Leo grasped the memory of the wolf he had detected before and focused on all the sensations he felt when he touched its trail. Slowly, he melted all this information into intent and pushed it toward the Essence waiting in his hand. Then, after a few more minor adjustments, he released the Pulse.

The world around him flashed, but once his vision settled, he smiled, seeing only one black streak of light floating before him. Without waiting even a second, he extended his hand and let the strand coil around his fingers.

Heavy footsteps—human. A screech—pitful and weak. The stench of blood and decay hung in the air. Essence, familiar tainted Essence—the Void.

Leo opened his eyes as the vision faded, a grin settling on his face. "Got ya."

More Essence exploded out of his soul, slowly surrounding his entire body in a protective layer. Despite not having the System's assistance, Stealth Shroud took form, hiding him from enemy senses.

All right, now for the mark.

Just as he had done the last time, he forced a tiny bit of energy into the trail and nodded as it reached the end of the road. This time, the barrier stopping it from progressing seemed firmer and almost alive, but that didn't prevent him from painting a mark all over it.

Instantly, a crimson humanoid silhouette appeared in his vision. Leo narrowed his eyes and snorted after a moment. It was a normal, Cursed Human, which explained what he experienced during the vision.

Let's go.

He activated Reinforcement and dashed into the thick jungle. With his new massive body, it wasn't easy not to leave any sign of his presence, but he still did his best.

For the most part, he stayed on the ground, using his talons and forward momentum to make his steps as light as possible. Of course, the way ahead wasn't always that simple. Sometimes, a particularly large bush or some random animal would block his path, forcing him to either slow down to avoid detection or jump into the trees and travel between the branches.

Nonetheless, Leo had to deal with much worse in the past. A trek through a forest without any real threat was nothing. He just had to keep his hold over Stealth Shroud and stop it from failing.

As such, within a few minutes, he reached another clearing and, with it, his target. The Cursed Human standing there had no time to react as he pounced on it and cut off its head with a single well-placed strike.

One down, two more to go. Now, where are you?

Essence gathered in his hand again, but this time, Leo pushed the Void signature from his first victim into the Pulse. The skill accepted it right away, and when the flash from it settled down, two more black trails materialized before him.

Well, well, well. Got you now.

----------------------------------------

Blades extended, Leo jumped off the branch and landed right on the Cursed Human's back. Blood exploded all around as the beast crashed into the ground, its insides incapable of holding up the weight of his body.

Before the Voidling could utter a sound of pain, he let his blades finish its suffering. The malformed head rolled across the ground, and he stood up, stepping off the bloody corpse.

Three for three. Finally. He smiled, deactivating Stealth Shroud. His trial was officially over. Or so he hoped...

"It is indeed done," the collective of voices said as the ghost appeared in front of him. "Your stealth could use a bit of work, but overall, you've managed to complete the Trial of the Hunter successfully. Congratulations. May the knowledge you gained here assist you in your journey."

Leo let out a deep sigh of relief. "So this is over? I can go back, right?"

"In a moment." The ghost nodded. "Before you leave, there are two things you have to have to know. The first is a cooldown between the trials. It's different for every Prime and only you will feel when the next one is ready for you. Don't try to force it—unimaginable pain awaits those who do."

This book's true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.

He gulped. "Got it. What's the other thing?"

"Once you return to the real world, you won't be able to speak of this place and us with anyone. The Veil is the secret of the Primes, and it shall stay this way forever. Do you understand?"

"What about Nyx?" He asked, frowning at the sudden secrecy. "Or the skills I learned here?"

"You may share your knowledge of Hunter's Pulse if you wish, but you won't be able to explain how you've obtained it. As for your bonded companion?" The shade hummed. "She is a part of your soul. You two may discuss the events of this trial using your link. However, let it be known that she falls under the same rule of secrecy as you do. Do you understand that, youngling?"

Leo nodded. "I do."

"Very well. We shall return you to the real world now. Congratulations again. We will meet again."

The moment the ghost finished speaking, the world turned dark. His consciousness plunged into the infinite void as the feeling in his body disappeared once more. The trial was over.

Unlike the last time, the trip across the unknown didn't finish within seconds. At some point, so much time had passed that Leo began counting seconds in his head. He almost reached a thousand before the darkness spat him back into the real world.

He gasped, his eyes snapping open to the sight of the same dirty corner behind the warehouse. The night sky still ruled above his head, lessening his worries by just a bit.

Either no time passed, or I was gone for more than twenty-four hours. Please be the former, please, he begged and reached into his mind. Nyx! Please tell me you're here!

'Ouch, why are you screaming?' The feline whined sleepily. 'I was almost asleep again. What do you need now? I thought you would try out the trial.'

I already did. Leo closed his eyes, letting out a long sigh. I completed it.

'Wait, what? But... but we talked about it barely a minute ago. How?'

He chuckled. Look into my memories. See for yourself. There is no way I can explain what happened with words alone. It was just...

'Right... Give me a moment,' Nyx muttered, confusion dripping from her every word.

As the feline went on the journey in his memories, Leo canceled the Stealth Shroud around his skin and stood up. He did a few stretches, searching for any changes in his body.

Everything seems fine, he noted, taking a seat again. For this body, I was here only for a few minutes... Damn, now my sense of time is fucked.

'That was... certainly something,' Nyx said upon her return. 'You were gone for days, yet not even a minute passed outside. That should be...'

Impossible. He nodded. Yeah, I know. I have no idea how those Primes did that.

'The Veil,' the feline mumbled. 'Just what is it? There is nothing in Nikra's memories about it... A home to dead Primes. Something with the power to completely stop time, to create realistic worlds. People fought wars for much less.'

Leo hummed. Must be why we're now bound to secrecy. Do you think we can somehow work around it and probe Naz'Tor for some answers?

'No,' Nyx instantly said. 'A power like this, Leo... Void knows what someone capable could do with it. If the Void merchant doesn't know about it already, it should remain this way. This is something we have to figure out on our own.'

I... He trailed off, shaking his head. You're right. I will keep doing the Trials and try to learn more about the Veil. We can handle it.

The feline snorted over the link. 'Of course we can. You're the Heir of the Void, and I'm your trusty companion. If we can't figure this out, nobody can.'

Leo chuckled. Right...

'Also, you should check your notifications. There might be something important there.'

He blinked. Notifications? How the hell did he miss those?

System?

Congratulations! Due to completing the Trial of the Hunter, your Hunter's Pulse has advanced to Epic+ quality.

Okay. Honestly expected. Anything else?

As a result of learning the art of tracking and marking, you have gained the following skill: Hunter's Mark.

Hunter's Mark (Epic)

Keep your enemies in your sight; never let them escape. You are the hunter. They are the prey. Take what is yours.

Effects:

Thanks to Hunter's Pulse, you can now mark anything you detect. Marked targets will remain visible for a certain amount of time, and killing them will award a bit of bonus experience. Only one prey can be marked at once. Warning: Stronger and more experienced targets may detect and even stop your mark.

Bonus experience? Now we're talking.