“I tried to change, to give the Hales a chance, and it is working… somewhat. I always knew they were good people—after all, who else would take in a kid like me—but now I truly see it. They will never replace the void left by my parents, but they don’t need to. I just have to accept their help and stop looking back. Nothing good is waiting for me back there.”
–Third entry, Leo’s journal
Twenty-seven days and thirteen hours. Not even a month to get to Nick, Lily, and his foster parents. The deadlines Leo had faced as a university student or reporter for the local news couldn’t compare to this race against time.
Back then, he knew what to do; even if the deadline was catching up to him, he never gave up because it was something he had practiced for years.
But now?
Now he was going in almost completely blind, guided by a System that provided him with only the bare minimum of information.
Out of the frying pan into the fire. Leo sighed, picking up two small rocks and tossing them on the gateway’s platform at random.
The pebbles clattered against the mysterious material, bouncing a few times before finally stopping next to the gate. The platform remained unchanged even after the small intrusion, and so he took a step forward.
No matter how much he wanted to turn away and continue his main task with renewed vigor, he at least had to investigate the gate a bit more. He might not get the chance to do it in the future. Nobody knew what would come out of it after all.
As such, he placed his foot on the dark material without making a sound. The ground beneath his feet was as hard as any other ordinary rock. Even with all of the violet lines, it was flawless, like a finely cut and polished stone.
Leo held his breath, stepping closer to one of the thick pillars that made up the gate. His hand shakily rose toward the dark surface, only to jerk it away with a gasp. Somehow, a surge of foreign Essence tried to force itself into his body even after a single touch.
He quickly recognized the energy as the same powerful Essence he drained from every Voidling he killed. Only here, the Void Essence was wilder, trying to attack him without any warning.
Weird. Just what the hell is wrong with this thing?
Leo shook his head and took a moment to just walk around the Gateway, scanning it from top to bottom with his eyes and Identify.
Even then, he didn’t dare touch the structure again with unprotected skin. Maybe if he had more control over his own Essence, there would be something else he could do, but for now, a simple investigation was just fine for him. Not that he found anything helpful anyway, only more questions
“If you could tell me just a bit more. Anything that isn’t just a warning,” Leo muttered, reading the description of the Planetary Gateway once again.
The System didn’t answer, and he sighed, turning away from the alien structure and walking in the same direction he had previously chosen. There was nothing left here for him, and it was high time to move on.
However, even as Leo wandered through the wheat fields, his mind couldn’t give up the new mystery of the Void Gates.
Hundreds of those things sprouted up around the world, adding to the chaos that had taken over the Earth. And the less said about the possibility of creatures other than Voidlings passing through the gates, the better. It only made his head hurt.
And once again, I’m trying to drown myself in all the negativity I can muster… Lily would be proud of me. Leo snorted and forced his thought into a different direction, toward something useful.
Like Stealth.
He had to fix this skill before venturing into the city. The abomination he called Stealth had little to no hope of protecting him from Voidlings lurking around every corner. Against one or two low-level Cursed Humans, it might work well enough. But what if he encountered a monster smart enough to see through his pathetic trick?
Yeah. Let’s get to work.
The protective barrier sprang to life with just a thought, all imperfections now clear as day. Leo lessened his hold on the Essence and smiled when the skill didn’t fade away.
Once again, he focused on the holes in the barrier. Unlike the last time, he slowly filled each of them, giving every gap a moment to adjust to the reestablished flow of energy. Sometimes he had to fight his power for control. Still, it never took longer than a few seconds to make it obedient again.
As he worked, his walking speed almost slowed to a crawl, and he did not try to speed up his pace. The skill’s improvement was too significant to throw his attention somewhere it wasn’t needed.
All right, one problem down, Leo noted, scanning the entire ability for every flaw in the density of the barrier. Two to go.
There were plenty of these irregularities. Places where the layer of Essence was almost nonexistent or became so thick that it made him wonder how the skill still functioned.
He probed those spots, trying to figure out how to fix this new problem. He could fill holes just fine, but adding or removing Essence that was already there just didn’t work. Each time he tried to add more energy to the thin layers, the ability just destabilized and disappeared completely after a moment.
Each time it happened, he had to take a few deep breaths, unless he wanted to delay his progress even more. Starting from the beginning could get old very quickly, and he wouldn’t mind punching something hard.
After a bit more struggling, Leo somehow found the perfect solution to his problem. And just in time, as the road leading to the eastern entrance to the city appeared on the horizon. For another few minutes, his body walked on autopilot as his mind activated Stealth again, ready to finish the job.
Like always, he started by filling every hole before executing his new plan.
Instead of pushing more Essence into the weak spots, he slowly transferred the excess energy from the thicker places to even out the entire barrier.
With each flaw fixed, he could sense more and more of Essence’s movement within the barrier. And once the last damaged layer was removed, he stopped, just now noticing that the world close to him had become weirdly silent. The only sound around him came from the mild breeze rustling the wheat.
Wait a second. He frowned and took another step, the usual thud of his feet against the ground missing once again. Is that what you’re capable of? He thought as he felt around the barrier, which was only a single step away from being perfect.
Leo sat on the ground and closed his eyes. Stealth required less Essence and time to form with each adjustment, and it now muted the sound he produced. What else could it do if the energy in the filled gaps acted like the rest of the barrier?
Can it truly be so simple?
Even now, with more points in the Mind attribute, he could barely feel the environment’s Essence, much less use it. Nonetheless, it didn’t mean there was no way to achieve the same thing the skill did during its formation.
With legs crossed, he once more utilized his previous trick. Only this time, he exchanged Essence between two places, tightly intertwining the power that imitated the environment’s energy with the one he had used to fill the gaps.
The new Essence could no longer ignore the previously formed barrier as it was forced to adapt to the overwhelming pressure from every side. He grinned as the crimson spots slowly disappeared from the skill, gradually developing a perfect—at least for now—ability.
He gasped when the last imperfection faded away. He bent forward as the barrier squeezed his body and then disappeared. No matter how much he wanted to complain about being manhandled by his skill, he couldn’t stop his first genuine smile from forming. Not after a notification appeared before his eyes.
Congratulations, your Stealth has evolved.
True Stealth (Uncommon):
With practice and hard work, the shortcomings of basic stealth were removed. Now you can truly walk among your enemies as Essence guides you on your way. But beware that nothing is ever perfect.
Effects:
Advanced ability capable of shielding you with a strong layer of controlled Essence. When activated, your Essence signature will be harder to detect, while your scent and any sounds you make will be hidden. The efficiency of this skill improves with your Mind and Grace.
Instead of being led by instincts, the knowledge of how to properly form the improved skill rushed into his mind. The smile on his face widened as he finally understood everything about his ability. Even the bit about opening his Essence to the environment so it could gain the required properties seemed obvious now.
He stood up and summoned forth True Stealth, which sent shivers down his spine as the barrier surrounded his body. He felt around its edges, searching for the usual imperfections, but there were none.
“It worked,” Leo muttered, only for the sound to never leave his mouth. It truly did.
Only a bit over a day had passed, and he somehow managed to force a skill to evolve by gaining meager control over energy he had never used. What more could he accomplish with more control? With more time?
He shrugged and threw his bag over his shoulder. The pain faded into the background as he walked, his head spinning with all the ideas given to him by the simple evolution of a skill.
Maybe there really is a chance to survive this shit.
Unlike the road he had crossed before, this one barely had enough space to let two cars pass next to each other. Not really that surprising, as it didn’t even lead anywhere important, and no one cared enough to replace it with something better.
Thus, the road remained in its current state, full of holes and faded markings. Hell, from what he remembered, it only got worse with every kilometer further toward the east. The only good thing about this place was the low number of Voidlings. Until now, he had only encountered two.
The first one never noticed him as Leo plunged a dagger inside its head, and the second couldn’t even fight back due to its position. Poor thing was trapped in an overturned car on the side of the road. Killing it was like taking candy from a baby—not even a challenge.
It’s not gonna be that easy from here, eh? He grimaced as his gaze fell upon a familiar building in the building.
It was a simple petrol station with three pumps, a store, and a small parking lot on the side. At first glance, nothing special, but most citizens of Wolford knew better, including him. With a very unique name of “Fill Me,” the local station had the best prices in the entire city. Even people who lived on the other side of the town drove here to refill.
As a result, Leo wasn’t surprised to see over a dozen Voidlings strolling around the area, with cars abandoned at every turn. Some vehicles were crushed on the side of the road, while most were parked in the lot or near a pump.
From here, he had two options to choose from. He could either go around the petrol station and enter a small residential area that stood next to the industrial part of Wolford—his original target. Or he could approach the small store from the back and kill a few Voidlings.
No more running from a winnable situation. I have to take some risks if I want to grow stronger, and this is a perfect opportunity. He nodded, his eyes never leaving the station. Besides, I might be able to kill a bit more than just a few. He added as one Crystallized Essence slipped into his hand.
He retreated into the wheat fields and moved, crouching all the way toward a place where the farmlands met with the back of the petrol station.
With the shop hiding the rest of the station from his sight, he quickly scanned the area and grabbed the dagger from his waistline. He had to get to the shop’s backdoor, and thankfully only one Voidling decided to guard the back of the building.
True Stealth formed around his skin, and he rushed forward, the only car—a yellow sedan—in the back becoming his first cover. He peeked over the vehicle’s mask, searching for the lone monster.
Still there, good. He sighed, still watching the Voidling investigate the shop’s wall just a few feet away from the backdoor.
A short, soundless run was all it took to bring the monster to the ground, followed by a dagger to its brain. His claws went in next, turning the body into dust as he approached the closed door.
Cursed Human (LVL: 2) slain | Experience awarded | 1 Ether gained
He gripped the handle and twisted, praying to whoever was listening to grant him this small mercy. The lock clicked, and he sighed in relief as the door opened without a sound.
Quickly, he gave the small office room a brief glance, lowering his dagger when he found no unwelcome surprises inside. However, just to make sure, he also checked every single large box and locker by the wall. Better to be safe than sorry.
Nothing. Thank God. With a nod, he closed the lid of the last box. Now for the next part of the plan.
He opened the door to the main part of the shop and hid behind one of the shelves with candies, just as a quiet screech reached his ears. Leo smiled slightly as he looked over the shelf and spotted only two Voidlings mulling around.
Like the one outside, they too met a quick end as he snuck behind them and rendered their brains useless with one blow.
Part two done. He grinned, moving to drain the victims and grab whatever valuable items he could find without alerting the Voidlings outside. After adding some dry food to his backpack, it was time to start the third and last portion of his plan.
Leo stopped in front of the entrance to the shop and took a deep breath. His fingers and claws gripped the edges of the sliding doors as his eyes closed. It is now or never. The last opportunity to stop before everything goes to hell.
His eyes opened, and he skimmed over the creatures walking outside, weaving around the pumps and the damaged cars. He could leave, and every rational part of his mind screamed at him to do just that. But should he really listen?
No. This wasn’t the same world. The rules had changed, and he had already understood that after the events of the last twenty-four hours. He had to fight, get stronger as fast as possible, because that was the only chance of survival. Be it Leo’s or his family’s.
He shook his head. Yeah, running away was never an option, huh? Adapt or die. Adapt or die.
With a deep breath, Leo yanked, snapping the doors open with a bang.