leo was going any deeper into the city unless he was completely healthy, or close to it.
Nodding, Leo left the shop with True Stealth activating as he ducked behind one of the cars near the station's exit.
Two Voidlings blocked his path to the other side of the road. While Leo could move a bit further to the right and probably pass without anyone noticing, what was the sense of leaving level one monsters alone?
Dagger in hand, Leo used his patented trick and baited both monsters to his position with a small pebble. The two almost mindless beasts rushed towards Leo's cover, ready to tear apart their offender.
Only Leo moved first. The moment the Voidlings passed by him, he jumped at the nearest monster and let his claws slice through the back of its neck. The additional strength pushed Leo's claws deeper, almost leaving the Cursed Human without its head.
Before the body even fell to the ground, Leo spun in place, ducking under a slow swipe from the second Voidling. The dagger sailed forward, creating a long and deep gash across the monster's stomach, blood and insides spilling out.
The creature bent forward, screeching in pain, and Leo followed with an uppercut, claws digging into the monster's neck and chin. It gurgled but didn't give out any other sound as its movements grew weaker and weaker.
The body stilled and collapsed to the ground with a thump as Leo turned around and looked at another level one Voidling that probably heard the cry of its kind and followed. The monster didn't even try to approach Leo; instead, its eyes darted between its fallen kin and the human that killed them.
Then its gaze drifted to Leo's bloodied claws, and it hissed, baring its teeth. Leo stiffened, his tainted arm raised, ready for another fight. Only it never came as the Voidling turned around and ran away.
What? Leo gaped, watching the back of the retreating monster. It was still running on the road in the direction from which Leo came.
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Did a Voidling really run away from me? Even thinking about it seemed wrong, and yet it made some sense when Leo looked down at the massacred bodies and his unnatural arm. Despite the monster's desire to consume Leo's Essence, the beast watched him slay two of its kind in seconds.
Maybe they have some sort of survival instinct. Though shouldn't it disappear in the face of a meal? Leo mused as he drained the bodies, his mind flashing back to the scenes where Voidlings worked on freeing another one from a car. Then, there was the Cursed Human that, no matter what, tried to get inside the trunk. Maybe it is just the level difference or lack of any support. No way to find out for sure. Weird...
Sighing, Leo dashed across the street and jumped into some large bushes. The plants grew along the entire length of the road and should give him enough cover to reach the neighborhood. Furthermore, the other side of the shrubs provided Leo with a clear view of other farmlands. Those, though, were devoid of both crops and Voidlings.
Leo weaved between the branches and half-turned leaves that sought to slap him in the face with every step as he traveled. For the entire length of the walk, Leo's mind stretched to find more reasons for why the Voidling escaped. Yet, he constantly arrived at the same conclusions as before.
I need more information.
He stopped at a crossroad where a small square neighborhood began. It consisted of a bunch of tiny detached houses and one long block of flats that separated this residential area from the industrial one.
Looking to his left, Leo abandoned the cover of the bushes. He walked next to a wooden fence that separated the farmlands from the houses. Not that the fence offered any security or even privacy with all the holes and broken boards. However, it allowed Leo to peek into the gardens or even the street on the other side.
From experience, Leo didn't expect to find a lot of Voidlings in this area. One only needed to look at the broken or boarded windows, large parts of the roofs missing or destroyed walls to know that not many people could have lived here.
And that was the truth. Most of the people in this neighborhood had already relocated into the lengthy block of flats. The massive building looked like a peak of architecture compared to the small houses.
Indeed a sad fate for one of the oldest areas in the city, even if a necessary one. If it weren't for the Outbreak, those houses would have been replaced by more blocks for people working in the nearby factories or warehouses in a few years.
Let's get it over with. Leo grunted as he jumped over the fence and walked to the backdoor of a house that seemed in good condition despite all the boarded windows.
He broke the lock with a sharp tug and stepped into the darkness. Taking a whiff of the air, Leo smiled a bit when he didn't register any stench of blood or death. He also didn't notice any anomalies when he swept his glowing arm across the living area. Well, apart from some damaged furniture that was most likely left by the previous owners of the house.
To be sure, Leo checked every room on the ground floor and then the attic, where he found the only window without any cover, even glass.
Good, another source of light. Leo smiled, sitting next to the broken window. He pulled some dry food and water from his backpack and sighed. Now, let's see what's going on with those notifications.
Due to achieving the first milestone on your journey, your connection with the System has improved from "Weak" to "Average". Evolution and Job menu unlocked.
Huh. It was Leo's only thought as he read the first notification.
During the introduction with the clone, Leo didn't receive a lot of information about the connection. Still, he thought it was a done deal. Guess I was wrong. He shrugged, looking at the second part of the message.
Since Leo woke up, he had only received small snippets of information about evolution and nothing about the Job. Apparently, now he had an answer why. Although it also raised a question of what else would be unlocked if Leo strengthened his connection with the System even more.
A thought for another day. Give me the ne- Argh!
Assassin level five skill granted: Kiss of Death
Kiss of Death (Uncommon):
Bread and butter of every assassin. Stealth may lead you to the target. Sharp senses might let you spot their weakness. But the Kiss of Death will allow you to strike with the deadly strength required to end your target.
Effects:
Allows you to coat any weapon in your possession with finely refined Essence to strike with overpowering strength. Provides a one-time boost to armor penetration and the overall sharpness of your blade. The efficiency of this skill is dependent on your Mind and Soul.
The knowledge of the new skill slammed into Leo's head with the subtlety of a jackhammer. He gritted his teeth as the instructions on how to form the ability step by step were forcefully burned into his mind.
"Fuck!" Leo gasped as the System finished its job, leaving him panting. No matter how nice it was to know how to use a skill from the beginning, Leo didn't fancy a headache like this the next time he received a skill.
As for the Kiss of Death? Not as helpful as Leo had hoped when he heard the name. Still, after some tweaking, he could see the potential. Only for now, he doubted that he had the required control to mess with this skill.
I hope I won't regret it, but next.
Title Received: Adaptable
Adaptable:
Even in the face of the end of the world, you pushed through, adapting to every obstacle you faced. May your new path lead you to greatness.
Effects:
The System will take your adaptability under consideration. Soul Effectiveness: +10%
The System will take your adaptability under consideration. Okay? Should I be worried? Leo raised his eyebrows. The description didn't fill him with much hope, but until now, the System was mostly helpful. Besides, it was nice to know that even some mysterious entity acknowledged Leo's progress.
Whatever. Leo sighed. I don't know what it means, and the additional ten percent is a welcome surprise. Next?
Nothing appeared, and Leo frowned. He thought more notifications were waiting for him. Guess not. Perhaps it has something to do with the new menus... Let's see.
Congratulations. The Evolution menu is now available. After reaching the necessary requirements, you may force the evolution of your race. Warning: Evolution is non-reversible.
Stage II:
Minimal Requirements:
50 Ether (33/50), 25 Voidlings Killed (36/25), 12 Hours of Sated Status (16/12)
Evolution Unlocked: ?
Recommended Requirements:
75 Ether (33/75), 50 Voidlings Killed (36/50), 24 hours of Sated Status (16/24), 2 Crystalized Essence
Evolution Unlocked: ?
Apex Requirements:
150 Ether (33/150), 100 Voidlings Killed (36/100), 48 hours of Sated Status (16/48), 2 Hearts of the Tainted
Evolution Unlocked: ?
That's a lot of killing. Leo grimaced. If he wanted to go for anything other than the — going by the requirements — weakest evolution, he only needed to gather a bit more of this mysterious Ether. The recommended evolution seemed possible after some work, but the Apex?
Two Hearts of the Tainted? Where would I even get those? Do they want me to hunt other people like me just to steal their hearts? That's beyond fucked. Although... No, Leo, don't even think of it.
Leo dismissed the menu and leaned against the wall, eyes closed. Until now, he hadn't even thought about evolution, but now the clone's words echoed very clearly in his head.
Consume and evolve. Use this ability or die.