“They finally managed to convince me to visit a therapist. Well, more like Lily did all of the talking while the others were just nodding along. The first visit didn’t go bad per se, but I’m not so sure about opening up to some random stranger. I practically made the man fight for every single sentence… Honestly, I’m not too sold on the idea. I am getting better on my own, I don’t need outside help. Unfortunately, I still have two more visits to go. That’s what I promised Lily…”
–Fourth entry, Leo’s Journal
Devour (Epic):
Bread and butter of every creature that rose from the pits of the Void. This evolved version of Consume is the reason why Voidlings are meant to be feared. Now go and devour; this is only the beginning.
Effects:
Grants the ability to consume Essence from your enemy, be it dead or alive. Offers a very low chance to permanently absorb power from fallen foes. You can now replenish your reserves and heal yourself using the devoured Essence.
First Epic ability I see, and it doesn’t disappoint. Healing, charging my reserves, and stealing power. Leo rubbed his brow, his mind still filled with the possibilities. Even if the chance is small, this part alone makes this evolution worth taking. It’s much better than the last one.
This could be the edge he needed—the power to rise above the monsters that stalked the Earth. Hell, even if he only absorbed something once every hundred or thousand beasts, it would still be worth it.
The ability to heal and replenish his energy was also nothing to laugh at. No more resting after each fight just because his reserves couldn’t handle another battle. And no more constant pain coursing through his body because there just wasn’t enough time in the day to recover.
With Devour, he could eliminate all of those problems.
Well, at least to some degree. No way that an ability like this doesn’t have any drawbacks or limitations.
Or so he thought. The System always gave him some warnings regarding the misuse of his abilities. And yet, there was nothing wrong with Devour, at least for now.
Maybe it will only warn me after I obtain it? Honestly, I wouldn’t be surprised if that was the case.
Leo sighed, the evolution menu dissolving in front of his eyes. It was tempting, so tempting to evolve right away and claim the power of the Void for himself.
But should I?
While the Void evolution provided him with many advantages, it also had a few drawbacks, at least in his current situation.
He had no clue how the process of evolving even worked. It could take hours for all that he knew, and a nest full of hostile Voidlings just wasn’t a place to leave himself vulnerable. Of course, he could choose an evolution from the menu to see if it gave some kind of warning before proceeding, but he didn’t want to risk it.
Aside from that, he had two more concerns that were somewhat related. The loss of his humanity and the unavoidable physical change.
He had already lost so much during the last few days, and he wasn’t too sure how much more he could handle before breaking. Everyone had a limit. For now, he just kept going because he had to, but was he prepared to take another step into the unknown?
No, not a step. More like a leap of faith.
He had a way out of this, an obvious one. The Risen Human evolution would let him hold onto his dying humanity for a little bit longer. It could even heal his curse, something that even now terrified him from time to time.
Yet, could he really take the easy way out?
No. No matter the choice, the Void will always be a part of me. Leo closed his eyes, his hand hovering above his left breast. I can’t run away from this, nor do I truly want to. If this is to be my path, then so be it. Just… just not yet. I need a bit more time.
First, he needed to come to terms with the inevitable change and find the first part of his family. Only a few hours passed since Nikra’s shard changed him forever, and he wanted at least a few more to get familiar with everything that had happened. Besides, he should at least check out the second evolution from the original three.
I’m pretty close to reaching the requirements anyway. There is no harm in waiting a bit. He nodded to himself. And it would be nice to find some sane survivors before going through those ‘physical evolutions.’ God knows what I will become.
Deep inside, he hoped that the first evolution would keep him in a somewhat humanoid shape. Too much change at once didn’t seem like the best of ideas. He already had so much on his shoulders, and getting used to an entirely new body wasn’t on his list of priorities for now.
Whatever. Leo slumped against the organic wall. No use in overthinking this. I have a few hours to kill before the sun rises, and I would rather not develop depression.
Might as well do this. It has been a while since I checked status.
Name: Leonardo Brown
Title: Nikra’s Legacy
Evolution Stage: I – Tainted Human
Class: Assassin | LVL. 9
Job: Hunter
Rank: F+
Might Tier I (13) | LB: 15
Grace: Tier I (25) | LB: 11
Vision: Tier I (14) | LB: 6
Mind: Tier I (20) | LB: 0
Soul: Tier I (13) | LB: 9
Ether: 70
Traits: Assassin’s Grace (Common), Tainted (Uncommon), True Affinity: Shadow (Rare)
Mutations: Heart of the Void (Beta)
Racial Skills: Universal Linguist (Unique), Identify (Unique), Essence Control (Uncommon), Drain (Uncommon)
General Skills: Dagger Mastery (Common), True Stealth (Uncommon), Vital Strike (Common), Reinforcement (Uncommon), Kiss of Death (Uncommon), Hunter’s Pulse (Rare)
Nikra’s Legacy. He grimaced as the title continued to taunt him. Life was complicated enough even before he had acquired it. Now… Well, now he could hardly find the correct words to describe what his life had become.
Before his trip into the Void, his family and Voidlings were all he had to worry about. And now, with this title, he had probably gained more enemies than he did during his entire life. To make it even better, he had no idea who those people were. Which was kind of disturbing.
At least I’m getting more and more from attribute efficiency, he noted with a sigh, forcing his attention back to the status. Seven additional points, if my math is right. And yet, all of them are still in Tier I. Just what does it take to get it to progress?
At this point, Leo understood most of the System’s inner workings regarding status. However, the meaning of the tiers next to his attributes still escaped him. Identify didn’t work and the System, like always, refused to answer his questions. At this point, he would have to wait for something to happen naturally. Maybe then the mysterious entity might be generous enough to part with some information.
Wishful thinking. He chuckled quietly as he scanned the status window once more. Only a few days, and it has already changed so much. How will you look after a month? A year?
Shaking his head, he dismissed the window and brought up another one. He had almost forgotten about it.
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 toward the formation of the first Install item on Earth.
Limit Break: +6 Might and Vision, +2 Grace.
Passive: First Circle – Blood is the answer (79%).
I guess slaughtering my way through a Rift Passage is one way to quickly fill this up. He snorted and tapped the passive a few more times. Still nothing. Well, only one way to find out what it does. Shouldn’t take too long to get it full.
Despite his curiosity about the passive, he couldn’t lie that he wasn’t a bit hesitant when it came to finishing it. “First Circle” almost screamed that it wasn’t the end of the road. If the item required blood in its current state, what could it possibly want next?
Flesh? Essence? Leo grimaced as a frown spread on his face. I can do the latter, no problem, but flesh? A shudder suddenly ran down his spine. Yeah, I should probably leave it for now. Speculations like this never lead to anything good.
As the window faded away, his mind began to wander. So many worries occupied his head, but none could get his full attention, not without his permission. Not that it helped much, as when he pushed one away, another came, continuing the unending cycle.
That’s what happens when you push all of your problems away, you idiot. He sighed, running a hand through his hair. I really need to talk to someone, or I will go insane… Gotta do something; anything will do at this point.
He could, of course, head out and pick a fight with some Shadow Tails. Was it wise? Not in the slightest, and he didn’t need any more injuries. He had had enough of those already.
Yet, as if to answer his prayers, the status window flashed before his eyes. He groaned as the realization hit him.
Right, I have just the thing to occupy my time. I must be more tired than I thought if I already forgot about that. Not that I can even go to sleep. Yeah… Anyway…
Another menu materialized with his silent command, and he wasted no time selecting the right option.
All right then, let’s see what you got for me.
- Hunt.
- Hunt.
- Extermination.
- Find the lair of Collectors
- Find and harvest the Core of a Nest.
Leo blinked. Huh, a bit more than the last time I checked. I wonder if some of those jobs are available for multiple professions. Most likely.
With a shrug, he chose the extermination job.
Extermination: Earth
Slay 50 Voidlings. Commissioned by: System. Time Limit: 5 Earth days
Rewards:
5 Ether Flares, Common-quality item related to the user’s job
Do you wish to accept?
Rewards are different than before. No idea what the flares are, though. He scratched his chin. No harm in finding out. Not that I will ever say no to a free item that might be useful.
Yes. With that simple command, the System once again left him alone. Only the muted raging of the beasts reached his ears and for once, Leo was grateful. He might have fallen asleep without the constant noise. Even then, he sat there for minutes, slightly swaying left and right until a single thought pierced through the haze settling in his mind.
Shit, definitely more tired than I feel. He shook his head, trying to wake up his body at least a bit. Focus. What had the Traveler said? Right… ‘Think about the element you possess and let it encompass you.’
He groaned.
This is going to be fun.
At once, Essence surged through his body, spreading the familiar tingling sensation over the skin of his arms. Just like he expected, the energy fought his command at the beginning. Thankfully, a moment of tug of war resolved the issue for the time being.
Leo clicked his tongue. My control is still shit. Gonna need to work on it later. Now, how do I let shadows encompass me? Maybe something similar to Hunter’s Pulse?
Without any better idea, he shut his eyes and filled his mind with visions full of shadows and darkness. He let them drown him, never losing focus of Essence gathered in his arms.
Come on.
A single thought pushed the visions of shadows into the waiting Essence. Together, every bit of energy splashed against the wave of mental power, and his eyes snapped open just as his arms suddenly fell to the ground.
“What the hell?” he murmured, trying to move the fallen limbs to no avail. No matter how hard he tried, they just wouldn’t budge. To make it more interesting, even the glow of his cursed arm weakened.
My Essence is still there. He narrowed his eyes, poking around the energy. It felt stronger and darker—much darker. Did I just glue myself?
Moving his Essence carefully, Leo watched as the shadow underneath his healthy arm wiggled left and right. He frowned and gave it a single command.
Separate.
Instantly, a shudder ran through his entire body as the weight on his arms disappeared. Slowly, he raised them both and watched with a growing grin as the shadows beneath stayed in the same place, never trying to follow after his limbs.
All right, now let’s try this.
With a single tug, his Essence obeyed like an eager dog. It slithered up his body, covering him in a thin layer of shadowy mist, not unlike the one that the creatures of this nest wielded.
The moment the shadows spread to his right arm; Leo gave it another command while pushing more Essence into his affinity. Like before, the mist was eager to please and quickly expanded in his palm.
At this point, his grin almost split his face, yet his gaze still remained glued to the shadow palm. Or rather, to the long, semi-transparent blade lying on it.
Interesting.