A Universe of Bloody Evolution

"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 and keep the last remains of their old identity alive… This is a weakness, and Narzak will have none of those."

~ Current Commander of Narzak, 57th Outbreak

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When Leo evolved his stealth, he wanted to do something more as he traveled toward Wolford. After all, if he managed to evolve a skill in just a day, he could learn more about Essence or at least gain more control over the mysterious energy with some experimentation.

And that was exactly what Leo did. Although perhaps using the Crystallized Essence to practice 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, dozens of ruby eyes glaring at him, the loud bang alerting almost every Voidling at the petrol station.

The monsters screeched and moved; Leo joined them as he bolted towards the office. He jumped inside the room, leaving the door wide open so the Voidlings could follow.

With no time to waste, Leo’s eyes snapped towards a wooden desk in the corner, an excellent addition to his plan. Grabbing the desk's side, Leo dragged it to the metal backdoor, heavy thumps reverberating through the ground as the horde got closer and closer.

Leo pushed the door wide open and stepped outside, using the desk to barricade the lower half of the exit. When the first Cursed Human attempted to enter the office, it was pushed to the ground by another Voidling who crashed into its back. A moment later, another came, creating an avalanche of monsters as they spilled into the room, none 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 as he slowly transferred more of it towards his hand.

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

That's my cue.

As Leo took the crystal from his pocket, the accumulated Essence moved. The energy was propelled out of his body and towards the object, just as he had trained. Only now, when the crystal gleamed a little brighter, Leo didn't stop but instead took it as a good sign, forcing even more Essence into his hand.

This is taking too long. Leo growled as he stepped back when one of the Voidlings finally took its first chance to attack him. The monster was still blocked by the desk, but Leo had no doubt that in a few seconds, it would not be a problem anymore.

The Voidling struck again, and this time Leo was ready. He snatched the offending limb with his claws and pushed the Cursed Human back, right into another monster who was finally attempting to stand.

This strategy would have never succeeded if it hadn't been for their foolishness. The teamwork the beasts showed on the first road disappeared in the face of a fresh meal. Hell, even now, most of the Voidlings were lying on the ground.

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. 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 entered the farmland once more, True Stealth gathering around his body. Come on, work! Leo yelled internally as he awaited the conclusion of his scheme.

'Boom!'

The earth shook, and even though the sound was muted by the shop's walls, the echo still carried through the air. It quickly reached Leo, who was getting bombarded by lines of notifications as he tumbled to the ground.

Multiple enemies slain | Bonus experience awarded | 16 Ether gained

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

Level 6 reached. Class attributes added. Please assign your 2 free attributes.

Due to achieving the first mile…

Two levels, nice, but now is really not the time. Just assign two points to Mind and one each to Might and Soul. Leo groaned, picking himself off the ground; the rest of the notifications faded to the back of his mind, waiting for his call.

Just when Leo thought he was slowly getting used to the surge of power, the double level-up was quick to prove him wrong. It pulled at every single muscle in his body, every sense, almost blinding Leo. He released a silent scream, collapsing to his knees once again.

"I'll never get used to this," Leo gasped, his gaze finally settling on the back of the gas station, the image clearer than ever.

Even if the explosion killed several Voidlings, the backdoor remained, albeit slightly bent outwards. From this point of view, Leo had already managed to spot at least two Voidlings in the area, so the explosion definitely didn't kill every monster.

Once again, Leo was at a crossroads. He could either go back and kill the few Voidlings that survived, or get the hell away from here before something stronger noticed the explosion. I'm getting greedy. Leo furrowed his brow. But it doesn't mean I can't just hide for a few minutes and wait out any possible dangers.

Decision made, Leo moved through the farmland to gain a better visual of the front of the shop.

Stopping a reasonable distance 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 waited, his body tense as he hid behind the remains of the wheat. His sight, hearing, and 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 the nearest residential area was at least five minutes away. As such, he waited, not moving even an inch as minute after minute passed. I guess the explosion wasn't as loud as I thought.

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

Leo snorted. Interesting.

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

The two fuckers still loomed 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 if he couldn't eliminate one of them quickly enough.

Yeah, no thanks. Leo thought as he neared the second corner leading to the shop's back.

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 remains of uncut wheat. Leo shook his head, gazing back at the Voidling at the door. I won't even ask.

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

Leo hid, and when the monster came, his claws shot forward, stabbing its 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, his boosted Grace 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 and quickly followed with a finishing strike, knowing what would come next.

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

Leo ran to the backdoor and twisted the handle as quickly as possible. The entire door groaned but didn't budge. Leo cursed again and ran to the edge of the wall, taking 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 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 had already turned around, attempting to jump on Leo. The latter 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 again had to jump out of the way as the third Voidling finally caught up after choosing the wrong side of the building.

Cursing, Leo turned around and bolted, leaving the monsters behind. He ran straight for the shop entrance 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 its 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 grinned at the monster on the other side of the shelf and pushed the barrier separating them with all his might.

With all of its products, the shelf fell onto the unsuspecting monster, sending it to the ground, half crushed under the object's weight. It screeched, flinging its arms at Leo, but he just sighed and vaulted over the shelf. A simple stab ended the Voidling's life.

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

He dealt with the two first Voidlings pretty well, even if he had to fight head-on with the second monster. When it came to the other three, Leo still tried to outsmart them as he just wasn't sure about his chances against more than two enemies.

It wasn't bad per se, but like with the fight against the Runner or Seekers, one day, Leo might meet monsters 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 could have gone very badly if it wasn't for his quick thinking and high level.

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, the walls were now painted black, blood still dripping, putting the final touches on 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 legs and arms or the headless bodies. Instead, he focused his gaze on the only thing providing light for the room.

Now, that's something new. Leo's eyebrow rose as his gaze settled on a swirling mass of violet energy that floated in the middle of the office.

It wasn't larger than Leo's fist, yet it excluded enough light to illuminate the entire room. Leo moved forward, his boots squelching as he weaved through the carnage.

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

Install: Touch of Carnage (Rare):
An install-type item created as the result of the aftermath of an Essence explosion that intermingled with the souls and blood of multiple Voidlings. The ensuing carnage directed the overflow of Essence towards the formation of the first Install item on Earth.
Limit Break: +6 Might and Vision, +2 Grace.
Passive: First Circle - Blood is the answer (0%).

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?