“No matter where it came from, the System gave us a chance. A chance to grow and evolve into something more than the weak creatures we were before. Most of the survivors go with the most simple evolutions, just enough to get stronger, but also to keep the last remains of their old identity alive… This is a weakness and there can’t be a weakness in those who want to walk among Narzak.”

~ Current Commander of Narzak, 35th Outbreak

When Leo evolved his stealth, he wanted to do something more as he traveled towards Wolford. After all, if he managed to achieve skill evolution in just a day then with a little bit of experimentation he could find out more about Essence or at least gain more control over the mysterious energy.

And that was exactly what Leo did. Though using the Crystallized Essence to practice maybe wasn’t the brightest of his ideas.

He didn’t have as much time to practice as he would have liked, but Leo knew it had to be enough. Especially now as he stood before the opened doors to the shop, dozens of ruby eyes glaring at him as the loud bang alerted pretty much every Voidling at the petrol station.

The monsters screeched and moved, Leo joining them as he bolted towards the office. He jumped inside the room, leaving the door wide open so the Voidlings could follow. Eyes snapping towards the wooden working desk, Leo dragged it with him as he moved towards the metal backdoor, the heavy thumps reverberating through the ground as the horde got closer and closer.

Leo pushed the door wide open and stepped outside as he used the desk to barricade half of the exit. The first Cursed Human tried to enter the office only to be pushed to the ground as another Voidling crashed into its back. A moment later another came, creating an avalanche of monsters as they spilled into the room, none of them remaining on foot for more than a second.

Come on, just a little bit more.

Leo's claws gripped the backdoor tightly, ready to close it at a moment's notice as his human hand squeezed the Crystalized Essence in his pocket. The power of Leo’s soul thrummed and he slowly transferred more of it towards his hand.

At this point the screeches became the only thing Leo could hear, the monstrous sounds pulling at his mind, telling him to run away as fast as he could. But Leo held, watching as yet another Voidling ran into the office, this one managing to remain standing as it stepped over the backs of its howling kin.

That’s my cue.

The gathered Essence moved as Leo pulled the crystal out of his pocket. Just like he practiced, the energy was pushed out of his body towards the object. Unlike before, Leo didn’t stop when the crystal glowed a bit brighter, and instead, he took it as a good sign, forcing even more Essence into his hand.

This is taking too long. Leo growled as he took a step back when one of the Voidlings finally took its first chance to attack him. The monster was still blocked by the desk, but Leo didn’t doubt that in a few seconds it would not be a problem anymore.

The Voidling threw another swipe and this time Leo was ready. He grabbed the offending limb with his claws and shoved the Cursed Human back. Right into a monster that was finally attempting to stand up.

Really if it wasn’t for their stupidity, this plan would have never worked as even now most of the Voidlings were laying on the ground. The teamwork they showed on the first road gone in the face of a fresh meal.

Leo hissed as something almost burned his hand, eyes widening when he looked down at the miniature sun in his hand.

If that’s not a sign of destabilization, then I don’t know what is. Leo gave the crystal a final push and chucked it into the office, the backdoor snapping shut as the last part of the plan was almost completed.

The crystal's description didn’t give much information on the power of the explosion and so Leo bolted away from the petrol station as quickly as his legs could carry him. No reason to remain in a danger zone when he wasn’t even sure what would happen next.

Leo once again entered the wheat fields, true stealth forming around his body. Come on work! Leo shouted internally as he waited for the culmination of his plan.

Boom!

It came and even as muffled as it was by the walls of the shop, the echo still traveled through the air, reaching Leo who was currently getting assaulted by lines of notifications as he tumbled to the ground.

Cursed Human (LVL: 1) x2 slain | Experience awarded | 1 Ether gained

Cursed Human (LVL: 2) x5 slain | Experience awarded | 4 Ether gained

Cursed Human (LVL: 3) x2 slain | Experience awarded | 2 Ether gained

Level 5 reached. Class attributes added. Please assign your 2 free attributes.

Due to achieving the first mile…

Now is really not the time. Leo groaned, picking himself off the ground, for now the rest of the notifications faded to the back of his mind, waiting for Leo's call. Just give me another point to Mind and Constitution.

Like after every level up, the additional power rush from both, his class attributes and those he gained from selection almost forced Leo to the ground again. He grimaced, rolling his neck as the aching slowly disappeared.

“Never gonna get used to this,” Leo murmured, his gaze already seeking the back of the petrol station.

Even if the explosion killed almost ten of the Voidlings, the backdoor was still there, if maybe slightly bent outwards. Some of the monsters that didn’t reach the office in time, must have run out as soon as the explosion happened as two Cursed Humans were already scouting the area near the doors.

Once again Leo was at crossroads, to go back there and kill the few Voidlings that survived or just get the hell away from here before something stronger took notice of the explosion. I’m getting greedy. Leo scowled. But it doesn't mean that I can’t just hide for a few minutes and wait out any possible dangers.

Decision made, Leo moved through the wheat around the station to gain a better visual on the front of the shop.

Stopping a hundred feet or so away from the end of the field, Leo cast his gaze over the entire petrol station, searching for every Voidling that survived. One, two, three plus two more in the back. Doable if nothing else shows up.

And so Leo remained crouched, body tense as only his head peaked out of the wheat. His sight, hearing, and even nose tried to pick up something that wasn't the natural screech and growl of a Voidling or a howl of the wind.

At first, nothing came, but Leo knew that the nearest residential area was at least a five-minute walk away from here. As such he waited, not moving even an inch as a minute after minute passed. I guess the explosion wasn’t as loud as I thought.

Slowly, Leo moved towards the edge of the field, dagger in hand as he tracked the two Voidlings standing by the entrance of the shop. Not once did they try to step inside, seeming scared to step into a building that killed so many of their kin.

Leo almost snorted. Interesting.

When the third Voidling that still stood near the pumps turned away, Leo shot towards the side of the shop. He hugged the wall with his back as soon as got there before moving to the edge.

The two fuckers still stood by the entrance unmoving, Leo cursed. He knew that with all the new levels, a two on one fight against weak Cursed Humans shouldn’t be that much of a problem. But Leo didn’t fancy the third one joining in case he couldn’t eliminate one of them quickly enough.

Yeah, not thanks. Leo thought as he neared the second corner that led to the back of the shop.

One of the Cursed Humans still stood by the backdoor, but the other retreated to the edge of the farmland, its sharp fingers weaving through the wheat. I won’t even ask. Leo shook his head, gaze going back to the Voidling at the door.

With one finger, he knocked lightly on the metal wall, creating a quiet ting. It was close enough for the Voidling to hear as it growled, already running towards the corner.

Leo hid, waiting and when the monster came, his claws shot forward, stabbing into the neck and stopping any sound from coming out. The dagger followed, ending the creature’s short life.

The body dropped to the ground and Leo left his spot by the wall and ran towards the second Voidling. The monster met him halfway, alerted by the fall of its kin.

Leo ducked under a clumsy swipe, the increased dexterity giving him more than enough time to react. The monster tried to follow with its other hand, but Leo jerked away and struck with his claws, the deadly fingers creating five long cuts on the Voidlings face.

It howled, backing a step as half of its face was rendered useless. Leo grimaced as the sound pierced the air and quickly followed with a finishing strike, knowing what would come next.

The Voidling collapsed as three screeches answered its last howl. “Fuck.”

As quickly as he could, Leo ran to the backdoor and twisted the handle. The entire door groaned but didn’t open. Leo cursed again and ran to the edge of the wall, taking in a deep breath.

Please, one or two, not all of them. Just as this thought went through Leo's head, two Cursed Humans ran from around the corner. Neither of the two noticed Leo when he pounced on the second monster, claws already entering its unprotected side, draining its Essence.

Leo hissed as they rolled on the hard paving, the bag once again digging into his wounded back. Fighting through the pain, Leo stabbed the monster a few more times for good measure before jumping off the dead Voidling.

The other Cursed Human already turned around and tried to jump on Leo who only leaned out of the way, a level one monster being too slow to surprise Leo’s improved senses.

Just when he wanted to launch a counter-attack, Leo once again had to jump out of the way as the third Voidling finally caught up after choosing the wrong side of the building.

Panting, Leo turned around and bolted, leaving the monsters behind. He ran straight for the entrance of the shop and barreled inside, the stench of blood immediately assaulting his nostrils.

Should have expected that. Leo grimaced, ducking behind one of the shelves as the screeches followed his trail.

The first Voidling came around the shelf and Leo struck the back of its legs. The creature fell on its back, its howl silenced by a dagger to the head. One down and if Leo’s hearing wasn’t wrong then he had an idea how to deal with the second.

Jumping to his feet, Leo smirked at the monster on the other side of the shelf and pushed the barrier separating them with all his might.

The shelf, with all of its products, fell into the unsuspecting monster, sending it to the ground, half crushed under the objects’ weight. It screeched, flinging its arms at Leo, but he just sighed and vaulted over the shelf. A simple stab ending the Voidling’s life.

“That could have gone better,” Leo grimaced, taking a seat next to the monster, his claws already draining its Essence.

He dealt with the two first Vodilings pretty well even if he had to fight head-on the second monster. But when it came to the other three Leo still tried to outsmart them by hiding and using the environment as he just wasn't sure about his chances against more than one enemy.

It wasn’t bad per se, but just like with the fight against the Runner or Seekers one day Leo might meet monsters that he couldn’t outrun or outsmart. For them, he needed to get a bit more confident and skilled at close-quarters combat. Until then Leo had to pick his battles wisely because today he was very lucky…

Sighing, Leo drained the other Voidling before finally heading to the office. He closed his eyes momentarily and took a deep breath, knowing that the sight inside couldn’t be pretty. The puddle of black blood at the entrance told him as much.

With a nod Leo took a step forward, his gaze falling on the carnage inside.

Once white walls were now painted in black, with blood still dripping, putting the final touches to the painting of slaughter. The floor wasn’t any better, soaking in the fluids that oozed from what remained of the Voidlings. Leo tried not to look at the severed parts of legs and arms or the headless bodies and instead focused his gaze on the only thing providing light for the room.

A swirling mass of deep violet energy floating in the middle of the office. It wasn’t larger than Leo’s fist and yet excluded enough light to illuminate the entire room. Leo moved forward, his boots squelching as he weaved through blood and the insides of Voidlings.

He stopped a foot or two away, almost reaching for the orb, only to yank his hand away. Identify first.

Install: Touch of Carnage (Uncommon):

An install-type item created due to the backlash of an Essence explosion intertwined with souls and blood of Vodilings. The resulting carnage gave the overflow of Essence a direction to form the first Install item on Earth. Upon installation, grants the user +3 STR, +3 CON, +3 PER. Traces of blood will be easier to notice.

Warning: Install-type items weigh heavily on your soul. Use only as many as you can handle.

The moment Leo finished reading, his eyebrows couldn’t go any higher.

What?