A Universe of Bloody Evolution

"For the majority of races, the first evolution is the most important step in their new lives. It is the beginning of your path toward greatness, and the System always considers this first step when it prepares the following evolution choices for you. Of course, at any moment, you can step away from this path if you try hard enough, but this process can take a bit of time.

Then there are those few races who are born more powerful than others from the start. With them, the System takes a bit different approach as their base power makes it impossible to change their entire being with one evolution. Some might think this a curse, but as history has taught us, it is usually a blessing in disguise."

~Central Academy, Ger

---

"Did you see anything?" Dylan asked when Tyler stepped back into the room, a frown on his face.

"Not much," the boy muttered, running a hand through his hair. "Only a cloud of dust in the distance slowly fading away. Whatever went down, it went down hard..."

Dylan's head bobbed in agreement, his expression mirroring the concern shared by those around him. The tremors that rippled through the city had left them all shaking for a good few minutes. It was no earthquake by any means, but considering how their world had changed, Dylan didn't even want to think of what could be capable of such destruction.

"Tyler? Where did it come from?" Laura spoke up from behind him. Hours passed since Leo helped her, and while she wasn't getting worse, she could barely stand up.

"Town square," Tyler scrunched his brow. "At least I think so... I wanted to get on the roof and get a better view, but them bloody birds were way too close for my liking."

Dylan grimaced. Those Seekers were one of the reasons for their current predicament. If not for those birds, they would have gone in a different direction and completely dodged the weird Voidling that got Laura.

"Isn't that where Leo went?" Laura's shaky voice pulled Dylan back to reality, and he quickly shook his head.

"Nay, lass. He might 'ave headed in that direction, but from what he told me, his brother's flat is a good trek away from the town square," Dylan explained, and the girl relaxed her stiff shoulders just a bit.

"One of us should've gone with him," Tyler grumbled as he sat down beside his cousin.

Dylan chuckled, ignoring how the boy's eyes narrowed. "And do what, Tyler? Slow him down? He's an assassin, lad. He'd leave the two of us eatin' the dust. Besides, you've seen what he's capable of."

"He is right, Tyler," Laura quickly cut in just as her cousin was hoping to retort.

The boy scowled and picked up the hunting rifle gifted to them by Leo. "Doesn't mean I have to like it." He shot his cousin a look. "He can heal you, Laura. Bloody fuck, he might be the only one who can, and we've got no clue if he'll come back. He could be dead for all we know."

"Tyler," Dylan hissed sharply, glaring at the younger man. "Leave it. Leo should still have a couple of hours before nightfall to make his way back. If he found his brother, that might be why it's taking him a while."

"And what if he didn't?" Tyler shot back. "What if he doesn't show, Dylan? We can't be waiting here forever, and Lu still ain't doing well. We've gotta do something, and I hate putting all our trust in a bloke we barely know."

A knot formed in Dylan's throat as he swallowed hard. He didn't want to think about such a possibility, but he knew well that it would be stupid not to. No matter how strong Leo appeared, this world likely had already claimed people more powerful than him.

Moreover, Tyler was right about placing all of their hopes in the hands of a stranger they had just met. Except for being a decent human being, Leo had no other reason to return.

Grimacing, Dylan met Tyler's eyes. "If he doesn't come back, then the moment the Sun comes up, we make a move. We head straight for the trainyard and pray they got someone like Leo or someone who can sort you out, Laura. And if they don't, well, we'll figure something out, I swear on it."

They kept their eyes locked, a silent war passing between them. Tyler, after another moment, offered a resolute nod. "Very well," he conceded.

---

Despite Nikra being right about him not being a normal human any longer, Leo definitely still felt the same amount of pain as he did before the Outbreak. The last fumes of adrenaline might have pushed his body far enough to crawl into a small bathroom inside the nearest building, but the moment he collapsed face to the floor, the full force of his injuries surged forth, engulfing him in a symphony of torment.

Searing agony tore through every single scrape and cut on Leo's body, ripping yet another silent scream from his throat. His muscles — hell, his entire being —, abused from the overuse of Reinforcement and Limit Break, gave out almost entirely at this point, barely letting Leo move a finger.

Sweat poured down his face, mixing with the crimson rivulets of blood that trickled down his battered form. Even each breath he took felt like inhaling shards of glass, stabbing at his lungs with each intake of air.

Yet despite all of that, Leo just clenched his jaw tightly and instead listened to the rampant pulsing of Nikra's shard inside his chest. Though his Essence reserves may have been depleted, his newfound heart refused to yield, supplying him with the much-needed strength to persevere.

The healing factor granted by the mutation worked overtime, slowly knitting together the torn tissues and closing the deep wounds that adorned Leo's battered body. It would probably take days to fix everything, but at this point, he didn't care how long it took. Only survival mattered now, and for that, he needed the ability to move his limbs back.

It took longer for that to happen than Leo would have liked. Or so he thought as, without any precise means of measuring it, he relied on his own flawed sense of counting seconds and the scarce rays of sunlight that filtered into the corridor he could see through the open bathroom door.

At least the Sun is still up. Leo grimaced as he crawled towards the wall and leaned against it. While the pain barely let up since he crawled into the room, he could at least do something productive.

Alright, System, hit me with it. Anything to focus my mind on.

Like any other time, over a dozen of kill notifications greeted him first, mainly from the Cursed Humans lying on the street. However, there was one message that caught Leo's gaze.

Apex Cursed Runner slain | No Experience awarded | 18 Ether gained

Bonus Ether received: 9

What? Why the fuck would you reward me for this? Fucker died to thanks the Juggernaut…

Yet, the longer Leo thought about this, the more sense it made. He was the last one to damage the Apex beast, and even though it died due to Juggernaut's rage, the colossal monster never touched the Runner directly.

Huh, that might be something to abuse in the future... If I'm even right, that is. Shit might just be a happy coincidence.

Letting the kill notification drop, Leo summoned the latest one. He really wanted to know what the System tried to tell him after he killed all those fuckers on the street.

Technique Shadow: Eruption obtained.

So that's how I managed to slaughter those normies outside. Sounds about right cuz I can't remember much more than fuelling all my Essence and emotions into a single attack and then releasing it... The System must have done the rest.

Shadow: Eruption (Novice)
A technique born out of the User's hatred and pain. This simple ability can give birth to hundreds of tiny shadow tendrils capable of spearing through even the strongest armor if provided with enough power. Please note that this technique can be made stronger by negative emotions and usually takes a few seconds to form when used by beginners.

So I wasn't imagining things... I really became a tentacle monster for a moment there. Leo shuddered slightly, instantly biting on his lip as the pain in his back intensified. Right, no sudden movements…

Pushing the discomfort away, Leo reread the description once more.

To put it simply, Leo doubted that Eruption could be used in a typical fight. Sure, it was powerful, but the time and Essence it took to prepare just didn't fit the bill for a small brawl.

Now against multiple enemies... That was a completely different case. All Leo needed was a bit of time to prepare, and this technique could slaughter everything that stood in its way. He just had to get the hang of it and he could probably challenge the Tainted Wasteland once more.

Yeah, no. Leo instantly grimaced at the thought. I ain't challenging anything before I recover and evolve... Speaking of. Can I at least see if my close encounter with death was even worth it?

There were still a few more notifications waiting, and Leo summoned them right away. They had to be hiding the answer to his question.

Apex evolution requirements met. Apex Night Stalker unlocked.

Leo sighed. Thank fucking God... It would be embarrassing if I almost killed myself for nothing. Not that I'm doing shit like that again without more preparations... Now to see what it do-

Before Leo could even access the evolution menu, the System reacted, throwing another notification straight into his face.

All second-stage evolutions unlocked. Please evolve, User. The System guarantees protection for anyone going through their first evolution if their connection to the System is greater than Average.

You've got to be kidding me. Eyes wide, Leo gaped at the text hanging in front of his vision. And here I was fucking worried about finding a safe place. I could have used this information earlier, you bloody wanker!

Without the traditional outlet for his anger — his hand definitely couldn't handle punching another wall right now — Leo just closed his eyes and took a few deep breaths. It never really worked too well for him, but anything was better than nothing at this point.

Alright, Leo, there's no need to get too angry at shit that didn't matter much before now. He tried to reason with his own mind. I was planning on evolving today anyway. Now I just won't have the others with me... Might be even for the best.

His new group might be friendly, but there was no real reason to complain if Leo could evolve safely without their involvement. Besides, it wasn't like he could return to them in his current state.

Hopefully, they will let me talk before attacking. That could get messy.

Nodding, Leo took the last step and summoned the description of his new evolution, a myriad of notifications immediately assaulting his vision.

What the hell?

Apex Night Stalker (Stage II)
Creatures of the Void, rejoice. A new king is born, ready to take his first step toward greatness. Go forth, young Voidling, bring death to your enemies and let nothing stop you from consuming their flesh.
Effects:
Tainted evolves into Void-borne. Heavy physical evolution involved. All Effectiveness: +10%. +3 Might, +3 Grace, +1 Soul, +2 Free Attribute points per level. Natural Mutations: Unlocked

Attention User! Fusion evolution is now available for this stage. Displaying necessary information now.

Hold the fuc-

Fusion evolutions usually combine the power of your Job with one or two possible evolution paths. While relatively rare in the first stage, they become a common occurrence later on if a User possesses a proper Job. Please note that going through Fusion evolution will forever block the ability to switch your Job.

Can you stop for a da-

Fusion available: Prime Night Hunter, thanks to Hunter, Prime Void Walker, and Apex Night Stalker. Displaying description.

I give up... Do whatever the fu-

Prime Night Hunter (Stage II)
Hunt. Kill. Consume. Never stop, little Akirian. Hunt. Kill. Consume.
Effects:
Tainted evolves into Void-borne. Heavy physical evolution involved. All Effectiveness: +15%. +1 Might, +3 Grace, +1 Vision, +1 Soul, +1 Mind, +3 Free Attribute points per level. Natural Mutations: Unlocked

Oh... Leo blinked. Yeah, I forgive you, System. Fuck this, and let's do it straight away. I've wasted enough time and would have to be bloody stupid not to take an additional five percent and one more attribute point. Switching jobs be damned…

Proceeding with evolution. System Protection: Available. Estimated time to complete: 30 minutes. Please note that while your current injuries won't affect the process, you also won't be healed. Do you really wish to proceed?

Leo gulped, fists clenching as his mind completely tuned out the constant pain. This is it. No going back...

Proceed.

Choice Acknowledged. Beginning Stage II Evolution.

Three.

Two.

One…

Good luck.