A Universe of Bloody Evolution

"Adam..." Holden muttered, meeting Leo's eyes. "He is fine, more than that. Whatever you really did back then, it calmed him down... Ever since he woke up, he didn't act hostile once. We don't even need Ava anymore to talk to him."

Leo sighed in relief. It seemed like providing Adam with Essence from an Akirian did more good than harm. Still, the way Holden said all of this hinted that something could be wrong.

"You don't sound too pleased," Leo noted, instantly noticing the slight grimace that almost claimed the other man's face.

"It's not that... God knows it made the day a bit easier, especially when we delivered the dead Voidlings," Holden shook his head lightly. "No, what worries me is Adam's continuous growth... He leveled up again, Hale, and it took only about half of the corpses you left to get there."

Shit. Leo cursed. That means Adam is already level eight, only one — no, wrong, two now — below Holden. I get why he is worried now... Not much we can do about it though. It's either that or let the Void's curse consume Adam completely. And I won't allow that.

"This might be for the best," Leo tried to make it sound better than it probably was. "Each level is bringing him closer to evolving. It is still the only way to cure him... Unless you lot discovered something when I was gone."

"I wish we did, but no," Holden furrowed his brow. "And you don't understand. Adam is growing faster than anyone here, even me. Last time he went into a frenzy, it took three people to subdue him. None of them got away unscathed."

Leo growled. "I don't know what you want me to tell you, Holden. This is the only way. Besides, as you said, he is better now. Maybe it will stay like that for the time being."

After a moment, Holden nodded. "We can only hope... We have enough problems as it is."

On that we can both agree. Leo almost snorted before a thought struck him like lightning. Hmm, I might have something to soothe your mind anyway.

"Listen," he began. "Not sure if it will make you feel any better, but when I was a Tainted Human, the System locked me from leveling any further when I reached level ten. The same might apply to Adam."

"That's... good to hear. Very good," Holden leaned back in his chair, his body relaxing ever so slightly. "If that's the case and he won't evolve right away, then I, and maybe a few others, just might be able to do it first. Should give us another safety net."

Leo perked up, eyebrows raising. "How far away are you?"

Holden hesitated for a moment. "Two Crystalized Essences away from unlocking the recommended evolution. Depending on what it is, I would like to go for it. The one I have available now isn't bad, but it also doesn't offer much."

Not bad, not bad at all. Leo hummed, hiding one of his hands behind the cloak. Essence surged out instantly, removing two small objects out of his soul. Hope you appreciate this...

Pulling his arm out of the cover of the cloak, he slid the tiny glowing rocks across the table and left them there. Holden's eyes widened, his gaze jumping between the Crystallized Essences and Leo.

"What?" The man muttered.

"Think of it as a token of trust," Leo explained. "Also, I recommend having someone you trust close by when you finally evolve. Nothing to worry about, but the process can be overwhelming at the end."

Holden, as if he barely registered Leo's words, asked back, "Are you sure, Hale? Those things are rare. Bloody hell, we only managed to gather three since the beginning."

Leo frowned. Three? With Adam draining Voidlings for them, they should have a whole pile... Fuck, either they are unlucky, or Adam is somehow draining the crystals too.

"Take them. If you and your people are to protect my family when I'm not here, I need you all to be stronger," Leo said instead, leaving the mystery of Crystallized Essence for now. "And you should ask Dylan about those crystals. I explained to him how to get them more easily."

Holden looked like he wanted to question him further but nodded instead. "I will do that, and thank you, Leo, this will definitely speed things up," he said, standing up. "Now, while I know you would probably like to see Ava and Adam, I fear it will have to wait until tomorrow. Nighttime is almost here, and I can't let you stay. It's too risky."

I could probably stay in this room, and no one would notice, but whatever. I have some stuff to do outside anyway. And I don't really want to be trapped here.

"I expected as much," Leo shrugged, raising to his feet. "Before I go, I have something else for you," he reached within his cloak again and removed the bag with medical supplies. "Here, that's all I could gather. Maybe you will find some use for it."

Holden took the offered bag right away, sparing only a short glance inside before thanking Leo again. From there, the two left the room and went straight for the exit from the small warehouse.

"Good luck out there, Leo. I will see you tomorrow morning," Holden offered his hand.

Accepting the handshake again, Leo tipped his head and sped out through the open door. He shivered as the Safe Zones barrier washed over his body, letting him leave.

Alright, I better be quick about it. Leo took a deep breath as he sprinted towards the old trainyard. The night might be close, but he still had one more hunt to finish.

Just in time. Leo sighed as he slid into an empty house just when the last rays of the Sun disappeared behind the Horizon. A moment later, the System also delivered its usual message, signaling the true beginning of the night.

In a record time, Leo barricaded the same bathroom he had used during the last night, and plopped down on the floor. Only then did he let another notification from the System appear.

Congratulations! Task, Extermination: Earth finished successfully. Do you wish to receive your rewards now?

Yes, Leo answered, grinning as the Ether counter jumped up, filling it a good dozen above what he needed. Thank the Void for those bloody ants. Anything stronger and I would be in deep shit in my current state.

Ether: 768

"And now, I have enough," Leo chuckled, wincing instantly as the few partially broken bones reminded him of their existence again. His healing factor had already fixed most of the worst injuries, but there was still some stuff left.

"Let's see."

Mutation: Enhanced Vision (Gamma Tier)
For many, vision is the most essential sense. So why not make it stronger? Let nothing hide from you with this mutation. Follow your prey where the light doesn't shine.
Effects:
Grants slightly improved eyesight along with strong night vision. In the event of vision loss in the past, this mutation will repair all damages and make your eyes slightly more resistant to damage.

Requirements: 750 Ether, Eyes from a level 15+ beasts, 2 Crystalized Essence.

Required components detected within the User's Soul Well. Do you wish to proceed with this mutation? Estimated time to complete: 1 hour

I indeed do. And no, I'm not destroying my current eyes just to make them a bit stronger. I'm not that desperate yet, Leo commented, and the System listened right away, replacing the mutation's description with another notification. One hour, though? A bit long, but nothing I can do about it.

Choice Acknowledged. Beginning Mutation. You can proceed with whatever actions you want, User, as long as they don't impact your eyes.

Instantly, Leo's vision darkened, tingling spreading across his eyeballs. While before, he could see the dark contours of the bathroom, now even repetitive blinking didn't change a thing.

He was blind...

The first minute passed as the tingling grew stronger and stronger. It was as if someone kept stabbing Leo's eyes with tiny needles, injecting liquid fire into them. Nonetheless, he just gritted his teeth and leaned against the wall.

Well... the System said I don't need to wait for the process to end. Might as well try to focus on something productive. Leo decided. However, it was easier said than done, thanks to the System burning his eyeballs inside out.

Let's just try...

Shadow Essence spilled out of Leo's body in waves, directed to float a foot or so above his hands. Even with his focus wavering with every spike of pain, he commanded the cloud of shadows to change shapes, each more complicated than the previous one.

He tried to make the constructs as solid and stable as possible, going a step further than he did in the past. Projectiles that didn't burst into a cloud of shadows were his end goal, and he would reach it no matter what.

Time flew by as Leo's mind slowly learned to deal with the constant pain. It all faded away as only images of shadow weaponry remained in his head. He soothed every imperfection, and filled every gap before destroying the construct and starting anew.

The lack of sight taught him much in this short time. He learned how to see his Essence in detail without truly seeing. Hell, he even managed to sense particles of energy in the air not tainted by the night.

As such, it was no surprise when the System announced its presence before the mutation process finished. A completely new notification flowed into his head, letting Leo read it without his eyes.

Shadow: Creation (Adept)
A technique born thanks to the User's relentless practice and the will to improve. Creation is the base of anything in the Universe, and now the shadows are ready to be born stronger than before. The User's current mastery improves the quality and the speed at which the constructs are created even further. Additionally, a direct connection to the creator is no longer necessary.

There it is. Leo smiled, letting the shadows around him dissipate. Now, his affinity could become a true offensive power, not just a supplementary one. Although, I wonder how I can improve it even further. What else is there to shadow creation?

However, before he could even give the subject more thought, the burning in his eyes disappeared.

Mutation completed. You may open your eyes, User.

"What? When did I even close them?" Leo muttered as he realized that his eyes, indeed, were closed. Okay, the moment of truth.

Inch by inch, Leo's eyelids rose, filling his vision with shades of grey and violet. Nothing could hide from his sight now, not even the darkest corner of the bathroom.

Is this how some animals see the world after dark? Leo marveled, scanning every inch of the room. Night vision was one thing, but the quality of his eyesight also improved, even if not by that much...

Finishing the inspection of the bathroom, Leo picked up a shard of glass and gasped at the wide, glowing violet orbs staring back at him.

Wow...