Twenty-six. That was the number of his Dexterity, and the level of the fifty monsters chasing him.

Eon had been going at it for about an entire day. Each time he saw progress, D3-V1 increased the difficulty, multiplying the wolves and their speed to drain him of everything he had.

A day had passed, and he had yet to leave the starting area, attempting to pre-level his skill for the higher level beasts further in the forest. However, his best record for leveling [Void Hunter's Step] had remained at 3 the entire time. Fifty wolves was his limit, sustained for over five hours. How much would D3-V1 summon if he survived past that?

Shivering from various phantom wounds, Eon didn't know. But he suspected a thousand of the starving beasts wasn't out of the droids limit. What would he do then if he couldn't move on without increasing his skill level? Already he had trouble leaving the void without having his head chomped off.

What he needed was an ability that would allow him ample time to slip in and slip out of the void when facing opponents stronger and faster than himself. Flaring his lightning had worked, though it sped up his speed and range more than anything. Ideally, the lightning sparks would harm enemies around him, but it was clearly not designed to inflict major damage, leaving behind superficial wounds at best.

This led Eon to consider assigning his last 6 Energy Points into Power. 33 points in the attribute would help, but then he'd likely need them for Dexterity once he reached the next phase of the trial.

Ugh! Eon growled. It was unreasonable. He was a rabbit being chased by falcons. Resistance only lasted for so long, and stray talons could come from anywhere…

Dammit, she tricked me again, he realized.

The mental image of a fleeing rabbit caused Eon to verbally slap himself. A rabbit would never stay out in the open for long, they would race towards the nearest trees for safety. For shelter, that would interfere with the predator chasing it. Foolishly, he had focused on leveling [Void Hunter's Step], rather than escaping the dangers surrounding him. Wasn't that what a movement skill was for?

But why had he focused on that aspect of the trial alone? By the way, D3-V1 explained the goal, he had thought he would need to reach level 10 to get the Artifact. He had it all wrong. By seeking the Artifact, he would reach level 10. Truthfully, he was naive.

She did say I was being timed, is that why she keeps spawning so many wolves? The longer I stay in this meadow, the more drastic she makes it? He had thought the increased difficulty was due to his skill's level, not the fact that he tried to pre-level at the starting point to lessen the amount of damage he received.

Oh well, it's not like the experience is wasted. Now let's get out of here.

[*Ding!* Congratulations! [Void Hunter's Step (F)] has reached level 3 - Limited!]

Six hours into his tenth life, Eon blitzed out of the meadow. Fifty wolves chased him, smashing into each other as they snatched at him as one. The narrow forest provided ample cover, breaking up the wolf pack as the slowest members trailed to the back. Now he just needed to run forward, seeking the bright spot he had sensed at the top of a hill.

[Finally,] D3-V1 chimed in. [I was beginning to think your mind was as slow as Drexel's.]

"Who?" Eon said.

[No one of importance. Just wave to your right and tell him to kiss your ass. Give it a little spanking while you're at it.]

"What? No, I'm not doing that."

[I'll decrease the number of wolves if you give it a real good spank.]

"Not happening, besides that's just more of your lies."

[Actually, I was telling the truth. But hey, at least you're learning! Missed your lucky break, though. You have to be careful about that. Those only come once in a blue moon.]

As D3-V1 finished, the moon in the perpetual night trial turned blue, and a dozen wolves instantly spawned on Eon as the distraction pulled his attention.

Fortunately, he'd been dealing with fifty wolves in the past twenty-four hours, and his deftness displayed that fact. The wolves encircled him from all angles, but he slipped through, vanishing in the blink of an eye. As he appeared atop a tree branch, his body flickered once more, entering the void with a dogged focus as he moved forward.

The skill pattern of [Void Hunter's Step] slowly ingrained itself into his mind. Once he exited cyberspace, and returned to his real body, he would be able to use the ability without ingraining the pattern into his energy. However, he still planned to ingrain the skill. Doing so would decrease the number of skills his energy could hold. But it would simultaneously increase the energy efficiency of [Void Hunter's Step], as well as its activation time.

But, there was more. Throughout his many deaths he felt the energy build, growing, morphing as the skill level raised. On his fourth life, he had confirmed the sensation wasn't a fluke. And now on his tenth life, he began to feel that same sensation once more.

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With a new energy pattern, the framework of a skill changed. Adding and subtracting various traits with each development. Could he control that? It was an idea Eon filed away for later, storing his tinkering nature until he could fill the void left behind by his lost revolver and holo-watch.

Landing on a next branch two meters over, Eon void stepped until solid earth was beneath his feet. Then he stepped into the void again, avoiding a pair of vicious fangs.

Raising a middle finger to D3-V1, he caused her to laugh out loud. Her sultry cadence drowned out the world, when finally it happened.

[*Ding!* Congratulations! [Void Hunter's Step (F)] has reached level 4 - Limited!]

Finally, he had reached level 4, surpassing the dreaded level 3 that seemed like an insurmountable mountain. But if he kept moving, kept his senses on red alert, he would reach the peak. And from the base he was at now, that peak smelled like a succulent roast, sending his energy into a frenzy.

"Or maybe I'm just hungry," Eon said, holding his growling stomach. He realized he hadn't eaten in a day, distracted by adrenaline and the surreal effect of being trapped in a virtual world. But that didn't mean he didn't need to eat. As he remembered the virtual cafeteria, it seemed hunger plagued the mind, not only the body.

Thinking about what he should order, Eon paled when he realized the raiders were feeding his real body. In fact, they could do anything to him, and he wouldn't notice. Was he really inside another capsule? He couldn't be certain, but the idea of D3-V1 wiping his butt and burping him like a baby just didn't sit right with him.

An image of Eon in a compromised position formed in his mind a second later, and he grew anxious. He had to get out of there. Simply biding his time wouldn't do, he had to create an opportunity.

"Hey, scrap heap! Give me something to eat, I'm running low on energy."

To Eon's surprise, the wolves stopped in their tracks. No longer menacing, they sat on their hind legs, tails wagging like a happy-go-lucky retriever. He would have petted them without a single thought if they hadn't ripped his arm off prior.

[I was wondering when you would ask. Most people aren't satisfied by the Assorted Quamgrum supplements.]

"The what?" Eon asked, fearing he had heard correctly.

[Quamgrum. You know, the critter smashed into energy paste. It's the most nutritious meal in the sector. Not that I would know. But that's what I've been told.]

And he did know, having seen the glowing grums back on Typhon. Fat, juicy worms with extended anuses, leaking liquid laced with arc energy. They were unfortunately the most popular food people ate to become psionics. A delicious treat that made him want to vomit. Luckily, he hadn't eaten for an entire day.

"Never mind. I'm no longer hungry, I lost my appetite."

He may have lost his appetite, but the wolves had regained theirs. Instantly they stood up, fangs dripping with saliva.

[Okay!] D3-V1 said in a singsong voice. [Give me a shout if you need anything.]

The world churned as Eon continued through the forest of the mock Nexus Realm. Danger came from all sides. Simple trees transformed into wild beasts, swiping at him with barked claws entangled in large sets of poisonous vines. They hung like webs, ready to ensnare a passing fly. But he wasn't a fly, he was a netrunner, trained in the underground of Estera. And now he was on his way to becoming a hunter, remodeling the Danger Sense that plagued him all the times he completed an ODD job. If only they hadn't paid so well.

[Where are you from, kid?] D3-V1 asked, picking up on Eon's new sense of alertness.

"Is that a trick question?" Eon said.

[Point taken. But I've been wondering about your background ever since you killed Uillourn—the void walker.]

Oh, so that was his name.

[Netrunners don't move like you in Federation space. Are you a refugee from the Rim?]

"No," Eon scoffed. "I'm an orphan…" He stopped, realizing that, even a background as vague as that, revealed far too much.

[An orphan, huh?] D3-V1 laughed. [Funny. I guess my ways are finally starting to rub off on you.]

"I guess so," Eon said. Going with D3-V1's assumption that he was lying, Eon ducked under a spawning wolf and void stepped outside another wolf's reach.

[You know, I once knew a kid like you. Back on my home world. She used to fight constantly. Always in trouble. Funnily enough, she was an orphan. Parents killed accidentally by a droid looking for someone else. Mistaken identity. Ain't that a bitch.]

Eon remembered meeting Bun on the day her parents were killed in front of her. Is she messing with me? He thought. The similarities had been too accurate, besides her mention of a droid.

"What happened to her?" Eon finally asked. "Is she dead?"

[Long dead. Her body turned to dust after she tried to touch the sun. Tragic story really, I could almost cry.]

Rain started to fall in the simulated forest, turning the forest ground slick with mud. It then became a venerable swamp, where scaled wolves prowled among tentacle horrors, waiting for Eon to fall into their grasp.

That was one death he would not endure. "Oh please, please don't cry. We wouldn't want that."

In response to his sarcasm, the water works intensified, and the wolves lunged out of the swamp each time he left the void. Briefly, he entertained teleporting into the swamp to kill the wolves and horrors by flaring his lightning. But no, even if he managed to harm them, the creature's levels were too high. D3-V1 was baiting him, and he wouldn't fall for it. Not this time.

Instead, after four more hours of the grueling marathon, Eon finally used his last remaining Energy Points, splitting them between Dexterity and Spirit. 4 points went into Dexterity whereas 2 points went into Spirit, raising his speed and energy regeneration.

The upgrade wasn't a virtual enhancement, but it did bleed over into the training. As D3-V1 had explained, his neural implant helped his mind alter his status screen for more advanced applications, further categorizing and quantifying his energy. Thus, the points he obtained from Uillourn now expressed themselves in his virtual agility, pushing him ever closer to reaching the end of the trial.

[*Ding!* Congratulations! [Void Hunter's Step (F)] has reached level 5 - Limited!]

[For successfully reaching level 5 [Void Hunter's Step (F)] has grown! Slight alterations have occurred within the pattern. Variations that advance the skill towards its final stage!]

[Void Hunter's Step (F) - Variations available: 3]

[Void Hunter's Current (F) - Dexterity. Channel a current of void lightning. The Hunter's protection, an electrifying shield.]

[Void Hunter's Sphere (F) - Dexterity. Summon a sphere of influence. Tendrils of lightning, a gateway into the void.]

[Void Hunter's Flash (F) - Dexterity. Flash into the void. A single moment, lost to time.]