Leo shook his head, raising his hand before anyone could move. "There is no need for that," he said, getting the trio's attention again. "I can stay up the whole night... The same ability I used to heal Laura apparently makes it hard for me to tire. So I might as well miss some sleep and take care of shit I have been putting off for later."

At their looks, he quickly added, "System stuff."

The trio nodded at once, and Dylan was quick to follow, "If you're certain about keepin' watch, I won't argue. But maybe one of us should join you as well. It's always good to have more eyes lookin' out for any dangers. Plus, at least you will have some company for the night, Leo."

Tyler immediately chimed in. "We should do that. Just in case something goes down, we can handle it better with two people up."

Leo sighed, knowing well what they were doing. He might have gained some goodwill for healing Laura, but evidently, that wasn't enough for them to sleep under his watch.

Can't even blame them for this... Void knows I would do the same.

"Have it your way then," Leo grumbled anyway before reaching behind him and untying his backpack. "One more thing. On my way here, I gathered some stuff you might find useful tomorrow. I don't really need it anymore, so enjoy."

With that said Leo slowly placed item after item on the floor. His old knives and the one from the System went first. The trio took one each without much complaining, with the upgraded one going to Tyler.

He might not have the necessary mastery to wield it properly, but that shouldn't stop him from stabbing monsters with the pointy end. And who knew, maybe the System would give the warrior Leo's old weapon mastery after some time.

Three of the five flares went next, and when Leo placed them in front of the trio, Laura blurted out. "How did you get those? They can literally save our lives in a pinch. Are you sure you should give them to us?"

Leo chuckled at the speed of her speech. "I have two more here," he patted his backpack. "Besides, once you hit level ten and unlock the System shop, you can buy one of these for ten Ether."

"One for ten?" Dylan spluttered, eyes wide. "Bloody hell. What is with those prices?"

Shrugging, Leo didn't comment. In the long run, ten Ether was almost nothing; sooner or later, Dylan would realize that.

Thank the Void, he doesn't know the prices of a basic pack of clothes or some mutations. He almost snorted.

Moving on, Leo removed his last gifts, which he initially couldn't decide whether to give away for various reasons. In the end, though, there was no sense in holding onto them. With his new appearance, he could barely grip them properly, so their use was quite limited to him.

If this doesn't prove I'm at least somewhat trustworthy, I don't know what will. Leo huffed as he put the two pistols, along with ammo and one harness, on the floor. The other had to stay and hold his backpack in place for now. I really need to find an alternative…

"Standard issue handguns carried by police," Tyler muttered, flipping the gun in his hands. "Where did you find them? I don't remember anything about these from your story."

"Because I didn't mention them," Leo answered lightly, returning his backpack to its proper place. "I got them on my way back here from turned officers. Would be stupid to just leave them alone."

Tyler hummed, but from the slightly narrowed eyes, Leo knew the man didn't believe him fully or at least suspected something was wrong. Not really surprising, as what ordinary police officers carried so much ammo with them.

The answer was simple. Not a one. Still, leaving the ammo in the backpack was a no-go. They were going out tomorrow, and holding back on resources was a dumb idea.

"Lad, you sure you want us to take both? You've already given us the rifle," Dylan voiced out, breaking the somewhat tense atmosphere. At this point, Leo was sure that man was a therapist in the past.

"You see these?" He chuckled and raised both of his hands, flashing his claws. "Those ain't gonna hold any weapons anytime soon. So take the guns. They are useless for me."

On the couch, Laura giggled lightly, but the moment all the eyes in the room fell on her, she blushed and ducked her head. Leo held in a snort. At least someone was having fun.

"Well, it's been a fair while since I shot anythin', but if you really don't want 'em, I'll take one," Dylan said, diverting the attention away from the young girl as he picked up the second gun and a spare magazine. "Lass, do you know 'ow to use this bloody thing? If not, you should take the other one anyway, Leo."

"She never fired a pistol, but I know she's used a hunting rifle before. Right, Lu?" The girl nodded, giving her cousin a slight glare. "Then we can swap. A rifle is better for long-range anyway."

The younger man was utterly correct; a pistol would be much better for him at close range. Although Tyler should probably stop answering for his cousin. The girl might seem shy, but if Leo was reading the signs right, then she probably had quite the temper. Lily was similar, though his sister's fuse was much shorter, and that woman had almost no shame compared to Laura…

A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

Once the cousins swapped the weapons, Dylan rose from the floor and clapped his hands lightly. "Alright then," he declared, his gaze fixed on Leo. "Mate, if you don't 'ave any more surprises up your sleeve, I reckon it's time we get some shut-eye."

Leo nodded as he also stood up, wincing at the pops his body produced. "Nah. That's it from me."

Dylan snorted as if barely believing his words. "Well then, I'll stay up with you for now," he said, turning to the pair on the couch. "Tyler, I'll wake you up next."

The younger man nodded, and Leo paid them no more attention as they settled for the night. Instead, he walked to a far-off corner, almost completely shrouded in darkness, and once more dropped to the floor.

However, this time, he made sure to settle without bending his limbs in all the wrong ways. He really didn't need his entire body aching the next day because Akirian physiology apparently didn't help with that.

Alright, let's start with the simplest one. Leo sighed, summoning his technique menu. The corrupted Runner might have died the moment it reached the Screamer — its presence flickering out like a flame —, but the technique responsible might have changed since his evolution.

And I forgot to check it before…

Void: Minor Takeover (Novice)

A technique that allows for a complete takeover of a Void-born creature. The success of this ability depends on the user's connection to the Void affinity, level, and overall strength. Creatures stronger or of similar power will resist an attempt at controlling them, and special types of Voidlings will completely resist this minor technique. Please note that physical contact is required to begin a takeover.

Estimated maximum number of controlled Void-borns: 2

And I was right. Leo grinned, swiping the description away. Evolution and a single level already raised the potential of this technique. Give it a few more levels, and he might be able to create his own small army.

Though it really depends on how multiple takeovers work in a row. It might as well leave me without any Essence... Another thing to check later, maybe even tomorrow.

Shaking his head lightly, Leo raised one hand, and with a single tug of Essence, the gleaming blade along his forearm extended. He had already seen it at work two times, but there were still things left to check.

Slowly, his other hand came to grip the blade tightly, avoiding the sharp edge and the tip. Knowing it would probably hurt at least a bit, Leo clenched his teeth and began applying more pressure on the weapon.

Yet, no matter how hard he tried and how much force he applied, the blade didn't even bend an inch. Hell, he didn't even feel the slightest bit of pain from the weapon. Really, at this point, the hand pressing on the blade ached more, which was saying a lot.

Okay, probably not indestructible, but if I can't even bend it with my own strength, it should be fine for the time being. Now for the second test. Leo nodded, letting even more Essence flow into the weapon.

Like a hundred times before, the mystic energy slowly escaped outside his body and settled against the blade. The Void Essence Leo now wielded tried to slip between his phantom fingers and escape into the wind, but Kiss of Death was an ability he had mastered some time ago. Slightly decreased control over the wilful energy couldn't change that…

Barely a few seconds into the skill formation, the familiar black glow embraced the blade tightly, flashing brightly.

Leo narrowed his eyes, scanning the ability with all of his senses. It's stronger, he noted. Can't be sure by how much, but it's definitely stronger. Though it took more Essence to form it. Fucking control…

Kiss of Death faded away with a single command, and Leo set himself to repeat the process. Again and again, time after time, he formed and dismissed the ability. With each attempt, the time and necessary Essence it took to form the kiss slightly decreased, but it was still a bit off.

Not that he could do much more about it.

Increased power for a bit more Essence and time. Leo frowned, dismissing the black glow for the last time. In the end not that bad of a deal. And I can fix even that with some more practice and points in Mind. Now, if I could only get to keep it up indefinitely.

He had an inkling of how to go about that, but it was only an idea. Both Reinforcement and True Stealth, the former more than the latter, needed a constant supply of Essence to not collapse. If Leo could figure out how to take this part of those abilities and add it to Kiss of Death, everything would be perfect.

Of course, he had already tried to give the kiss constant supply, but it only managed to destabilize the skill.

Gonna need to experiment more with Reinforcement and finally understand it better... Now that I think of it, I might have an idea of how to improve it too. If that's even possible…

Leo shook his head with a sigh. Fucking hell. So much shit to do. But I won't say that it isn't nice to see the improvement... Which brings me to another thing.

Palm up, Leo reached into his reserves and once more let the Essence free. Only this time, it wasn't pure and unchanged but filled with the power of shadows. It rushed straight to his palm, spilling out to form a hook it created many times before.

Still too slow. Dylan's lightning appears almost immediately. Scrunching his brow, Leo repeated the process, but with his mind wholly focused on the flow of Essence.

One could argue that after his evolution, Leo didn't need shadow weapons. Yet, it was also unquestionable that the utility his constructs could provide was priceless. So if there was a chance to make them stronger, better, then he would take it…

Time passed as Leo slowly corrected each stage of the creation of his constructs. He carefully guided Essence through every step in his body and outside it. The images of his creations grew clear in his mind, and with time, the constructs in the real world started to reflect this.

At some point, Leo's eyes closed. However, despite the hyperfocused state he entered, the System still cut through it. Instantly his gaze snapped to the dark hook in his hand and then to the notification waiting to be acknowledged.

"Finally," Leo whispered, a monstrous grin forming on his face.