'That's new,' Nyx noted once she read the description of the new skill. 'An ability that manipulates experience gain... I'm a bit surprised it is only Epic quality. I highly doubt that there are many skills out there that can do that.'

Leo hummed, tapping his claws against the hard ground. It's depended on Hunter's Pulse. Maybe that's why it isn't rated higher. Hell, if it wasn't for the bonus experience, this skill wouldn't even be that special. It's pretty much just a quality-of-life improvement. I could track everything with the Pulse alone.

'That's true. Could make it easier to upgrade, though,' the feline pointed out. 'Who knows, you might figure out how to make it work independently.'

Upgrade it? Yeah, I can see that. I even have an idea how to go about that. But to make it function without Hunter's Pulse. He clicked his tongue. I don't think that's even possible. The Mark needs a way to attach itself to a target. If I take that away...

He trailed off, knowing he didn't need to say more. Just a while ago, he had no idea that using the Pulse like that was possible. There was no way that he could work out a different way for the Mark to function just after learning about it. In the future, maybe, but now? Definitely not.

'Well, you have time. There is no need to rush it; we have plenty of more important stuff to deal with.'

My thoughts exactly. Leo nodded. Though, I should probably test out the Pulse now that I am back in the real world.

'You do that.' Nyx yawned through the link. 'I'm going back to sleep. Please don't wake me up again unless the world is ending.'

He snorted. It already is, but whatever... Sleep well. Talk tomorrow.

'Get some rest, too. You were away from your body for at least a day. That can't be good for your mental health.'

I will once I finish here. Don't worry.

'I heard this somewhere before, but fine,' she grumbled. 'Good night.'

Instantly, the connection between them closed, and Leo let out a sigh. He should probably listen to Nyx and get some sleep today. Eating Voidlings could only get him so far, and he was already feeling some exhaustion at the edges of his mind.

Yeah... One quick test, and I'm going to sleep.

Essence surged into his hand, and he gave it form, carefully bending and combining it with his overfocused senses. For now, he didn't include any special intent and just let the Pulse out of his hand, blinking at the usual flash of light it brought forth.

Huh... Interesting...

Dozen of silver Essence trails surrounded him. Most were pure, if a little thin. However, he also spotted a few ones tainted by the darkness of the Void. He touched a few of them, testing the feedback and the vision that came with it.

So, the silver tracks all belong to those who are still fully human, while the others lead to the occasional Fallen. I guess that's obvious in hindsight. He scratched his chin. No Voidlings, though. Too much time must have passed since any were here... Now, what if I want to find someone specific?

With that in mind, Leo gathered all he knew about Holden and put it into another Pulse. He released it a moment later and shielded his eyes from the activation flashbang.

Man... I got to fix this. I can't have it blinding me every time I use it. He grimaced and lowered his hand. At least it worked.

Unlike before, now only a single silver trail floated before him. He let it coil around his fingers and ignored the feedback. He knew it belonged to Holden from the Essence signature alone.

All right, now for the mark.

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

A single spark of energy rushed into the trail, but just like the collective warned, the next step wasn't as easy. For one, his Essence moved much slower, and every few seconds, he almost lost control over it. Then, there were the holes and other inconsistencies in the trail. It was like his Hunter's Pulse couldn't track the path correctly.

In the end, it took a few minutes to reach the finish line. As always, a barrier waited there, stronger than any other.

Leo paused for a moment, letting his Essence slowly adapt to the new situation. Once more, he almost lost control a few times as he painted the mark—the barrier sometimes decided to shift, forcing him to start anew.

Yet, with enough effort, he still succeeded.

He opened his eyes and turned to face the warehouse. The crimson silhouette of a human fell into his vision, and he blinked, realizing that Holden lying down, most likely sleeping.

Right... That's a bit creepy. He grimaced, canceling Hunter's Mark. At least I know it works. Time for rest, then...

With that, Leo activated Stealth Shroud and leaned against the wall behind him.

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"Leo!" Holden greeted with a nod. "Glad to see you. Clara told me you wanted to talk."

"That I did," he said, standing up and stepping away from Dylan and his group of mages again. "Come on, let's leave them to their work."

"So what is it?" Holden asked. "You wouldn't call for me if it wasn't important."

"Depends on what you call important." Leo shrugged. "Frank probably has already told you, but I scouted the nearest villages during the night."

"Aye, he mentioned it. How did it go?"

"Honestly?" He quirked an eyebrow. "Better than I expected. I encountered only one Nightmare—it's dead now, by the way—and found two nests quite close. Once things calm down, you should definitely send some people there."

The other man nodded. "So we are safe to go out during the night?"

He shrugged. "It's never safe, but I wouldn't worry about Nightmares too much—at least not for the time being. I'm sure one or two will appear every few days. It will most likely be a while before we have to worry about more."

"That's good to hear." Holden ran a hand through his hair before looking at Leo. "And the nests? Can you point them out on a map?"

"Shouldn't be a problem."

"Great… I will call for you this evening to do that if you don't mind. I would like to send out a scout tomorrow."

"I should be around," Leo agreed. "Another thing. Nyx passed a message from Lily. They have eighteen people they would like to move here, with potentially four more. She wanted me to ask if there is enough space and supplies for them here."

Holden came to a stop, his eyes closing for a moment. "As we are now? Probably not, but once Frank's squad leaves for London, it shouldn't be a problem. Still, I will make some preparations just in case." The man frowned. "When are they planning the move anyway?"

He sighed. "No idea. Not for another two or three days, at least. They are supposed to talk about it today, so I should know more later. I will keep you updated."

The chief nodded. "Please do that. We need to coordinate the moves between our groups. It would be best if they met in the middle of the way to London. We should also discuss clearing out the roads. Those people will be walking for the entire day; there will be no time for fighting."

Leo couldn't agree more. "Once we have the final date, we will do that. No use worrying about it now."

"Aye." Holden shook his head, chucking. "Hopefully, things will calm down soon. Everybody could use a week or two without any surprises."

He snorted.

Yeah... Like that's gonna ever happen.

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Install: Spark of the Void (Radiant):

Created as the result of combining a lower-grade origin item and the influence of an Old One's shard. With each step you make, your connection to the Void grows stronger. Its power, wild and destructive, is waiting for you. Make sure you don't lose your way.

Limit Break: +15 Might, Vision, and Grace. Grants technique Void: Minor Takeover. The true power of the Void fills your soul.

Passive: Third Circle - Bring the world to Ruin (2%). Soulbound - Cannot be removed by traditional means.

It moved. Not much, but still moved. Leo noted with a shrug. At least this confirms that I have to use Ruination for the passive to progress.

'I wouldn't be so sure,' Nyx suddenly spoke in his mind. 'You definitely brought a lot of things to ruin in the past few hours. I swear this place looked better when it was a Wasteland.'

He winced at the truth of her words. Ever since he had left Eden this morning, he had been flinging small bits of Ruination around the town square. There were no more buildings around him and the entire area was covered in craters, some bigger, some smaller.

I might have gone a little overboard, he admitted.

Nyx snorted. 'You think?'

Whatever. He rolled his eyes. Shouldn't you be at the meeting? I swear if you are ignoring what they are talking about only to tease me, I will...

'Calm down,' the feline snickered. 'The meeting is over. That's why I opened the link again. We need to talk.'

Uh oh...