《The First Dragon God》


 Chapter 1 Stranger Things

    Today was finally the day. The day that Leo has been anxiously waiting for the past two months.


    It was the day that he would finally leave the orphanage home where he had grown up all his life and moved into the real world.


    Today, Leo clocks 16 and would leave the orphanage, gaining his independence into adulthood.


    "Leo, the administrator would like to see you." Leo heard a voice from behind the door.


    ''Is it time already? Finally!'' Leo thought to himself as he stood up from his bed and moved to the door.


    He opened it to find a beautiful lady dressed in blue jeans and a white tank top standing in front of him.


    "Ms Ves." Leo greeted when he saw the lady.


    "How are you, Leo?" Ves smiled at him.


    "I feel great," Leo smiled back.


    "Hehehe. Are you really that excited to leave us?" Ves giggled.


    "Yes," Leo replied without mincing his words.


    Ves could only smile when she heard his response. She had known Leo for three years now, and she was completely familiar with his character.


    She knew how badly he wants to leave the orphanage and start experiencing the outside world. But as someone who grew up in real society, she knew that it wasn''t exactly all rainbows and roses.


    But how could she bring herself to tell that to young Leo who looks so ecstatic.


    She knew that it would be better for him to go out there and experience it for himself; maybe then he will know that it''s not really worth all the hype he has been heaping on it.


    "Come, you don''t want to keep the administrator waiting. Or don''t you want to leave anymore?" Ves asked and started leading Leo towards the administrator''s office.


    They walked through a hallway that had multiple doors connected to it. As they passed, the doors opened and children who looked to be almost the same age as Leo started popping their heads out.


    "Is big brother Leo really leaving?" A young girl asked as she stared at the receding back view of Leo walking beside Ms. Ves.


    "Yeah, he''s already old enough and besides, you know just how much he wants to see the outside world." A boy standing at a door opposite hers, replied.


    He sighed as he thought of how much time he still have until he also leaves the orphanage.


    "The outside world... There''s nothing to it. All I hear Ms. Ves and Ms. Nora talk about it are very scary things." The girl pouted and stomped her feet lightly on the ground.


    The boy scoffed and shook his head when he heard what the girl said, "You''re definitely saying that because you don''t want to see him leave. Do you like him that much?"


    "Yes, big brother Leo is so handsome and so cool! I''m definitely going to marry him after I leave here." The girl responded without hesitation.


    She giggled happily as she daydreamed about how her future with Leo would be.


    "Eww...." the boy made a face of disgust when he heard what the girl said, "Aren''t you too young to be thinking about marriage?"


    "Don''t you have other important things you should prioritize?" The boy asked with a face filled with disgust.


    "And besides, ''your big brother Leo'' doesn''t even pay any attention to you." He added.


    "Tch... What do you know about a girl''s life? You''re just jealous because it''s not you." The girl said and made a mocking face at him.


    She knew that the boy was right about Leo not paying any attention to her but she didn''t care.


    "Okay, that''s enough talking, kids. You all go back into your room." A female voice echoed throughout the hallway.


    The children obediently went back into their rooms and closed the door when they heard the female voice.


    *****


    Ms. Ves and Leo arrived at the door of the administrator''s office and knocked.


    "Yes, come on in," a voice came from behind the door.


    Ms. Ves looked at Leo and gestured for him to go inside, to which he nodded. He opened the door and walked into the office. S~ea??h the NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    After Leo walked into the office, Ves smiled and and left. She knew that after Leo came out of the office, he would no longer be part of the orphanage.


    .....


    Inside the administrator''s office, an elderly-looking lady who looked to be in her late 50s watched Leo as he walked into the room and took his seat.


    "Good morning, Mrs. Anna," Leo greeted the elderly-looking woman as he took his seat.


    "Good morning, Leo. I don''t need to ask you how you are feeling to know that you are pumped for your departure from the orphanage." The lady called Mrs. Anna smiled, as she looked at Leo with an affectionate gaze.


    The affectionate gaze of hers turned complicated the next moment as she remembered the reason why she called Leo to her office.


    "Leo, the reason why I called you into my office isn''t related to your departure from the orphanage but for something else," Mrs. Anna said as the expression on her face turned slightly serious.


    She reached into an open drawer and took out a peculiar-looking envelope, brought it up and placed it on the table.


    "On the night that you were brought here, this envelope was found in your crib. Since you are now an adult and ready to leave the orphanage, it''s time you have it." Mrs. Anna said as she slid the envelope to Leo.


    Leo was a little surprised when he heard what Mrs. Anna said. This is the first time he has heard anything related to how he got into the orphanage. No one had mentioned anything related to it to him before.


    It''s not like he had bothered to ask but that didn''t mean that he hadn''t been curious about it. He has been very curious but he just never knew how to ask.


    Leo stretched out his hand, picked up the peculiar-looking envelope and brought it closer to examine it.


    The peculiarity of the envelope was due to its odd design and its pure whiteness. The whiteness of the envelope made Leo wonder if it had been soaked in a bleaching agent for the past 16 years.


    Of course, he knew that it was impossible for paper to be soaked in a bleaching agent but this analogy is to explain just how white the envelope is.


    Another reason for the oddness of the envelope was due to every single inch of its corner being plated in gold. Yes, every end of the envelope was plated in solid gold.


    What was even odder was that Leo felt something stirring inside him when he saw the gold. Just a look at the gold and he felt an urge to possess it, but he quickly suppressed it, and the urge slowly disappeared.


    Leo didn''t understand what just happened but he decided to not pay anymore attention to the envelope. He put it in the pocket of his pants and nodded at Mrs. Anna in appreciation.


    "That would be all for now. You can go back to your room and wait for Ms. Ves. She would be the one to escort you to the accommodation we have prepared for you." Mrs. Anna said, and Leo nodded before standing up, and taking his leave.


    After Leo left, Mrs. Anna continued to gaze at the door as she slowly got lost deep in her thought.


    She remembered that night vividly. The night that Leo was brought to the orphanage.


    *****


    16 years ago.


    "I hope the storm passes quickly," a lady said as she looked at the stormy night beyond the window, with different thoughts occupying her mind.


    The worried look on her face was evidence that something was bothering her.


    "Sigh. The orphanage is running low on funds. Do I really have to close it? Why can''t I come up with a solution? There has to be a way to solve this funding issue." The lady sighed and was about to look away from the window when she noticed a vague figure standing in the rain.


    She wouldn''t had noticed it if it wasn''t for the lightning that just flashed. She was surprised and looked closely to confirm if she was really seeing correctly.


    When she looked closely, she saw that it wasn''t one but two figures that were standing in the stormy rain.


    "What are they doing out there in the storm and why does it look like they are looking at me?" She asked herself.


    She watched the figures for a few more moments and she saw them started to approach the window


    She noticed something peculiar about the two of them: their eyes were glowing. One of them had eyes that were glowing with a soft, dark purple, almost blackish color, while the other had eyes that glowed with golden color.


    The lady couldn''t believe what she was seeing. When did people''s eyes start glowing? She had never heard of such a thing before.


    She thought she might be hallucinating but she knew that what she was seeing was real. Fear gripped her when she realized this and she wanted to move away from the window.


    She wanted to run. To get away from the window but she found her body to be out of her control. It refused to respond and her feet felt like it was glued to the ground.


    She was still trying her best to regain control of her body when she saw the two figures bent down, a couple of distance away from the window, stood up back a few seconds later and started walking away.


    The lady''s attention was drawn to the spot where the two figures had bent down and she was shocked when she saw what looked to be a baby crib right there, and in the rain!


    She didn''t know when she regained control of her body and rushed outside the building to the baby crib''s location.


    She thought she might be seeing things and everything was an illusion caused by the accumulated stress of the past couple of days. But when she got to the spot and really saw a baby crib right there in the rain, and with a baby inside it, she knew that everything was real.


    She immediately bent down and picked up the crib before rushing back into the building. Before she walked into the building, she turned to look at the two figures to berate them for dropping a baby in the rain when she saw a dark, shadowy figure standing right in front of her.


    "Thank you. Please take care of him." The figure said and bent down, placing a finger on the baby''s forehead, before disappearing the next second as a streak of lightning lit up the stormy sky.


    The lady instinctively looked up to the sky to see a massive creature flying in the sky. She looked closely in curiosity and she was shocked when it turned its long neck to look at her.


    "Is that a dragon?!"

 Chapter 2 Leaving The Orphanage Home

    Inside his room, Leo could be seen packing his things. It took him a couple of minutes, but he was finally done with it.


    "This is it." He smiled as he looked at his luggage beside the bed.


    He walked to his bed and sat down to wait for Ms. Ves. While he waited, he decided to check the content of the envelope he received from Mrs. Anna.


    He took out the envelope from his pocket and tore it open, revealing what was inside: a folded piece of paper¡ªa letter. He took out the letter and dropped the now torn and empty envelope on the bed.


    Leo was very curious to know what was written in the letter. He unfolded it and started reading.


    "Hello Son."


    Leo frowned slightly when he saw this. It seems that the envelope was left behind by his parents.


    He has been curious about his identity and about his parents; it seems like the letter might provide some of the answers he seeks.


    Curious to know what the letter entails, he continued reading.


    "If you''re reading this, it means that you''re already old enough. I know that there are a lot of things that you don''t understand. Things that your mom and I are unable to explain to you.


    We just want you to know that we are deeply sorry for everything. If it were within our power, we wouldn''t have sent you away, but we had no choice.


    Sending you away was the best option we had, and it was the only way for you to survive and have a normal life.


    We don''t know what the future holds for you, and we are not putting any expectations on you, as we have no right to. What we only want from you, son, is to grow up and become your own person, your own man, and make your own decisions.


    We love you, son. Mom and Dad love you very much and wish you all the best."


    Leo didn''t know how to react to what he just read. The truth was that he hasn''t thought much about his parents. Why should he bother about them when they dropped him off at the orphanage?


    Though he has always fleeting thoughts about them, and that was all there was to it¡ªjust fleeting thoughts. But why does he feel so much emotion from the letter? Why is it making him cry?


    Leo forced himself to clean the tears streaming down his face as he folded the letter, putting it back in his pocket.


    He forced himself to calm down and get his emotions under control. It took him a few minutes, but he was finally able to stop the tears streaming down his face.


    After that, Leo felt like he had lost all the strength in his body. He fell back on the bed and sighed.


    "What was all that about? Why did I feel so much emotion just from a letter?" He didn''t understand why he felt such deep sadness and sorrow from the letter, but he knew that it was probably related to his parents. How that was possible, he has no idea.


    His dad, his mom... Leo has barely thought of them in his sixteen years of growing up in the orphanage. It wasn''t that he wasn''t curious about them; it''s more like there was something preventing him from doing that.


    Leo would be lying if he said that he wasn''t curious about his identity, about his family, and everything about himself, but he knew that there was no way he would be able to get answers to his questions.


    "I will just have to do as the letter says; live a good life and become my own man. Whatever that means." Leo said and sighed.


    He thought that the letter would have provided some of the answers he needed, but it left him with even more questions.


    Why did his parents drop him off at the orphanage? From what''s written in the letter, he knew that there was some sort of problem. What type of problem it was¡ªhe had no idea.


    He sighed as he knew he might never get the answers to his questions.


    "Well, I''m finally going to leave the orphanage today. A place that I have called my home for the past sixteen years.


    I wonder what the real world has to offer. I want to succeed quickly and pay back the orphanage for everything they have done for me, to start supporting them as soon as possible." Leo smiled as he thought of what the future holds in store for him.


    Knock, knock, knock. S~ea??h the ¦ÇovelFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Leo quickly stood up when he heard the knock on the door. He knew that the only person that could be knocking on the door would be Ms. Ves.


    As if to confirm his thought, he heard her voice from behind the door.


    "Leo, it''s time to go."


    With a smile, he grabbed his bag from the ground and walked to the door. Before he opened the door, he took one last look at the room that has been his own for many years, and smiled.


    Leo was very happy to be leaving the orphanage after so many years. It wasn''t that he hated the orphanage; it was quite the opposite, as he loved and felt loved by everyone here.


    The reason why he wants to leave the orphanage badly is because of the tugging feeling in his heart. It was a feeling that he couldn''t put into words, and he couldn''t quite understand it himself, but he knew that he could only find the answers to it outside.


    He sighed once more before opening the door.


    "Come, let''s go," Ves said and started walking ahead.


    Leo smiled and followed behind her. They walked through the hallway again, and Leo couldn''t help but gaze at each doors they passed.


    He wanted to say goodbye to them but he didn''t know what to say and besides, he also plans to visit once in a while.


    He smiled as he remembered all of the plays they used to play together and he thought of how much he was going to miss them. He hopes they meet once again in the future.


    If only Leo knew what the world has in store for him, he might had thought differently about everything.

 Chapter 3 The Awakening

    Ves and Leo made their way out of the orphanage home building and into a waiting car outside. They got into the backseat and the driver started the engine, and drove off.


    "You didn''t say goodbye," Ves asked as she looked at Leo, who was staring out the window.


    "Why say goodbye when I intend to meet them again in the future? It''s not like I''m moving to another country and I plan to visit from time to time," Leo said as he continued looking out the window.


    He saw the slightly busy streets filled with cars and people. It''s not everyday he gets to see something like this and it feels very satisfying to watch.


    It was impossible for him to get such a view as he lived in the orphanage that was located somewhere far from the hustle and bustle in front of him.


    Ves was surprised when she heard that Leo plans to visit from time to time. She wouldn''t had believed it if someone had told her.


    It was something that goes against her understanding of Leo''s character. But it was different hearing it from Leo himself as she knew that he meant it.


    "Really? I thought that you would completely cut off ties with us after leaving. Who knew you still cared about us? Even though you don''t show it, you have a good heart, Leo, and I hope you can continue to maintain it.


    The world outside isn''t as beautiful as it looks, be careful who you trust and choose your friends wisely. The most important of them all is to always stay true to yourself. Never try to change yourself for anyone," Ves said, trying to give Leo the best advice she could.


    "Thank you, Ms. Ves. I will heed your advice." Leo smiled.


    He didn''t understand why Ms. Ves was painting the outside world in such a light but he knew that she was only looking out for him.


    "Leo, I''m being serious. The world outside is more dangerous than you think," Ves said when she saw how casual and slightly dismissive Leo was to the advice she gave him


    She wanted to advise him more and make him understand just how dangerous the world outside was but she knew that anything else she says will fall on deaf ears.


    She sighed and looked out the window. She saw that the sky that was gradually darkening, indicating that a storm was coming.


    ''That''s odd. The weather forecast for today was sunny skies. Why the clouds?'' Ves thought to herself when she saw the dark cloud forming in the sky.


    The dark clouds continued to form and gather in the sky, until it formed a thick blanket in the sky and blocked out the sunlight, covering the whole city like a blanket of darkness.


    "This is odd. Rain clouds aren''t always like this," Ves said in suspicious when she saw how dark everywhere was.


    "This isn''t an ordinary rain cloud, dear," The driver, an old man who looks to be in his late 50s said, causing Ves to look through the windshield.


    She was shocked when she saw that even though the headlights of the car was on, it could barely penetrate the darkness.


    She suddenly had a bad feeling but she quickly composed herself, not allowing her emotions to show on her face.


    The driver had already stopped the car due to the darkness and she knew that others would had also done the same.


    Everywhere wasn''t just dark, it was also quiet, extremely quiet to say. It was like the slightly busy streets had been transformed into a graveyard.


    With the aid of the car''s interior lighting, Ves looked at Leo who was still looking out the window and sighed in relief. As long as nothing happens to Leo, everything was fine.


    She was about to ask the driver a question when she felt a chill run down her spine. She felt like something, an apex predator, was staring at her.


    Before she could process what was happening, she saw the window started to freeze. This was followed by a thunderous rumbling sound as a quick shift was felt from underneath the car.


    They didn''t understand what was happening as they found themselves losing their center of gravity and spinning in the air. Few seconds later, a loud crashing sound was heard as the car made contact with something solid.


    .....


    "Arghh.... Hiss..." Leo hissed in pain as he recovered his consciousness.


    There was a ringing sound in his head, causing him to feel slightly disoriented and dizzy. It took quite a while before it finally stopped, allowing him to recover himself.


    Though the ringing has stopped, Leo was still feeling dizzy. He closed his eyes and opened it a few times, trying his best to shake the dizziness off. It took him a good minute before he finally shook off the dizziness and recovered himself completely.


    After the ringing in his head and the dizziness stopped, Leo found himself to be in so much pain.


    Every inch of his body ached so much that it was almost unbearable. It felt like someone picked him up from the ground and slammed him on a flat, hard surface.


    He felt like his bones were broken and grounded into fine dust. His flesh being flayed and shredded at different places.


    He also found that his position was odd as he was now facing upside down. He felt his upside down position to be the cause of his dizziness and disorientation.


    He still has no idea of what had happened and he was unable to think due to immense pain coursing through his body. sea??h th§× Nov§×l?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Leo gritted his teeth, doing his best to endure the pain. After an unknown amount of the had passed, the pain gradually started subsiding until it stopped completely.


    "Ughh..." Leo groaned as he forced his aching and shaky fingers to remove the seat belt.


    After a few struggles, he was successfully able to take off the seat belt and he fell to the ground, or what was supposed to be the roof of the car.


    He noticed that the blanketing darkness has already dispersed and the sunlight was now hitting the surface. But it wasn''t the only thing, as heavy rain and snow were also falling.


    Leo turned to looked at Ms. Ves and the driver who were still unconscious and had the same expressions of pain he previously had, on their faces


    He knew that they were probably experiencing the same pain he just did. He was about to look around and understand what the situation was when he heard two distinctly different voices in his head.


    The first was a female voice which he felt a vague sense of familiarity with and the second was a cold, and authoritative male voice.


    Immediately after the two different voices sounded in his head, two screens appeared in front of him.


    [Requirements met. First Seal Broken.]


    [Innate skill awakened: Regeneration.]


    ...


    [The citizens of planet #674589 has been given the opportunity to awaken. Stat screen can now be viewed. The first view is for explanatory purpose.]


    [Name: Leo ****]


    [Level: 0


    [Specie(s): Human, ****, ****]


    [Class: ¨C]


    [Title: None]


    ______


    [Strength: 15(10)]


    [Agility: 15(10)]


    [Stamina: 14(10)]


    [Intelligence: 13(10)]


    [Mana: 100(10)]


    ______


    [Skill(s): Regeneration (Innate).]

 Chapter 4 Strange People

    Leo stared at the screen floating in front of him in shock. He felt like he might still be feeling delirious due to the car crash and this was what followed after the disorienting feeling he had experienced previously.


    He shook his head trying to shake off the presumed delirious feeling. After he shook his head, he saw that the first screen had already disappeared, leaving only the second.


    He saw this and decided to shake his head one more time. He felt that it would take a few more shaking of his head to get the delirious feeling off him.


    But even after shaking his head multiple times, he could still see the second screen. When he saw that the screen still hadn''t disappeared, a feeling of curiosity, anxiety and even a little bit of excitement started welling up in his heart.


    "Is this real?" He asked himself as he slowly stretched out his hand to touch it. Unlike what he thought would happen, his hands touched nothing.


    Actually, the screen wasn''t being displayed in front of him. It was more like it was all in his head.


    "I can see it like it''s being displayed in front of me but it''s in my head. Could it be?..." Leo said to himself as he came to with a wild conjecture.


    The feeling of excitement he was feeling gradually increased with each second as the conjecture continued to grow in his head.


    He closed his eyes briefly and let out an exhale. He cleared his mind before the final test to confirm if the screen he''s seeing is real.


    Remembering something that he has read once on Ms Nora''s phone, he decided to try it out. Using his thought, he controlled the screen to close and the next moment, the screen disappeared.


    Leo''s heart started beating fast in excitement when he saw this. He didn''t understand how something like this was possible and why it was happening but it was a welcomed development to him.


    "Now, for the final confirmation..," Leo said and took in a deep breath before letting it out slowly. S§×arch* The Novel?ire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "Status."


    [Name: Leo ****]


    [Level: 0


    [Specie(s): Human, ****, ****]


    [Class: ¨C]


    [Title: None]


    ______


    [Strength: 15]


    [Agility: 15]


    [Stamina: 14]


    [Intelligence: 13]


    [Mana: 100]


    ______


    [Skill(s): Regeneration (Innate).]


    "..."


    Leo''s eyes widened in shock and excitement.


    "It''s real! It''s real!" Leo exclaimed in excitement.


    He was about to start studying the screen in front of him when he noticed that the driver was starting to shake.


    Leo didn''t know what was happening but he felt that the driver''s shaking was probably due to the pain he was feeling.


    He quickly thought of a way to relief the pain for him and stop the shaking but he couldn''t come up with anything.


    "What do I do?" He asked himself as he looked around the car for anything that could help.


    He thought hard and finally remembered what he was taught to do when he finds someone in an emergency situation.


    ''But how do I apply the first aid method when he''s hanging upside down?'' Leo thought to himself.


    Leo thought of something and moved to remove the seat belt but just as his hands were about to touch the seat belt, he saw something extremely shocking.


    The driver suddenly made a weird movement. A movement that seemed impossible with the seat belt still on and firmly holding him down.


    His neck twisted unnaturally, with his face almost facing the back and his hands bent to an unnatural angle. This was coupled with the crisp sounds of bones breaking.


    Leo''s eyes widened in shock and fear when he saw this. He didn''t understand why everything was going south today of all days.


    He was about to move towards the driver and return his neck, and hands to their original position but something even more shocking than the last happened.


    The driver started thrashing around violently with sounds of bones breaking being continuously heard from his body. This was also accompanied by low snarls.


    Leo didn''t understand what was going on but his instincts screamed at him and he immediately took action.


    He has always trusted his instincts as it has always been right and he wasn''t going to overlook the warning it was giving him, especially in such a precarious situation.


    He knew he has to get out of the car. Even if he has to brave the heavy rain and snow, he has to choose between two devils¡ªbetween the snow and rain outside or the unknown in the car.


    He didn''t need to think too much about it as he had already known what to do. Just as they say, it''s better to choose the devil you know than the angel you don''t.


    Leo quickly made his decision, choosing the cold rain and snow outside. He was about to crawl out of the car when he remembered Ms Ves.


    He knew that he has to escape but he didn''t want to leave her behind. Also, the fact that she was still unconscious made things even more difficult for him.


    He also knew that he has to make a quick decision or things won''t end well if he''s still here when the driver completely turns into whatever he''s turning into.


    Making a quick decision, he swiftly moved towards Ms Ves and he saw that she still had that pain-filled expression on her face. With a quick movement, he unbuckled the seat belt.


    He quickly grabbed her and held out his hand, doing his best to cushion her fall. Without wasting time, he grabbed her and started dragging her out of the car.


    As he stepped out of the car, the heavy rain immediately drenched his body. The rain caused his clothes to become wet, allowing the snowflakes to easily stick to it and melting afterwards.


    Leo didn''t notice his already wet body as his attention was on his surroundings and the scene in front of him. The best way to describe it would be chaos as it was nothing short of it.


    The previous elegant and tall towering buildings were now collapsed and broken structures with some of the broken parts falling onto cars and people, crushing them in the process.


    Leo never knew that he could see so much blood and death in his life. He thought of when he was groaning in pain before from the headache he felt due to the car crash but what about the people crushed under the rubbles from the collapsed building?


    He looked and also saw a lot of people on the floor and in their cars thrashing around violently, with the hands and legs twisting to unnatural angles just like the driver. And this followed by the same snarling sound that the driver was making.


    Leo felt a chill in his heart when he saw this. He knew that things were extremely dangerous at the moment and he had to immediately get to safety.


    He was actually surprised that even with the heavy rain and snow falling, he could see his surroundings perfectly.


    Without wasting any more time, he dragged Ms Ves out of the car and into the rain, and snow. He was sorry for his actions of dragging her on the floor but he had to get the two of them far away from the people thrashing violently on the floor as he doesn''t know what might happen next.


    As he dragged her, he looked around for a safe place where they could hide until everything had settled.


    He was looking for a safe place and was shocked to find a very beautiful young lady who looked to be the same age as him standing in the heavy rain and snow with a happy smile on her face.


    Her skin was extremely pale to the point of being white but it was beautiful. Her exquisite red dress, adorned with golden patches and unknown symbols made her look even more beautiful, giving her a regal air.


    It wasn''t only the young lady that was standing in the rain and snow. There was a middle-aged lady standing behind her.


    If Leo was to guess her age from her appearance, she looked to be of the same age as the oldest caretaker back at the orphanage home.


    The middle-aged lady also had the same skin color as the young lady but she was dressed in what looks to be a servant outfit. Still, she was just as beautiful as the young lady but gave off a different feeling.


    The thing shocking about the young lady and the woman is that the heavy rain and snow wasn''t touching them. It was they holding an umbrella above their head but there was nothing to see guiding them from the rain.


    "Hehehe." He heard the young lady laugh in an equally beautiful voice.


    "You see, Elda, the information given to us was correct!" She said excitedly.


    "Princess, please don''t make such reckless deals again. You were only lucky that they gave you the right information. You know that if you''re to suffer any grievances, your father would go likely mad with rage," The middle-aged lady called Elda, said.


    The young lady pouted when she thought of her father''s possible reaction if he hears that she was scammed by someone.


    The pout was quickly replaced with a smile when she remembered her reason for coming here and the reason why she went through the trouble of buying that information from a very unreliable source.


    "Elda, let''s not focus on that. We should be thinking of how to get enough benefits before those vermins start finding their way here.


    "Princess, you shouldn''t talk that way about others. Also, even though this is a planet that is still going through its awakening, we should be careful. I''m very sure you know where we are." Elda said, cautioning the young lady.


    "Yeah, yeah." The young lady said as she waved her hand dismissively, before taking a look around.


    "They are all so weak. Almost all of them are turning into zombies and who knows when those that are still normal will fully awaken and wake up? Even if the awaken, how long would they be able to survive?" She asked she shook her head in disappointment.


    "Tsk. I thought that I would find something interesting here but it''s just as boring as everywhere else. The only difference is that they are weak," She sighed in even more disappointment.


    While the young lady was feeling disappointed, Leo was just processing everything he just heard. He didn''t understand most of the things they said but the sentence that stuck in his head was about everyone turning into zombies.


    He knew what zombies were as he had seen them in a movie before and if what the young lady said was true, then...


    He looked at those on the floor and saw that they were still thrashing around.


    ....This means he and Ms Vex are in extreme danger.


    He decided to hurry up and quickly find a good place to hide. He can''t keep standing in the rain and allowing it to continue drenching him and Ms Ves.


    Just when he was about to continue dragging Ms Ves, he saw the young lady standing in front of him.


    "Interesting, he''s the first to wake up. That''s amazing. This means that he must have some talent," She said in intrigue as she walked towards Leo, and started studying him carefully.


    As she moved around him, studying him, Leo''s eyes followed her every movement carefully and at alert. He knew that he wouldn''t be able to react if she wanted to do anything to him as he didn''t even notice when she appeared in front of him. But he still wanted to make an effort.


    As the young lady walked around Leo, she noticed that his eyes were following her every movement. This is something that is impossible as a very high level concealment skill of hers was active.


    She would have thought it wasn''t active but she knew that it was active, as things would be completely different for her if it wasn''t.


    She looked at him curiously and waved her hand in front of his face. When she saw him flinch, she knew that he could definitely see her.


    "Hey, you can see me, right?" She asked in confirmation and she saw Leo nodded slowly in response.


    "What?! How?!"

 Chapter 5 Zombie

    The young lady was extremely shocked. She didn''t understand how a mortal who just awakened most likely less than ten minutes ago, on a new awakened planet could see through her high-level concealment skill.


    The current level of her concealment skill makes it even hard for some of those higher level beings to sense her. This is the reason why she was able to sneak into this newly awakened planet unnoticed.


    But as if she was being mocked, right now in front of her, there''s a level 0 mortal that can see through her concealment skill. Was the System joking with her?


    "Hey, how is it that you can see me?" She asked curiously.


    "I don''t know. With my two eyes?" The mortal asked as he looked like he was looking at someone stupid.


    Leo found the young lady''s question to be extremely stupid. How was he supposed not to see her when his eyes are wide open and working perfectly? Or is he not supposed to be able to see her?


    He didn''t even want to think about anything else as all he just wanted was to get himself and the unconscious Ms Ves out of the rain and snow, and to somewhere safe.


    He still has to be cautious about the people on the floor that would very likely turn into zombies just as the young lady said.


    He stopped paying attention to the young lady and quickly looked around for an intact building. He saw one and started walking towards it while dragging Ms Ves along.


    Tatiana was about to explode when she saw the mocking expression on the mortal''s face when he answered her question. He saw how he looked at her like she was stupid before ignoring her.


    She was angry but she quickly controlled her emotions. She knew that she wasn''t somewhere she could behave recklessly and get off without any consequences.


    Also, she found the young mortal in front of her to be very interesting. Not only could he see through her concealment skill, he could also understand what she was saying perfectly.


    If she didn''t know better, she would have thought he was one of those vermin but she knew very well that she was the only foreigner on this planet at the moment.


    She was very curious about the identity of this interesting mortal in front of her and she wants to know everything about him. Even to the last tiny detail.


    "Suddenly, this planet isn''t so boring anymore," She said as she did a twirl in excitement of what''s to come.


    "Hey," She called out as she ran to catch up with Leo.


    Leo saw the young lady now running towards him with her servant following behind her but he decided not to pay any attention to her.


    He has so many questions that he wants to ask them but his safety and that of Ms Ves was what''s paramount at the moment. Sear?h the ¦Çov§×lFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    He continued walking to the building and dragging Ms Ves along. He found it surprising that even after dragging her on the ground from the car to their current location which is more than 20 meters, she was yet to wake up.


    Forget about waking up, he hasn''t even felt her stir and this was even with the heavy rain that was falling.


    Leo noticed that he was starting to feel the cold as his body was starting to freeze up. He was actually surprised that he hasn''t frozen up from staying so long in the combo of heavy rain and snow.


    Even if it has only been a little bit over ten minutes since he got out of the car, it was already long enough for him to have freezed to death.


    He was actually very worried about Ms Ves who was unconscious. He just hopes that he can get them to safety before she freezes up or the people on the floor turn completely into zombies.


    His thought seemed to have jinxed the situation as he saw someone who was previously thrashing wildly, suddenly go still.


    Leo felt a very strong sense of foreboding when he saw the person suddenly go still. He immediately picked up the pace and started walking faster towards the building.


    He had only taken a couple of steps when he heard a deep, guttural growl. The growl sent shivers down his spine and he slowly turned his head to look at the source of the sound.


    It was the same person he saw suddenly go still before. He or should he call it, as what he''s looking at looks no different from a humanoid monster.


    The person in front of him has an unhealthy pale skin, completely white eyes that look empty, a very emaciated body and a very ferocious look on its face, radiating hunger and malice. This was coupled with the bone chilling snarls that were coming out of its mouth.


    Leo''s heart nearly jumped out of his chest when he saw this. The man in front of him looked exactly like those creatures.


    Realizing what this means, he picked up the pace even more as he continued walking and dragging Ms Ves to the building.


    He knew the key characteristics of zombies. He knew that they were attracted to sounds but he wasn''t sure if the zombie in front of him was the same.


    Even if it was, Leo felt that the sound of the heavy rain was more than enough to drown out all other noise in the surrounding, with his and Ms Ves included.


    Unfortunately for Leo, something completely unexpected happened the next moment.


    Growl!


    The zombie roared and bolted towards Leo in a series of erratic movements.


    Leo''s eyes widened in a mixture of shock and surprise when he saw this.


    The two emotions immediately gave way to fear, a type of fear that Leo has never felt in his life.


    The fear caused him to momentarily lose focus of what exactly was happening and he froze up. What he could only do was watch the fast approaching zombies get closer.


    As the zombie approached him, Leo felt like his name was being written in the black book of death. He felt that he was going to die there and then, and without a chance to put up a fight.


    Without having any idea of what happened or how it happened, Leo snapped out of his stupor at the very last minute.


    The zombie had already reached him and its claw was right in front of his face.


    Leo''s eyes widened and he didn''t know what happened as he immediately sidestepped, causing the claw to miss his face by just a hair width.


    He wasn''t allowed to calm his rapid beating heart or catch his breath before the zombie attacked again.


    It swiped its claw at him but it was another miss as Leo was able to move out of the way before the attack reached him.


    Without giving him a moment of respite, the zombie attacked again with its claw and bared teeth.


    Leo immediately reacted without any thoughts and out of impulse due to the fear he was feeling. He punched the zombies in the chest, stunning it a little and causing it to stagger backward a little.


    He didn''t give the zombie time to react as he punched it in the face. This time, the punch didn''t have much of an effect on it but only served to enrage it.


    "Roar!" It roared angrily into the air, with intense hunger, malice and ferality emanating from it.


    Immediately, it rushed towards Leo and with even more intensity than before.


    The young lady was standing at a distance and watching the battle between Leo, and the zombie in interest.


    "That punch right now¡­" She said as her eyes narrowed slightly in thought.


    "It''s just as you guessed, Princess. It''s not an amount of power that a level 0 being should be able to bring out," Elda, who was standing behind her, nodded.


    "Is he?..." She asked curiously.


    "No," Elda replied.


    "I see¡­" She said with an intrigued smile.


    She was looking forward to what more surprises Leo has in store for her but he would have to survive all the way and she wasn''t going to help him in any way.

 Chapter 6 First Blood

    Leo almost froze up when he saw the zombie rushing towards him with increased intensity. He didn''t understand what in the world was going on and why everything had gone so wrong.


    But one thing he understood was the world he knew has changed completely. The zombie attacking him and the people thrashing wildly on the floor, and were now suddenly going still made him understand that the world right now is all about survival.


    And Leo was determined to see to it that he survives and survive he must. He knew that to survive, he has to first kill this monster in front of him.


    With his heart determined on surviving and his mind made up, quickly and before the zombie could reach him, he looked around for anything that can be used as a weapon.


    Due to the environment he grew up in, he hasn''t been in a fight in his life, neither has he seen anyone fighting but he has secretly watched movies that involve violence on the phones of the caretakers. And he knew what he had to do.


    As if the heavens were smiling on him, he saw a sizable piece of broken flat metal with a sharp edge, lying a few steps away from him.


    With a quick and calculated movement, he rolled on the floor, dodging the incoming attack of the zombie and grabbing the piece of metal in the floor.


    He held the metal in his hand and watched the zombie that was rushing towards him again.


    Leo remembered the zombie movie he watched and how they always target the head of a zombie before it can be killed. He knew that he can only try the same thing with this one but he wasn''t sure if it would work as the zombie in front of him isn''t the same as in movies, but he has no other choice than to try.


    He gripped the metal in his hand tightly and took a crappy attacking form, as he waited for the zombie to get closer.


    Leo didn''t know if he would be able to kill the zombie but he knew he has to. There''s no "but" or "if" in his current situation. He either kills it or get killed.


    In the space of three heartbeats, the zombie was already in front of him. Immediately, without any distracting thought in his mind, he sidestepped a little, to get himself a good angle.


    Achieving what he wanted, he gathered every ounce of strength in his body and with his teeth gritted in anger and determination, slashed the sharp edge of the metal at the zombie''s neck. But the wound was too shallow.


    The zombie roared in pain from the attack but Leo didn''t give it an opportunity to make any movement as he slashed at the same place again and again, before using all of his strength to push the sharp edge of the metal into its neck. He didn''t care how many times he has to slash to kill the zombie, he would gladly do it.


    As he pushed the sharp edge into its neck, the zombie lost its balance and fell over.


    Leo, seeing its current position to be perfect, pinned the zombie down and pushed the metal deeper and harder into its neck.


    He made a series of very swift movements as he removed the metal and stabbed it again into its neck, using all of the driving force he could muster.


    "Die! Die!" He screamed as he continued to remove the metal and stabbed it into the neck of the zombie, while cutting and slashing at it. This was all because he wants to decapitate the zombie head and kill it completely.


    As he slashed, stabbed and cut at the zombie''s neck, the wound was becoming deeper and black blood continued to splash out, staining his hands, face and some part of his body, and a few getting into his mouth, but he didn''t care.


    Even though the blood gave off the smell of rotten and decaying flesh, even though his body was almost frozen up completely due to the heavy rain and snow, his blood now circulating slower than before and his fingers becoming numb, Leo cared very little as his mind was focused on his survival. S§×arch* The nov§×lF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    The rain fell on him, continuously washing away the blood that spilled on his body, causing the snow on the ground to be stained red.


    The zombie also wasn''t willing to go down without a fight as it put up its own struggle but Leo had already had it pinned down. Also, due to the combination of the rain and snow, the ground was extremely slippery.


    With Leo pinning it down to the ground with all his strength, it was impossible for it to move. It still did its best to attack by trying to claw at him but its hands were also pinned to the ground.


    Leo was aware of just how dangerous even the light scratch of a zombie is. And even if the zombie under him isn''t the same as the ones he saw in the movie, he wasn''t going to take any chances.


    He continued to slash, cut and stab, not paying attention to his already numb fingers and the cold breath coming from his mouth.


    To him, the cold was something that can be taken care of but will happen to him if he gets eaten by a zombie or turns into one? This is something that he doesn''t even want to consider.


    In the final moment of its struggle, the zombie''s limbs flailed as Leo''s blade cut into its neck, but its dead eyes never wavered. It clawed at him, its jaws snapping open and shut with mindless hunger.


    Leo continued the series of actions and after slashing, cutting and stabbing a few more times, the zombie''s head finally tumbled to the ground and black blood flowed freely from the decapitated neck, onto the ground.


    Immediately after the zombie''s head tumbled to the ground, the familiar screen appeared in front of him again but this time, with a different message.


    [You have acquired Level 1 Normal Zombie Life Force.]


    [You have reached Level 1. You have received three stat points.]


    ¡­..


    The young lady giggled in excitement and anticipation when she saw the zombie''s head roll on the ground.


    "Fufufu. I like him already," She said as she bit her lower lip.


    "Elda, you see that? I found someone very interesting." She smiled as she gazed at Leo, who was now standing on his feet and looking back at her.


    Her smile widened when she saw the fire burning in his eyes and it made her lick her lips in anticipation.

 Chapter 7 Will To Survive

    Leo didn''t pay attention to the screen as he forced himself to stand up. He staggered to his feet as he pushed his exhausted and near-freezing point body up from the zombie''s decapitated body.


    He took a deep breath, trying to steady his shaky breath and rapidly beating heart. After he finally steadied his breath, he took a look at the zombie on the floor, with different thoughts crashing around in his head.


    No matter how sees it and no matter how he wants to put it, he just killed a human or something that looks human.


    Even though the headless body lying on the floor with its severed head a few steps from it was trying to kill him a second ago, it made no difference to him.


    Leo knew that the presence of the zombie meant that the world as he knew it was long gone and has now been replaced with one where everyone has to fight to stay alive.


    He knew that he would have to survive first if he wants to live in this new world and to survive, he must have sufficient strength. This is what the battle with the zombie taught him.


    He knew that if he doesn''t have the strength, he might one day end up becoming food for the zombies and potentially turning into one of them.


    He previously thought that after he came out of the orphanage home, he would do the things he has always dreamt about doing.


    But he was quickly made to understand that the world where dreams exists is no more and that in this new world, there''s no such thing as living one''s dream. It''s all about survival, and it''s as simple as that.


    From now on, everything depends on his ability to survive. And if he wants to continue living in this new world, he would need to get stronger.


    He would have to get stronger and survive, if he wants to meet those kids in the orphanage home one day and he would have to get stronger, and survive if he wants to see the sun rise up every day, and set every evening.


    Leo was determined to see to it that he doesn''t die. Even though the world has ended, he still felt that there are a lot of things he can still achieve in the new world.


    He felt that this was the tugging feeling has been trying to tell him about. About this new world.


    He raised his head and saw the young lady being referred to as princess, standing at a distance and looking at him with a smile on her face.


    He has no idea what the identity of the young lady is but he knew she wasn''t human and he has a very strong feeling that he would be able to get the answer to his questions from her.


    Leo closed his eyes briefly and let out a sigh of relief. The battle with the zombie left him feeling completely exhausted. He didn''t know how well he did, as it''s his first ever fight and a very deadly one at that but the fact that he''s still alive goes to say a lot.


    He took a look around him and he saw that most of the people who were thrashing around violently on the floor had already gone still.


    Seeing this, he knew that he has to quickly get out to a safe place or one of two things will happen; It''s either the zombies kills him or the cold does. Either way, he does.


    Still tired and exhausted from the fight with the zombie, he walked towards Ms Ves who was lying unconscious on the floor.


    He picked up her hands and he felt how cold it was. The heavy rain and snow has been falling for a while now and has caused the ground to be very wet and cold, and the fact that he left her lying on the cold hard floor meant that the cold has already penetrated deep into her body.


    "Let''s get out of here first," Leo said as he held her hand tightly and started dragging her towards the building.


    As he made his way to the building, he heard the familiar growl of a zombie and looked towards where the sound was coming from.


    A chill ran down his cold spine when he saw the newly turned zombies standing up and bolting towards him the next moment.


    He knew what had to be done as he immediately picked up the pace. He forced his young body that was already on the brink of collapse to muster up whatever strength it still has left.


    He knew that fighting another zombie in his current condition would be suicidal. It would mean certain death for him if he''s to face off against the horde of more than five zombies rushing towards him.


    He continued to push his body to its limit but no matter how far he tried to push it and no matter how much more strength he tried to squeeze out of it, nothing came out.


    This is the aftereffect of the previous rush of adrenaline he had from the fight with the zombie. His body was completely drained.


    Leo knew that he was going to die if he doesn''t come up with something. His brain kicked into sixth gear as he quickly tried to think of something.


    His eyes lit up the next moment when he remembered the message he saw after he killed the zombie. sea??h th§× ¦Çov§×lFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    He quickly brought up the status screen and glanced at it. The glance gave him a quick understanding of what he has to do.


    He immediately spent the three free stat points he had, adding one stat point each to his Strength, Agility and Stamina.


    He instantly felt some subtle changes in his body after he added the stat points. The changes were very small, almost unnoticeable but Leo felt them because his previously exhausted body had recovered slightly.


    Immediately, Leo mustered up all the strength he could and continued making his way towards the building.


    The zombies were almost close, just a couple of distance away from him but he was also just a few steps away from the building.


    "I can''t allow myself to die here! Just a few more steps!" Leo said through gritted teeth as he pushed his body beyond its limits.


    The next moment, he felt another rush of adrenaline pumping through his body. His previous wobbly legs that refused to listen to him, started moving on their own and fast.


    Leo capitalized on the new adrenaline rush as he pushed his body to its new limits. Right now, it''s only three steps between him and the building but those three steps felt like three miles, and an insurmountable mountain to climb.


    The mountain was even harder to climb due to the fact that he was dragging Ms Ves along with him and to make things worse, the new wave of adrenaline rush has already ended.


    It was too short but Leo couldn''t complain. He could only continue to push himself but it was extremely difficult due to the aftereffects of the adrenaline rush.


    His breathing was now rapid but very shallow. The pounding in his ear was loud and almost disorienting and the freezing cold he was feeling didn''t help matters.


    He could hear the thudding steps of the zombies as they approached him. Their growls filled with intense hunger and malice reverberated through his body and their sickening rotten appearance almost made him puke.


    "Three more steps!" Leo gritted his teeth as he forced himself to take a step. He has to push himself or he would become food for the group of walking dead rushing at him.


    The zombies were already so close that even with the heavy rain and snow, Leo could perceive the rotten smell of their dead flesh.


    "Two more steps!" Leo forced himself to take another step.


    At this point, the zombies were already less than five heartbeats away from him. Leo saw this and bit his lips hard, almost drawing blood as he forced himself to continue.


    "One more step!" Leo screamed with a hoarse voice as he finally stepped in through the automatic glass door of the building


    Immediately after his leg got inside the building, it was like the previous exhaustion he was feeling was a lie as his body suddenly became energetic.


    He quickly dragged Ms Ves inside and away from the door, allowing it to close. With his heart in his mouth, he watched the zombies hit the glass door one after the other and bounce back.


    Seeing this, Leo felt that he could finally breathe easy. He let out a sigh of relief and immediately collapsed to the cold, hard floor in exhaustion.

 Chapter 8 Tatiana von Carstein

    A sound of labored breathing could be heard as Leo tried to pass air through his cold and burning lungs.


    He could still hear the pounding in his ear and his body felt very cold, and the cold air and burning lungs wasn''t helping his case. His legs were quaking and he could barely feel his finger.


    It took him a while but he was finally able to steady his breathing and his body started relaxing slowly.


    He really felt like dozing off and going to sleep, but he knew that he couldn''t. Even though he''s already safe from the horde of zombies outside, he still doesn''t know if inside the building is as safe as it appears to be.


    Also, he can''t keep lying on the cold floor for too long or he will freeze to death. Leo sighed in exhaustion and tried to push his body up but it refused to listen to him.


    He tried again but no matter how much he forced himself, his body refused to listen to him. His legs still continued to quake from time to time and his fingers were still numb.


    Leo knew that with his body''s current condition, he won''t be able to achieve anything even if he forces himself to stand up. He decided to relax a bit and regain his strength before doing anything else.


    His decision to seek shelter and safety from the rain, and zombies outside was a decision he made without any fore knowledge about the entire situation in the building.


    But the reason why he chose the building was because from a look outside, he saw that its lobby was empty of people and looked completely safe.


    Leo has no idea if there were zombies in the building. Even if there is, there''s nothing he can do about it in his current exhausted condition.


    The truth is that when he got close to the door of the building and it opened automatically, his heart fell to the lowest part of the abyss.


    He thought that the door would also open up automatically when the zombies came close to it but he was very happy when he saw that it didn''t happen. And as to why it didn''t open? He has no idea.


    Thinking back to then, his body was drained leaving him powerless, Ms Ves was still in his arms and the zombies were just a few away from me.


    What should he had done then? Start looking for another building? That was beyond impossible. He could only brace it and hope for the best.


    This was the reason why he felt extremely happy and relieved when he saw the zombies slam their bodies against the closed door.


    Even now, he could still hear their growls and the loud snapping of their jaws as they bite into thin air while pressing their bodies against the glass door.


    While he waited for his body to recover, he decided to check the screen. He immediately summoned it and it appeared in front of him.


    [Name: Leo ****]


    [Level: 1]


    [Specie(s): Human, ****, ****]


    [Class: ¨C]


    [Title: None]


    ______


    [Strength: 16]


    [Agility: 16]


    [Stamina: 15]


    [Intelligence: 13]


    [Mana: 100]


    ______


    [Stat Point(s): 0]


    ______


    [Skill(s): Regeneration (Innate).]


    ...


    Leo quietly studied the screen, taking in the information displayed on it. The first thing that caught his attention are the asterisks in front of his name.


    ''Why were they there?'' He thought to himself curiously. He noticed that it wasn''t just his name that has those asterisks but also his species.


    "I''m not just human?" Leo thought to himself with a frown.


    It wasn''t a very pleasant thing to know that you''re different from everyone else. It was like finding out that everything you have been known growing up was a lie.


    This would had been true for someone else but for someone like Leo who has always had the feeling of being different from others, the information only elicited a frown from him and nothing more.


    Also, the content of the letter his parents left him hinted at something and the information displayed on the screen was just some sort of confirmation.


    But that didn''t mean that Leo wasn''t curious. He was very curious to know exactly what the asterisks were hiding but he knew that there was nothing he could do about it. At least for the time being. S§×ar?h the N?vel(F)ire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    He turned his attention to other things as his eyes went down to the part where his stats were displayed.


    "When it was displayed the first time ''for explanatory purpose'' according to the second voice, each of them had in front of them, ten in brackets. What does that mean?" Leo thought to himself out loud.


    "It means that ten is the average stat." A familiar voice said, causing Leo''s eyes to widen in fear.


    With a quick reaction, he pressed his hands on the floor, to push himself up but he quickly collapsed back to the ground.


    "Fufufu¡­ No need to be scared, I''m not a zombie," The voice laughed lightly.


    "I know that you''re not a zombie. Zombies don''t talk. You''re that princess girl. What do you want?" Leo asked with a frown on his face as he turned his head to where the source of the voice.


    Just as he thought, it was the princess and as always, standing behind her is Elda, the middle-aged woman dressed in a maid uniform.


    He was very curious to know what they were doing here and how they were able to get into the building without him being aware. Was he that absorbed in studying the screen?


    He tilted his head and looked at the door to confirm a thought of his but unlike what he was thinking, the zombies were still at the door.


    He saw them continuously clawing at the door trying to get in, with constant loud snapping sound from their jaws as they bit into the air.


    ''It seems they didn''t get in through the entrance. Then how?'' He thought to himself, but when he remembered how they were standing in the heavy rain, and they never got wet, he knew that something like this would be very simple for them.


    Tatiana''s eyes twitched in irritation when she heard what Leo said about zombies being unable to talk. She can''t understand why this boy always knows just how to get on her nerves.


    "Hey, I gave you the answer to your question. Shouldn''t you at least be appreciative or something?" She asked as she glared daggers at him.


    Leo slowly turned his head to look at her and smiled.


    "Thank you."


    "...."


    A very awkward silence descended in the lobby afterwards as Leo and the young lady stared at each other with their thoughts unknown.


    Ahem...


    The young lady coughed lightly, finally breaking the awkward silence.


    "Good to know that you''re grateful. Now, let''s do a little introduction. What''s your name?" She asked as she took slow steps towards his lying position on the floor.


    Leo took a look at the young lady walking towards him. He has no idea why she was asking for his name but he didn''t feel any reason to withhold it from her.


    From what he has seen, she''s definitely someone special, has some sort of status, and she''s also powerful. It wouldn''t do him any good to make an enemy out of her. It would only add to the already existing problems he has.


    With that decision made, he proceeded to tell her his name.


    "The name''s Leo."


    The young lady smiled and nodded lightly in acknowledgement when she heard his name.


    "I''m Tatiana von Carstein. Daughter of the ruler of Crimson Fall, Lucian von Carstein, the Blood Progenitor and the King of Vampires. The lady behind me is Elda, my handmaid and my bodyguard."


    "Such status!"

 Chapter 9 Friends With Benefits

    That was Leo''s honest reaction. He already knew that she''s a princess due to Elda constantly referring to her by her title.


    This is also visible from how elegant and luxurious she''s dressed, and Elda, who is standing beside her is dressed in maid attire.


    But what Leo didn''t expect is for her to be a vampire princess! He already knew that she wasn''t human and not from his world but what he didn''t expect is for the young lady in front who looks so beautiful to be a vampire princess.


    Leo felt grateful to himself for not irritating the young lady any further or who knew what she would had done to him.


    He knew what vampires are. When he was still at the orphanage home, he had watched two series about them on one of the caretakers'' phone but just like the zombie, he wasn''t sure if she''s the same as the vampire he''s familiar with.


    Still, Leo was happy with himself for the decision he made. Who knows? He might have saved his own life without even having any knowledge about it.


    He took a look at Tatiana who was now in a bent position beside him and studying him carefully like he''s some exotic animal.


    "I still find it hard to believe that someone like you exists in such a backwater world," She said as she looked at him intently.


    Their eyes met and Tatiana smiled, with her thoughts unknown.


    "Leo, I don''t know if you know this but you''re very special. It''s just that I don''t know just how special you are. The fact that you can see me is something that shouldn''t be possible in the first place.


    And even more shocking is that you can understand the words coming out of my mouth. If you thought it''s normal, then I will tell you right now that it''s not," Tatiana said, before standing up and walking to Ms Ves.


    She bent down beside her and also started studying her. Few minutes later, she smiled and looked at Leo, who was also staring at her.


    "The two of you are interesting. Really." She smiled brightly as she stood up.


    Her smile was so bright and beautiful that Leo felt something tug at his heart. He didn''t know what it was but he gave him a good feeling.


    He heard what Tatiana said about her not believing that someone like him can exist in such a backwater world. He also heard what she said about him being special.


    And he finally understood why she was asking him if he could see her. Though she didn''t say why he wasn''t supposed to be able to see her, Leo didn''t bother to ask.


    He felt that she would had told him if she wanted to. Also, he heard about his ability to understand what she was saying. Again she didn''t say why he shouldn''t be able to understand what she was saying but he didn''t ask.


    ''Maybe she''s speaking vampire language...'' S~ea??h the N?velFire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Though Leo wasn''t surprised by her words as he already knew that he''s not just human as it''s something displayed in his status screen. The thing is that he doesn''t know what he is exactly. He doesn''t even know his own full name.


    But there''s something that Tatiana said that caught Leo''s attention. Why did she say that the two of them are interesting? What is it about Ms Ves that''s interesting?


    He was about to try and find out from Tatiana, when he heard her next words.


    "Leo, what do you say about the two of us becoming friends? Friends with benefits of course.


    I will help you by giving you whatever information I have that you need and you help me with something in the future. What do you think?" She asked, smiling at him.


    Leo''s eyes narrowed slightly when he heard the offer she was making. The truth is that he needs information, answers to his questions and he knew that Tatiana was aware of this, and this is the reason why she''s making such an offer.


    She knew that it was an offer he won''t be able refuse.


    "And what is it that I could possibly help you with?" Leo asked curiously and carefully.


    Tatiana smiled when she heard his questions. She wasn''t bothered by it as she knew that he would ask but she has no plan on telling him. It would be better if he doesn''t know about it yet.


    "You don''t need to worry. It''s not something that would bring you any harm. It''s something you can actually do now but it''s going to be very difficult for you to achieve it," She said with her smile never leaving her face.


    "You don''t need to worry about anything, Leo. I won''t harm you. If I wanted to do anything to you, I would had done it a long time ago. It''s not like you can stop me if I wanted to.


    As for the consequences of doing you any harm? They are almost non-existent. Just some feathered bugs but they would be taken care of by my father." She said and shrugged.


    Leo didn''t know how to respond when he heard what she said.


    The truth is that her offer isn''t bad but there''s one problem with it¡ªthe part where she said that he would help her with something in the future.


    He already knew that he won''t be getting the information from her for free but he couldn''t help but feel that what she''s going to ask him to help her with in the future, is something that outweighs the worth of the information she''s going to give him.


    Leo didn''t know or understand much about people in the outside world¡ªas he had very little interaction with them¡ªbut he remembered the advice that Ms Ves gave him.


    Also, he knew that she was right about her being able to do whatever she wanted to him, without him being able to do anything.


    Leo thought about it and decided to take the offer. It''s not like he has any other choice. Though she wasn''t threatening him at the moment, who knew what she would do if he refuses her offer.


    "Ok, I will trust your words and accept your offer," Leo finally said after a brief moment of deep thought.


    The smile on Tatiana''s face brightened even more when she heard his response. She giggled happily and did a twirl.


    "Trust me, Leo, you won''t regret this,"She said with the smile still on her face.


    ''I hope I don''t.'' Leo said to himself as he watched her do her little celebration dance.


    "Now, let me kick off our agreement with the first piece of information," She said and directed her gaze at Ms Ves who was on the ground beside Leo.


    "The lady beside you is a half-zombie."

 Chapter 10 Half-Zombie

    "Half-zombie?!" Leo asked in shocked voice as he turned to look at Ms Ves who was still unconscious on the floor.


    He let out a sigh of relief when he saw thst she was still unconscious. When he heard what Tatiana said, his heart fell to his stomach as he felt like he had been sentenced to death.


    Even though a a few minutes has passed, Leo was still yet to recover his stamina. His body still ached all over, his fingers were still numb and the biting cold from the floor was already getting to him.


    In his condition, how is he expected to fight another zombie? The answer to that is obvious and his outcome is already certain.


    Tatiana giggled when she saw the fallen expression on Leo''s face. She isn''t a sadist but the expression was funny to her.


    "You don''t have to look like that. Like I said, she is a half-zombie. Different from the regular zombies," She said, as she tried to explain more.


    Leo turned to look at Tatiana, who was still smiling, clearly taking joy from his misery. "How is a half-zombie different from regular zombies?" he asked, his curiosity getting the better of him.


    Tatiana''s eyes sparkled. "I''m glad you asked. But to answer that, I first need to explain what a zombie is."


    Leo sighed internally, bracing himself for the lecture.


    "Zombies," she began, "are people who couldn''t tame the first burst of mana that rushes into their bodies when the world awakens. That first mana surge is always violent, chaotic and filled with different impurities. Whether you survive it or not depends mostly on luck."


    Leo frowned, his confusion evident. "Wait¡­ mana? Chaotic?"


    "Let me clarify," Tatiana said, noting his expression. "Mana is all around us, but it''s dormant in an unawakened world. When the System¡ªan unknown entity activates it¡ªmana floods the world and surges into anything with life force. You remember life force, don''t you? It''s what you absorbed when you killed that zombie."


    Leo nodded slowly, piecing things together.


    Tatiana continued. "This might sound lengthy, but here''s the simple version: zombies are the result of what we term a mana infection. Their bodies couldn''t handle the wild surge of mana that entered them, so the mana starts to overpower their life force."


    "And when that happens?" Leo asked.


    "Their bodies deteriorate," she said, "but the mana keeps them animated. They become driven by one primal urges¡ªa desperate need to consume more life force to keep going."


    Leo''s eyes widened. "So that''s why¡­?"


    "Yes. Zombies can sense life force from a distance and, once they make contact with a living being, they try to drain that energy¡ªthrough biting or scratching. Once they''ve drained someone completely, that person becomes a zombie too."


    For a moment, Leo turned to look at the zombies at the door. He knew that they were different from those that he''s familiar with but now he understood just different they are.


    Leo exhaled as he turned to look at Ms Ves. "So, what makes her different? The half-zombie?"


    Tatiana''s smile faded, and she shrugged. "My guess? She''ll retain her rationality, at least to some degree. Unlike regular zombies, she probably won''t be completely driven mad by the craving for life force.


    But how much control she''ll have over herself¡­ well, that''s the unknown part."


    Leo sighed after Tatiana was done with her explanation. He has never heard so much and so little words in his life.


    At the end, she didn''t explain anything on how exactly Ms Ves half-zombie status is different from regular zombies. But he was able to get some information through from her explanation.


    He now understands why the zombie was able to sense him and made a follow-up attack when it woke up. It was because he could sense his life force. But there''s something he was curious about.


    "The zombies, what''s the distance limit of their ability to sense one''s life force?" He asked as he turned to look at Ms Ves.


    "For regular zombies, it''s 30-50 metres," Tatiana replied.


    Leo''s eyes narrowed when he heard this. 30-50 metres? It was then he completely understood everything.


    But what does she mean by regular zombies? Are there other types of zombies? He felt that this should be very possible.


    If zombies drain the life force of a living being, then it''s basically the same thing as leveling up and this means that they might also be able to increase their own strength. If so, then this makes things even more dangerous.


    As if she knew what he was thinking about, Tatiana decided to explain a little more the zombie situation.


    "Zombies can also level up like regular people too. This is the same for animals and plants. But it''s harder for zombies to increase their strength as they have no intelligence on how to go about it.


    So, I don''t think you need to worry too much about it. But there''s a conjecture that if a zombie consumes enough life force, it can return back to normal but this conjecture has never been proven."


    Leo sighed in relief when he heard this. It was like a huge boulder was suddenly lifted from his chest.


    The truth is that Leo is overthinking everything¡ªhe knew this¡ªbut he can''t be blamed as it''s something related to his survival.


    Even if zombies can easily increase their strength there was nothing he would be able to do about it. It was disheartening but it''s the simple truth.


    Leo continued to gaze at Ms Ves who was sleeping¡ªwith different thoughts occupying his mind. S~ea??h the N?velFire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "So, do you know what made her to mutate?" He asked curiously.


    Tatiana remained quiet when she heard Leo''s questions. She was also curious to know what made the lady to mutate but she has a guess.


    "I think it''s you. Maybe when you touched her, the violent mana surging through her, made its way to your body. But I''m not sure, so I can''t say."


    Leo nodded slowly when he heard this. The truth was that he was having conflicting thoughts. He didn''t know what to do with Ms Ves.


    He was worried for his safety around her but he just can''t leave her alone. She''s someone who has been taking care of him since she started working at the orphanage home three years ago.


    She didn''t treat her work like a job, taking him and all the kids at the orphanage like her siblings. She was also one of the person he was closet to.


    Leo closed his eyes briefly and sighed. There was no need to think about it as the decision had already made itself.


    He won''t abandon her. Even if it''s as a form of repaying everything she has done for him, he would do this best for her.


    He doesn''t know how he''s going to achieve it or if he will be able to achieve it but he still wants to try.


    Leo felt that things were becoming interesting. He now have a vampire princess as a friend, his caretaker from the orphanage home is now a half-zombie and he doesn''t know what he is.


    ''Really interesting.''

 Chapter 11 Ms Ves Turned?

    It was after an unknown amount of time had passed that Leo was finally able to recover some of his strength, enough to move his body.


    He immediately got up from the ground, pushing his exhausted and still-aching body from the cold floor.


    Right now, what Leo wanted to do was rest enough to recover his strength completely and for his body to stop aching, but Leo knew just how impossible that is for him.


    The cold from the floor has already penetrated deep into his body, causing his fingers to become even number than it was before. His blood was barely flowing at this point as the complexion of his skin was already turning pale and taking a bluish tint, and his body was becoming stiff.


    Leo was aware that if he would freeze to death in no time if he continued to lie on the floor.


    But standing up wasn''t that easy. Even though he has recovered enough strength to move his body, it wasn''t enough for these type of movements, but Leo cared less.


    He gritted his teeth as he forced himself up from the ground. As he moved, his body made cracking sounds, his stiff body and bones adjusting itself.


    Leo winced from the pain that followed the cracking sounds made from the readjustment of his bones. It wasn''t easy. The pain was uncomfortable and almost unbearable, and this was even more so that every little movements of his was enough to cause him pain.


    Leo had no idea how long it took him before he finally stood up on his two feet. He looked around the empty lobby of the building, safe for him and Ms Ves who was still unconscious on the ground.


    Tatiana had left, saying that she has something to take care of and would be back later.


    Leo didn''t bother to ask where she was going as it''s none of his business. What he should be concerned right now is his survivor and that of Ms Ves, and not a girl who can completely take care of herself.


    Focusing on his current predicament, he continued looking around the lobby for anything that can be used as a makeshift bed or any indication of the building was used for before the apocalypse.


    Leo hoped that it''s something either related to food or clothing but after looking around and seeing nothing but a computer rested on the receptionist''s table, document papers scattered on the floor and the cold metal waiting chairs, he knew that this was an office building.


    He knew that things weren''t in anyway going according to how he hoped it would, when he saw this and it caused him to sigh in frustration.


    "More work to be done then," He said to himself.


    Leo was clear on what they¡ªhe and Ms Ves¡ªneed right now is a good place to sleep. They need something that''s not cold like the floor, possibly warm¡ªthough extremely impossible to find.


    They also need dry clothes, possibly warm thick coats for the cold. Not impossible to find but looking extremely difficult right now with things are.


    The wet clothes on Leo and Ms Ves'' body were already drying and this was the reasons why Leo was feeling the cold more than before.


    The last and equally important is food. Leo was feeling very famished right now and would very much want to eat anything edible he can get his hands on.


    "The food can wait, what I should take focus on right now is a good place to sleep and dry clothes. I might be lucky to get some edible food," He said as he made his way up the main staircase located on the building''s grounds floor.


    Slowly and cautiously, he climbed the stairs, and made his way up to the first floor of the building.


    From what Leo saw outside, the building had a total of three floors, excluding the ground floor. Sear?h the ¦ÇovelFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    With this, he deduced that the building shouldn''t have a lot of occupants before the apocalypse but he knew that it would still be more than a hundreds workers.


    Leo didn''t know if everyone was able to escape from the building before everything went to shit, but he was banking on it.


    There''s no way he would be take on any zombie in his current state but he knew that if he''s caught in a situation where he has no choice, he would have to face the zombie like it or not.


    Leo arrived on the first floor landing and he was greeted by an empty floor. There was nothing to see besides scattered documents papers on the floor and deserted desks.


    Leo breathed a sigh of relief when he saw this. He knew that since he couldn''t find anyone on the first floor, then it means that the first place was free of zombies.


    "I wonder what I can salvage from here? I can maybe convert these desks into something that we can use to sleep," Leo said, as he walked around the first floor.


    After he had confirmed that it was truly empty of any living being or zombie, he made his way back to the ground floor again.


    The reason why he came to the first floor was to confirm if it was safe for what he''s about to do next.


    He plans to use the waiting chairs and receptionist''s desk in the lobby to barricade the ground floor windows and door, completely blocking out the zombies.


    This is to prevent them from getting through even if their numbers are to increase in the future.


    Leo has no idea how long he''s going to be making use of the building but he felt that as long as he occupies it, he should make it as safe as possible to save himself too much trouble in the future.


    As for how this relates to his venturing to the first floor, the reason is because he wants to make sure that no zombie is close by and attracted by the sound that would be made when he''s moving the chairs and desk.


    Tatiana did say that the zombies are attracted to life force but she never said anything about them not being attracted to sound or light. Leo felt that it''s better to go through this small trouble now than to ignorantly put his life in danger later.


    Immediately after he got back to the ground floor, Leo started barricading the door and windows as planned.


    He was still feeling weak, tired, hungry and cold but he didn''t allow himself any time to rest. He knew that the earlier he get what he''s doing done, the better for himself.


    Not paying attention to his battered and exhausted body, his numb fingers and parched lips that he licked constantly, Leo continued to move the chairs to the door.


    Just as he expected, moving the chairs alone created a lot of noise and he could see how the small zombie horde outside was reacting.


    They started clawing at the door harder, banging their bodies and biting into the air. Their actions caused Leo to become frightened as he didn''t know if the door would be able to hold for long against the type of assault it was getting.


    "Before they breach the door, I have to barricade it completely, barricade the windows and the main staircase leading to the first floor, only then can I relax," Leo said, as he forced himself to not pay attention to the zombies at the door.


    Leo was still moving the chairs when he noticed a movement in the corner of his eyes. He quickly turned to see Ms Ves up on her feet and looking at him, and he felt a chill down his spine.


    "Leo, run!" She said with a low growl as her eyes turned white completely and she rushed towards him.


    Before he could process her words, she lunged at him with unnatural speed, her hands clawing toward his throat.


    "Fuck!" Leo screamed internally, his body reacting instinctively. He stumbled back, narrowly avoiding her grasp as she slammed into the chair he''d been moving. The impact sent it skidding across the floor.


    "Ms. Ves! Stop!" he shouted, his voice cracking with panic.


    But she didn''t stop. Her movements were erratic, her growls filled with primal rage. She lunged again, and Leo scrambled backward, his legs threatening to give out beneath him.


    His mind raced. She''s turning. She''s turning into one of them.


    He reached for the closest object¡ªa jagged piece of metal from the broken desk. His fingers trembled as he gripped it tightly, his vision blurring with fear and exhaustion.


    "Ms. Ves, please!" he begged, his voice breaking. "It''s me! Leo!"


    For a moment, her movements hesitated. Her head tilted slightly, as if she recognized his voice. But then the growling returned, louder and more feral, as she lunged again.


    Leo clenched the metal shard, his heart pounding. I don''t want to hurt her. But if I don''t¡­


    The sound of her growls echoed through the lobby, mixing with the relentless pounding of the zombies outside. Leo''s back hit the barricade, his escape cut off.


    Tears stung his eyes as he raised the makeshift weapon, his hands shaking violently.


    "Don''t make me do this," he whispered, his voice trembling.


    Ms. Ves roared, her hands clawing toward him as she closed the distance.


    Leo''s grip tightened.


    ''I have no choice.''


    The next moment, everything happened in a blur.

 Chapter 12 Ms Ves Situation

    Leo didn''t know what happened. One moment he was being attacked by Ms Ves and the next, she was rolling on the floor and biting her hand hard, while letting out growls that continued to send shiver down his spine.


    He was very confused by the series of events and had idea on how to react to them. He wanted to run and save himself but a part of him was telling him to stay and help Ms Ves.


    ''What do I do?'' He thought to himself but no matter how he thought about it, the only rational thing for him to do right now was to run, but he didn''t want to...


    Even though Leo is someone that doesn''t show his emotions openly, the truth is that he cares and has always cared about everyone around him.


    He thought everyone at the orphanage home as his family and Ms Ves was no different. She was someone who would go the extra miles for the kids at the orphanage home.


    She always work late into the night, even after everyone had gone to sleep, and some midnights when Leo comes out to do his business, he would see her still working, either taking care of their dirty laundry or something.


    She''s also someone kind and caring to him and the kids at the orphanage home, and it''s for this reason that everyone loves her baby there. Sear?h the N?velFire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Thinking back at the orphanage home, tears threatened to fall from his eyes as he thought of their chances of survival in this dangerous new world.


    *Crack!*


    A cracking sound jolted Leo out of his thoughts. He quickly assessed the situation; Ms Ves was now still on the ground, her breath loud wnd and dragged, the zombie horde outside was about to breach the entrance door.


    This only brought him to one conclusion, he has to move as quickly as possible if he doesn''t want to get into a situation that would mean his certain death.


    He didn''t dawdle as he squeezed the metal shard in his hand and slowly walked towards Ms Ves.


    He took a step forward and just when he was about to take another, he heard her voice.


    "I told you to run, why are you still here?" She asked with a low voice, that was filled exhaustion.


    Leo paused for a moment when he heard what she said.


    "Run? Where do you think I can run to, Ms Ves? Everywhere is crawling with zombies and in addition to that, the rain and snow is still falling heavily," Leo said as he took another step towards her.


    "So tell me, Ms Ves, where can I run to? Where is safe enough for me to hide? Do you really think I can leave you behind and run?" Leo asked as he took another step towards her.


    He took one more step and was now standing in front of her. He bent down and their face were directly at each other.


    "I don''t know why Ms Ves but I can''t leave you behind. It would had been different if you had turned completely but you can still maintain your rationality, which means that you''re still human.


    I don''t know how I would be able to live with myself if I should leave a human behind when those things are out there. And the fact that it''s you makes it harder for me," Leo said, as he took her self-bitten arm and examined the bite mark.


    He saw that the bite mark was healing at a speed visible to the eye. The torn flesh healed and closed completely, leaving behind nothing but the blood that was drawn when she bit it.


    Leo was shocked by what he saw. He didn''t believe that something like this was possible. The speed at which the wound healed was nothing short of fascinating and miraculous.


    ''I guess I''m going to be seeing a lot of fascinating things in the future.'' Leo said to himself.


    "I wonder why you don''t always show your emotions, I guess this is the reason why, huh?" Ms Ves smiled.


    Her head was in a mess right now. She didn''t know what to make of the situation. She was awaken by the loud sound of someone moving a chair, and when she saw Leo, in her head, a voice in her head started shouting at her, telling her to bite him.


    She found it hard to control herself at that moment and the next she knew was that she was already rushing at Leo, to bite him. And this was the reason why she told him to run.


    It was very hard for before she regained control of herself but she knew that if she had caught during her first attack, she would had really bitten him and done something bad to him.


    Now she didn''t know how to feel about herself when she knew that she almost killed one of the children that she always took care of in the orphanage home. Not only that but the fear of losing herself again in the future and biting Leo frightens her.


    But Leo wasn''t going to just leave her behind. She didn''t know that he could care this deeply about people and it made her heart warm when she remembered the emotionless Leo from the orphanage home.


    Leo was studying Ms Ves face and he saw how the expression on her face changed multiple times. He saw how she did her best to hide her emotions but failed ultimately.


    "Ms Ves, if you''re thinking of how to make me leave you behind, then just know that it''s impossible. Yes, you''re a half zombie but you''re still half human, and that human part of you means a lot."


    At this point, Leo has no idea what he''s saying. He felt that his lips were just moving on his own but deep down inside him, he knew that he was doing the right thing.


    If what Tatiana said about zombies being able to level up, grow stronger and also possibly recover themselves was true, then it means that Ms Ves still has a change to recover completely.


    He has no idea on how he''s going to achieve that but he knew that he has to find a way. Besides, he needs Ms Ves. She was an adult and stronger than him. Even if he has leveled up once, it wasn''t enough.


    He looked at Ms Ves who was looking at him strangely, with a smile on her face and asked, "So what do you say, Ms Ves?"


    There was brief moments of silence before she finally replied, "Fine. It''s seems I can''t change your stubborn mind. I will go with you then."


    "Good. Now, let''s get out of here before those guys out here break in and get to us," Leo said and pulled her up from the floor.


    The two of them supported themselves and started making their way up the main staircase.


    And just as they took a step forward, they heard multiple cracking sounds, followed by a loud shattering sound.


    Crash!


    Growl!!!


    The barricaded door gave way, and the growls of the horde grew deafening. Shadows poured into the lobby as the zombies surged forward, their decayed forms moving with terrifying speed.


    "Go!" Leo shouted, pulling Ms. Ves toward the stairs.


    Her legs wobbled beneath her, but she forced herself to move, matching his frantic pace.


    Behind them, the horde closed in, their growls echoing through the building like a death knell.

 Chapter 13 Looking For A Safe Place

    Leo and Ms Ves dragged themselves up the staircase, forcing their tired and unwilling bodies to climb the flight of stairs.


    It was after much struggle and heart pounding did they finally arrive at the first floor.


    Leo didn''t waste any time standing around, as he dragged Ms Ves and started climbing the stairs to the second floor.


    Ms Ves was surprised by Leo''s actions. She didn''t know why he didn''t look for a safe place for them to hide and wait, allowing the zombies to pass.


    "Leo, why are we going up to the second floor? Shouldn''t we look for a place to hide and wait till the zombies pass?" She finally asked after being unable to think of the answer herself.


    "We can''t stay on the first floor. It''s too dangerous. The zombies aren''t like conventional zombies. They are attracted to sound, light and something called life force. It''s something that normal people have and zombies can smell it from 30-50 metres away.


    Which means that they would locate us quickly if we stay on the first floor," Leo replied as he continued to drag the two of them up the flight of stairs.


    Ms Ves nodded in understanding when she heard what Leo said. She knew that his decision to go up to the second floor was the best, as with just a glance, she saw that the width of the first floor was less than 50 meters.


    But if this is so, then it probably means that the upper floors are also the same width as the first floor. If so, then it means that they also can''t stay on the second floor. They have make their way to the third or fourth floor. And from the fact that the building is an office building and has no elevator, then it means that the third or fourth floor would be the last floor.


    "That should be it," she said to herself when she thought of this.


    "Leo, do you know how many floors the building has?" She asked curiously.


    "Three, excluding the ground floor."


    "Good. We have to make our to the top floor and look for somewhere safe to wait." Ms Ves said, but she saw Leo shaking his head in response.


    "I don''t think that''s possible Ms Ves. I don''t even know if the second floor is safe from zombies. I didn''t scout it," Leo said.


    Ms Ves frowned when she heard this. She immediately thought of their next possible line of action.


    She quickly spun her brain into action and it didn''t take her long to think of something.


    "The emergency stairwells!" She exclaimed.


    "Emergency stairwells?" Leo asked in confusion.


    "Yes, emergency stairwells. Every building always has an emergency stairwell located on each floor for in the advent of an emergency. This stairwell always hidden behind a designated door and leads to the secondary exit of the building," Ms Ves explained.


    Leo''s eyes brightened when he heard this. He was glad that he did leave Ms Ves behind.


    His initial thought was to make it to the third floor of the building, look for a good hiding place, preferably a place with a door for added security, and they would hide there. But Ms Ves ides was miles better than his.


    But all these¡ªboth his idea and Ms Ves''¡ªwas counting on the second floor being free from zombies.


    Well, he didn''t have to continue hoping as they finally arrived at the ground floor and just like the first floor, it was empty. Very surprising he would say.


    As if to remind them of their current situation, reverberating growls came from the first floor, following with the sounds of scuffling footsteps, that echoed against the walls of the staircase, as the zombies made their way up the staircase.


    Leo''s breath almost seized in his lungs when he saw this. He quickly looked around the second floor for where the emergency exit Ms Ves talked about, and it didn''t take him long to find it.


    It was a very conspicuous red door located at the other end of the floor, with "emergency" boldly written on it in white.


    It also seems like Ms Ves was doing the same thing as him as she started dragging him towards the location of the emergency stairwell, the same time he wanted to make his move.


    "Come on, we have to move fast before they get up here," She said as she dragged him to the emergency stairwell.


    They got to the door and she pushed it open, and pulled Leo inside before closing the door shut and locking it.


    She didn''t allow herself and Leo to rest as she held his hand, and they descended down the emergency stairwell to the ground floor.


    It was only when they got close enough to the secondary exit attached to the emergency stairwell, did Ms Ves finally stop, allowing Leo and herself to rest.


    "Fuu..." She let out a deep breath as she collapsed to the floor, with her back sliding down the wall.


    "That was intense," she smiled, as she looked Leo who was collapsed on the floor and trying to catch his breath. S§×arch* The N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "Yeah, it was," Leo laughed lightly as he looked up the flight of emergency stairs twy just descended.


    "So what''s the plan now?" He asked curiously after catching his breath.


    "We rest enough, recover our strength and energy, then we get out of here and look for someplace safe. A military base would be best as they have weapon and it''s filled with trained soldiers. Even in all the chaos, there''s no way that it would fall so easily," Ms Ves replied.


    "It''s a good plan but what about the zombies crawling around everywhere? Also how far is the nearest military base to here and how are we supposed to get there?" Leo asked curiously.


    He welcomed Ms Ves'' idea but he has to be sure that it''s something that can work and they won''t be dumbly putting themselves in danger.


    "Sigh.... It seems like the idea won''t work. The nearest military base from here is more than three days drive away. Just that alone makes it impossible," Ms Ves sighed, with a slumped shoulder.


    Her young and beautiful face was drawn from exhaustion, her figure was slouching from the weight of their current situation.


    Leo also sighed when he heard this. Their situation seemed very hopeless at the moment, with nothing making headway.


    Just as he was thinking of what next to do, a random thought popped into his head.


    "I wonder how they are doing? Ate they safe?" He thought out loud.


    He couldn''t help but glance at Ms Ves, curious to know her reaction.


    "I hope they are. If only it''s possible for us to go back and check but we are quite a distance away from there," she chuckled wryly.


    The two of them spent the following moments in silence, resting and recovering their strength.


    It was after an unknown amount of time had passed did one of them finally break the silence.


    "We can''t keep staying here. We have to get out of here as soon as possible. We need food, good, dry clothes and a safe place to stay," Leo said, as he stood up from the ground, having rested enough.


    "Yeah. You''re right. We need to move and the most important of those things you listed is shelter. We need to look for a safe place to stay before we can think of other things," Ms Ves said as she also stood up.


    "What do you suggest?" Leo asked curiously.


    "We need to look for a safe high rise residential building. It''s our best bet option right now," Ms Ves replied.


    "And where do you think the nearest high rise residential building would be?"


    "Not far," She replied as she looked at the emergency exit.


    "Let''s go."


    As they approached the secondary exit, a low growl echoed faintly from above.


    Both of them and froze, their eyes darting to the dimly lit staircase leading back up. The sound grew louder, accompanied by the scrape of nails on metal.


    Leo''s grip tightened on the metal shard in his hand.


    "Looks like we''re not alone," Ms. Ves whispered.


    "Fantastic," Leo muttered, his jaw tightening.


    The two of them exchanged a glance, unspoken determination passing between them.


    "Ready?" Ms. Ves asked.


    "Not really," Leo replied. "But let''s do it anyway."

 Chapter 14 Black Phantom

    The first thing they saw when they opened the door was a quiet and deserted alley. The two of the quickly got out and closed the door shut, doing their best to not make noise that could potentially attract the attention of any zombie.


    After they had made sure that the alleyway was safe and they didn''t attract any zombie, they started moving forward, slowly and stealthily out of the alleyway.


    The rain and snow has already stopped falling and the sun was high up in the sky, but the ground was still very wet and almost slippery for the both of them, but they quickly got used to it as they walked.


    After some short minutes of walking, they finally got to the end of the alleyway. At the end of the alleyway was an isolated, deserted and empty side street, filled with some abandoned vehicles.


    They didn''t say anything to each other as they started walking down the side street. As they walked, they made sure to be as quiet as possible and check their surroundings for any potential danger.


    The alleyway stretched out in eerie silence, flanked by tall, dilapidated brick buildings that loomed like forgotten sentinels over the narrow passage.


    Discarded garbage bags spilled their rotting contents, their smell mingling with the acrid stench of damp and decay that clung to the air. Puddles of murky water dotted the uneven ground, reflecting the sunlight.


    Abandoned carts, toppled trash bins, and scattered debris created an obstacle course that spoke of panic and chaos long past.


    A broken chain-link fence, half-crumpled against a wall, rattled softly in the wind, its metallic whine the only sound breaking the oppressive quiet.


    Luckily for them, the side street was completely empty of any living being or moving creature, zombies namely.


    They continued making their way down the side street and half through, they could see the faint silhouette of what looks like a high rise residential building from afar.


    The both of them looked at each and they could see the smiles in their eyes. They immediately quickly their steps, but still making sure to be as quiet and cautious as possible.


    They had already walked more than half the distance and they could now see the building clearer than before, and it was just as they hoped. It was a residential building and one that that''s still standing perfectly.


    "Come on, let''s go," Ms. Ves said with a smile as she tapped Leo''s shoulder lightly.


    Leo smiled back and nodded at her. He looked at the building and started walking towards it, but his steps and Ms Ves'' stopped the next moment and they looked at each other with an alarming expression on their faces.


    The next moment, a short gust of wind blew and a silver gleam was seen from the corner of Leo''s eyes. Instinctively and immediately, he raised the metal shard in his hand to defend himself.


    The loud sound of metal striking each other was heard and a low grunt escaped Leo''s mouth, as he was pushed back a little.


    He quickly steadied himself and looked at whatever it was that attacked him, and he was shocked by what he saw.


    ''A cat?'' He asked himself incredulously.


    He didn''t understand how it was possible but the creature in front of him¡ªthe thing that attacked him¡ªlooks like a cat.


    The only difference between this creature and the regular cats he knew was that it''s bigger than them. The creature in front of him was big and looked almost the same as tigers, but smaller. It looked more like a lynx.


    Its black fur was also different as it had a metallic gleam to it, and its blue, slit eyes looked like it was glowing.


    Leo knew that the only thing he can do at the moment was to fight this creature in front of him.


    And as if you confirm his thought, the cat attacked the next moment as it lunged at him and clawed at his face, but Leo was equally quick to react.


    He dodged the attack by a hair and took some steps back, creating some distance between him and the creature.


    Leo found out that even though he was quick to react, he was still too slow compared to the speed of the creature.


    "Too fast."


    He immediately thought of what to do as he assessed the situation. Fighting the creature with just the metal shard in his hand would be him putting his life in danger.


    The metal shard wasn''t strong enough as it was nearly torn apart from the first attack. This could be seen from the long claw mark on it.


    He quickly thought of something and looked to Ms. Ves position but it seems like he didn''t need to tell her what to do, as she rushed towards the creature.


    "Leo, let''s kill this thing together. Work with me," She said as she swiped her claws at it, but the creature was too fast as it easily dodged her attack.


    Leo didn''t dawdle as he moved and flanked the creature at the other size, trying to corner and box it in.


    The creature was now caught in the middle, being circled by Ms. Ves and Leo. It hissed as it studied their movements and the next moment, it attacked.


    Like a phantom, it appeared directly in front of Ms. Ves the next moment and swiped at her face. It quickly wants to take care of the this strange smelling being and turn its attention to the human.


    Just as the creature''s attack was about to connect to Ms Ves'' face, she attacked. With a swift movement, she took a step to her left to give herself a better positioning and without wasting any time, she squeezed and drove her fist into the side of the creature''s stomach, aiming for the soft flesh just beneath its ribs.


    Her attack seemed to have worked as the creature let out a guttural growl, staggering back as the blow momentarily knocked the air from its lungs.


    "Leo, now!" She shouted but her shout was redundant as Leo had already made his move.


    Pushing his leg off the ground, he rushed at the creature and stabbed the metal shard into one of its eye. Sear?h the N?vel(F)ire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    A tearing sound and squelching sound was heard as the metal shard penetrated the eyes of the creature, causing a loud shriek and whimper to escape from its mouth.


    Leo saw this but didn''t give it to react or attack, as he pushed the metal shard deeper into its eyes. Blood was now flowing freely from the creature''s punctured eyes.


    The creature continued to scream and whimper. It flailed it paws in a bid to claw and attack its assaulter but Leo made sure not to step in the range of its claws.


    He gritted his teeth and shoved the metal shard in one more time. Squelching sound was heard as the metal shard penetrated deeper and blood was now flowing from the eyes of the creature.


    Leo''s breath came in short gasps, his heart pounding like a drum in his ears. He wasn''t sure if he could keep up, but the thought of letting Ms. Ves fight alone forced him to press forward.


    With one final shove, the metal shard penetrated deep enough.


    The creature let out one final, bloodcurdling screech as the shard pierced deep into its skull. Its convulsions shook the ground beneath Leo''s feet before it went completely still, its glowing eyes dimming like extinguished flames.


    [You have acquired Level 2 Mutant Cat: Black Phantom Life Force!]


    [You''ve obtained a weapon: Nightshade!]

 Chapter 15 Nightshade

    "Huff, huff, huff," Leo took long, deep breaths as he listened to the system''s notification in his head, but he didn''t pay much attention to it.


    His attention was more on the weapon he got after killing the Black Phantom; Nightshade.


    The Nightshade is a sword with a slender, slightly curved blade that seems to absorb light rather than reflect it, and the edges are razor-sharp. Its hilt was wrapped in black leather, giving it a comfortable feeling in his palm.


    Leo was very happy to finally get a weapon he can use and a very beautiful sword at that.


    ''I wonder if it''s just sharp or it has any special skills?'' He thought to himself, and immediately, a cyan screen appeared in front of him.


    [Nightshade (Unique): a blade forged from shadowsteels. It remains a small trace of shadow power, infused into its sharp edges, allowing it effortlessly slice through steel barriers or armor equivalent to high-grade military plating.


    Abilities:


    Soul Bound: Binds to the user''s soul and can''t be unequipped with permission from the person.


    Bypass Defense: Ignores the defenses of any being below level 35.


    Cloak of Shadow: temporary invisibility. Cancels immediately upon any movement. (Duration: 10 seconds.)


    Shadow Steps: use the shadows around you to move unseen, teleporting to another shadow within range (max: 15 meters)


    Venomous Edge: Coats the blade with a shadowy venom, causing lingering damage. Can be stacked up to 3 times, increasing its potency.


    When Equipped (Passive): Agility +15, Stealth +20%]


    Leo was shocked when he read the description of the blade in his hand. He didn''t know it was so powerful.


    He immediately thought of something and brought up his status screen.


    [Name: Leo ****]


    [Level: 1]


    [Specie(s): Human, ****, ****]


    [Class: ¨C]


    [Title: None]


    ______


    [Strength: 16]


    [Agility: 16 (+15)]


    [Stamina: 15]


    [Intelligence: 13]


    [Mana: 100]


    ______


    [Stat Point(s): 0]


    ______


    [Skill(s): Regeneration (Innate).]


    ....


    ''Wow. 15 whole Agility points? Assuming the amount of free points given for every level up is the same as the first, that''s equivalent to me using three level up worth of reward points. Nice,'' he said to himself with a bright smile on his face.


    He was very happy with the reward that he got. It made the dangerous situation he and Ms Ves just went through worth it.


    Now that he thought about it, he has no idea if Ms Ves got anything. He turned to look at her but he saw her looking at the dead Black Phantom''s body curiously.


    The battle against the mutant cat called Black Phantom was short, but it left him feeling almost, if not completely, drained.


    He felt that he would have really lost his life if he was the only one that fought the mutant cat. He couldn''t help but look at Ms. Ves, who was also looking at him.


    Looking closer at Ms Ves, Leo noticed something; she was breathing normal. He found this to be odd as he clearly saw her trying to catch her breath after the escape from the zombie horde into the emergency stairwells.


    He knew that this was related to her zombie side and he made a decision to ask her about it later. If she would be willing to talk about it, that is.


    "Leo, let''s get moving before another of this Black Phantom appears,"Ms Ves said as she stood up from the floor, and patted her hands.


    She looked at Leo and the sword in his hand, and nodded in satisfaction.


    "Nice blade. Now, we don''t have to worry about not having a good weapon," She said and started walking to the high rise building ahead.


    The two of them quietly made their way to the end of the side street, without encountering any creature.


    Standing close to the end of the side street, they could see the high rise building ahead of them, across the street, and just as they hoped,it was a residential building.


    To make things even better, the entrance was mostly empty with a handful of relatively weak looking zombies, hanging around.


    Taking a closer look, they saw that it was only a few zombies that were in the lobby. But there was one problem.


    How would they be able to make into the building without causing a scene? No matter how they looked at it, it was currently impossible.


    The building was located across the street and due to zombies'' ability to sense life force within 50 meters, covering such distance would surely attract the attention of those outside the building''s entrance, inside and in the surroundings.


    In no time, they would be surrounded and there was no need to second guess what their outcome would be.


    "This is going to prove very difficult," Ms Ves said as she took a look at the zombies hanging around the building''s entrance.


    "Yeah. It is," Leo said solemnly as he felt Nightshade in his hand.


    He wanted to test out the weapon immediately but he knew better than go stupidly throw his life away.


    He was nothing more than a level 1 being. If he''s to be surrounded by a horde of zombies, he would definitely not be able to escape.


    He thought of using the stealth skills and the additional stat points he got from Nightshade but he wasn''t sure about its effectiveness on zombies.


    Zombies can sense life force and since the skills didn''t specify that it would no help him mask his life force to avoid detection from the zombies, he knew that he had to be careful and rational in making his decision.


    He was still thinking of what to do when he heard Ms Ves say something outrageous.


    "I will go."


    "What?!" Leo looked at her with a mixture of shock and confusion.


    "What do you mean you will go?" He asked curiously, as he felt an uneasy feeling coming on. S~ea??h the N?vel(F)ire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "I will go and check out the area, check for the location of any zombies, take care of those at the entrance and in the lobby, and after I''m done, you can come. How does that sound?" She said as she looked intently at the building.


    "Crazy! Definitely not letting you do it," Leo replied, almost raising his voice in shock.


    Ms Ves looked at Leo and smiled. She was touched by how much he cared about her.


    "You say that but you do understand the reason why only me can do it. I''m half zombie. At least the zombie side of me should allow me to walk by them without trouble," She said with a smile, as she turned to gaze at the building, with her thoughts unknown.


    "But you don''t know that. You''re doing this based on assumptions," Leo said but he only got a smile from her, in response.


    "What if something goes wrong?" He asked but he got no response from her.


    Leo wanted to talk Ms Ves out of doing what she plans to do but he knew that it as impossible to change her mind once it''s made up.


    He clenched his fists, his knuckles whitening. Every fiber of his being screamed at him to stop her, to find another way. But deep down, he knew she was right.


    And he hated himself for it. He hated that he couldn''t think of a better plan, hated that he had to rely on her risking her life.


    Ms Ves smiled when she saw how worried Leo was looking. She also didn''t want to do what she was about to do but there''s no other viable option.


    Even though she sounded calm on the surface, she was very nervous inside. She wasn''t sure if she was doing the right thing or if her assumption was correct, but she has to try.


    She knew they can''t keep standing around where they are or they would eventually be noticed by a zombie. And if they are to be noticed by even only one, then the rest might follow.


    She also doesn''t want to start looking around for another high rise residential building. She has no idea how long that would take.


    Thinking about this, Ms Ves smiled and started walking towards the building.


    ''I hope the voice in my head is right.''


    The next moment, a loud roar was heard.

 Chapter 16 Mysteries Surrounding Leo

    Leo''s heart fell to his stomach when he heard the roar. He clenched his fist and squeezed Nightshade as he looked at Ms Ves who was still walking safely towards the building.


    Leo didn''t know when he let out a sigh of relief. He thought that the roar came from a zombie that was about Ms Ves, or a mutant creature, but there was nothing.


    He smiled in encouragement when he saw Ms Ves turn back to look at him, before she turned back and continued walking to the building.


    Even though she tried to hide it, he could see the unease and nervousness on her face. S~ea??h the n?vel_Fire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    While Ms Ves was making her way to the building, Leo prepared himself to move in immediately if he saw any sign of her being in danger.


    Even though he allowed her to risk her life like this, it doesn''t mean that he''s going to stand back if she''s in danger.


    He''s aware he''s not yet strong enough to face off the multitude of zombies around, but that doesn''t mean he won''t be rescue Ms Ves and escape if he wants to.


    From the description of the abilities of Nightshade, he knew that they were no joke and in addition to this, he''s faster than before.


    Leo was carefully watching Ms Ves and didn''t notice someone standing behind him until a soft wind was blown into his ear.


    "Hello, my friend with benefits," a sweet voice said into his ear, jolting him and causing him to take a defensive stance, with Nightshade held up in front of him.


    "Tsk, tsk, tsk. We haven''t seen each other for so long and the first thing you do when you see me is to point a weapon to my face? Not so friendly I would say," Tatiana said, pouting, but the playful glint in her eyes gave her away.


    Leo sighed in relief when he saw that it was the vampire princess. He felt it strange that something was able to sneak up so close to him without him being aware but he was relieved that it was Tatiana.


    He didn''t want to think what would had happened if it was a mutant creature or a zombie.


    "Can you please not scare me like that again? I nearly did something dangerous to you," Leo said, as he let out another breath of relief and put Nightshade down to his side.


    Tatiana giggled when she heard what Leo said. She walked closer to him and pressed a finger on his chest, while licking her lips slowly.


    "You said you almost you almost did something dangerous to me. Did that come out wrong or you actually want to do something dangerous to me? If you really want to do it, we can go ahead.


    After all, we are friends with benefit, right?" She traced her finger slowly on his chest up to his neck, and pressed it a little, before stepping back with a smile that looked predatory to Leo.


    Leo didn''t understand what just happened. He felt like someone just played with his heart and pulled some unknown strings.


    He looked at Tatiana and saw her her lips curled into a teasing smile, her eyes flickering with mischief, causing his eyes narrow.


    He felt something dangerous when she touched his neck for a brief moment. It felt like he has been marked by an apex predator and would be devoured at a later time.


    ''Now that I thought of it. Tatiana is a vampire and vampires sucks blood. Would she?...'' He asked himself, as he looked at her.


    He saw the same mischievous look in her eyes and he shivered as a chill ran down his spine.


    He still couldn''t shake the chill from her touch. Her predatory smile wasn''t just teasing, it was a reminder of how far removed she was from the fragility of humanity.


    She was a predator, one that could end him on a whim, and that realization only deepened his unease.


    "Oh, please. Don''t be like that. Don''t give me that look. If I wanted to suck your blood, I would had done it a long time ago. You can''t stop me and besides, as royalty and a high level Exalted being as myself, I don''t need to feed on blood to survive," Tatiana said with a smile, but it only served to make Leo even more uncomfortable.


    Tatiana saw that Leo was still looking at her strangely and decided to explain.


    "There are seven classes or ranks for everything. In your case and mine, classes, living creatures. It''s also the same for items and skills.


    For us, it''s Awakened, Evolved, Exalted, Overload, Disaster, Apocalyptic, then there''s Celestial and Divine but the last two are way out of reach.


    They are things reserved for the two special races in the universe," Tatiana said, doing her best to explain but she saw that Leo still has that look on his face.


    "You do know that explaining things is never your strong suit, right?" Leo asked as he continued to look at her strangely.


    "You!... Why do I even bother explaining to someone so... dense?" Tatiana harrumphed and stumped her feet in annoyance, as she looked away. She wasn''t going to waste her time on a newly Awakened like Leo.


    Elda who was standing at a distance behind couldn''t help but smile when she saw Tatiana''s reaction.


    "Seeing the princess show such reaction is amusing. She has always been stuck up around those scions but seeing her act do free around Leo is refreshing."


    She looked towards Leo in curiosity and with caution in her eyes. She was very curious to know everything about Leo and why he''s so special.


    She wants to know how and why he was able to wake up minutes after the apocalypse while it took other almost an hour.


    She was curious to know how he was so strong and have a faint traces of the aura of those two races on him.


    ''Was he touched by them?'' she thought of a possibility but she felt it was impossible, as there''s no way that anyone in those two races would bother with someone from such a backwater world.


    She was still studying him but her eyes narrowed the next moment, when she noticed the black blade in his hand.


    "Shadowsteels? How?"


    Elda''s sharp eyes fixated on the black blade in Leo''s hand.


    ''Shadowsteel... here?'' Her mind raced.


    There''s only one place she knew Shadowsteels can be found and for Leo to possess a weapon from it it wasn''t by accident. If so, then it means that ''that person'' has plans for him.


    She couldn''t help but feel a strong sense of unease when she remembered the being that lived in that ''place''.


    "This world is going to go through more than just an awakening."

 Chapter 17 Ms Ves Dilemma

    Ves was almost frightened out of her wit my the roar. She immediately positioned herself and took a fighting stance, in preparation of what''s to come. But when she saw that it was just one of the zombies in the lobby of the high rise building, ranting, she let a huge sigh of relief.


    Her tensed body relaxed slightly and she turned to look at Leo, who seemed to have had the same reaction as her, as the blade in his hand was raised and he looked ready to rush towards her.


    She couldn''t help but smile when she saw this. The truth was that Leo showing such emotions and reactions was something completely new to her.


    Throughout the time he was in the orphanage home, she always saw a passive expression on his face and rarely have she seen him show any emotion or reaction similar to what he''s showing now.


    The fact that he didn''t leave her behind even after she had turned into what she is now, but instead, put himself in danger for her, made her to feel very warm inside.


    "Who would had believed that I would become a hambie." She sighed, and continued slowly walking towards the building.


    She made sure to be cautious and watch out for sign of any possible danger, beside the zombies in front of her.


    As she continued to walk to the building, she noticed that she was already in the 50 meters radius of the nearest zombie but nothing was happening.


    A small smile played on her face when she saw this. She continued to walk forward but even after getting very close to the zombie, that she was standing directly in front of it, and close to others, nothing was happening.


    She smiled brightly when she saw this, "It seems the voice in my head was right."


    Standing in front of the zombie, she decided to test something out. She stretched out her hand and held the zombie''s head, and she snapped.


    What she heard was a cracking sound before the zombie fell to the ground lifeless, and immediately, she felt changes in her body as a strange energy flowed into her, giving her a very cool and refreshing feeling.


    She felt herself become stronger. She felt that if she''s to fight that Black Phantom again, she would be able to hold her own without Leo''s assistance.


    Her senses also sharpened a bit. She could now hear things from a little bit farther than before. This was also the same for her sense of smell and her eyesight, but the most noticeable was that the smell of that strange energy was stronger.


    Her eyes narrowed in suspicious when she noticed this. The strange energy was the same thing she sensed from Leo when she woke up back, and it was the reason why she attacked him.


    But that wasn''t caused her to narrow her eyes, it was this:


    [Name: Ves Thalor]


    [Level: 1]


    [Specie(s): Human, Zombie]


    [Class: ¨C]


    [Title: None]


    ______


    [Strength: 30]


    [Agility: 30]


    [Stamina: 50]


    [Intelligence: 15]


    [Mana: 100 (Locked)]


    ______


    [Skill(s): Regeneration (Innate), Enhanced Strength (Innate), Bone Claw (Innate), Life Force Detection (Innate), Enhanced Senses (Innate), Predator''s Sight (Active).]


    ....


    This was what she saw when she woke up but she noticed that after killing the zombie, those numbers increased.


    "I guess I did get stronger," She smiled and turned to look at the remaining zombies, who weren''t reacting even after one of the comrade was killed.


    ''If that''s so, then I should kill off the rest of them and increase my strength faster. It''s the only thing I can do to help Leo,'' she thought to herself, and just when she was about to start killing the zombies, she heard a voice in her head and something happened.


    "Life force!" A low malevolent voice, hissed in her head, causing her to lose control of her body.


    She saw her nails extending out of her fingers into a claw, causing a sharp pain to shoot through her body.


    Her eyes took a milky color, almost hollowing out as she slowly turned to look at the nearest source of life force: Leo.


    Ves knew that what was happening; her zombie side was taking control again and she knew what this means.


    She immediately tried to regain control of her body. She forced her neck to stop turning towards Leo and she bit her lips hard, causing a sharp pain to shoot through her body, adding to the one coming from her fingers.


    She saw that her actions were barely having an effect and it was starting to scare her. She knew that if she doesn''t stop herself, she''s going to attack Leo and that''s something she doesn''t want to see happen.


    Just the thought of it alone causes her a lot of heartache. She thought of what to do and there was only one thing she knew she could do.


    "I can''t let that happen. I mustn''t! I can''t become that monster again," she said to herself, as she brought her hands closer to her neck.


    Her hands trembled as they hovered over her neck. Tears blurred her vision, but she didn''t care. If this was the only way to protect him, then so be it.


    She added a bit of strength as she clenched her jaw, ready to end it, until a sudden clarity swept through her, breaking the zombie''s hold.


    Her extended claws retracted inside, her eyes returned to normal, and she was now back in control of her body.


    She couldn''t help but nearly break down in tears when she thought of what just happened.


    "I''m a monster..." She sniffed as she looked at the clear blue sky above. She sighed in exhaustion and looked back at the building, and the zombies in front of her.


    "A pure instinctual monster is what I am." She muttered to herself in unsteady breaths, as she started walking to the building. S§×ar?h the N??elFir§×.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    She got to the entrance and pushed the glass door open. The glass door swung open with a creak, revealing a dimly lit lobby.


    Debris were scattered across the tiled floor, and faint growls echoed from deeper within. The air was heavy with the stench of decay, but the zombies paid her no mind, their hollow eyes staring aimlessly ahead.


    She didn''t bother to watch out for any danger as she already knew that the zombies won''t attack her.


    But she wasn''t herself at the moment. The recent shook her up completely and she didn''t know how to go about it. She was scared that she would lose control again in the future, around Leo and attack him.


    A shadow lingered in her mind, the memory of losing control, the voice whispering for life force. She shuddered, knowing it wasn''t the last time she''d hear it


    She wanted to leave but she didn''t hurt Leo''s feeling. Her thoughts were very conflicted at the moment and she has no idea on what to do. But she was also aware that there was very little she could do.


    She decided to put those thoughts aside and focus on the reason why she came to the building.


    "Things might just work out in the end."

 Chapter 18 Succumbing To The Other Side

    After walking into the building, Ves started looking around. She made her way to the elevator and luckily in addition to the building to still in perfect condition, it still has electricity supply. But Ves wasn''t sure how long it was going to last.


    Standing in front of the elevator, she pressed the button and it opened up slowly. She would had naturally taken the stairs but since she didn''t have to worry about being attacked by zombie, she decided that taking the elevator was faster for her.


    The elevator opened up completely and immediately, a horde of zombies poured out of it. They rushed at her and started sniffing her but after a few sniffs, they staggered away.


    Ves didn''t pay attention to the zombies as she walked into the elevator and pressed button with floor number she wanted, and the door closed.


    Few minutes later, she was now standing on the first floor of the building and it was mostly empty with only a few zombies seen hanging around.


    She didn''t bother with them as she started looking around the apartments on the floor. She went from apartment to apartment, checking for it''s safety.


    After she had confirmed that there was nothing more than zombies on the floor, she left and went up to the next floor and did the same.


    Just like the first floor, there was no other activities except for zombies. She continued with what she was doing, moving up each floors and checking them out.


    A few hours has passed since she started and nothing out of the ordinary has happened. The only noteful thing about the building is that it''s crawling with undead.


    Zombies were everywhere in the building¡ªat least on the floors she has checked and she was currently on the 7th floor. They were in some apartments, some stranded in elevators and was later accidentally released by Ves when she opened the elevator.


    Ves walked to the elevator and got inside, taking it to the eighth floor. On her arrival on the floor, she immediately got to work as she started taking care of every zombies on the floor.


    She walked to her first target, a zombie that was standing a few distance from the elevator, and snapped it neck.


    A cracking wound was heard as the zombie''s head was decapitated and it''s undead body fell to the ground, limp.


    Ves didn''t waste any time as she moved on to the next zombie and she went on a zombie killing spree on the floor.


    She went from apartment to apartment, rooms to rooms, checked every possible hiding places for zombies and used her enhanced senses to sniff them out, and killed all of them.


    She would had done this in the lower floors but there was multiple reasons why she didn''t kill them. The first was because of time.


    She knew that they were in a time-critical situation, so taking care of all of the zombies would be impossible.


    The second was because she didn''t want to attract the attention of any mutant creature that might in the building or its surroundings.


    This was actually the reason why she went from apartments to apartments on each floor, and the same reason why she didn''t take care of the zombies on the ground floor.


    A couple of minutes has passed and Ves has already killed more than a dozen zombies.


    The zombies were unable to put up a fight due to their limited intelligence compared to Ves, and the fact that stronger than them. But this was only because all of them were normal zombies at level 1.


    Something she noticed while making her way up each floors was that the number of zombies on each floors were increasing as she went up.


    As Ves'' kill score increased, she noticed that she was beginning to become stronger. She was faster than before and her senses had been enhanced further.


    Out of curiosity, she stopped to check her status screen.


    [Name: Ves Thalor]


    [Level: 2]


    [Specie(s): Human, Zombie]


    [Class: ¨C]


    [Title: None]


    ______


    [Strength: 45]


    [Agility: 43]


    [Stamina: 70]


    [Intelligence: 24]


    [Mana: 100 (Locked)]


    ______


    [Skill(s): Regeneration (Innate), Enhanced Strength (Innate), Bone Claw (Innate), Life Force Detection (Innate), Enhanced Senses (Innate), Predator''s Sight (Active).]


    "Wow. It increased so much," She smiled when she saw the increase to her stats.


    She turned to look at the zombies in front of her and instead of their previous disgusting, and repulsive appearance, they looked like more like her beloved loot bags. S§×arch* The nov§×lF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    With a deathly grin on her face, she rushed at them and continued her killing spree.


    Few minutes later, she was done taking care of every zombies on the eight floor and was ready to make her way up to the ninth floor.


    She plans to take kill all the zombies on that floor and move upward again, and she only plans to stop after eliminating all the zombies on the 12th floor, as was her original plan.


    The residential building has a total of 25 floors and Ves wants to clear out five of the floor, in the mid range zone, so that it can be safe and free of zombies, allowing them to move in immediately.


    Just as she was walked into the elevator and pressed the button for it to take her to the ninth floor, she heard that malevolent voice in her again and this time, it was louder and stronger than before.


    "Life force!" It hissed loudly like an ancient beast that has been starving for eons.


    The next moment, she felt those familiar changes in her body. Her eyes turned milky as before, her nails started extending out of her fingers, sending waves of shearing pain through her pain.


    Her throat burned like it hasn''t tasted water in ages and her mind became muddled. Her veins felt like molten lava coursed through them, and her mind fractured into fragments. The scent of life force filled her senses, sweet and tantalizing


    She was unable to put up a fight as she lost control of her body to her zombie side in matter of seconds.


    Now standing in the elevator and completely turned, Ms Ves stared in the general direction of the nearest source of life force; Leo.


    Few seconds later, the elevator stopped and its doors opened, and Ms Ves or her zombie figure, staggered out of it.


    Still looking in Leo''s direction, she roared and bolted towards him.

 Chapter 19 A Stubborn Idealism

    Leo was still standing at the end of the side street, waiting for Ms Ves'' return. It has been over an hour or two since she went into the building, and he hasn''t heard anything or seen her come out.


    He was starting to get worried and anxious. He nervously squeezed the hilt of Nightshade as he continued to look at the building, with his anxiety building.


    He was still anxiously waiting when he heard a loud guttural roar come from the building, and he instinctively gripped Nightshade tightly.


    "It seems she turned completely."


    He heard Tatiana''s voice beside him and it felt like his heart fell to the bottom of his stomach.


    He didn''t need to ask to understand who she was talking about. His grip on Nightshade''s hilt tightened as he clenched his teeth in anger.


    He has no idea what caused Ms Ves to turn completely but he felt somewhat responsible for it.


    He glared at the building and without hesitation, made his decision as he started walking towards it.


    "Where do you think you''re going?" Tatiana asked with narrowed eyes, as she appeared in front of Leo, stopping him in his track.


    "Going in there," Leo replied as he tried to take another step, but Tatiana was still blocking him.


    He turned to walk around her but Tatiana was already in front of him again.


    "You''re going in there? Can''t you see the number of zombies hanging around outside the building alone? Do you really think that you can take them all on?


    Even if they are normal level 1 zombies, don''t underestimate their collective strength. Even if you have a weapon, you''re still nothing against them. You''re weak," Tatiana said with a cold voice, as she looked him deep in the eyes.


    Leo closed his eyes briefly and tightened his grip on Nightshade''s hilt, when he heard what Tatiana said.


    He knew that she was right. He was weak, he didn''t need someone else to tell him but how can he stand and watch Ms Ves go down that path. He has to do something about.


    He looked at Tatiana who was still blocking his way and said coldly, "Out of my way."


    Tatiana scoffed when she saw this. A mere mortal who was still a normie a couple hours ago dares to tell an Exalted being as herself to get out of his way? Laughable.


    If it was in her world, she would had killed him ten times over. And if it wasn''t for the fact that Leo is someone special, she would had killed him right now and have her father take care of whatever trouble comes later.


    Her eyes turned cold as she looked at Leo, and the air around her chilled.


    "Tell me, Leo. Say you get past all these zombies out here and in there, what do you plan to do when you get to her? Talk to her? Don''t make me laugh. You would have already been shredded apart before you would even get a chance to say a word.


    Do you think you can save everyone? Do you even have enough strength to protect everyone and save yourself? You think because you''re somewhat special, that you''re invisible? You''re not," Tatiana said in a cold voice, and her voice got so cold that the air around her started freezing up slightly.


    "You''re not the only special one in the universe. There are people who were even more special than you but they died before they could realize their potential. If you think it''s only zombies and mutated animals of your world that you''re going to be facing in the future, then you''re horribly wrong. The awakening of a world follows with a lot of chaos and there''s no escaping that chaos for you."


    Leo smiled coldly at Tatiana''s words. He wasn''t bothered by the freezing air around him as he looked her directly in the eyes.


    "You say all that because you know nothing about me. Arrogant or not, weak or strong, special or not, I don''t give a fuck. I do things my way. I protect those I care about and that is never going to change.


    If I go in there and Ms Ves has truly completely turned into a zombie, and there''s no way for her to turn back, then I will take care of her myself. She took care of me, care for me and loved me as her sibling, I won''t allow her to be killed by someone else like a monster. And I''m sure that she would want the same," Leo said, as his grip on Nightshade''s hilt tightened even more.


    It felt like he was going to crush it with his grip but his strength wasn''t enough to achieve that.


    He looked at Tatiana who was still standing in front of him and took a step forward, and said coldly, "Now, get out of my way."


    Tatiana glared daggers at Leo. She saw that he wasn''t going to change his mind and she decided to leave him to his own device. whatever happened to him in the building wasn''t going to be any of her business. Sear?h the N?vel(F)ire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    She looked at him one more time and said, "You''re weak, Leo, and you''re going to get yourself killed. But... if you insist on doing this, don''t expect anyone to save you. Survive and become stronger for your world is about to be turned into a warzone soon."


    After saying that, she disappeared, followed by Elda.


    Leo didn''t bother wasting time as he looked at the building and started walking towards it


    "Time to test your abilities, Nightshade," He said as he turned to look at a lamppost shadow cast beside him, that stretched to the entrance of the building.


    [Shadow Steps: use the shadows around you to move unseen, teleporting to another shadow within range (max: 15 meters)]


    He took a step towards the lamppost shadow and immediately, the closest zombie roared and charged towards him.


    Leo wasted no time as he activated one of Nightshade''s skills, and stepped into the shadow.


    Instantly his body melded into it and Leo saw him himself in a different space, darkness enveloping him.


    But strangely, he was completely aware of his surroundings. He could see or better word, sense everything close to the shadow but when he felt his senses dull when he tried to extend it farther.


    The zombie that sensed Leo''s life force arrived at the location where the life force signature we coming from, but there was nothing in front of him.


    It sniffed around, it could still sense the life force but it couldn''t see its prey, and it roared in anger.


    Leo heard the roar of the zombie from the darkness and was a little nervous. He didn''t know how the [Shadow Steps] works but he was relieved when he saw that the zombie couldn''t see him.


    "Nice skill but it''s a mana vacuum," he said as he looked ahead. Just a single activation of the skill has shaved off 20 mana points from his mana pool.


    He saw the entrance of the building, and he bolted towards it without a second thought.


    Arriving at the end of the shadow, at the building''s entrance, he exited the shadow, deactivating the skill. With a fluid movement, he slashed the lone zombie standing at the entrance door.


    A system notification popped up but he didn''t pay attention to it as he pushed open the door and walked into the building.


    Immediately after walking in, he didn''t bother with the zombie rushing towards him as he stepped into another shadow. He came for Ms Ves and that''s his priority.

 Chapter 20 Fighting Inner Demons

    Bang!


    A loud banging sound was heard as a zombie smashed it body against the door of an apartment.


    The door held but a faint crack could be seen on its surface, at the point of impact.


    The zombie seeing this, was enraged. It roared and smashed it body against the door again, but the door didn''t give way, angering the zombie further.


    It roared again and was about to smash it body against the door, when it stopped abruptly and turned to look at the end of the access hallway, where the elevator was located.


    Slowly, it saw the elevator''s door start to open slowly. The zombie snarled and immediately dashed towards the elevator.


    The door of the elevator opened completely and the zombie got inside only to find it empty.


    It looked around, seemingly in confusion , before sniffing the air. After sniffing the air a few times and raised its head to look up at the now open hatch, that looked to have been torn open.


    Standing outside the hatch was Leo, with a solemn look on his face. He looked at the zombie with complicated expression on his face as he gripped Nightshade in his hand tightly.


    The zombie roared in anger when it saw Leo. It clawed at the air as it tried to reach him but its actions were futile.


    Leo sighed grimly when he saw this. His grip on the black sword tightened further and his eyes moistened as he bit his lip, swallowing the sob that threatened to come out.


    "Is there no other way," he muttered to himself, as he watched Ms Ves who had now completely turned into a zombie, doing her best to get to him, clawing at the air and the elevator wall.


    He saw her milky eyes, her elongated nails and he felt from her, the same intense malicious hunger other zombies has.


    His chest tightened as he felt like his heart was been squeezed by unknown force when he saw her appearance. He felt so angry with himself as he didn''t know what caused Ms Ves to turn completely, but he felt responsible for her current predicament.


    He thought of what to do and any possible be could turn her to normal but no matter how hard he thought, nothing came to mind.


    A tear rolled down his cheek when he realized that there was really no saving Ms Ves anymore. She had completely turned into a zombie and there was no way he was going to turn her back into human.


    Leo squeezed Nightshade''s hilt, tightening his grip on it as he realized that the only thing he can do was to kill her, or the thing she has become.


    He smiled wryly as he remembered how she used to smile at him back at the orphanage¡ªmemories that now felt like they belonged to another lifetime. He remembered how beautiful she looked in her white tank top and blue jeans when she came to call him from his room yesterday.


    He remembered her laugh and how she played with the children in the orphanage. As he thought of all this, the tears flowed freely down his cheek.


    His grip loosened but tightened back the next moment. He immediately forced back the tears flowing his cheek as he closed his eyes and sighed.


    He opened his eyes and muttered something to himself, before disappearing from his location.


    The next moment, the shadow behind the zombie rippled as Leo appeared from it and slashed. S§×ar?h the ¦Çov§×lFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    The blade of Nightshade was barely some inches away from the zombie''s nape when he heard it call his name, with a hoarse voice.


    "Leo."


    Leo nearly froze up when he heard her call his name but he was quickly able to react, as he switched the sharp edge of the sword for the dull side before it reached her neck.


    The next moment, the zombie¡ªMs Ves, collapsed and fell to the ground as she was hit by the dull side of the sword.


    Leo was shocked when he saw this. He had already made up his mind, steeled his heart and was about to finish Ms Ves, now turned zombie, off. But this happened.


    He has no idea on what to do and he could be only continuing looking at the unconscious Ms Ves on the floor.


    It was times like this he needs Tatiana but after their little episode outside, he doubt that she would be willing to help him out. He felt that he was actually lucky that she didn''t get mad and kill him.


    Leo continuing observing Ms Ves and he notices something; her body was starting to change back to normal.


    He saw her elongated nails go back in, the intense malicious hunger radiating from her before, couldn''t be felt anymore.


    His eyes narrowed and his fist clenched when he saw this, and a hopeful thought bloomed in his heart as be continued observing her.


    ...


    Meanwhile, inside Ms Ves'' head, a chaotic war between her remaining shred of consciousness and a massive, formless dark creature that looked like it came from the abyss, was ongoing.


    The creature towered over her, a monstrous amalgamation of shadow and malice. Its massive, formless body seemed to be woven from pure darkness, with tendrils of black mist spilling off its edges and pooling on the ground like ink.


    Its body couldn''t be outlined and the only thing that was visible was its glowing red eyes, that promises chaos, blood and power.


    Compared to the creature, Ms Ves looked more like an ant, as she stood in front of it. But the even with the overwhelming disadvantage, she didn''t falter as she glared daggers at the creature.


    She knew that the dark creature was her zombie''s side personality and what is causing those those zombies to rampage, but the main thing is that it''s the reason why she''s rampaging in the real world.


    Her fist was clenched and her eyes burned with rage and defiance. She refused to allow herself to be controlled by the creature.


    "You fucking creature, release my body this instant," She roared as she charged towards it.


    "Life force!"


    The creature roared as it moved a part of its massive, formless body and also attacked.


    After Ms Ves lost control of her body to the zombie side of her, she found herself standing in front of this creature.


    Immediately after she appeared, the creature tried to swallow her but she resisted and they have been fighting each other since then.


    "Releasing my body!" Ms Ves roared as she rained punches on the creature.


    Even though the creature looked formless, Ms Ves'' punches were hitting something solid as she was getting feedback from her fist.


    The creature roared once and a sharp gust of wind¡ªthat shouldn''t exist where they are¡ªblew and Ms Ves was forced back.


    Ms Ves didn''t allow herself to be sent flying as she dug her feet into her ground, of what should be the ground, skidding across the space.


    Enraged, her eyes turned completely white as she looked at the creature now rushing towards her.


    She hissed as she took a battle stance. She immediately bolted towards the creature and squeezing, and gathering every single of ounce of strength she could, she roared and punched.


    "I said release my body, you fucking beast!"

 Chapter 21 See No Evil

    Ves didn''t know for how long everything lasted but when she woke up, she saw herself lying on a bed.


    She looked around the room, looking for Leo but couldn''t find him. She pushed herself out of the bed and walked towards the door, and tried to open it but she saw that it was locked.


    "Sigh... Did Leo lock me inside?" She smiled before walking back to the bed.


    She slumped back onto the bed and started staring at the ceiling, deep in thought. She remembered everything that happened, how she lost herself and was trying to attack Leo.


    She knew that if they were close to each and not separated by the walls of the building, she would had gotten to him and attacked him. sea??h th§× n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    She was very happy that she didn''t allow Leo to come with her then. She didn''t know what she would had done if that had happened and she had attacked him. How would she be able to live with herself if she eventually regains control of her body?


    Thinking of everything that has happened in the past two days, Ves felt extremely tired. She just wanted to sleep and wake up to the old world. Even though it was filled with the evil of men, it was better than what''s going on now.


    "Besides, it''s not like the apocalypse wiped out everyone in the world, leaving only the two of us," she muttered to herself, as she stood up from the bed and went to the window.


    "I wonder where Leo is?" She asked herself, looking out the window and watching the zombie horde outside.


    ...


    Meanwhile, down the access hallway of the ninth floor , Leo was fighting a zombie. This zombie wasn''t as weak and as low leveled as the other zombies he has fought.


    Roar!


    The zombie roared in rage and intimidation, with its malicious hunger filling the air, and creating a suffocating feeling.


    Leo gripped the hilt of Nightshade tightly as he assessed the zombie in front of him. He has already has a few exchange with it and he knew that it was strong.


    Not only that, the zombie is incredibly fast, too fast for Leo to follow with his eyes. He tried to follow its movement before he can always make it out, the zombie would had already appeared in front of him.


    Leo didn''t know what level the zombie is but he felt that it won''t be beyond level 5. He felt that if it was anything beyond that, he would had already died with the first exchange he had with the zombie.


    Actually, he knew that the only reason he''s still alive right now is because the zombie isn''t intelligent. If it was this strong and was like Ms Ves, there''s no way he would still be around.


    Roar!


    The zombie''s roar vibrated through the hallway, a guttural growl that almost sent chills down Leo''s spine. Its claw tore through the air, a blur of death aimed at his face. Leo ducked, feeling the rush of displaced air graze his skin.


    He took a couple of steps forward, equally closing the gaps between him and the zombie.


    The moment he was close enough to the zombie, he gathered up every ounce of strength he could gather and slashed at its armpit.


    The zombie didn''t know what was happening as it saw one of its hand falling to the ground.


    As a level 2 zombie, even though it''s not intelligent, it knew just how strong it is and this was the reason why it was angry that the food in front it was resisting so strongly. And now, that same food has cut off one of its hand.


    It roared in anger and was about to charge at Leo but the next it knew was its head spinning in the air and the constant voice in its head.


    Leo saw the decapitated zombie fall to the ground with a loud thud and smiled.


    [You have acquired Level 2 Normal Zombie Life Force.]


    [You have reached Level 3. You have received three stat points.]


    "Nice. It was worth it," Leo said, as he immediately distributed the free stat points he got.


    There was no need for him to keep them. His main objective and the reason why he''s hunting the zombies on the floor is because he wants to get stronger. If he should keep the free stat points, how is that helping his objective?


    Leo added two stat points to his Strength and one to his Stamina. His logic was simple. Since his Agility is already at a total of 31 points, thanks to Nightshade, then he should quickly raised the two other physical stat to the same level.


    After he was done distributing the stats, Leo felt his strength increase. His body felt lighter than before and his grip on Nightshade was firmer. The accumulated exhaustion he felt from hunting the zombies has also eased slightly.


    Leo wanted to continue his zombie hunting but he was feeling very mentally exhausted at the moment. He had spent the past couple of hours hunting the zombies on the ninth floor and he has killed more zombies than he can count.


    He looked around and saw the floor of the access hallway filled with the corpses of zombies he killed.


    This was also the same for the apartments on the floor. Leo has hunted every single zombies on the floor and it was safe to say that the ninth floor was safe from zombies.


    Leo smiled when he thought of this. He knew that major reason why he was able to kill all of them was because they were all level 1, with the last one being an exception.


    "Time to get back to Ms Ves. I wonder if she''s already awake and back to normal?" Leo asked himself as he started walking to the apartment where he left Ms Ves.


    He opened the door of the apartment and walked in, and made his way to the room where Ms Ves was.


    When he got to the door, he waited for moment, listening for the familiar sound of zombie growling or snarling, but after a few moments, he heard nothing.


    Leo took a deep breath as he neared the door, every step cautious. He pushed it open slowly, expecting the worst¡ªonly to freeze in place, his brain short-circuiting at the sight before him.


    Opening the door, he saw Ms Ves who looks like she just came out of the bathroom, from her wet hair, standing in middle of the room, almost naked with nothing but her panties.


    "Ahhh!"


    "Ahhh!"

 Chapter 22 See No Evil (II)

    "Leo?!" Ms Ves shouted in embarrassment, causing Leo to immediately close the door and an awkward silence to envelope the two of them.


    "Ah! I¡ªI didn''t see anything!" Leo stammered, turning away so fast he nearly tripped over himself.


    Inside, Ves exhaled sharply, her own face red as she hurriedly pulled on her clothes.


    "That idiot¡­" she muttered with a small, embarrassed smile.


    He couldn''t believe what he just saw. His brain felt like it was about to melt and run out from his ear.


    That moment was very embarrassing for them to say the least. For Ms Ves, it was the first time that anyone of the opposite sex has seen her that part of her body.


    As an orphan, the children in the orphanage home she grew up in was her family and after she left, she has been busy trying to make something of herself before she decided to go work for the orphanage home.


    As for Leo, it was naturally the first time he would seeing the real thing. He has seen them in some movies¡ªvery bad movies that Ms Nora has in her phone.


    But seeing the real thing was different. He felt his face flushed red and coupled with the hormones flooding his body, he felt his body become strange.


    ''What am I thinking? That''s Ms Ves!'' Leo scolded himself and slapped his face.


    He could feel his face burning, and no amount of scolding himself seemed to help. But the slap seemed to have worked as his body slowly started returning to normal and in a couple of minutes, he no longer felt the same strangeness.


    Leo finally let out a sigh of relief when he felt his body finally return to normal. He stopped standing in front of the door and went to the kitchen of the apartment to see if he can get himself something to eat.


    He and Ms Ves haven''t eaten anything since the apocalypse began. He would had eaten before going for the zombie hunt but that was before one of them, drawn by his life force, started banging at the door of the apartment.


    Leo opened the fridge and luckily for him, he saw some fruits, a full loaf of untouched bread and some cooked food that was packed into some plastic containers.


    "Wow. Very nice. Ms Ves'' idea of looking for a residential building was the best idea." Leo nodded to himself when he saw the stocked fridge.


    "It''s very convenient," Ms Ves said from behind Leo, causing him to be startled.


    Leo slowly turned back to find Ms Ves fully dressed and smiling at him.


    "M-Ms Ves, I''m sorry!" Leo immediately apologized when he saw her.


    "I didn''t mean to walk in like that. I''m sorry, I should have knocked." He apologized again.


    "It''s fine. You don''t have to apologize. It''s nothing serious," Ves said, brushing off the incident.


    Leo heard what she said but he felt that he should still apologize again. Even though she seems to be casual about what happened, he has idea no idea if it''s going to strain their relationship and he doesn''t want it to happen.


    "Once again, Ms Ves. I''m sorry." Leo apologized for the third time.


    "I said no more apologizing. Besides, it''s not like you haven''t seen it before and you also said that you didn''t see anything, right?" Ms Ves asked, as she turned to give him a sly smile, causing Leo to immediately look away embarrassed.


    Leo indeed wanted to say that it was the first time but something told him that he shouldn''t, and as someone who always follows his instincts, he didn''t.


    Leo''s face flushed all over again, and he coughed into his fist. "Y-Yeah¡­ nothing."


    "Like I said, don''t overthink it too much Leo. It was an accident," Ms Ves said, as she took some fruits from the fridge and started eating.


    Though She sounded calm, but the faint blush creeping up her neck betrayed her own embarrassment.


    She quickly walked to one of the chair in the dining area, took her seat and started eating the fruits she took from the fridge.


    That was¡­ awkward," Leo muttered under his breath, shaking his head as he opened the fridge. Despite everything, he found himself smiling faintly. At least she''s okay.


    He also took some fruits from the fridge and walked to one of the chairs in the dining room, and took his seat.


    "Leo, about the building, I was thinking that if we can completely wipe out all the zombies in the building and its surrounding, secure it and other place we would need, like supermarkets, and also some basic amenities and protect the ones we had, living here would be very easy," Ms Ves said, after Leo had taken his seat.


    Leo nodded in agreement to Ms Ves'' words. He completely agree with what she said. The residential building they are in has electricity and water, two things that are very important.


    And in addition to that, it''s in perfect condition. From the apartments he has checked so far, none of them has any broken windows or door.


    "I completely agree with you, Ms Ves but that isn''t what''s important right now, is it?" Leo asked, as he looked at her solemnly.


    The expression on Ms Ves'' face also turned solemn at Leo''s question. She looked down at the apple in her hand with different thoughts flying around in her head.


    Leo saw the expression on Ms Ves'' face and he clenched his fist in worry and anxiety.


    The atmosphere between them tensed a little and there was a brief silence between the two of them.


    The next moment, Ms Ves raised her head and smiled at Leo, and said something.


    "I won''t turn anymore. The thing causing me to turn is no more." She laughed heartily.


    It was the first time she has laughed since the apocalypse started and it was very genuine.


    As expected, Leo was shocked by what Ms Ves said. He looked at her with his eyes wide open in disbelief.


    The smile on Ms Ves'' face widened when she saw Leo''s reaction. She knew that it was something that''s hard for anyone to believe and so she decided to explain.


    "It all started like this..." Ms Ves said, as she started explaining everything that happened to Leo.


    She told him about the shadow creature in her mindspace, the personality of her zombie side and possibly the entity controlling other zombies.


    She told him about how she fought it and how she won.


    Even after Ms Ves had explained everything, Leo still found it hard to believe. It wasn''t that he didn''t want to believe but the reason was that he felt that it shouldn''t had been so easy to get rid of her zombie side so easily.


    He felt that there was more to it but he knew that since Ms Ves didn''t tell him anything more, then be should forget about it.


    Even though he was suspicious of the whole thing, he was genuinely happy that Ms Ves had regained complete control of herself and her zombie side won''t be taking over again.


    "That''s wonderful,. Ms Ves. I''m very happy that everything is back to normal. This changes a lot of things for us. We can combine our strength and secure the building and the things, and also increase our strength." Leo said, before he continuing eating the fruits in his hand.


    Ms Ves smiled at Leo''s words. She couldn''t help but look at him strangely, trying to study him to see if there''s anything peculiar about him but no matter how much she looked, she saw nothing.


    She glanced at Leo, who was focused on his food. Her smile faltered for just a second.


    "Protect him with my life," she thought. The words echoed in her mind like a whisper, and she didn''t know whether to feel grateful or terrified.


    ''Why did that person mention my relationship with Leo? Why did she help me? Why was I told to protect me with my life?'' she thought to herself, as she remembered what happened in her mindspace when she was fighting her zombie personality.


    sea??h th§× N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

 Chapter 23 Securing The Building

    After the two of them finished eating their fruits, they wanted to continue the zombie hunting but it was already getting late.


    Since they can''t continue the zombie hunting, they decided to secure the two floors they have cleared out¡ªthe eight floor directly below them and the floor they are currently on¡ªso that no zombie would be able to make it way into them.


    Leo wanted the two of them to split up and for each of them to focus on a floor, but Ms Ves decided against it, saying that it was dangerous and better for the both of them if they stayed together.


    Leo didn''t argue with her or disagree and the two of them immediately got to work. The plan was simple. They will block off every single point to access to the two floors so that the zombies from the floors below and above can''t get to them.


    To do this, they will block off and barricade the stairwells and elevators. They will also reinforce apartment doors and windows on the two floors, by closing off the apartments and they will cover the windows to stop lights from getting in.


    Leo has done multiple test during the time he was hunting the zombies on the ninth floor to know that they zombies are attracted to both sound and light, and this is coupled with their disturbing ability to sense one''s life force from 50 metres away.


    It was an ability that was both disturbing and terrifying. Leo didn''t want to imagine how the awakened outside were faring.


    No matter how he thought about it and with the amount of zombies crawling around, he knew that there was no way things would be easy for them.


    And things would be even more difficult for those that are in regions where they can''t find shelter immediately. S§×arch* The nov§×lF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    On their plan of securing the eight and ninth floor, the two of them will also have to designate a base and escape route. They will choose a central apartment to be used as their base and they will secure access to the emergency stairwell for the eventuality of them needing to escape.


    Another important thing they must do is to stockpile essentials. They will gather water and food from cleared apartments.


    Though the building still has running water and electricity, who knows how long it was going to last? And they can''t just keep waiting until the foods and fruits in the fridge of the apartment they were in before, to finish before they start hunting for food.


    Lastly, they will set up noise traps and an observation points for early warnings. They don''t want to be caught unaware by a zombie or a horde of them.


    Leo and Ms Ves decided to take care of the floor they are currently on first before going down to the eighth floor.


    After they were done with everything, sealing off all entry and exit points, and everything they wanted to do on each floor, they made their way to the eighth floor.


    But before that, they moved the corpses of the zombies into the elevator and got in themselves.


    Leo and Ms Ves was also aware that zombies weren''t the only threat in this new world, as they are also mutant animals and even possibly plants too.


    And Leo couldn''t get what Tatiana said about the world turning into a battleground and descending into even more chaos¡ªbefore leaving, out of his head.


    He knew that in his new world, what truly matters is one''s strength and he has made up his mind to become as strong as possible.


    Even if the dream life he envisioned for himself before leaving the apocalypse might no longer be possible, he would do his best to survive in this new world as he still has a lot of things he wants to achieve in it.


    He still has people he wants to live for; Ms Ves, the children at the orphanage home¡ªif they are still alive, his parents and himself.


    Leo squeezed the hilt of Nightshade tightly when he thought of this. The world has changed too quickly and without warning, but that doesn''t change anything.


    As the elevator arrived on the eight floor, Leo and Ms Ves stepped out of it, leaving behind the pile of zombies'' corpses.


    Their actual plan for the corpses is to move the corpses on the two floors to the ground floor.


    It''s impossible for them to leave the corpses as they run the risk of exposing themselves to health hazards that would come from the decomposition of the bodies.


    Also, they have no idea if the smell of the bodies would attract any threat and they sit around to find out, so they have to action.


    It''s for this that the first thing they did when they got to the eighth floor was to move the zombies'' corpses into the elevator.


    After they had done that, Ms Ves left Leo to go dump the bodies on the ground floor. The ideal for them to do would be burning the bodies but they are currently tight on time and they have no idea who or what might be attracted by the fire.


    On the eight floor, Leo immediately got to work. He blocked off all possible entry and exit points, and set up traps.


    He was still on it when Ms Ves camd back and she also joined in. They two of them were able to complete their objectives before the sky went dark completely.


    After the two of them had completed their objectives on the eighth floor, they took the elevator back up to the ninth floor.


    Immediately after they arrived on the floor and the elevator''s door opened, Ms Ves extended her claws and grabbed the call panel of the elevator, and ripped it out.


    Her action surprised Leo and he couldn''t help but look at her strangely. He was very curious as to what she plans to do but he didn''t ask as he knew that it was something related to their safety.


    After ripping open the elevator call panel, Ms Ves ripped out all the wires connected to the panel.


    "That should do it," she said with a smile after she was done.


    She looked at Leo and saw that he was looking at her strangely, and she decided to explain.


    "Just making sure no one¡ªor nothing¡ªcan call it from another floor." she smiled faintly.


    "Good call." Leo blinked, then nodded slowly.


    Leo nodded slowly in agreement when he heard this. It was something he never thought of. He felt very happy that Ms Ves is with him as she''s the one doing most of the thinking.


    After the elevator has been taken care of, the two of them started moving out the essentials they gathered from the other floor.


    .....


    "That was hectic," Leo said after dropping the essentials he was carrying, in the apartment.


    "Go take a shower but try not to waste the water. Let''s micro manage it so that it can last us for a while," Ms Ves said, and Leo nodded before walking to the bathroom in the second room in the apartment.


    While Leo was taking his shower, Ves decided to make dinner. She brought out one of the food containers in the fridge to warm the food packed into it.


    Few minutes later, she was done and Leo was already out of the bathroom and seated at the dining table.


    The two of them ate dinner and after they were done, they went to bed. They still have more to be done then next day.


    The building has to be cleared out completely and they still have to secure the supermarket as planned.


    Tomorrow, they''d face the rest of the building and the unknown outside. The thought was enough to keep Leo''s grip tight on Nightshade, even as exhaustion finally pulled him to sleep.


    The night went by uneventfully and it was already morning of the next day, marking the third day that the world ended.

 Chapter 24 New Additions?

    In a location not too far from the residential building Leo and Ms Ves are, a group of people could be seen facing off a horde of zombies.


    The group numbering five individuals, four men and a young lady who looks to be in her teens were facing off a horde of eight zombies. And they were losing badly.


    The initial group of eight people have been reduced drastically after being taken by surprise by the horde of zombies.


    And now they are not only fighting the original horde but also with the addition of their fallen comrades, now turned zombies.


    They have been fighting for their lives for more than half an hour now but the zombies proved to be stronger.


    "Everybody, gather your strength and let''s fight our way out of here. We will make our way into one of those building," one of the man, who was holding an ordinary looking axe, said.


    The man knew that if they would meet their end here if they continue fighting the zombies. He could already see some zombies rushing towards them and if those new additions are to arrive, then their fates is sealed. Sear?h the N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    The other members of the group heard this and started giving it their all. They trusted the man as he has been the one leading them for the past two days.


    The next moment, a zombie fell as one of the members pierced the head with the broken mop stick in his hand.


    Another one fell the next moment as the young lady stabbed a kitchen knife into the head of the one zombie attacking her.


    "Now!" The man shouted as he pushed the zombies attacking him away and started running towards one of the high rise buildings.


    The other members immediately followed, not wanting to be left behind. They ran towards the building with the zombies chasing them from behind.


    "Move faster!" The man shouted, as he continued running towards the building.


    He looked at the building''s interior to assess the situation for any signs of zombies, and he was shocked by what he saw.


    The ground floor of the building was filled with nothing but piles of zombie corpses that stacked up on each other like a mountain.


    The man felt that something was amiss when he saw this but he knew that there was no stopping for him and the group right now.


    They either take the risk of venturing into the unknown or stay and fight the zombies chasing after them. But with the current state of their body, he knew just how impossible the second option is.


    The man gritted his teeth in anger when he thought of how the world ended two days ago.


    Who would had believed that the world didn''t end from nuclear fallout but by something called mana.


    Even at this moment, the man found it to be very ridiculous. He felt that everything was a bad dream but the undead chasing after them and the faces of their comrades that also turned to zombies, their roars, snarls and the loud clattering of teeth, reminded him of how real everything is.


    The man arrived at the building and quickly pushed open the entrance, and rushed in, while also holding it open for others.


    As he held the door open, he noticed that the zombies chasing after them stopped at a distance from the building and were roaring loudly, and attracting the attention of nearby zombies.


    The man was surprised when he saw this. He didn''t know why the zombies stopped chasing them and be wanted to feel happy, and relieved about it but instead, it increased the uneasiness he was feeling.


    Still, there was nothing he can do about it at this point but hope for the best.


    Immediately after the last person got into the building, he closed the door and collapsed to the floor.


    He was beyond tired at this point. His body was aching so much to the point that even a single movement sends bolt of pain throughout his body.


    His lips were parched, his throat was dry and his stomach was empty.


    It wasn''t only him that was feeling this way. It has been almost two days now and the group hasn''t eaten anything or had time to rest.


    They have been moving from places to placesz fighting zombies and strange creatures that looks like regular animals and insects that went berserk.


    As each of them were about to catch their breath, they felt their heart jump into their throat when they saw the pile of zombies bodies in front of them.


    They slowly turned their head go look at the man leading them but when they saw the exhausted look on his face and how he was licking his lips, they knew that they would have to make do with their current situation.


    Each of them sat down, trying to catch their breaths while also keeping up their guards. They looked around the ground floor of the building but the only thing they could see was piles of zombies bodies.


    They studied the bodies and they saw that some of them either have their head cut off or pierced through with what could possibly be a knife.


    "What do we do now, Mr Miguel?" One of the men, asked.


    "I don''t know. We won''t be able to go outside for a while. The hordes outside would easily make a meal out of us. We can only explore this building or look for one of those emergency exits.


    Honestly, at this point, I''m really tired. I just want to eat something, drink water and have a good sleep. We haven''t rested or had anything to eat for a whole day and it''s telling on us right now," the man said in a low voice filled with exhaustion.


    The other members sighed when they heard what Miguel said. They knew that he was right but the pile of zombies bodies lying on the floor makes them feel very uneasy.


    Just as they were thinking of what to do, they heard the sound of elevator door opening.


    They immediately tried to force themselves to stand up to fight whatever or whoever is coming but their bodies refused to listen to them.


    Slowly and dreadfully, they could only watch the elevator door slid open with a soft chime, the sound cutting through the oppressive silence.


    The air immediately felt heavy as though the building itself had held its breath.


    Miguel struggled to push himself up, his legs shaking from exhaustion and fear beneath him.


    "Stay...stay ready," he rasped, gripping the axe tighter, though his fingers barely had the strength to hold it.


    The young girl whimpered, clutching her knife as her wide eyes darted between the door and her fallen comrades turned zombies.


    The group froze, their breath hitching as two figures emerged, shadows cast long by the flickering overhead lights.


    The boy''s steady gaze and the woman''s cold demeanor sent chills down their spines, their exhaustion momentarily replaced by sheer terror.


    They saw the black blade glinting in his boy''s hand and the they felt the commanding presence from the lady.


    The boy''s steady gaze swept across them, unflinching. The woman''s movements were deliberate, predatory, like a lion surveying weakened prey.


    Miguel''s axe slipped from his grasp, clattering to the floor. The sound deafening in the silence, and the two newcomers turned toward them.


    "Who...who are you?" Miguel croaked, his voice barely more than a whisper.


    The boy didn''t answer immediately. His eyes narrowed slightly, as if evaluating them, before he finally spoke.


    "Are you bitten or scratched?"

 Chapter 25 New Additions? (II)

    Leo and Ms Ves were just done clearing out the twelfth floor and were about to move up to the thirteenth floor, when they heard a small sound of commotion.


    Immediately, they got curious and cautious of what could possibly be causing the sound.


    Ms Ves decided to listen closer using her [Enhanced Senses] skill, and she noticed that the sound started becoming distinct to her.


    She was immediately able to get where where the sound of commotion was coming from and following it, she walked to the floor-to-wall window, where she saw a group of people fighting a small horde of zombies, at a small distance away from the building.


    Leo observed Ms Ves'' actions and he saw the significant change in her expression when she got to the window.


    He knew that she must have already gotten the origin point of the sound, and curious to find out, he also walked to the window and he saw the group of humans battling the zombies horde.


    Leo''s initial reaction when he saw them, was to go help them but he quickly stopped himself, and decided to continue watching.


    He was very curious to see how the group would fare against the horde of zombies. He also felt it was an opportunity to see how strong others are compared to him and Ms Ves.


    Leo''s and Ms Ves'' strength has increased as they took care of the zombies occupying the half of the building. The both of them have also been able to rise up one more level.


    As the two of them continued to watch the group battling the zombies with all they''ve got, Leo started feeling bad when he saw that one of them nearly fall to the zombie attacking him. He was about to walk to the elevator, when he heard Ms Ves ask a question.


    "Are you going to help them?" She asked, as she continued to watch the fight.


    Leo paused for a few seconds when he heard her question. He was about to reply ''yes'' to her question and he could already guess the direction where the conversation that would follow, would be heading to.


    He felt that it was going to be the same thing as Tatiana and this made Leo to pause and think about his decision to help.


    He remembered the questions she asked him: Does he think he can save everyone? Does he have the strength to protect himself and save others?


    The truth is that no matter how much Leo wanted to deny it, he knew that the answers to these questions are solid NO.


    No matter how much he would want to try it, he knew that it was very impossible for him to save everyone. And also, another truth to this situation is that Leo doesn''t know any of those people.


    The question now is should he put himself in danger for a group of strangers? Are they worthy of it? Leo wanted to answer yes to this questions so bad but he knew that answering yes to it wouldn''t change the actual facts.


    Ves turned to look at Leo with her thoughts unknown. She didn''t need to hear Leo''s answer to know what he was thinking.


    The world has ended and a lot of things has changed. Even though they haven''t met or seen other survivors in the past two days¡ªwith the group being the first¡ªVes was aware that some things would still remain the same. And one of those things is the evil in the heart of men.


    But even though she knew this, she knew that no matter how much she says it to Leo, it won''t change his mindset. The only way to change it is for him to experience the real heart of people for himself. Maybe then, he would understand that not everything that glitters are gold.


    Still, Ves was hopeful. She hopes that the group doesn''t turn out to be one of those bad eggs so that they can become allies. And this was especially for the man who was weilding the axe.


    Ves saw his movements to be that kd someone who is an experienced fighter. If he can join them, he would become a major boost to their firepower.


    As it stands now, she knew that the both of them¡ªshe and Leo¡ªneeds some helping hands with the things they are doing. Killing and also transporting the corpses of dead zombies down to the ground floor is no doubt, very tiring, but things might be different if the group joins them.


    She sighed and walked away from the window, and made her way out of the apartment.


    "If you''re gonna to help them, let''s go," she said as she stood in front of the apartment''s door.


    Leo opened his mouth to say something but he decided to keep quiet instead, and follow Ms Ves. Sear?h the N??eFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    The two of them left the apartment and got into the elevator, making their way to the ground floor of the building.


    "Leo, not everyone is good," Ves said as the elevator descended. She leaned against the wall, her arms crossed.


    She paused for a few moments and continued, "Not everyone are like you that cares about other people so much that they are willing to go the extra miles for them.


    If it was someone else, I''m not saying this to scare you or anything, but I''m 90% sure that they would had done everything in their power to kill me immediately when they knew that I was different. Actually, that''s me being optimistic. The truth is that the person might had left me in that car and ran away, saving themselves instead."


    She smiled wryly as memories of when she first turned and when she turned completely, starting surfacing again.


    The truth is that she knew that no matter how much she wants to deny it, the only reason she''s still alive is due to Leo''s kind and innocent heart. She would be lying is she says that she doesn''t want him to maintain it but that wouldn''t be ideal in the dark world they now find themselves.


    Leo went silent when he heard Ms Ves'' words. He swallowed hard as he fidgeted with Nightshade, the weight of her words pressing against his chest.


    He thought back to that moment in the car, to the fleeting temptation to leave her behind. The thought alone felt like a betrayal and ven without Ms Ves telling him, Leo was aware that most people would had acted on that thought but he didn''t.


    Realizing this, Leo remembered all of the fleeting thoughts he has had and he understood that the not everyone are like him. Some people would have these thoughts and would act on them immediately.


    "I see... So, that''s how it is..." He muttered to himself in a low voice, but Ms Ves was able to hear him clearly and she smiled.


    ''It seems like he finally understood but does he really?'' She thought to herself.


    It didn''t take long for the elevator to stop with a ding, announcing their arrival at the ground floor. As the elevator doors slid open, the faint sound of shuffling and labored breaths reached their ears.


    Leo adjusted his grip on Nightshade, his pulse quickening. Ves glanced at him, her expression unreadable, before stepping out into the lobby.


    "Were any of you bitten or scratched?" Leo asked, his voice steady but firm.


    The group froze, their wide eyes darting between him and Ves. In their eyes, Leo saw fear and desperation. But he also saw something else¡ªwariness, the kind Ms. Ves had warned him about.

 Chapter 26 New Additions (III)

    The group was momentarily caught off guard by Leo''s question but they were shocked by his young appearance, and the familiar feeling that the lady beside him was giving off.


    The lady was giving them a dreadful feeling. It was like they were standing in front of a zombie and a human at the same time.


    The group felt their hand go wet with cold sweat at the feeling the lady was giving off. Just the familiar zombie feeling she was giving off made them want to attack her but they knew what fate awaits them if they are to act on their thoughts.


    It''s wasn''t just the lady but the boy beside her was giving off an equally dangerous feeling, and this feeling was heightened by the black blade in his hand.


    The group members knew that at this point, the only thing they can do is to have their leader take over.


    They slowly turned their head to look at Mr Miguel who also had a frightened expression on his face. They could see him stretching out his hand to grab his hand but his body didn''t have the strength to lift it up.


    Miguel saw the look his teammates were giving him and he cursed them silently. He hated them for transferring the responsibility to him but he hated himself more.


    With cold sweat running down his back, his breath still unsteady and even from the recent fight with the zombie hordes outside¡ªthat has now increased, his body also weak and devoid of strength after expending it all on escaping from the zombies, he tried to grab his axe again but his body was beyond spent to squeeze out any strength. Sear?h the ¦ÇovelFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    The faint, distant sounds of zombie snarls outside, made the silence between Leo and the group even more oppressive, and this was coupled with the air heavily tinged with the metallic stench of dried blood and decay from the zombies'' corpses in the lobby.


    Leo saw Miguel''s action and he squeezed the Nightshade''s hilt, preparing himself for any potential confrontation but he knew that it would never come.


    With just a look, he saw how exhausted and weak the ground is, and this was shown by how Miguel was unable to muster the strength to lift his axe.


    Leo''s intention is to help the group, but after taking Ms Ves'' and Tatiana''s words into consideration, he decided to do it smartly.


    It''s for this reason that he asked the question he asked. He doesn''t want a situation whereby after helping them, one of them would turn and put himself, Ms Ves and the others in danger.


    He sighed when he thought of this. His gaze became firmer and his grip on Nightshade became tighter.


    ''The world has changed and I also have to change along with it. Though I don''t have to become ruthless and apathetic to others, I have to be smart when interacting with people,'' Leo thought to himself, as he continued to gaze at Miguel.


    "I will ask for the last time, were any of you bitten or scratched? If I don''t get an answer, then I would take your silence for a yes and would have to send you out," Leo said, with the most emotionless voice he could come up with.


    Ves who was standing beside him smiled slightly when she saw this. She knew that Leo was doing his best to change but she was also aware that it isn''t something that will happen instantaneously, but she knew that given time, Leo would become someone that the world wouldn''t want to trifle with.


    The face of Miguel and his group went pale when they heard what Leo said. They slowly turned to look at the zombies roaring and growling at a distance, and they felt chill run down their spine.


    There was no need for them imagine what their fates would be if they are to be sent outside. This time, the group members didn''t wait for Miguel as one of them spoke up.


    "No. None of use were bitten or scratched. Though we lost some of our members to the zombies. Three of them turned," one of them, a male who looks to be slightly older than the girl, spoke up.


    Leo nodded when he heard this. He looked at Ms Ves and he saw her nodding at him. He understood what she meant with the nod and he turned to look at the group, mostly at Miguel. He wants to make sure that he''s not being lied to because they want to protect one of their own.


    "Are you sure that none of you is infected?" He asked, as he flexed Nightshade a little.


    The young man swallowed hard when he saw this, and he nodded desperately.


    "I swear. We''re clean."


    Love narrowed his eyes for a moment when he heard this, but he eased his expression almost immediately. He knew that they were telling the truth now and he decided to believe them. But he will still be taking precautionary measures against them.


    "If that is so, then you can join us. You all look exhausted, so I will allow you to rest on any of the apartments on the first floor. If after you have restedvand you want to leave, then that''s fine by me," Leo said, and paused allowing what he just said to sink in, before continuing.


    When he saw that them nodding in understanding, he decided to continue:


    "But understand that if step out of this building with the intention of leaving, then there''s no coming back. If you''re to be seen close to the building after that, then I will take your return as a threat."


    The group continuously nodded when they heard what Leo said. They could understand where he was coming from and why he''s being so cautious, and they can''t blame him. Though they were slightly surprised that someone as young as him would actually say things like that, but when they remembered the current state of the world, they understood where he was coming from.


    Leo smiled while secretly letting out a sigh of relief when he saw them nodding in agreement. He felt like a massive boulder has been lifted off his shoulder, allowing him to finally breathe easily.


    ''Putting on a strong front isn''t really my strong suit but it''s something I will have to learn. I have to adapt and get stronger so that I can protect myself and those around me.'' He said to himself internally.


    Ves decided to take over the situation since Leo has taken care of the difficult part. She would had done it herself but she allowed him to do it as she felt it''s a way to help him learn and grow.


    "Since all of you understand the situation, you''re in, you can follow us up to the first floor," She said, and started walking to the elevator.


    She saw that Leo was already waiting in front of the opened elevator, and she smiled proudly at him.

 Chapter 27 Threat

    "You guys can choose any apartment here. Clean yourselves up. As you see, the building has electricity and it also has water. But make sure you guys ration the water well so that it can last longer," Ves said, as the door of the elevator opened up to the access hallway of the first floor.


    The group nodded and stepped out of the elevator. While others moved to choose an apartment for themselves, Miguel didn''t.


    He feebly held his axe as he looked at Leo and Ves for a few moments.


    "Is there anything else you need help with?" Ves asked Miguel curiously when she saw him still standing in front of elevator.


    "No...," Miguel replied and gulped.


    "It''s just that I wanted to say thank you for helping me and my group. I promise to repay the favor," he said, and started walking down the access hallway.


    "He doesn''t seem to be a bad person." Leo smiled when he saw Miguel walking away.


    "Yeah. He doesn''t. I just hope it''s not a facade," Ves smiled wistfully, as she pressed one of the floor selection buttons.


    The elevator door closed and elevator started ascending, this time to the thirteenth floor.


    Since they were already done with the group''s problem, they decided to continue their zombie hunting and this time from the thirteenth floor.


    They had already taken care of the twelfth floor and the only thing that''s left is to transport the zombies'' corpses to the ground floor. And they decided to leave this task of clearing out the zombies'' corpses to the building''s new addition. That wasmy they would be useful.


    Arriving on the thirteenth floor, Leo and Ves were about to continue their zombie hunting when a loud roar that shook the foundation of the building and its surrounding was heard.


    Its roar was guttural, like metal scraping against stone, and the ground seemed to tremble under its unseen weight.


    "What was that?" Leo asked in apprehensive curiosity as he looked towards where the sound could possibly be coming from.


    "We have a problem, Leo." Ves said with a tensed voice.


    Leo immediately looked at Ms Ves and he could see the fear in her eyes, and how she was continuously nervously clenching her fist.


    "What is it, Ms Ves?" Leo asked with his apprehension of the situation increasing with each second.


    "It... It''s a mutant Boar and it seems to be higher leveled than us. Possibly more than five levels higher than us and it''s coming from there," Ms Ves replied, pointing to the direction where the mutant Boar was.


    Ves could almost picture its hulking form, bristling with mutated features.


    Leo''s face tensed up with worry and anxiety when he heard this. He thought of different ways to deal with the current situation and only two feasible ways came up: they either hide their presence from the mutant Boar or they face it head on..


    But Leo was also aware of just how impossible the first is. Hiding their presence wouldn''t be the best decision for them right now as he has no idea if the mutant creature is just passing by or it intends to make this its territory. Also, it''s not like they can just walk up to it and ask it this questions.


    Leo sighed and closed his eyes briefly when he thought of this. He knew that the only thing they can do is to face the beast head on. Even though its level is higher than his and Ms Ves, they have no choice. They either sit around and wait for their death like cowards or they die fighting.


    "Ms Ves, how far is the mutant Boar from the building?" Leo asked, as he started formulating a plan in his head.


    "Less than 70 meters away and it''s closing the distance fast," Ms Ves replied.


    "I see..." Leo nodded.


    "What do you think are our chances or beating it," Leo asked curiously, as he finalizes the plan in his head.


    "I don''t think we even stand a chance against it. The only thing we can is run. Nothing else." Ves replied in a solemn voice.


    "You know we can''t do that. We either face this thing and kill it or we all die. Since it''s at least five levels higher than us, then it means it''s stronger and faster than us. Which means we can''t outrun it." Leo said with a equally solemn voice.


    "How do you suggest we fight it? The new additions can''t fight. They''re too weak and they are too tired to. It''s just you and me but even with the combination of both our strengths, I don''t see us winning," Ves said with a tensed voice.


    "Then, we just have to make do with the two of us," Leo said, causing Ms Ves to sigh.


    "Are you sure about this? There''s a high chance that we won''t survive this fight." Ves asked, as she looked him directly in his eyes.


    "Yes, I''m sure. There''s a high chance that we won''t win but there''s also a chance that we might and we have to take those chances no matter how small." Leo replied.


    Though it felt like he was talking to himself more than he was actually replying Ms Ves'' question.


    "If you say so, then how do you intend to proceed?" Ves asked as she looked out the window. S§×arch* The n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "We attack immediately. We make use of the sun still shining," Leo replied and Ms Ves nodded.


    "I understand. Let''s move."


    The two of them immediately took the elevator down to ground floor.


    In the access hallway of the building''s first floor, Miguel and his group were looking at each other in fear. All of them rushed out of their apartments when they heard the roar.


    Though they are not like Ms Ves who can sense what made the sound thanks to her [Enhanced Senses] skill, they knew that things weren''t good.


    "What do we do now?" One of male asked, with his hand shaking visibly.


    "Nothing. You guys can''t do anything. What it is that roared, it''s way stronger than us. We can''t fight it, we will only get killed," Miguel replied, biting his lips in anxiety as many thoughts filled his head at once.


    "Then what about them? Can they fight it?" Another asked in a trembling voice.


    "I don''t know but we can hope they can." Miguel replied with uncertainty in his voice.


    "Should we help?" The girl asked.


    "Can we?" Miguel asked, as he smiled wryly.


    Miguel was aware that if the boy and the strange woman can''t stop the whatever it is that roared, they''d be as helpless as lambs in a slaughterhouse.

 Chapter 28 A Battle Of Life Or Death

    Roar!


    The deafening roar that sent a shockwave that rattled the building''s foundations was heard, as the mutant beast got closer.


    Leo gripped Nightshade''s hilt tightly, instinctively, his heart pounding as the mutant boar appeared in their vision.


    As the mutant Boar got closer, each step it took seemed to shake the earth. Leo didn''t know if it was due to his monstrous size or it''s possibly using a skill, but the ground kept shaking with each step it took.


    Ves hissed beside him, her claws flexing as she dropped into a fighting stance.


    ''This thing''s no ordinary beast,'' she muttered, her voice low but sharp with tension.


    Leo didn''t need her warning. From just the appearance of the boat alone, he knew that this was a very terrifying creature.


    The mutant Boar was huge and tall, almost reaching two metres, and Leo estimated its size to be at least 1,000kg.


    The Boar''s height and huge size wasn''t the only scary thing about it. Its body was covered with dark fur that glistened with a metallic shine under the sunlight, it massive hooves looks just as it''s whole body.


    But the most terrifying thing about its appearance was its massive white tusks. They looked more like extremely sharp daggers than tusks.


    And in addition to that, the boar giving off a very terrifying presence. It was like they were standing in front of an insurmountable mountain.


    Leo took a deep breath as he turned to look at Ms Ves. Their eyes met and they nodded in understanding.


    Immediately, Ves bolted towards Boar. Just a step from it, she extended her claws and slashed at its skin.


    The boar didn''t dodge as it stood there and allowed Ves to attack it.


    Ves'' attack made contact with the Boar''s skin and she screamed out in pain. She quickly withdrew her hand and jumped, distancing herself from the Boar, and arriving beside Leo.


    "Ughhh" she groaned and hissed in pain, gripping her hand tightly.


    Ves took a look at her hand and she saw that all her claws has been broken off, and the nail bed was filled with blood, that dripped to the ground from time to time.


    Leo saw Ms Ves injury and he knew that there was no way that Ms Ves would be of help in this fight.


    Ms Ves doesn''t have any weapon beside her claws and if the claws can''t even scratch the Boar''s skin, then that only means that he would have to do things himself.


    "Ms Ves, you stay here and heal completely. I will take care of this," Leo said, as he took a step towards the Boar.


    "Leo! It''s too strong and its fur is like a metallic armour. Be careful," she said, with gritted teeth.


    She felt very angry and frustrated at the fact that she can''t help Leo out in such a high stakes fight.


    She felt that even though she''s the adult between the two of them, Leo has been the one protecting her since the day the world ended.


    She clenched her injured fingers into a fist as she made a vow to herself to become stronger so that she can be the one to protect Leo. S§×arch* The n??el Fire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Leo nodded at Ms Ves'' words and slowly approaches the Boar. From what he can see and what Ms Ves told him, he already knew that the Boar is practically invisible, with impenetrable skin and its hulking size.


    But Leo wasn''t worried. Though he wasn''t sure if he would be able to kill the Boar without taking any injury, he was confident in winning.


    The reason for this isn''t because of Nightshade''s sharpness that can cut through the defences of anything below level 35, or Nightshade''s skills. The reason for his confidence is because it''s what he has set his mind to.


    He was aware the only thing he can do is win. He dare no lose as he was very aware of the fate that awaits him and everyone if he does.


    Leo took one more step and he was halfway to the Boar. He looked at it with determination blazing in his eyes and with a low grunt, he dashed towards it and closed the distance almost immediately. Arriving in front of Boar, Leo bent down and slashed at its knee.


    The Boar also didn''t initially react to Leo''s attack but at the last moment when the blade was about to make contact with its leg, it jumped back dodging the attack.


    Leo wasn''t disappointed when he saw this. On the contrary, he was smiling in relief.


    Without wasting a second, he rolled on the floor and followed up with another attack at its knee.


    The Boar sensing the incoming threat, dodged the attack again and roared in anger. It distanced itself from Leo and snorted, a cloud of steam billowing from its mouth in the air.


    It pawed the ground violently, scraping its hooves against the pavement with a sound that echoed like distant thunder, before letting out a guttural grunt that sent shivers down the spines of those that heard it.


    The next moment, it charged at Leo, with each step it took, causing the ground to shake.


    The Boar was surprisingly agile even with its bulky size, as it closed the distance between it and Leo immediately.


    The Boar roared and slammed its massive hooves into the ground, unleashing a deafening shockwave that rippled outward. The force struck Leo like a hammer, sending him stumbling backward as the ground beneath his feet trembled violently.


    His ears rang, his vision blurred, and his legs felt like lead as he struggled to stay upright. For a moment, it was as if his body refused to obey him, leaving him vulnerable and at the mercy of the beast''s next move.


    The Boar didn''t allow Leo the opportunity to recover as it attacked again. It lunged at Leo, its massive tusks gleaming like ivory blades in the dim light. The charge came too fast¡ªtoo powerful.


    Leo, who was yet to recover from the Boar''s first attack, was unable to dodge. The tusks slammed into him, the sheer force throwing him backward like a ragdoll.


    The world blurred as he crashed into a wall, the impact knocking the air from his lungs. Pain exploded in his side, sharp and unrelenting, as if his ribs had splintered like brittle glass.


    "Leo!" Ms Ves screamed when she saw Leo lying on the floor, seemingly unconscious.

 Chapter 29 A Battle Of Life Or Death (II)

    Ves'' breath hitched as she saw Leo crumpled against the rubble. She clenched her hand instinctively, sending fresh waves of pain shooting through her mangled fingers.


    "Get up!" She screamed, but Leo still didn''t respond as he lay there, unmoving.


    ''Please get up,'' she muttered to herself, with her voice breaking, as she was on the brink of breaking down.


    Leo''s lay on the floor, his vision swam with stars, his chest a cacophony of sharp pain. He tried to inhale, but it felt like his ribs were collapsing under the pressure.


    As the world around him swayed, a dull roar filling his ears like an ocean tide. Somewhere in the distance, a voice shouted¡ªa faint, muffled cry that seemed to rise and fall with the rhythm of his pounding head.


    The words were lost to him, but the urgency in the tone clawed through the haze, pulling at his scattered thoughts. And he recognised the owner of that voice immediately.


    "Not now," he grunted in pain as he shook his head, trying to shake off the dizziness and disorientation he was feeling.


    Images of Ves, the kids at the orphanage, and a blurred image of his parents flashed in his mind. sea??h th§× ¦Çov§×lFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ''I can''t die here,'' he screamed to himself internally.


    He gripped Nightshade''s hilt¡ªthat was strangely in his hand¡ªtightly and tried to push himself up from the ground, only to collapsed back, and causing a bolt of pain to course through his body.


    "This stupid body, what are you doing? What''s the use of my [Regeneration] skill? Why is it not working?" Leo groaned in pain.


    He gulped a mouthful of saliva and tried to stand back up on his feet again. He stabbed Nightshade into the ground and using it as leverage, pushed himself up.


    He slowly stood up to his feet with a few staggers. He coughed, trying to relieve himself of the dull pain occupying his rib cage.


    He looked at the Boar and he saw it continuously stomping its feet on the floor and snorting, causing steam to escape from its nose, as it looked at Leo menacingly.


    Leo gritted his teeth, as he gripped Nightshade''s hilt tighter and raised it, ready to attack.


    The Boar snorted when it saw this. Leo''s act of raising his sword and challenging it, seemed to have to hurt its pride.


    It snorted again, this time louder than the rest, and pawed the ground, as it readied for another charge. The next moment, without warning, it lunged at Leo.


    "Not this time, you big, overgrown pig," Leo said when he saw the Boar attacking again.


    He took a quick look around as he formulated a plan in his head. The next moment, he smiled as he finally found what he was looking for.


    Immediately, he made his move. He dashed towards a building beside him.


    The building wasn''t actually his target but the shadow it cast onto the ground.


    Leo''s movement allowed him to dodge the Boar second attack. The boar''s momentum carried it forward, crashing into the debris with a thunderous impact, sending shards of stone flying.


    As it reared back, preparing for another attack, Leo, now standing in the shadow of the building, gripped his Nightshade''s hilt tighter, his heart pounding in his chest.


    "Come on, you overgrown pig!" He shouted, taunting it.


    The next moment, the Boar roared in response and charged at him. It closed the distance between them and appeared in front of Leo.


    "I can''t believe how it''s this fast?" Leo muttered to himself, as he quickly activated one of Nightshade''s skill, [Shadow Step].


    As the skill activated, his body immediately melded into the shadow on the ground.


    The Boar halted its charge when it saw Leo disappear. It snorted angrily and stomped the ground, but nothing happened.


    Enraged, it roared and stomped the ground with enough force to crack the asphalt. Steam curled from its flared nostrils as it let out a thunderous snort.


    It pawed at the earth, gouging deep scars into the dirt, its massive tusks swinging as it tossed its head violently.


    The ground seemed to tremble under its rage and the guttural growls that seems to promise destruction.


    It continuously stomped the ground aggressively as it strutted to where Leo initially was, before he disappeared into the ground.


    It got to the place and started pawing and stomping it but no matter how many times it did it, nothing happened. Leo didn''t appear.


    It let out a growl when it saw that its actions wasn''t producing the results it wanted, and it turned its attention to the remaining human left; Ves.


    It let out a deep snort and pawed the ground, as it prepared to charge at her.


    In the shadow world¡ªthe name Leo gave the dark world¡ªLeo saw the Boar''s action and he knew what it''s next action would be.


    "I''m not letting you do as you wish," he said, as he made his move.


    He jumped out of the shadow world and attacked, slashing at the Boar''s underbelly with every ounce of strength he could squeeze out from his body.


    The Boar sensed the danger and immediately tried to dodge, but it was too late.


    The attack connected and the following moment, the Boat roared in a mixture of anger and pain. Its chest heaving as steam poured from its nostrils. Then it roared again¡ªa deep, deafening primal sound that shattered the air, reverberating and seeming to shake even the shadow world that Leo was in.


    The small eyes that has now gone bloodshot due to its berserk state, locked on Ms Ves and it charged at her.


    Each charge left a trail of destruction, deep gouges in the ground and shattered debris marking its path. The boar''s repeated stomps sent shockwaves rippling through the ground, toppling debris and threatening to throw Ms Ves off balance.


    Leo saw this and cursed silently. He immediately exited the shadow world and chased after the the madly charging Boar.


    "Ms Ves, run!" He shouted at her when he saw her still standing.


    He wanted her to run and save herself but he saw that even after shouting, she didn''t move. Instead, she took an attacking stance, ready to face the Berserk Mutant Boar.


    Leo wanted to shouted again but he saw Ms Ves smile at him the next day, and he could only close his mouth and grit his teeth in anger.


    He increased his speed wanting to catch up to the beast, but he was unable to. The Berserk state seemed to have increased its speed.


    Leo continued chasing after the Boar. Every muscle in his body screamed in protest as he pushed himself harder, the world blurring around him.


    Pain wracked his body with every step, his ribs screaming in protest. But the thought of Ves standing alone against the beast drove him forward, his fear replaced by a primal need to protect.


    ''Faster. Just a little faster.''


    But the distance between him and the raging beast only seemed to widen.


    Ves tightened her grip, ignoring the searing pain in her mangled fingers. She knew she couldn''t outrun it, but she could meet it head-on. If this was the end, she''d face it standing


    The boar''s tusks gleamed, mere inches from Ves. She stood her ground, eyes locked on the beast, as Leo''s shout echoed futilely behind her. And then...

 Chapter 30 Gorefang

    The ground quaked beneath her feet as the berserk boar charged, its bloodshot eyes locked onto her.


    Ves stood rooted, her body tense but her mind focused, each second stretching into an eternity.


    ''Wait... not yet... now!''


    With a sudden burst of movement, she sidestepped just as the boar''s tusks tore through the space where she''d been standing.


    The force of the missed charge caused the Boar to slam into the building behind her, sending a shockwave rippling through the air.


    A loud rumbling sound was heard as the building shook and small, almost invisible cracks started forming on its surface.


    Immediately, Ves countered as she rushed at the Boar, dropping low into a controlled slide, the rough ground scraping at her legs as she shot beneath the hulking beast.


    Ves slid into position beneath the towering beast, the pungent heat of its massive body pressing down on her.


    But Ves didn''t waste the opening. Without hesitation, she sprinted forward, dropping low into a controlled slide, the rough ground scraping at her legs as he shot beneath the hulking beast.


    She wasted no time as she punched upward, her fist connecting with the soft underbelly of the Boar.


    Ves'' fingers still hasn''t healed completely and her action caused the wound to reopen, and a fresh wave of pain to wash wash over her. Her eyes nearly went white from the pain but she bit her lips, forcing herself to stay sane.


    She sited a gash on the Boar''s underbelly, immediately followed up with a clawing attack with her second hand, targeting the gash.


    She plunged her fingers into the tear, feeling the warm, sinewy flesh close around his fingers, as her fingers penetrated its flesh and embedded half of their length into it.


    She tried to push it harder but the underbelly was tougher than she expected, and her fingers could go no further.


    In addition to that, the embedded fingers kept sending nearly unbearable pain throughout her body. The only reason she hasn''t lost consciousness is because she kept continuously biting her lips.


    The mutant boar bellowed in pain as blood sprayed across the rubble-strewn ground. It started thrashing wildly, its hooves slamming into the ground just inches from her head.


    Gritting her teeth, Ves struck again. She yanked her hand out of the wound and repeated the same set of attack again.


    Her fist and fingers continuously penetrated the Boar''s flesh, slightly widening the gash and and causing blood to pour from it.


    But the boar wasn''t finished. It reared back, roaring with fury. Realizing the danger, Ves rolled to the side just as the beast''s, nearly two elephants sized body, crashed down, missing her by a hair''s breadth.


    Boom!


    A loud explosion shook the surroundings, followed by a quake that nearly caused the building the Boar initially slammed into, to collapse.


    In one fluid motion, Ves used the momentum of her roll to kick himself upright, flipping onto her feet, and her claws still extended, waiting for opportunity for another attack.


    The next moment, she saw a figure pass her in almost a blur, followed by a short gust of wind.


    ''Leo.'' she smiled to herself.


    Leo arrived at the side of the Boar and slashed at its belly. The pain from the Boar''s first attack still continued to racked his body, but he didn''t pay attention to it.


    The Boar still lying on its injured underbelly was unable to dodge the attack. The force of the slash penetrated its thick hide, tearing into the muscle beneath, with its thick fur doing nothing to stop it.


    It roared in pain again and tried to stand up, but Leo wasn''t going to allow it. He attacked again but this time he went for its head. Sear?h the N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    He slashed its neck, leaving a deep gash from which blood splattered before turning into a steady flow. He didn''t paused as he attacked again, the same place.


    He slashed at the deep gash again, widening it and causing even more blood to flow from it. He continued slashing with no intention of stopping.


    The Boar was on the ground, continuously roaring in pain and anger. It tried to attack but with its current position and how Leo was attacking it without rest, it couldn''t.


    It could only continue to roar in pain and anger. As time went on, its roar started losing their intensity and with a few more slash from Leo, it let out a whimper as it took its last breath and slumped to the ground.


    As the Boar went silent, the familiar screen popped up again but Leo didn''t pay it attention, as he looked up to the sky and the rain that was hitting his face.


    He has never for once imagined his life would be like this one day. Fighting a monster on the brink of death for survival.


    Before the world ended, he was just a boy who was about to start leaving his dream adult life in the real society. Though, he still has those dreams, they have changed in a lot of ways, just like everything around him.


    Leo gasped for air, every breath a jagged knife in his ribs, compounded by his broken ribs that seems to be digging into his skin, and his internal organs.


    Pain continued to rack his body but in light of all that, a bright smile was on his face.


    Both he and Ms Ves nearly died from fighting the Mutant Boar but he was happy. He was happy that they were still alive.


    Even though the both of them still has grave injuries, the fact that they were still alive means a lot.


    Leo slumped to the ground, the rain mingling with the blood splattered across his face.


    Ms Ves stumbled over to him, her voice trembling.


    "You did it, Leo."


    He looked up at her, his smile faint but genuine.


    "We did it."


    [You have acquired Level 10 Mutant Boar: Gorefang Life Force!]


    [You have reached Level 5. You have received three stat points!]


    [You have reached Level 6. You have received three stat points!]


    [You have reached Level 7. You have received three stat points!]


    ...


    ...


    ...

 Chapter 31 Tension

    Ves sat beside the bed, watching Leo sleep soundly. She saw that even deep in his sleep, he was still feeling pain.


    She saw his brow furrowed deeply, and his lips quivered faintly as though caught in a grimace. Every so often, his jaw tightened and his face twitched.


    She looked at him with a soft gaze as she smiled warmly, and caressed his face, trying to ease his pain. Her hand trembled slightly in pain as her fingers made contact with Leo''s face, but she didn''t care.


    "I promise to become stronger fast to protect you and made sure you never have to put yourself in danger again. Not for anyone, not for me or anyone. No more," she muttered to herself with a fire of determination burning in her eyes.


    After the battle with the mutant Boar ended and Leo collapsed, she carried Leo up to their apartment on the eight floor and laid him on the bed.


    Following that, she looked for the first aid box in the room to treat their injuries. She was actually surprised when she pulled up Leo''s shirt and saw a deep wound on his torso, with blood pooling over its surface.


    Her eyes widened in shock and fear when she saw it. She knew that Leo was injured from the Boar''s attack but she had no idea that it was this serious.


    Actually, she has no idea that he was bleeding and the reason for this is the black shirt and the rain that drenched them immediately after the battle ended. Also, the both of them were too occupying with not dying from the Boar''s attacks to notice anything.


    She quickly got the first aid box from where it was and began treating Leo''s injury. She cleaned the surface of the wound, disinfected it and dressed it.


    Her hands trembled as she bandaged his wounds, the pain in her fingers nothing compared to the ache in her heart.


    She doesn''t want anything to happen to him, as she had no idea what she would do if anything does.


    Ves felt guilty and frustrated when she thought of herself, the adult between the both of them, being the one that has to be protected, instead of the other way around. This made her feel like she was the reason why Leo was in this current condition.


    Her anger and frustration increased when she remembered the task of protecting Leo she was given by the person that helped her to win her zombie''s personality.


    It was at that moment she made up her mind. She wasn''t going on sit back and watch Leo put himself in danger everytime to protect her, and those around him.


    She would increase her strength and get strong enough to be the one to protect Leo. She would get strong to do her job as the adults and she wasn''t going to back down. She vowed to herself.


    Ves smiled and let out a tired sigh as she finished cleaning Leo''s injury. The next thing she did was to take care of her own injuries.


    Though, they were already healing, thanks to her [Regeneration] skill, as she could see some blood clots on it. But the healing process was slow and the pain was almost unbearable for her.


    Meanwhile on the building''s first floor, Miguel and his group were still standing in front of an apartment''s floor-to-wall window, staring at the massive Mutant Boar''s carcass in stunned silence.


    The silence continued until one of them finally broke it.


    "Did he¡­ just kill that thing?" one of the men whispered, his voice trembling.


    No one answered, their eyes fixed on the massive corpse. No matters how they tried to wrap their heads around it and follow the events that happened with logic, nothing just seems to make sense.


    They saw the young boy, who looks no older than a teenager and even younger than the girl in their group, fighting the Boar and killing it at the end, but they still couldn''t believe their eyes.


    They were aware that he got help from the lady with peculiar aura around her but even with that, killing such a massive creature was something beyond the ordinary.


    It was now they understood why the ground floor of the building was filled with zombies corpses. Compared to the weak zombies, the Mutant Boar was much more dangerous.


    During the battle, when Leo was hit by the Boar''s attack and was sent smashing into a wall, they feared that he was dead. And when they saw him stand back on his bed, they let out a long, shaky breath, only now aware of the tension that had gripped them.


    They continued holding their breaths throughout the duration of the battle and they only truly felt relieved when they saw the Mutant Boar go limp.


    "Can we also do that?" One of them asked, while continuing staring at the massive carcass.


    He knew he wasn''t alone with the question he asked and that every single one of them felt the same way. They all want to be as strong as the boy.


    Miguel was the most affected by the scene in front of him. He knew that the boy and the lady was strong but he didn''t know that they were this strong.


    The truth was that he had already made his peace when he saw the appearance of the Mutant Boar.


    He was someone that struggles when facing more than two zombies, there was no way he would even dare think of facing such a colossus monster. It was nothing short of suicide.


    "I guess the world really changed after all," he muttered to himself.


    He knew that if the world was still as it was, there was no way such a creature like the Mutant Boar would exist. And not just that, but the streets won''t be crawling with zombies, neither would there be someone as strong as Leo.


    Miguel was still thinking of the old world when he saw some movement from the corner of his eyes. He quickly turned his head to look and he saw a group of armed individuals walking towards the Mutant Boar''s carcass.


    Seeing how they were looking at it and looking at the building where they are, Miguel could already guess their intentions.


    "All of you, follow me," he said, as he grabbed his axe and left the apartment.


    His group members were actually surprised when they saw him leaving but when they saw the group approaching the carcass, they immediately understood. Sear?h the N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    They immediately grabbed their weapons¡ªmakeshift weapons they found in some of the apartments on the first floor¡ªand followed behind Miguel.


    Miguel and his group reached the ground floor, and just as they stepped outside, they spotted the other group standing near the carcass, preparing to dissect it.


    "Stop! That doesn''t belong to you," Miguel shouted, striding toward them.


    A bulky man from the other group turned, a smirk spreading across his face.


    "And who does it belong to?" he asked mockingly, crossing his arms.


    "To us," the young girl said firmly, stepping forward to stand beside Miguel.


    The bulky man stared at her for amoment, then threw his head back in a hearty laugh.


    "You?" he bellowed, his voice echoing across the open space.


    His laughter cut off abruptly, replaced by a menacing glare as his smirk vanished. His eyes locked on Miguel, his voice turning cold and sharp.


    "Listen, old man, this carcass belongs to us. If you want it, you''ll have to fight for it."


    The bulky man''s group immediately shifted into attacking stances, their eyes narrowing as they sized up Miguel and his companions.


    The air grew heavy with hostility, an unspoken challenge hanging in the space between them.


    Just the appearance of the newcomers¡ªa ragged band, their clothes torn and weapons mismatched, eyes gleamed with a dangerous mix of desperation and greed, told Miguel that they were bad news.


    But there''s no way that he would be willing to back down. Leo nearly died to kill the Mutant Boar, there''s no way he was going to allow another group reap the benefits.


    He gripped his axe tightly, his knuckles white. His group was outnumbered and outgunned, their makeshift weapons a stark contrast to the newcomers'' sharpened blades and crude but effective firearms.


    Both groups stood poised, the carcass lying between them like a coveted prize, its presence fueling the simmering tension

 Chapter 32 Grewishka And Company

    Grewishka and his group were out searching for food end necessities when they heard a series of loud sounds.


    He stopped his group and listened closer, trying to ascertain what could be causing the sound.


    Listening closer, he was surprised when he realised that the sounds was because of an ongoing battle. He was still doubtful but when he heard a female voice shout the name, ''Leo'', he believed that the sound was really caused by a battle.


    He couldn''t believe it. From what he could discern from the sounds, he knew that that this Leo person was fighting something huge. What it was, he has no idea.


    Realising this, he immediately move far away from the surroundings with his group, keeping a safe distance so that the fight doesn''t find them.


    He found a safe place and hid himself and his group, waiting for the battle to end. He wanted to go back to their base and take refuge there, but without any idea of what the Leo person is fighting and how it would affect them, he didn''t dare to, as he didn''t want to put those back at the base in danger.


    Also, it wouldn''t be good if they go back empty-handed after expending so much time and energy. It would amount to a wasted trip and every single one of them¡ªhis group and the others back at the base¡ªwould starve, if they come back empty-handed.


    Things might had been easy if they close to the woods or a place with vegetations but with the woods located at least a mile from their current location, it was impossible to get to it.


    For this reason, Grewishka decided to wait and his group agreed with him. They continued waiting, while also listening to the sound of the raging battle.


    Few moments later, they heard the sound of someone shouting, following shortly by a loud rumble and another rumble followed shortly again.


    After that, everywhere went still and a heavy silence enveloped the surroundings.


    Grewishka curiously and carefully look towards where the sound seems to be coming from and looked around, confirming that there was no immediate danger.


    He confirmed that there was no immediate danger but he decided to wait a little to see if anything out of the ordinary would happen. But after waiting for a while, everywhere was as still as it was after the second rumbling sound.


    Confirming that everything was fine, Grewishka and his group came out of their hiding place.


    "What could that possibly be?" One of them asked, after coming out of their hiding place.


    "I don''t know but from the sounds, it seems like two people fighting something huge," Grewishka replied, as he continued looking at the where the sound was coming from¡ªsome high rise buildings that was a distance.


    He was thinking of what next to do when he felt a drop of water fall on his hand. He looked at it and looked towards the sky, and saw that it was starting to rain.


    He looked back at their hiding place but shook his head afterwards. Hiding there from the rain would be impossible as the place doesn''t have a covering to shed them from the rain.


    He turned to look at the high rise buildings at the distance and made up his mind.


    "Let''s go there and wait out the rain," he said, pointing to the buildings, and started walking towards them.


    The group immediately followed behind Grewishka, walking towards the building. After walking a couple of distance, they all stopped in shock.


    In front of them is a massive black creature that was bleeding out on the floor, the ground around was a testament to the destruction that has occurred, and was from how still it was, it was dead.


    "What the hell is that?!" One of them asked in unrestrained shock, with a slightly loud voice.


    He was continue talking but a quick glare from Grewishka shut him up. He closed his forcefully but the shock he was feeling wasn''t going away anytime soon.


    It wasn''t just the man that was shocked by the scene in front of them. The feeling was the same for all of them and some of them were so shocked that they couldn''t talk.


    They knew that the behemoth-looking creature in front of them was killed by two people that they heard shouting, but they found it hard to believe that this is something a human can do.


    Though they were aware that they world has changed qnd so is everything on it, but for a human to defeat something that huge was something they refused to believe no matter how they thought of it.


    While his group were still reeling from the shock of the massive dead creature in front of them, Grewishka had already recovered and was now assessing the situation.


    From his distance of four meters, he observed and studied the carcass ot the black creature on the floor.


    "It looks like a giant pig, except that it has furs which pigs don''t have....," Grewishka said to himself, as he observed it.


    "I would had said it''s a Warthog but they aren''t found in our country, so it should be a Boar," Grewishka said to himself.


    His eyes widened in realization when he realised that the creature that the two shouting individuals, were fighting was a huge Boar.


    He thought that the awakening of a thing only affected humans but seeing the dead huge Boar in front of him, told him just how wrong he was.


    Grewishka couldn''t help but admire the person that was brave and strong enough to kill the Boar. From just its size alone, he knew that the Boar wasn''t an easy opponent.


    Though this feeling only lasted a moment as his growled the next moment, reminding him of its empty state.


    Rubbing his empty stomach and looking at the Boar''s carcass, Grewishka had an idea. Though he has no idea if the person or the individuals that killed the Boar that killed was still around, he was willing to take the risk.


    He didn''t want to starve to death and also, he felt that it was possible for the people that fought this Boar to go free without any severe injuries.


    "Guys, we don''t need to worry about food anymore. We will be taking this Boar home," he said, pointing to the Boar''s carcass.


    The group members looked at Grewishka strangely after what he said. They don''t understand how they are supposed to carry something that looks like it weighs a ton back to their base.


    Not even considering how they are going to carry the Boar, the real question is if the Boar is safe for so consumption.


    Seeing the strange looks his group members were giving him, Grewishka smiled and proceeded to tell them his plan.


    "Relax. We''re not dragging the whole thing back; we''ll take what we can carry. Meat is meat, and this thing has plenty to spare."


    The group exchanged uneasy glances, still unsure about his plan.


    "What I''m actually worried about is if the meat is safe for consumption. We don''t know what type of parasites or stuff is inside it. Who knows? It might be poisonous and we don''t know why it''s so big," one of the said, looking at the Boar cautiously.


    "Poison, my foot. The reason why it''s big is most probably due to the same thing that we will see when we kill zombies. Even if it''s poisonous and unsafe for consumption, are you willing to die of starvation?" Grewishka asked, looking at the person that spoke, meaningfully.


    "But what if the people who killed it comes back? What if they''re still nearby? We can''t fight them off. We are not even one bit as strong as the monster on the floor." One of them spoke up hesitantly.


    Grewishka frowned, his tone turning sharp, as he said, "If they wanted it, they''d still be here guarding it. Besides, it''s either this or we go back empty-handed. Do you want to explain that to everyone at thebase? As for whoever killed it, if they were still here, they would''ve made their presence known by now." sea??h th§× N?velFire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Despite his confident words, he knew the risk was real. Whoever killed this creature had to be exceptionally strong¡ªfar stronger than anyone in his group. But desperation pushed aside caution.


    The others fell silent, realizing the truth in his words. Despite their lingering fear, hunger pushed them forward.


    Grewishka saw this and signaled for the them to approach the carcass cautiously, keeping an eye out for any signs of danger.


    As they reached the Boar, the group marveled at its sheer size. Its fur was coarse and black, its tusks jagged and menacing even in death.


    Blood pooled beneath its massive body, soaking the ground and releasing a metallic tang into the air. Even with the rain that falling, the smell still hung in the air.


    Grewishka wasted no time, pulling out a makeshift blade and instructing his group to do the same.


    "Work quickly. Take as much meat as we can carry, but don''t be careless. Keep an eye on the area."


    They were about to start dissecting when done group with armed members l, seemingly ready to fight, arrived in front of them.


    "Stop! That doesn''t belong to you" a man who seems to be their leader, said.

 Chapter 33 Finding A Common Ground

    Miguel was surprised by the bulky man''s words and the action of his group members.


    ''Fight for it? What is this bastard talking about?" He thought to himself.


    He observed the bulky man''s expression and that of his group to know if they were being serious about attacking them, and taking away the Boar''s meat. And he was perplexed when he saw his serious the expression on their faces were.


    Miguel actually found it be ridiculous. With just a glance, he knew that there was no way that Miguel and his group would be able to just ''whisk'' the Boar''s carcass away.


    The Boar was as tall as a small car and with just a glance, it looks like it weighs at least a ton or even more.


    Thinking about this, Miguel just couldn''t come up with a conceivable theory on how the bulky man and his group were going to carry the whole carcass away.


    Yes, he took into consideration that they might be as strong or even stronger than the boy and young lady that killed the Mutant Boar, but even with, he felt that it was too out reach.


    Miguel narrowed his eyes as an idea popped up in his head. He felt like he already knew what the bulky man and his group were actually after.


    He smiled and slowly walked towards the bulky man, and stood close to the Mutant Boar''s carcass.


    Grewishka flinched slightly when he saw the man''s action. The reason why he put up a thug act and asked the man, and his group to fight for the Boar''s carcass, was because he wanted to frighten them.


    But who would had believed that not only did his tactics not work, but it actually seemed have given the man courage.


    Grewishka immediately thought of what to do next but just as he was about to speak, he heard something that surprised him a little.


    "Look here, boy. There''s no way you and your group can possibly carry this back to your base or wherever you want to carry it to," Miguel said, pointing to the Boar''s carcass.


    He looked at the bulky man intently in the eyes and continued, "Why don''t we do this? I will call the people who killed it and they decided what to do. Honestly, the Boar''s meat would be too much for even us and it wouldn''t be good to waste something as precious as it, in the world''s current apocalyptic situation. Right?"


    Miguel smiled meaningfully at the bulky man, studying his expression and wanting to hear his reply.


    "But if you really do insist on us fighting for the meat, then we can go ahead with. The question is are you sure you would win?" He added, and walked back to his group.


    He continued watching the bulky man, waiting for a response.


    A heavy and slightly oppressive silence enveloped the two group, and it heightened by the rain drenching the two of them.


    Grewishka was looking at Miguel and his group, deep in thought. He was trying to assess the situation, stimulating in his head, scenarios that would follow any response that he would give.


    He thought about it and after nearly a full minute, he sighed and looked back at his group. He could see that they were ready to fight but with how empty their stomach is, would they even be able to put up a fight?


    Though he felt that he might be strong enough to carry the Boar, carrying it back to the base with how rough the terrain is was completely different.


    Though he saw how exhausted Miguel and his group looks, he still didn''t like his odds.


    Grewishka doesn''t want to lose any of his men. With the world already gone to shit and danger lurking at every corner, the more manpower they, the safer they are. Sear?h the n?vel_Fire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Also, with Miguel''s group having something of such high stake on the line, who knows what they would do to keep it.


    Grewishka sighed again when he thought of this. He knew that there was only one thing he can do. He can''t continue putting on an act, as he has no idea what would happen if he continues to fake it.


    With the current situation of the world, one can no longer fake it till they make it. Everyone has something on the line.


    "Fine. You''re right, old man. We can''t take it all, what we actually want is just two of its leg. Can you help us to tell the original owner this?" He said, after a few moments of silence in deep thought.


    Hearing this, Miguel smiled, while inwardly letting out a sigh of relief. He was happy that he won''t have to fight the bulky man and his group, but for him to ask for two legs, wasn''t that a bit too much for all of them.


    Miguel thought about it but no matter how he did, he still can''t understand why they would need two legs of the massive Mutant Boar.


    The Boar''s legs looks nearly as thick as a tree trunk, each one a meal that could feed dozens.


    ''How does a group of 8 people intends to eat so much?'' Miguel asked himself.


    The only explanation was that there were still a lot more people back at their base. This was the only explanation Miguel could think of.


    It seems like he wasn''t the only that had this thought, as he could see the surprised expression on their faces, followed by furrowing of brows.


    Miguel smiled and was about to go talk to Ves but when he turned, he saw her walking out of the building.


    "You can have the two legs but if you come back here next time and try to pull what you just did today, trust me, you will have yourself to blame for whatever happens to you," she said, and immediately walked back into the building, without bothering to listen to anything any of them had to say.


    Miguel was slightly taken aback by Ves'' sudden appearance but her words made him smile. He turned to look at the bulky man and smiled meaningfully at him.


    From the stiff expression on his face, Miguel was sure that he also could feel it¡ªthe peculiar aura around Ves that''s similar to that of zombies.


    Miguel didn''t bother to continue wasting time with the bulky man as he got his group to bring what they would also use to dissect the Boar and transport it into the building.


    He knew that he can''t leave the Boar''s carcass outside for you long as it would attract the other beast to the area. And with how world have changed and the strongest among them is currently seriously injured m, things would get troublesome if any monster are to come, attract by the blood of the Boar.


    Grewishka immediately got his team to get to get to work and they started dissecting the Boar. This was the same with Miguel and his group.


    As the two teams dissects the Boar, they couldn''t help but think of how much the world has changed and what type of horrifying monsters they are going to see in the future.

 Chapter 34 New Threats [Bonus Chapter]

    Ves was watching Leo sleep, caressing his face and thinking of the time when they were still in the orphanage home.


    She remembered how the kids there looked up to Leo and treated him as their big brother. This was mostly because Leo was the oldest among them, with the second older being just a year younger than him.


    Remembering the orphanage home and everyone there, Ves felt a slight feeling of melancholia.


    The Mutant Boar they just fought made her to almost lose hope that they might still be alive, somewhere out there.


    With how young the children are and the how old the workers there are, surviving in this new world would be extremely difficult. Infact, beyond difficult.


    The orphanage was staffed mostly by elderly women or young, inexperienced females. Ves couldn''t fathom how the weak, inexperienced, and elderly staffs would be able to protect themselves, let alone the children.


    Still, she was still hopeful. She sighed and closed her eyes briefly, before standing up. She walked to the window and looked at the Mutant Boar where it lay inert on the floor.


    She still couldn''t believe that they were able to beat something as huge as that. If someone told her that something like would be possible, she would look at such person like they are late on their meds.


    One of the reasons for this is that the Mutant Boar was something that just the size alone was enough to cause someone to pee their pants.


    Ves studied the Mutant Boar, thinking of what to do with its carcass. Leaving it where it was was completely out of the question, as it would do them more harm than good.


    Considering its size, the first thing they would experience would the catastrophic smell that would envelope the area if it starts decaying. And this is if the carcass doesn''t attract the attention of other monsters and that will spell even more trouble for them.


    And with how things are right now, Ves felt that the second has more likelihood of happening.


    Ves was still thinking about it when her eyes lit up in realization the next moment.


    "Yes, we can do that. It should be edible as apart from just being huge, the fleshy part of it that I touch didn''t feel much different to normal meat," Ves said to herself.


    Though she wasn''t entirely sure if her guess is correct, she knew that they have to do something about the Mutant Boar''s carcass, and this was the only way she could think of.


    Also, with how edible it looks and how difficult the world has become, it would be a sin to let it go to waste.


    Carry it out and dispose it somewhere? Impossible. It''s something that even the combined strength of everyone in the building won''t be able to achieve.


    Thinking of how they defeated it, Ves smiled proudly. Her smile turned stiff the next moment, causing a slightly funny expression to appear on her face, when she saw a group of people walking towards the Mutant Boar.


    With just a glance she could already guess what their intentions are. She frowned and immediately left the room, making her way to the ground floor.


    Immediately after stepping out of the elevator, she heard someone who looks like the leader of the unknown group, telling Miguel to fight him for the Boar''s carcass if he wants to lay claim to it.


    She got angry when she heard this and was about to go teach the loud mouth a lesson when she heard what Miguel said next. Out of curiosity to see how he would handle the situation and get an understanding of his character, she decided to wait.


    She was really surprised and impressed by what Miguel said, and how he handled the situation. S§×ar?h the N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Her curiosity piqued and she waited to see how the unknown group leader would respond and react.


    The following moments, a smile bloomed on her face when she heard his response.


    "He''s smart," she muttered to herself, thinking of how Miguel handled the situation perfectly.


    She quickly changed the expression on her face, replacing the smile with a piercing glare and with furrowed brows. Her lips pressed into a thin, unyielding line, and she set her jaw so tightly it exudes raw dominance.


    After putting on the best boss lady expression she could, she walked to the door, out of the building and to where the two groups were standing.


    "You can have the two legs but if you come back here next time and try to pull what you just did today, trust me, you will have yourself to blame for whatever happens to you," she said, and immediately walked back into the building, without bothering to listen to anything any of them had to say.


    Ves walked back into the building and relaxed the expression on her. She sighed and made her way to the eighth floor, to the apartment she''s sharing with Leo.


    Now, that she thought of it, she could choose any of the apartments on the eighth floor but instead, she chose to stay in the same apartment with Leo.


    This was something that was very easy for anyone who heard it and had no prior knowledge of their relationship, to misunderstand. If not for the fact that Leo was years younger than her, their situation would be like something out a kdrama.


    Yes, Leo had caught her in just her panties before but that was a honest mistake from the two of them.


    Ves couldn''t help but giggle to herself when she thought of it. She felt like teasing Leo about it again. To her, she felt that the chances of anything happening between her and Leo was nil.


    Leo would remain nothing more than her little brother and that won''t change no matter what.


    Though she felt that things might be actually different if Leo was at max two years younger than her. But that''s on a maybe.


    Ves felt her becoming hot when she thought of this.


    "What are you thinking, Ves?" She immediately slapped her face lightly, and bringing herself back to reality.


    The elevator finally arrived on the eighth floor, and as she stepped out, her eyes widened in shock, her brows furrowing into a deep frown while her body tensed slightly.


    "Where did they come from? Six of them? Were they drawn by the scent of the Boar''s blood? Or are they a new territorial threat" She asked herself in a mixture of shock, fear and nervousness.


    The reason why Ves was feeling this was because in the range of her [Predator Sight] and [Life Force Detection] skills, shows a pack of six wolves. And from the intensity of life force she detected from them, the weakest among them was two to three level lower than the Mutant Boar.

 Chapter 35 Shocking Healing Speed [Bonus Chapter]

    One of Ves'' innate skills, [Life force Detection] is a passive skill unique to the zombie side of her. And just as the name implies and as said before, it''s a skill that allows her to detect life force in a 50 meters range, even obstacles like walls or other mundane things blocking her sight.


    In her sight, the life force of all lifeform is like a bright burning green flame and using the intensity at which it''s burning, she can deduce the level of lifeform.


    Though it''s mostly accurate but not always. She has tried on Leo and the intensity at which his life force was burning didn''t correlate to his level.


    To give an analogy, the life force of other people, zombies and monsters she has seen were no bigger than a candle flicker.


    The biggest she has seen is the size of a softball and that belonged to the level 9 Mutant Boar. But Leo''s life force was way bigger and it burns brighter than other, not only that, it was colored strangely.


    Unlike others, Leo''s life force is like a swirling sphere of purple-and-gold flames, roughly the size of a basketball.


    At first she thought it was normal as he was only human that has been with her, but when she saw the color Miguel had his group''s life force, and at the intensity at which it was burning, she knew just how different he was.


    As for her other skill, [Predator Sight], it''s similar to [Life Force Detection], but instead of merely sensing a target''s life force, it enables her to actually "see" and track them.


    Its range isn''t infinite, yet it''s still greater than [Life Force Detection]. Though it requires quite a significant amount of mana to use. But by combining detection, lock-on, and tracking all at once, it becomes an immensely powerful ability.


    Ves continued to watch the pack of wolves, as she slowly made her way to the apartment.


    She saw that they were just standing at a distance, watching the the two groups dissecting the Mutant Boar''s carcass.


    Ves didn''t understand why they were just standing and weren''t making any attempt if attacking¡ªnot that she was hoping for them to¡ªbut she was happy and relieved about it.


    She didn''t know what was stopping them from attacking but she hopes that whatever it is delays then for as long as possible.


    With Leo still unconscious, her fingers yet to heal and with how tired Miguel, and his group are, if the wolves are to really attack, then things are going to get very difficult.


    "Dangers is really at every turn." She sighed, as she finally arrived at door of the apartment.


    She opened the door and walked into the apartment. Walking into the apartment, she deactivated her [Predator Sight] skill, as it taken quite a shave in her mana pool, reducing it it from its original 130 points to 10 points in just 20 seconds. It was literally a mana sinkhole.


    Ves didn''t want to deactivate the skill but she doesn''t know what would happen if her mana points completely goes down to zero, and she doesn''t want to find out.


    She was still thinking about her skills and the Wolf pack when she heard Leo''s voice, startling her


    "I was actually looking for you, Ms Ves," Leo said, and was surprised to see Ms Ves holding her chest and heaving a sigh of relief.


    "Are you ok, Ms Ves," Leo asked, with a worried voice.


    "No... I was lost in thought and your voice startled me a bit." Ves smiled, and walked to Leo.


    "What are you doing up? You should stay in bed. Your injury is very serious. You need to rest and allow it to heal completely," Ves said, with a stern face.


    "My injuries are healed already and I''ve taken off the bandage," Leo replied, and walked to the kitchen to get himself something to eat.


    He initially planned to eat before the Mutant Boar showed up and after that intense battle that almost left him at death''s door, he was feeling extremely hungry.


    Ves was surprised when she heard what Leo said. She couldn''t believe it and she immediately rushed towards him.


    "What do you mean by your injuries are healed already and you have taken off the bandage?," she said, as she worriedly pulled his shirt up.


    Shockingly, when she pulled his shirt, she saw nothing showing that Leo was injured or has been injured.


    What was supposed to be the injury site was now covered by healthy and perfect skin. It was just as Leo said, he''s fully healed.


    "Impossible. A serious injury like that couldn''t have possibly healed in such a short amount of time. How? It has only been like 20 minutes and the injury was at least 2 inches," Ves muttered to herself in shock, and disbelief.


    "Ms Ves. Ms Ves." Leo called to Ves who had already spaced out.


    "Huh, what?" Ves responded in curiosity when she heard Leo calling her name. sea??h th§× n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "You''re holding my shirt." Leo smiled.


    "Ohhh..." She said and immediately released his shirt.


    "I''m sorry about that. I was shocked at your speed of recovery. It''s shocking." She said, and lightly clenched her fist, but the sting that followed made her unclench it quickly.


    ''It hurts like hell. How did he heal so fast?.''


    Leo smiled with his thoughts unknown when he heard what Ms Ves said. He was actually surprised when he woke up and saw a part of his stomach area bandaged.


    He knew that the only reason it would be there was probably because he was injured and Ms Ves took care of it, but the surprising thing was that he didn''t feel any discomfort when he moved or touched the area.


    And when he took off the bandage, he found nothing. He was surprised but he didn''t think too much about it as he thought that the injury might had not been initially serious. But hearing what Ms Ves just said told him otherwise.


    Leo knew that this was related to his [Regeneration] skill and it made him very curious to know more about what it can do.


    Growl!


    His stomach protested loudly.


    But that would have to wait as his stomach needs to be filled.

 Chapter 36 An Overpowered Skill

    Leo and Ves could be seen seated on the dining table, having a meal.


    As Leo ate, he curiously decided to check his stat screen. He called it up and he froze when he saw the figures being displayed on it.


    [Name: Leo ****]


    [Level: 9]


    [Specie(s): Human, ****, ****]


    [Class: ¨C]


    [Title: None]


    ______


    [Strength: 19]


    [Agility: 19 (+15)]


    [Stamina: 18]


    [Intelligence: 13]


    [Mana: 100]


    ______


    [Stat Point(s): 12]


    ______


    [Skill(s): Regeneration (Innate).]


    ''Level 9... Nice. I went up four levels. Not bad''


    Leo felt that the rate at which he was improving and getting stronger was quite fast but he still wasn''t satisfied. Though he was very much aware that he can''t just become extremely strong in a single day or short period of time, but he wants to be strong enough that even more of the Boar comes, he would be able to face them comfortably.


    The way he felt almost powerless in the fight with the Mutant Boar was something he never want to experience again.


    ''It seems I have to clear out the building fast and go hunting outside,'' he thought to himself.


    I should use my free stat points immediately. No use keeping them.''


    He immediately distributed his free stat points, equally between his Strength, Agility and Stamina.


    After using up his free stat points, Leo''s attributes experience a huge boost and he felt the same sensation of getting stronger.


    After he was done with that, he decided to satiate his curiosity and check his [Regeneration] skill to know the reason why his healing speed was so fast¡ªalledgedly.


    It''s something that he has never been curious about but the situation calls for it. He wants some explanation.


    Thinking of how to get the answers he wanted, he focused his attention on it and the next moment, his familiar stat screen was replaced by another screen, displaying the full information of his [Regeneration] skill.


    _______


    [Regeneration] (Innate) (Unique)


    Type: Passive/Active


    Mana Cost:


    Passive: 10 MP/minute


    Active: 50 MP Cooldown (Active Use): 10 minutes.


    Description: A unique skill derived from the traits of two very powerful race


    The skill grants accelerated healing and regeneration capabilities. In its passive form, it restores the user''s physical injuries and ailments at a rate significantly faster than a normal life form. In its active form, it can regenerate critical damage, restore lost limbs, and heal internal injuries at the cost of mana and stamina.


    Overhealing excess damage can temporarily enhance physical stats (e.g., strength, stamina). S~ea??h the N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Unique Feature: Enhanced adaptability: Regenerates stronger tissues over time (e.g., bones become denser, muscles more elastic) based on previous injuries.


    [Additional Note: The user''s life force affects the potency of this skill.]


    Leo didn''t know how to respond when he saw the description of the skill. He thought that the skill was just something that was sitting duck there, but now that he read its description, he knew that it was very powerful skill.


    Though it''s not an offensive or defensive skill but what the skill can do is something skills in both categories would never be able to achieve.


    Healing lost limbs and organs? That was beyond amazing! Though it would cost a significant amount of mana points and stamina points but to Leo, it''s a very small price to pay for the effects that the skill would achieve.


    To Leo, this was like having something of an extra life of some sort. As long as he isn''t dead and have enough Mana, and Stamina points, he can heal and return to his peak form.


    And not only that, the skill also has a unique feature, enhanced adaptability. A feature that would make sure to make the injured tissue stronger than it previously was.


    This means with time, his body might become so strong that he won''t have to worry about getting injured. If that doesn''t make the skill powerful, then Leo has no idea what else will.


    Though Leo has some questions. From the skill description, he read that skill was derived from two very powerful races and it got him curious about the origin of the skill.


    From what he knew, the second voice he heard that day that had a vague sense of familiarity to it, has no connection to the voice that accompanys their stats screen.


    If that was so, then it was probably something unique to him alone. This got him even more curious about his actual identity and that of his parents.


    He remembered Tatiana saying something the two most powerful races in the universe and thinking about the two very powerful races that was in his skill''s description, Leo felt that there might be a connection.


    ''What connection could there possibly be?'' Leo scoffed.


    ''Even though I might be special as Tatiana said, linking my identity to the two most powerful races in the universe is going above and beyond. Though I''m curious about the life force part and I''m also curious about why everything I''ve seen so far is one way or the other related to it''s.'' Leo murmured in a curious tone.


    He was curious about a lot of things and has a lot of questions that needs answers, but since Tatiana isn''t around, he would have wait.


    Now that Leo has gotten an explanation for why his injuries was able to heal so fast, he decided to focus his attention on other things. And one of them being the most important at the moment, taking care of the Mutant Boar''s carcass.


    He didn''t know if Ms Ves was already taking care of it and he decided to ask.


    "Ms Ves," he called out to her.


    Ves, who was seated at the other end of the table, having her meal, raised her head and looked at Leo, curious to know why he called her.


    "Yes."


    "What do you think we should do with the monster''s body? If we leave it there, it would bring more problems for us. If something like that appear here, then it means that other wild animals like it can.


    And with the commotion that the fight caused and the blood from its injury, they might already be around," Leo said, as he continued eating his food.


    "About that, you don''t need to worry. It''s already being taken care of by the bjew group," Ves responded, and lowered her head, contemplating if she''s to tell Leo about the wolf pack.


    She was very conflicted on what to do. Should she tell him about it? Or should she not?


    She was very sure about what his reaction would be if she does tell him¡ªhe would want to fight them and it''s for this reason that she doesn''t want to tell him.


    It hasn''t been long since the very dangerous battle with the Mutant Boar that left him heavily injured. Even though he has recovered and he''s back in perfect shape, thrusting him into another battle and one that looks like it''s going to be even more dangerous than the last, is something she isn''t willing to do.


    Ves couldn''t help but grip her fork tightly when she thought of putting Leo in danger again.


    But she was also aware of how dangerous not telling Leo about the wolf pack is.


    Ves knew that there was nothing else she could do but to let Leo know¡ªeven if she doesn''t want to.


    ''If only I was stronger. If only I was strong enough, he wouldn''t have to put himself in danger to protect those who are supposed to be the adults.'' She smiled wryly.


    Just as she was about to tell Leo about the wolf pack when they heard a bloodcurdling scream.


    Ves froze and immediately looked towards the source of the scream and her face went pale.


    "Oh no, they are here," she said, as she immediately stood up from her seat.


    "Who is ''they''?" Leo, who was already standing on his feet, asked curiously.


    "More monsters."

 Chapter 37 Wolf Pack

    "More monsters?" Leo''s brow furrowed as he picked up Nightshade from the table and gripped it tightly.


    He knew that the situation was very dangerous as he could see the fear in Ms Ves''s eyes. And the fact that she used a plural form meant that they are more than one.


    "How many?" he asked, his voice calm despite the swirling emotions that he was feeling at the moment.


    "Six. It''s a pack of six wolves and its leader''s level seems to be just be slightly lower than the Mutant Boar," Ves replied, as her face hardened.


    She had been hoping that whatever it was that was stoping the wolves from attacking would continue to do so but it seems that she was asking for too much.


    She knew that the only thing they can do right now is to fight the wolves head on¡ªsomething she doesn''t want to happen.


    ''I''m still yet to recover from my injury.''


    Leo was surprised when he heard that the monsters in question is a pack of six wolves. He knew that the sounds from his and Ms Ves fight with the Mutant Boar would have already attracted the attention of any lifeforms in the vicinity.


    Not only that, he knew that the blood that constantly bleeding out from the Mutant Boar''s injury will also attract them. But what Leo didn''t expect was for one to appear so fast.


    Also, he was curious to know why so many animals that are supposed to be in the wild are in what that can be called a city. He wonders if there''s a zoo nearby as it''s the only that can explain everything.


    But that wasn''t important at the moment. What is more important right now is dealing with the wolf pack.


    Thinking of this, Leo subconsciously looked at Ms Ves'' bandaged hand, indicating that her injuries are yet to heal.


    ''It seems I would have to do it alone,'' Leo said to himself


    He was about to walk to the door when he was stopped by Ms Ves. He turned to look at her and he saw the look in her eyes that seems to be begging him not to go.


    He wasn''t sure if he was seeing it right but even if it''s true, he knew that the only reason she would be showing such a reaction was because she was worried about his safety.


    From what she said, the pack leader is two levels lower than the Mutant Boar they just fought, which means that the other five wolves in its pack would be at max, three level below it.


    Though he knew that this might not be accurate but it was just him playing it safe.


    With this, he could see why Ms Ves was worried. And with the fact that she won''t be able to fight due to her injuries might have increased her worries.


    "It''s okay. I will be careful," Leo said, as he smiled at reassuringly.


    Ms Ves sighed when she heard what he said. Of course, she knew that she won''t be able to make him change his mind. It was the reason why she didn''t want to tell him about them in the first place.


    Remembering how badly he was injured during his fight, Ves hesitated a little to let him go but she knew she has to.


    Ves smiled back at Leo and nodded at him, telling him to go.


    Leo nodded back at Ms Ves and was about to leave, when he heard her telling him to wait.


    "Wait here," she said and immediately rushed to her room.


    She appeared seconds later with what to be two coloured glass balls in ger hands. S§×arch* The N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "Here, they seem to have come from the Mutant Boar. I don''t know what they are and I know it''s not the best time to give them to you but I think you should have them, as you might need them," she said, as she handed the glass balls over to him.


    The two glass balls were something she saw lying beside the body of the Mutant Boar when she wanted to carry Leo. She had no idea what it was but she decided to pick it up as she felt it was important.


    Leo took the blue colored glass balls and turned them over, looking at them curiously to know what they are.


    As if to answer his question, the familiar windows appeared in his eyes.


    On one of the glass balls was displayed [Skill Orb] and on the second was displayed [Equipment Orb].


    Instinctively, without needing anyone to tell him what had to be done, he squeezed the two orbs and they shattered into motes of light, leaving two objects behind in their places.


    In one is a set of sliver daggers and above them is a window displaying its information.


    [Twin Fang Daggers (Rare): +10 Agility when equipped.]


    In his second hand is a brown scroll, that had a blue aura around it, with its information being displayed above it.


    [Seismic Stomp (Rare): The user slams the ground, releasing a shockwave that stuns enemies within 10 meters for 5 seconds. Cooldown: 15 seconds.]


    Leo''s eyes widened in surprise, then in realization when he read the information being displayed above the brown scroll.


    From the description, he felt that this was the skill that the Mutant Boar used that made him unable to move.


    ''How do I learn it?'' Leo thought to himself, as he squeezed the scroll but nothing happened.


    "You just have to wish to learn it. It''s that simple." He heard Tatiana''s voice in his head.


    He froze and slowly raised his head. Lo and behold, he saw the devil herself seated on the chair he was previously seated on, with Elda standing behind her as usual.


    He saw her smiling at him and he heard her voice in his head.


    "Missed me?"


    He smiled and rolled his eyes at her question, before quickly turning his attention back to the scroll and he did as Tatiana said.


    The next moment, the brown scroll followed the two blue orbs, turning into motes of lights.


    [You learned an external active skill: Seismic Stomp. You can learn 4 more external active skills.]


    Leo smiled brightened in happiness and in curiosity when he saw the message floating in front in his eyes.


    Now, he has acquired a additional skill, he was naturally very happy. With this skill, even though he''s outnumbered, he should be able to hold his ground against the wolf pack.


    He turned his attention to the dual daggers in his hand and looked at Ms Ves who was still standing in front of him.


    "Thanks Ms Ves. Though, you will have to keep this for yourself, I can''t make use of it," he said, as he handed the daggers to her.


    "Ok. But I can''t use them. I will keep them for you later to decide later what to do with them," Ves said, as she collected the daggers from Leo.


    Leo wanted to ask why Ms Ves can''t use the daggers and he also wants to stop her from following him due to her injury, but he decided not to as there was something more important at the moment.


    Immediately, he left the apartment, with Ms Ves following behind, and the two them made their way to the ground floor.


    When they arrived at the ground floor, they saw a pack of wolves slowly circling a group of humans and the body of the Mutant Boar.


    Immediately, sensing Leo''s presence, they turned to look at him.

 Chapter 38 Wolf Pack (II)

    Miguel, who was a former butcher was finally using his skills since the world ended.


    Gripping his axe skillfully, he slashed at the monster''s flesh¡ªtargeting the underbelly side where it was injured by Leo and Ves¡ªthe blade biting deep into the thick, sinewy hide, widening the tear, and leaving a gaping hole in the monster''s body.


    Dark blood oozed from the gaping wound, pooling around the carcass as he pulled the axe free with a sharp tug. The air was heavy with the metallic scent of gore, mingling with the faint stench of decay.


    He slashed again, targeting the already expanded tear. The axe bit deeper this time, ripping through the monster''s flesh with a sickening squelch, widening the gash further. Organs, slick and glistening, came into view, spilling slightly as even more blood poured from the wound, staining the ground in thick, dark rivulets.


    The air grew even more oppressive, heavy with the cloying metallic tang of blood, made worse by the humid rain failing to fully wash it away. The choking stench of gore and decay lingered, saturating the space and seemingly clinging to everything nearby


    Miguel''s hand was now stained with blood, but a bright smile could be seen on his face. Breathing heavily, he paused to wipe his brow, smearing it with streaks of crimson from his already-stained hands.


    He looked at the eight individuals holding up two of the monster''s leg and nodded.


    The individuals saw Miguel nodding and left the legs of the Boar, letting it fall with a loud thud. They immediately walked towards a distance, to where to individuals each where holding a small rope attached the two legs they were previously holding up.


    Joining forces with the two individuals, they pulled the monster''s right limbs apart with all their strength, trying to create more space to expose its split underbelly.


    They groaned as they tugged at the ropes, pulling. It was only a couple of minutes of pulling, did they finally achieve their aim.


    The monster''s right limbs fell to the ground with a loud thud, splashing blood stained water around.


    The boar''s hulking body now lay sprawled, its chest cavity partially exposed and organs shifting under the tension of its spread frame.


    Its intact ribcage arched upward, while the underbelly''s opening provided full access. Blood pooled beneath it, mingling with rain, creating the illusion of a fully split carcass.


    "Who knew the monster''s skin would be this hard? Really, big respect to the people who defeated it," one of Grewishka''s men said in an incredulous voice, staring gobsmacked at the Boar''s hulking body.


    He still couldn''t believe that such a behemoth was defeated by a human and from what he has heard from Miguel''s group, a boy who looks to be in his teen and a young woman who was just a little older than him.


    He felt like he has been cheated in life when he heard it. He just couldn''t understand just how they were able to defeat such a mammoth. He, just like everyone, was fully aware that the world has changed in many very unimaginable ways but he felt that no matter how much its changed, some logic should still remain. But it seems like he has been completely left behind.


    Miguel smiled at the man''s words. He didn''t blame him as he knew that what the boy and the young lady achieved is something that he wouldn''t had believed if he didn''t see it for himself.


    "Now, if we can find a way to cut and break the bones, the rest should be easy," He said, as he let out a deep breath.


    Cutting the underbelly of the Boar wasn''t exactly an easy job for him. Even though he was using his axe and his full strength, its flesh was unnaturally elastic, absorbing impacts and resisting cuts as though it were layered with thick, living rubber.


    If it wasn''t that his axe was extremely sharp and he, himself, was strong, he wouldn''t had been successful.


    He wasn''t actually the first person that attempted to cut the monster''s body. It was one of Grewishka''s men that tried to use a kitchen knife on it. And unsurprisingly, the knife immediately it made contact with its body. It never stood a chance from the beginning.


    Miguel frowned slightly as he thought of how he was going to cut the Boar''s bones. If he actually wants to dissect its body, he would have to take care of the towering ribcage that stood like curved beams. But that is literally impossible with how tough the bone is.


    He had tried before, and the memory still lingered unpleasantly. The force of his swing had been absorbed by the unyielding bone, sending a jarring vibration through his axe and back into his arms. The impact had rattled his entire body.


    He was still thinking of how to proceed next, when he heard a scream that sent shivers down his spine, causing him to shiver slightly.


    He looked at the person that screamed¡ªthe young girl in his group¡ªand saw her pointing at the distance.


    He followed her fingers and his eyes widened in shock and fear. His body froze for a moment and his breath was caught in his lungs.


    Miguel couldn''t believe what he was seeing. A pack of six wolves was slowly approaching them, drooling savagely as they seem to eye them and the Mutant Boar''s carcass.


    He seem to recover himself the next moment as he gripped his axe tightly and prepared himself for the imminent battle to come. His knuckles whitened as he tightened his grip on the axe, waiting for the inevitable.


    He wanted to run but after he saw just how fast the Mutant Boar was, and with how big, and tall the wolves in front of him are, even taller than a Tibetan Mastiff, Miguel doesn''t see any chances of them escaping. This leaves them with no other choice than to fight.


    He watched as the wolves approached them slowly with heavy thud of paws against wet ground growing louder, punctuated by low, guttural growls, snarling menacingly, baring their teeth. In no time they were surrounded and being encircled.


    Miguel looked towards the building''s entrance, hoping for the lady to come to their aid. He wasn''t being too hopeful as he saw how badly injured they were from fighting the Mutant Boar, but he was still being hopeful as it was the only he had to hold up at this moment. Hope.


    While he hoped agd waited, he continued watching the wolves, hoping to react quickly when they attack.


    He saw the wolves inching closer to them and just as he thought that they are about to attack, he saw one of them turn to look at the building''s entrance, and he also followed its line of sight. What he saw caused a smile to bloom on his face.


    "They came." He muttered to himself. S§×ar?h the N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    He was only being hopeful but he didn''t really believe that they would come.


    "We should be safe now." He muttered to himself, relaxing slightly, as he looked at Leo, who was standing at the entrance of the building.


    The next moment, he saw the boy make his move as he blitzef towards them. In a matter of seconds, he arrived in front of them and slashed at one of the wolves.

 Chapter 39 The Wolf Pack (III)

    Leo stood in front of the wolf pack, gripping Nightshade tightly in his hand. He watched as they encircled him, trying to trap him and making sure that he doesn''t escape.


    He looked ahead and saw two wolves, one lying on the floor, whining loudly and licking its leg where a gash could be seen with blood bleeding out of it. And another standing in front of the injured, seemingly guarding it while glaring fiercely at Leo and growling intensely.


    The wolf lying on floor was the wolf that Leo had attacked initially, it got injured and just before Leo could finish it off, the one guarding it rushed in and saved it.


    Leo was surprised when he saw the second wolf''s action and just when he was about to continue his attack, the second wolf howled sharply and the whole pack turned their attentions to him and encircled him.


    For one, Leo was surprised by the pack''s action. He didn''t expect the type of coordination they exhibited and the fact that they were willing to switch their target to him because he injured one of their members baffled him a little.


    Leo had watched documentaries on wolves are exceptionally loyal to their pack and those in it, treating each other as family. But there''s a difference between hearing something and seeing it for oneself.


    Also, with the world changing and everything, Leo felt that the wolves should be behaving more like what they actually are; wild animals. But their actions seems to differ greatly from that.


    His initial intention for the wolves was just like the Mutant Boar; fight them and kill them, but the wolves'' reactions changes everything.


    Seeing how coordinated the wolf pack were when they surrounded him and how intelligent their leader is, gave Leo an very outrageous thought.


    ''Is is possible?'' he thought to himself.


    What Leo intends to do is to tame the wolf pack. Yes, game the wolf pack. The idea itself felt very ridiculous to Leo that the probability of its failing was staring at him right in the face.


    For starters, how does he intend to achieve that? Does he even know what had to be done and how it''s to be done? Actually the question that should be asked is why he wants to tame a pack of mutant beasts?


    Well, the answer to that is already obvious. The wolf pack is valuable to Leo alive than dead. Their excellent coordination and intelligent of their leader is something that Leo would want to make use of.


    But all these is based on if he actually succeeds on taming them and he has no idea on how he''s going to do that.


    "Hey Tia," he called out to Tatiana in his head, hoping for her hear him.


    He remembered how he heard her voice I his head and he was hoping that she would hear him. But unfortunately for him, whatever Tatiana did to speak to him directly in his head didn''t seem to be a two way thing as he got no response from her.


    He wanted to ask Tatiana if she has any information on how to tame beasts but that won''t be possible anymore.


    He looked at the wolf pack''s leader and he saw that it was licking the injury of the injured wolf, whining. Its whines seems to be filled with pain and anger. As if sensing Leo looking at it, it turned to him and howled sharply.


    Immediately, the wolves that had encircled Leo, attacked all at once. Leo immediately reacted as he dodged an attack coming from his left by sidestepping.


    He turned his head and saw two wolves lunging at his neck, and he quickly sidestepped again, dodging the attack.


    He wasn''t allowed a moment of respite when he saw something moving quickly from the corner of his eyes. He tried to dodge but he was too slow as he felt a sharp pain from the left side of his stomach.


    His instinctual reaction was touch the place where the pain came from and check what injured him but when he saw three wolves coming at once from all sides, he decided to get serious.


    He immediately switched the sharp side of his blade for the dull side and just as the first of the three wolves lunged at him, he swung hard at its belly.


    The wolf let out a sharp yelp as the dull side of the blade crashed in the side of his belly. It fell to the ground and started letting out continuous whimpering sounds.


    The remaining two wolves seeing their comrade on the ground, got enraged and attacked Leo immediately.


    They snarled and lunged at him but Leo was faster. With a quick set of movements, he arrived in front of them and struck down at their backs with the dull side of Nightshade.


    The two wolves reactions was just like the previous as they let out a loud, sharp yelp and fell to the ground, whimpering.


    After dealing with the two, Leo turned just in time to see something moving fast towards him. He reacted immediately as he swung his blade in that direction.


    The blade made contact with the attacking wolf and a clanging sound was heard, followed by a loud yelp and then continuous whimpering sound.


    Leo looked on the floor and saw the four wolves that previously surrounded him, now lying on the floor, curled up and whimpering in pain.


    Leo didn''t know what to make of this site. The wolves'' reactions didn''t seem to be that of those that came from the wild. They were unlike anything like the savage Mutant Boar.


    He was very curious to know why they were behaving the way they were but that might not be possible anymore, as he looked at their leader and he saw the rage burning in its eyes.


    The injured wolf was still lying on the floor and from what Leo could see, it was already on the brink of death.


    The next moment, what Leo knew was the pack leader moved and before he could react, it was already in front of him.


    He reacted immediately and swung his blade but the wolf was faster as it bent down, dodging, before immediately lunging at him.


    Seeing the wolf lunging at him, Leo wanted to dodge but with the distance between them being so small and his body still under his previous attack momentum, the only thing he can was to take the attack head on.


    Leo braced himself for impact but just as the wolf attack was about to land on him, Ms Ves appeared beside him in a blue and punched it.


    Ves'' punch sent the wolf flying wnd tumbling onto the ground.


    "Sorry, I''m late. I had to make sure that I got all of them to safety," She said, as she took an attacking stance beside him.


    Leo smiled and nodded at her in appreciation.


    Ms Ves was previously handling the task of rescuing and getting the other survivors to safety while Leo attracted the attention of the wolf pack and deal with it.


    Leo turned his attention back to the wolf pack leader, who was now standing on its feet and growling at them and now slowly approaching the two of them.


    The other wolves were previously whimpering on the floor were now also on their feet and slowly approaching them, following behind their pack leader.


    As he watched the wolf pack''s approach, his eyes moved towards the injured wolf on the floor and he saw that another wolf was now guarding it in place of the pack leader that was previously guarding it. S§×arch* The N?vel(F)ire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Seeing this, Leo got curious to know the reason why the injured wolf was being so closely guarded by the pack. Why is it so important? He didn''t get the answer to his question but it gave him an idea. A crazy one.


    Leo couldn''t explain why he was having this idea but something inside of him seems to be telling him to tame these wolves. And there''s something like a vague guide telling him how to go about it.


    Leo would be lying to say that he wasn''t confused by everything but how much the world changed in just a day, he knew that his guts is one of his biggest to surviving this world.


    And right now, that same guts is telling him to do something crazy. He has no idea why he was having these crazy ideas in his head in the first place but no matter how crazy the ideas are, they sounded better than killing off the wolves.


    Leo let out a deep breath as he looked at the injured wolf again, before turning to look at the wolf pack slowly approaching them and about to surround the both of them.


    "Ms Ves, I have an idea. Do you trust me?" He asked, as he continuing watching the wolves slowly approach.


    "With my life, Leo," Ves replied confidently.


    "Thank you. Now, please listen carefully," Leo said and told Ms Ves what to do.


    Immediately after he was done, he rushed towards the injured wolf and reacting to his action, the wolf pack turned their attention to him and rushed towards him.


    As Leo darted toward the injured wolf, the pack leader let out a thunderous growl. The wolves surged forward as one, their snarls echoing like a battle cry.


    "Keep them distracted, Ms. Ves!" Leo shouted, his pulse racing. If he could just reach the injured one...

 Chapter 40 Taming The Wolf Pack

    Leo jumped, narrowly dodging an attack from one of the wolves. He dove down, sliding and dodging another attack by just a hair breadth.


    He was inching closer to the injured wolf with every step but the pack were more determined to stop him, and their determination kept growing by the second and this was the same with their aggression.


    Ms Ves was behind him, doing her best to hold them back but they kept slipping through, until it was just the pack leader that was left. And now, the two of them were engaged in a very fierce battle.


    The wolf pack leader was also getting even more aggressive in its battle with Ms Ves and was giving her a very hard time. And to make things even more difficult for her, she''s yet to recover fully from her injury, causing her to experience pain with each exchange she had with pack leader.


    Leo knew that he has pick up the pace when he saw Ms Ves struggling and doing her best to hold back the pack leader. And he was also aware that she wasn''t going to last long.


    He knew that things would get even more difficult if the pack leader is join in the fray currently chasing after him, and this another reason for him to hurry things up.


    He continued running towards the injured wolf and in almost in front of it, with the only obstacle standing between him and it being the wolf that''s guarding it. And also, those chasing him from behind.


    He took a step forward and the next moment the guard wolf lunged at him, baring its fangs at him.


    Leo sidestepped, narrowly dodging the attack, but just as he prepared to move forward, he felt a sharp tug on his pants.


    Glancing down, he saw one of the wolves clamped onto the fabric, its teeth tearing into the material as it tried to yank it from his waist.


    Leo grunted and punched the wolf on the nose, causing it to release his pants and fall to the ground, whimpering in pain.


    Leo didn''t pay attention to its whimpering as he moved towards the injured wolf. He arrived in front of it and immediately knelt down beside it.


    The injured wolf growled weakly at him and tried to lung at him, but it collapsed back to the floor, whimpering in pain.


    The wolf pack paused in their attack when they saw Leo kneeling beside the injured wolf. And this included the pack leader.


    They started inching closer to the two of them, growling and snarling, as if warning him not to do anything to the wolf.


    He didn''t pay attention to them as he cut his palm with Nightshade, held the head of the injured wolf and brought his now bleeding palm to its mouth.


    Leo would be spewing nothing but falsehood if he said that he has any idea of what he''s doing, as he don''t. His whole line of actions has been him following his gut feeling. Or should he call it instincts.


    Bringing his crimson stained palm to the wolf''s mouth, he closed his eyes, trying to sense something within himself.


    Again, he has no idea what he''s doing as he was just following his instinctual feeling that guiding him.


    Slowly, Leo felt that his position change and he was no longer kneeling on the ground but floating in a dark space. There was nothing in the dark space except a massive spherical ball of swirling purple and golden lights that refused to mixed, floating in front of him like a sun.


    Leo was shocked by the massive purple-golden sun but he wasn''t able to pay too much attention to it as he felt something calling out to him from within it. S§×arch* The n??el Fire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    He concentrated his attention on whatever it was that was in the purple-golden sun that was attracting him.


    As he continued to focus on the purple-golden sun, he felt a presence in the sun and then a horrifying and crippling pressure descend on him, and he felt like he was being suffocated.


    Both the presence and the pressure was brief, disappearing almost immediately, like it was never there


    The next moment, he had no idea what happened as he found himself back in the real world. Before coming back to the real world, he seem to have seen the two colours of the sun trying to mix but he had no idea what happened afterwards.


    He was still kneeling on the ground, with the wolf head in his hand and his bleeding palm pressed to its mouth. But there was changes.


    The injured wolf that previously looked like it was on the brink of death and was now on its last breath, was now breathing steadily and the injury he inflicted on it has healed completely.


    Unlike before when the wolf was constantly whimpering in pain, it was now sleeping peacefully in his arm.


    That wasn''t the only changes as Leo felt he could now feel some sort of connection with the wolf. He could now hear its thought directly in his head, see into its memories and he could understand how it was feeling. And right now, it was extremely and glad that it could finally sleep after so long.


    But that wasn''t the most important change that Leo experienced. Unknown to him, in the dark space that the purple-golden sun was, the phantom of a wolf that looks similar to the one in his arm, was now floating in front of the sun.


    "So the both of you are siblings, huh?" Leo said to himself, as he caressed the wolf''s fur.


    He raised his head and saw that the pack had stopped inching closer to him and was now standing at a distance, looking at him and the wolf in his arm.


    But this wasn''t the same for the pack leader as it continued walking towards them, growling in a low voice.


    Leo''s body tensed up when he saw the pack leader walking towards them. He could feel that even after he healed his its sibling, it was still angry at him and still has the intention of attacking.


    Leo was feeling tensed because his body wasn''t in its peak condition. Whatever it is that he did to heal the wolf gas left him feeling very weak.


    "Sure, you can see your sister," he said, gesturing towards it.


    The pack leader looked at Leo cautiously, hesitating a little but when its eyes fell on its siblings, it threw all cautious to the wind and ran towards them.


    It got to where Leo and the wolf was. And it brought its head closer to its sister and whined in a low voice, nuzzling his nose and burying its nose into her fur for warmth.


    After a few minutes of it making sure that his sister was safe, it looked at Leo and took a couple of steps back. After that, it sank to the ground, its body pressed flat against the ground, its tail tucked between its legs and its head lowered.


    Seeing this, the whole pack followed suit, also submitting to Leo just like their pack leader did.


    Leo smiled and sighed in relief when he saw this. He felt like he just took a trip to an unknown place seeking for something that never was but was fortunate enough to get it.


    Leo wasn''t the only one feeling relieved and happy that the situation has been resolved as planned. Ves who was standing at a distance, with her bandaged fingers that were now covered in blood due to her injuries reopening, was smiling proudly at the scene.


    "It hurts." She winced, as she unintentionally tried to clench her fist.


    ....


    Meanwhile, in Leo''s apartment, Tatiana and Elda was standing in front of the window looking at the scene that just transpired in shock, disbelief and confusion.


    Even Elda who was the most experienced one between the both of them has no idea what just happened.


    It wasn''t the taming of the wolf that was shocking to her, as its isn''t something thats unheard of. Though beast taming is rare, it doesn''t mean that it doesn''t exist.


    Her shock was from the process that Leo used. All she knew was that Leo touch the wolf and the following moment, a very terrifying presence that caused her skin to crawl and cold sweat to full her back the enveloped him, and the surrounding for a brief moment before disappearing.


    It was like what she felt was an illusion but for someone like her who is a Overlord Rank, there are not that much people in the whole known universe that can make her feel this way.


    She was happy the presence wasn''t hostile as she couldn''t begin to imagine what their fate would be if it was.


    This made her to suddenly take the deal between her Miss and Leo serious. She has no idea whose descendant he truly is, but one thing she knew very well is that that those people aren''t ordinary.


    ''He''s favoured by that ''person'' and he has the aura of the universe''s two most powerful races around him. Leo, who are you truly? And why did the scent of your blood become even stronger? Young Miss, who did you get yourself entangled with?''

 Chapter 41 Beastmasters Bond

    Leo sat on the ground, his breath shallow and ragged, as the rain continued to drizzle.


    Around him, the once-ferocious wolves lay in submission, their fierce growls replaced with soft whimpers.


    His hand instinctively rested on the head of the injured wolf, now healed and sleeping soundly in his lap.


    "What just happened?" he muttered to himself, his eyes locking on the pack leader standing at a distance.


    Its golden eyes stared back and inside, Leo could see wariness and ... should he call it respect?


    The truth is that Leo was still confused by everything that just happened. The dark space that the purple-golden sun was, the purple-golden sun itself, the terrifying presence with that equally terrifying and bone chilling pressure.


    Everything to Leo felt he was thrown into a random place without anything or anyone to guide him, and he has to figure out everything for himself.


    Everything that happened also made him curious and for the first time, he started entertaining the thought of looking for his parents.


    He knew that the only way he can get answers to his questions is to look for them. The problem now is that Leo has no idea where to begin his search for them.


    The letter they left him didn''t have even a single clue as to where they might be. And not only that, from what Leo understood after reading it, his parents probably don''t want him to look for them.


    But if he doesn''t look for them, how will he get answers to his questions? How would he know what that terrifying presence, the dark space and the purple-golden sun is all about?


    Leo sighed when he thought of everything. Even if he wants to look for his parents, be can''t at the moment as he has even more important things to take care of.


    The first of such things is his strength. He has to become even stronger, get to the Exalted rank like Tatiana, surpass it and reach more rank above it.


    He knew that it if his feelings are right, then the reason why his parents don''t want him to look for him is because it''s dangerous. But even without him looking for his parents, Leo was aware that he has to continue growing stronger if he wants to survive this new dangerous world he now found himself.


    "I guess that''s that?" He smiled as he touched the place where he was injured during his fight with the wolf pack.


    As expected, when hw touched the place, be felt nothing, indicating that it has healed.


    "I wonder if I got anything new by successfully taming the beast," he murmured to himself, and called up his stats screen.


    [Name: Leo ****]


    [Level: 9]


    [Specie(s): Human, ****, ****]


    [Class: ¨C]


    [Title: None]


    ______


    [Strength: 21]


    [Agility: 21 (+15)]


    [Stamina: 20]


    [Intelligence: 13]


    [Mana: 100]


    ______


    [Stat Point(s): 0]


    ______


    [Skill(s): Regeneration (Innate), Beastmaster''s Bond (Innate)]


    ....


    "Beastmaster''s Bond..." Leo muttered to himself when he saw the new skill being displayed in his stat screen.


    Curiously, he focused his attention on the skill and he saw his stats screen change to information about it.


    [Beastmaster''s Bond (Innate Skill)]


    Type: Passive/Active


    Rank: Unique


    Mana Cost (Active): 50 MP to bond with a new beast


    Cooldown (Bonding Attempts): 24 hours per failed attempt.


    Skill level: 1


    Bond Limit: 1.


    Description: Allows user to form lasting bonds with beasts and monsters, granting control and a deep, empathic connection with bonded creatures.


    "Sounds like a good skill but I wish I can see what it actually does and not just the description," Leo said, after reading the new skill''s description.


    The skill''s description has already told Leo everything or almost everything he needs to know about it, but he was very curious to know more about it.


    He doesn''t believe that the skill was just as simple as the description is. There''s no way it would be that simple.


    As if you prove him right, a new screen popped up.


    [Beastmaster''s Bond (Skill Details)]


    Level: 1 (Progress: 0%)


    Bond Limit: 1 Beast


    Active Skills:


    Shared Vision: View surroundings through bonded beast''s perspective.


    Empathy Link: Sense emotions and pain of bonded beast.


    Passive Abilities:


    Pack Mentality: Slightly increases the agility and strength of bonded beasts.


    Alpha Presence: Bonded beast is less likely to flee and gains resistance to fear.


    ________


    [Bonded Beasts]


    [Name:¨C]


    [Species: Mutant Wolf]


    [Level: 6]


    [Abilities: Enhanced Agility, Enhanced Senses, Bone Claw, Regeneration.]


    ...


    "I see... So that''s how it is," Leo muttered to himself after reading the information being displayed on the screen.


    If there''s one thing has to say about the skin, it would be that it''s just as powerful as his [Regeneration].


    In fact, he can confidently say that the [Beastmaster''s Bond] skill is even more powerful than the first, as it''s a skill that gives offensive abilities through his bonded beasts.


    "Speaking about my bonded beasts, I''m yet to give a name to mine," Leo said, remembering the blank name section.


    "Why don''t I call you... Fifi? Shirt for Fiona." Leo smiled, as he caressed the wolf''s fur.


    Immediately, the blank space in the name section was changed and the name, Fiona, was now being displayed in front of it.


    Leo also noticed that his connection with the wolf seems to have to begin stronger after he gave it its name.


    "I guess I still have a lot to learn about my skill," he said, as he pushed himself up from the ground. Sear?h the Novel?ire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    His ragged and shallow breath was now steady, and he has recovered his strength, no longer feeling the same weakness he was feeling before.


    Standing up, he looked at Ms Ves who was cautiously standing behind the wolf pack leader. He could see that she was ready to act if the pack leader is to try and attack him.


    Leo smiled when he saw this. He was very happy and grateful to me Ms Ves for hmmwr assistance. It was due to her holding back the wolves that he was able to get to the injured one, and tame it.


    "Thank you, Ms Ves," he said, nodding his head.


    "You don''t have to, Leo," she said with a smile on her face.


    Ves was genuinely feeling very proud for Leo. She didn''t actually believe that his plan would be a success and he would be to successfully have the wolf pack submit to him, but he did and it made her extremely happy.


    "Leo, let''s get out of the rain. I don''t want you catching a cold," she smiled at him, and he nodded in agreement.


    Before going inside, Leo looked at the pack leader and instructed it on what to do next.


    "Guard the area and protect those dealing with the meat. Make sure no monster comes close to the area and alert us if any does come," Leo said, and he saw it glaring at him before to looking away.


    Leo smiled when he saw the pack leader''s reaction. Even though he wasn''t connected to it, he could guess what it was trying to say through its action.


    "Don''t worry, you guys will have some meat after they are done dissecting it."


    After he was done, giving instructions to it, he started walking towards the building.


    .....


    "Elda, was that supposed to happen during a beast taming session?" Tatiana finally asked after a long time.


    "That wasn''t normal," Elda muttered, her gaze fixed on Leo through the rain-splattered window.


    The oddity and scary presence that enveloped the surroundings when Leo was taming the wolf was something Tatiana had never seen before in her life. She thought that it might be due to her inexperience but after hearing what Elda said, she knew that it wasn''t exactly true.


    This further proved to her just how special Leo was and how wise it was of her to become partner with him.


    She actually never for once thought that he would try to tame the wolf. She could understand the reason why he did it but the fact that he succeeded was completely different.


    Another thing is that beast tamers are very rare, almost rare to the point of being non-existent. This made Leo''s value in her eyes to shoot up through roof.


    "Normal stopped applying to him a long time ago," Tatiana said with a smile.


    Tatiana could have never believed that she would see someone like Leo who had so many secrets in such a backwater world.


    "I guess I''m not going to be so bored after all."

 Chapter 42 The Groups Shock

    A tense and eerie silence enveloped the surroundings, only broken by the pattering of rain against the floor.


    Miguel and his group stood frozen in fear, shock and disbelief, but mostly fear, staring at the now-docile wolf pack surrounding the carcass of the Mutant Boar. This was the same for Grewishka and his group.


    The once-feral beasts, dripping with rain and terror, now appears subdued and stood quietly before Leo. These were the same beasts that were hell-bent on tearing him to pieces.


    It was a massive turnaround of events for them and no matter how hard they tried, they can''t understand anything that happened.


    But the wolves weren''t what was important right now. What was important is the fact that a very terrifying pressure enveloped the surroundings for a brief moment, almost killing them.


    The fact that they aren''t dead yet is more shocking when surprising than the now docile wolves.


    They all looked at Leo who they believe to be the source of the pressure and they shivered slightly. They can''t believe that such a young boy would have such terrifying pressure to him.


    Who was he exactly? They were very curious to know.


    Thinking of the pressure that made them helpless, Miguel tightens his grip on his axe, his knuckles white as he watches the wolves quietly spread out, guarding the perimeter.


    "What the hell¡­ just happened?" one of his group members whispers, his voice barely audible over the rain.


    His eyes dart nervously between Leo, the pack leader, and the sleeping wolf at Leo''s feet.


    Miguel doesn''t answer immediately. His gaze shifts to Leo, who is now standing upright, visibly drained and talking to the lady before turning his attention to one of the that seems to be the pack leader.


    "Did¡­ did he tame them?" the young girl in Miguel''s group asked, her voice trembling.


    Miguel''s eyes narrowed when he heard her question. From what he could see and with the fact that the wolves that were previously trying to attack Leo was no longer on his neck, the only explanation was that he tamed them. But the question is how?


    "I really don''t know, Mia." Miguel replied, as he continued observing Leo and the wolves.


    Leo finally turns toward the two groups and started walking towards them. His steps leaving muddy imprints in the rain-soaked ground. S§×ar?h the N??elFir§×.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    His hand brushes against the fur of the pack leader as he walks past it, and the massive wolf doesn''t react, only lowering its head slightly.


    "You''re safe now," Leo said to the group when he arrived in front of them.


    Miguel''s eyes darted between Leo who was standing in front of him and the wolves at the distance.


    "Are you sure? What if they attack us once you leave?" Miguel asked cautiously, carefully observing the wolves.


    Leo smiled and glanced back at the wolves, who remain alert but unmoving. He opens his mouth to respond but stops when he notices the unease in Miguel''s group.


    "As long as none of you provoke any of them, you can be rest assured that they won''t attack you. The reason why they surrounded you guys was because they wanted part of the Boar''s meat. They never actually intended to attack any of you," Leo replied, doing his best to reassure them.


    It was just as he said. The reason why the wolf pack surrounded the groups and the monster''s carcass was because they wanted part of it.


    They never in the first place intended to attack anyone in the group. Well, that''s if none of them trys to stop them.


    This was something that Leo got to know from Fiona''s memories. The wolf pack were actually from the same place as the Mutant Boar, a zoo that''s not quite far from their current location.


    ''I have to prepare in case more of the animals that was being kept there finds their way here. I can''t take anymore, so the only option would be to kill.'' Leo thought to himself when he remembered the information about the zoo.


    As for the wolf pack, due to the fact that the only one that Leo had tamed among them is Fiona, he wasn''t exactly sure of how they would behave towards others. But from what the pack leader told him and the information he got from Fiona''s memories, they have never without provocation, attacked humans before.


    Well, this would depend on their definition of provocation and from what Leo saw in Fiona''s memories, they weren''t exactly provoked but were attacked due to fear. Something that Leo found to be very logical as he would had done the same thing too.


    But that was then. Now that the wolves are under, or should he say that now that Fiona has been bonded to him, he intends to use her to control the pack as a whole.


    After saying what he wanted to say, Leo made his way into the building.


    Leo could see the fear and unease in the group''s eyes but he didn''t want to bother himself any longer. He has already explained the best way he could, it was left to them if they want to believe him. As for him, he has more important things to take care of.


    While Leo went back into the building, Ves decided to stay behind with the group. She knew that they were still scared and wary of the wolves, so as to prevent any incident from happening.


    She walked up to the sleeping wolf to carry it up and away from the rain, and immediately she got close to it, she saw that the pack started growling at her in a low voice, as it warning her to rethink whatever action she''s about to take. This was especially so for their leader who was now inching closer to her.


    Ves smiled when she saw this but she wasn''t bothered. She knew that pack was only looking out for one of their own.


    She carefully lifted up the sleeping wolf and startled walking towards the building, with the wolves watching her carefully.


    As Ves made her way to the building, the two groups finally mustered up the courage and decided to continue with what they were doing before they were interrupted.


    *****


    Tatiana and Elda were still discussing the strangeness of Leo''s process of taming the wolf when their expression turned solemn the next moment.


    "Princess, I will be back," Elda said, and disappeared.


    Tatiana nodded and turned to look out the window. She had no idea that her trip to come to the planet would lead her to meet someone like Leo.


    Remembering the reason why Elda left, she frowned and looked at the rainy sky.


    "I guess it''s going to start sooner than expected." She muttered to herself.

 Chapter 43 Cael VS Elda

    Some distance above Earth, an entity enveloped in white light, dressed in a white, shining attire that seems even brighter than the sun, with an halo above his head and white wings on his back, could be seen hovering and looking at the blue planet with a piercing glare.


    The angel''s form radiated a blinding light, his wings unfurling in celestial majesty, their edges shimmering with golden fire. Against the vast black void of space, he appeared like a burning star, his presence suffocating yet impossibly beautiful.


    Yes, the entity hovering above Earth is Angel and he seemed to be searching for something but no matter how much he looked, he can''t find whatever it is.


    "You''re the first to arrive, huh?" He seemed to ask the vastness of space around him.


    "Yes. The princess insisted we arrive early," Elda''s replied as she appeared behind the Angel.


    "So, she went through the stress of going to buy information from unverified sources when she could had just waited for the announcement from the Eternals of Balance?" The Angel asked, as he slowly turned to look at the lady in blood red dress, behind him.


    "Are you saying that this is what happened, Elda," he asked, as he looked at her with a piercing glare.


    Elda smiled when she heard the angel''s questions. She knew that if she answers affirmative to his question, then things might not go smoothly for Tatiana as the Angel before her might look for ways to disqualify her from the upcoming competition.


    And if that is to happen, then it''s going to affect her race for the throne. Something that she doesn''t want to see happen.


    Elda wanted to delay answering the question but seeing the piercing glare the Angel was giving her. Also, her delay in answering the question might just be the answer the Angel needs.


    She could also feel the air between them becoming very oppressive as the Angel was slowly releasing his aura. And this is even though they are in the emptiness of space.


    "Cael, the princess was only curious about the newly awakening planet and wanted to visit it earlier to see how it looks before the awakening. She didn''t have any ulterior motive," Elda said with her most convincing voice.


    Though she wasn''t exactly lying about the fact that Tatiana wanted to visit the planet before its awakening. No matter how strong an awakening makes the planet or its inhabitants afterwards, the destruct that it caused can never be erased.


    A lot of things would change to accommodate the introduction of mana into their environment and a lot of things would be built around it. But before the awakening, she wanted to see how mundane the planet and its inhabitants was.


    Cael looked at Elda intently when he heard her response. He knew that she wasn''t lying as he could feel it. Also, he knew that arriving early won''t give the Blood Princess an advantage over her other competitors, unless...


    Elda forced a smile, the angel''s piercing gaze making her muscles tense.


    "As I said, Cael, the princess was merely curious. Nothing more." She felt the oppressive aura tighten around her like an iron cage, her composure slipping for just a second.


    She straightened, masking the flicker of unease with a sharp breath.


    "I assure you, her motives are benign"


    "Then, do you know anything about the brief presence that was felt some moments ago?" Cael asked, giving an even more piercing glare.


    His gaze seemingly boring holes into her dress and body.


    "No, Cael. We were also shocked by it. It''s also the reason why I came here. I thought you might know something about it," Elda replied.


    There was no way that she was going to tell Cael that the presence came from a young boy who is one of the natives of the planet. She didn''t need to be told as she already knew what they would do to him.


    Elda''s crimson dress rippled faintly as her smile froze in place, the oppressive light of Cael casting sharp shadows across her sharp features.


    Her knuckles whitened, gripping her hands behind her back, yet her voice remained calm, even as resentment simmered under the surface.


    "Hmmm... Are you sure? Because I was definitely sure that the presence came from this planet," Cael said, looking at Elda intently, before turning his attention to the blue planet in front of him.


    "Though, what I don''t understand is why a presence that has a trace of divinity in it would be doing in such a planet. And how was he or she able to descend into it without turning it to dust?" He said, more to himself than to her.


    Cael was very confused by the brief divine presence that enveloped the planet and its surrounding. No matter how much he thought about it, he couldn''t wrap his head around it.


    What was the motive of the owner of that presence? As a presence that''s on par with his master, there''s no way that he doesn''t have his or her own domain to take care of. Then why come here?


    Cael sighed internally at the realization that he might never get the answer to his question. He turned to look at Elda one last time.


    Elda maintained her courteous tone, though her thoughts dripped with disdain.


    ''Look at him, parading his authority as if he owns the stars themselves. Cael, you''re just a dog on a divine leash.''


    "The tournament''s timeline has been accelerated," Cael said, his tone clipped. His golden eyes scanned the planet below.


    "The Eternals have declared it so. Whether it''s the divine trace or the planet''s awakening, this place is far more significant than anticipated. I''m just telling you this because I know it''s of no use to you. I will be taking my leave then. sea??h th§× N?velFire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    And please, if you get information on the presence from before, please let me know. You can come here and call me, I will appear immediately. Thank you in advance," he said and disappeared.


    Cael appeared a couple of distance away from Elda and the planet, a very solemn look on his face.


    "A trace of divinity in a forsaken corner like this? No, something doesn''t add up. Divinity does not simply manifest without purpose. If this is a deception or a sign of rebellion..." Cael''s gaze hardened, his wings flaring slightly.


    "I must uncover the truth before it festers." He said and disappeared.


    Immediately after making sure that Cael had truly left, the smile on Elda''s face faded, replaced with a disgusted and angry expression.


    ''That stupid pigeon. He acts all high and mighty because he serves a divine level being. Asking me to tell him when I get information on who the divine presence belongs to, like I''m his servant or what?''


    Her expression of disgust and anger was replaced with a frown when she remembered what Cael said about the the presence having a trace of divinity to it.


    ''But how does Leo have a divine presence around him?''


    She wasn''t able to sense it then as she had never come in contact with a divine level being all her life. It''s only people like Cael who have an entity like that as their master or have felt one before, would sense the familiarity and it''s even more difficult for her since it''s in a trace.


    She could already guess from the faint aura of the universe''s two powerful races surrounding Leo that he was related to them in one way or the other. And what Cael said about the presence proved her guess to be correct.


    "It seems like things are going to get very complicated going forward and the princess have thrown herself into it. I hope everything pans out." She sighed and looked at the blue planet in front of her.


    "Time to go back and start preparing for the upcoming tournament," she said, and disappeared from her position.

 Chapter 44 Discussion With Tatiana

    Leo walked into his apartment and the first thing he saw was Tatiana tapping a chair beside her, gesturing for him to come sit.


    He smiled when he saw this. He could already guess what she wants to do and since he was in the mood to entertain her, he decided to take his seat.


    "I thought I would never see you again," Leo said, as he took his seat.


    "Why?" Tatiana asked, smiling.


    "Well, considering how we parted ways last time, I thought maybe you''re already done." Leo answered, smiling back at her.


    Tatiana chuckled when she heard what he said.


    "I understand what you mean but you seem to be forgetting something," she smiled, as she looked into his eyes.


    "And what might that be?" Leo asked curiously.


    "We made a deal, remember? Friends with benefits," she replied, smiling mischievously at him.


    Leo couldn''t help but laugh when he saw her actions. He was very happy that Tatiana was back as it means that he now have his information well back. Maybe through her, he would be able to the answer to the question he has.


    The next moment, the smile on Tatiana''s face vanished and was replaced with a very solemn expression. She looked at Leo in the eyes, observing him as she asked:


    "Leo, I know you have your own secrets but there''s something you need to know about the this new world you find yourself. You can''t just go around displaying your strength however you wish."


    She paused and continued to look at him. She saw that he was no longer smiling and his expression has also become solemn like hers, and she smiled lightly in satisfaction.


    The smile was replaced by the solemn expression again as she continued what she was saying.


    "There are a lot of things that you don''t know yet and there are very powerful people that even I can''t do anything to. If those kind of people targets you because of the ability you displayed today or because of the terrifying presence that came from you today, I will be in a very difficult position.


    Just like I said before, Leo. You have to grow strong as fast as possible. I don''t need to tell you that your world is now crawling with dangers at every turns. It''s not just the mutant beasts, plants or the zombies. You''re also in danger from ordinary people."


    Tatiana looked at Leo, expecting him to say something but when she saw how silent he was, she knew that she had driven home her point.


    She sighed and looked outside the window, watching the raindrops racing the glass of the window.


    "There''s also something I want to tell you. Remember when I said that your world is about to become a battleground, that time is almost upon us. You will get an announcement very soon and after that, I will explain everything to you," Tatiana said, not taking her eyes off the window.


    Leo tapped on the table rhythmically, processing everything that Tatiana said. What she said was just an extension of everything that Ms Ves has been telling him after the world ended.


    The truth is that he was aware that him showing off such ability like that wasn''t exactly the best but it couldn''t be helped, especially with the situation they found themselves in. sea??h th§× n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    If he didn''t tame the wolves, then he would have to kill them and killing them would create more problems for them. The carcass ot the Mutant Boar is already too much to deal with, add the carcass of six wolves that are almost the same size as it wasn''t exactly the best decision.


    Also, with how intelligent the wolves are, they were more valuable alive than dead. Leo had already thought of multiple things he could do with them if they are alive but if they are dead, they are of no value to him.


    Their meat? Well, the meat of the mutant Boar is already more than enough and from what Ms Ves told him, it would be able to last them up to a month.


    And with the fact that everything he did was on instincts without any assurance that it would actually work, Leo felt that he couldn''t exactly be blamed.


    But even though his actions had a solid reason behind it, it doesn''t change the fact that he shouldn''t had been too open with it.


    Just like Tatiana said, what if some very powerful people targets him for his ability? Though he has no idea of these people that Tatiana who is a Exalted rank being would be worried about, one thing he knew was that they would be no joke.


    "Thanks, Tatiana," he said with a smile, before he stood and started walking to his room.


    "Where are you going?" Tatiana asked when she saw Leo standing up.


    "To my room, to take my bath. Would you like to join me? I actually don''t mind if you want to. Besides, we are friends with benefits, right?" He replied, giving her a mischievous wink.


    "Like hell I would like to join you. Go, go wash up, you smell like wet dogs," she said with a grossed out expression on her face.


    Leo laughed at her reaction and walked into his room. He kind of found it nice giving Tatiana a taste of her own medicine.


    After Leo walked into his room, Elda appeared in the living room and walked towards Tatiana.


    "What did the white feathered bug want?" Tatiana asked, with a frown on her face.


    "You can already guess," Elda replied, causing Tatiana to sigh.


    "Tch. They work so hard when they feel their territory being threatened or encroached on but can do nothing to help the mortals in their domains," Tatiana said with a slightly irritated voice.


    "There''s also something else you need to know, princess."


    "What is it, Elda?"


    "As expected, the tournament date has been moved forward. Also, the pigeon said that the presence has a trace of divinity to it."


    Tatiana''s eyes widened in shock when she heard what Elda said. Her expression of shock was replaced with a smile the next moment.


    "I see... So, that''s how it is."


    Elda saw Tatiana''s expression and knew that she was already scheming something in her head. She knew that the princess doesn''t like to be cunning most of the times as it''s always especially terrifying when she wants to.


    "Do you plan to tell him about this, princess?" Elda asked curiously.


    "No. We will let him find out about everything himself. Who knows? He might become complacent if we do." Tatiana replied.


    "But still, this is some great news. A divine presence. My boring and monotous life is really going to change for the better very soon, it seems." She smiled, and turned to look out the window, with her gaze fixing on Ves.

 Chapter 45 Showing Off, Schemes

    Inside the bathroom, Leo sat in the bathtub in a lotus form with his eyes closed, and a frown on his face.


    It''s been over half an hour now and he has been trying to go back into that dark space, but no matter how hard he concentrated, he can''t seem to get in.


    After a few more tries of futilities, he gave up and decided to take his bath.


    "I wonder why it''s so hard to get back into that dark space? Can I only access it when I''m using the [Beastmaster''s Bond] skill?" Leo asked himself curiously.


    He wanted to go back into that space to study it. He was very curious to know what it is, the purple-golden sun, the presence that he felt. He was curious about everything and wants to study them but unfortunately, he couldn''t access the dark space anymore.


    The memory of the dark space nagged at him. That overwhelming presence, the purple-golden sun, the suffocating pressure¡ªit wasn''t just strange, it felt important. Critical. And yet, he was locked out of it, like a door slammed shut in his face.


    He closed his eyes again, trying to replicate the feeling, but all he found was silence. Frustration bubbled up in him, his chest tightening. Was it because he wasn''t strong enough yet? Or was it something else entirely?


    Leo decided to not bother about it for now. He had this feeling that he would find himself back in that dark space very soon. Though he has no idea how soon is the very soon.


    Leo took his time, taking his bath, washing off all the dirt, blood and grime that has accumulated on his body from the two fights¡ªwith the Mutant Boar and the wolf pack.


    Meanwhile, downstairs, the two groups were struggling to cut up the body of the Mutant Boar. They were still in the rib section that they were before the whole incident with the wolves, and they have been trying everything in their power to break it but their efforts has all been futile.


    Miguel looked at his red, sore palms and sighed. He had tried hacking the bones with all his strength but whatever force he used always get redirected back to him, causing series of very jarring vibrations to ripple through his body.


    He turned to look at Grewishka¡ªthe leader of the second group¡ª and he saw that he wasn''t in any better condition than him.


    He saw how he was panting heavily and constantly rubbing his sore wrists, and he shook his head in disappoint.


    ''What a disappointment. I thought he was a tough one, who knew that he was actually putting on an act. He now looks like huge stuffed bear.''


    Miguel was unable to hold himself as he started laughing to his own his thoughts. He stopped almost immediately when he saw the everyone looking at him strangely.


    "Ahem... Guys, how do you all propose we take care of this?" He asked, pointing to the towering ribcage that arched above them.


    No one bothered to answer. They have all tried whatever they can but nothing seemed to be working. At this point, they just want to leave the carcass and go back into the building to wait out the rain but they knew it was currently impossible for them to do that.


    Miguel has already explained what might happen if they are to leave the bloodied carcass out in the rain, and the wolves were a perfect examples of it.


    They all were still thinking of what to do when Mia, the young girl in Miguel''s group, slowly walked towards Ves, who was walking towards them after dropping Fiona in the building''s ground floor.


    "Ms Ves, if you don''t mind, can you help us with the bones of the monster? We have been trying but we are not strong enough to do any damage to it," she said with a low voice, while looking up at Ves with pleading look in her eyes.


    "Sure." Ves replied, and started walking towards the monster''s carcass, following behind the girl.


    Even without the girl asking, she already had the intention of helping them out as she saw how they were struggling. So, she wasn''t bothered by the request.


    She looked at her bloodied bandaged fingers and smiled wryly. She didn''t understand why the healing of the wounds was taking so long. Compared to Leo''s, it was like it was moving at a snail pace, and this was coupled with the fact that it got reopened during her fight with wolf pack leader.


    ''Forget it. It would heal at its own pace. After I''m done, I will change the bandage and clean it again,'' she said to herself, as she arrived in front of the carcass.


    She climbed onto the body, walking on its what was supposed to be the interior of its body, creating squelching sounds as her leg stepped on the sinewy interior.


    She approached the ribcage and arriving in front of it, she touched it, running her fingers on it. She stopped feeling it and knocked on it lightly and the bone absorbed the force without the faintest give, producing a dull thunk.


    Feeling the toughness of the bone, Ves smiled as she took two steps back, before getting into a punching stance. Sear?h the n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    She drew back her fist, gathering every ounce of strength she had left. Her vision blurred slightly from the pain, but she forced herself to focus.


    The air trembled as her fist cut through it. As her fist connected with the towering ribcage, the sound of shattering bone echoed through the rain-soaked air.


    The recoil sent a shockwave through her injured hand, and she nearly stumbled.


    Ves cradled her hand briefly, hissing through gritted teeth.


    A loud defeaning boom was heard as her fist connected with the bone, followed by a strong gust of wind that whipped against the body of everyone close to her.


    After the wind had cleared, the once towering ribcage that had been reduced to nothing more than piles of broken bones on the floor.


    Grewishka and his group froze when they saw this. As people who didn''t see Ves in action against the Mutant Boar, they had no idea just how strong she was. Though they knew that she was strong from the fact that she was able to go head to head with wolf pack leader, but they had no idea just how strong.


    Seeing how strong she was, they felt that they had escaped from the maws of death without even having any idea of it.


    ....


    "What do you think about her, princess?" Elda asked, when she saw Tatiana observing Ves.


    Tatiana didn''t answer immediately as she continued observing Ves. Her mind had started walking in overdrive when she confirmed that the timeline of the tournament would be moved forward.


    The tournament is something that would determine her future as she intends to fight for the throne and take it from her stupid half brother.


    "She''s perfect, Elda. But we can''t make the same offer we we did with Leo. She doesn''t look that gullible but of I can get something that will interest her..." Tatiana replied with a smile.


    Elda''s eyes widened the next moment when she realized what Tatiana was talking about.


    "Princess, please don''t tell me it''s what I think it is," she said with a solemn voice.


    Tatiana smiled when she saw Elda''s reaction. It''s to be expected as what she intends to give Ves is something that would make her if not more human, but extremely powerful.


    ''Leo, Ves, I hope you all don''t disappoint me.''

 Chapter 46 Shopping Plans

    It took both Miguel''s and Grewishka''s groups almost the whole day of working hard, tirelessly, without any form of rest before they were finally done dissecting the body of the mutant boar.


    This was also with the help of Ves, who helped them to break the bones that were almost as strong as steel. If not, they wouldn''t even had been able to get anything done.


    By the time they were done, Grewishka and his group decided to take a small portion of the meat for themselves. This was contrary to their previous request of taking just a leg or two for themselves.


    Instead, they took the amount they felt would be enough for the for a single day or just two meals.


    There were reasons for this,or this and one of them is because of how unexpectedly heavy the meat of the Mutant Boar is.


    After Miguel had successfully cut off a leg for Grewishka''s group, they tried carrying it but even with the combined strength of eleven individuals, they were barely able to lift the meat up. They had to drop it barely a few seconds later as it was just too heavy for them.


    That was just one of the reasons but the actual reason is because of Leo and Ves. To be precise, it''s the strength that the both of them displayed.


    After witnessing just how strong Ves is for himself and seeing how capable the young boy, Leo is, Grewishka decided to move the location of his group''s base to the the residential building area where, to be right beside the two powerhouses.


    His thoughts were simple. Leo and Ves are strong and by far the strongest he has met since the world ended. Yes, it''s just been three days but in those three days, Grewishka had gone through multiple near death experience.


    Also, not only about Leo''s and Ves'' physic strength, the addition of the wolves changes everything. From the way Grewishka sees it, it increases their chances of survival by more than a thousand fold.


    With this, he thought, why not stay close to such powerful people and go into an alliance with them? No matter how he thought about it, it was more beneficial to him and group, than staying out all by themselves in such a dangerous world.


    His leader status? Well, that can go to hell. Would he tell a zombie horde that has caught up to him and were about to about to devour him that he''s the leader of group of a survivor group? Of course, do zombies or the monsters know reason? They would ravage him without mercy.


    Of course all these depends on if the two powerhouses themselves agrees to his request.


    Luckily for him, when he brought it up with Ves, she only asked how many survivors his group has and after he had given her the answer, she readily agreed.


    Grewishka would be lying if he said that he wasn''t surprised by how easily Ves accepted but when he heard her reason, he completely understood.


    "She''s right. No man can survive as an island in this new world. It might had been possible for some people before the world went to shit, but not anymore."


    Grewishka wiped the sweat from his brow, the metallic scent of blood clinging to his clothes.


    "Man... I thought I was tough," he muttered. "Guess not."


    He chuckled to himself, shaking his head. His mind drifted to a simpler time¡ªnights out, fast cars, and faster women. A crooked grin tugged at his lips as he remembered his college life and all the hot girls he used to bag and the majority of them that has turned into zombies.


    "Fuck. Why did Tinisha also have to turn. Her stuff was premium. Gawd dayum, that tightness and those thighs that could crush a man''s soul have become nothing more than a walking dead. What a waste." Grewishka unknowingly mused to himself out loud.


    His group members burst out into laughter when they heard what he said. They knew that Grewishka was a famous playboy but for him to be thinking of such thing during a time like this was really surprising.


    Nonetheless, they understood him as they too had lost a lot of people, both family and friends, since the world ended.


    The only thing they all can do is get stronger, if possible become as strong as the boy and the lady, and survive for as long as they can.


    ****


    Leo and Ves were seated in the living room of the apartment, discussing plans for tomorrow. They would had loved to go to bed immediately as the day has been a very busy one for them, from clearing the zombies in the building¡ªwhich they are yet to complete, to fighting the Mutant Boar, and then, there was also the incident with the wolves.


    All these in one day. If it wasn''t for their somewhat significant high level and their unique physique, they would had collapsed a long time ago like Miguel and his group that are sleeping like logs in their respective apartments.


    But even with that, their mental health could not be ignored. Right now, even Ves who has higher stats and more endurance than Leo due to her hambie nature, is feeling very tired and just wants to sleep.


    "Ms Ves, I will take the wolves out tomorrow. We will check out the surroundings and look for a supermarket as planned," Leo said, mapping out his plans for the next day.


    "Are you going alone? With just the wolves? Will you be ok?" Ves asked worriedly.


    She was aware that Leo was strong but going out on his own, even if it''s with the wolves is something she doesn''t want to agree to.


    "I think I will be fine. I don''t know if I will encounter other animals from the nearby zoos, that are now turned monsters. But I think I should be fine. I have the wolves with me and they aren''t weak. Also, I can use Nightshade''s abilities to run if I find myself in too much of a danger that I can''t fight through," Leo replied, putting on a reassuring smile. S~ea??h the N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    He was aware that the outside world was dangerous but he was confident about his own safety. It wasn''t arrogance. It was type of confidence that came from within. Even Leo himself has no idea how to explain it.


    Ves looked at Leo, thinking of ways to make him change his mind but when she saw the confident look on his face, she knew his mind was made up.


    "Then, I would take Miguel and his group, and continue clearing the zombies in the building. With their help, we should be able to get it done before the end of tomorrow," Ves said, and Leo nodded.


    "Then, I will be going to bed. I feel like dying right now," Leo said, as he stood up and dragged his feet to his room for the night.


    After Leo had left, Ves still say in the living room for a few more minutes, thinking of how she''s to proceed the next day, before going to her room for the night.

 Chapter 47 Strange Tree, Supermarket

    The sun had barely risen when Leo stepped out of the residential building, the wolves padding silently by his side. The ground was still damp from last night''s rain, and the morning air was crisp, carrying the scent of wet earth. The sky was a clear expanse of blue, with no clouds in sight¡ªa deceptive calm after the chaos of the past few days.


    Leo took a deep breath, savoring the fresh air. It was a rare moment of peace, but he knew better than to be lulled into a false sense of security. Danger lurked around every corner in this new world, and he couldn''t afford to let his guard down.


    "Let''s go," he muttered, and the wolves, led by the pack leader, followed closely behind him.


    His plan for the day was simple but risky. He would scout the area surrounding the residential buildings, mapping out any potential threats or hiding spots for monsters. After that, he''d head to the nearby supermarket to gather food, clothes, and other essentials.


    Normally, this kind of endeavor would require a team. But with their current shortage of manpower, Leo had no choice but to go alone¡ªwell, almost alone. He glanced at the wolves beside him, their sharp eyes scanning their surroundings. Their presence gave him a sense of security.


    The weakest of the pack was at least level 4, and their agility and strength far surpassed that of ordinary animals. Combined with Leo''s own abilities, including his [Shadow Steps] skill, he was confident in his chances of survival.


    Still, he couldn''t deny the risk.


    "Let''s just hope we don''t run into anything too nasty today," he murmured, tightening his grip on Nightshade.


    ---


    For over an hour, Leo and the wolves combed through the neighborhood, moving cautiously and keeping to the shadows. They checked alleyways, rooftops, and abandoned cars, searching for any signs of danger. But to Leo''s surprise, the area was unusually quiet.


    There were no mutant beasts prowling the streets, no zombie hordes lurking around corners. It was almost¡­ peaceful. Too peaceful.


    "Something doesn''t feel right," Leo muttered under his breath.


    He crouched beside Fiona¡ªthe wolf he had bonded with¡ªand ran his hand through her fur. The wolf''s ears twitched, but she showed no signs of distress. That, at least, was reassuring.


    They continued their sweep, and it wasn''t long before they stumbled upon something unusual. At the edge of a small park, Leo spotted a tall, solitary tree. Its branches stretched high into the sky, and its leaves were a deep, vibrant green. But what caught Leo''s attention wasn''t the tree itself¡ªit was the ground around it.


    The soil looked dead. It was cracked and dry, as if all the life had been drained from it. The grass around the tree was yellow and withered, creating a stark contrast against the lush foliage above.


    Leo approached cautiously, his eyes narrowing.


    "What the hell happened here?" he whispered.


    He knelt down and touched the ground. It felt brittle, crumbling beneath his fingers like ash. Yet the tree remained healthy and green, standing tall and proud amidst the desolation.


    Leo circled the tree, searching for any clues. Was this the result of some kind of mutant plant? Or perhaps a sign of something more sinister?


    "Strange," he muttered. "But I don''t have time to figure it out now."


    Making a mental note to investigate further later, Leo and the wolves continued their journey.


    ---


    After another twenty minutes of walking, they finally reached their destination¡ªa towering structure that loomed over the surrounding buildings. The supermarket was massive, easily as tall as the residential complex they were staying in.


    Leo stopped at a safe distance, crouching behind a rusted car to survey the area.


    His eyes widened in shock.


    The entrance to the supermarket was crawling with zombies. Dozens¡ªno, hundreds¡ªof them shuffled aimlessly around the parking lot and near the entrance. Their decaying bodies moved in jerky, unnatural motions, and their low groans filled the air, creating a haunting symphony of death. S~ea??h the novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Leo did a rough count, estimating the number of zombies to be well over a hundred. And that was just the ones he could see.


    "Wow," he breathed. "That''s¡­ a lot."


    He let out a sigh of relief, grateful that he hadn''t walked straight into their detection range. The last thing he needed was to alert a horde of zombies to his presence.


    "I was wondering why the area around the residential buildings was so quiet," he muttered. "Guess I found the answer."


    The zombies had gathered here, drawn to the supermarket like moths to a flame. It made sense. In the early days of the apocalypse, people would have flocked to places like this in search of supplies. The supermarket would have been a hub of activity¡ªa prime feeding ground for the undead.


    Leo observed the horde carefully, noting their movements and behaviors. Most of them seemed to be ordinary zombies, slow and mindless. But he spotted a few that moved differently¡ªquicker, more deliberate. Those were the ones he needed to watch out for.


    "Runners," he muttered. "Great."


    Leo leaned back against the car, running a hand through his hair. Taking on that many zombies alone was suicide. Even with the wolves, it would be nearly impossible to clear them all out without drawing more attention.


    But he needed to get inside. The supermarket was their best bet for finding long-term supplies.


    "What do I do?" he whispered, tapping his fingers against Nightshade''s hilt.


    The wolves sat patiently beside him, their eyes never leaving the horde. Fiona nudged his arm with her nose, as if sensing his hesitation.


    Leo smiled faintly. "Yeah, yeah. I know. I''m thinking."


    .....


    After a few minutes of contemplation and observing his surrounding, Leo came up with a rough plan. He couldn''t take on the entire horde, but he could try to draw a smaller group away and deal with them one by one.


    "Divide and conquer," he murmured. "It''s risky, but it''s the best shot we''ve got."


    He turned to Fiona and the other wolves, crouching down to their level.


    Before they began, Leo crouches beside Fiona and gently scratches her behind the ear.


    "Alright, girl. Here''s the plan. You take the others and create distractions. Lead the zombies away, but don''t engage unless you have to."


    Fiona growls softly in acknowledgment.


    "Stick to the shadows. If you sense anything unusual, howl. I''ll be listening."


    Fiona licks his hand before turning to the rest of the pack. The wolves spread out, each taking their positions as Leo gives a final glance toward the supermarket.


    Alright. Let''s get to work."


    Leo takes a deep breath and steps forward, his hand tightening around Nightshade.


    "Let''s do this."


    With one last glance at the supermarket and its zombie-filled entrance, he stepped out from behind the car, the wolves following close behind.

 Chapter 48 Caught In A Quagmire

    Leo stepped out from behind the rusted car, each step deliberate, his gaze fixed on the towering supermarket. The air was filled with a faint, metallic stench of decay lingered in the breeze.


    He took two steps forward, and almost instantly, hundreds of lifeless eyes snapped toward him.


    The silence shattered as a cacophony of guttural growls filled the air. The zombies, a grotesque combination of twisted limbs and rotting flesh, lurched toward him in erratic, jerky movements.


    Their hunger was palpable, their collective groans rising like a macabre symphony of death.


    Leo didn''t hesitate. His grip on Nightshade tightened, and he sprinted toward the shadow of a building nearby, his boots crunching against the wet asphalt.


    "Come on," he muttered, glancing over his shoulder at the horde closing in.


    The wolves, led by Fiona, sprang into action. They darted through the streets, splitting into groups, weaving between wrecked cars and debris. Their snarls mixed with the zombies'' growls, adding to the chaotic atmosphere.


    Leo reached the building''s shadow, his heartbeat steady despite the chaos behind him. Without slowing, he activated his skill.


    "[Shadow Steps]."


    The world around him shifted as he plunged into the shadow realm, his body melting into the darkness like ink spreading across paper.


    The cold, otherworldly silence of the shadow realm enveloped him. Here, time felt slower, and the colors of the real world faded into grayscale shades of black and gray.


    The zombies reached the spot he had been standing mere seconds ago, their grotesque faces twisted in frustration.


    They clawed at the ground, scratching at the darkened corner of the building, drawn to the lingering trace of his life force.


    Leo moved effortlessly through the shadow realm, making his way between the shadows cast by the buildings.


    His surroundings blurred as he crossed the distance between the abandoned structure and the towering supermarket. The two buildings'' shadows were connected, providing him with a smooth path.


    The supermarket''s massive entrance loomed ahead. Leo focused, deactivating his skill as he emerged from the shadows, stepping back into the physical world.


    Immediately, the stench of rot hit him like a sledgehammer.


    "Shit," he muttered, wrinkling his nose.


    He barely had time to adjust before the groans returned¡ªlouder this time. The horde was relentless.


    The zombies poured toward the entrance, their decayed hands clawing at the shattered glass doors. Their sheer numbers overwhelmed the flimsy barrier in mere moments.


    "Not good," Leo whispered, already moving.


    The wolves had done their job outside, drawing away part of the horde. But dozens of zombies remained inside the supermarket, shambling toward him from the aisles.


    Their clothes hung in tatters, their flesh peeling and grotesque, revealing muscle and bone underneath.


    Leo sprinted deeper into the supermarket, his footsteps echoing in the cavernous space. Shelves toppled over, their contents spilled across the floor¡ªrotting food, shattered glass, and abandoned personal belongings.


    The scene was a grim reminder of the chaos that had unfolded during the early days of the apocalypse.


    Spotting the escalator ahead, Leo made a break for it. The upper floors would provide a vantage point, giving him a better chance of navigating the store and avoiding the horde.


    But just as he reached the escalator, a sickening sound echoed from above.


    Thud¡­ thud¡­ CRASH! S§×ar?h the Nov§×l?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Leo''s eyes widened as he saw more zombies rushing down the escalator toward him, their grotesque forms tumbling over each other in a frantic bid to reach their prey.


    Some of them didn''t bother with the stairs¡ªthey threw themselves off the upper floors in a frenzy, their decayed bodies smashing against the ground below.


    The impact shattered their bones, reducing them to grotesque piles of flesh and bone. But the sight of the undead willingly sacrificing themselves to get to him sent a chill down Leo''s spine.


    "Fan-fucking-tastic," he muttered, adjusting his grip on Nightshade.


    The zombies that survived the fall dragged themselves across the floor, their broken limbs twisting unnaturally as they pulled themselves toward him.


    The air was thick with the sound of groaning, shuffling, and the sickening squelch of flesh against the blood-slick floor.


    Leo''s mind raced. He was boxed in¡ªthe entrance behind him was overrun, and the upper floors were swarming with undead. He needed a plan. Fast.


    The nearest zombie lunged at him, its rotting teeth snapping mere inches from his neck. Leo sidestepped, spinning Nightshade in his hand before slamming the blunt side of the blade into the creature''s head. The zombie crumpled to the ground, its skull caved in.


    "One down," Leo muttered. "Only a hundred more to go."


    More zombies surged toward him. He swung Nightshade again, the blade slicing cleanly through one zombie''s neck, severing its head. Blood sprayed across the floor, but Leo barely registered it.


    His focus was on survival.


    He darted toward a nearby aisle, weaving between toppled shelves and scattered debris. His goal was to create distance, to buy himself time to come up with a plan. But the zombies were relentless, their numbers growing with every passing second.


    "Think, Leo. Think."


    He glanced around, searching for anything he could use to his advantage. His eyes landed on a toppled display of canned goods.


    "That''ll work."


    Leo grabbed a few cans and hurled them across the supermarket. The loud clatter echoed through the space, drawing the attention of several zombies.


    "Come on, follow the noise," he muttered.


    The distraction worked¡ªfor now. A portion of the horde broke away, shuffling toward the sound, but they turned back almost immediately.


    But that little distraction was enough for Leo, as he took the opportunity to move toward the employee-only area near the back of the store. He pushed open the door and slipped inside, quickly barricading it with a metal cart.


    Breathing heavily, Leo leaned against the wall, his mind still racing.


    "I need a better plan," he whispered to himself.


    He looked around the room and saw the glowing screens of the supermarket''s CCTV cameras. He also saw a red device on the wall that has something that reads "Fire Alarm" on it.


    Also, there was a door connected¡ªdifferent from the one he got in through¡ªconnected to the room.


    Seeing this, Leo suddenly had a plan as he moved towards the screens.


    Leo scanned the supermarket''s CCTV screens, his eyes darting across the grainy black-and-white footage. The cameras covered most of the building, showing clusters of zombies wandering the aisles, some dragging broken limbs while others moved with unsettling speed.


    He spotted Fiona and the other wolves outside, circling the building to keep any stragglers from returning.


    "Good. They''re doing their job," he muttered.


    But inside, it was a different story. The horde was spreading out, hunting for him, their grotesque forms lumbering through the shattered shelves and wreckage.


    Then his gaze shifted to the fire alarm on the wall and he nodded in understanding.


    "Perfect."


    He quickly assessed the plan forming in his mind. The fire alarm would activate the sprinklers and, more importantly, set off a loud, piercing siren that would draw every zombie inside the store to one location.


    With the horde gathered in one spot, he could either slip away unnoticed or take out a large chunk of them if he could find a weapon capable of mass damage.


    Leo glanced at the secondary door in the room, leading deeper into the supermarket''s restricted areas. He didn''t know what was back there, but he hoped to find something useful.


    "Alright. Time to make some noise."


    He moved to the fire alarm and hesitated for a moment. Once he pulled it, there was no turning back.


    "Let''s do this."


    Leo yanked the lever down.


    A deafening siren blared through the supermarket, echoing off the walls and drowning out the zombies'' groans. The sprinklers activated, drenching the store in a steady downpour of water.


    The zombies reacted immediately. Their heads snapped toward the source of the noise, and they began shuffling toward the employee-only area, their hunger driving them faster.

 Chapter 49 Leaving The Supermarket, Danger

    Leo darted through the door to the employees-only room, his footsteps echoing in the confined space. He didn''t stop to think.


    The blaring siren was drowning out all other noise, but he knew the horde would breach the barricade any second. The metallic thud of the zombies'' relentless assault against the door sent a chill down his spine.


    His grip on Nightshade tightened as he pushed the door open and slipped inside. He took a quick glance behind him, watching as the metal cart wedged against the door rattled under the weight of the undead pressing against it. Time was running out.


    "This was reckless," Leo muttered under his breath as he closed the door behind him. "But there''s no turning back now."


    .....


    The room he found himself in was dimly lit, the faint flicker of emergency lights casting shadows across the walls. As his eyes adjusted, Leo quickly realized he was standing in the supermarket''s loading dock. The space was large and mostly empty, save for a few abandoned pallets and scattered crates. The faint scent of mold and motor oil lingered in the air, mixing unpleasantly with the distant stench of decay.


    Leo''s tense shoulders relaxed slightly as he took in his surroundings. The loading dock provided a glimmer of hope¡ªa way out of this nightmare. Large, roll-up doors lined one side of the room, leading to the outside. If he could get one open, he might just escape the supermarket without drawing the horde''s attention.


    He moved cautiously through the dock, his boots thudding softly against the concrete floor. His gaze darted between the shadows, searching for any sign of movement.


    Zombies weren''t the only threat anymore. The world had changed drastically in the last three days, and Leo knew better than to let his guard down. S§×ar?h the N?vel(F)ire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    He approached the nearest door, examining the large rolling mechanism and thick chains used to pull it open. His fingers brushed against the metal, cool and slightly greasy to the touch.


    "This could work," he thought. "But I need to be sure the coast is clear."


    .....


    Leo closed his eyes and concentrated, reaching out through his [Empathic Link] to Fiona. The connection between them was growing stronger, more intuitive. He didn''t need to speak out loud to communicate; his thoughts flowed directly into her mind.


    "Fiona, check the area around the loading dock entrance. Make sure it''s clear before I open this door."


    A brief pause followed, during which Leo felt a wave of reassurance wash over him. Fiona was responding¡ªnot with words, but with emotions. He felt her determination, caution, and loyalty radiating through the bond.


    Moments later, her thoughts brushed against his mind. "Clear."


    Leo smiled faintly. "Good girl."


    .....


    With renewed confidence, Leo grabbed the thick chain connected to the roll-up door. He gave it a hard pull, the muscles in his arms straining as the door groaned in protest. The sound was loud¡ªtoo loud¡ªbut he had no choice.


    The chain rattled as the door began to rise, the metal slats coiling upward with each tug. The noise echoed through the loading dock, a grating, metallic screech that set Leo''s teeth on edge. He winced but kept pulling, determined to get the door open.


    When the door finally rolled up completely, Leo was greeted by the sight of the parking lot behind the supermarket. It was deserted, save for a few abandoned cars and overgrown weeds poking through cracks in the asphalt. The morning sun cast long shadows across the pavement, and for a moment, everything seemed eerily peaceful.


    Leo took a cautious step outside, his eyes scanning the area. No zombies in sight.


    "So far, so good."


    .....


    Leo took a deep breath, savoring the fresh air. It was a stark contrast to the stifling, decaying atmosphere inside the supermarket. He leaned against the doorframe, allowing himself a brief moment of rest.


    "This was reckless," he admitted to himself. "I should''ve been more prepared."


    The truth was, his decision to venture into the supermarket had been driven by necessity. The residential building he and the others were staying in still had water, electricity, and some food, but those resources wouldn''t last forever. The electricity was a particular concern¡ªit had been a stroke of luck that the power grid was still functional, but Leo wasn''t naive. It could cut out at any moment.


    And when it did, all the *mperishable food in their refrigerators would spoil.


    He sighed, running a hand through his damp hair. "I can''t afford to wait for things to go wrong. I need to fix them before they do."


    Still, he couldn''t deny that he had underestimated the danger. The number of zombies inside the supermarket far exceeded his initial estimate. It was a mistake born from inexperience¡ªa rookie error in a world where such mistakes could be fatal.


    "I won''t make that mistake again."


    ---


    Leo pushed off the doorframe and stepped fully into the parking lot, his boots crunching against the gravel. Fiona and the other wolves emerged from the shadows, their eyes alert and ears perked.


    Leo knelt beside Fiona, running a hand through her fur.


    "Good job, girl," he murmured. "You did great."


    Fiona nuzzled his hand in response, her warm breath puffing against his palm.


    Leo stood and took another look around. The parking lot stretched out before him, bordered by the empty streets of the surrounding neighborhood. He could see abandoned houses in the distance, their windows shattered and doors hanging ajar.


    The world was eerily quiet¡ªtoo quiet.


    "Something''s not right."


    .....


    Leo''s instincts screamed at him to remain cautious. The silence was unnatural. In a world overrun by zombies and mutant creatures, there was rarely any peace. The absence of noise usually meant that something was lurking nearby.


    He turned to the wolves.


    "Spread out," he instructed through the empathic link. "Check the perimeter. If you sense anything unusual, alert me immediately."


    The wolves obeyed without hesitation, splitting into pairs and fanning out across the parking lot. Their movements were graceful and silent, their keen senses tuned to detect any threats.


    Leo, meanwhile, moved toward one of the abandoned cars. He peered through the cracked window, scanning the interior for anything useful. An empty backpack lay on the passenger seat, and he quickly smashed the window with Nightshade''s hilt to retrieve it.


    "Every little bit helps," he muttered, slinging the backpack over his shoulder.


    ...


    Just as Leo was about to return to the loading dock, a piercing howl echoed through the air.


    His head snapped toward the source. It was Fiona.


    "Damn it," Leo cursed, sprinting toward the sound.


    He found Fiona standing at the edge of the parking lot, her body tense and ears flattened. She was staring into the distance, where a figure was slowly emerging from behind one of the houses.


    As the figure drew closer, Leo''s eyes widened.


    It wasn''t a zombie.


    It was something far worse.


    A mutant creature, standing taller than any man, its body, huge and grotesque looking, like the combination of man and monster. Its skin was covered in chitinous armor which is actually its fur. It also has long, clawed limbs jutted out at odd angles. Its eyes glowed with an unnatural light, filled with rage and malice.


    The creature let out a guttural snarl, and Leo''s heart skipped a beat.


    "Well¡­ shit."

 Chapter 50 Fighting The Mutant Creature

    The creature towering before Leo was grotesque¡ªa horrifying mockery of what should have been a majestic beast. At first glance, one could mistake it for a mutated gorilla, but as Leo took in its twisted form, he realized there was something far more sinister about it.


    The thing standing before him was no mere mutant animal; it was a monster born from the apocalypse.


    Standing at an intimidating 9 feet tall, the creature''s frame was a brutal combination of raw muscle and grotesque deformity. Its ashen gray fur clung to its body in patches, the rest of its form covered in hardened black chitin-like armor that gleamed dully in the morning light.


    The armor encased its chest, shoulders, and forearms, creating natural plating that looked impervious to most weapons.


    The creature''s face was a nightmarish visage of rage and brutality. Its once-ape-like features were twisted beyond recognition¡ªits eyes glowed a furious red, burning with feral intensity. Thick veins pulsed visibly beneath its armored hide, hinting at the raw power coursing through its body.


    Its jaw was grotesquely oversized, jutting forward unnaturally. Rows of jagged, shark-like teeth filled its maw, each tooth looking capable of tearing through flesh, bone, or even steel. When the creature bared its teeth, it let out a deep, guttural snarl that reverberated through the air.


    But the most terrifying part of the creature''s anatomy was its arms. They were thick as tree trunks, covered in both fur and hardened armor. Each hand ended in massive claws, bone-white and razor-sharp, each claw as long as a human forearm. The sheer size and lethality of those claws left little doubt in Leo''s mind¡ªthis creature was a predator, designed to tear its prey apart with brutal efficiency.


    Leo took a slow step backward, his heartbeat steady but his mind racing. This wasn''t like the wolves or the Mutant Boar. This was on another level entirely.


    "Okay, this is bad," Leo muttered under his breath, his gaze never leaving the beast.


    The ape-like monster snarled again, its glowing eyes locked onto him. Leo could feel the weight of that gaze¡ªit wasn''t just animalistic hunger; it was focused rage, as though the creature recognized him as a threat.


    ....


    Leo gripped Nightshade tightly, his knuckles turning white. His mind raced as he calculated his options.


    "Alright, let''s be real," he thought. "I''m probably not strong enough to take this thing down head-on."


    He could feel the tension in his muscles, the familiar rush of adrenaline surging through his veins. His instincts screamed at him to run, but he forced himself to stay rooted in place. The creature was blocking the most obvious escape routes, and Leo knew that turning his back on a predator like this would be a death sentence.


    Still, Leo wasn''t entirely without a plan. He''d already scoped out the loading dock''s layout and identified several escape points if things went south. [Shadow Steps] would give him an edge in mobility, but he needed to conserve his mana.


    "Fight smart, not hard," Leo reminded himself.


    ...


    The creature''s muscles tensed, and Leo recognized the telltale signs of an impending attack. It let out a bone-chilling roar, its jaws opening wide to reveal those razor-sharp teeth.


    The sound was deafening, echoing across the empty parking lot.


    Without warning, the creature charged forward.


    The ground shook under its massive weight, each step leaving deep indentations in the asphalt. It moved with terrifying speed, far faster than something of its size should have been capable of.


    Its massive arms swung with brutal force, tearing through the air as it tried to close the distance between them. Sear?h the n??el Fire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Leo barely had time to react. He dove to the side, rolling across the wet ground just as one of the creature''s claws slashed through the spot where he''d been standing. The impact sent chunks of asphalt flying into the air, the ground splitting beneath the creature''s claws like soft clay.


    "What the...," Leo hissed as he scrambled to his feet.


    The creature didn''t pause. It whirled around, its red eyes locked onto Leo once more. There was no hesitation in its movements¡ªit was a relentless predator, and Leo was its prey.


    .....


    Leo darted backward, keeping his distance as the beast lunged at him again. This time, he activated [Shadow Steps], slipping into the shadows just as the creature''s claws sliced through the air.


    He emerged from the shadows several meters away, crouched behind an abandoned car.


    "Okay, it''s fast," Leo muttered, peering over the hood of the car. "Really fast."


    The creature let out another snarl, sniffing the air as it searched for him. Its massive chest heaved with each breath, the armor plates rising and falling like shields of living metal.


    Suddenly, the beast lunged forward again. Its powerful arms grabbed the car, lifting it effortlessly before hurling it across the parking lot. The vehicle crashed into a nearby lamppost, crumpling like a tin can.


    Leo''s heart skipped a beat.


    "It can throw cars. Great."


    .....


    Realizing he couldn''t keep dodging forever, Leo took a deep breath and adjusted his grip on Nightshade. He needed to test the creature''s defenses and figure out if it had any weak points.


    As the beast charged again, Leo sprinted toward it, ducking low to avoid its massive claws. He swung Nightshade with all his strength, aiming for the creature''s unprotected leg.


    The blade bit deep into the monster''s thigh, cutting through muscle and fur. Black, tar-like blood spurted from the wound, splattering across the ground.


    The creature let out a roar of pain, staggering backward. But instead of retreating, it slammed its fist into the ground, creating a shockwave that sent Leo flying backward.


    Leo hit the ground hard, the impact knocking the wind out of him. He gasped for air, his vision swimming as he struggled to get back on his feet.


    "It''s stronger than I thought," he muttered, wiping blood from his lip.


    The beast snarled again, its glowing red eyes burning with even more rage. The wound on its leg was already starting to heal, the black blood coagulating rapidly.


    "Oh, come on, Really?" Leo groaned. "It has regeneration too?"


    .....


    Leo glanced at the wolves circling the perimeter. Fiona growled low, her eyes never leaving the creature. She was waiting for his command.


    "Not yet," Leo thought. He couldn''t risk the wolves getting hurt¡ªnot against something this powerful.


    The beast crouched low, preparing to charge again. Leo took a deep breath, tightening his grip on Nightshade.


    "Alright," he whispered to himself. "Time to stop running."


    As the creature lunged toward him, Leo charged forward, meeting it head-on.

 Chapter 51 Fighting The Mutant Creature (II)

    Leo''s muscles tensed as the beast lunged toward him. The asphalt cracked beneath its feet with every step, and its glowing red eyes burned with murderous intent.


    The creature was relentless and it was coming straight for him.


    ....


    Leo clenched his jaw, his mind racing through his options. He could run. He could hide.


    He could use [Shadow Steps] to slip away unnoticed as was his thoughts initially, bit when he remembered that the residential building just a few blocks away, he knew it was no longer an option.


    He can''t run. Not with Ves and the others relying on him.


    If this monster reached the building, it would tear through everyone there without mercy. Miguel, his group, even the wolves¡ªthey''d all be slaughtered.


    "I can''t let it get to them," Leo muttered, his grip tightening on Nightshade.


    Though he hasn''t known Miguel and his group for a day, he doesn''t want to be the cause of their death.


    "I need to end this here."


    The beast roared, the sound reverberating through the air like a thunderclap. Leo braced himself, his mind already formulating a plan.


    Leo gritted his teeth, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth. His body ached from the relentless onslaught of the monstrous creature towering over him.


    Every swing of its colossal claws sent shockwaves through the ground, each strike pushing him closer to the edge of his limits.


    He wasn''t winning this fight.


    The beast was relentless, its glowing red eyes locked onto Leo with unyielding fury. It moved faster than anything that size should, each step leaving cracks in the asphalt, its claws capable of ripping through steel.


    Leo''s heart pounded in his chest as he ducked another swipe, narrowly avoiding decapitation.


    The creature''s claws tore through a nearby van, slicing it clean in half. Metal screeched, sparks flew, and the van''s remains crashed to the ground with a deafening clang.


    "Holy," Leo muttered, rolling to his feet. His mind raced. He couldn''t keep dodging forever. His stamina was draining fast, and the creature showed no signs of slowing down.


    "I can''t let it get to the others," he reminded himself. The residential building wasn''t far, and if this thing reached it, everyone would die.


    This fight wasn''t just about his survival¡ªit was also about protecting the people who depended on him.


    ---


    Leo activated [Shadow Steps], vanishing into the shadows just as the monster crashed into a parked car.


    The vehicle didn''t survive as it exploded into a twisted mess of metal and glass, debris scattering across the lot.


    Leo emerged from the shadows behind the creature, and with a swift motion, he activated [Venomous Edge], coating Nightshade''s blade with a dark, liquid-like substance. He lunged forward, aiming for the creature''s unprotected leg.


    The blade struck true, slicing through muscle and fur. Black, tar-like blood spurted from the wound, splattering across the pavement.


    The monster howled in pain, its roar reverberating through the air. But it didn''t retreat, as it whirled around with terrifying speed, its claws slamming into the ground where Leo had been standing.


    Leo barely managed to dodge, but the tip of the creature''s claws still grazed his side, ripping through his jacket and leaving a deep gash in his ribs.


    "Fuck!" Leo stumbled back, clutching his side as blood seeped through his fingers.


    The beast didn''t give him a chance to recover. It charged again, its massive fists pounding the ground with enough force to create a small crater. Leo was sent flying, his back slamming into a concrete wall.


    The impact knocked the wind out of him. He gasped for air, his vision swimming. His ribs felt like they were on fire, and he was certain at least two were broken.


    "I can''t keep taking hits like this," he thought, struggling to his feet. "I need to slow it down."


    Leo planted his feet firmly on the ground, and raised one up, before bringing it down, hitting the ground and activating his skill:


    [Seismic Stomp].


    The ground trembled as he slammed his foot down, sending a shockwave rippling outward. The asphalt cracked and split, creating a deep fissure that snaked toward the beast.


    The shockwave hit the creature head-on, causing it to stagger. It let out a guttural snarl, momentarily disoriented. S§×arch* The novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Leo didn''t waste the opportunity. He charged forward, swinging Nightshade in a wide arc. The blade bit deep into the creature''s shoulder, venom seeping into its bloodstream.


    For a moment, it seemed like the tide of the battle was turning.


    But the beast was far from defeated.


    It roared in fury, shaking off the effects of the venom. With a burst of speed, it closed the distance between them and grabbed Leo by the arm.


    Leo''s eyes widened in horror as the creature lifted him off the ground.


    The beast squeezed.


    Bones cracked.


    "Arghh!"


    Leo let out a bone chilling scream as pain shot through his body. The creature''s grip was like a vice, crushing his arm with terrifying ease.


    Desperate, Leo threw Nightshade to his other hand, catching it, he stabbed the creature''s hand, forcing it to release him, as it screamed in pain.


    Leo took advantage of the opportunity as he ran and hide behind a car, and immediately activating his skill [Cloak of Shadow].


    His mana was running low but the creature doesn''t look like it''s going down anytime soon.


    Leo cradled his broken arm that was on the verge of being broken off by the creature.


    "Shit¡­ shit¡­" he panted, actually cursing for the first time.


    His sweat mixed with the blood on his face. His vision blurred, and his knees threatened to buckle.


    His left arm hung limply at his side, dislocated and fractured.


    "I''m not going to make it¡­"


    ...


    The beast stomped toward him, each step shaking the ground. It was bleeding heavily from the wounds Leo had inflicted, but it didn''t seem to care. If anything, the pain only made it angrier.


    Leo gritted his teeth, refusing to back down. He forced himself to stand, using Nightshade as a crutch.


    "I need¡­ one more hit," he muttered, his voice shaky. "Just¡­ one more."


    The beast lunged again.


    Leo activated [Shadow Steps], disappearing into the shadows once more. He reappeared behind the creature, aiming for its exposed back.


    His mana pool was almost dried up now but he didn''t care as he raised Nightshade, the blade glowing with venom.


    But the beast anticipated his move.


    With a deafening roar, it spun around, its massive fist slamming into Leo''s chest.


    Leo was sent flying again, crashing into a pile of rubble. His body crumpled to the ground, limp and broken.


    .....


    Leo lay in a pool of his own blood, gasping for breath. His vision blurred, and his thoughts became hazy.


    The beast approached slowly, its glowing red eyes filled with cold, calculating rage. It loomed over him, its massive claws raised for the final blow.


    Leo tried to move, but his body wouldn''t respond.


    "I¡­ can''t¡­ die here," he thought, his mind racing. "Not yet¡­"


    But as the creature prepared to strike, a familiar howl pierced the air.


    Fiona.


    Even through the haze of pain, he could feel her presence through their bond.


    The beast hesitated, turning its attention toward the approaching pack.


    Leo''s vision faded to black, his consciousness slipping away.


    The last thing he saw was Fiona lunging at the beast, her fangs bared.


    And then, darkness.


    But before darkness claimed him, a terrifying thought echoed in his mind: Was it enough?

 Chapter 52

    Ves was clearing the 18th floor of the residential building alongside Miguel''s group when she heard a loud, earth-shaking roar, followed by a rumbling sound that seemed to reverberate through her bones.


    Ves froze mid-strike. Her fist, which had just connected with a zombie''s skull, paused as the sound sent a chill down her spine.


    "Leo¡­" she whispered.


    Her heart pounded as the ground beneath her feet rumbled slightly, followed by another roar that seemed closer this time.


    Her heart sank.


    She clenched her fists, panic rising in her chest. She tried activating [Life Force Detection], but her range wasn''t enough to locate Leo. The absence of his unique purple-golden flame only heightened her dread.


    "Dammit!" she hissed. She activated [Predator Sight], as she scanned the surroundings. Still nothing.


    She stood frozen for a moment, before a familiar howl pierced the air. Fiona''s.


    Ves''s eyes widened, her body moving instinctively toward the elevator at the end of the hall.


    "Ms. Ves!" Mia called out, but Ves didn''t stop. Her legs carried her forward, as if she was on autopilot. S§×arch* The ¦ÇovelFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ....


    Mia watched Ves disappear into the elevator, worry etched into her features. Her gaze returned to the incapacitated zombies sprawled across the floor.


    "He''ll be okay¡­ right?" one of the men asked nervously.


    Mia''s grip on her daggers tightened when she heard the man''s question.


    "We can only hope," she said coldly, her gaze hardening as she turned back to the crippled zombies on the floor.


    "But if anything happens to them¡­ we''re screwed."


    Hatred burned in her chest. It was a type of rage she had never known before the world fell apart. Three days ago, those creatures were people. Friends. Neighbors. Family.


    Now they were monsters.


    She gripped the twin daggers Ves had given her, even more tightly, causing her knuckles to whiten.


    "You took everything from me," she muttered, her voice trembling with fury. "My parents. My sister. Everything."


    With cold movements, Mia approached a zombie that twitched on the floor. Its cloudy, lifeless eyes stared at her, unseeing, as she raised the dagger.


    She didn''t hesitate.


    The blade sliced through the creature''s neck effortlessly. Blood spurted from the wound, splattering her hands and face, but she didn''t flinch.


    [You have acquired Level 1 Normal Zombie Life Force.]


    [You have reached Level 2. You have received three stat points.]


    Mia barely registered the notification. Her mind was consumed by hatred as she moved to the next zombie.


    "I''ll kill every last one of you."


    ****


    Meanwhile, Ves burst out of the building, the cold air hitting her face but she barely registered it.


    She didn''t stop to catch her breath. Her feet pounded against the wet pavement as she pushed her speed to its limit, racing toward the source of the sound.


    "Leo¡­ please be okay," she muttered, her heart hammering in her chest.


    She activated her detection skills repeatedly as she ran, hoping¡ªpraying¡ªto sense Leo''s unique life force. But still, nothing.


    Her mind raced with worry. She regretted letting him go alone, despite his reassurances. He was strong, yes, but the world was far more dangerous than either of them had anticipated.


    "He should have listened to me¡­" she whispered, tears stinging her eyes.


    ****


    Leo opened his eyes to darkness. The familiar dark space stretched endlessly around him, devoid of light except for the massive purple-golden sun hovering in the distance.


    The purple-golden sun floated in front of him, massive and radiant, casting a soft, otherworldly glow across the endless void. The colors swirled violently, refusing to mix, creating an almost hypnotic pattern.


    Leo frowned.


    "So¡­ I''m back here," he muttered. "Does that mean I''m still alive?"


    The thought brought a flicker of hope, but it was quickly overshadowed by the memory of the fight. His body had been battered, broken, on the verge of collapse.


    He remembered the beast''s claws almost tearing through him, the overwhelming strength that had left him helpless.


    "I should have listened to Ms. Ves," he admitted bitterly. "I thought I could handle it, but I was wrong."


    His gaze drifted to the purple-golden sun and he slowly stretched his hand toward it, but an invisible barrier stopped him. No matter how hard he pushed, he couldn''t move any closer.


    Before he could ponder further, a familiar sense of dread crept over him as the air suddenly grew cold.


    The light from the sun dimmed slightly and the familiar, suffocating presence enveloped him.


    And it was stronger this time, crushing him under its weight. It pressed against his chest, stealing his breath, crushing his ribs, causing his heart to race, as it pounded against his ribcage like a drum.


    Leo gasped for air, clutching his neck as if trying to force his lungs to work. But there was no air to breathe, no escape from the oppressive force.


    His vision blurred. His muscles trembled. His body screamed for oxygen he didn''t need.


    Then, it spoke.


    "Weak."


    The voice boomed through the dark space, reverberating through Leo''s very soul. It wasn''t just an insult, it was more of a judgment, a declaration of his worth.


    "Weak."


    The word cut deep, striking something within him and whatever that was, roared in defiance.


    Leo clenched his fists, his eyes blazing with determination.


    "I''m not weak!" he shouted, his voice echoing through the void.


    The purple-golden sun pulsed, and for a brief moment, Leo thought he saw a pair of glowing eyes within it¡ªeyes that watched him with cold indifference.


    .....


    Leo gasped as he snapped back to reality. His lungs burned as he sucked in air, his vision clearing.


    He was lying on the wet asphalt, the sky above him blue and beautiful.


    He sat up slowly, wincing as he expected pain¡ªbut there was none.


    Leo glanced down at his body, stunned.


    His wounds were gone. The broken ribs, his mangled arm, the gashes, the bruises¡ªall healed. His clothes were still torn and bloodstained, but his skin was unmarred.


    "What¡­ the hell?"


    A sharp yelp drew Leo''s attention.


    Fiona and the wolves were locked in a brutal battle with the mutant creature. The beast, towering and monstrous, swiped at the wolves with its massive claws.


    The creature was relentless. It caught one of the wolves, slamming it into the ground with bone-crushing force.


    Leo''s heart clenched.


    "No!"


    He pushed himself to his feet, Nightshade appearing in his hand.


    The beast roared, its glowing red eyes locking onto him.


    Leo''s grip on Nightshade tightened, his jaw set in determination.


    Seeing Leo standing back on his feet, the creature didn''t bother with the wolves as it charged towards him, its footsteps shaking the ground.


    Leo''s mind replayed the voice in the dark space.


    "Weak."


    The word echoed in his mind, fueling his anger.


    He narrowed his eyes. "I''ll show you weak."


    The beast lunged at Leo, its massive claws slicing through the air.


    Leo activated [Shadow Steps], vanishing into the shadows.


    He reappeared behind the creature, leaping into the air and slashing at its exposed back. Nightshade''s venom-coated blade bit deep, drawing more of the creature''s black, tar-like blood.


    The beast howled in rage, whirling around to face him.


    Leo landed on his feet and met the creature''s gaze, unflinching.


    "You think I''m weak?" he whispered. "Let''s see who''s standing at the end of this."

 Chapter 53 A Hard Fought Fight

    Leo observed the mutant creature carefully, looking for any possible sign of weakness in its defence he could exploit.


    From his knowledge on the creature after their first round, he knew that it''s fast, extremely fast, strong, its regenerative ability is impeccable as it can heal wounds inflicted by Nightshade in matter of seconds.


    Leo has no idea why its regenerative ability is so powerful. He felt that if it wasn''t for it, be would had taken care of the mutant creature.


    ''[Venomous Edge] doesn''t work on it. The creature is too strong and fast for me to stack it fast enough for it to achieve my desired effect. Even if I can stack it fast enough, I can''t use it as I''m out of mana. With just 10 Mana Points left, I can''t use any of my skills.'' Leo muttered to himself, as he continued observing the mutant creature.


    He knew that he has to think of a way to kill the mutant creature fast if he wants to live.


    He can''t use Fiona as she has already been battered by it and was now on the floor with the rest of the pack, whimpering in pain.


    Leo was aware that the reason why he''s running low on mana is because of his [Regeneration] skill healing up all the injuries he had.


    It wasn''t just his mana. His stamina was also running low but he felt that it would be enough if he can take care of the mutant creature quickly. Though he has no idea how he''s going to do it.


    "Think, Leo. Think. There''s has to be a way."


    Leo wasn''t allow to continue being in his own as the monster attacked with a roar.


    The monster lunged toward Leo, its near-arm-length claws tearing through the air with the force of a wrecking ball.


    Leo dodged to the side, barely avoiding the monster''s strike. With his stamina almost gone, his muscles screamed in protest. Each movement felt like he was dragging his limbs through mud, but he couldn''t stop.


    The creature snarled in frustration, its red eyes filled with rage. The ground shook as it stomped forward, each step cracking the asphalt beneath its feet.


    "Alright¡­ I can do this," Leo muttered, with a shaky, yet determined voice.


    He gripped Nightshade tightly, his knuckles white. His mind raced with possibilities, trying to figure out the monster''s weakness.


    So far, everything he had tried had been useless. The creature''s regeneration was too fast, healing wounds before they could cause any lasting damage.


    But there was something else he noticed.


    After every major injury it heals, it slows down for just a fraction of a second¡­


    It wasn''t much, but it was something. And in a fight like this, fractions of a second could mean the difference between life and death.


    He wasn''t sure about this but with the situation he found himself, he can only take the risk.


    The beast roared, charging again.


    Leo sprinted toward the wreckage of a toppled van, using it as cover. The creature barreled after him, smashing through the vehicle with terrifying ease. Metal crumpled like paper under its claws.


    Leo rolled to the side, wincing as the sharp edge of a broken pipe grazed his arm.


    ''Stay focused¡­''


    He darted out from behind the van, circling the creature. His goal wasn''t to overpower it, as that was impossible. Instead, he aimed to tire it out, injure it more and force it to expend more energy on healing its injuries.


    The monster''s massive fist came crashing down again. Leo jumped back, but the impact sent shockwaves through the ground, causing him to stumble.


    Before he could recover, the creature was on him.


    It grabbed him by the leg and hurled him through the air like a ragdoll. Leo crashed into the side of a building, the impact knocking the wind out of him. He crumpled to the ground, gasping for air.


    "Argh¡­" He groaned, pushing himself up.


    His vision blurred, and his body felt like it was about to give out. But he couldn''t stop.


    The creature was relentless.


    It stomped toward him, its claws gleaming in the morning light. Blood dripped from its wounds¡ªwounds that were already closing.


    Leo''s mind raced. He couldn''t keep this up much longer. His mana was almost gone. His body was on the verge of collapse.


    But then he noticed it¡ªthe creature''s movements had slowed. Just a little.


    ''It''s getting tired¡­''


    Leo was sure about it now. If it was before, the monster would had already closed the distance between them almost instantly and attacked. But it was slower now and he can make out its movements almost perfectly.


    The monster lunged again.


    Leo dodged, ducking under its swing and slashing at its leg with Nightshade. The blade bit deep, cutting through muscle and tendon. Black, tar-like blood gushed from the wound.


    The creature howled in pain, staggering backward. But once again, its regeneration kicked in, the wound sealing itself within seconds.


    Leo''s chest heaved as he tried to catch his breath. His hands trembled from exhaustion, but he refused to let go of Nightshade.


    The monster lunged at Leo again but this time, compared to how fast it was before, it felt like it was moving at a snail pace but that wasn''t true as it was still incredibly fast.


    ''It''s working¡­ but I need to push it further.'' Leo muttered to himself.


    He charged at the creature, aiming for its exposed flank. The beast swiped at him, but Leo was faster, slipping past its claws and slashing at its side. Another deep wound. More black blood.


    The creature roared, turning to swipe at him again. This time, its movements were noticeably slower than before.


    Leo ducked under its claws, aiming for the creature''s knee. He drove Nightshade into the joint, twisting the blade. The monster howled, collapsing onto one knee.


    But it wasn''t done. S§×ar?h the Nov§×l?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    With a furious snarl, it swung its massive fist, catching Leo in the ribs. The impact sent him flying again, crashing into the remains of a broken car.


    Leo coughed, blood spilling from his mouth. His vision swam, and for a moment, he thought he might pass out.


    ''No¡­ not yet.''


    He stabbed Nightshade in the ground, using it as a crutch to push himself up.


    Leo staggered, his vision swimming. His body screamed in protest with every step, blood oozing from the gash on his ribs. His breath came in ragged gasps, each inhale like swallowing broken glass


    The creature struggled to get back on its feet. Its wounds were healing, but each regeneration was shaving off its stamina significantly.


    ''This is it¡­ I just need to keep going¡­''


    Leo stumbled toward the creature, his body on the verge of collapse. Every step felt like he was walking through fire, but he pushed forward.


    The beast roared, lunging at him again.


    Leo gathered up every bit of stamina and strength he had left, into his legs and bolted towards the monster.


    The distance between them closed almost immediately and just when the monster''s claw was about to reach for Leo''s head, he dove down, sliding on the floor, in between its legs and appearing behind it.


    Immediately, he stabbed, driving Nightshade into its back.


    The blade sank deep, piercing through muscle and bone. Black blood sprayed everywhere, coating the ground.


    The creature let out a deafening roar, thrashing wildly. But its movements were sluggish now, its strength drained.


    Leo twisted the blade, pulling it out and slashing at the creature''s neck. The beast collapsed to the ground, its massive body trembling.


    It tried to get up, but its limbs wouldn''t respond.


    Leo stood over it, panting heavily. His entire body shook from exhaustion, but he didn''t let his guard down.


    With one final swing of Nightshade, he drove the blade into the creature''s skull.


    The beast shuddered once¡­ then went still.


    For a long moment, there was silence.


    Leo stood over the monster''s corpse, blood dripping from Nightshade. His chest heaved with each ragged breath, his mind still reeling from the battle.


    Then, he heard footsteps behind him.


    He turned to see Ves approaching, her eyes wide with shock.


    "Leo¡­" she whispered.


    He smiled weakly, wiping the blood from his face.


    Ves''s gaze shifted to the massive creature at his feet. Her eyes widened in disbelief.


    "You¡­ you killed it?"


    Leo nodded weakly, his smile widening despite the pain.


    Ves approached slowly, her expression a filled extreme concern and awe. "You''re hurt¡­"


    "I''m fine," Leo said, though his body begged to differ. He glanced down at the monster''s corpse, a sense of pride swelling in his chest.


    "I did it. I''m not weak."


    .....


    Somewhere in the universe, a figure covered in darkness, smiled at Leo''s words.


    "Still weak."

 Chapter 54 Aftermath

    Ves caught Leo just as his legs gave out beneath him. His battered and bloodied body collapsed into her arms, his head lolling against her shoulder.


    She tightened her grip, preventing him from hitting the ground, her heart pounding in her chest.


    "You idiot¡­" she whispered, her voice trembling.


    Despite her words, a soft, relieved smile spread across her face as she cradled him. Her hand gently brushed through his hair, smoothing back the blood-matted strands.


    His face, though bruised and pale, held a peaceful expression in unconsciousness, as if the battle he had just endured was a distant memory.


    For a moment, Ves simply held him, savoring the fact that he was still breathing.


    "You did it¡­ You really did it."


    She lifted her gaze, taking in the battlefield around them. The scene was one of utter devastation. Cracks spider-webbed across the asphalt where the mutant creature''s massive fists had struck.


    Vehicles lay overturned and crumpled like discarded toys, their metal frames twisted beyond recognition. Blood¡ªboth black and red¡ªstained the ground, mingling with the rainwater pooling in the fissures.


    Her gaze shifted to the monster''s corpse. Even in death, the beast was terrifying. Its hulking body lay sprawled on the ground, its grotesque, chitin-covered armor cracked and shattered.


    Black, tar-like blood oozed from the gaping wound in its head where Leo had delivered the final blow.


    The creature''s red eyes, now dim and lifeless, stared blankly at the sky, and its massive claws were still extended, as if even in death, it refused to surrender.


    Ves shuddered, unable to tear her eyes away.


    "He fought that¡­ alone."


    Her thoughts drifted back to the battle. She could only imagine the sheer willpower and determination Leo had summoned to face such a monster head-on.


    The devastation around her told the story of a brutal struggle¡ªa battle of wit versus brute strength, of a boy standing against impossible odds.


    "You crazy, reckless fool," she murmured, her voice laced with both pride and frustration.


    Her gaze shifted to Fiona and the wolf pack. They lay scattered around the battlefield, their bodies bruised and battered.


    Fiona whimpered softly, licking at a deep gash on her foreleg. The other wolves lay curled up, their fur matted with blood and mud, their breaths shallow.


    Ves took a deep breath, pushing down her emotions. There was no time to dwell on the past. Leo needed her, and so did the wolves.


    "Come on, let''s get you home," she whispered.


    Before she left, she decided to check around the monster''s corpse to see if she would find those small glass balls that contains treasures.


    She didn''t need to search for too long as she saw four of the small glass balls she was looking for, on the ground beside the monster''s corpse.


    She immediately picked them up and dropped two of them into her pockets, and held the rest in her hands.


    She walked back to Leo and with a grunt, she hoisted his unconscious body into her arms. His weight pressed heavily against her, but she bore it without complaint.


    With Leo on her shoulder, she walked to the Fiona and the wolves.


    "Can you walk?" She asked Fiona, and she got a soft whimper as response.


    "I would have carried you guys but as you can see, my hands are full. If you all can still walk, follow me back. I will take care of you all when we get back," She said, and Fiona, and the wolves whimpered softly in response.


    Ves smiled when she saw this. She nodded at them and started walking back to the residential building with her steps were slow and measured.


    Behind her, Fiona and the wolves limped along, their movements sluggish. Despite their injuries, they followed her without hesitation, their loyalty to Leo evident in their every step.


    ...


    The day passed in a blur. Ves had spent hours tending to the wolves, cleaning their wounds and ensuring they were as comfortable as possible.


    She felt she owes them that much for protecting Leo¡ªeven though she has no idea how they contributed to the battle, but the injuries they suffered was enough evidence. S§×ar?h the NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    She had carried Leo to his room, gently laying him on his bed before cleaning the blood and grime from his body.


    Now, as night fell, Ves sat beside Leo''s bed, her hand resting lightly on his arm. Her eyes flicked to his face every few minutes, watching for any sign of him waking.


    His face was peaceful, his breathing steady, but his body still bore the marks of battle, from the bruises, cuts, and bandaged wounds on it.


    Ves sighed, leaning back in the chair. The weight of the day pressed down on her shoulders, exhaustion tugging at her. But she refused to leave his side.


    Her gaze flicked to the window. The moonlight bathed the room in a soft glow, illuminating the quiet stillness.


    Her mind replayed the battle over and over, her emotions a swirling mix of anger, pride, and fear.


    When Leo finally stirred, Ves shot upright.


    "Leo?"


    His eyes fluttered open, his gaze hazy and unfocused. He groaned, his hand twitching as he tried to push himself up.


    "Easy," Ves said, gently placing a hand on his shoulder. "Don''t move too much."


    Leo blinked, his gaze slowly sharpening. He winced as he tried to shift his position, a sharp hiss escaping his lips.


    "Fuck¡­" he muttered, his voice hoarse.


    "Don''t swear," Ves scolded, her voice softer than usual. "You''ve been through enough today."


    Leo chuckled weakly, though the action made him grimace in pain.


    "Yeah¡­ feels like I got hit by a truck."


    "You did, several times," Ves replied, her tone dry.


    Leo groaned as he tried to sit up again, his movements slow and labored. His ribs ached with every breath, and his muscles protested with each shift.


    "How bad is it?" he asked.


    "Bad enough," Ves said. "Your ribs are broken and you''ve got bruises all over."


    Leo let out a weary sigh, leaning back against the pillows. "Could be worse."


    Ves crossed her arms, her gaze narrowing. "It could have been a lot worse. You could''ve died, Leo."


    Her words hung heavily in the air, the weight of them pressing down on both of them.


    Leo looked away, guilt flickering across his features. "I know."


    "Do you?" Ves leaned forward, her expression stern. "Do you understand how reckless you were? You went out there alone and faced a monster that should''ve killed you ten times over. And for what?"


    "For us," Leo said quietly. "For everyone in the building. We need supplies. We need to secure this area. If I hadn''t gone¡ª"


    "No, Leo. Don''t try to justify your actions," Ves interrupted. "I know you''re confident about your strength but I''m sure that you''ve seen that no matter how strong you are, there''s something about there stronger than you. You''re strong, Leo, but you''re not invincible."


    Leo remained silent, his gaze fixed on the ceiling.


    Ves sighed, her tone softening. "I''m not saying this to scold you. I''m saying it because I care. We care. You''re not alone, Leo. You don''t have to carry everything on your shoulders."


    Leo turned to look at her, his eyes filled with emotion. "I just¡­ I didn''t want anyone else to get hurt."


    "And you think I don''t feel the same way about you?" Ves asked, her voice gentle. "I don''t want you to get hurt either. We don''t want you to get hurt either."


    Silence stretched between them, the tension slowly easing.


    "I get it," Leo finally said. "I won''t go out alone again. I promise."


    Ves nodded, satisfied. "Good. Because next time, I''m coming with you. Whether you like it or not."


    Leo chuckled softly, a genuine smile tugging at his lips despite the pain. "Deal."


    As Ves leaned back in her chair, relief washed over her. The day had been long and exhausting, but Leo was alive. That alone was enough.

 Chapter 55 Level 14

    The morning sun filtered gently through the cracks in the window blinds, casting slanted beams of golden light across the modest room.


    Dust particles danced lazily in the light, drifting through the still air. The faint scent of damp earth wafted in from outside, a lingering reminder of the previous day''s rain.


    The sound of distant birdsong mixed with the quiet rustle of leaves, creating a serene backdrop to the otherwise chaotic world beyond.


    Leo sat on the bed with his back pressed against the wall, her legs stretched out before him, and his gaze distant.


    His injuries were yet to heal, so he wasn''t out of bed yet. Rather, he wasn''t allowed to be out of bed yet.


    Leo was alone but the silence of the room was comforting, wrapping around him like a familiar blanket.


    His fingers drummed lightly on his thigh as he stared at the sunlit patch on the floor, lost in thought.


    The bedside table beside him held remnants of the night before: a half-empty glass of water, a folded cloth that Ms Ves had left for him to use, and four treasure orbs. The small, marble-like objects glowed faintly in the sunlight.


    But Leo''s attention wasn''t on the orbs yet.


    He leaned back, exhaling slowly, and summoned the system interface to check his unread notifications.


    The familiar translucent screen flickered to life before his eyes, illuminating the room with a soft, bluish glow.


    [You have acquired Level 18 Mutant Ape: Greyback Life Force.]


    [You have reached Level 10. You have received three stat points.]


    [You have reached Level 11. You have received three stat points.]


    [You have reached Level 12. You have received three stat points.]


    ...


    .....


    Leo''s eyes widened slightly at the notification. A Level 18 mutant creature!


    "Level¡­ 18?" he whispered, the words barely audible in the quiet room.


    The realization hit him hard. The creature he had fought and barely survived against was twice his level during their battle. He clenched his fists, his mind racing as he processed the information.


    "Twice my level¡­" He leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees. "I shouldn''t have survived that fight."


    It wasn''t arrogance that made him think that. It was cold, hard logic. A Level 18 mutant was beyond what he should have been able to handle. Yet he had stood his ground, fought through the pain and exhaustion, and somehow emerged victorious.


    His gaze shifted back to the system notifications before going down to his stat screen.


    [Name: Leo ****]


    [Level: 14]


    [Specie(s): Human, ****, ****]


    [Class: ¨C]


    [Title: None]


    ______ S§×arch* The ¦ÇovelFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    [Strength: 21]


    [Agility: 21 (+15)]


    [Stamina: 20]


    [Intelligence: 13]


    [Mana: 100]


    ______


    [Stat Point(s): 15]


    ______


    [Skill(s): Regeneration (Innate), Beastmaster''s Bond (Innate)], [Seismic Stomp]


    "Level 14."


    The double-digit number stared back at him, a stark reminder of how much he had grown in just a few days.


    His mind drifted back to that first battle¡ªhis first kill. The zombie outside the orphanage on the day the apocalypse began.


    He had been terrified. His hands had trembled as he gripped the makeshift weapon. The stench of decay, the hollow eyes of the undead¡ªit was a nightmare made real.


    And now¡­ here he was. Level 14. Standing over the corpse of a creature far beyond anything he could have imagined back then.


    "I''ve come a long way," Leo muttered to himself. "But I''ve still got a long way to go."


    "I should distribute my free stat points. It would help me heal faster," Leo said to himself.


    He was about to distribute his free stat points when he thought of something. He realised that he has always been increasing the same attributes every time: his Strength, Agility and Stamina.


    He also realised that he has always neglected his Intelligence attribute and Mana attribute.


    Realising this, he decided to increase the two attributes that he has always been neglecting.


    He added five stat points to his Intelligence but when he tried adding to his Mana, he couldn''t.


    Not only that, he noticed that his Manq increased in its own immediately after he increased his Intelligence stat.


    His Mana pool increased from 100 to 125! It was an increase Leo didn''t expect.


    "Wow. If I actually knew this, I would had added at least one free stat point to my Intelligence after each level," Leo said himself, while smiling wryly.


    From his calculation, he deduced that for each stat points he added to his Intelligence stat, his Mana pool increased by 5 points. Without a doubt, this was a lot!


    "Well, there''s nothing I can do about it now. Rather, I should focus on increasing my Mana pool going forward. Though, I''m curious as to the relationship between my Intelligence stat and my Mana pool. I wonder if Tatiana has information on it." Leo muttered to himselfz before turning his attention to the treasure orbs on the bedside table.


    The soft glow of the morning light shifted, catching the polished surface of the four orbs.


    Leo''s eyes drifted to them, curiosity flickering in his gaze. Three of the orbs are blue while the last is purple.


    Leo already knew that the blue colored orbs are rare rank but the purple colored orb got him very curious. He felt that it might be a higher rank than the blue but he wasn''t sure.


    "I wonder what type of items might be inside? More skills or maybe even a weapon. I hope it''s the two though," he murmured.


    Leo''s curiosity burned but there were more pressing things on his mind.


    ...


    His thoughts drifted back to the battle with the mutant creature.


    Each moment played out in his mind like a vivid memory¡ªthe ground shaking beneath its feet, the terrifying speed with which it moved, the relentless strength it displayed.


    He could still feel the crushing force of its claws against his ribs, the searing pain of being thrown across the parking lot like a ragdoll. His body ached just thinking about it.


    But more than the pain, it was the creature''s regeneration that had stood out to him. The way it healed its wounds almost instantly, draining its stamina in the process. That had been his key to victory.


    He replayed the fight in his mind, analyzing every move, every mistake.


    "I should have realized sooner," he muttered. "The more it healed, the slower it became."


    It had been a grueling battle, one that had pushed him to the brink of his limits. Yet, in the end, he had prevailed.


    And as much as the victory felt like an achievement, there was a nagging thought at the back of his mind.


    Would he have won if not for luck? If he hadn''t been taken into that dark space and his injuries mysteriously healed completely? Would he had won if the creature hadn''t tired out when it did, would he be lying dead in that parking lot?


    Leo shook his head, forcing the thoughts away. His gaze drifted to the window, where sunlight streamed in, casting warm patches of light across the floor.


    His mind wandered to the dark space he had been pulled into during the fight¡ªthe endless void, the swirling purple-golden sun, and the voice that had spoken to him.


    "Weak."


    The word echoed in his mind, sending a shiver down his spine.


    That voice¡­ it hadn''t just called him weak¡ªit had made him *feel* weak.


    Leo clenched his fists, his nails digging into his palms. "Why did it feel so real?"


    The suffocating presence, the overwhelming pressure. And that voice¡­


    "Who are you?" he whispered, his gaze distant.


    The more he thought about it, the more questions arose. Was the voice tied to his abilities? To the purple-golden sun? Was it something within him, or something watching from afar?


    There were no answers. Only questions.


    And that frustrated him.


    Leo let out a deep sigh, rubbing his face with both hands. "Enough."


    He couldn''t keep overthinking everything. Ves had told him to rest, and for once, he intended to listen.


    He stretched out on the bed, staring up at the ceiling as sunlight continued to stream through the window.


    "I''ll figure it out," he whispered to himself. "One step at a time."


    The weight of exhaustion settled over him, and slowly, his eyes began to close.


    As sleep claimed him, one last thought lingered in his mind.


    "I''m not weak. I''ll prove it."

 Chapter 56 Beyond The Walls

    The air in the hallway was damp and heavy with the stench of decay. Light from the access hallway recessed bulbs flooded the hallway but it did very little to ease the atmosphere.


    Mia crouched low, her twin daggers glinting faintly. She tightened her grip on the hilts, sweat trickling down her brow.


    Her breathing was steady, but her heart pounded in her chest as she stared down the hallway, where two zombies shuffled aimlessly.


    "Alright¡­ I''ve got this," she whispered to herself, more to quiet her nerves than to boost her confidence.


    She stepped forward, her footfalls light, deliberate. The daggers felt awkward in her hands. Though Ves and Miguel had given her some pointers, handling the twin daggers was still new to her.


    Her movements were slow, cautious. Though the twin daggers gives her a +10 Agility boost, it only brought her speed up to the same level as the zombies age fighting.


    She lunged toward the first zombie, slicing its neck with one dagger while plunging the other into its eye socket. Blackened blood sprayed across the wall, and the creature crumpled to the floor.


    Before she could breathe, the second zombie lurched toward her with a guttural growl. Mia stumbled backward, barely dodging its grasp.


    Her heart raced as she fumbled to get into position. The zombie''s rotting arms flailed wildly, and its decayed teeth gnashed hungrily.


    "Come on¡­ you can do this," she muttered, her hands trembling.


    With a grunt, she sidestepped and slashed upward, severing its jaw. The creature fell to the ground, twitching violently.


    Panting, Mia wiped her brow with her sleeve, her hands sticky with blood.


    "I''m still struggling with these¡­ and Leo fought a mutant boar," she muttered bitterly.


    Her thoughts wandered to Leo. He had faced a massive creature head-on, while she could barely handle two shambling zombies. The gap between their strength felt immense. Luke the difference between heaven and earth.


    But she had come far. The fear that had gripped her on the first day of the apocalypse had lessened. She was no longer the helpless girl hiding behind others. She was fighting. Surviving.


    "One step at a time. I''m currently level 5 right now, if I continue killing more zombies, I will level up more and maybe become as strong as him," she told herself, steadying her breath.


    ...


    Miguel swung his axe with ease, cleaving through the heads of two zombies in one swift motion. His broad shoulders flexed with each swing, his stance firm and balanced.


    "Keep moving! Don''t get caught standing still!" he called out to the group, his voice calm but commanding.


    Miguel had always been a natural leader. Way before the world fell apart and he started his job as butcher, he had been a firefighter. It was a job that demanded quick thinking and unwavering resolve.


    Those qualities had carried over into this new world, where survival depended on more than just brute strength.


    He wiped his axe on his jeans, smearing dark blood across the fabric. His eyes scanned the hallway, always alert for any new threats.


    "Good job, Mia," he said, offering her a nod of approval.


    Mia returned a hesitant smile, grateful for the encouragement. But Miguel''s gaze quickly moved to the others, ensuring everyone was holding their own.


    .....


    The hallway felt colder as the group pushed deeper into the 19th floor. The air was thick with the stench of rot and decay, almost choking them. It was a nauseating reminder of the undead that lurked around every corner.


    Mia wiped her sweaty palms on her jeans before gripping her twin daggers again. Her heart pounded in her chest as the group approached the next cluster of zombies. Eight of them.


    Their decayed forms shambled aimlessly, their groans filling the otherwise silent corridor.


    Miguel raised his hand, signaling the group to stop.


    "Same plan," he said quietly. "We take them in pairs. Watch each other''s backs."


    Mia nodded, tightening her grip on her daggers. Her eyes flicked to the nearest zombie. It was a woman who she felt had a once-beautiful face but was now twisted and decayed, her eyes cloudy and lifeless.


    "Ready?" Miguel asked.


    "Yeah," Mia whispered, though her voice wavered slightly.


    The group moved as one, stepping cautiously into the hallway. The zombies already aware of their presence bolted towards them, growling and snarling menacingly.


    The group immediately got ready to fight as Miguel took the lead, his axe gleaming as he swung it with clean-cyt accuracy.


    The first zombie''s head split cleanly in two, the decayed skull cracking like brittle wood. Blackened blood sprayed across the wall, but Miguel didn''t flinch.


    "Next!" he called out, stepping aside as Carlos moved in.


    Carlos, with his hammer raised high, charged toward the second zombie. His heavy footsteps echoed in the hallway, and with a loud grunt, he brought the hammer down on the creature''s head.


    The impact crushed the zombie''s skull, sending bone fragments and brain matter splattering across the floor.


    "That''s how we do it!" Carlos said with a grin, but his moment of triumph was short-lived.


    Another zombie lunged at him from the side, its bony fingers reaching for his throat.


    "Watch out!" Jian shouted, darting forward.


    Jian moved with fluid grace, rushing towards him. His katana gleamed as he sliced through the zombie''s outstretched arms, severing them at the elbows.


    The creature let out a guttural groan, stumbling backward. Jian followed up with a swift strike to its neck, decapitating it in one clean motion.


    Carlos let out a breath of relief. "Thanks, man."


    Jian nodded silently, his expression calm and focused.


    On the other side of the hallway, Mia faced off against two zombies. Her hands trembled slightly as she dodged their clumsy attacks, her mind racing.


    "Focus," she told herself. "You can do this."


    The first zombie lunged at her, its decayed teeth snapping inches from her face. Mia ducked low, slashing upward with her dagger.


    The blade sank into the creature''s jaw, severing its tongue and sending blackened blood spraying.


    The second zombie grabbed her arm, its grip cold and unyielding. It immediately opened it mouth wide, ready to bite.


    "Shit!" Mia struggled, trying to twist free.


    "Hold on!" Miguel shouted, rushing to her aid. His axe cleaved through the zombie''s arm, freeing Mia from its grasp.


    With a follow-up attack, he severed the zombie''s head.


    "Thanks," she panted, stepping back to catch her breath.


    "Keep moving," Miguel said. "We''re not done yet."


    Ryan lingered at the back of the group, his eyes darting around the hallway. His machete gleamed in the dim light, but he hadn''t made a move yet.


    "Ryan! Get in here!" Miguel barked.


    Ryan hesitated, his gaze locking onto a zombie stumbling toward him. With a sigh, he stepped forward, swinging his machete with a quick, efficient strike.


    The blade cut through the zombie''s neck, sending its head rolling across the floor. Sear?h the n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "About time," Carlos muttered, shaking his head.


    Ryan smirked. "Just making sure you guys had it covered."


    .....


    Ves stood at the rear, watching the group with a critical eye. Her gaze flicked between each member, noting their strengths and weaknesses.


    Miguel was reliable, a natural leader. He moved with confidence, his axe cutting through the undead with brutality and efficiency. Ves could see why the group followed him¡ªhis calm demeanor and tactical mind made him a pillar of strength.


    Carlos was brash but dependable. His strength was his greatest asset, and he wielded his hammer with devastating force. But he needed to work on his awareness as he was too focused on his attacks, leaving himself open to counterattacks.


    Jian was precise and efficient. His movements are calculated and deliberate.


    Ves suspected he had some formal combat training and this is also with the fact that he has a katana with him. He rarely spoke, but his actions spoke volumes.


    Mia¡­ Ves saw immense potential in her. Despite her inexperience, she fought with determination, pushing through her fear. Ves could see shades of Leo in her¡ªa stubborn will to survive and grow stronger.


    But Ryan¡­


    Ves''s eyes narrowed as she watched him. There was something off about him. He fought when necessary, but he always seemed to hold back, letting the others do most of the work. His eyes darted around, always calculating, as if looking for an opportunity to exploit.


    "Keep an eye on him," Ves murmured to herself


    .....


    The group faced off against the remaining zombies. Miguel, Jian, and Carlos took the front, while Mia and Ryan covered the rear.


    The zombies came at them in a relentless wave, their groans echoing through the hallway.


    Miguel swung his axe in a wide arc, taking down two zombies at once. Blackened blood splattered across his clothes, but he didn''t falter.


    Jian moved like a dancer, his katana slicing through the undead with grace and precision. Each strike was calculated, each movement efficient.


    Carlos let out a roar as he brought his hammer down on a zombie''s head, the impact shaking the floor.


    Mia darted forward, her daggers flashing as she took down another zombie. Her movements were less refined, more frantic, but there was a determination in her eyes that Ves admired.


    Ryan lingered at the back, his machete ready. He took down a zombie that got too close, but his gaze remained distant, detached.


    When the last zombie fell, the group stood in silence, their breathing heavy.


    "Good job," Ves said, stepping forward. "We''re improving."


    Miguel nodded, wiping blood from his axe. "Yeah. We''re getting there."


    Mia offered a small smile, though exhaustion was etched into her features.


    Carlos grinned, raising his hammer. "We''re becoming pros at this."


    Jian remained silent, his katana gleaming in the dim light.


    Ryan smirked. "Not bad."


    Ves glanced at each of them, her mind calculating. They had come a long way since their first encounter with the zombie horde. They were stronger, more coordinated. But there was still room for improvement. As was the same for her and Leo.


    And there was still danger lurking around every corner.


    "Let''s head back," Ves said. "It''s already getting late and we''ve done enough for today."


    ...


    The group made their way to the elevator, descending to the first floor where their apartments were. They exchanged weary nods before retreating to their rooms.


    Ves watched them go, her mind still processing everything.


    .....


    When Ves returned to her apartment, she found Leo waiting on the couch.


    "Back already?" he asked, his voice warm.


    Ves smiled. "Yeah. How are you feeling?"


    Leo chuckled softly. "Like I fought a monster."


    "You did."


    They shared a brief laugh before Ves started heading to her room.


    "I''m going to freshen up," Ves said, standing at the door of her bedroom. "Dinner?"


    "Sure."


    Later, they sat at the dining table, sharing a simple meal. The warm glow of the apartment lights contrasted sharply with the darkness outside.


    Beyond the walls, the world was a nightmare. People fought for survival. Mutated creatures roamed the streets. Death was everywhere.


    But inside, there was peace.

 Chapter 57 Old Friends

    The pale light of dawn crept over the shattered skyline as Grewishka led his group through the desolate streets.


    The air was heavy with tension, every sound amplified in the oppressive silence. Ves had granted Grewishka permission to join their base, but the journey to safety was far from easy.


    Grewishka led his group through the crumbling streets, eyes darting to every shadow.


    The ruined town they passed through was a graveyard of the old world, filled with rusting cars and collapsed buildings.


    In this new world, danger lurked behind every corner. His grip on his machete tightened, the leather of his glove worn smooth from constant use.


    "Eyes sharp," he muttered with a low voice. "We move quietly. No mistakes."


    The group of twenty-eight survivors followed closely, their footsteps light and careful. Even the children, though tired and hungry, understood the importance of silence. Grewishka had drilled it into them.


    This world was no longer forgiving of mistakes and the children have seen first hand what happens when they don''t listen to instructions.


    They moved in a tight formation, flanked by two scouts on either side. The scouts had sharper eyes and quicker feet than the rest, chosen for their ability to spot danger before it found the group. It wasn''t long before one of them raised a hand, signaling the group to halt.


    Ahead, in the shadow of a fallen building, a group of zombies shuffled aimlessly. The creatures sniffed the air, their heads twitching in unnatural jerks.


    The group skirted the area, their faces pale with dread. No one spoke as they moved deeper into the ruins, with deliberate steps.


    As they moved, Grewishka''s sharp eyes caught a flicker of movement ahead¡ªa hulking, distorted figure. A mutant beast. Its form loomed large in the dim light, its claws scraping against the cracked pavement.


    Grewishka motioned for the group to halt, his voice a low growl.


    "Backtrack. Quietly."


    The group obeyed, retreating with painstaking care. Hearts pounded as they slipped into an abandoned alley.


    They waited in silence, watching the creature sniff the air before lumbering away. Even after it disappeared, no one dared exhale loudly.


    They pushed forward, avoiding a large horde of zombies by using the rooftops of abandoned cars as makeshift bridges.


    The sight of the undead mass was enough to drain the blood from anyone''s face. Yet under Grewishka''s leadership, the group made no sound and avoided confrontation entirely.


    The group continued their journey, veering off the main road, cutting through alleyways and side streets.


    They encountered more threats¡ªa giant, vine-like plant whose tendrils twitched as if sensing movement; a pack of mutated dogs that roamed near a wrecked playground¡ªbut each time, Grewishka and the scouts spotted the danger early, allowing the group to avoid confrontation.


    Despite their success in avoiding threats, the tension never eased. Fear clung to the group like a heavy cloak. Grewishka could see it in their pale faces and the way their hands trembled as they clutched their weapons.


    ...


    Leo''s room.


    The atmosphere was calmer. Leo lay on his bed, his breathing steady as he stared at the ceiling. His wounds had almost completely healed, thanks to his regeneration ability.


    Fiona, lay curled up at the feet of his bed, her silver fur glinting in the sunlight.


    Leo was surprised when he woke up and felt Fiona''s emotions, telling him that she wants to see him.


    He was very curious as to the reason why but when he remembered their fight with the mutant ape, he understood why she felt that way. It was for this reason that he told Ves to bring her up to his room.


    Leo was actually worried that Fiona might be too big to pass through the doors but surprisingly, she seems to pass them with ease.


    Leo stared out the window as he flexed his fingers, testing his strength.


    "Almost there," he murmured to himself.


    Fiona raised her head, her eyes glowing softly as she watched him.


    Meanwhile, Ves and Miguel led their group through the building, clearing out the remaining threats. They moved as a coordinated unit, their teamwork much improved from the chaotic battle days ago.


    They moved in sync, covering each other''s blind spots and communicating efficiently. Even Ryan, who lingered at the back of the group, moved with purpose. Yet there was a cold calculation in his eyes.


    "Last floor floor and rooftop secured," Ves reported as they moved to the next stairwell. "We are done for the day. Let''s all go back and get the much needed rest."


    They made their way down to the first floor, and as they approached the first floor, Ves'' eyes turned sharply, looking into the distance.


    "Someone''s coming," she said, her voice steady but alert.


    They made their down to the ground floor and the at the entrance, they saw a large group of people approaching the base.


    Moments later, the large group became more visible and Ves saw that it was Grewishka''s group. Sear?h the N??elFir§×.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    The sight of so many survivors approaching the base made Ves tense further, but she stepped forward, her sharp gaze scanning each member of the group.


    "Any trouble on the way?" she asked, her tone clipped.


    "No casualties," Grewishka replied. "We avoided all major threats."


    Ves gave a small nod, her eyes continuing to assess the group. She lingered on Grewishka for a moment before shifting her attention to the others. When she was satisfied, she stepped aside.


    "You''re clear. Take the second floor. It should be enough space for your people."


    Grewishka nodded in gratitude. "Thank you. We''ll make ourselves useful."


    As the group filed into the building, Ves turned to Miguel. "Keep an eye on them. We don''t know them well enough yet."


    Miguel nodded. "I''ll keep watch."


    .....


    Later that night, Grewishka sat alone in a room of one of the apartments on the second floor, taking a moment to rest.


    The journey had been exhausting, but they had made it with everyone alive. That was no small feat in this world.


    A knock on the door broke his thoughts. Before he could answer, the door creaked open, revealing a familiar face¡ªRyan.


    Grewishka''s hand instinctively went to his weapon, but he relaxed when he saw who it was. "Ryan...," he said, surprised. "Didn''t expect to see you here."


    Ryan offered a thin smile as he stepped inside, closing the door behind him. "It''s been a while."


    Grewishka nodded slowly. "It has. I wasn''t sure of it that day but it''s really you. Didn''t expect to see you here."


    Ryan chuckled, though there was little humor in the sound. "I''ve always had a knack for surviving."


    There was a pause, the air between them filled with unspoken words. Grewishka''s instincts told him to be cautious, but the familiarity of an old friend eased his guard.


    "What are you doing here?" Grewishka asked.


    Ryan''s smile widened slightly, though it never reached his eyes. "I came to talk. About the future."


    "The future?" Grewishka''s brow furrowed. "What do you mean?"


    Ryan stepped closer, his tone calm but carrying a hidden edge. "There''s a lot we can accomplish together. Old friends like us? We could build something out of this chaos."


    Grewishka''s eyes narrowed, a flicker of suspicion crossing his face. "You''re talking about more than just survival, aren''t you?"


    Ryan''s gaze hardened, his smile fading into something more serious. "Survival is just the beginning. I''m talking about control. Influence. Power."


    The words hung in the air, heavy with meaning. Grewishka''s mind raced, weighing his options. The man standing before him was no longer just an old friend¡ªhe was someone who saw opportunity in chaos, someone who wouldn''t hesitate to manipulate those around him to achieve his goals.


    And as Ryan''s smile returned, there was an unmistakable glint in his eyes.

 Chapter 58 Schemes

    Ryan stood in front of his window if his living room, looking at the cityscape outside, deep in thought.


    The world outside was a wasteland of broken buildings and twisted streets, the remnants of a once-thriving civilization now reduced to ruin.


    But Ryan saw opportunity in the chaos. Where others saw despair, he saw a world ripe for control.


    His mind churned with thoughts. From his point of view, the group was too fractured, too reliant on the whims of a boy and a girl who barely understood the depth of the dangers around them.


    To him, leadership required more than just survival instincts; it required vision, ruthlessness, and the ability to manipulate, doing what''s necessary when necessary.


    A soft knock at the door drew him from his thoughts. The door creaked open, and Grewishka stepped inside, his broad frame casting a long shadow across the room.


    His presence was imposing, as someone hardened by the new world''s brutality. Yet, there was a flicker of uncertainty in his eyes as he took a few cautious steps forward.


    "You wanted to see me?" Grewishka''s voice was low, laced with curiosity and caution.


    Ryan nodded, gesturing to one of the sofa in the living room.


    "Sit. We need to talk."


    Grewishka hesitated for a moment before settling into the chair. He leaned forward, resting his forearms on his knees, his gaze locked on Ryan.


    "What''s this about?"


    Ryan moved to a sofa opposite Grewishka''s, and took his seat, folding his hands together.


    "It''s about survival, Grewishka. About the future of this group."


    Grewishka''s brows furrowed.


    "We''ve survived so far. No one has died. Leo and Ves have kept us alive."


    Ryan chuckled softly, a sound that held no humor. "Have they? Or have we just been lucky? There''s a difference, you know. Luck runs out. Planning, strategy¡ªthat''s what keeps people alive in the long run.


    For now, we are safe. But how long will that last under their leadership? You''ve seen it yourself. Leo is just a boy. Ves? She''s barely out of her teens. Do you really believe they can keep us safe in this world?"


    Grewishka shifted uncomfortably in his seat, the weight of Ryan''s words settling heavily on his shoulders.


    "They''ve done well so far. Leo saved us, and Ves has proven capable. They''ve done their best."


    "Their best isn''t good enough," Ryan replied, his tone growing colder. "Leo is just a boy. Ves is young and impulsive. Do you truly believe they can lead us through what''s coming?


    The threats are only growing. Mutant beasts, rogue survivors. Maybe even alien monsters or horrors we can''t imagine. Leadership isn''t about good intentions. It''s about making hard choices."


    Grewishka''s gaze dropped to the table, his thoughts churning. He had seen the dangers firsthand. He had witnessed the fear in his group''s eyes with every near encounter. There was truth in Ryan''s words, but it felt wrong to dismiss Leo and Ves so easily.


    Ryan leaned in, his voice softening into a almost a whisper.


    "You''ve led people before. You know what it takes. The hard decisions, the sacrifices. Are you willing to trust our survival to a child and a girl who can barely hold the weight of the responsibility on their shoulders?"


    Grewishka''s fists clenched, the muscles in his arms taut with tension. "What are you suggesting? And what are you proposing? That we overthrow them?"


    Ryan chuckled again, the sound dark and unsettling. "Overthrow? No. That''s messy. We need to be smarter than that. We guide them, nudge them in the right direction. Make them see that they''re not fit to lead. They''ll step down willingly when they realize it''s for the best."


    Ryan''s continued, but there was no warmth in his voice.


    "I''m suggesting that it''s time we take control. Not through force. That would be barbaric and messy. We guide them. We show them that stepping down is the best thing for the group."


    Grewishka''s eyes narrowed. "And if they refuse?"


    Ryan''s expression darkened, his eyes gleaming with malice. "Then we make sure they have no choice."


    The room fell into silence, the weight of Ryan''s words hanging heavy in the air. Grewishka stood abruptly, pacing the room, his mind torn between loyalty and pragmatism.


    He had always believed in doing what was necessary to protect his people, but this.... this felt different. It felt¡­ wrong.


    Ryan watched him carefully, reading every flicker of emotion that crossed his face.


    "Think about it, Grewishka. How many will have to die before we take action? We''re the ones with experience. We''re the ones who can lead."


    Grewishka stopped by the window, staring out at the ruined city. "I need time to think."


    "Of course," Ryan said smoothly.


    "That''s all I ask. Think about it." Ryan said in a soft voice, and continued.


    "Take all the time you need. But remember this¡ªwe don''t have forever. Every day we wait is another day we risk losing everything."


    ....


    In the days that followed, Ryan''s influence spread quietly through both groups. He was smart, choosing those he spoke to carefully and subtly planting the seed of doubts in them.


    He made sure to point out every mistake Leo made, every moment of hesitation from Ves. And with each conversation, even more seeds of doubt were planted.


    "Do you really trust a boy to make life-and-death decisions for us?"


    "Ves is too young to handle the pressures of leadership."


    "We need stronger leaders. People who''ve faced the worst and come out alive."


    Each word was carefully chosen. The once-unified group began to fracture, the cracks widening with every whispered word.


    Ryan knew the power of perception. It wasn''t about outright rebellion¡ªit was about nudging people to see what he wanted them to see. The idea of Leo and Ves as unfit leaders had to come from within, from the group itself. Only then would his plan succeed without resistance.


    .....


    One evening, Ryan went to see Grewishka in his room.


    For a long moment, neither of them spoke as they sat in the living room, the silence stretching between them like a taut wire.


    "You''ve been quiet," Ryan finally said, breaking the silence.


    Grewishka stared into the flames, his expression distant. "I''ve been thinking."


    Ryan nodded. "And?"


    Grewishka sighed, the weight of his thoughts pressing down on him. "You''re right. Leo and Ves¡­ they''re not ready. They can''t lead us through what''s coming."


    A slow smile spread across Ryan''s face, his eyes gleaming with satisfaction. "Then we do what needs to be done."


    Grewishka glanced at him, a flicker of uncertainty in his expression. "But how far are you willing to go, Ryan? We''re talking about turning against people who''ve helped us."


    Ryan''s smile never wavered. "I''m willing to do whatever it takes to keep us alive. Are you?"


    Grewishka held his gaze, the conflict clear in his eyes. Then, slowly, he nodded. "If it means protecting my people¡­ yes."


    "Good," Ryan said softly. "We move carefully. We don''t need to make enemies out of them. We just ensure they step aside. And if they don''t¡­"


    Grewishka finished the thought, his voice steady. "Then we make sure they have no choice."


    Ryan''s smile widened. "Exactly."


    As night fell over the building, the seeds of discord had taken root, and Ryan''s dark plan began to unfold. The future of the group hung in the balance, teetering on the edge. S§×arch* The N?vel(F)ire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

 Chapter 59 Growing Suspicions

    Leo and Ves walked out of the residential complex''s elevator, their footsteps echoing against the concrete walls.


    The air inside was stale, carrying the faint scent of dust and decay. Even though the zombies corpses on the ground floor has been cleared away, the heavy stench of decay still stubbornly hung in the air.


    Leo moved with confidence, steady steps, and strong posture. His clothes seems to hung more snugly on his frame.


    His last battle seemed to have helped him a lot and this could be seen by his improved physical appearance, and the way he carried himself.


    Beside him, Ves walked with her usual sharp awareness, her gaze flicking to every corner of the building.


    Even though they''d secured the building and cleared out all the zombies in it, she could never let her guard down.


    She has no idea why but she felt like there was a coil of tension twisted in her gut, and it was a feeling she couldn''t shake off no matter how hard she tried. She felt that they were during the silence before the storm.


    On the ground floor, survivors gathered in small clusters. Their murmurs created a low flow of unease but they quieted as Leo stepped forward.


    "All fighters, gather up," he called with a steady voice. "We''re meeting to plan our next move."


    The room fell into a hushed silence as capable survivors made their way toward Leo and Ves near the building''s entrance.


    Grewishka stood near the back, his towering presence lending a sense of reassurance to those around him. His arms were crossed over his chest, his gaze sharp and calculating.


    On the far edge of the group, Ryan stood with a faint smirk on his face, and his eyes flicking between each faces, reading the room with unsettling ease.


    Leo cleared his throat.


    "We need to clear the surrounding buildings and scavenge for more supplies. Though most of the building apartments have supplies, we have no idea how long they are going to last.


    We also have the meat of the mutant boar that can last us maybe a month or two but we still need to stock up on foods that doesn''t easily go bad," he explained, and continued.


    "Also, the more secure we make this area, the better our chances of survival. We''ll organize teams to search for food, weapons, and anything else useful."


    The gathered survivors nodded, though they felt a little bit uneasy about going out into the world filled with danger, they knew that Leo was right and they have no choice.


    Ryan looked at everyone and took a casual step forward, with a relaxed posture.


    "It''s a good plan," he said, his voice measured. "But should we be spreading ourselves so thin? A single misstep out there could cost lives."


    His words were heavy and the implication hung heavy in the air. His words caused a murmur of agreement to ripple through the crowd.


    Leo was initially surprised by Ryan''s words and it got him curious, and interested in him. There was no doubt that there was some truth and reason to Ryan''s words, and no matter how one looks at, there was nothing wrong.


    But Leo couldn''t help but feel that there was something more to his words. This was especially with the way Ryan looked at him briefly. If it was before his recent level up, he might had missed it but not now. He saw those looks and it told him that something was up.


    He opened his mouth to talk but before he could speak, Grewishka cut in with a neutral time.


    "We''ve been lucky so far. But Ryan''s right. Caution is key." Grewishka said.


    A few heads nodded in agreement, causing Ves, who was quietly watching from the side to narrow her eyes, with her gaze locking on Ryan.


    From what she just saw, he wasn''t outright challenging Leo''s authority by speaking and letting out his thoughts. It could be seen that he really cares about the group but she felt that his words weren''t so kind.


    The meeting continued and concluded with the plan going as Leo initially intended. As for Ryan''s words and suggestion, Leo told him to do with the rest of the group as he saw fit¡ªthis was after he had taken those that will go with him.


    After the meeting, Ves walked to Miguel.


    "Do you know anything about Ryan?" she asked. "Where he came from?"


    Miguel frowned, crossing his arms. "Not much. I saw him during the chaos of the first two days and when I saw how good he is, I told him to join me."


    "I see...," Ves nodded, as she turned to observe Ryan who was standing at the distance.


    "I don''t know why but I feel like he''s up to something. He''s up to no good," she said with a solemn voice.


    Miguel shrugged, though a crease appeared between his brows.


    "I seem to have noticed it too. But maybe you''re reading too much into it. People change in situations like this."


    Ves remained silent for a moment, her mind churning with thoughts. "Just¡­ stay alert," she said finally. "We can''t afford to trust the wrong person."


    Miguel gave her a nod, but his expression remained thoughtful as he walked away. S~ea??h the N?vel(F)ire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    .....


    An hour later, the teams set out into the crumbling streets, splitting up to cover more ground. Leo led one group with Ves at his side, while Ryan took charge of another.


    The streets outside were a labyrinth of ruined buildings and overgrown vegetation. Cracks spiderwebbed across the pavement, and abandoned cars sat rusting in the gloom. The silence was eerie, broken only by the occasional rustle of the wind or distant screech of mutated animals, or zombies.


    Leo''s team didn''t have to search long to find their first challenge. It was a group of mutated rats prowling near an overturned bus.


    The creatures were tall, almost as tall as a human knee. They were grotesque, their once-normal bodies twisted by the mutations the experienced. Their eyes glowed an unnatural green, and their teeth were jagged, sharp enough to tear through flesh.


    Leo''s heart quickened, but not with fear. There was an odd calm that settled over him, a quiet confidence he hadn''t felt before.


    "They''re coming," Ves whispered beside him, with a tensed voice.


    "I''ve got this," Leo said, stepping forward with confidence and without hesitation.


    The rats snarled and lunged as one, but Leo was faster. His movements were fluid, his strikes precise. The first rat fell to a single swing of his blade, its mutated body crumpling in the dirt.


    [You have acquired Level 5 Mutant Rat: Tunnel Rat Life Force!]


    Leo smiled when he saw the level of the mutant rats.


    ''Level 5? That''s not even half of that monster''s level,'' he thought, with his mind going back to the mutant ape he fought two days ago.


    Leo wasn''t allowed to continuing thinking about the previous battle as another mutant rat lunged from the side, but he sidestepped easily, driving Nightshade into its skull with ease.


    His mind barely registered the effort. There was no panic, no second-guessing his actions. He moved through the pack with a grace he hadn''t possessed before, cutting down one rat after another.


    The last mutant rat snarled, its eyes glowing with feral rage. Leo met its gaze and lunged forward, his blade slicing clean through its neck. The rat''s body hit the ground with a final, wet thud.


    Leo stood over the fallen creatures, his breathing steady. He glanced at his hands, surprised by how calm he felt.


    It was¡­ easy.


    The thought sent a small shiver down his spine. These creatures would''ve been a serious threat not long ago. He would''ve struggled, panicked. But now? He barely broke a sweat.


    He thought again about his fight with the mutant ape and a smiled creased his face.


    "I''m stronger," he murmured to himself, his lips curling into a faint smile. "Much stronger."


    "Leo," Ves called softly, approaching him. In her eyes one could see how proud she was about Leo''s strength but there was something else in her eyes.


    Leo turned to her, waving Nightshade, ans wiping off the blood on it.


    "You okay, Ms Ves?" He asked curiously.


    "I''m fine." Ves forced a smile. "You''re getting stronger."


    "So are you." Leo actually meant what be said and he didn''t say it because he wants to make Ves feel better.


    He saw how she moved when she was fighting the mutant rats and he saw just how she has improved.


    Ves nodded at Leo''s words, but her thoughts churned beneath the surface. She had fought alongside him. Her strikes had been swift and fierce but¡­ she couldn''t shake off the feeling that she was being left behind.


    Today, Leo moved with a confidence that hadn''t been there before. His strength was growing by the day, and while Ves was proud of him, that pride was laced with a gnawing sense of inadequacy.


    She clenched her fists, her resolve hardening. ''I won''t fall behind. I can''t afford to.''


    Ves glanced at Leo once more, her heart swelling with pride¡ªand a fierce determination. She would grow stronger, no matter what it took.

 Chapter 60 More Schemes

    Ryan led his group through the narrow alley, the morning air biting against their skin.


    The remnants of a once-thriving city loomed around them with crumbling buildings, shattered windows, and rusting cars lining the deserted streets. Everything around them seemed to hold danger, and the tension in the air was palpable.


    The group moved cautiously, their eyes darting to every corner. The ground beneath them was cracked and uneven, overgrown with weeds and littered with debris. They were halfway through their sweep when a sudden tremor shook the ground.


    From the ruins of a nearby building, a hulking, spider-like creature emerged. Its eight black legs, long and jagged, clattered against the pavement as it crawled forward. Its many eyes gleamed with hunger, and venom dripped from its mandibles.


    The group froze, panic gripping their hearts.


    "What the hell is that?" someone whispered.


    Ryan''s eyes narrowed as he assessed the creature. He could see the fear etched on every face around him, the trembling hands clutching weapons that suddenly felt inadequate.


    "Stay together," Ryan said, his voice calm and steady. "I''ll distract it. You guys get to safety."


    Before anyone could protest, he stepped forward, drawing the creature''s attention, with calculated and precise movements.


    He waved his arms to keep the beast focused on him, moving forward with deliberate steps as he led it away from the group.


    The spider lunged, its venomous fangs snapping just inches from Ryan''s face, but he dodged with ease, rolling to the side and coming up on his feet in one fluid motion.


    The creature screeched, frustrated, but Ryan kept his composure, guiding it further down the alley.


    If one looks at Ryan''s fave right now, they could see the confidence in it. Even though he was aware of his strength as a level 6 awakened, and the fact that the giant spider was stronger than him, he was still confident.


    From where they hid, the group watched in awe but none of them moved to help. They were either too captivated by Ryan''s bravery or too terrified to act.


    When the creature finally lost interest and skittered back into the ruins, a collective sigh of relief swept through the group.


    One of the younger members, a boy barely out of his teens, stepped forward. His eyes shone with admiration. "That was incredible! You saved us!"


    Ryan smiled modestly, though his eyes gleamed with satisfaction.


    "Just doing what needed to be done," he said, speaking like the leader of the group he was.


    The others murmured in agreement, their respect for Ryan growing with each passing moment. He had shown calmness under pressure, a quality that they craved in a leader.


    Ryan was satisfied when he saw the group''s reaction. This was one of the reasons why he choose the people in it. Their gullibility and weakness was key to hi plan.


    .....


    As they continued their sweep, Ryan spoke up with a light and casual voice.


    "Leo''s plan¡­ it''s a good one," he said, glancing around to gauge their reactions. S§×arch* The ¦Çov§×lFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "But it''s risky. Sending us out in different directions, splitting our forces¡­ if something goes wrong, we''ll be too scattered to help each other. Also, he took most of the strongest in the base with him. Including himself and Ves, the lady that''s always beside him."


    A few members of the group exchanged uncertain glances. They knew the dangers of the world outside, and Ryan''s words stirred a flicker of doubt.


    "He''s still young," Ryan continued, his tone light, almost conversational. "He''s done well so far, but¡­ leadership isn''t just about good intentions. It''s about making the hard decisions. Decisions that keep everyone alive."


    One of the older survivors, a man named Kurt, frowned. "Grewishka said that Leo and the lady beside him were the reason whybwe were able to stay in the residential building complex. They gave us a better home. In a sense, they saved us."


    Ryan nodded, his expression thoughtful. "True. But sometimes¡­ saving people isn''t enough. We need someone who can think ahead. Someone who knows when to take risks and when to hold back."


    The group fell silent, Ryan''s words sinking in. His tone was never accusatory. He never outright criticized Leo. But the seeds of doubt he wanted to plant had been planted, subtle and insidious.


    Also, although most of them hadn''t spent more than a day in the base, they weren''t actually satisfied with the fact that it''s a little boy that''s leading them.


    As they walked, Ryan continued to speak, weaving his words carefully.


    "Look at what just happened," he said, gesturing to the alley where the spider creature had emerged. "If I hadn''t acted, who knows what could''ve happened? We need to be ready for anything."


    The younger members nodded, their admiration for Ryan growing. His actions had spoken louder than words, and his calm demeanor made them feel safe.


    "Leo''s strong," Ryan said, his voice softening. "But strength isn''t everything. We need strategy. We need caution."


    Of course, Ryan had no idea just how strong Leo is and how much stronger he has gotten recently. But one thing he knew was that Leo was strong but he felt that his strength should be just a little above that of his, Ves, Grewishka and Miguel.


    He doesn''t feel like Leo isn''t someone that can''t be taken down easily. Besides, he''s just a kid who probably has no real world experience before things went to shit. All be would need when things are ready and in place is a little manipulation, and he would become his loyal dog.


    ....


    By the time the group returned to the base that evening, the mood had shifted. The survivors were quieter, more contemplative. Ryan''s words lingered in their minds, feeding their doubts.


    At the entrance, supplies were stacked neatly, and the fighters from each team exchanged stories of their encounters.


    Ryan''s group spoke animatedly about his bravery, each retelling of the spider encounter more embellished than the last.


    "He faced that thing head-on," one of them said, his voice filled with awe. "Didn''t even flinch."


    "Leo''s good," another added. "But Ryan¡­ he''s got the kind of calm that makes you feel safe."


    From the sidelines, Ves watched the growing admiration for Ryan with narrowed eyes. Her gaze flicked to him as he stood among his group, a faint smile playing on his lips.


    He said little, letting the others speak for him. But Ves could see it. The subtle shifts in his posture, the way he responded with a slight nod or a quiet word at just the right moment. It couldn''t be mistaken.


    He was manipulating them, planting seeds of discord without ever raising his voice.


    As the survivors settled in for the night, Ryan retreated to his room, his expression serene. But when he closed the door behind him, a satisfied smirk spread across his face.


    The seeds of doubt were taking root.


    He sat by the window, gazing out at the ruined city beyond. His thoughts churned with plans and possibilities. He knew it was only a matter of time before the group turned to him for leadership. And it won''t be long.

 Chapter 61 Growing Stronger, An Upcoming Event?

    Later that night, Leo lay on his bed, waiting for sleep to come and claim him. He tossed around in his bed but no matter how much he waited, sleep didn''t come.


    Seeing that he was still going to be awake for a long time, he decided to go through the event of yesterday''s night when he checked the orbs that dropped from the mutant ape.


    Just as Leo expected and guessed, the three blue orbs were rare grade items and the purple orb contained an epic grade item.


    From the three blue rare grade orbs, Leo got two skill scrolls and one equipment. It was actually an accessory.


    As for the purple orb, he got an epic grade skill. Till date, it was the highest grade he has received


    Leo was very satisfied with the rewards he got. One of the rewards he was most satisfied with was the accessory.


    He looked at the silver ring on his right ring finger. The surface of the ring was etched with intricate, swirling carvings, resembling what looks like symbols. The patterns seemed to shift subtly under the light, as if carrying a certain meaning to them.


    Leo focused his attention on the ring and a status screen showing its information popped up above it.


    [Ring of Relentless Regeneration] (Rare)


    Effect: Passively regenerates 1% stamina every 5 seconds.


    Active: Boosts stamina regeneration by 200% for 30 seconds. Cost: 50 mana. Cooldown: 2 minutes.


    .....


    Without a doubt, the ring was overpowered. Having a passive effect of regenerating 1% stamina every five seconds wasn''t something that can be scoffed at.


    And not only that, it can actively regenerate his mana by 200%. Though the cost looks like it''s steep as it''s almost half of Leo''s Mana, but with almost how easily he can increase his Mana by increasing his Intelligence, he doesn''t find the cost to be steep.


    Leo had no idea that others weren''t exactly lucky to have such a high amount of Mana at the start.


    For the other three items, the two rare grade skills and epic grade skill, Leo didn''t know what to say about them.


    [Predator''s Instinct] (Rare)


    Effect: Passively detects life forms within a 100-meter radius. +15 Agility.


    [Ravenous Regeneration] (Rare)


    Effect: Passively converts mana into stamina at a rate of 1% of total stamina per 10 mana spent. Minor injuries regenerate instantly without cost.


    Active: Restores up to 20% of total stamina, consuming mana proportional to the amount recovered. Cooldown: 1 minute.


    [Berserker''s Roar] (Epic)


    Effect: Activate the skill, releasing a deafening roar that stuns enemies within 20 meters for 3 seconds and reduces their Stamina by 10% + 1% for every 10 Strength beyond 50 for 10 seconds. Grants the user +15% Strength and Agility for 10 seconds after use.


    Drawback: Reduces mana regeneration by 10% for 30 seconds. Cost: 40 Mana. Cooldown: 1 minute.


    ....


    From just their description, one could see how extremely overpowered the skill is.


    Though Leo was surprised that they mostly focuses more on regenerating his stamina, he didn''t mind it one bit.


    He actually finds them to be beyond perfect. The skills have also boosted his stat by a great deal, and this how his stat screen looks now:


    [Name: Leo ****]


    [Level: 14]


    [Specie(s): Human, ****, ****]


    [Class: ¨C]


    [Title: None]


    ______


    [Strength: 26]


    [Agility: 21 (+30)]


    [Stamina: 25]


    [Intelligence: 18]


    [Mana: 125]


    ______


    [Stat Point(s): ]


    ______


    [Skill(s): Regeneration (Innate), Beastmaster''s Bond (Innate)], [Sesimic Stomp], [Berserker''s Roar], [Ravenous Regeneration], [Predator''s Instincts].


    .....


    The amount of skills hat Leo has has increased with just his fight with the mutant ape.


    He couldn''t help but wish that he can meet more powerful mutant creatures so that he can get even more skills, level up faster and become even more powerful.


    With the skills in his arsenal, Leo''s confidence increased greatly but he was sure not to be arrogant. He knew that even though he was strong and his level was in the double digit, he wasn''t invisible.


    He knew that there would surely be even more powerful creatures that the mutant ape, but he wasn''t scared or bothered. Instead, he felt even more excited at the thought of meeting such monsters, fighting them and defeating them.


    Leo didn''t have any grand plan but he wants to stand at the top of this cold and dangerous world. Not to rule it but to live comfortably without any worries, and he would do anything to achieve that.


    "I''m very excited to see what the future holds."


    Leo felt himself getting sleepy and he snuggled into his bed, but just when he about to fall asleep, he saw someone sitting in a corner of his room.


    He looked towards it curiously and cautiously, and he saw that it was Tatiana.


    "It took you this long to notice me? I''m very curious to know what occupied your mind to make you not notice my presence until now," Tatiana said with her usual slightly sensual voice.


    Leo smiled as he switched on the bedside lamp and sat up onbm his bed, resting his back on the wall.


    "Well, I didn''t expect you come visit me. Especially this late at night. Are you here to claim your part of the desk or something? I''m actually ready and don''t mind," Leo said with a smirk on his face.


    Tatiana rolled her eyes when she heard Leo''s words. She felt that she made a mistake flirting and teasing Leo, as he''s now giving her a taste of her own medicine in full force.


    "You wish. I''m here for something else."


    "What a shame. I was actually ready to get down to work," Leo said with a disappointed expression on his face.


    The expression faded the next second and was replaced with curiosity.


    "Well, if you didn''t come for that. What is it then?" He asked.


    Tatiana scoffed inwardly when she saw the look on his face.


    ''Tch. Shameless.''


    She looked at him and turned her head towards the window, looking at the clear night sky.


    "Remember when I told you about your world turning into a battleground soon?" She asked, as she continued to gaze at the night sky.


    "Yes. It''s not something I can exactly forget easily," Leo replied, following Tatiana''s line of sight.


    "Good. The event that will turn your world into a battleground is coming soon. It''s also related to our deal. I won''t tell you what the event is as you will get an announcement when it''s about to start.


    What I will tell you is what you need to do and that is for you to increase your strength, and the trusted people around you as soon as possible. I don''t know when exactly the event will start but it will be soon. If I''m to take a guess, in a month time or two ," Tatiana said, and paused for a moment, allowing what she said to sink in before she continued. S~ea??h the Nov§×l?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "So, in coming days, I want you to increase your strength as much as possible. It would best if you can evolve into the Evolved Rank as it''s the only way you and those around you can survive what''s to come. I don''t want to scare you but the stake is high for the participants, and this is their last opportunity to obtain something that they all want badly. Something very important.


    I won''t tell you what it is but you should just know that it''s also something that you will need. That''s if you want to continue growing stronger in the future. Also, take care of that rat. Don''t allow him to destroy what is yours before you make a move."


    After saying what she wanted to say, Tatiana disappeared, leaving Leo in the cold, silence of the room.

 Chapter 62 Killing Intent?

    After Tatiana left, Leo couldn''t help but fall into deep thought. What she said weren''t things mthst would go through one ear and come out through the other.


    This was especially with how serious she was. Leo felt that things were about to get interesting and messy at the same time.


    Even though he hasn''t had that much of an interaction with Tatiana, with his little knowledge of her, he knew that she wouldn''t be so serious if it wasn''t something to be serious about.


    To make matters worst, she said that evolving to gej Evolved Rank is the only way he and those around him can survive what''s to come.


    Leo has no idea what''s coming or the event that Tatiana was talking about, but for her paint it in such a dangerous light, he knew that it was just as she said.


    He remember ger saying that the stakes are high and it was the last opportunity the participants has to obtain something very important. What that thing is, she didn''t say but the fact that she said that he would need it if he wants to continue growing stronger made him very curious.


    Even though Tatiana was very cryptic with her message, Leo was able to get the message she wanted to pass.


    "It seems that I can''t continue slacking off. It''s not like I''ve been doing that but I have to actively push myself from now on. I will start actively looking for monsters from now. Especially powerful ones. I have to do as Tatiana said, evolve to Evolved Rank and also help others around me do the same," Leo said to himself, making up his mind.


    He started thinking about those that he can help to get stronger and the first person that came to his mind was Ms Ves, followed by Fiona¡ªeven though she wasn''t exactly a person, she''s someone important to him and his beast companion. The wolf pack followed and after that, he couldn''t think of anyone else.


    As for those in the group, Miguel''s group and Grewishka''s group, Leo''s didn''t consider them in any way.


    This was especially with the event that happened with the "rat" this morning during the meeting.


    There was no way that Leo didn''t understand who the rat Tatiana was referring to was. He knew that it was that Ryan person and it''s for this reason that hw didn''t consider anybody in the group.


    Even though Leo was a kid who had little to no real world experience before leaving the orphanage, he has watched what he considers enough zombie moviea to understand how people can change, and behave in such situations.


    Even without the movies, he was someone who takes advice and the words that Ms Ves said to him before the apocalypse began stuck to him. This was also with his instincts screaming at him that Ryan was up to no good when he spoke up.


    Leo couldn''t help but feel that he and Ms Ves made a mistake by allowing the group residency in the building, as they were about to use their act of goodwill against them.


    Leo felt that the situation at hand was quite easy to handle. Since he and Ms Ves were the first to find the residential building complex, then it''s naturally theirs.


    Though this might had not been logical if it was before but with how things are, and the fact that Leo feels that his, Ms Ves'' and the wolf pack combined strength are more than enough to take everyone on, then he''s naturally right.


    And the fact that someone was trying to take what is his made Leo extremely angry. It was a type of anger he had no idea he had as he couldn''t pinpoint where it originated from as it seems to be something innate to him.


    It wasn''t just anger. Leo felt that he has been insulted and he also has no reason why he fek5thst way.


    "It seems I will have to take out the trash first before I can start with my plan of growing stronger. I only have a month time so I have clean up fast and get ready," Leo said, as his eyes gradually turned cold.


    "I will take him out this weak. It won''t exceed the end of the week. I should let him live some couple days more." He said in an equally cold voice, that seem to increase that of the room.


    "Am I really considering this?" Leo whispered to himself, the thought settling uncomfortably in his mind.


    He clenched his fists, feeling the anger bubbling beneath the surface. But it wasn''t just anger. It was a cold, calculated resolve. Ryan was a threat. And threats had to be dealt with.


    Still, a part of him hesitated. He had fought monsters, creatures that threatened his life without a second thought. But Ryan was human.


    The thought of taking another person''s life left a bitter taste in his mouth. Yet, deep down, Leo knew that this world no longer cared about morality.


    Leo''s gaze flicked toward the window, his thoughts churning. He tried his best to search within himself but he wasn''t sure where the anger came from, but it was there.


    It was like a deep, primal fury at the idea of someone taking what he had fought to protect. The residential complex was his and Ves''. They had claimed it. And now, someone wanted to undermine that.


    "I won''t let it happen." The words were quiet, but they carried weight. He felt the cold resolve settling in his chest. He wasn''t going to let anyone take what was his.


    Leo decided to stop thinking about everything and go to bed. He was already feeling sleepy and he has busy day ahead of him tomorrow, so he has to get as much sleep and rest as he can.


    Falling into the sweet embrace of the sleep, the room fell silent except for Leo''s soft breathing.


    *****


    Somewhere else, Tatiana appeared in what looks like the penthouse suite of a five star hotel.


    "Princess, have you informed Leo of the tournament?" Elda asked curiously, when she saw Tatiana.


    She would had followed Tatiana but the princess insisted that she wanted to go alone.


    "Not exactly but I told that an event will be taking place soon. I also told him what to do. It should be enough to spur him into action," Tatiana replied, as she slumpes into a long lush sofa in the living room of the penthouse suite.


    Elda smiled when she heard Tatiana words. She felt that the princess was keeping a lot of things from Leo to achieve a certain type of effect when he finds out by himself.


    But she wasn''t exactly against it. From what she has seen so far, the princess has given Leo important informations but in a titbit manner.


    "Elda, had there been any news of my step-brother and sister," Tatiana asked, causing the atmosphere of the room to drop almost immediately.


    "You know we can''t exactly communicate between realms. Especially from a newly awakened realm that''s under the jurisdiction of such powerful entity, it''s even more impossible for communication to be possible.


    But I''ve continuously scanned the realm and it''s surrounding for signs of any dimensional rift, but I haven''t seen anything," Elda explained, causing Tatiana to nod.


    "Good. Inform me if you notice any of their presence."


    "I will, princess."


    The face of her stepbrother and sister flashed in her mind, causing her face to twitch.


    "That bastard and that bitch," She muttered to herself, causing Elda to smile.


    Tatiana nodded and lay down on the sofa, deep in thought. sea??h th§× N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Tatiana sighed as she gazed out the huge floor-to-wall window, her mind drifting back to Leo.


    There was potential in him. It was like a fire that could either burn everything in its path or illuminate the darkest corners of this world. But was she making the right choice? Was he ready for what was coming?


    "He''ll have to be," she murmured to herself.


    There was no turning back now. She had chosen her piece on the board, and she would see this game through to the end.


    Elda watched Tatiana closely, noting the distant look in her eyes.


    "Do you think he''ll make it?"


    Tatiana didn''t answer immediately. Her thoughts were elsewhere, lingering on the boy she had placed her bets on.


    "I hope so. He''s our best chance."


    Elda raised an eyebrow. "For survival?"


    Tatiana''s lips curved into a faint smile. "Both. For survival and change."

 Chapter 63 Playing Along, Chaos

    The sun crested the horizon, spilling its golden light across the crumbling remnants of the old world.


    The sky was a soft gradient of pink and orange, casting long shadows over the deserted streets.


    Birds, seemingly accustomed to the silence of the post-apocalyptic world, chirped cautiously from the broken rooftops, their song faint and haunting.


    The air was crisp and cool, carrying the earthy scent of dew settling on overgrown vegetation. Vines crept along the cracked pavement, their leaves glistening in the morning light.


    In the distance, a gentle breeze rustled through the skeletal remains of trees that once lined busy sidewalks.


    It was peaceful, for now. But beneath the surface, the world thrummed with tension, as if holding its breath for the chaos to come.


    Survivors gathered on the ground floor of the residential complex, with a mixture of weary and determined expressions on their faces.


    Leo stood at the front, Ves by his side. His posture was relaxed, but his eyes were sharp, scanning the room with quiet intensity.


    "We need to keep pushing forward," Leo began. "The supplies we gathered yesterday are good, but it''s not enough. We need to clear more buildings and secure this area before the monsters start moving in again."


    There were murmurs of agreement, though some faces were lined with worry. Even though it was just a day, the near-constant danger outside had worn them down.


    Ryan stood near the back, listening intently. His gaze flicked to the group, calculating, always assessing and waiting for the perfect moment to strike.


    "I''ve been thinking," Ryan spoke up, stepping forward.


    His tone was calm and measured.


    "There''s an area about half a mile from here. I''ve seen it before. It''s got some good buildings that could have supplies. But it''s also close to an old shelter. Could be some weapons or medical gear there."


    Leo met Ryan''s gaze. There was a moment of silence before Leo gave a slow nod.


    "Sounds like a good idea," Leo said evenly.


    "You take your team and check it out."


    Ryan blinked, surprised that Leo didn''t argue. But he quickly recovered, a faint smirk curling his lips.


    Of course, Leo wasn''t blind to what Ryan was doing. But for now, he played along.


    After the meeting, the teams split.


    Leo, Ves and the wolves were about to leave when Mia walked up to them.


    "If you don''t mind m, Ms Ves, Leo, can I come wit6uou guys? Please?" She asked with a smile on her face.


    Leo didn''t know when he heard Mia''s request. He could only look at Ms Ves and he saw her nodding at him.


    He looked at Mia and nodded, agreeing to her request.


    Leo took Ves, Fiona, the wolves, and Mia with him. They moved toward a safer route, focused on clearing nearby buildings.


    Ryan, however, led his team toward the area he''d suggested. He kept his pace steady, his posture calm, projecting an air of confidence that the others found reassuring.


    The streets they passed through grew darker, the buildings more twisted and overgrown.


    Cracks in the pavement were filled with weeds, and the air grew thick with the scent of decay.


    Faint growls echoed from the shadows, causing some survivors to glance nervously at their surroundings.


    Ryan kept his expression neutral, but his mind worked furiously. He knew this area. He knew the dangers lurking here. And he knew exactly how to use them.


    The next moment, a pack of mutated rats scurried from a nearby alley, their glowing eyes fixed on the group. The creatures were the same that Leo fought with before.


    "Get ready!" someone shouted, panic spreading through the team.


    The rats moved with terrifying speed, their screeches piercing the air like knives. They swarmed toward the survivors, claws scraping against the pavement.


    One lunged at a survivor, biting deep into his leg. He screamed, blood spurting onto the pavement.


    "Hold your ground!" Ryan barked. "Don''t run! They''ll scatter if we hold steady."


    The team hesitated but followed his command.


    He lunged at the rat, attacking it and forcing it to release the survivor''s leg. After the rat released his leg, The injured man''s screams filled the street, but no one moved to help him.


    They were frozen in place, their eyes locked on the circling rats. Fear was a tangible thing, tightening around their throats like a vice.


    The rats circled the group, snarling, but after a tense standoff, they backed away into the shadows, their glowing eyes lingering for a moment before disappearing.


    The group breathed a collective sigh of relief, but tension lingered in the air.


    Ryan smiled inwardly after the mutant rats had left.


    ...


    After the incident with the mutant rats, the group pressed on, their steps slower and more cautious.


    Every creak of a building, every rustle of leaves made them flinch. The streets seemed to close in around them, the walls of buildings leaning ominously as if ready to collapse.


    "Let''s check that building," Ryan said, pointing to a structure that seemed intact. Its windows were boarded up, and the door hung slightly ajar.


    The survivors hesitated, but Ryan strode forward confidently.


    The group followed, stepping carefully over debris. The floor inside creakedwith every step, the sound echoing through the hollow space.


    Suddenly, there was a loud crack. The floor beneath one of the survivors¡ªDavid¡ªgave way with a deafening crash.


    "Help!" David''s scream was filled with panic, his voice echoing from the dark basement below.


    His scream echoed through the hollow building as dust and debris rained down around him.


    "Help!" David screamed with a frantic and panicked voice, and echoing from the dark basement below.


    The group rushed to the edge of the hole, peering down into the dark basement below.


    Down there, David lay twisted on the ground, clutching his leg. Blood seeped through his pants, pooling beneath him.


    "Form a chain," Ryan ordered. "We need to get him out before something finds him." Sear?h the N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    They immediately did as Ryan said, as they formed a makeshift chain, lowering one of their own to pull David back up.


    Their faces were pale, their hands trembling as they hauled him to safety.


    David''s ragged breaths filled the silence. His leg was badly broken, the makeshift splint barely holding it together.


    The group exchanged worried glances as their team''s morale dipped further. Fear and frustration simmered beneath the surface.


    Why had Leo sent them here? They all thought collectively.


    Ryan remained calm, his demeanor steady as he helped bandage David''s leg. But he could see it in their eyes¡ªthe seeds of doubt were growing.


    .....


    After things had settled down, the group decided to start heading back to base.


    As they crossed a narrow street, a piercing screech split the air. Heads snapped upward as a massive bird circled above, its razor-sharp talons gleaming in the sunlight.


    "That''s not a normal bird," one survivor whispered, his voice trembling.


    "Get to cover!" Ryan yelled when he saw the monster.


    The creature swooped down with terrifying speed, its talons slicing through the air with a deadly hiss.


    It targeted the group with precision, tearing through one survivor''s arm with a single strike.


    Blood dripped from the gash, staining the ground as the injured man stumbled backward, clutching his arm in pain.


    Immediately, chaos erupted.


    The survivors scattered like frightened animals, their footsteps pounding against the pavement. Some raised their weapons, but their hands trembled too much to aim. They weren''t warriors¡ªthey were just trying to survive.


    Ryan acted quickly, grabbing a broken piece of wood from the rubble and hurling it at the vulture. The makeshift weapon struck the creature in the wing, sending it retreating with a shriek.


    Breathing hard, Ryan turned to the injured man, his expression calm.


    "Get him patched up," he ordered. "We need to keep moving."


    The group looked at him with newfound respect. Ryan had saved them¡ªagain.


    By the time they returned to the base, the tension within the group was palpable.


    David was carried inside, his leg injury severe. The man who had been slashed by the vulture was pale, his arm hastily bandaged.


    Whispers spread through the survivors.


    "Why did Leo send us there?"


    "That place was a death trap."


    "He doesn''t know what he''s doing."


    Ryan didn''t speak. He didn''t need to. The seeds of doubt he had planted were growing, spreading like wildfire.


    As the survivors gathered to debrief, one of them finally voiced what many were thinking.


    "We can''t keep following Leo if he''s sending us into places like that," the man said, his voice shaking with frustration. "He''s reckless."


    Ryan remained silent, a faint smile playing on his lips. Things were going just according to plan.

 Chapter 64 Confrontation [Bonus Chapter]

    The dim light from outside flowed through the window, cast long shadows across the ground floor of the residential complex.


    Ves leaned against the cold concrete wall, her arms crossed, her sharp gaze locked on Ryan.


    The tension between them was suffocating, thick with unspoken words and hidden motives.


    Ves''s usually calm demeanor was gone with her hostility was barely contained.


    Ryan, however, wore his usual faint smirk, his posture relaxed. He met Ves''s glare with a calm, calculating expression, as though he were trying to solve a puzzle.


    The silence stretched between them, heavy with the weight of what was to come.


    "You''ve been busy," Ves finally said, her quiet, yet sharp.


    Her eyes didn''t waver, drilling into Ryan''s with quiet intensity.


    Ryan tilted his head slightly, with a small, amused smile playing on his lips.


    "Busy? I''ve been helping the group survive, if that''s what you mean."


    Ves took a step forward, her shoes echoing against the concrete floor.


    "I''ve heard the whispers. People talking about how Leo''s reckless. How he shouldn''t be leading. Funny how those conversations started after you started going out with them."


    Ryan''s expression didn''t change, but Ves caught the brief flicker of something in his eyes. It was a spark of recognition that told her she was right on target.


    "People have opinions," Ryan said smoothly. "It''s not my fault if they''re starting to realize the truth."


    "The truth?" Ves''s voice sharpened. "And what truth is that?"


    "That Leo''s young. Inexperienced. He''s doing his best, I''m sure. But in this world, ''doing your best'' isn''t always enough." Ryan''s tone was calm, reasonable.


    He spoke as though he were making a casual observation, not undermining someone''s leadership. But both he and Ves were fully aware of what he trying to achieve.


    Ves clenched her fists at her sides. She was just a second away from activating her [Bone Claw] skill, but she held herself back.


    She could feel the anger bubbling beneath her skin, threatening to boil over. But she forced herself to remain still.


    "You''re a clever man, Ryan," Ves said, doing her best to keep her voice steady despite the rage simmering beneath the surface.


    "Too clever. You''ve managed to make people question Leo without ever saying his name."


    Ryan chuckled softly, the sound low and mocking.


    "People question what they see. I don''t have to say anything. They see a boy leading them into danger. They see me keeping them safe."


    Ves''s nails bit into her palms. Her mind raced, piecing together the events of the past few days.


    The ambushes, the near-disasters, the growing distrust among the survivors. It all led back to Ryan.


    "I don''t know what you''re playing at," Ves said through gritted teeth. "But I see through you."


    Ryan''s smile widened slightly, his eyes gleaming with amusement. "Do you?"


    Ves took another step forward, closing the distance between them. "You''ve been planting seeds of doubt. Turning people against Leo. Why?"


    Ryan''s expression shifted, the smirk fading into something colder, more calculating. Ge finally let go of his facade for the first time, bringing out his true self.


    "Because this world needs leaders who can make hard choices. Not boys pretending to be heroes," he said with a cold voice.


    The words struck Ves like a blow. Her vision blurred with anger, her body tensing as her instincts screamed at her to strike. But she held herself back, clinging to the last shred of rationality she had.


    "You think you''re that leader?" Ves asked, her voice trembling with barely contained rage.


    "I know I am," Ryan said calmly. "Look at the group. Who do they trust? Who do they look to when things go wrong?"


    "They trust Leo," Ves snapped. "And they trust me."


    "For now," Ryan said, his tone infuriatingly casual and suggestive. "But how long will that last? How many more injuries? How many more close calls before they realize they need someone who can protect them?" S§×ar?h the n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Ves''s breath came in short, sharp bursts. Her vision tunneled, her focus narrowing to Ryan''s smug face.


    She wanted to wipe that expression off his face. Wanted to knock him down, tag those teeth the gums that they are seated. She wants to make Ryan see that he wasn''t as untouchable as he thought he was.


    "You think you can take what''s ours?" Ves hissed, her voice low and dangerous. "You think you can walk in here and take over?"


    Ryan shrugged. "I think people will choose safety over loyalty. It''s human nature. Besides, what right do you have to claim that something is yours? It should naturally belong to those that can keep it. Or am I wrong?"


    The cold, calculated way he said it sent a shiver down Ves''s spine. There was no emotion in his voice, no remorse. He believed every word he was saying.


    Ves took a slow, deep breath, forcing herself to regain control. "You''re not as clever as you think you are. I see through you. And so will Leo."


    Ryan''s smirk returned. "Then maybe you should tell him. Warn him about the big bad wolf in your midst."


    Ves''s fists clenched again, her knuckles whitening. "I will."


    Ryan''s expression darkened slightly, his gaze sharpening. "Be careful, Ves. People don''t like being told what to think. They like to come to their own conclusions."


    The veiled threat hung in the air, but Ves didn''t flinch. She took a step back, her gaze never leaving Ryan''s.


    "I''m not afraid of you," Ves said quietly. "And I won''t let you tear this group apart."


    Ryan inclined his head slightly, a mocking gesture of respect. "We''ll see."


    Without another word, Ves turned and walked away, her heart pounding in her chest. Her mind raced, replaying every word, every gesture.


    Ryan''s manipulations were clear to her now. He wasn''t just a threat to Leo''s leadership¡ªhe was a threat to everyone''s survival.


    As Ves took the elevator to the upper floors, she made up her mind. She would talk to Leo. They couldn''t let this continue. Ryan had to be stopped.


    And if it came down to it, she was prepared to do whatever it took to protect what was theirs.

 Chapter 65 Face Off [Bonus Chapter]

    The morning light filtered through the windows of the residential complex, casting lines of shadow across the ground floor.


    The survivors gathered in tense silence, their faces lined with weariness and unspoken worries.


    The usual chatter and murmurs that accompanied the previous two meetings were absent, replaced by a sense of foreboding that hung in the air like a storm about to break.


    Leo stood at the front, his arms crossed, his gaze scanning the room.


    Ves stood by his side, her posture rigid, her sharp eyes darting toward Ryan every few moments. The confrontation from the previous day still lingered in her mind.


    She hadn''t told Leo yet, but her instincts screamed that today was the day Ryan would make his move. It told that the storm was about to break.


    Ryan stood near the back, his usual faint smirk in place, his eyes calculating. He saw that the seeds of doubt he had planted were ready to sprout, and he was equally ready to boost their growth and harvest their produce.


    "Alright," Leo began, his voice steady. "We''ve made good progress clearing nearby buildings, but there''s still more to do. Today, we¡ª"


    A low murmur rippled through the crowd.


    "Split into teams again?" someone muttered, loud enough for others to hear. "More like split up to get killed."


    Leo paused, his gaze narrowing as he scanned the crowd. It wasn''t the first time he''d heard whispers of discontent as they always complained during the lady two meetings. But today, they were louder, more brazen.


    "Leo''s right," Ves interjected, her sharp voice cutting through the room.


    "We''ve survived because we''ve been proactive. Sitting around waiting for monsters to come to us isn''t an option."


    Carlos, stepped forward with a hard expression on his face.


    "We''ve followed you into danger time and time again. And what''s it gotten us? Injuries? Near-death experiences? Maybe it''s time for a change."


    A few heads nodded in agreement.


    "It''s not about luck," Leo replied, keeping his tone calm with a somewhat intrigued smile on his face. "It''s about preparation."


    "Preparation?" Jian scoffed as he waved his katana.


    "We''ve been walking into ambushes. You keep sending us into danger, and we''re the ones paying the price."


    The murmurs grew louder, spreading through the group like wildfire.


    "I heard someone got seriously injured yesterday," another voice added. "Why are we still following this kid? He''s reckless."


    Ves clenched her fists at her sides, her jaw tightening. The seeds of doubt had taken root.


    She scanned the crowd, her gaze locking briefly with Mia''s, who stood near the back, looking slightly confused at the situation unfolding.


    Before Leo could respond, Ryan stepped forward, with a calm expression on his face.


    It was like everything happening wasn''t related to him in any way and he doesn''t want a part of it.


    "I have a suggestion," he said with a calm and sharp voice that cut through the room like a knife.


    Leo''s gaze flicked to him, unreadable.


    "Go ahead."


    "There''s an area to the west," Ryan said. "It''s been untouched since the Awakening. I believe we could find some valuable supplies there. Maybe some medical geat or even weapons."


    Ves''s jaw clenched. She recognized Ryan''s tactic immediately. It was the same ploy he''d used before to lure survivors into danger.


    Leo nodded slowly. "Alright. You take a team and check it out."


    Ryan''s smirk widened slightly. But before he could respond, a voice rose from the crowd.


    "Why does he get to decide? Why do we keep following his orders?"


    With this word, immediately the tension in the room thickened.


    "Because he gave you idiots a place to stay and kept you bunch of fools safe," Ves snapped.


    "And he also led us into danger," Jian shot back. "We''ve been lucky, but luck runs out."


    Miguel, standing near the back, took a step forward, his expression disbelieving.


    "Jian? Carlos? Are you serious? After everything we''ve been through?"


    Carlos met Miguel''s gaze, his expression unyielding. S§×arch* The N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "We''re thinking about survival, Miguel. That''s what matters."


    Ryan seeing that the moment was right, decided to seize it. He coughed lightly, clearing his throat and stopping the chaos that was about to erupt.


    He looked Leo and Ves with a smile on his face, and said with a calm and soothing voice:


    "Carlos is right. This isn''t about loyalty or friendship. It''s about survival. We need to think about what''s best for the group. Leo''s done his best. That, we all can agree on but¡­ maybe it''s time we think about what''s best for the group."


    Leo''s eyes narrowed, his gaze never leaving Ryan.


    "And what exactly are you suggesting?"


    Ryan stepped forward, his posture calm but commanding.


    "I''m suggesting we let the group decide who they want to follow."


    Ves took a step forward, her fists clenched. "This isn''t a democracy. Leo has led us through hell. He''s kept us alive."


    "And yet again, he''s led us into danger," Jian added, stepping up beside Carlos. "We''ve been lucky, but luck runs out."


    Miguel''s eyes widened, disbelief etched across his face. "Jian? Carlos? Are you serious?"


    Carlos met Miguel''s gaze, his expression hard. "We have to think about survival, Miguel. Ryan''s right. We need someone who can keep us safe."


    Ves''s heart pounded in her chest. The lines were being drawn.


    On one side stood Ryan, Carlos, Jian, and the whole of Grewishka''s group. Their expressions were cold, their resolve clear.


    On the other side stood Leo, Ves, Miguel, Mia, and a handful of others. Ves could see the shock and confusion in their eyes, but she knew that their reaction won''t change anything.


    "Can''t you all see that Ryan''s been manipulating you," Ves said, her voice sharp. "Every step of the way. Can''t you see that?"


    Carlos shook his head. "What I see is a leader who will do anything to keep us safe."


    Miguel took a step forward, his gaze locked on Carlos.


    "And what about loyalty? We''ve fought together. Survived together. How can you turn your back on that?"


    Carlos''s expression flickered, but he quickly steeled himself.


    "Like I said before, it''s not about loyalty. It''s about survival."


    Ryan''s smirk returned, his gaze locking on Leo.


    "So, what''s it going to be, Leo? Are you going to let the group decide? Or are you going to cling to your little throne?"


    Leo gave a small amused smile when he heard Ryan''s question. He was very amused by the current development of things.


    Ves stepped closer to him, her voice low but firm.


    "Don''t give in. This is exactly what he wants."


    "I know," Leo replied casually, his gaze never wavering from Ryan and his thoughts unknown.


    The next moment, Leo burst into and hearty laughter, causing Ryan''s smirk to falter slightly.


    "Do you trust someone who''s been hiding in the shadows, planting seeds of doubt?" Leo said with a smile laugh, as he continued. "Someone who''s led you into danger time and time again?"


    "Honestly, all of you are bunch of stupids. Imagine someone giving you all ungrateful imbeciles a place to rest your worthless heads and you want to turn on him? Wonderful. Just wonderful. I''m very impressed," Leo said, with a very sinister smile on his facethat radiated coldness tat filled the room immediately.


    The room immediately fell silent.


    "For those who want to leave, you can leave now," Leo said. "But know this¡ªyou won''t find safety with Ryan. You''ll find manipulation and betrayal."


    The silence stretched, heavy and tense.


    "Now, Ryan, why don''t we settle this the old fashion way?" Leo asked with a smile as he slowly walked towards Ryan, with soft, light steps.


    Ryan''s smirk faltered, face hardened and his mind started racing when he saw Leo''s actions. He felt that things were about to go south.


    He hadn''t expected Leo to be so calm, so confident. The boy had always seemed reserved, cautious. But now¡­ there was something dangerous in his gaze.


    It was something that Ryan hadn''t accounted for. But he couldn''t back down. Not now. If he did, the group would see him as weak.


    "How do you propose we do this?" He asked, throwing the question back to Leo.


    Leo smiled at this but he didn''t mind. He stood in front of Ryan and stared at him directly in the eyes. Even though Ryan was physically older than Leo, Leo was taller than him and looks even more physically fit than him, all thanks to his crazy leveling speed.


    "Ryan, why don''t we do this with a good old duel? We fight to prove our point. Remember what you said? It should naturally belong to those who can keep it. Or am I wrong?" Leo asked with sweet not so sweet smile on his face.

 Chapter 66 Face Off (II)

    A murmur spread through the crowd, low and uneasy, like distant thunder rumbling before a storm.


    Some faces were filled with anticipation, eager to see what would happen next, while others reflected fear, their eyes darting between Leo and Ryan.


    The room filled with tension, thick and oppressive, pressing down on everyone present. The air itself seemed to vibrate, as though it too was holding its breath.


    All eyes fixed on the two figures at the center of it all¡ªLeo and Ryan.


    For the survivors standing behind Ryan, Leo''s words had struck a nerve. His insults had landed with precision, cutting through their pride like a blade.


    As adults, they had never been spoken to in such a way. The sting of Leo''s words lingered, gnawing at their self-worth.


    They knew, deep down, that Leo was right. Grewishka had told them as much¡ªthat it was Leo and Ves who allowed them to stay in the residential complex, giving them shelter and protection.


    But pride was a stubborn thing.


    Admitting their mistake would mean acknowledging their own weakness. It was easier to cling to their resentment, to justify their rebellion by convincing themselves that Leo was too young to lead.


    They wanted nothing more than to charge at Leo, to wipe that smirk off his face. But the sight of that dark and menacing black sword in his hand, made them hesitate.


    Fear rooted them in place, and they decided it was better to let Ryan handle it.


    Ryan stood at the center of it all, taking in the shifting emotions of the crowd. He could see the doubt in their eyes, the growing uncertainty that threatened to derail everything he had worked hard for.


    He scoffed inwardly. Imbeciles.


    But his thoughts quickly turned back to Leo¡ªthe boy who had challenged him so brazenly.


    The insult of the challenge replayed in Ryan''s mind, grating against his pride like sandpaper on raw flesh. His fists clenched at his sides, his knuckles whitening with suppressed rage.


    Ryan took a step forward, his movements slow and deliberate. He stood directly in front of Leo, their faces almost touching. The air between them was electric, charged with unspoken threats.


    He tilted his head slightly, a cold smile curling at the corners of his lips.


    "Let me tell you something, kid," Ryan murmured, his voice low and dripping with malice. "I understand you feel strong right now. You fought that boar and won. You think you''re invincible. But I''m telling you¡ªif you push ahead with this duel, you will lose."


    His words were laced with cold malevolence, each syllable a dagger aimed at Leo''s confidence. The tone was enough to send shivers down the spine of anyone listening.


    But Leo¡­ Leo smiled.


    He lowered his head slightly, leaning in until his mouth was close to Ryan''s ear. His voice, when he spoke, was even colder¡ªa whisper that cut through the tension like a blade.


    "Bring it on, imp."


    Ryan''s entire body tensed. His jaw clenched so tightly that his teeth ached. His face twitched involuntarily, his composed mask slipping for a brief moment.


    That single word had pierced through his defenses, igniting a fire of rage and humiliation.


    For the first time, Ryan dropped the act.


    He took a step back, his expression twisting into something dark and sinister. The faint smirk he had worn was gone, replaced by a cold, calculating stare.


    "You know," Ryan began, his voice calm but laced with venom, "I really liked you, Leo. I thought that maybe¡­ just maybe¡­ we could be brothers. I thought that if I handled things the right way, if I took control gently, we could work together. Become partners."


    He chuckled softly, though there was no humor in the sound.


    "But I see now that you''re just like the rest. Arrogant. Blind. A fool drunk on a drop of power."


    Ryan''s gaze sharpened, boring into Leo with cold intensity.


    "You think you''re strong because of a few fights? Because you have a little power You''re nothing but a child playing dress-up. And you know what happens to children who don''t know their place?"


    Ryan took another step back, stretching his arms wide, his smile returning, but this time, it was twisted and dark.


    "They get punished."


    The atmosphere in the room shifted. The air grew heavier, pressing down on everyone like an invisible weight. The shadows seemed to lengthen, creeping across the floor toward Ryan as if drawn to him.


    Ryan''s gaze flicked to the crowd, his eyes glinting with cruel amusement.


    "Let me show you," he continued, his voice dropping to a near whisper. "Let me give you a taste of what true power looks like. Let me show you why I''m the only one who can lead this group."


    He turned back to Leo, his expression devoid of emotion.


    "Leo," he said softly, "let me give you a test of my power."


    The next moment, the air erupted with sound.


    Screeches and roars filled the air, deafening and unnatural. The walls of building seemed to tremble as the monstrous noises echoed through the building.


    The survivors flinched, some covering their ears, others stepping back, their face pale from fear. Their hearts raced, the animalistic sounds sending chills down their spines.


    The screeches grew louder, more frenzied, as if a horde of creatures was just outside, waiting to descend upon them.


    Ryan''s smile widened as he basked in the fear spreading through the room.


    "Do you hear that?" he whispered, his voice cutting through the noise like a scalpel. "That''s the sound of power. That''s the sound of monsters answering my call."


    He took a step forward, his eyes locked on Leo.


    "You will lose. And when you do, this group will see that I''m the only one who can keep them safe."


    The screeches and roars intensified, shaking the very foundation of the building. The tension reached a breaking point, the room teetering on the edge of chaos.


    But Leo didn''t flinch.


    He stood tall, his gaze steady, his expression calm.


    "Is that all?" Leo asked, his voice cutting through the noise like a blade.


    Ryan''s smile faltered, the slightest hint of doubt flickering in his eyes. He quickly regained his composure as he smiled.


    "I see. You''re confident, huh? Then, show me how you will survive this," he said, pointing to the entrance of the building.


    Everyone followed his finger. Their eyes widened in horror as blood drained from their faces, as they staggered backward.


    Then, suddenly, a scream pierced the air.


    "Ahhh!"


    S§×ar?h the n??el Fire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

 Chapter 67 Army of the Dead

    Leo''s eyes widened in shock as he followed Ryan''s outstretched hand to the entrance of the building.


    Beyond the building''s entrance, a sea of the undead surged forward, an unrelenting tide of flesh and decay.


    Hundreds¡ªno, thousands¡ªof zombies** flooded the street, their bodies packed so tightly together they looked like a single, writhing organism.


    Their growls and snarls filled the air, a twisted symphony of hunger and death. The sound was guttural and relentless, like the rumble of a distant earthquake, growing louder with every passing second.


    But it wasn''t just the zombies that sent chills down Leo''s spine.


    Beyond the surging zombies, around the building, Leo sensed different types of monsters lurking seemingly in wait, patiently as if they knew their moment would come.


    Leo clenched his fists lightly when he saw this.


    ''So this is why Ryan was so confident.''


    He didn''t need to fight Leo directly. He brought the fight to him.


    The stench of decay hit Leo like a punch to the gut as the horde closed in. Rotting flesh, blood, and death mixed in the air, making it hard to breathe.


    Then the zombies broke through the entrance.


    The glass door splintered under the pressure of the horde, the glass and metal groaning before giving way completely.


    A wall of undead flesh poured into the building, their glassy eyes filled with mindless hunger.


    Their snarls grew deafening, echoing off the walls like a storm crashing through the building. The sound of bone scraping against concrete, flesh tearing, and teeth gnashing filled the air, creating an atmosphere of pure horror.


    Leo moved immediately, pushing Ves and Mia out of the way, as he prepared to face the horde. His heart pounded in his chest, but his mind remained calm.


    The zombies rushed forward with relentless ferocity, their rotting hands clawing at the air as they sought to tear apart anything in their path.


    And, chaos erupted.


    The survivors, who moments ago had been standing frozen in fear, now scattered like headless chickens in a slaughterhouse. Their screams pierced the air, blending with the grotesque noises of the zombies.


    "Run! They''re coming!"


    "Hide! Find cover!"


    People shoved each other aside, desperate to escape. The whole underground floor was overturned, the sounds of loud scuffling feet adding to the cacophony.


    Some survivors stumbled over each other in their haste to escape, their screams adding to the chaos.


    One man tripped and fell, his face pale with terror as he scrambled to his feet, his eyes darting around like a trapped animal.


    In less than ten seconds, the ground floor, once packed with survivors, was nearly deserted, leaving almost only Leo, Ves, Mia, and the wolves remained.


    Leo''s gaze shifted to Ryan, who stood calmly near the back of the room. His smile remained, twisted with amusement as he watched the chaos unfold.


    He relished the moment, soaking in the fear and terror that filled the air.


    The first zombie lunged at Leo, its yellowed teeth snapping inches from his face. Its long, claw-like fingers swiped at him, aiming for his throat.


    Leo moved with ease as he dodged the attack, twisting his body with fluid movements.


    The dark and gleaming blade of Nightshade cut through the air with deadly grace. The zombie''s head flew from its shoulders, rolling across the floor before coming to a stop against a wall.


    The headless corpse crumpled to the ground with a sickening thud, but the horde behind it didn''t hesitate. More zombies poured in, their snarls growing louder as they surged toward Leo.


    Leo took a deep breath, his mind razor-sharp. He knew that even though the zombies were huge in numbers, they weren''t the only threat. The monsters outside were just as dangerous as the zombies.


    Though they don''t have the advantage of numbers like the zombies, their individual levels aren''t something to be scoffed at.


    But even with how grim the situation looks, Leo wasn''t scared or bothered in any way. Instead, he felt excited. And even happy.


    His initial plan for today was to go monster hunting and level up as fast as possible, but since Ryan has been so kind to bring the monsters to him, then he would have to make use of the opportunity.


    Also, after leveling up lately, Leo had been dying to test out his strength and skills, and the only way he can do that is in such a situation.


    The zombies closed in, their grotesque forms swaying and stumbling, but Leo didn''t wait for them to come to him. He moved first.


    With a powerful stomp, he activated [Seismic Stomp].


    The ground trembled beneath his feet, sending a shockwave rippling through the horde. The front ranks of the zombies stumbled, their grotesque bodies crashing into one another.


    The building itself seemed to shudder under the impact, dust falling from the ceiling as cracks spiderwebbed across the walls.


    Taking advantage of the momentary pause, Leo launched himself forward.


    He became a blur of motion, cutting through the zombies as he went on a killing spree.


    His blade easily sliced through flesh and bone, sending decaying limbs flying as he carved a path through the horde.


    The sickening sound of flesh tearing and bones cracking filled the room, but Leo paid no mind. His focus was absolute.


    One zombie after another fell before him. Heads rolled, torsos split open, and the ground became slick with dark, rotting blood. The stench of decay grew stronger, clinging to his clothes and skin, but he didn''t falter.


    His speed was unmatched and each of his movements was fluid, as he danced through the horde.


    Nightshade became like an extension of himself, a blur of darkness cutting through the tide of death.


    Behind him, Ves and Mia watched in stunned silence.


    Mia''s hands trembled, clutching the twin daggers tightly. Her eyes were wide with fear and awe as she watched Leo move through the horde like a force of nature.


    "He''s¡­ incredible," she whispered.


    Ves nodded, her eyes never leaving Leo.


    "He''s grown stronger."


    Leo continued his killing spree, cutting down zombie after zombie, clearing 35% of the horde with ease.


    But he knew this wasn''t the end.


    Beyond the horde, the monsters still waited. He felt that he could see their forms shifting restlessly as if eager to join the fray.


    Leo paused for a moment, standing in the midst of a sea of corpses. Nightshade dripped with black, viscous blood, the smell of rot and death thick and suffocating in the air.


    He turned his gaze toward Ryan, who still stood calmly at the back of the room, watching the carnage with cold amusement.


    "Is that all you''ve got?" Leo called out, his voice cutting through the noise like a blade.


    Ryan''s smile widened, but there was a flicker of irritation in his eyes. Leo wasn''t supposed to be this calm¡­ This confident.


    "I see," Ryan said, his voice smooth but laced with thinly veiled frustration.


    The next moment, he pointed toward the entrance of the building.


    Leo followed his finger and he saw beyond the building''s entrance, more zombies surged forward, their dead eyes gleaming with hunger. sea??h th§× N?velFire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    And behind them, the monsters moved, with low and menacing growls as they began to advance, closing in on the building.

 Chapter 68 Against The Endless Tide

    Leo''s gaze shifted toward Ves, his chest tightening when he saw the mix of fear and anger on her face.


    Her fists were clenched so tightly that her knuckles had turned white, and her eyes glistened with unshed tears of frustration and rage.


    He walked toward her with deliberate calmness, stepping over the piles of rotting corpses that littered the ground. His footsteps echoed in the silence between the growls and snarls of the advancing tide.


    "Ms. Ves," Leo said gently, his voice, soft, calm and steady despite the chaos around them. "You don''t have to worry about them. I''ll take care of them."


    He pointed toward the horde of zombies and monsters that loomed like a living nightmare, advancing toward the building with relentless hunger.


    "What I need you to focus on is that dog." Leo''s gaze flicked to Ryan, who remained standing at the back, his smile still twisted with amusement. "He seems to be able to control the zombies and monsters. If we take him out, we can end all of this."


    Ves opened her mouth, wanting to protest, but Leo shook his head.


    "I know you''re worried," Leo said softly, "and you don''t want me to do this alone. But I''m not alone. I have you, Fiona, and the wolf pack. The monsters and zombies shouldn''t be a problem for me. The best way you can help is by taking care of him."


    Ves sighed, her shoulders slumping slightly in resignation. She knew Leo was right, but it didn''t make the situation any easier to accept. Her heart clenched painfully at the thought of leaving Leo to face the horde alone.


    Her gaze shifted to Ryan, and a wave of emotions crashed over her¡ªgrief, betrayal, and most of all,*burning hatred.


    Her lips curled into a snarl, and her eyes narrowed with cold fury. Her floodgates broke, releasing all the emotions she had bottled up since the mutiny began.


    With light, menacing steps, Ves began walking toward Ryan. S§×ar?h the N?velFire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    .....


    Ryan''s body tensed when he saw Ves approaching, her face twisted in unrestrained rage. The calculated calm he had maintained began to falter as he realized the depth of her anger.


    His gaze darted to Grewishka, Jian, and Carlos, who still stood on the ground floor.


    "Stop her!" Ryan roared, his voice laced with panic.


    Jian and Carlos rushed forward without hesitation, their faces hard with determination. Grewishka remained by Ryan''s side, his towering figure acting as a shield.


    Miguel and Mia, who had been standing frozen in shock, finally snapped into action when they saw Ves about to be attacked.


    Miguel''s fury ignited like a firestorm.


    His heart pounded as memories of saving Carlos, Jian, and the others flashed through his mind. He had given them shelter, fought alongside them, and risked his life to keep them alive. And now, those very people were turning against him.


    "You traitorous bastards!" Miguel roared, his voice echoing through the building.


    With bitterness and anger fueling him, Miguel charged toward Jian and Carlos, his weapon raised high. Mia followed closely behind, her daggers gleaming as she prepared to strike.


    The two groups clashed in a flurry of metal and rage, their weapons clanging as the sound of battle mixed with the snarls of the advancing horde.


    .....


    Leo turned away from the fight, knowing he couldn''t afford to get involved.


    The tide of death was closing in.


    The zombies moved like a swarming flood, their dead eyes gleaming with mindless hunger. Their growls and snarls blended into a cacophony of death, a symphony of terror that shook the building to its core.


    Their rotting flesh hung loosely from their bones, and their jagged teeth snapped hungrily as they surged forward.


    Behind them, multiple mutant creatures also rushed forward, with their beastly eyes trained on him.


    Leo took a deep breath, his heart pounding in anticipation. This was it. This was the battle he had been waiting for.


    He stepped outside the building, his feet crunching on the debris-strewn ground. Fiona and the wolf pack followed closely behind, their eyes gleaming with predatory focus.


    The horde surged toward him, a wall of death and decay.


    Leo stomped his foot on the ground, activating [Seismic Stomp] just as the cooldown elapsed.


    The ground shook violently, sending shockwaves rippling through the horde. The zombies in the front ranks stumbled and fell, crashing into those behind them.


    Dust and debris filled the air as cracks spiderwebbed across the ground, and buildings shuddered from the impact.


    Without missing a beat, Leo activated [Berserker''s Roar].


    A deafening roar erupted from him, sending waves of fear and disorientation through the horde. Zombies and monsters within the 20-meter radius froze, their movements halting as the roar reverberated through the air.


    Leo saw the momentary pause he had created and seized the opportunity.


    With blinding speed, he charged into the horde, Nightshade flashing as he cut through flesh and bone.


    The sickening sound of flesh tearing and bones snapping filled the air. Blood sprayed in dark arcs, staining the ground as Leo moved like a whirlwind of death.


    The system''s notifications kept ringing in his head as he killed the monsters but Leo didn''t pay any attention to it.


    He dodged claws and teeth, his movements fluid and precise. Each strike of his blade was lethal, decapitating zombies and splitting torsos with ease.


    But the horde was endless.


    Zombies kept coming, their numbers overwhelming. Leo could feel the weight of the battle pressing down on him, the sheer mass of bodies threatening to engulf him.


    A zombie lunged at him from the side, its claws aimed at his neck.


    Leo ducked at the last second, swinging Nightshade upward and slicing through the zombie''s chest and spilting its head into two. The creature fell with a gurgling snarl before going silent, but another took its place immediately.


    Leo''s heart pounded, but his mind remained focused. He couldn''t afford to lose the concentration he has right now.


    Another zombie lunged, and Leo spun on his heel, delivering a powerful kick that sent the creature flying backward into the horde.


    The next moment, a zombie lunged at him from behind, its claws inches from his back. He spun just in time, slicing through its neck, but another creature grabbed his arm. With a grunt, he twisted free, his blade flashing as he severed its head.


    He saw a larger mutant creature advancing from the rear. It was a hulking beast with razor-sharp claws and seemingly glowing red eyes.


    The monster let out a guttural growl, its eyes locking onto Leo with predatory intent.


    Leo braced himself, tightening his grip on Nightshade.


    The monster charged forward, its claws slicing through the air with terrifying speed.


    Leo moved to dodge, but the monster was faster than he anticipated. Its claw grazed his side, sending searing pain through his body.


    The force of the blow sent Leo flying backward, his body crashing into the ground with a heavy thud. Blood seeped through his shirt, staining the fabric dark red.


    The horde closed in, their growls and snarls growing louder as they sensed weakness.


    Leo gritted his teeth, pushing himself to his feet despite the pain. His gaze remained locked on the approaching monster, his mind racing.

 Chapter 69 Against The Endless Tide (II)

    Leo lay sprawled on the ground, his body aching from the force of the blow that had sent him crashing into the debris-strewn floor.


    The metallic tang of blood filled his mouth, and he spat onto the cracked pavement, watching dark red droplets splatter against the stone.


    The snarls and growls of the advancing horde surrounded him, growing louder with every second. The scent of decay and blood hung thick in the air, making it difficult to breathe.


    The ground trembled beneath the weight of the countless zombies and mutant creatures closing in on him.


    For a brief moment, Leo allowed himself to close his eyes, his mind racing through everything that had led to this moment.


    He thought of the people he had saved. The survivors he had welcomed into the base, giving them shelter and protection. He thought of Ryan¡ªthe rat he had allowed in. The one who had betrayed him and brought this nightmare to his doorstep.


    It was now, as he lay on the ground, staring up at the swarming tide of death, that Ves''s words echoed in his mind.


    "Be careful who you trust."


    He hadn''t listened. He had wanted to help, to save people. But now, he wondered if he had been wrong.


    Had his naivety led them to this moment?


    But¡­ was he truly wrong to help?


    Leo sighed, his gaze hardening. There was no use dwelling on the past. He had made a mistake, and now he had to fix it.


    And the only way to fix things was to get rid of this endless tide.


    ¡­..


    The tide surged forward, a mass of rotting flesh and terror. Zombies shuffled and stumbled, their dead eyes gleaming with hunger, while mutant creatures prowled behind them, their beastly eyes locked on Leo.


    The horde was relentless, unending. Hundreds, if not thousands, of monsters closing in, their growls blending into a deafening cacophony of death.


    Leo''s grip tightened around Nightshade, the dark blade gleaming under the dim light. With a grunt of effort, he stabbed the sword into the ground, using it as a crutch to lift himself up.


    His body protested, pain flaring through his ribs and shoulders, but he ignored it. Pain was nothing compared to the threat before him.


    But it wasn''t going to be easy. Even though their levels are low, with most of the zombies being level 1 and the mutant creature, level 5 to 11, their numbers makes up for it.


    As he stood, his eyes locked on the horde. Determination burned in his gaze.


    "You all¡­" Leo muttered, his voice low and cold, "are nothing more than exp points."


    With a roar of defiance, Leo charged forward, Nightshade slashing through the air as he met the horde head-on.


    ¡­..


    The first zombie lunged, its claws swiping toward Leo''s face. He sidestepped with ease, bringing Nightshade down in a swift arc, slicing through the creature''s neck.


    Rotting flesh and bone parted like butter, and the zombie''s head rolled to the ground.


    Another zombie lunged from the side, but Leo was already moving. His blade whirled, cutting through torsos and limbs, sending black, viscous blood spraying into the air.


    The stench of decay grew stronger, clinging to his clothes and skin, but Leo didn''t pay it any heed.


    He dodged and weaved, with fluid and precise movements. But the horde was endless.


    For every zombie Leo cut down, two more took its place. The ground beneath him became slick with blood and gore, making it difficult to maintain his footing.


    A mutant rat lunged from the shadows, its glowing red eyes locked on Leo.


    It squeaked loudly, the sound vibrating through the air as it charged at Leo with terrifying speed.


    Leo braced himself, his grip on Nightshade tightening. As the mutant rat lunged, he sidestepped at the last second, swinging his blade upward.


    Nightshade sliced through the creature''s chest, black blood spraying across the ground. The monster let out a guttural snarl, its claws swiping wildly as it stumbled forward.


    Leo didn''t give it a chance to recover.


    With blinding speed, he spun on his heel, bringing Nightshade down in a powerful arc that split the creature''s head in two. The mutant beast crumpled to the ground, its body twitching before falling still.


    Suddenly, a group of mutant rats burst out from his blind spot , charging at Leo with terrifying speed. There were too many to dodge.


    A sharp whistle cut through the air, followed by a blur of silver fur.


    Fiona leapt into the fray, her claws glinting under the dim light. She tackled the lead mutant rat, her jaws locking around its throat with a sickening crunch.


    The wolf pack followed closely behind, tearing into the swarm of mutant rats with savage efficiency. Teeth snapped, claws raked, and the air filled with the sounds of growls and pained squeals.


    Leo smiled briefly. "Thanks, Fiona."


    Fiona growled in response, her eyes gleaming with fierce determination.


    A zombie lunged at Leo from behind, its claws inches from his back. He twisted just in time, slashing upward and severing its head. But as he turned, another lone mutant rat darted toward him, its teeth bared. Leo dodged, barely avoiding the snapping jaws.


    He slashed at the mutant rat''s head, splitting its head into two and leaving its brain exposed to the elements.


    The mutant rat squeaked loudly in pain before falling to the floor, deader than dead.


    ¡­..


    The horde continued to surge forward.


    Zombies clawed and snapped, their grotesque forms relentless. Mutant creatures prowled a short distance away, waiting for the perfect moment to strike.


    Leo''s heart pounded in his chest, but his mind remained focused.


    He activated [Seismic Stomp] again for the third time, sending shockwaves rippling through the ground. Zombies in the front ranks stumbled and fell, creating a domino effect as those behind them tripped over the fallen bodies.


    Dust and debris filled the air, the ground cracking even more and splitting beneath the force of the skill.


    Taking advantage of the momentary pause, Leo charged forward.


    Nightshade flashed in the dim light, cutting through flesh and bone with deadly precision, as Leo carved a path through the horde.


    He leapt forward, his blade slicing through the creature''s neck in one swift motion.


    The mutant beast crumpled to the ground, twitching before going still. Sear?h the N?vel(F)ire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    The system''s notifications rang in his mind, but he ignored them, his focus solely on the battle.


    Leo continued to move as if he was on autopilot. His hand holding Nightshade, swinging without a moment''s rest.


    Some survivors peeked from their hiding spots, their faces pale with fear. Their hearts pounded as they watched Leo stand alone against the tide, guilt gnawing at their insides.


    Leo had no idea how much time had passed as he suddenly found out that all the zombies had been killed, leaving behind a huge pile of broken corpses strewn on the ground.


    Leo smiled when he saw this. The most annoying part of the tide¡ªthe relentless zombies¡ªhas been taken care of, leaving behind just a couple of mutant creatures.


    He took a look at them and did a short head count, counting about 30. They were still a lot of the but they were all weak as half the number was made up by the mutant rats.


    With a small smile on his face, he rushed towards them. One would expect Leo to be tired after battling a horde of hundreds of zombies but with his skills that passively regenerates his Stamina, Leo could be said to have almost an endless amount of Stamina.


    The mutant creatures, Leo, Fiona, and the wolves collided in a clash of blade and claws.

 Chapter 70 Against The Endless Tide (III)

    The stench of blood and rot hung heavy in the air, clinging to every breath Leo took. Piles of corpses littered the ground, twisted forms of zombies and creatures strewn across the battlefield.


    Each step Leo took squelched through blood-soaked earth, leaving dark footprints behind.


    But it wasn''t over yet.


    The remaining mutant creatures prowled in the shadows, their beastly eyes locked on Leo. Their movements were slow and deliberate, as if calculating.


    These creatures seems smarter than the mindless zombies but Leo knew that that wasn''t entirely true.


    He felt that if Ryan can control them, then he might have a way to control their exact actions.


    He seemed to have reserved the mutant creatures, waiting for the horde to thin out before using them to make his move.


    Leo stood at the center of it all, his chest heaving as he tightened his grip on Nightshade. His muscles ached, his body screamed for rest, but there was no time for that.


    Also, his skills were doing well, regenerating his Stamina and keeping him on his feet.


    Fiona and the wolf pack flanked him, their fur matted with blood, their eyes gleaming with predatory focus. Their growls were low, almost imperceptible, a sign that they were ready to pounce at any moment.


    The air was thick with tension, the quiet growls of the mutant creatures reverberating through the ruined streets. They were circling, waiting for the right moment to strike.


    Leo glanced at Fiona. "Stay close. We end this together."


    She growled softly in response, her hackles raised as she bared her teeth, letting out a low, guttural snarl.


    The first mutant creature lunged.


    It was a hulking beast, its muscles rippling beneath twisted flesh. It charged at Leo with terrifying speed, claws slicing through the air.


    Leo sidestepped, bringing Nightshade up in a swift arc. The blade sliced through the creature''s side, but it didn''t go down. The beast snarled, its eyes burning with rage as it swung its massive arm toward Leo.


    Leo ducked just in time, feeling the rush of air as the claws missed his head by inches.


    Before the creature could recover, Fiona lunged. She sank her teeth into its leg, dragging it down with a powerful tug. The beast roared in pain, thrashing as it tried to shake her off.


    Two wolves darted forward, tearing at the beast''s neck and shoulders with relentless ferocity. Their growls mixed with the creature''s howls, a savage chorus that echoed through the battlefield.


    Leo took the opportunity to strike. He charged forward, his blade flashing as he brought it down with deadly precision, splitting the creature''s skull.


    The beast crumpled to the ground, its body twitching before falling still.


    But there was no time to celebrate.


    The next wave of mutant creatures attacked, snarls filling the air as they rushed toward Leo and the wolves.


    A mutant rat darted forward, its glowing red eyes fixed on Leo. It squeaked loudly, the sound very grating on the ear, as it leapt toward him.


    Leo swung Nightshade in a wide arc, decapitating the creature mid-air. Its head hit the ground with a sickening thud, and its body collapsed a moment later.


    Another mutant beast¡ªa twisted fusion of reptile and mammal¡ªcharged at Fiona, its clawed feet digging into the ground with each step.


    Fiona growled, meeting the creature head-on. The two collided with a bone-rattling impact, claws and teeth clashing as they fought for dominance.


    The wolf pack moved as one, their instincts perfectly aligned. They tore into the creatures with savage strikes, each attack hitting their targets squarely.


    But the mutant creatures were relentless.


    A large, spider-like creature scuttled from the shadows, its multiple eyes glinting with malice. It moved with eerie grace, its legs clicking against the ground as it closed in on Leo.


    Leo felt a chill run down his spine as he locked eyes with the creature. It was different from the others. Smarter. More dangerous.


    The spider-beast lunged, its legs stabbing toward Leo like spears.


    Leo dodged the first strike, but the second leg grazed his arm, tearing through his sleeve and leaving a bloody gash.


    He gritted his teeth, ignoring the pain as he countered with a quick slash of Nightshade. The blade cut through one of the creature''s legs, severing it with a sickening crunch.


    The creature screeched in fury, its remaining legs skittering frantically as it tried to regain balance.


    Fiona leapt onto the creature''s back, her teeth sinking into its neck. The spider-beast thrashed, but Fiona held firm, tearing through flesh and sinew.


    Another wolf pounced from the side, snapping its jaws around one of the creature''s remaining legs and dragging it down.


    Leo saw his chance. He rushed forward, his blade poised to strike.


    With one powerful thrust, he drove Nightshade through the creature''s head, the blade piercing through its chitin and exoskeleton.


    The beast shuddered violently before collapsing in a heap.


    Leo pulled his blade free, black blood dripping from the tip.


    But another creature emerged.


    A hulking beast with twisted horns charged toward the wolf pack, roaring as it barreled through the fallen corpses. S§×ar?h the Nov§×l?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    One of the wolves was caught in its path, flung through the air with a yelp as the creature continued its charge.


    Leo sprinted toward it, Nightshade flashing in his hand.


    The beast lowered its head, aiming its horns at Leo.


    Leo jumped to the side at the last second, slashing across the creature''s flank as he passed. The beast roared in pain, turning to face him again.


    Fiona darted in from the other side, her teeth sinking into the beast''s neck. The creature thrashed, trying to shake her off, but she held firm.


    Leo charged again, driving Nightshade into the beast''s chest. The blade pierced through muscle and bone, and the creature let out a final, guttural roar before collapsing to the ground.


    The battlefield fell eerily silent, save for the labored breathing of Leo and the wolves.


    The mutant creatures lay dead, their twisted bodies littering the ground alongside the zombies.


    Leo wiped the blood from his face, his gaze hardening as he turned toward the building.


    Ryan stood at the entrance, his twisted smile unwavering.


    "You survived," Ryan said, his voice carrying across the battlefield. "I''ll admit¡­ I''m impressed."


    Leo took a step forward, Nightshade gleaming in his hand, with a smile on his face.


    "This time, it''s just you and me."


    Ryan''s smile widened. "Oh, I agree. But tell me, Leo¡­ are you ready to face me?"


    Fiona growled softly, her eyes never leaving Ryan.


    Leo didn''t respond. He didn''t need to. His cold, unwavering gaze said it all.

 Chapter 71 Just All Talk

    The battlefield was eerily silent.


    The air was thick with the stench of death and the intensity of the odor seems to be increasing by the second.


    Pile of corpses¡ªzombies, mutant creatures, and beasts¡ªlittered the ground. The faint rustle of wind stirred the blood-soaked earth, carrying with it the scent of decay and rot.


    Leo stood at the center of it all, his breathing steady despite the exhaustion clawing at his body. His grip on Nightshade was firm, the blade dripping with black blood.


    Beside him, Fiona and the wolf pack flanked him, their eyes locked on the figure standing at the entrance of the building.


    Ryan.


    His twisted smile remained, a mask of calm arrogance. His clothes were stained with blood, but he stood tall, his posture relaxed, as if the carnage around him was nothing more than an amusing spectacle.


    "You survived," Ryan said, his voice cutting through the silence like a blade. "I''ll admit¡­ I''m impressed. I initially thought that you were just lucky but it seems like I was wrong. You actually a decent amount of skill."


    Leo didn''t respond. He simply took a step forward, his eyes cold and unyielding, and an equally cold smile on his face.


    "This time, it''s just you and me," Leo said, with a low voice.


    Ryan chuckled softly, the sound devoid of any warmth. "Oh, I agree. But tell me, Leo¡­ are you ready to face me?"


    Leo didn''t respond directly but cold, unwavering gaze and the smile on his face said it all.


    Fiona growled softly, her hackles raised, but Leo didn''t need her warning. He knew Ryan was dangerous, more so now than ever before.


    "I should thank you," Ryan continued, his tone conversational. "Without your naive kindness, none of this would have been possible.


    You gave me shelter. You trusted me. And now look at what''s become of your precious group."


    Ryan laughed mockingly as he finished his words, wanting to see Leo''s reaction.


    Even though he was completely calm and composed on the outside, he was completely shaken inside and his brain was working twice as much, as he thought of what next to do.


    He never expected Leo to be this strong. He never accounted for his strength on anyway. But even with how things looks like the heaven might fall the next moment, Ryan was still smiling inwardly as his eyes drifted to the wolves behind Leo.


    Leo''s jaw clenched and he squeezed Nightshade tightly as he looked ahead. He wasn''t affected by Ryan''s words, neither did he care about him.


    The reason why he''s feeling so agitated right now is because of Ms Ves who was being held down by a mutant creature.


    He saw how bloody and badly beaten her looks, and he almost lost himself in rage. He did well to control himself by doing a quick breathing exercise, but it did little to lessen his rage.


    "You wanted to save people," Ryan said, stepping forward. "You thought you could protect them. But all you did was make them weak. You coddled them, gave them hope in a world that doesn''t allow it."


    Ryan''s smile widened, his eyes gleaming with malicious amusement. "And look where it got you. Betrayed. Abandoned. Forced to fight monsters while they hid like cowards."


    Leo''s grip on Nightshade tightened.


    Ryan took a step forward, with a slow and delibrate movement.


    "People don''t want a savior, Leo. They want a leader, someone who can make hard choices. Someone who can control them and the situation. Someone who understands that fear is the only way to survive."


    Leo''s smiled when he heard Ryan''s words. He couldn''t help but scoff and shake his head at his opponent''s stupidity.


    Ryan''s smile faltered for a brief moment when he saw Leo''s reaction, but he quickly composed himself.


    "I know. It''s not exactly pretty. But the world isn''t exactly pretty right now and besides, it works. I will keep them alive as I''ve continued to do from the beginning. I will also continue to give them direction. Something you can never do."


    "You will manipulated them, just like you have been doing since," Leo said. "You will use fear and lies to turn them against each other. Just as you have used to turn them against me."


    Ryan shrugged. "And it worked."


    Leo took another step forward, his gaze locked on Ryan. "You think that makes you strong? Manipulating people? Spreading fear?"


    "It makes me a survivor," Ryan said, his tone growing colder. "And that''s all that matters in this world."


    For a moment, the two stood in silence, the weight of their words hanging heavy in the air.


    Then, without warning, Ryan''s demeanor shifted. His smile twisted into something darker, more sinister.


    "You''re still clinging to those childish ideals," Ryan said. "Kindness. Loyalty. Trust. They''re weaknesses, Leo. And in this world, weakness gets you killed."


    Leo''s gaze didn''t waver. "It''s not weakness to believe in people."


    Ryan sneered. "People are selfish. They''ll take what they can get and leave you to die when it''s convenient. Just like they did to you."


    Leo''s heart pounded in his chest, but he forced himself to stay calm. He couldn''t let Ryan''s words get to him.


    "You''re right, yet, wrong," Leo said quietly. "The people who betrayed me weren''t weak. They were scared. And fear makes people do stupid things."


    Ryan laughed, the sound echoing through the ruined streets. "And what''s your excuse? You trusted me. You let me in."


    Leo''s grip on Nightshade tightened, the weight of the blade grounding him. "I made a mistake. But I won''t make it again."


    Ryan''s eyes gleamed with madness. "We''ll see."


    Ryan made the first move, as he raised his hand, activating the active effect of his skill, [Corrupt Call], with a dark and ominous energy swirling around his fingers.


    The around air grew thick with tension as a small number of mutant creatures emerged from the shadows, their eyes gleaming with malice and madness.


    They moved with unnatural grace, their bodies twitching as if waiting for a command.


    Leo glanced at Fiona. "Go."


    Without hesitation, Fiona and the wolves charged toward the creatures, their growls reverberating through the battlefield.


    Ryan watched them with a smirk before turning his gaze back to Leo.


    "You''re strong. But strength alone won''t save you," He said as he pulled a dagger from his belt.


    Leo raised Nightshade, his stance firm. "I don''t need saving."


    "We shall see." S~ea??h the n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Ryan lunged, his movements swift and erratic, and very surprising.


    One would had expected Ryan to attack Leo but instead... He seems to be running away. Escaping.


    Leo narrower his eyes when he saw this. He didn''t know if Ryan was actually running away or it was a strategy of his.


    It took him a moment but he finally realised... He was really running away.


    "That son of a bitch!" Leo roared as he turned into a blur chasing after Ryan.


    There was no way that he was going to leg Ryan to escape after everything that he has done to him and Ms Ves. He was initially hesitating about killing him but seeing what be did to her, he no longer had any reservations.


    It was just as Leo thought. Ryan was actually running away. He knew that there was no way he could face Leo with his weak strength, and this is even with the fact that Leo had already been exhausted by the monster and zombie tode.


    He wasn''t going to take the risk. Also, the drawback of his skill was already getting too much for him to handle. He has to find a place to settle down and calm the voice in his head.


    If he can''t win today, then he will continue to gather monsters and one day, he would come back and pay Leo for the humiliation he has made him suffer today.


    Ryan was still running and thinking about the future, when he felt something crash into his back. He was sent tumbling across the ground and when he finally stops, he saw Leo standing in front of him with a face contorted in rage.


    "You were running?" Leo asked, with a sinister smile on his face and his head titled slightly.


    "After all that rambling, your next move was to run away? Tsk. So much for a leader that is fit to lead a group in an unforgiving world," Leo said, as he slowly walked towards Ryan who was lying on the ground.


    "I must admit to one thing you said though. You''re right. Strength isn''t enough. A leader must be smart, but you know? He must also be smart and strong.


    The new world is ruled by strength, not schemes. When you meet someone with absolute strength, all you schemes will be like child''s play," Leo said, as he paused his steps and bent down in front of Ryan.


    The next moment, Ryan burst into mad laughter, laughing like someone who has finally lost it, but the next moment, he went silent and said a single word to Leo.


    "Boo-boo."


    The following moment, everything happened like a flash.


    Leo heard growling behind him and he turned to see Fiona and the wolves lunging at him.


    The wolves darted toward him, their growls low and menacing. For a split second, Leo''s mind raced with conflicting thoughts. Why are they coming at me? Did Ryan turn them? He hesitatedly gripped Nightshade tighter, ready to defend himself.


    Instead of them attacking him as he thought they were about to, he saw them rush past him and towards Ryan.


    But another surprising thing happened the next moment, as a figure appeared behind Ryan with a gust of wind and bit him in the next.


    "Ms Ves?"

 Chapter 72 Consequences

    Leo didn''t understand what just happened.


    One moment, he had Ryan pinned to the ground, rage burning in his chest as he prepared to end it all.


    The next, Ves had appeared like a ghost, her movements swift as she sank her **teeth into Ryan''s neck, drawing blood.


    And now, Ryan lay on the ground, clutching his neck, his fingers pressing against the wound as if he could somehow stop the inevitable.


    Leo stared, his mind struggling to process what he had just witnessed. The battlefield, once filled with snarls and growls, had fallen eerily silent, save for the sound of Ryan''s ragged breathing and the soft rustle of wind carrying the scent of blood and decay.


    Ryan''s eyes met Leo''s, and for the first time, Leo saw something unfamiliar in them¡ªfear and confusion.


    It mirrored the emotions swirling in Leo''s chest.


    His gaze drifted upward to Ves, who stood over Ryan, her shoulders rising and falling with each labored breath.


    Blood smeared her lips, a stark contrast against her pale skin. Her expression was calm, but there was a hint of sadness in her eyes.


    She wiped her mouth with the back of her hand, smearing the blood further before offering Leo a small, tired smile.


    "Ms. Ves¡­ why?" Leo''s voice trembled, laced with confusion and disbelief. "Why did you¡­?"


    Ves took a slow step toward him, her gaze steady despite the storm of emotions brewing behind her eyes.


    "You''re too young to start getting people''s blood on your hands," she said softly, her voice gentle but firm. "Especially not the blood of an animal like him." S§×ar?h the N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Her words hung in the air, heavy with meaning.


    Leo''s jaw clenched. "I was ready to do it. He deserved¡ª"


    "I know," Ves interrupted, her tone unwavering. "But that''s not a burden you should carry. Not yet."


    She took another step closer, her eyes never leaving his. "I''m supposed to be the adult here. I''m supposed to protect you from¡­ from things like this."


    Her voice wavered for a moment, and she let out a shaky breath. "So I decided to do what I should have done from the beginning."


    Leo didn''t know what to say. His chest felt tight, his mind a whirlwind of conflicting emotions. Should he be relieved? Grateful? Angry? He didn''t know.


    His gaze drifted back to Ryan, who still lay on the ground, his chest rising and falling in shallow breaths. The color had already begun to drain from his face, his skin turning ashen, as if the blood in his veins was being siphoned away.


    Ryan''s fingers trembled as he pressed them against his neck, his breaths coming in short, panicked gasps.


    "What¡­ what did you do to me?" Ryan''s voice was barely a whisper, his eyes darting between Ves and Leo.


    The confusion in his gaze deepened, mingling with a growing sense of dread.


    Leo felt a chill run down his spine as he watched the transformation unfold.


    Ryan''s skin turned paler by the second, the veins beneath the surface becoming more pronounced, like dark rivers weaving through a barren landscape. His eyes glazed over, the once-sharp gaze clouding with milky white film.


    His movements grew jerky and unnatural, his limbs twitching as if he no longer had control over them.


    Leo''s stomach churned at the sight. "Ms. Ves¡­ what''s happening to him?"


    Ves''s gaze hardened. "He''s turning."


    Ryan''s eyes widened in horror and realisation. "Turning? No¡­ no, this can''t¡ª"


    Ryan''s fingers trembled as he clawed at his neck, his breath coming in shallow gasps. "No¡­ not me. I''m supposed to win. I''m supposed to survive¡ª" His voice cracked, fading into a guttural snarl as his humanity slipped away.


    His words were cut off by a sharp gasp, his body convulsing as if something inside him was breaking. He let out a low, guttural snarl, his hands clawing at the ground as his body twisted and writhed.


    Leo took a step back, heart pounding in his chest.


    The sound of bones cracking and muscles shifting filled the air, accompanied by Ryan''s guttural groans.


    Ryan''s transformation was horrific.


    His skin, now ghostly pale, stretched tightly over his bones, giving him a gaunt, skeletal appearance. His eyes rolled back in his head, leaving only white orbs staring into nothingness.


    His mouth opened wide in a silent scream, revealing teeth that seemed sharper, more animalistic.


    And then he stopped.


    For a moment, there was silence.


    Ryan''s body stilled, his head lolling to the side. The air grew heavy, the tension thick enough to cut with a blade.


    Leo held his breath, waiting¡­ watching.


    Suddenly, Ryan''s body jerked upright, moving with unnatural speed. His limbs twisted, and his head snapped back, his dead eyes locking on Leo.


    A snarl escaped his lips, low and feral.


    Leo raised Nightshade, preparing to defend himself.


    But Ryan didn''t attack.


    Instead, he dropped to his knees, his hands trembling as he clutched his head. His movements grew erratic, his body rocking back and forth.


    Without warning, Ryan slammed his head into the ground.


    The impact echoed through the battlefield.


    Again.


    And again.


    The sickening sound of bone and decayed flesh meeting stone reverberated through the air as Ryan repeatedly smashed his head into the ground, each strike more forceful than the last.


    The stench of rot intensified, mingling with the metallic scent of blood. Ryan''s skin cracked as it stretched over his bones, the sound like dry parchment tearing, with blood pooled beneath him, staining the earth.


    Leo''s grip on Nightshade tightened, his heart hammering in his chest. He didn''t know what to do. He didn''t know how to stop it.


    "Why is he¡­?" Leo''s voice trailed off, unable to form the question.


    "He''s fighting it," Ves said softly. "He''s trying to hold on to what little humanity he has left."


    Her gaze softened, filled with a sadness that cut deep. "But it won''t last."


    Ryan let out one final, guttural growl before his body collapsed. His head rested against the blood-soaked ground, his chest rising and falling in shallow breaths.


    The silence that followed was deafening.


    Leo lowered Nightshade, his hands trembling. The weight of everything that had just happened pressed down on him, suffocating.


    "Ms. Ves¡­" His voice was barely a whisper. "Did we¡­ did we do the right thing?"


    Ves stepped closer, placing a hand on his shoulder. "There are no right answers in a world like this. We do what we have to, to survive."


    Leo nodded slowly, but the weight in his chest didn''t lift.


    Ryan''s body lay still, the blood pooling beneath him a stark reminder of the choices they had made.


    And the consequences they would have to live with.

 Chapter 73 A Monstrosity

    On the rooftop of a one of the high-rise buildings in the residential buildings complex, Tatiana and Elda, stood watching everything that happened from the beginning through to the end.


    "That was some unexpected turns of events. I didn''t expect things to end this way. Also, she was really brutal, wasn''t she? Turning him into a zombie was something I never expected to happen," Elda said with an amused smile on her face.


    Tatiana chuckled lightly and shook her head at Elda''s words.


    "It wasn''t really unexpected. People like him are naturally born cowards," she said, with her gaze on Ryan now turned zombie, who was lying on the floor, in his own blood.


    Her gaze drifted to Leo who was sitting on the floor with a distant look on his face, then to Ves who has the same look on her face.


    "But I''m quite surprised and impressed. I never expected her to take burden on herself. I''m actually to know why she turned him. Did she feel that death would be an easy way out for him or what?" Tatiana said with an amused smile, and a curious look on her face.


    "My questions are the same as yours, princess," Elda said with a smile.


    "But that proves that I''m right, Elda. It means that I can invest in her and have nothing to worry about," Tatiana said, as a small smile played on her lips.


    "Princess, are you really planning on going ahead with that? You do understand just how dangerous what you''re talking about is?" Elda asked, as worry creases her face.


    "Yes. But as you can see from what happened today. She''s someone who will always stay by Leo''s side. Same with Leo. There''s no way the two of them will be able to leave each other side.


    If that is so, then it is only right that we help her get stronger. This is even more beneficial for us. If she''s weak, she will only drag Leo down but when she''s strong, she can be on of great assistance to him," Tatiana said, explaining her thoughts to Elda


    Though, it felt like she was explaining it to herself.


    Elda sighed when she heard Tatiana''s explanation. She knew that she was right but the danger involved is something she''s not willing to allow her take.


    "Princess, what if that person asks for something that you can''t give in return? You know that making a deal with an entity like that is something extremely dangerous," Elda asked with her worries increasing.


    "Whatever he asks for, I would give. As long as I win the tournament, everything will be worth it. Even if it means taking the risk and putting my life in danger," Tatiana said, with the smile still on her face.


    Elda sighed tiredly when she heard Tatiana''s words. She knew that there was no way she was going to be able to change Tatiana''s mind. The only option was to go with her plans and see where it leads them.


    "You''re really going to be the death of me. I don''t even want to think of what these Blood Emperor would do to me and everyone involved if something is to happen to you," she muttered to herself tiredly, but her voice was loud enough for Tatiana to hear.


    "We just have to be careful so he doesn''t find out." Tatiana chuckled, causing Elda to sigh once again.


    "Mmmm... It seems like there will be some action soon," Tatiana said, as she gazed into the horizon.


    ******


    Leo and Ves were seated on the floor, looking at Ryan''s bloody body on the floor.


    "Is he still alive?" Leo asked curiously.


    "Yes," Ves replied.


    A peculiar expression enveloped Leo''s fave when he heard Ves'' response.


    "Do you plan on keeping him like this?" He asked, and he saw Ves nod in response.


    Leo didn''t know what to say or feel when he saw her nod. Yes, Ryan was his enemy but his current situation as a zombie is something he would never wish on his worst enemy.


    A lot of emotions and thoughts were crashing around in his head, and heart. He turned to look at Ves and when he saw the expression on her face, he looked away.


    He wanted to tell her to release him but when he saw how angry she looked, he knew that it wasn''t the best to say at the moment.


    "Can you control him?" He asked curiously, and he saw Ves nod in response.


    "When I bit him, I got a skill and title related to controlling zombies. I can''t learn skills naturally like you and it seems that this is the only way for me to gain one. With the skill, controlling is easy. It''s also the reason why he isn''t attacking you right now," Ves said.


    "I see...." Leo nodded slowly, as he looked at zombie Ryan, who was snarling silently on the floor.


    Leo was conflicted about keeping Ryan in his current condition. It wasn''t just about his morals but the danger and the troubles that it might bring in the future.


    But after hearing about the skill, he didn''t know what to think anymore. He wants her to keep growing stronger but....


    ''I guess this is what he meant by making hard decisions,'' he thought to himself, as he continued looking at the zombie Ryan.


    "What about others? Seeing Ryan like this might put them off or scare them. I''m not talking about Grewishka''s group, I don''t care about them. I''m talking about the man and the girl," Leo said, as his gaze drifted towards the distance.


    "I will explain everything to them," Ves replied, with her gaze also drifting into the distance.


    "You''re going to tell them about...?" Leo asked in surprise, and sighed when he saw Ves slowly nodding in response.


    The two of them were still deep in thought when they felt the ground under them vibrate intensely.


    They glanced at each other in confusion.


    The vibrations grew stronger, a rhythmic pounding that reverberated through the ground like the footsteps of a giant.


    Then they felt it again¡ªa deep, earth-shaking rumble.


    They stood up, scanning their surroundings. At first, they saw nothing.


    But then¡­ the sun dimmed.


    A massive shadow fell over the city, blotting out the light. The air grew cold and heavy, and a low growl rumbled across the horizon.


    Leo''s eyes widened in shock as he turned toward the source of the shadow. S§×arch* The ¦ÇovelFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    A monstrous figure loomed in the distance, towering over the buildings. Its scaly skin glistened in the sunlight, a dark, obsidian black that seemed to absorb the light around it. Its spiked back jutted out in jagged ridges, and its massive tail swung lazily behind it, smashing through buildings with ease.


    The creature''s eyes glowed with a sinister red light, filled with malice and primal rage.


    Leo''s heart pounded in his chest as he took in the sheer size of the beast. It stood at sixty-nine feet tall, its massive claws digging into the earth with each step, causing **the ground to quake.


    "What in the world is that thing?" Leo whispered, his voice trembling with a mix of awe and terror.


    Before Ves could respond, the monster let out a deafening roar.


    The sound was like thunder, shaking the very foundations of the buildings. Windows shattered, and the ground cracked and splintered beneath their feet, sending cracks spiderwebbing outward.


    Ves clutched her head, wincing as the roar sent a splitting pain through her skull.


    Leo gritted his teeth, forcing himself to remain standing as the monstrous creature''s gaze locked onto them.

 Chapter 74 Danger At Every Turn

    The ground trembled beneath their feet, a slow, rhythmic pounding that reverberated through the air like the heartbeat of the earth itself.


    The air grew thick, carrying the scent of dust, ash, and decay. Each vibration sent loose debris tumbling from the cracked buildings, creating soft echoes that seemed to stretch endlessly through the ruins.


    Leo and Ves stood frozen, their gazes locked on the towering figure that loomed in the distance.


    The beast let out a guttural growl, its red eyes scanning the ruined buildings. For a moment, it seemed to lock onto them¡ªbut then it turned away, uninterested.


    The beast¡ªa colossal titan of shadow and destruction¡ªmoved with slow steps that looks like the movements of a grim reaper for anyone looking at it. Each of its steps shook the foundation of the city.


    Its obsidian-black scales shimmered under the dim light, absorbing the sun''s rays and making it appear as though it was part of the darkness itself.


    Its glowing red eyes scanned the ruined streets with a curious intensity, flickering like molten embers as they took in the wreckage left in its wake.


    Leo''s heart pounded in his chest, each beat a thunderous echo in his ears. He clenched his fist and Nightshade at his sides, trying to steady his ragged breathing.


    Beside him, Ves stood rigid, her eyes wide with a mix of awe and terror.


    "What¡­ what is that thing?" Leo whispered, his voice trembling.


    The beast''s massive head turned, its gaze settling on a crumbling building nearby. It let out a deep, guttural bellow, the sound rolling through the air like distant thunder. The sheer force of the roar sent tremors through the ground, causing cracks to splinter across the pavement.


    Leo felt the roar reverberate through his chest, shaking him to his very core. His hands trembled as he gripped Nightshade harder, the blade feeling almost useless in the face of such overwhelming power.


    The beast''s nostrils flared, taking in the scent of the city. It tilted its head, its movements eerily slow, as if it was trying to make sense of its surroundings.


    Each step it took was a crushing weight on the earth, leaving behind massive craters** in the ground. The buildings around it groaned and trembled, their foundations weakening under the relentless tremors.


    Leo and Ves remained perfectly still, their breaths shallow, as they watched the creature survey the ruins.


    The tension in the air was palpable, like a taut wire ready to snap. Every muscle in Leo''s body was coiled with anticipation, ready to move at the slightest sign of danger.


    The beast''s gaze shifted, its red eyes locking onto the spot where they stood.


    Leo''s heart stopped.


    The monster took a step forward, its massive claws digging into the earth, sending chunks of stone and debris flying. Its tail swung lazily behind it, smashing into a half-collapsed building, reducing it to rubble with a deafening crash.


    Leo''s grip on Nightshade tightened, his knuckles turning white. Cold sweat trickled down his back, and his pulse pounded in his ears.


    "Is it¡­ is it coming this way?" Ves whispered, her voice barely audible.


    Leo didn''t answer. He couldn''t. His throat felt dry, and his thoughts raced as he tried to make sense of the situation.


    The beast took another step, the ground trembling beneath its weight. Dust and debris rained down from the rooftops, creating a haze that hung in the air.


    It let out another roar, louder this time, causing windows to shatter and sending cracks racing through the pavement.


    Leo''s heart was in his throat. His mind screamed at him to run, but his body refused to move. Sear?h the Nov§×l?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Then¡­ the beast stopped.


    It tilted its head again, its glowing eyes narrowing as it sniffed the air.


    For a moment, everything was silent.


    Leo held his breath, his lungs burning from the effort to stay quiet. The world seemed to hold its breath with him, waiting for the creature''s next move.


    The beast let out a low, rumbling growl, turning its head toward the broken body of zombie Ryan, who lay sprawled on the ground, snarling softly.


    The creature lowered its massive head, sniffing the air around Ryan. Its nostrils flared, taking in the scent of decay and blood.


    Leo and Ves watched in tense silence, their hearts pounding in unison**.


    Then, slowly, the beast straightened.


    It let out a snort, sending a cloud of dust and ash swirling into the air. Its red eyes flickered for a moment, then dimmed slightly, as if losing interest.


    The beast turned away, its massive tail dragging across the ground, leaving deep gouges in the earth.


    It began to lumber down the street, its footsteps shaking the ground with each step.


    It''s massive tail swung lazily behind it, smashing through a building with a deafening crash. The ground trembled beneath its footsteps, sending cracks spiderwebbing through the pavement.


    Leo and Ves remained frozen, watching as the creature disappeared into the distance, its massive form blending into the horizon.


    The ground continued to tremble for a few moments after the creature was gone, then slowly stilled.


    Silence returned.


    Leo let out a shaky breath, his body trembling from the adrenaline still coursing through his veins. He glanced at Ves, who was clutching her chest, her breathing shallow.


    "Is it¡­ gone?" Leo asked, his voice hoarse.


    Ves nodded slowly. "For now."


    Leo squeezed Nightshade''s hilt tightly, his mind still racing. The image of the towering beast was burned into his memory, a constant reminder of the dangers that lurked in this new world.


    "That thing¡­" Leo whispered. "It could have destroyed everything."


    Ves nodded again, her expression grim. "And it will, eventually."


    Leo''s stomach churned at the thought. They had barely survived the zombie horde and mutant creatures controlled by Ryan, and now there were monsters like that roaming the world?


    "What do we do if it comes back?" Leo asked, with a slightly shaky voice.


    Ves''s gaze was distant, her eyes locked on the path of destruction the creature had left behind.


    "We will do whatever we can to survive," Ves replied.


    The tension lingered in the air, even after the beast had disappeared. The echoes of its roar seemed to reverberate through the ruined streets, a haunting reminder of the ever-present danger they faced.


    Leo glanced at Ves again, noting the determined set of her jaw.


    "We''ll be ready next time," she said quietly, her voice filled with resolve.


    Leo nodded, though his heart still pounded slightly in his chest.

 Chapter 75 Determination To Become Stronger

    Tatiana and Elda stood silently, watching the monstrous figure disappear into the horizon, its massive form fading into the distant landscape.


    The tremors from its footsteps still reverberated through the air, making the ground beneath their feet feel unstable, as though the world itself was holding its breath.


    The sunlight began to filter through the dust clouds left in the creature''s wake, casting eerie, shifting shadows across the ruined buildings.


    "That was quite disappointing¡­ and quite a relief at the same time," Elda said, her voice soft, her expression a peculiar mix of dissatisfaction and gratitude.


    Her words mirrored her face¡ªhalf-smiling, half-frowning. She turned to glance at Tatiana, expecting to see the same conflicting emotions on the princess''s face.


    And she wasn''t wrong.


    Tatiana''s gaze remained fixed on the horizon, where the towering beast had vanished, her lips pressed into a thin line. Her expression was difficult to read, but her eyes betrayed her thoughts¡ªa mix of relief, annoyance, and contemplation.


    "It''s actually a good thing," Tatiana finally said, her voice steady but carrying a hint of frustration. "If that thing had wanted to fight them, there''s no doubt about the outcome. They would have died." S~ea??h the N?vel(F)ire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Her gaze shifted down to Leo and Ves, who were still seated on the ground, their bodies tense and unmoving.


    "And everything would have been ruined," she continued, her tone turning thoughtful. "But this will give Leo more reason to push himself harder. At least now, he''ll begin to understand the true extent of the world he''s in. With a creature like that roaming around, he won''t have a choice."


    Elda chuckled softly, her amused expression returning. "I thought you''d say that. You''re always thinking three steps ahead."


    But her smile faded quickly, replaced by a serious frown. Her gaze flickered back to the horizon, where the lingering shadow of the beast seemed to hang over the landscape like a curse.


    "But don''t you find it strange, princess?" Elda asked, her voice dropping into a low, cautious tone. "An Evolved Rank monster showing up now? And that skill¡­"


    Her expression darkened. "It smells like them."


    Tatiana''s lips tightened at the mention of them.


    "The tournament isn''t going to be simple or easy, is it?" Elda continued. "I think you should prepare for surprises, princess. Who knows¡­ those entities might even get involved directly."


    Tatiana sighed, crossing her arms as she processed Elda''s words. She wanted to dismiss the thought, but deep down, she knew Elda was right.


    Ryan''s skill¡­ it wasn''t something a mortal should possess. There was only one explanation for how he had gained it.


    "They''re already here," Tatiana murmured, her voice laced with irritation and concern.


    Elda nodded grimly. "And if they''re here, that means they found a way in. There must be a gate somewhere."


    Tatiana''s gaze hardened. She hated that things were already going wrong before her plans had even begun to take shape. But she knew that Earth was too valuable a prize. It was no surprise that the Council and those entities would take steps to interfere.


    Still, knowing that didn''t ease the tension in her chest.


    "Elda," Tatiana said softly, "let''s search for the gate. If Ryan had a skill like that, they must have come through one."


    Without waiting for a response, Tatiana''s figure blurred and vanished from sight.


    Elda sighed, glancing down at Leo and Ves once more.


    "They haven''t even recovered from the last shock," she murmured to herself. "Poor kids."


    With a soft sigh, she disappeared as well, following the princess.


    *****


    Leo sat silently, his gaze fixed on the horizon, where the beast had disappeared moments before.


    His fingers clenched tightly around Nightshade''s hilt, his knuckles turning white. His chest rose and fell steadily, but his mind was anything but calm.


    The image of the creature was burned into his memory. The sheer size of it, the way it moved through the ruins like a force of nature, the roar that had shaken the very ground beneath them¡­ It was unlike anything he had ever imagined.


    And it terrified him.


    He squeezed his eyes shut for a moment, trying to block out the memory. But the image wouldn''t leave him.


    He remembered the way his body had frozen when the beast locked its glowing red eyes on them. He remembered the paralyzing fear that had gripped him, rooting him to the spot, unable to move or even think.


    "I was useless," he whispered to himself.


    Beside him, Ves sat quietly, her gaze distant. She seemed just as lost in thought, her eyes clouded with lingering fear and uncertainty.


    Leo glanced at her, then back at the horizon.


    "I can''t let that happen again," he murmured, his voice firmer this time.


    The memory of standing frozen in fear gnawed at him. He hated the feeling. He hated knowing that he had been powerless, that he had stood there, unable to protect Ves or himself.


    It made his chest tighten with frustration and anger.


    "I won''t be that weak again," Leo muttered.


    His grip on Nightshade tightened even further, the blade gleaming faintly in the dim light.


    The creature had left him with a new reason to grow stronger. It wasn''t about the tournament or Tatiana''s warnings anymore. It wasn''t even about survival.


    It was about never feeling that powerless again.


    He would never allow himself to be in a situation where he had to stand still and watch while a monster¡ªany monster¡ªdid as it pleased.


    "I have to get stronger," he said softly. "Fast."


    Ves glanced at him, her expression softening slightly. "You will."


    Leo nodded, but the determination in his gaze remained. He wasn''t just thinking about strength anymore. He was thinking about control. About freedom from fear.


    He had seen what the world truly held now. Creatures like the one that had just passed through¡­


    And the only way to survive was to become stronger than them. And strong he will become. He doesn''t mind how hard he has to push himself. He will become strong enough so that he doesn''t stand, frozen in fear, in front of a any monster, being or entity. No matter what it is.

 Chapter 76 To Grow Stronger, Terrified Miguel And Mia

    The tremors in the ground had long since ceased, but the weight of the monster''s presence still lingered like a heavy fog.


    The air felt thick, carrying a faint trace of dust and decay, and the silence that followed the beast''s departure was oppressive, as though the world itself was holding its breath.


    Leo and Ves stood motionless, their gazes fixed on the horizon where the creature had disappeared.


    The massive beast, with its obsidian scales and glowing red eyes, had left an indelible mark¡ªnot just on the city but on their minds.


    Leo glanced at Ves. Her expression was unreadable, her eyes distant as if she were still replaying the events in her head. He sighed softly, feeling that the same storm of thoughts in his mind was likely raging in hers.


    For a moment, he wanted to say something, to break the silence with reassuring words.


    But he knew better. Words wouldn''t erase the image of the towering monster or the lingering dread it left behind. Words wouldn''t make the danger any less real.


    Strength. Absolute strength. That was the only answer.


    Leo''s gaze hardened with determination as the thought took root. He glanced down at Fiona, who was trembling slightly, her fur bristling as though she could still feel the vibrations of the beast''s footsteps.


    His heart tightened at the sight. He knelt beside her, running his hand gently along her back and scratching behind her ears.


    "Hey, it''s alright," he murmured softly. Fiona''s trembling slowly subsided, her body relaxing under his touch. She let out a small huff, leaning into his hand.


    "Leo, I have something to tell you," Ves said suddenly, her voice breaking through the heavy silence.


    Leo turned his head toward her, curious. She was still looking into the distance, her hands clenched tightly at her sides.


    "What is it, Ms. Ves?" he asked, standing up and brushing the dust from his knees.


    "The title and skill weren''t the only things I got when I bit Ryan," she said, finally shifting her gaze toward him. "I also got stronger."


    Leo blinked, his curiosity deepening. "What?"


    Ves hesitated for a moment, her eyes flickering with something unspoken. Then she spoke, her voice calm but firm. "I can grow stronger by turning people into zombies. It''s faster than killing monsters."


    Leo stared at her, his eyes widening in surprise. He hadn''t expected this¡ªhadn''t even considered it. The weight of her words sank into him like a stone, stirring a mix of emotions he couldn''t immediately identify.


    "It makes sense, doesn''t it?" Ves continued, her tone measured. "With the¡­ zombie part of me, I suppose this was always possible. But knowing it and experiencing it are two very different things."


    Leo''s thoughts churned. The revelation was unsettling, not because it felt unnatural, but because of what it could mean for Ves¡ªand for them.


    If she could grow stronger by turning people, it would change everything. The fact that it was faster than fighting monsters added an even greater complication.


    But as he looked at her, he knew. Ves wouldn''t want this. Her very nature would reject it. This was why she was telling him¡ªwhy she had shared this burden with him.


    Leo exhaled deeply, his expression softening. "I won''t tell you what to do," he said quietly. "Do whatever you think is right. I trust you, Ms. Ves."


    Ves''s shoulders relaxed slightly, and she gave him a small nod of gratitude. Leo returned the gesture, a faint smile tugging at his lips.


    But then his gaze drifted to the building behind them, and his expression darkened. He could already imagine the chaos and fear that would await him inside.


    The group would need leadership, reassurance¡ªbut he wasn''t ready for that. Not yet.


    "Ms. Ves," he said, his voice firm. "I''ll be gone for a while. You can take care of the building and the others however you see fit."


    Ves turned to him, her brows furrowing in concern. "Where are you going?"


    "To become stronger," Leo replied simply.


    "You need to rest," Ves insisted, stepping closer. "You''ve been fighting nonstop. Your body needs time to recover. Eat something, sleep, then go."


    Leo shook his head, a small smile on his face. "Don''t worry. I''ll be fine."


    Ves opened her mouth to argue, but the determination in Leo''s eyes stopped her. She sighed, lowering her gaze. She knew she couldn''t change his mind.


    "Be careful," she said softly, watching as he turned and began walking away.


    The wolves followed silently, their movements fluid and purposeful. Ves stood there for a long moment, watching until Leo''s figure disappeared into the distance.


    With another sigh, Ves turned and walked back toward the building. She glanced at Ryan, who was still snarling softly on the ground. With a flick of her fingers, she commanded him to stand and follow her.


    His movements were jerky, unnatural, as he rose to his feet. The sight of him filled her with a strange mix of emotions¡ªdisgust, pity, and a faint flicker of satisfaction.


    When she stepped into the building''s ground floor, she was met with silence. The space that she had expected to be bustling with survivors was now empty, save for two figures sitting near the far wall.


    Miguel and Mia.


    Their faces were pale, their eyes wide with fear and confusion. Ves didn''t need to ask why. She knew.


    As she approached, she saw their gazes lock onto Ryan. Their expressions twisted in horror.


    "Ryan?!" they shouted in unison, their voices echoing through the empty space.


    Ves stopped a few steps away, her own expression unreadable. Ryan stood behind her, his pale skin and lifeless eyes making him look like a specter. sea??h th§× N??eFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "Yes," Ves said calmly. "It''s Ryan."


    Miguel''s mouth opened and closed, as if he were searching for words but couldn''t find them. Mia clutched her daggers, with her gaze intently fixed in Ryan.


    "What¡­ what did you do to him?" Miguel finally asked, his voice trembling.


    Ves''s gaze didn''t waver. "I turned him into a zombie."


    The bluntness of her words seemed to hang in the air like a heavy weight. Miguel and Mia stared at her, their expressions shifting from shock to something closer to disbelief.


    "How? Why?" Mia whispered, her voice barely audible.


    "Because I can and he betrayed us," Ves replied evenly.


    The tension in the room was suffocating. Miguel clenched his fists, his jaw tightening as he struggled to process what he was hearing.


    Mia, on the other hand, looked at Ves with a mix of fear and uncertainty. "Can you¡­ control him?"


    "Yes," Ves said simply. "It''s the reason why he''s standing here and not attacking you."


    Miguel''s shoulders slumped slightly, the weight of the situation pressing down on him. He glanced at Ryan, then back at Ves.


    "This world¡­ it''s turning us into monsters," he muttered.


    Ves''s gaze softened slightly. "Maybe. But it''s also forcing us to survive. And this is how I''m choosing to survive."


    Silence settled over them once more, the unspoken tension filling the room.


    Ves glanced at Ryan, then back at Miguel and Mia. "You can leave if you want. I won''t stop you."


    Miguel stared at her for a long moment, then shook his head. "We''re not leaving. Not yet."


    Ves nodded, a faint glimmer of relief in her eyes. Without another word, she turned and walked deeper into the building, Ryan following close behind.


    Mia watched her go, her thoughts racing. Miguel placed a hand on her shoulder, giving it a reassuring squeeze.


    "We''ll figure this out," he said quietly.


    Mia nodded, though her gaze remained fixed on Ryan''s retreating figure and different thought were storming around in her head.

 Chapter 77 An Encounter, Group Of Black Widows

    Leo walked down the deserted street, his footsteps echoing faintly against the silence of the empty city.


    The sky above was overcast, casting the ruins in a dull, gray light. Broken buildings lined the street like silent sentinels, their windows shattered and walls crumbling.


    Abandoned cars, rusting and covered in dust, were scattered haphazardly along the road, a stark reminder of how quickly life had been upended.


    Leo sighed, dragging his hand through his hair in exasperation. He had deliberately chosen this route, moving in the opposite direction of the massive monster that had loomed over the city not long ago.


    The reasoning had been sound as he felt that the monster''s overwhelming presence would have probably chased away any other creatures in the vicinity. Even the boldest of beasts wouldn''t dare remain in its shadow.


    But now, after walking for what felt like hours, Leo was starting to regret his choice. The streets were empty¡ªeerily so. No signs of life stirred, save for the occasional gust of wind that rustled through the debris.


    "This is pointless," Leo muttered to himself, glancing at the wolves that padded silently behind him. "I might as well be walking through a graveyard."


    Still, he pressed on. He needed to find something¡ªanything¡ªto fight. His earlier battle with the horde and mutant creatures had been grueling, but it had rewarded him with two hard-earned levels. And this was after killing almost 200 monsters and zombies. If not more.


    Leo sighed helplessly when he thought of this. He felt that he didn''t get the reward he deserves but then, he remembered that most of the monsters he fought are mostly level 3-5, and the zombies barely made to level 3.


    And considering the high level difference between them and him, and the fact that his level is now in the double digits, it meant that he would need a lot of life force to increase his level. Thinking of this, Leo felt that he was actually lucky to level up and twice at that.


    "I guess it''s true what they say ''even mosquito is meat.''" Leo chuckled to himself as he continued walking down the street.


    The memory of Ryan''s skill flashed through his mind. Leo''s curiosity had been gnawing at him ever since.


    He didn''t know the full extent of the skill''s effects, but if it was what he thought it was, then it was a skill worth coveting.


    The ability to draw monsters to oneself? It sounded like the perfect tool for someone like him¡ªa fast track to leveling up and growing stronger.


    A small smile tugged at his lips as he imagined what it would feel like to wield such a skill. The thrill of battle, the steady rise of power¡­ it was almost too tempting to think about.


    "Of course, knowing my luck, it''d probably come with some ridiculous drawback," Leo muttered with a laugh to himself. "Nothing that good comes without a price."


    His laugh was cut short the next moment when he saw a group of people appear in front of him, at a distance.


    Ahead, at the far end of the street, a group of people emerged from behind a cluster of abandoned vehicles. They were too far away for him to make out their features, but their movements were casual¡ªtoo casual for the apocalypse.


    Leo sighed again, this time in resignation. He could already tell they were trouble.


    As he drew closer, their conversation became clearer. The group consisted of six individuals, all dressed in mismatched, scavenged clothing. Their expressions were a mix of curiosity and amusement as they noticed him approaching.


    One of them, a tall man with a scruffy beard and a baseball bat slung over his shoulder, stepped forward with a smirk. "Hey, kid! What''s so funny? The apocalypse messing with your head, or is it those wolves behind ya?"


    Leo frowned slightly, his grip tightening on Nightshade. He didn''t reply, his gaze steady as he continued walking toward them.


    The group exchanged glances, their smirks fading slightly as they noticed the dark blade in his hand.


    There was something unsettling about the way the boy carried himself¡ªcalm, deliberate, almost indifferent. It didn''t fit with his youthful appearance.


    Another man, shorter and stockier, leaned toward the first. "What''s with the kid? How''s someone like him still alive?"


    "Must be luck," the first man replied with a chuckle. "Or maybe he''s been hiding in some basement while the real survivors do all the work."


    Leo sighed inwardly. He had no interest in engaging with these people, but he could feel the tension in the air growing with each step he took.


    The wolves behind him bristled slightly, their keen eyes locked on the group.


    "Hey, kid!" the scruffy man called again. "You deaf or something? We''re trying to have a conversation here."


    Leo stopped a few paces away, his expression neutral but his eyes sharp. "I heard you. I just didn''t think you had anything worth responding to."


    The man blinked, taken aback by the boy''s bluntness. Then he laughed, a loud, boisterous sound that rang out through the empty street. "Well, aren''t you a cheeky little bastard? Got a mouth on you, don''t ya?"


    Leo shrugged. "I''ve been told."


    The group chuckled, though there was an edge to their laughter. The shorter man stepped forward, pointing at Nightshade. "That''s a nice blade you''ve got there. Where''d you find it?"


    Leo''s gaze flicked to the man briefly before returning to the leader. "None of your business."


    The man''s smirk faded slightly, replaced by a faint scowl. "You''ve got a lot of attitude for someone your age."


    "And you''ve got a lot of questions for someone with no manners," Leo replied evenly.


    The tension thickened, the group exchanging glances. The scruffy man stepped forward, his baseball bat resting casually on his shoulder. "Listen, kid. We''re just trying to be friendly. No need to get all defensive."


    Leo raised an eyebrow, his tone turning dry. "Friendly? Is that what this is?"


    The man''s grin widened, though it didn''t reach his eyes. "Sure it is. But if you keep running that mouth of yours, we might have to teach you a little respect."


    Leo''s fingers tightened around Nightshade, his patience wearing thin. "If you want to try, go ahead. But I wouldn''t recommend it."


    The man''s grin faltered, his eyes narrowing. The rest of the group shifted uneasily, their confidence wavering as they noticed the boy''s calm demeanor¡ªand the wolves at his back.


    Before anyone could say another word, the ground beneath their feet trembled. sea??h th§× N?velFire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Everyone froze, their gazes darting around as the vibrations grew stronger. A faint rumble echoed through the air, followed by the distant sound of snarls and guttural roars.


    Leo''s heart quickened. He turned his head, scanning the street for the source of the noise.


    Squinting his eyes, he saw something from the alleyways and shattered buildings. At first, it was subtle¡ªa faint rustling of debris, the sound of something scraping against the cracked pavement. Then they emerged.


    Large, jet-black spiders crawled into the open, their grotesque forms illuminated by the pale light filtering through the clouds.


    Each one was the size of a small car, their bloated abdomens gleaming like polished obsidian.


    Their long, spindly legs moved with an unnerving grace, each step creating a faint clicking sound that echoed ominously through the empty street.


    Their eyes¡ªclusters of eight glowing red orbs¡ªreflected the dim light, giving them an otherworldly and menacing appearance.


    Fangs the size of daggers twitched restlessly, dripping with a viscous, black liquid that sizzled as it hit the ground, corroding the concrete where it landed.


    The largest of the spiders crawled onto the wreckage of an overturned bus, its weight crushing the vehicle''s rusted frame with a metallic groan.


    Its jagged legs left deep gouges in the metal as it perched on top, towering over the rest of the group.


    Spikes jutted from its abdomen, each one dripping the same corrosive substance. It let out a high-pitched screech, a sound so piercing that it felt like nails dragging across the inside of the skull.


    The scruffy man''s cocky grin vanished in an instant. "What the hell is that?!"


    Leo''s grip on Nightshade tightened, his gaze fixed on the approaching creatures. "Looks like it''s your lucky day," he said quietly, his voice calm despite the chaos brewing.


    The man turned to him, his face pale. "What are you talking about?"


    Leo smirked faintly, his eyes sharp and unyielding. "You wanted to see how I''ve survived this long. Here''s your chance."


    The spiders began to close in, their legs moving in eerie synchronization. Their clicking grew louder, a nightmarish rhythm that sent chills racing down the spines of everyone present.


    The air grew heavy with the stench of rot and venom, an acrid tang that burned the back of the throat.


    The scruffy man stumbled backward, his baseball bat slipping from his shoulder as he stared at the approaching nightmare. "We''re not fighting those things!" he yelled, his voice cracking with panic.


    "You might not have a choice," Leo replied, his tone steady but cold. His gaze never left the spiders as he adjusted his stance, Nightshade gleaming in his hand.


    The largest spider screeched again, its fangs clicking together as it lunged forward.

 Chapter 78 The Apocalypse Only Cares About Survival

    The sheer speed of the spiders'' movement was terrifying, its massive body skittering across the ground with shocking agility.


    The sound of its legs striking the pavement was deafening, a rapid-fire barrage that echoed through the street.


    Leo barely had time to react as one of the smaller spiders lunged toward him, its fangs aiming straight for his chest. He sidestepped at the last moment, bringing Nightshade down in a swift arc.


    The blade sliced through one of its legs, black blood spraying across the ground as the creature let out a shrill screech of pain.


    The wolf pack sprang into action, their growls echoing as they leapt at the spiders with ferocity.


    Fiona lunged at one of the smaller creatures, her teeth sinking into its abdomen.


    The spider thrashed violently, its legs flailing as it tried to shake her off, but Fiona held firm, tearing through its exoskeleton with brutal efficiency.


    The scruffy man and his group were frozen in fear, their weapons trembling in their hands as the spiders closed in.


    "Do something!" one of them shouted, his voice tinged with desperation.


    Leo didn''t bother responding. He was already moving, weaving between the spiders with fluid movement.


    Another spider lunged at him, its massive fangs snapping shut inches from his face.


    He ducked low, driving Nightshade upward into its underbelly. The blade pierced through its tough exoskeleton, and the spider let out a choked screech before collapsing in a heap.


    The largest spider watched from its perch on the bus, its red eyes glinting with what seems to be intelligence. It let out a series of clicks, and the remaining spiders seemed to respond, shifting their movements to surround Leo and the group.


    Leo''s heart pounded, but he didn''t let the panic take over. His mind worked quickly, analyzing their behavior. These things were coordinated¡ªdangerously so. If he didn''t act fast, they''d be overwhelmed.


    "Get it together!" Leo barked at the group, his voice cutting through the chaos. "If you stand there frozen, you''re as good as dead!"


    One of the men snapped out of his daze, raising his crowbar with trembling hands. He swung wildly at a spider that lunged toward him, managing to hit one of its legs. The spider hissed, retreating briefly before circling back.


    Leo gritted his teeth. These people were useless.


    Just as he expected. The following moment, chaos erupted in full force. The street was alive with the skittering of spindly legs, the shrill screeches of monstrous spiders, and the desperate screams of those caught in the web of their own fear.


    The acrid stench of venom and blood mingled with the metallic tang of blood, creating an oppressive cloud that hung heavy in the air.


    Leo didn''t have the luxury to think. His muscles burned as he dodged another lunging spider, its dagger-like fangs narrowly missing his shoulder.


    He retaliated with a swift swing of Nightshade, the dark blade cleaving through one of its legs.


    Black blood sprayed onto the pavement, hissing as it corroded the surface. The spider shrieked and staggered back, but it wasn''t out of the fight.


    To his left, Fiona let out a feral growl as she tore into another spider, her teeth shredding its abdomen. Her fur was matted with dark blood, but she moved with precision, her instincts guiding her through the chaos.


    The wolf pack darted around her, their movements fluid as they worked together to bring down their prey. Yet even they were struggling; the spiders were faster and far more coordinated than them.


    A blood-curdling scream pierced the air.


    Leo glanced over his shoulder to see one of the group; the man with the crowbar caught in the grip of a spider''s legs.


    The creature''s glowing red eyes gleamed with malice as it raised the man into the air, his screams turning into a gurgling choke as its fangs plunged into his chest.


    The man''s body convulsed violently before going limp, the spider dropping him like a broken toy.


    Leo clenched his jaw, his grip tightening on Nightshade. He wanted to help, but he couldn''t.


    Another spider lunged at him, forcing him to roll to the side and slash upward, carving through its underside. The creature screeched and collapsed, twitching as black blood pooled beneath it.


    The group was crumbling. The scruffy man who had mocked Leo earlier swung his baseball bat wildly, his face pale with terror.


    "Get away! Get away from me!" he screamed, his voice cracking.


    But his swings were erratic, uncoordinated. A smaller spider darted in, its fangs sinking into his leg.


    He howled in pain, dropping his weapon and falling to the ground. The spider wasted no time, dragging him away as his cries faded into silence.


    "Damn it!" Leo growled, slashing through another spider that came too close. He couldn''t save them.


    He couldn''t even try. Every time he turned his attention toward the group, another spider came for him, forcing him to fight for his own survival.


    A woman from the group let out a shriek as she stumbled backward, her knife slipping from her grasp.


    She tripped over a piece of rubble, landing hard on her back. Before she could scramble to her feet, a spider loomed over her, its fangs dripping with venom.


    Her final scream was cut short as the creature plunged its fangs into her throat, the sound of her gurgling death sending chills down Leo''s spine. S~ea??h the Novel?ire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    The apocalypse was merciless, and it showed no leniency to the weak.


    Leo knew this truth all too well, but seeing it unfold before his eyes stirred something in him.


    Anger. Frustration. Helplessness.


    He hated it. He hated being unable to protect them, even if they weren''t his responsibility.


    "Focus," he muttered to himself, shaking off the emotions threatening to cloud his mind. He couldn''t afford distractions. Not now.


    The largest spider let out a piercing screech, its massive form towering above the battlefield. It skittered toward Leo with terrifying speed, its glowing red eyes locked on him like a predator sizing up its prey.


    Leo barely had time to react as it lunged, its front legs slamming into the ground where he had been standing moments before.


    The force of the impact cracked the pavement, sending chunks of debris flying. Leo stumbled back, his chest heaving as he tried to regain his footing.


    The spider reared up on its hind legs, its fangs gleaming as it prepared to strike. Leo gritted his teeth, bracing himself. When it lunged again, he dodged to the side, narrowly avoiding the deadly strike.


    He swung Nightshade in a wide arc, the blade slicing into one of the spider''s legs. The creature screeched in fury, black blood spraying from the wound, but it didn''t slow down.


    It came at him again, relentless and unyielding. Leo ducked under another strike, driving his blade upward into its abdomen. The spider thrashed wildly, its massive body slamming into Leo and sending him sprawling across the ground.


    He groaned, his ribs aching as he forced himself to his feet. The spider wasn''t done. It turned toward him, its red eyes glowing with rage. The air around it seemed to vibrate with its fury.


    Fiona appeared out of nowhere, lunging at the spider''s side. Her teeth sank into its leg, and she held on tightly even as the creature tried to shake her off.


    The wolf pack joined in, attacking from multiple angles. They tore at its legs, their jaws clamping down with savage ferocity.


    "Good girl," Leo muttered, wiping the blood from his lip as he tightened his grip on Nightshade.


    The spider screeched, its movements becoming more erratic as it tried to fend off the wolves. It lashed out with its massive legs, sending two of the wolves tumbling back. Fiona held on, refusing to let go even as the spider thrashed violently.


    Leo seized the opportunity. He charged forward, his blade gleaming as he aimed for the creature''s head. The spider saw him coming and reared up, its front legs slamming down toward him.


    Leo dove to the side, rolling to avoid the attack. He came up on one knee and swung Nightshade with all his strength, the blade slicing through one of its eyes. The creature let out a deafening screech, blood spraying from the wound.


    But it wasn''t enough. The spider retaliated, its massive leg slamming into Leo and knocking him back. He hit the ground hard, pain radiating through his body as he struggled to breathe.


    The spider loomed over him, its fangs bared as it prepared to deliver the killing blow.


    "No, you don''t," Leo growled, forcing himself to his feet.


    With a burst of speed, he lunged forward, dodging the spider''s strike at the last second. He drove Nightshade upward, the blade piercing through its underbelly and into its core.


    The spider let out a final, earsplitting screech, its body convulsing violently before collapsing in a heap. Black blood pooled beneath it, the air filled with the stench of decay.


    Leo stood over the creature, his chest heaving as he tried to catch his breath. His arms trembled from the effort, his body screaming in protest, but he couldn''t stop. He couldn''t let his guard down, not yet.


    The battlefield was eerily silent now, save for the labored breathing of Fiona and the remaining wolves.


    The spiders were dead, their twisted forms scattered across the street. The group that had mocked Leo earlier was gone, their bodies lying broken and lifeless among the wreckage.


    Leo exhaled slowly, the weight of what had just happened pressing down on him. The apocalypse didn''t care about fairness or mercy. It only cared about survival.

 Chapter 79 Unfinished Business

    Leo took a look around his surroundings and sighed tiredly.


    The area was eerily silent save for the faint rustle of the wind through the ruined streets.


    The corpses of the massive spiders and the unfortunate group lay scattered across the ground, a grim reminder of the apocalypse''s unforgiving nature.


    Leo turned his attention to the wolves and approached them. His body was still aching from the grueling fight.


    Arriving in front of the wolves, he crouched beside Fiona first, his hand moving gently over her fur to check for injuries. She let out a soft whine, leaning into his touch.


    "You did great," Leo murmured, and Fiona licked his hand in response.


    He moved to the previous pack leader next, running his hand along its sides and noting only a few scrapes.


    Then he checked the rest of the pack, methodically ensuring none of them had suffered anything serious. The wolves, despite their usual stoic nature, nuzzled against him appreciatively as he worked.


    Fiona stood slightly apart from the group, her posture regal yet protective.


    Leo glanced at her, remembering the moment she''d communicated to him that she was now the leader of the pack. It hadn''t surprised him; she had earned their loyalty and respect, just as she had earned his.


    The [Empathic Link] of his [Beastmaster''s Bond] skill had conveyed her feelings clearly to him¡ªher pride, her sense of duty, and her acceptance of the role.


    "You''re all good," Leo said softly after finishing his checks, standing and dusting off his knees.


    He patted Fiona''s head once more. "Thanks, you all. I couldn''t have done this without you."


    The wolves let out soft whines and nudged against him, their affection bringing a small smile to his face. For a moment, the invisible weight on his shoulder felt a little lighter.


    After spending a few moments playing with the wolves, Leo stood and looked toward the direction the spiders had come from. It was the same direction where one of the group members had been dragged. He frowned, his mind weighing the risk of following the trail.


    If the spiders had a nest, it would likely be swarming with more of them¡ªstronger, deadlier ones. He shook his head, sighing deeply. It wasn''t worth it. Not now.


    He turned away and started walking back in the direction he''d originally been headed before the group and the spiders had interrupted his journey.


    Leo had barely taken a few steps when a faint static sound broke the silence. He stopped, his ears pricking as he tried to locate the source. The sound was muffled, interspersed with crackles of static.


    "Hey, James. How''s things on your side? Any luck getting something edible?" a voice crackled through, slightly distorted but audible.


    Leo frowned, scanning the battlefield for the source. The voice was coming from one of the bodies lying on the ground. His curiosity piqued, he walked over to the pile of corpses, searching for the device responsible for the sound.


    The voice crackled again. "Hey, James. Can you hear me? I asked how things are on your side. Have you guys taken down any monsters yet?"


    Leo finally traced the sound to the body of the man with the crowbar. He crouched and turned the body over, spotting a black walkie-talkie clipped to the man''s belt. He unhooked it and inspected it briefly, turning it over in his hands.


    He was about to put it back when the voice came again, laced with a mix of impatience and humor.


    "Damn it, James. Why aren''t you responding? Are you perhaps smoking some apocalypse weed right now? You know plants are mutated too, right? Don''t try it, James."


    Leo let out a short, surprised laugh despite himself. The absurdity of the statement felt out of place, almost jarring against the grim backdrop of the battlefield, but it added a strange levity to the moment.


    His amusement was short-lived. Another voice crackled through the walkie, this time sharp and urgent.


    "Everyone, back to base. There''s a large group of people heading toward the entrance of the base, and they look hostile. We need backup right now. Repeat: we need backup."


    The urgency in the voice was palpable, cutting through the static with a weight that demanded attention. The message repeated twice before the device fell silent.


    Leo stared at the walkie for a moment, his thoughts racing. He had no idea where this base was or who these people were, but the urgency in the voice left no doubt that something serious was happening.


    He clipped the walkie to his belt, deciding to keep it for now. He searched the other bodies if he would see another walkie bit he saw nothing.


    He motioned to the wolves, and they began moving away from the battlefield. The streets were eerily quiet as they walked, the silence broken only by the soft crunch of debris beneath their feet.


    Minutes later, Leo found himself standing at the edge of a crumbling overpass, his eyes narrowing as he spotted movement in the distance.


    A group of people was huddled together in the middle of the street, surrounded by another, larger group.


    The larger group was armed to the teeth, carrying rifles, machetes, and makeshift weapons. Their postures were aggressive, their movements coordinated. The air around them radiated hostility.


    Leo''s gaze shifted to the smaller group. His breath hitched when he recognized them¡ªthey were members of Grewishka''s group. Their faces were pale, their bodies tense as they exchanged nervous glances.


    One of them¡ªa lanky man with a patchy beard¡ªspotted Leo in the distance. His eyes widened, and he pointed frantically in Leo''s direction, shouting something to the armed group.


    The armed group turned as one, their eyes locking onto Leo. The tension in the air thickened, every second stretching into an eternity.


    The lanky man shouted again, louder this time. "That''s the kid! The one I told you about! He''s got a base stocked with meat¡ªtons of it! Enough to last for weeks!"


    The lanky man''s voice was tinged with desperation, his wide eyes darting between the armed group and Leo.


    "That''s him! He''s got a stockpile of food¡ªenough for all of us!" He paused, then added, almost pleading, "If you let us go, we can take you there!"


    Leo''s blood ran cold. The words hung in the air like a death sentence, and his jaw tightened as the words sank in.


    He had given these people shelter, food, and safety¡ªand this was their repayment? A flame of anger flickered in his chest, but he forced himself to stay calm.


    Just as he expected, he saw the armed group''s expressions shifted, a mix of interest and malice flickering in their eyes.


    One of them, a burly man with a scar running down the side of his face, began walking toward Leo. His movements were slow, deliberate, exuding a menacing confidence... and arrogance. S§×ar?h the N?velFire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Leo''s heart pounded in his chest as he tightened his grip on Nightshade. The wolves growled softly, sensing the rising tension.


    The scarred man stopped a few paces away, his gaze raking over Leo with a predatory intensity. He tilted his head slightly, his lips curling into a faint smirk.


    "Well, well," he said, his voice low and gravelly. "Looks like we''ve found ourselves a little goldmine. Tell me, kid¡­ is what they''re saying true?"


    The street fell silent, the question hanging in the air like a loaded gun.

 Chapter 80 Strength Comes In Many Forms

    The tension in the air was thick, palpable, pressing down like an unseen weight.


    Leo stood still, his fingers tightening around the hilt of Nightshade as he regarded the scarred man with an unreadable expression.


    Behind him, Fiona and the wolves bristled, their hackles raised. A low growl rumbled from Fiona''s throat, carrying a warning, one that made the air feel even heavier.


    "Well?" the scarred man asked again, taking a slow step forward.


    His smirk remained, but his eyes glinted with malice.


    "Is what they''re saying true, kid? Do you have a stash of meat back at your base?"


    Leo let the question hang in the air for a moment, his calm demeanor unshaken. He tilted his head slightly, studying the man. Sear?h the N??elFir§×.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    He noticed the way the others in the armed group shifted nervously, their hands gripping their weapons a little tighter as they waited for his response.


    "Meat?" Leo finally said, his voice calm. "Do I look like someone who''s sitting on a stockpile?"


    The scarred man''s smirk faltered for a fraction of a second, but he quickly recovered.


    "You''ve got wolves with you, kid. Healthy-looking ones at that. Are they your pets? And you''re out here wandering around like you own the place. Sounds to me like you''ve got more than you''re letting on."


    Leo shrugged, his posture relaxed despite the rising tension.


    "The wolves hunt. They take care of themselves. As for me¡­ if I had a stash of meat like that, do you think I''d be out here wandering the streets?"


    The man narrowed his eyes, his smirk fading slightly. He took another step forward, his boots crunching on the debris-strewn pavement.


    "You''re lying."


    Leo met his gaze evenly, a calm yet cold expression enveloping his face.


    "Am I? Or are you just desperate enough to believe whatever you''re told?"


    The scarred man bristled, his shoulders tensing.


    "Watch your mouth, kid."


    Leo didn''t flinch. Instead, he took a step forward, closing the distance between them.


    "And you should watch yours. You''re making assumptions based on the word of people who sold me out to save their own skin. Can you really trust them?"


    Behind the man, the lanky survivor who had exposed Leo looked away, his face pale. The others in the armed group exchanged uneasy glances, their confidence wavering.


    The scarred man''s lips curled into a snarl. "You''ve got a lot of nerve, talking to me like that."


    "And you''ve got a lot of nerve pointing a weapon at a stranger, a kid, without knowing what they''re capable of," Leo countered, his voice low but with a sharp edge.


    His gaze never wavered, locked onto the man''s with unrelenting intensity.


    The two stood there, a silent battle of wills unfolding between them.


    The scarred man''s attempt at intimidation was met with an unwavering resolve that radiated from Leo.


    Despite his smaller stature and younger age, Leo''s presence filled the space, his quiet confidence cutting through the tension like a blade.


    One of the armed men shifted uneasily, glancing at the wolves.


    "Boss¡­ maybe we should back off. Look at those things. They''ll tear us apart if he gives the word."


    The scarred man didn''t respond immediately, his eyes still locked on Leo''s.


    The silence stretched, heavy and suffocating.


    Fiona let out another low growl, taking a step closer to Leo, her sharp teeth bared.


    Leo tilted his head slightly, a faint smirk tugging at the corner of his lips. "I''d listen to him if I were you. My wolves don''t take kindly to threats."


    The scarred man''s jaw tightened, his knuckles whitening as he gripped his machete. "You think you''re smart, don''t you?"


    Leo''s smirk widened ever so slightly. "Smart enough to know you''re stalling because you''re not sure you can win this."


    The man''s eyes flared with anger, and for a moment, it seemed like he might lash out. But then he took a step back, his movements slow and deliberate.


    He glanced at the lanky survivor who had betrayed Leo, then at the rest of his group. They were all watching him, their expressions a mix of apprehension and doubt.


    "You''re lucky I''m in a good mood today," the scarred man said, his tone laced with venom. "But don''t think this is over. If I find out you''ve been lying, I''ll make sure you regret it."


    Leo''s expression didn''t change. "You''ll have to catch me first."


    The scarred man''s smirk returned, but it was thinner this time, less confident. He motioned to his group, and they began to back away, their movements cautious as they kept their weapons trained on Leo and the wolves.


    As the group retreated, the tension in the air began to dissipate, but Leo remained still, his eyes fixed on the scarred man until he disappeared around a corner. Only then did he let out a slow breath, his grip on Nightshade loosening slightly.


    Fiona nudged his side, her growl fading into a soft whine. Leo knelt down, placing a hand on her head. "Good girl," he murmured.


    The wolves gathered around him, their postures still tense but their trust in him was evident. He patted each of them in turn, his mind already racing with thoughts about what had just happened.


    The apocalypse had a way of revealing the worst in people. That much was clear. But if there was one thing Leo had learned, it was that strength came in many forms.


    Today, he had won not through brute force but through wit and resolve.


    As he stood and looked back toward the direction the group had gone, a flicker of anger sparked in his chest. The betrayal from Grewishka''s group stung more than he wanted to admit. He had given them shelter, food and they threw it all away. Not only that, they also betrayed him.


    But even though he felt this way, kevwas aware that he couldn''t afford to dwell on it now. The world wasn''t going to stop moving because of his feelings.


    "Let''s go," Leo said quietly, motioning to the wolves. They fell in line behind him as he began walking down the street, his mind already focused on the next challenge.


    The apocalypse didn''t care about kindness or fairness. It didn''t care about trust or loyalty. And Leo was determined to survive it, no matter what.

 Chapter 81 The Announcement Is Here

    After the small interlude, Leo decided to get back to what he was doing before he was interrupted, hunting monsters to get stronger.


    Leo took one more look in the direction that the large armed group and Grewishka''s former group left in, and smiled.


    He still has a bone to pick with the Grewishka''s former group but he knew that it would have to wait as he has way more important things to deal with.


    Before continuing his hunt, Leo decided to do the needful as he called up his status screen.


    [Name: Leo ****]


    [Level: 17]


    [Specie(s): Human, ****, ****]


    [Class: ¨C]


    [Title: None]


    ______


    [Strength: 26]


    [Agility: 21 (+30)]


    [Stamina: 25]


    [Intelligence: 18]


    [Mana: 125]


    ______


    [Stat Point(s): 15]


    ______


    [Skill(s): Regeneration (Innate), Beastmaster''s Bond (Innate)], [Sesimic Stomp], [Berserker''s Roar], [Ravenous Regeneration], [Predator''s Instincts].


    .....


    "I got 15 free stat points from leveling up three times. Which means excluding my Agility that''s at a total of 51, I only have my Strength, Stamina and Intelligence to worry about.," Leo muttered to himself.


    He immediately divided his available free stat points equally between the three attributes, allocating 5 stat points each to three of them.


    After he was done, Leo couldn''t help but smile when he saw that his Mana has increased from 125 to 150.


    Leo couldn''t help but feel he discovered a goldmine with the discovery of the connection between the Intelligence attribute and Mana.


    "Well, that''s done. Now, it''s time to level up more and evolve," Leo said to himself, as he started walking down the street.


    "Speaking about evolving, how does it exactly work? Are their some prerequisites or what? Well, with no one to give me the answer I need, I guess I will have to continue leveling up.


    If I''m correct, a notification will probably pop up when I meet the prerequisites or level required for the evolution to take place," Leo muttered to himself.


    "Sigh... So troublesome." He sighed and continued walking down the street.


    He had just taken a couple of steps when he felt a chill down his spine. He immediately got on alert as he gripped Nightshade tightly, and looked around himself for any sign of danger.


    After a couple of moments of looking around, Leo found nothing. The street was empty and silent as it had verb from the beginning.


    "That''s weird. I definitely felt something right now. Was I wrong?" Leo whispered to himself, as he took one more careful look around.


    But still, he found nothing. The street was still the same¡ªempty and silent. But the silent was becoming to become creepy.


    Leo decided to continue walking when he didn''t find the source of the danger he was feeling. He felt that the reason he wasn''t seeing it was either because whatever it was wasn''t in his surroundings or.... Because it''s hiding.


    Thinking about it, Leo felt the second was more likely. He knew that the reason why he''s having this sense of dread is because the thing or whatever is causing it is stronger than him. Watmy stronger than him.


    He felt that the source might even be as strong as that massive monster that appeared back then.


    Remembering the monster, Leo decided to get to work. While still keeping up his guard, he continued looking for monsters to hunt as walked down the street.


    Using the link between him and Fiona, he told Fiona and the wolves to spread out, and look around for any signs of any possible high level monster.


    Leo was aware that at his current level, hunting small level monsters won''t do him any good. Instead, the best and fastest way for him to level up is to hunt high level monsters.


    It''s the only way he knew that he can use to level up quickly and possibly reach the level that he would need to evolve.


    .....


    Meanwhile, high up in the sky. A beautiful lady in a black and red elegant dress, with a pale skin, red lips, blue eyes and black hair that cascades down to almost her thigh, was floating in the air and watching Leo with her red lips spread apart in a smile.


    The next moment, she disappeared from her position and appeared before him.


    "Hey, Leo."


    Leo felt like his heart fell into his stomach when he heard someone call his name. Even though the voice was a very familiar one, the abruptness of it and with the tension that he was already feeling didn''t help matters.


    "Fuuuu... It''s you. I nearly died." He let out a sigh of relief, before turning to glare at the culprit.


    Tatiana chuckled lightly when she saw Leo''s reaction. She has no idea but she kind of finds it fun to tease Leo, as his reactions are always cute. And this is when he''s not being shameless.


    "You find it funny, huh?" Leo asked when he saw Tatiana chuckling.


    "Cough. Ahem. You can''t blame me. Your reaction is cute. I just want to keep scaring you over and over again." Tatiana smiled in response.


    "Sigh... I''m very sure that your teasing will kill me first before anyone or anything else does." Leo sighed helplessly, as he continued walking down the street.


    "That''s impossible. We still have a deal, remember? Friends with benefits." Tatiana smiled, as she walked with Leo.


    Leo rolled his eyes when he heard Tatiana''s words. S§×arch* The N??eFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "Yeah. Friends with benefits but I''m not exactly getting any benefits," Leo muttered in a low voice, but was loud enough for Tatiana to hear.


    An this time, it was Tatiana''s turn to roll her eyes as she knew exactly where Leo was getting at.


    "You just have to go and ruin the fun by being shameless. Tsk," she said, as he shook her head.


    "Well, let''s forget about that and cut to the chase. The tournament is about to start soon. An announcement will be made soon," she said, and Leo nodded in understanding.


    "I remember you saying that the last time you came and that''s why I''m growing my strength. You said that being in the Evolved Rank is the opportunity for me to survive what''s to come and I''m on it," Leo said, as the two of them kept walking down the street.


    "Yes. I did say that. About that, what level are you right now?" Tatiana asked.


    "17."


    "17? For someone in such a backwater world, not bad at all," Tatiana said, nodding in satisfaction.


    "Your progress has been good so far. The fact that it has only been about seven to eight days or so since the world core of your planet awakened, makes it even better.


    If the tournament''s date hadn''t been pushed forward, you might even be on your way to become an Exalted Ranked before it begins. That''s if you maintain your current speed, that is," she mused to herself, and turned to look at Leo.


    "Ok, I know that you''re curious about the evolution and everything related to it. I will give you the only information I can give you," she said, and age saw Leo looking at her like he was about to extract the information from her with just his eyes.


    "You''re three levels way from the required level. Also, there are some evolution requirements that you would need to meet before you can evolve. The requirements are unique to every person and you ei5ve informed of yours when you get to the required level," Tatiana said, and she saw Leo nodding in response.


    She was about to continue talking when she noticed that his expression changed.


    "What is it, Leo?" She asked curiously.


    "The announcement. It''s here "


    [The citizens of planet #674589.....]

 Chapter 82 The Announcement Is Here (II)

    [The citizens of planet #674589. Your planet has been chosen as the host of the Convergence Tournament.]


    [The Convergence Tournament is a rare opportunity given by the Council to every mortal in the Multiverse. The tournament exists to identify the fittest, the strongest, and the most adaptable among your kind. Only those who prove themselves shall ascend to greater power and opportunity.]


    [The tournament has only one rule and one: it has only one winner. The prize for winning will be withheld for the moment but what you need to do to win, you will be told.]


    [The tournament is one-time multiversal event and will be held over a duration of ten years. The tournament will only have one winner and that is the top ranking participant on the leaderboard at the end of the tournament. There''s another to win the tournament, and that is for the participant to reach the peak level of the Celestial Rank.]


    [Participants can now register for the event by showing their intent through their status interface. There will be a 72 hours window for registration. Once this window closes, no new participant may join.]


    [The tournament will begin in two weeks and in two week, the leaderboard will reveal the top participants in real-time, showcasing their names, race, levels, and affiliations. Prove your worth and carve your name into the annals of the Multiverse.] S~ea??h the Novel?ire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    .....


    After the announcement was made, a different window popped up.


    [You can now register for the tournament. Do you accept?]


    Even though Leo has already been informed by Tatiana about the tournament beforehand, he was still shocked by it.


    But beside the initial shock he felt, Leo felt nothing else, except the intense need to become stronger and evolve in that two weeks window he still has.


    From what he read in the announcement, the tournament is more of a battle royale and it''s a multiversal level event. Which means that there are going to be a lot of powerful people coming to Earth from other realms in the Multiverse, to participate in the event.


    This also means that they are definitely going to be very strong and with the battle royale format, there''s bound to be chaos.


    He knew that there''s no way people like Tatiana will be willing to work together with each other.


    In fact, with the tournament''s reward being kept a secret, Leo felt that the tournament was designed for people like Tatiana. And the reason why it''s being held on Earth is because it''s a newly awakened planet that has no entity powerful enough to affect the tournament result.


    The reason Leo felt this way is because no matter how he thought about it, he felt that it doesn''t make any sense. Also, with the fact that Tatiana has already hinted at the reward being something that will make the winner powerful, Leo felt that he was likely right.


    But Leo was aware that even if he knew all this, there was nothing he can do except to become stronger, survive and protect those close to him. That''s the only thing he knew he can do... for now.


    Leo curiously looked at the Tatiana''s face and saw deep and solemn expression on it. He knew that the reason for this is probably due to her getting the announcement.


    He felt that if he''s right, her announcement will be very different from his, and it might even have the full information without anything being left out.


    He as still studying Tatiana''s face when he saw her turn to look at him.


    "You got the announcement, Leo. You have two weeks to evolve and get into Evolved Rank. The beginning of the tournament will be filled with chaos and you need to be strong enough to survive it," Tatiana said in a very solemn voice.


    Leo nodded in acknowledgement when he heard Tatiana''s words. He couldn''t help but feel the intense seriousness in her voice and face as she spoke. It was the first time that he has seen Tatiana... should he say nervous?


    He felt that there was more to everything that was happening than he and the citizens of his planet are being told, but he knew that there was no way he could ask Tatiana when she has that expression on her face.


    "Good. I''m glad you understand. I know you have a lot of questions about the tournament and I promise to give you the answers you need.


    But for now, I have to go and make preparations on my side. I also have a gift for you, for your lover actually, but I will have to go and get it first. Lots of people will start finding their way into your planet. You have to stay safe. I will be back."


    Immediately after Tatiana said what she said, she disappeared.


    Leo sighed after Tatiana left. He knew that things were about to get messy very soon and he must start preparations. But he decided to postpone his hunt for day, as he called back the wolves and started heading back to base.


    *****


    In the residential building complex, Ves sat silently in a corner of the upper floor, staring at the translucent notification screen hovering before her.


    Her eyes scanned the words repeatedly, as if trying to decipher a hidden meaning. Her hand trembled slightly as she dismissed the pop-up asking for her registration.


    She leaned back against the wall, her thoughts a whirlwind of emotions.


    "The strongest¡­ the most adaptable," Ves whispered to herself, her gaze distant.


    The weight of her recent transformation pressed on her. She couldn''t deny the opportunity the tournament presented¡ªbecoming stronger wasn''t just a desire anymore, it was a necessity.


    But the thought of participating in a multiversal event where only one could emerge victorious made her stomach twist, and she clenched her fists.


    "If I have to fight for survival, then I''ll fight. Even if I have to become a monster to protect those I care about¡­ so be it." she murmured.


    Her thoughts shifted to Leo. She knew he would register, and she had no intention of letting him face this alone.


    .....


    Mia, seated in a dusty corner of the ground floor, froze when the announcement rang in her head.


    She had been quietly going through everything that has happened today when the words struck her like a bolt of lightning.


    Her first reaction was disbelief. She stared blankly at the message, rereading the same lines over and over.


    "A tournament? Multiversal? What does that even mean?" she muttered, her voice tinged with panic.


    She thought of the chaos they had already endured¡ªthe zombies, the mutants, Ryan''s betrayal. And now this? A battle royale on a planetary scale, with aliens and beings from other dimensions?


    Her chest tightened as fear took hold. But then she remembered Leo. She has no idea but she felt that if anyone could find a way to survive this madness, it was him.


    "I¡­ I have to do something," she whispered, determination slowly replacing her fear.


    ...


    Miguel was on the rooftop of the building, his gaze fixed on the horizon when the system''s voice rang out. The wind whipped around him as he listened, his face a mask of grim focus.


    When the message ended, he sighed heavily, running a hand through his hair. The enormity of what was coming settled over him like a crushing weight.


    "A tournament for survival¡­ only one winner," he muttered. "What kind of sick game is this?"


    He clenched his fists, his mind racing. He thought of Leo, Ves, and Mia. They were strong, yes, but was it enough? And what about himself? What could he contribute in a battle against the strongest beings from across the Multiverse?


    "I can''t just stand by and watch," he said quietly. "If I have to fight, I''ll fight. If I have to die, I''ll make sure it''s for something."


    ...


    Across the globe, chaos erupted.


    In small survivor enclaves, people huddled together, their faces pale with fear. Many couldn''t comprehend the idea of a multiversal tournament. The word "Multiverse" itself was alien to them.


    Some survivors reacted with panic, packing whatever supplies they had and fleeing deeper into isolation, as if distance could shield them from the impending chaos.


    In cities overrun by zombies and mutants, the announcement brought a strange pause. Even amidst the ruins, those who still clung to life stopped in their tracks, trying to make sense of what they''d just heard.


    For others, the announcement sparked hope.


    While there was those that were scared, there was also others that saw the tournament as an opportunity to rise above the despair of their ruined world. They envisioned themselves as the champion, the one to stand above all.


    The announcement brought with it tension and fear that coiled around the world like a snake, tightening its grip with every passing hour.

 Chapter 83 Mictlan

    Leo walked down the desolate streets, with Fiona and the wolves trailing behind him.


    The announcement replayed in his mind, Tatiana''s words echoing alongside it.


    He glanced at his status interface, where the registration window still hovered. He hadn''t selected "yes" yet, but the decision was already made in his heart.


    "The strongest¡­ the most adaptable," Leo muttered, his eyes scanning the empty street ahead. "Sounds about right."


    His thoughts shifted to Ves. He wondered how she was processing the announcement. He had no doubt she would choose to register, despite the risks.


    But what about the others? He couldn''t help but think of the survivors who had betrayed him¡ªtheir faces pale with fear as they fled.


    Were they scrambling to join the tournament, hoping it would save them? Or were they cowering, waiting for the apocalypse to swallow them whole?


    Leo shook his head, focusing on the path ahead. He knew he shouldn''t be worrying about other people, especially a group of people that betrayed him and especially not now that there''s a multiversal level free for all battle about to take place on earth in two weeks time.


    "I shouldn''t focus on unnecessary things. What matters now is surviving, evolving, and protecting those who matters to me," he thought.


    As he neared the residential building complex, he could already feel the tension in the air. It was as if the announcement itself had left a physical mark on the world, a heavy presence that couldn''t be ignored.


    Not like it hasn''t. Leo was aware that a lot of changes are to start taking place very soon. And as Tatiana said, there will be chaos.


    "Two weeks, huh?" Leo murmured. "Two weeks to evolve. Two weeks to prepare for the chaos."


    He clenched his fists, his gaze hardening as his lips spread thin into a smile.


    "Don''t worry, I''ll be ready."


    Arriving at the front of the residential building, Leo greeted by the sight of Ves standing at the entrance.


    Even though he was done distance away, he could see the worry on her face and how she was fidgeting slightly.


    He couldn''t help but sigh when he saw this. He knew that the reason why Ves was the way she is is because of the announcement and because she''s worried about him.


    He couldn''t help but remember what Tatiana said before she left: "I also have a gift for your lover."


    A small smile bloomed on his face when he remembered this. The truth is that he has never really thought of Ves in that... manner.


    Ves is beautiful, with her perfect figure, long legs, thighs, beautiful pale face and skin that was supposed to be ruined by the paleness of her zombie side, but rather it enhanced it. Also, her ocean blue eyes and silky black hair that falls over her shoulder.


    The fact is that Ves us beautiful, pretty, gorgeous.... But to Leo, she was more like family. Family that has cared and taken care of him.


    Yes, Leo remembers catching her in just her panties and seeing that beautiful sight but it was just a honest mistake.


    "What sort of stupid thoughts are running around in my head right now?," Leo scolded himself.


    "Now''s not the time for this, Leo. You have far more important things to worry about," he said, as he closed his eyes briefly.


    He picked up the pace, walking faster to the building, with Fiona and the wolves following behind him. S§×ar?h the N?vel(F)ire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    .....


    "Leo," Ves said, letting out a deep breath of relief when she saw Leo.


    Immediately after the announcement, she came outside to wait for him as she was worried. She felt that things were going to get rough¡ªrougher than it already is¡ªvery soon.


    She forced a smile to her face as sge watch Leo walk towards her. So many thoughts were running riots in her head but she wasn''t ready to pay any attention to them. As all she wants to do right now is to take care of Leo.


    The day has been a rollercoaster of event, from the betrayal, battle against the endless horde, and the appearance of the giant lizard-like monster. And now, the announcement of a "Multiversal level" tournament has been added to the list.


    She couldn''t help sigh when she thought about all this.


    "We really are in the apocalypse," she muttered to herself.


    *****


    Tatiana appeared in the penthouse suite she was staying at.


    "Princess," Elda greeted when she saw her.


    "Elda, it''s time. We have to start making the final arrangements to the plan. First, we will going there to get that," Tatiana said with a sense of urgency in her voice.


    "Princess, are you really sure you want to do this? I understand how much this tournament is worth to you and how much you want to prove to your father, to everyone that you''re good enough to lead the Realm but do we really have to do things this way?


    We are going into a territory that we hold no sway or any power whatsoever. If anything is to go wrong, there''s no way that I will be able to protect you, princess," Elda asked with a worried expression on her face.


    She saw the stubborn expression on Tatiana''s face and she sighed helplessly.


    "Princess, you do know that we aren''t going to another mortal realm but instead a divine realm. You know what else they call divine realms? A larger and more complex domain. It''s a place that any other person''s power becomes useless when they step into it. Our strength will be sealed as soon as we step into it.


    And to make things worst, this divine realm has two two different domains that had combined to make it even stronger," Elda said, expressing her feelings on the irrationality of Tatiana''s decision.


    "Come on, Elda. Why are you so scared? You make it sound like we are going there to cause trouble or something. We are just going there to ask for a favour," Tatiana said, as she put on the most reassuring smile she could. But it did very little to ease Elda''s worry.


    Elda could only smile and sigh helplessly once more as she knew that there was nothing else she can do.


    "Good. Let''s go to Mictlan," Tatiana said, as she disappeared, followed by Elda.

 Chapter 84 Mictlan (II), The Trial Of The Black Water

    The air shifted the moment Tatiana and Elda stepped into Mictlan. The temperature dropped sharply, and a biting cold seeped into their bones.


    The Black River stretched before them, winding through the dark, barren landscape like an obsidian serpent. Its surface was unnaturally still, reflecting faint ripples of silvery light that seemed to originate from nowhere and everywhere at once.


    The sky above was a vast expanse of muted grays, swirling with wisps of shadow and faint glimmers of light, like dying stars struggling against the void.


    The faint sound of whispers carried on the wind, soft and unintelligible, as if the air itself held the echoes of the souls that once roamed here.


    Tatiana took a cautious step forward, her heels crunching against the dry, cracked ground.


    The land surrounding the river was barren, devoid of vegetation or life. Jagged rocks jutted out like the bones of some ancient, long-dead creature.


    In the distance, faint, ghostly outlines of massive, crumbling structures loomed, shrouded in an eternal fog that seems to beat with an eerie life of its own.


    Elda walked close behind her, her stance rigid, her eyes scanning the surroundings carefulky for any signs of danger.


    Though her power had been sealed the moment they stepped into Mictlan, it doesn''t mean that she won''t do what she can to protect Tatiana if the need arises.


    "Stay close, Princess. This place is the domain of two people that have authority over death. It''s not a place to be taken lightly¡ªfor us to take lightly," Elda murmured, as she continued looking around.


    Tatiana glanced back at her Elda, offering a small, reassuring smile.


    "I have no intention of wandering off. But I appreciate your vigilance."


    Even though Tatiana said that, the two of them knew that things weren''t exactly as simple as it is.


    Their gaze were fixed on the Black River. It wasn''t the physical chill of the place that unnerved them, it was the oppressive weight of something far greater.


    The moment they had stepped into Mictlan, the both of them had felt it: the overwhelming presence of a realm that was alive, watching, and utterly indifferent.


    Elda''s suspicions were also confirmed when she felt her power leave her, drained away the instant her feet touched the cracked earth.


    It wasn''t painful¡ªmore like a heavy door slamming shut, cutting her¡ªthem¡ªoff from their strength, rendering them powerless and making them feel like a "mortal".


    "It''s just as I thought. Our powers are sealed," Elda muttered to herself.


    "It''s just as you said. We are in their domain," Tatiana muttered in reply.


    Even so, the vulnerability felt alien and unsettling. For beings as powerful as they were, to suddenly feel like mortals was a stark reminder of the forces they were dealing with.


    The next moment, a low, resonating hum filled the air, growing louder with each passing second.


    Both women turned their attention toward the Black River, their gazes snapping toward its surface. From the depths of its inky blackness, a figure began to rise.


    The emissary.


    Its form was ethereal and yet solid, a shifting amalgamation of black smoke and silver light. Its face was featureless, save for two glowing orbs that burned like miniature suns where its eyes should have been.


    It towered over them, its presence suffocating, as if the air around it bowed under the weight of its existence.


    "Mortals," the emissary intoned, its voice resonating like a choir of echoes. "You stand upon the threshold of Mictlan. State your purpose."


    Elda stepped forward before Tatiana could respond, her gaze burning burning into the Emissary.


    "We are no ordinary mortals. We come with purpose and with respect for your rulers. Choose your words carefully, emissary," she said with her voice, calm.


    The emissary''s glowing eyes shifted toward Elda, and the weight of its gaze pressed down on her like a tidal wave, almost causing her to fall to her knees.


    "Mortal, your arrogance is misplaced. Power and status matters not here. You stand in the domain of gods."


    Before Elda could say anything else, Tatiana stepped forward, placing a gentle hand on her arm.


    "Enough, Elda," she said softly. "We are guests here, and we must behave accordingly


    Elda hesitated but nodded, her jaw tightening slightly as she decided to back down a little. But she didn''t step back, as she stood protectively beside Tatiana.


    Tatiana met the emissary''s glowing gaze. Even though she''s in the domain of a god, that doesn''t mean that she''s to scared to speak.


    "We seek an audience with the rulers of this realm," she said. "We come prepared to offer something of great value in exchange for a favor."


    The emissary tilted its head slightly, the gesture almost curious. "Few dare to tread this path. Fewer still survive it. Why should your request be granted?"


    Elda stepped forward, unable to contain herself. "We came prepared¡ª"


    Tatiana raised a hand, silencing her companion with a glance. She met the emissary''s gaze¡ªif it could be called that¡ªwith unwavering resolve. S§×arch* The NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "Because what we offer will strengthen their domain. And what we seek will only enhance the balance they maintain," Tatiana said with an unwavering voice.


    The emissary''s glowing eyes narrowed, and the air seemed to grow heavier. It leaned closer, its towering form seemingly casting a long shadow over them.


    "And why should the Lords of Mictlan entertain the whims of mortals?" it asked, the edge of mockery in its tone cutting through the stillness.


    Tatiana''s hands remained at her sides, but her fingers twitched slightly, betraying the tension she kept hidden.


    "Because what I seek will only enhance their domain. And what I offer in return will strengthen their claim in the Multiverse."


    The emissary straightened, its form shifting like smoke caught in a breeze. It regarded her in silence for a long moment, the weight of its gaze pressing down on her.


    Finally, it spoke again, its voice tinged with something akin to amusement.


    "You speak with conviction. But words alone are insufficient."


    It extended a hand, its elongated fingers pointing toward the Black River.


    "To meet the rulers of Mictlan, you must first prove your worth. The Black River Trail awaits you."


    Tatiana''s heart skipped a beat. She had heard of the trail¡ªa gauntlet that tested not strength or skill, but the very essence of a soul. No one who had walked it came out unchanged.


    "And what of me?" Elda asked sharply, motioning to herself.


    The emissary turned its glowing gaze on her, and Elda felt a cold chill seep into her very core.


    "You will remain. The trail is not for you."


    Elda clenched her fists, her expression darkening.


    "And what if I refuse?"


    The emissary''s form seemed to grow larger, its presence more oppressive.


    "Refusal is not an option. Interference will lead to annihilation."


    Elda hesitated, her worry plain, but she nodded reluctantly.


    "Be careful," she whispered.


    Tatiana nodded and stepped toward the river, the jagged rocks beneath her feet crunching with each step.


    The emissary raised its hand, and the waters of the Black River began to shift and churn.


    The surface, once still, rippled with an unnatural energy, glowing faintly as if it held the secrets of the universe within its depths.


    As Tatiana approached, the emissary''s voice rang out once more.


    "The Black River Trail will strip away all pretense. It will show you what lies at the core of your being. Only by facing the truth within yourself can you hope to proceed."


    Tatiana didn''t falter. She stepped into the river, the icy water biting into her skin like shards of glass.


    The current was deceptively strong, pulling at her legs, but she pushed forward, her gaze fixed ahead.


    The emissary watched silently as she disappeared into the fog that now swirled over the river''s surface.


    Elda stood at the edge, her fists clenched tightly, her gaze filled with worry and defiance.


    And then, the trail began.

 Chapter 85 The Trail Of The Black Water (II)

    As Tatiana waded through the icy black water, it bit into her skin like shards of glass.


    The fog around her thickened, swirling with an unnatural life of its own, obscuring everything beyond an arm''s reach. The air was heavy, carrying a faint metallic scent that clung to the back of her throat.


    The current strongly tugged at her legs, pulling her deeper into the river.


    Tatiana''s breath came in steady, measured exhales. She made sure not to lose her resolve despite the oppressive atmosphere.


    She could feel the eyes of the emissary watching her from the riverbank. The steady reassuring sound of Elda''s voice had already faded into the silence.


    She pressed forward, the black water rising past her knees, as she went deeper, then her waist.


    The chill seeped into her very bones, but Tatiana kept moving. Each step felt heavier than the last. She felt that things would had been easier if her strength wasn''t sealed but still, she was also aware that it would had made almost no difference as she was in a divine realm, and divine realms have rules of their own.


    The fog around her thickened, curling around her like tendrils, causing her to lose sense of her surroundings, with the riverbank vanished from sight.


    Tatiana stopped for a moment, straining to see ahead, but there was nothing. Except for the swirling mist and the faint sound of water lapping against her legs, there was nothing else.


    "Keep moving," she whispered to herself, her voice barely audible above the oppressive stillness.


    And then¡­ the next moment, the ground beneath her feet disappeared suddenly.


    Tatiana gasped as she sank into the icy depths, the water swallowing her whole. Her arms thrashed instinctively, but there was no bottom, no sense of up or down.


    The current pulled her deeper, spinning her in a disorienting spiral. Her lungs burned as she fought to hold her breath, her vision darkening.


    Just as she felt the last threads of air slipping away, the cold was replaced by warmth. The water disappeared entirely, and Tatiana found herself standing on solid ground. She stumbled forward, coughing and gasping, her knees hitting the floor. Sear?h the N?velFire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    When she looked at the ground and she saw that her surroundings had changed and she was no longer in the river, no longer surrounded by the fog of Mictlan.


    She felt warm air hit her body. Air that felt both foreign and achingly familiar. Her knees buckled as she stumbled forward, gasping for breath, her arms trembling.


    Her fingers brushed against the ground, and she froze. The terrain beneath her was soft, cool, and alive.


    She glanced down, her breath hitching as she took in the bioluminescent grasses glowing faintly beneath her fingertips.


    Their hues shifted between deep crimson, silvery whites, and purples, casting a soft glow that illuminated her surroundings.


    The scent of blooming jasmine wafted through the air, mingling with a faint metallic tang from the Black Water that she could still almost taste on the back of her tongue.


    The gentle rustle of leaves in the distance added a rhythm to the surreal quiet, broken only by her own ragged breaths.


    Her heart skipped as she slowly lifted her gaze to the horizon.


    Two moons... One blood-red and the other a silvery white hung low in the sky, bathing the landscape in their otherworldly glow.


    Shadows of tall trees stretched like reaching arms across the shimmering grass. Her eyes widened as recognition dawned, the realization hitting her like a physical blow.


    "No¡­ it can''t be," she whispered, her voice trembling.


    Her breaths quickened as she stumbled to her feet. The air grew heavier with every step forward, her body trembling as the realization set in.


    The Crimson Fall Realm. Not just anywhere in it... this was home. Her home.


    Tatiana''s pulse thundered in her ears as she broke into a run, her feet pounding against the soft ground.


    The bioluminescent grasses glowed brighter with every step, guiding her like a trail of stars. She knew where she was going, knew it with the clarity that only years of memory could carve into someone.


    And then she saw it.


    The garden.


    The sight stole the air from her lungs. She slowed, her steps faltering as she approached the edge of the moonlit sanctuary.


    The flowers were as vibrant as she remembered¡ªcrimson roses entwined with silvery vines, towering trees with leaves that shimmered like polished gemstones, and delicate blossoms that glowed faintly in the moonlight. The air was sweet, heavy with the scent of honey and jasmine.


    It was just as it had been.


    Her legs trembled beneath her, and she clutched at a nearby tree for support, her gaze scanning the garden with frantic desperation.


    Her chest tightened as her eyes locked onto the figure seated beneath the massive Bloodwood Tree at the garden''s center.


    There she was as always.


    Her mother.


    The woman''s dark, cascading hair spilled over her shoulders, shimmering faintly in the moonlight like strands of polished obsidian.


    Her pale skin seemed to glow against the deep crimson of the Bloodwood Tree''s bark. She sat with perfect poise, her long, elegant fingers delicately tracing patterns in the dirt at her feet.


    Her mother''s profile was turned away, but that profile alone was enough to send a tidal wave of emotions crashing over Tatiana.


    "Mom¡­" The word escaped her lips in a broken whisper, barely audible, but it carried the weight of everything she hadn''t said... everything she had wanted to say for years.


    The woman turned slowly, her movements graceful, her expression soft and familiar.


    Her eyes, deep pools of warmth and love, met Tatiana''s. And then she smiled.


    That smile shattered her.


    Tatiana''s legs gave out beneath her, and she fell to her knees, her hands trembling as they clenched the grasses beneath her. Tears welled in her eyes, spilling over before she could even think to hold them back.


    "Mom!" she cried, her voice breaking, the floodgates of her emotions bursting wide open.


    Her mother''s brows furrowed in concern as she rose gracefully to her feet, closing the distance between them.


    "Tia, baby," she said, her voice soft and melodic, wrapping around Tatiana like the embrace she so desperately craved. "What is it? Why are you crying, my darling? Did you get hurt?"


    The sound of her voice struck something deep within Tatiana, and the tears fell faster. Her mother crouched before her, reaching out with gentle hands to brush away her tears, her touch featherlight and achingly familiar.


    But Tatiana shook her head, her lips trembling. "No, it''s not that. I¡­ I missed you. I''ve missed you so much¡­"


    Her mother''s expression softened, a mixture of love and concern etched into her features. "Oh, my sweet Tia. I''ve always been here, haven''t I?"


    Tatiana shook her head again, the words stuck in her throat. She wanted to scream, to tell her mother that she hadn''t been here, that she had been ripped away too soon. But she couldn''t.


    Her mother''s hands cupped her face, tilting it upward to meet her gaze. "Tia, what''s wrong? Why are you looking at me like that?"


    "I¡ª" Tatiana''s voice broke, her tears choking her. She forced herself to take a shaky breath. "I¡­ I can''t do this. I can''t lose you again."


    Her mother''s expression shifted, a flicker of sadness passing through her eyes. "Again? What are you talking about, baby?"


    Tatiana shook her head repeatedly in response but the tears refused to stop. She did everything she can to stop it but she couldn''t.


    It was when her mother knelt down that she understood what was actually going on. She was back to the past, back to when she was still little. She was back to that day. That dreadful day that she never wants to relive again.


    Her mother rose slowly, her concern deepening as she took a step closer.


    "Tia, what''s wrong? You''re scaring me."


    The realization caused the tears to increase and made her unable to stop. She slowly took a step back, and another, and another, and more, until she was out of her mother''s reach.


    The next moment, she had no idea what happened but all she knew was that she saw herself running with tears in her eyes, surrounded by the flames that was consuming everything in its reach, blood pooling on the floor and the air around choked by the smoke from the fire.


    She forced herself to stop to look around but the next thing she heard was a familiar voice telling her to run away to safety.


    She traced the direction of the voice and there she saw it. She saw her mother doing her best to fight off three men in dark robe and five hounds with shadow spilling from their bodies.


    Tatiana frozed up immediately at the sight but the next moment she heard her mother''s voice again.


    "Tia! I said run!"


    Then, suddenly, soft arms wrapped around her waist from behind. Before she could react, she was lifted off the ground.


    "No! Let me go!" Tatiana screamed, kicking and thrashing. Her tiny fists pounded against the chest of the person carrying her, but their grip didn''t loosen.


    "We have to go!" a familiar voice yelled.


    She craned her neck and caught a glimpse of the one holding her¡ªElda.


    Tears streamed down Tatiana''s face, blurring her vision as she caught one last glimpse of her mother through the haze of smoke and flames.


    Her mother stood tall, her body glowing faintly as she fought with everything she had. The hounds lunged at her, their jaws snapping.


    And then, she saw it. She saw one of the dark robed person driving a sword through her mother, where the heart is.


    "No!!!!!" She screamed, her voice breaking as her heart shattered.


    "Mom!" she whimpered one last time, her voice breaking into a sob.


    The world blurred into a haze of flames and tears, and Tatiana''s consciousness faded, swallowed by the darkness of her grief.

 Chapter 86 The Trail Of Black Water (III)

    Tatiana''s surroundings shifted suddenly, the fiery chaos of her mother''s final moments dissolving into a blur of colors and sensations.


    Her body felt heavy, as though the weight of her grief had seeped into her very bones.


    The next moment, she stood in a vast, opulent hallway bathed in muted crimson light. S§×ar?h the nov§×lF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    She immediately recognized the place. The intricate black and gold walls, the towering windows that stretched from floor to ceiling, casting faint moonlight over the marble floors¡ªthis was the royal palace.


    This was her home. Or at least, what used to feel like home.


    Tatiana''s heart sank as familiar voices echoed from the far end of the corridor. The voices were filled with scorn.


    "Well, well, look who''s here. The little orphaned princess."


    The taunting voice belonged to Lucien, her eldest half-brother. Beside her was his sister, her half-sister, Liliana, who has her face twisted in mocking smirks.


    Tatiana stiffened, her fists clenching at her sides as she turned to face them. Her chest still burned with the fresh memory of her mother''s death, and the sight of her half-siblings only stoked the flames of her turmoil.


    "What do you want?" she asked coldly, doing her best to keep her voice calm despite the storm raging within her.


    Liliana stepped forward, twirling a lock of her silver hair around her finger. Her expression was deceptively sweet, but her eyes gleamed with malice.


    ""Still crying about your mother, Tatiana?" Lucien sneered, leaning casually against the doorway to her chambers. His voice dripped with mockery. "She''s not coming back, you know. Maybe if she hadn''t been so eager to¡ª"


    "Don''t," Tatiana said, her voice low and trembling.


    "Why not?" Liliana chimed in, her tone falsely sweet. "She was just a whore who got lucky, wasn''t she? Honestly, it''s embarrassing. The great Lord of Crimson Fall, falling for someone like¡ª"


    The crack of Tatiana''s fist across Liliana''s cheek silenced her. She stumbled backward, clutching his face in shock.


    "You will not speak about her like that!" Tatiana shouted, her voice trembling with rage.


    Liliana lunged at her, but Tatiana was ready. The pent-up grief, anger, and frustration surged through her, fueling her movements.


    She fought them with a ferocity she hadn''t known she possessed, her strikes unrelenting and deadly.


    When the dust settled, her siblings lay sprawled on the floor, groaning in pain. Tatiana stood over them, her chest heaving as she glared down at their defeated forms.


    But the victory was short-lived.


    "You''ll regret this," Lucien hissed, his voice filled with venom.


    They scrambled to their feet and stormed off, leaving Tatiana standing alone in the hallway. She knew exactly where they were going¡ªto their father. More exactly, their mother, her step-mother.


    Her stepmother, Queen Althea, made her move as Tatiana''s life became a living nightmare.


    Althea''s influence over the palace staff ensured that Tatiana was isolated, treated like an outcast. Servants avoided her, whispering behind her back.


    Her once-grand chambers were stripped of their comforts, leaving her in a cold, barren room.


    If it wasn''t did to how much her father loves her, her stepmother would had succeeded in sending her out of the palace. Through it all, the one constant in Tatiana''s life was Elda.


    She remained steadfast by her side, offering support and companionship when no one else would. She would attend to her injuries and help her out in any way she can, and Tatiana was very grateful.


    One night, after yet another humiliating encounter with her stepmother, Tatiana sat alone in her chamber, her heart heavy with despair.


    "Why are you still here, Elda?" she asked quietly, her voice barely above a whisper.


    Elda knelt beside her, placing a reassuring hand on her shoulder.


    "Because I was told by your mother to protect you. I can''t leave and you can''t push me away."


    Tatiana''s eyes glistened with unshed tears as she nodded, the weight of Elda''s words sinking into her heart.


    From that moment on, Tatiana resolved to take back control of her life. She confronted her stepmother and half-siblings, standing her ground with unwavering determination. Though the conflict left scars, it also changed her into a stronger, more resilient person.


    ...


    Tatiana''s surroundings shifted once more, the mists of the Black River retreating to reveal an alien and oppressive landscape.


    The air was suffocating, charged with a foreboding energy that prickled her skin.


    The sky above was an unrelenting black void, broken only by faint, pulsating lights that seemed to flicker like dying stars.


    The terrain beneath her boots felt uneven, alive¡ªlike something ancient and hostile was watching her every move.


    Beside her, Elda drew her weapon instinctively, her body tense and alert.


    "This isn''t real," Elda murmured, her eyes scanning the darkened surroundings.


    Before Tatiana could respond, the shadows shifted. Shapes materialized from the void, grotesque figures cloaked in writhing tendrils of darkness.


    Their forms were warped, barely humanoid, and their glowing eyes burned with a sickly green and red light.


    Tatiana''s stomach tightened as the familiarity and recognition dawned.


    "This is a trap," Tatiana hissed.


    "Not just a trap. This is a cage. They have locked us in." Elda said grimly, positioning herself in front of Tatiana.


    The figures finally made their move. Their leader¡ªa towering figure draped in jagged armor made of shadow¡ªstepped forward, the ground trembling beneath his feet.


    His voice was a guttural rasp, echoing like a thousand screams layered atop one another.


    "Your soul reeks of potential, princess," he said, his gaze fixed on Tatiana. "Our master has use for it."


    Elda didn''t wait for him to finish. She surged forward with a battle cry, her blade slashing through the air. Two of them fell back, their forms dissolving into inky black mist, but more swarmed in to take their place.


    Tatiana joined the fray, moving with the grace of a warrior despite the lack of her usual power.


    For every one they struck down, more seemed to take its place, their laughter and whispers growing louder with every blow.


    Minutes passed like hours, and exhaustion began to creep in. Tatiana''s breathing grew labored, her arms trembling as she parried strike after strike.


    Elda fought like a hurricane, her blade flashing with desperate fury, but even she was slowing down.


    "They''re wearing us down," Elda muttered, her voice strained.


    Tatiana gritted her teeth, her heart pounding as she realized the truth. Their opponents weren''t just attacking¡ªthey were toying with them, drawing the fight out.


    The towering leader of the dark, inky figure raised his hand, and the air thickened further, pressing down on them like a weight. Shadows began to coil around their feet, rooting them in place.


    Elda''s eyes widened as she realized the trap was closing in. She slashed at the shadows, but they reformed instantly, binding her movements further.


    Tatiana struggled against the tendrils, her heart racing as the whispers grew deafening.


    Elda''s voice broke through her spiraling thoughts.


    "Tatiana! Listen to me!"


    Tatiana turned to her, and her heart sank at the sight. Elda''s body was covered in deep gashes, her movements sluggish. But her eyes burned with determination.


    "I''ll create an opening," Elda said firmly, slashing at the cultists that drew closer. "When I do, you need to escape. Do you understand?"


    For a moment, she saw flashes of her mother''s face in the darkness, her voice echoing in her mind:


    "Tia! I said! Run!"


    "No!" Tatiana snapped, her voice rising with desperation. "We''re not doing this! I''m not leaving you behind!"


    Elda''s expression softened, a rare moment of tenderness breaking through the chaos.


    "You have to, princess. You''re the one who matters. You have to survive."


    Tears blurred Tatiana''s vision as she shook her head violently.


    "I can''t lose you too. Please! No!"


    But Elda wasn''t listening. With a roar, she unleashed the last of her strength, breaking free from the shadows and charging toward the dark figures. Her blade flashed as she cut down several in her path, carving a way through.


    "Go!" Elda shouted, her voice cracking with the weight of her sacrifice. "Now!"


    Tatiana hesitated for a fraction of a second, torn between her instinct to stay and the weight of Elda''s words. Then, with a cry of anguish, she turned and ran toward the glowing portal Elda had forced open with the last of her strength.


    The whispers rose into a cacophony as Tatiana crossed the threshold, the portal snapping shut behind her. The last thing she saw was Elda standing tall, her blade raised defiantly against the cultists.


    And then she was alone.


    .....


    Escaping from the trap, Tatiana saw herself in a dark, empty space.


    Her chest heaved as sobs wracked her body, the weight of Elda''s sacrifice crushing her.


    Her mind replayed the moment over and over, merging with the memory of her mother''s death until she could no longer tell them apart.


    "Why¡­ why does it always end like this?" she whispered, her voice broken.


    The shadows of grief clawed at her, threatening to drag her into a dark abyss. She clenched her fists, her nails digging into her palms, but it wasn''t enough to ground her. She was falling, spiraling into despair.


    And then¡­ a voice.


    It was soft, barely a whisper, but it cut through the darkness like a blade with its familiarity.


    "Yeah. Friends with benefits but I''m not exactly getting any benefits."


    She froze, her tears halting as she looked up. The voice and words were familiar but she had no idea where she has heard it before.


    She noticed that the darkness around her began to part, revealing a something she couldn''t make out completely.


    The voice spoke again.


    "What a shame. I was actually ready to get down to work."


    Tatiana''s breath hitched as she finally remembered.


    "That shameless bastard," she said with a small smile.


    The memories of her mother and Elda remained, but they no longer suffocated her. Instead, they burned within her like a flame¡ªa source of strength, not sorrow.


    She rose to her feet, her body trembling. The darkness around her has already cleared and she found herself back at the edge of the Black River. The emissary stood waiting, its glowing gaze unreadable.


    And beside it¡­ Elda.


    Tatiana''s breath caught in her throat as she stared at her protector, whole and unscathed. Elda offered her a small, knowing smile, and Tatiana felt her heart swell with gratitude.


    "You passed," the emissary intoned, its voice echoing through the silence. "The trial is complete. The Lords will meet with you."


    Tatiana nodded with a smile on her face.

 Chapter 87 Meeting The Rulers Of Mictlan

    The Palace of Bones was unlike anything Tatiana had ever seen before in her life.


    The air inside the grand hall was dense, carrying a faint chill that seeped into her skin. Every breath she took seemed to echo, the sound reverberating off the towering walls.


    The walls themselves were made entirely of bones¡ªpolished and intricately arranged into patterns that seemed to tell an ancient, haunting story. Skulls lined the archways, their hollow eyes gazing out into the space with a quiet, eternal vigilance.


    The floor beneath Tatiana''s feet was smooth and cold, made of obsidian that shimmered faintly with an otherworldly light. It was as though the very ground pulsed with life, carrying silent whispers that only the dead could hear.


    Above her, the ceiling was vast and cavernous, disappearing into a black void. The faint glimmers of starlight seemed to peek through the darkness, though Tatiana knew they weren''t stars. They felt like more eyes watching and waiting.


    At the far end of the hall stood two thrones, both carved from the same pale bones that made up the walls.


    One was adorned with intricate carvings of serpents and skulls, and the other was draped in faintly glowing silks of deep crimson and black.


    Seated upon the thrones were Mictlantecuhtli and Mictecacihuatl.


    Mictlantecuhtli''s form was towering and skeletal, yet there was an undeniable elegance to him. His bony frame was draped in a robe of black smoke that seemed to shift and writhe as though alive.


    His skull-like face bore intricate carvings, glowing faintly with golden light. His eyes burned like twin suns¡ªpiercing and impossible to look away from.


    Beside him sat Mictecacihuatl, her form both regal and haunting. Her skin was smooth and pale, a stark contrast to the dark, flowing gown she wore.


    Her hair cascaded like a waterfall of black ink, and her eyes gleamed with a deep, knowing red that seemed to pierce through Tatiana''s very soul.


    Her fingers, adorned with rings of obsidian and bone, drummed softly against the armrest of her throne.


    Between the two gods, the atmosphere was suffocating. It was not the weight of malice or hostility but the sheer presence of beings so far beyond mortality that their existence felt like a force of nature.


    The air thrummed with power, each beat a reminder of how insignificant Tatiana was in their domain.


    Tatiana and Elda stood at the center of the vast hall, their figures dwarfed by the grandeur around them.


    Elda''s posture was tense, her hands twitching slightly as if itching for her weapon, though she knew it was futile. This was the first time she has ever stood in the presence of a god, a divine entity, and she finally understands why they are called gods.


    Tatiana, however, kept her head high, her expression calm and composed, though her heart pounded against her ribs.


    Mictlantecuhtli leaned forward slightly, his burning eyes fixed on Tatiana. When he spoke, his voice was a deep, resonant echo that seemed to come from everywhere and nowhere at once. sea??h th§× N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "Child of Crimson Fall," he said, his tone carrying both curiosity and indifference.


    "You have walked the Black River. You have faced its trials and emerged... intact. Now, tell me¡ªwhat is it that you seek?"


    Tatiana''s throat tightened as the full weight of his gaze bore down on her. She took a steadying breath, her hands clasped tightly in front of her to keep them from trembling.


    "I seek a favor," she said, her voice firm despite the oppressive atmosphere.


    "A boon that only the Lords of Mictlan can grant."


    Mictecacihuatl tilted her head slightly, her red eyes gleaming with faint amusement. She didn''t expect the mortal to ask for something like this but nonetheless, she was interested in what type of boon Tatiana wants.


    "And what makes you believe you are worthy of such a boon?" she asked, her tone almost teasing.


    Her voice, when she spoke, was softer than Mictlantecuhtli''s, yet it carried an undeniable edge of danger.


    Tatiana met her gaze, the flicker of fear in her heart replaced with resolve.


    "I am willing to pay whatever price you demand."


    Mictecacihuatl''s lips curved into a faint smile, but there was no warmth in it.


    "The price is not yours to decide, child. We shall determine what is fair."


    Mictlantecuhtli leaned back in his throne, his glowing eyes narrowing.


    "Speak your desire, then. Let us hear what it is that has brought you to the heart of death''s domain."


    Tatiana hesitated for only a moment before stepping forward, her voice steady and clear as she spoke.


    "I seek a skill¡ªone tied to necromancy and control over the undead. A power that will strengthen ones connection to the undead and allow them to freely control them as they wish."


    The hall fell silent, the air growing heavier as her words hung in the space between them.


    The gods exchanged a glance, their expressions unreadable.


    "And why do you seek such power?" Mictlantecuhtli asked, his voice laced with curiosity.


    "What purpose will it serve?"


    "I want to give the skill to an ally of mine. The tournament will be starting very soon and I plan to win it. With this skill, this strength of this ally of mine will increase and will give my alliance a fighting chance," Tatiana replied.


    Her words amused the two divine entities as they looked at her with what could be called surprise on their faces.


    They didn''t expect that the princess of the Crimson Fall will be looking for a skill for an ally. When did Vampires start caring about other people and another race for that matter.


    To make things even more amusing, the princess seems to actually care for this mortal...


    Mictlantecuhtli smiled mischievously when she saw this. She felt that she might finally have the opportunity to kill her boredom after what can be called an eternity. But that doesn''t mean that she or her husband is going to give the skill to Tatiana that easily.


    Also, she was very curious as to why this mortal that the princess of Crimson Fall is interested in is so special. From what she saw in Tatiana''s memories, he''s a weak human. Nothing special about that but the princess seems to be very interested in her. Why?


    "Say we are to agree to give you this boon but ask for servitude after death in return, will you still ask for the boon?" Mictlantecuhtli asked curiously, wanting to confirm something.


    "Yes," Tatiana replied simply.

 Chapter 88 The Price To Acquire Power

    The atmosphere in the Palace of Bones grew heavier as Tatiana''s words hung in the air, the weight of her conviction filling the grand hall.


    Mictlantecuhtli and Mictecacihuatl exchanged glances, their expressions unreadable save for a flicker of something¡ªamusement, curiosity, or perhaps even disbelief.


    Mictecacihuatl leaned forward slightly, her crimson eyes narrowing with faint amusement.


    "The princess of Crimson Fall seeks a boon not for herself, but for a mortal? How peculiar. Vampires do not often concern themselves with the affairs of others, especially those of another race."


    Mictlantecuhtli chuckled softly, his voice a low rumble that reverberated through the chamber.


    "Indeed, it is rare. Tell me, Princess, why does this mortal matter to you?"


    Tatiana straightened, her gaze unwavering despite the suffocating aura of the two gods.


    "The tournament is upon us, and I intend to win it. To do so, I need allies who are strong¡ªstronger than they are now. This skill will elevate my ally and give my alliance the fighting chance it needs."


    Mictecacihuatl tilted her head, a faint smile playing on her lips.


    "Is that all? A tactical decision? Or is there more to it than you care to admit?"


    Tatiana''s lips parted to respond, but no words came out. She hesitated, the question cutting deeper than she had expected.


    Was this truly just about the tournament? Or was there something more¡ªa connection she wasn''t ready to admit, even to herself?


    Elda watched the exchange quietly, her sharp eyes catching the flicker of uncertainty in Tatiana''s gaze. She took a small step forward, her voice cutting through the tension.


    "The boy has connections to both a known and an unknown divine entities," Elda said, her tone measured but firm.


    Mictecacihuatl''s smile faltered, her crimson eyes narrowing slightly as she turned her attention to Elda.


    Mictlantecuhtli straightened in his throne, his glowing eyes burning brighter.


    "Explain," Mictlantecuhtli said, his voice a deep, commanding echo that sent a chill down Elda''s spine.


    Elda continued without hesitation, meeting the piercing gaze of the gods.


    "The known divine entity is Ereshkigal. She gifted him a weapon crafted from shadowsteel. As you are both aware, shadowsteel can only be obtained from a single source in whole Multiverse¡ªthe Underworld of Ereshkigal herself."


    Mictecacihuatl''s brows lifted slightly, a spark of intrigue lighting her expression. Mictlantecuhtli, however, remained silent, though the air around him grew heavier, colder.


    "But that is not all," Elda added, her voice dropping slightly.


    "The unknown divine entity¡­ not much is known about it. But its brief presence was significant enough for a Messenger of the Council to pay a visit."


    At this, both Mictlantecuhtli and Mictecacihuatl froze. The light in their eyes dimmed momentarily, replaced with a flicker of something rarely seen on divine faces¡ªconcern.


    "A Messenger of the Council?" Mictecacihuatl repeated, her tone sharp. "For a mortal boy?"


    Elda nodded. "Yes. The details remain unclear, but the visit alone speaks volumes." S§×arch* The ¦ÇovelFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    The gods exchanged another glance, their expressions darkening. The weight of Elda''s revelation settled over the room like a suffocating fog, amplifying the already oppressive atmosphere.


    Mictecacihuatl leaned back in her throne, her fingers drumming against the armrest.


    "It seems this mortal is far more interesting than he appears."


    Mictlantecuhtli''s gaze returned to Tatiana, his burning eyes boring into her.


    "You are willing to risk much for him, Princess. But such power does not come without a price."


    Mictecacihuatl''s smile returned, though it was colder now, more calculating.


    "Servitude after death. That is the price we ask. Will you pay it?"


    Tatiana felt her heart drop at the words. The weight of their demand pressed down on her, suffocating her thoughts. Her chest tightened as a storm of emotions raged within her¡ªfear, sadness, doubt.


    "Servitude after death¡­" she repeated softly, her voice barely audible.


    Elda turned to her sharply, her expression a mixture of shock and anger. "Princess, you can''t¡ª"


    Tatiana raised a hand, silencing Elda. Her eyes were downcast, her mind racing. She thought of the boy she was doing this for, the journey they had ahead of them, and the tournament that loomed ever closer.


    But more than that, she thought of the strange warmth she felt when she was with him¡ªthe connection she couldn''t quite explain.


    Was she truly willing to pay such a price? To bind her soul to Mictlan for eternity?


    Tatiana clenched her fists, her nails digging into her palms. She thought of her mother, of Elda, of everything she had already endured.


    And then she looked up, meeting the gazes of the gods with a resolve that burned brighter than her fear.


    "I accept," she said firmly, her voice steady despite the turmoil in her heart.


    Elda''s eyes widened, her hand shooting out to grab Tatiana''s arm.


    "No! You can''t do this! There has to be another way!"


    Tatiana turned to her, tears glistening in her eyes, but her expression was unyielding.


    "This is my choice, Elda. Please¡­ don''t stop me."


    Elda''s grip loosened, her hand trembling as she released Tatiana''s arm. Her shoulders slumped, and she looked away, her expression filled with sorrow and frustration.


    Mictecacihuatl rose gracefully from her throne, her crimson gown flowing like liquid shadows.


    "Very well, Princess. The boon shall be granted, and the price shall be paid when your time comes."


    Mictlantecuhtli raised a skeletal hand, a dark orb of energy forming within his palm. The orb pulsed with a strange, otherworldly light, its power radiating through the hall.


    The orb floated toward Tatiana, stopping just before her. "Take it. The skill will bind to the one you choose."


    Tatiana reached out, her hand trembling as she touched the orb. The energy surged into her, filling her with a sensation that was both warm and cold, light and dark.


    "It is done," Mictlantecuhtli said, his voice final.


    Tatiana bowed deeply, her movements slow and deliberate. "Thank you."


    Without another word, she turned and began to walk away, her steps heavy with the weight of her decision. Elda followed silently, her expression clouded with a mix of emotions she couldn''t voice.


    The two of them left the Palace of Bones, the air growing lighter with each step. But the burden in Tatiana''s heart remained, a constant reminder of the price she had agreed to pay.


    As they stepped back into the desolate expanse of Mictlan, Tatiana paused, her gaze fixed on the horizon.


    "Elda," she said softly, her voice trembling slightly. "I''m sorry."


    Elda placed a hand on her shoulder, her grip firm yet gentle.


    "Just promise me it will be worth it, Princess."


    Tatiana nodded, though her heart was heavy with doubt. The path ahead was unclear, but there was no turning back now.

 Chapter 89 They Are Here

    Leo was looking out the window of the apartment he shares with Ves, watching the beautiful night sky that was littered with stars.


    He has just had dinner and wanted to rest a bit before going to bed, but his mind was far too occupied with a lot of things to allow him the rest he wants.


    Naturally, his thoughts were mostly on the upcoming tournament and the implications it holds.


    He had tried to push the thoughts out of his head but not matter how hard he tried, he couldn''t. The fact that in two weeks time, a massive one-man-standing tournament is going to hold on Earth doesn''t help matters.


    Also, the warning that Tatiana gave him before she left, made him even more uncomfortable.


    Chaos.


    He knew that with people that are as strong as Tatiana and even stronger, joining the competition, things are going to be very difficult for everyone on Earth.


    He doesn''t know how strong other people are, but no matter which angle he looks at it from, things aren''t looking up for them.


    Even before the tournament, everyone already has a lot on their plates with the zombies and mutant creatures.


    Leo knew that one way or the other, they are fucked. The only way to change their current circumstances is to increase their strength but that also isn''t exactly easy.


    To increase their strength, they will have to continue killings zombies and mutant creatures, and the two groups aren''t ones to go down without a fight. In fact, Leo felt that with the upcoming tournament, killing them will become very difficult.


    From what he was able to deduce from the announcement, came to what he feels to be a wild conjecture.


    The conjecture was that since every race in the Multiverse will be participating in the tournament, then that means that the mutant creatures on Earth will also be participating. Maybe even the zombies too....


    The reason why Leo feels this way is because the mutant creatures are natural inhabitants of Earth before its awakening. This means that they are also inhabitants of the tournament host world.


    Leo sighed helplessly when he thought of this. He felt that he was just complicating things for himself by overthinking. He knew that no amount of thoughts can change anything. He can make peace with everything and do the only he knows he can do; get stronger.


    "You''re still up?"


    A familiar voice came from behind, slightly startling Leo. He turned to look and he saw Ves standing behind him, with a small smile on her face.


    He sighed and turned back, with his gaze directed back at the night sky.


    "Yes, Ms Ves. I couldn''t sleep. Had a lot on my mind," he replied, as he turned back to watch her walk and stand beside him.


    "You?" He asked, even though he knew the reason she was still awake.


    "Same as you. My head was too occupied for me to fall asleep." Ves sighed.


    "You''re thinking about it?" She asked, as she also started looking at the night sky, mirroring Leo''s action.


    "Yes." Leo sighed.


    "Yeah. I thought as much. I wonder if it''s possible not to participate. Like... You know? Just stand aside in a corner and watch everything unfold?" Ves asked, but the question was more to herself than it was directed to Leo.


    "That''s impossible. The announcement said that Earth is hosting the tournament, which means that everything will be held here," Leo replied.


    "True. We can''t be bystanders," Ves said in acknowledgement of Leo''s words.


    "Yeah but even without the tournament, things are already hard enough. We had the zombies and mutant creatures to worry about. Now... Now, we also have to worry about the other races that will also be participating." Leo said, causing Ves to frown.


    "I''m actually curious about that these races that will also be participating in the tournament. Who are they? Where are they from?" Ves asked curiously.


    Leo heard Ves'' questions and someone''s face popped up in his head, followed with a thought.


    ''Should I tell her about Tatiana?'' he thought to himself.


    Leo felt that it was the right thing to do. With the amount of care and trust he and Ves has for each other, Leo felt and knew that he could tell her anything.


    Also, with how things are looking, he felt that he should start letting out more information to Ms Ves. Not that he has much anyway, but the little he has is enough.


    And he feels that Ms Ves might feel disappointed or sad if she finds it out herself about it later.


    ''What if she thinks I kept this from her because I don''t trust her? What if she feels betrayed? But¡­ it''s better she hears it from me now than discovers it later. She deserves the truth.''


    With that, he came to a conclusion and decided to tell Ves about Tatiana.


    "Ms Ves, there''s something I need to tell you," Leo said.


    "What is it, Leo," Ves asked curiously, as she turned to look at Leo with a warm expression on her face.


    "It''s about the people from other races that will be participating in the tournament. I know one of them," Leo said, and started telling Ves about Tatiana and everything he knows about the tournament.


    He started from the first time they met on the day the apocalypse began, till their last encounter. Sear?h the N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Ves was no doubt shocked when she heard everything from Leo. She had no idea that someone like that had been among them and she didn''t even notice at all.


    Tatiana''s unnoticed presence wasn''t what shocked Ves. What actually shocked her was her strength. Exalted Rank.


    From what Leo said, everyone begins at the Awakened Rank, then grow and evolve, entering the Evolved Rank, then the next is the Exalted Rank.


    This information made her to remember their encounter with that massive monstrosity, earlier in the morning.


    Ves felt that there''s no way that that, that monster will be stronger than Tatiana. If this is so.... Then it means that everyone on Earth is cooked.


    She felt that there''s no way that people like Tatiana, from other races will be weaker than her. In fact, she felt that they will even be stronger.


    Ves frowned deeply when she thought of this.


    "Leo, where is she now?" She asked.


    "She said that she''s going to get something for you. I don''t know what it is or when she''s coming back. She just told me to increase my strength and that of those around me," Leo replied.


    Immediately after he said that, the night sky fractured like glass, cracks of blinding light spreading across the stars. A wave of pressure rolled over the apartment, making the glass in the windows tremble.


    Ves clutched the windowsill, her breath hitching as a figure emerged from the light, their silhouette radiating an aura of overwhelming power.


    "Is this the tournament''s host world? What a backwater world indeed. Home to nothing but pests." A loud and powerful voice said, booming across the night sky and sending a chill down the spine of those that heard it.


    The following moment, more lights exploded in the sky and more figures stepped out.


    Leo, who was looking at the night sky, realised what was happening.


    "They are here."

 Chapter 90 Participants From Other Ewlana

    In a random part of the Earth, an explosion of light pierced the night sky, slightly illuminating the sky around it.


    At its center of the light, a small pinprick of darkness appeared, a stark contrast to the radiance surrounding it.


    Slowly, the dark spot grew, expanding outward in jagged ripples until it became a perfectly circular void. The air around it crackled faintly as if the very fabric of reality was being torn apart.


    The void grew larger, its diameter stretching until it was tall and large enough to allow two people walk through it side by side.


    The air around the portal grew heavy, thick with an unnatural presence and the atmosphere seemed to distort, bending under the weight of an immense and unfamiliar power.


    The following moment, two figures stepped through the void, with slow movements that carried a lot for flair qnd exuded an air of supreme confidence.


    The beauty of the two of them could only be described as otherworldly, their very presence commanding attention.


    Both were dressed in elegant outfits that practically screamed royalty, their garments shimmering under the pale moonlight with an ethereal glow.


    The first figure was a man, tall and lean, with sharp, angular features that seemed chiseled from marble. His silver hair flowed down to his shoulders, catching the faint light and reflecting it like liquid moonlight. His eyes were a piercing crimson, glowing faintly as if they held an eternal fire within them.


    He wore a long, fitted coat of deep black adorned with intricate silver embroidery resembling vines and thorns, the fabric shimmering faintly with enchantments. A high collar framed his face, emphasizing his cold, regal demeanor.


    The second figure was a woman, her beauty both delicate and fierce. Her long, raven-black hair cascaded in silky waves down her back, contrasting starkly against her pale, flawless skin. Her eyes, a deep, haunting violet, seemed to peer into the souls of anyone who dared meet her gaze.


    She wore a flowing gown of deep crimson and black, the fabric encrusted with dark gems that sparkled faintly like the stars above. Sear?h the ¦Çov§×lFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Her movements were graceful, almost predatory, as though she was stalking unseen prey with every step.


    The air around them was charged with their power, a suffocating aura that weighed heavily on everything nearby. The ground beneath their feet seemed to hum faintly, as if the earth itself acknowledged their presence.


    The tall man swept his crimson gaze across the surroundings, his expression a mask of cool indifference and disgust. When he spoke, his voice was smooth yet cold, carrying the weight of authority.


    "So, this is the host world," he said, his tone laced with disdain. "It''s just as pathetic we expected. It reeks of decay and weakness."


    The woman chuckled softly, her laughter light and melodic, but with an undercurrent of malice.


    "Lucien, dear brother, what did you expect? A grand paradise?" she said, her violet eyes glinting with amusement.


    "This is merely a backwater realm, after all. Hardly worth our attention¡­ were it not for the tournament."


    Lucien tilted his head slightly, his silver hair catching the faint light as he regarded his sister with a faint smirk.


    "True, Liliana. Yet even in such filth, one may find¡­ entertainment." His gaze turned to the darkened streets below, as if searching for something¡ªor someone¡ªworthy of his interest.


    Liliana took a step forward in the air, her gown flowing around her like liquid shadows. She glanced at her brother, her expression playful yet calculating.


    "I wonder, brother" she mused, her voice a soft purr.


    "Will we find anyone here who can offer us a challenge? Or will this be nothing more than a tedious slaughter?"


    Lucien chuckled, the sound low and chilling.


    "Perhaps we will find both. Either way, it will be... enlightening."


    The two of them didn''t bother to be discreet and so, their words were loud and clear for those around them and the humans on the ground to hear them.


    The others didn''t pay any attention to the two of them as they went on their own way. But this wasn''t the same for the humans, as they were scared out of their wits.


    They couldn''t even react as they currently found it very hard to breath due to the massive pressure of the terrifying presences in the sky.


    It was at this moment that they finally understood what the tournament announcement meant when by "to identify the fittest, the strongest, and the most adaptable."


    They previously had no idea what they are up against but now, they do. Right on that spot, as they continued to struggle to breath due to crushing pressure, they vow to do anything in their power to become as strong as the figures in the sky.


    Above, in the sky, Lucien and Lilliana left Flyin away and the portal shimmered faintly before collapsing in on itself.


    The explosion of light dimming and leaving the surroundings in darkness, fear and quite anticipation of what''s to come.


    *****


    Around the world, so many of this portal opened in the sky, bringing with it people from other mortal realms.


    Even though the tournament was still two weeks away, the atmosphere has already been charged with a lot of people vowing to increase their strength by all means.


    As for the visitors from other realms, unlike what the natives of Earth thought and expected, they took no action. Instead, they were quite.


    This was supposed to make everyone, including Leo and Ves, feel relieved. But it only serverd to increase their worries.


    The silence of that night felt even more disturbing than the apocalypse itself.


    *****


    Tatiana and Elda stepped out of a portal and a frown creased their faces.


    "They are here. That was fast," Elda said, as she spread her senses, covering a large area.


    "It''s to be expected. They have only two weeks to create and build their alliance. Something that isn''t exactly enough. To make things worst, they can only use what is available on Earth.


    For children from royalty and nobility that has practically been pampered from young, that''s a huge handicap," Tatiana said, as the frown on her face faded and was replaced with a smile.


    "Are they here?" She asked, as her smile turned sinister.


    "Yes, princess," Elda replied.


    "Good. This is going to be fun," Tatiana giggled lightly.

 Chapter 91 Group Meets Tatiana

    The night was unusually long and uncomfortable for the poor natives of Earth. Most tried to force themselves to sleep but the sleep kept eluding them, and they could stay awake till morning.


    As for Leo, he slept quite well. Surprisingly. Maybe it was because of how extremely hectic the previous day was. But after he got into bed, he fell asleep almost immediately.


    ....


    In the lobby of the ground floor of the residential building, Leo, Ves, Miguel, Mia and the zombified Ryan were gathered to discuss their plans moving forward, and of course, also about the tournament.


    "The announcement said that the tournament is in two weeks but those people are already here. It seems like things are going to get quite complicated very soon," Miguel said, as his eyes moved between Leo and Ves.


    He was studying their faces for a reaction that will give him even an idea of what''s going on. He has no idea why but he couldn''t help but feel like the two of them knew more about the tournament.


    But he was aware that he won''t be able to get anything out of them if they don''t want to tell him and Mia. And he feels that the reason for this is because they don''t trust the both of them enough.


    He sighed internally as his gaze moved to the zombie Ryan who was standing beside Ves, and he shivered slightly.


    Every time he sets his eyes on Ryan, he can''t help but feel a chill creeping down his spine. Ryan''s situation made him realise that they are things worst than death; and being turned into a zombie is one of them.


    Miguel made a vow to himself to never cross Leo or Ves, as he doesn''t want to become a second Ryan.


    Miguel was suddenly jolted out of his thoughts when he saw two individuals walked through the entrance door of the residential building.


    "It''s them. Everyone, take your position," he said, as he took a defensive stance, with his axe raised in front of him.


    He wasn''t the only one as this was the same with Mia. She gripped her daggers tightly, waiting for the perfect moment to attack.


    The both of them were aware that they don''t start a chance against the two individuals but no matter what they want, Miguel and Mia were prepared to face it, and not go down without putting up a fight.


    The atmosphere in the lobby was immediately filled with tension.


    "Hey, Leo. Missed me?" Tatiana called out, as she walked towards Leo and Ves, with Elda following behind her.


    "Tatiana," Leo replied, rolling his eyes.


    He turned to Miguel and Mia who looks they are ready to fight to death, and smiled.


    "It''s okay, guys. Tatiana is a friend."


    Miguel and Mia looked at each in shock, and confusion at Leo''s and Tatiana''s words.


    Friends? How''s even that possible?


    They couldn''t believe it. They felt that they heard it wrong but the familiarity between the two, the playfulness in Tatiana''s voice and Leo''s reaction proved that this was actually true.


    Miguel has no idea on what to make of the situation. It was just yesterday that he saw the other participants from other realms come from the portals that opened up in the sky, but now, Leo is already familiar with one of them.


    And it wasn''t a simple familiarity but one that looks like there''s something going on between the two of them.


    Mia also noticed this and she squeezed the hilt of her daggers, causing her knuckles to whiten, as she something like a stabbing pain in her chest.


    She doesn''t understand why Leo is familiar with the two ladies that just walked in, but she hates it.


    Mia hates the fact the younger looking lady is extremely beautiful with her pale skin. She hates the fact that the lady''s beauty was complemented by her simple outfit that gave off a regal, and elegant feel.


    Ves was also surprised at Tatiana''s and Elda''s entrance. Even though Leo has told her everything about Tatiana yesterday, it was completely different from meeting her in person.


    Ves was very curious to know more about Tatiana but she was also very cautious. Even though, from what Leo told her, she''s very friendly, Ves still felt still felt that she still has to put her guard as she has no idea what she''s planning.


    .....


    Tatiana walked towards Leo and stood in front of the group. S~ea??h the N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "I know that my appearance here is shocking to all of you... except Leo, but it shouldn''t be," she said, and turned to looked at Miguel, causing him to gulp nervously, and squeezing his axe tightly.


    Tatiana smiled when she Miguel''s reaction but she didn''t pay any attention to it, as she continued what she was saying.


    "I heard what you said about us being here already even though the announcement stayed that the tournament is in two weeks. Well, that''s the reason why I''m here today "


    "But first, I will introduce myself. I''m Tatiana von Carstein and I''m a vampire from Crimson Fall Realm," Tatiana said, and she saw Miguel''s and Mia''s eyes widen in fear.


    Miguel, who was ready to fight to the death felt his body go limp and freeze up in fear when he heard the word vampire.


    He had no idea that the other participants the announcement was talking was creatures like vampire.


    He suddenly felt a very dangerous chill creep down his spine as a thought occurred to him. He has no idea why he suddenly had the thought but he felt that it was more likely true.


    Mia wasn''t faring better than Miguel as her emotions and reactions were the same. She looked at Tatiana with fear and curiousity in her eyes. She was very curious to know more about this vampire girl but she was scared as she doesn''t want her blood to be sucked dry.


    The next moment, a smile from Tatiana caused her and Miguel to instinctively squeezed their weapons with whatever strength they could muster in their current terrified state.


    "You all don''t have to worry. I don''t need blood to survive. I''ve grown strong to the point that I don''t need it anymore," Tatiana said, and paused before continuing.


    "Let''s move on to the reason why I''m here. I''m sure you all are curious as to the reason why we, the other participants, are here early.


    The reason for that is as you''re already aware of; the tournament. To be precise, it''s for each of us to create our alliance that will help us win the tournament."


    This time, everyone, including Leo, looked at her curiously and with a frown on their faces. The tension that has already dissipated, returned again.

 Chapter 92 Tatianas Offer

    Alliance?


    They all looked at Tatiana in confusion. They all heard the announcement clearly yesterday and it said that the tournament is in free-for-all mode.


    If so, then what''s Tatiana talking about? This was the question they all have in their mind.


    This was the same for Leo. He knew that there was something more to the tournament, something that wasn''t in the tournament and what Tatiana said about creating an alliance proved the conjecture he had to be correct.


    "What do you mean by alliance? The announcement clearly stated that the tournament can only be won by one person. How does an alliance work its way into this rule?"


    Surprisingly and unsurprisingly, it was Ves that spoke up.


    Tatiana smiled and nodded when she heard Ves'' question. It was actually what she was waiting for before she continued what she wanted to say. She could sense the tension in the air and she completely understood the reason why.


    "Yes, the tournament can only be won by one person as stated by the only rule it has. But off-worlders were given an addition rule, which is that we can''t kill natives of Earth," Tatiana said.


    Her words caused everyone''s eyes to widen slightly in shock and then, confusion,as they found it to be quite unbelievable.


    They can''t kill natives of Earth?


    It was quite surprising to say the least. The four of them had already made up their mind to make sure they don''t go down without a fight if they face off against the off-worlders.


    But what Tatiana just said, changes everything. This means that they don''t have to worry about the off-worlders and just focus on the mutant creatures and zombies.


    They felt that maybe, just maybe, they might actually one day fight against an off-worlder and win.


    But Leo knew that the last is like wishing for the impossible as using the giant monster''s strength and Tatiana''s, he knew just how terrifying strong the off-worlders are.


    He also felt that there was something more. Not allowing the off-worlders to kill natives of Earth is a big disadvantages. A crippling handicap if he''s to use the right word. S§×arch* The n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Leo looked at Tatiana and when he saw the smile still on her face, he felt that he was right. And he decided to ask.


    "That''s kind of a huge disadvantage for you guys, don''t you think so? If you guys can''t kill the natives of Earth¡ªhumans, mutant creatures and the zombies¡ª, then how are you all going to continue increasing your strength?" Leo asked, with a curious and pondering expression on his face.


    "You''re right, Leo. The rule puts we, the off-worlders, at a huge disadvantage. A very crippling handicap even considering that an immediate disqualification from the competition is the punishment for breaking the rule.


    But though the rule states that we can''t kill natives of Earth, it doesn''t say we can''t attack or fight. We can attack or fight back if we are attacked, but making sure that no natives dies from our attack," Tatiana replied, with the smile still on her face.


    Leo nodded when he heard Tatiana''s response but he felt that it still hasn''t answered the question he asked.


    How will the off-worlders be able to continue to increase their strength?


    He felt that it''s something he shouldn''t bother with but he also felt that it''s a very valuable information for him to have. Of course, that''s if Tatiana actually tells him.


    "As for we can continue increasing our strength? That''s where the alliance comes in. To compensate for the restriction that was placed on us, we are allowed to create a group with natives as the members.


    The group can have as members as possible. The benefit we get from the members is that we get a certain percentage of the life force acquired when a member makes a kill. This way, we can continue to grow stronger," Tatiana explained.


    Leo''s nodded in understanding when he heard Tatiana''s explanation. He felt that the compensation that was given for the rule imposed on the off-worlders was good, if not too good.


    But Leo still has a lot of questions that he needs answers to. One of them being the exact percentage of life force that''s siphoned to the leader and what the reward for the tournament is.


    Tatiana had previously told him that the tournament''s reward is something that he will need if he wants to go continue growing stronger, and he''s very curious to know what it is.


    Also, he''s very curious to know how he''s going to get his hand on the reward if it can only be won by one person. Or is there something they aren''t being told?


    "Since all that have been explained, I will now ask. Do you all want to join my group? I will understand it if you refuse. But I will say this, and don''t take my words as a threat or anything, as it''s not. It''s fact.


    If you join my group, I will definitely give you a lot of benefits. Yes, with my strength, I can beat that huge monster that appeared yesterday, to a half dead state, and let you guys have the kill but I won''t do that as it''s more detrimental to you than it''s beneficial. Instead, I can give you skills, weapons, items and anything I have that will be benefit you. If it''s so something I don''t have and it''s important, I will do my best to get it," Tatiana said, making her offer.


    The eyes of everyone, except Leo, widened when they heard Tatiana say that she can beat the monstrous creature that appeared yesterday, to half dead state.


    Though, they had no idea how strong that creature is, the fact that it can suppress them with only its presence spoke volume. And now Tatiana claims that she can beat it. They can''t imagine how terrifying her strength must be.


    Ves wasn''t left out. She felt that if it wasn''t for the restriction put on the off-worlders, humans and every living creatures on Earth will be wiped out before the tournament even starts.


    Miguel was very terrified at the moment. He gulped nervously as he remembered his vow to not go down without a fight. He realised that he would be just be throwing eggs at a rock.


    Mia was also feeling terrified but another emotion overpowered her fear; bitterness. Hearing how strong Tatiana is made her feel like she might never have a chance at what she desires and hope for.


    "I have said all I have to say and I will ask again, do any of you want to join my group?" Tatiana asked again, with a smile on her face.

 Chapter 93 Tatianas Gifts

    The atmosphere in the lobby right now was very uncomfortable for Leo and his group, as Tatiana''s offer still hung above their head.


    No doubt, the offer was good. She has done her best to sweeten the deal for them. Leo aware of this. The same was for Ves, Miguel and Mia. But they were still very skeptical about accepting the deal.


    There was no need for it to be spelt out to them that they will also receive the same offer from other off-worlders.


    Who knows? They might not be lucky as they are with Tatiana, and instead of receiving an offer, they will be beaten to a near death state and forced to join the off-worlder''s group.


    It might sound far fetched but with what Tatiana said about beating the monster to half death state, who say that the same thing can''t happen to them.


    Leo couldn''t help but shiver when he thought of it. He knew that he and the others have no other choice than to accept the offer. Besides, he felt that this offer was related to him keeping his own end of the deal he made with Tatiana. He was sure of it.


    "I accept your offer, Tatiana," Leo said, nodding in agreement to Tatiana''s offer.


    "Same here," Ves said, also agreeing to Tatiana''s offer.


    "Same here," Miguel and Mia chorused, agreeing to the offer.


    Just like Leo, they knew that it would be beneficial for them to accept the offer, as they stand to gain significantly from it.


    Immediately after the four of them agreed to Tatiana''s offer, the familiar system window popped up in their eyes


    [Tatiana Von Carstein wish for you join her group. Do you accept?]


    Without hesitation, they chose to accept.


    Tatiana smiled in satisfaction as she read the system''s notifications popping in her eyes.


    "Thank you all for accepting my offer. I promise you won''t regret it," Tatiana said, expressing her appreciation.


    "So, what next? What do we do now?" Leo asked curiously.


    "Well, to welcome you all to my group, I have something for you all," Tatiana replied, with a smile.


    She waved her hand and the next moment, a set of black daggers appeared in her hands. She stretched out the daggers towards Mia.


    "Here. I saw that you''re quite comfortable with wielding dual daggers. You will like this," she said, as she gave the dagger to Mia.


    Mia was very surprised by Tatiana''s action. Even though Tatiana said that she will give them weapons, skills and almost anything they need, she didn''t expect it to be immediately after they joined her group.


    She slowly stretched out her hand, accepting the daggers from Tatiana. Immediately after accepting the daggers, its information popped up, causing her eyes to widen in shock.


    [Starlights] (Epic)


    Effect(s):


    +15 Agility when equipped.


    Veilstep: activation of skill allows the user to become completely invisible for 10 seconds. While invisible, the wielder can teleport to a shadow within 15 meters, remaining unseen. Cost: 70 Mana. Cooldown: 1 minute.


    Phantom Dash: activation of the skill allows the user to move at a blinding speed, becoming a blur to enemies for 3 seconds while darting up to 10 meters to a chosen location. Cost: 30 Mana. Cooldown: 20 seconds. S~ea??h the nov§×lF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    .....


    Mia couldn''t believe what she just read. She initially thought that there wouldn''t be that much of a difference between the daggers she''s currently using and the one Tatiana gave to her, but she was wrong.


    The difference was huge. Just the [Veilstep] skill granted by the daggers is more than enough. For Mia who likes to hide her presence and catch her opponents by surprise, the skill was beyond perfect.


    "Thank you," She said, would a smile on her face.


    "It''s good you like it," Tatiana nodded, as she turned to look at Miguel.


    She waved her hand and a huge battle-axe, as tall a human, appeared in front of her. She grabbed the axe and swung it with ease, and flair.


    "Here, this is yours," she said, as she sent the axe floating slowly towards Miguel.


    "F-for me?" Miguel asked in shock as he slowly reached his hand to receive the axe from Tatiana.


    "Yes. For you," Tatiana nodded, as she gave him the axe.


    Miguel grabbed the axe from the air and he felt himself being pulled by it to the ground. The axe landed on the floor with a loud thud, causing a spiderweb crack to spread from the point of impact.


    "What the?" Miguel said in shock, as he looked at the axe stuck on the floor, with his eyes wide open.


    He couldn''t help but glance at Tatiana, and when he saw the knowing smile on her face, he understood what had just happened.


    Naturally with how tall and huge the battle-axe is, Miguel should had used all his strength when he gripped it initially. But seeing how easily Tatiana played with it, he felt that it only look huge but was actually light. Unfortunately for him, he was wrong.


    His attention was attracted by the battle-axe''s information being displayed in from of him.


    [Skyrend] (Epic)


    Effect(s): +20 Strength when equipped.


    Charged Strike: Builds energy and momentum with each swing. After 5 consecutive successful strikes, releases a lightning arc that chains to up to 3 enemies.


    Thunderclap: Slams the ground, creating a shockwave that knocks back enemies within 10 meters and stuns them for 2 seconds. Cost: 50 Mana Cooldown: 10 seconds


    Rage: Double user''s Strength for 10 seconds. Cost: 80 Mana Cooldown: 1 minute


    .....


    "Wow." He exclaimed in shock.


    It was now he understood how Mia probably felt after receiving her daggers.


    Unlike Mia who was using a graded weapon before she was given the daggers by Tatiana, Miguel''s axe is just an ordinary, everyday axe.


    Just the fact that the axe boosts his Strength by an additional 20 points was enough. The other effects were more like additional boons for him. Additional boons that are greatly welcomed.


    Miguel let out a deep breath as he gripped the battle-axe tightly and lifted it up from the ground.


    With a smile on his face, he saw the battle-axe lift up from the floor and he swung, resting it on his shoulder.


    Even with the 20 Strength points he got from the battle-axe, it still felt quite heavy on the hand. He has no idea how much the battle-axe weighs, but if he''s to do a rough estimate of it, it will easily exceed 1000kg.


    "Thank you," he said to Tatiana in appreciation.


    "No problem," Tatiana smiled as she turned her attention to Ves.


    "I understand that your unique circumstances doesn''t allow you to gain skills or items like other, but it doesn''t mean you can''t use skills entirely or gain them," Tatiana said, and paused.


    Tatiana words surprised Ves slightly. She was aware that she can use skill but she felt that there was something more that Tatiana wanted to say.


    Tatiana saw that she has achieved the effect she wanted and she continued what she was saying.


    "You can only get through special circumstances," she said, and taking a quick glance at the zombified Ryan standing behind Ves.


    "Long story short, I also have something for you," she said, waving her hand and a black orb appeared in front of her.


    Tatiana waved her hand and the black orb floated towards Ves.


    "Just squeeze it to break it, and you will get the skill scroll inside. Then wish to learn it and the information about it will be transferred into your brain," Tatiana said.


    Ves nodded in response as she slowly reached out her hand and grabbed the black orb. She did as Tatiana said as she squeezed the black orb, shattering it and a black scroll with a ominous aura surrounding it, appeared in her hand.


    She gulped nervously as she looked at Tatiana and Leo, before wishing to learn the skill. Immediately, she felt a massive amount flow into her head, causing her to scream out in pain briefly, before collapsing to the ground as she lost consciousness.


    "Ms Ves!" Leo shouted, catching her body before it hit the floor.


    Tatiana knelt beside her, placing a hand on Ves''s forehead.


    "She''ll be fine," she said calmly.


    "The process of acquiring a skill is more intense for someone like her, but it''s nothing to worry about."


    Leo''s gaze flicked between Tatiana and Ves''s unconscious form, and he nodded reluctantly.


    The group remained silent, with an uncomfortable atmosphere between them as they waited for Ves to wake up.

 Chapter 94 Hunting Time

    "Ugh..." Ves groaned as she finally regained consciousness.


    Her eyes fluttered open to Leo and everyone standing around her with a smile of relief on their faces.


    "Hey," she smiled, and tried to push herself up, but was hit by a brief splitting headache, forcing her to hold her head as she collapsed back to the floor.


    "Don''t stress yourself too much, Ms Ves," Leo said, with a worried expression on her face.


    "Yes, Ms Ves. Just lay down and rest. You don''t have to move," Mia added, and Miguel also nodded in agreement.


    Ves couldn''t help but smile at their words. She could sense the worry in their voices and she felt warm inside. It felt good to have people caring and worrying about her.


    "Please, help me sit up," she said, and Mia quickly rushed towards her, pushing Leo who was kneeling beside her away.


    Leo was surprised by Mia''s actions but he decided to not say anything about it. He stood up and walked towards Tatiana, and Elda who were standing at a corner of the lobby.


    "Don''t worry. She will be fine. All she needs is a few minutes of rest," Tatiana said, with a smile on her face.


    "I know she will be fine and I trust you. If that wasn''t the case, I would had attacked you the moment she lost consciousness," Leo said, and turned to look at Ves.


    She was now in a sitting position and resting her back against a pillar.


    "Hehe... You say that like you will even be able to touch my shadow. You don''t really seem to understand something. Though you''re strong, that much I can''t deny but you can''t fight across rank. Especially fighting against someone two whole ranks above you. That''s beyond impossible," Tatiana said with a laugh.


    The reason why she was saying this is because she wants Leo to choose his battles wisely, as she doesn''t want him to just jump into any fight.


    But she was aware that considering Leo''s character and with how much be cares for Ves, if something is to happen to her, he would fight whoever is responsible, no matter how strong the culprit is.


    Leo nodded in understanding at Tatiana''s words. There was actually no way that he will go seeking a fight with someone two whole ranks above him. He doesn''t have to death wish.


    Besides, he remembered his how battered he was in his last major battle with an opponent that was two times his level.


    "I understand and will always keep that in mind. Though, I''m curious. Aren''t you going to give me something for joining your group," he looked at her with a knowing smile on his face.


    "You already got your benefits, you joining is you keeping your end of the deal we made," Tatiana said, with an equally knowing smile on her face.


    "You scammed me. You said that we are friends with benefits, but I didn''t get anything of benefit from you," Leo said, with a playful frown on his face.


    Tatiana rolled her eyes at Leo''s words. At the moment, she wanted nothing more than to pin Leo to the ground and give him a good beating for continuously teasing her. S~ea??h the N?vel(F)ire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    But when she remembered how she teased when they first met, she knew that this was just him taking his revenge.


    "Enough playing around. You all have to start increasing your strength. Just like I told Leo, everyone of you have to strive to at least attain the Evolved Rank before the tournament begins. It''s the only way you guys can have a shot at survival," Tatiana said, walking to the middle of the lobby.


    "I know that for most of you, especially those of you that aren''t at level 10 yet, attaining the Evolved Rank will be very difficult but don''t worry.


    Though I can''t fight your battles for you as you fighting them yourselves is the only way you can grow and protect yourselves, but I will help by giving you the locations of the monsters around you. That should make things easier for all of us. The faster you all get to the Evolved Rank, the easier things will be for all of us moving forward," Tatiana said, and everyone nodded.


    Leo walked towards Ms Ves who was now standing on her feet and looking like she was about to go hunting with them.


    "Ms Ves..." Leo opened his mouth to speak, but paused when he saw the smile on Ves'' face.


    Even without word, he understood what she was trying to say through the smile. He knew that she was telling him not to stop her.


    "Be safe," he said with a smile, and Ves nodded, smiling.


    "Another thing. I remember that you stocked the meat of a monster and are yet to touch it. It''s time you all start eating it to increase your strength.


    Eating the meat of mutant creatures will give you stat points. Though it won''t be much but at your current level, you will need every bit of stat points you can get," Tatiana added, eliciting a nod of agreement from everyone.


    Tatiana''s words caused Leo to look at Fiona. He has no idea why but he felt that something in his evolution requirements will involve her.


    As someone who has always listened to his instincts, he decided to start actively increasing Fiona''s strength. He understands that it would be of more benefit to him if he increases her strength and that of the pack''s, than to leave them weak and have them become liabilities.


    With this thought in mind, Leo walked towards Tatiana and hold her to give him the location of monsters that moves in groups.


    The next moment, he got what he wanted and nodded at Tatiana, and Ves before leaving the building with Fiona, and the wolves following behind him.


    After Leo had left, Tatiana looked at Ves, Mia and Miguel, and they nodded at her. Words didn''t need to be said as they all knew what needs to be done.


    Tatiana smiled and gave them the location of a group of monsters, before disappearing with Elda.


    "Let''s go. We have some monsters to kill," Ves said, and started walking towards the door.


    Miguel and Mia nodded, and followed behind her. The zombified Ryan also followed, snarling silently as he walked behind them.

 Chapter 95 Level 20, Meeting First Evolution Required Level

    Leo followed the directions he was given by Tatiana and a couple of minutes later, he found himself standing in front of large dilapidated building.


    Tatiana told him a more than five different species of mutant creatures are occupying the the area. It''s like a beehive of monsters activities.


    Even without being told, using his [Predator''s Instincts] skill, he can already sense the presence of the monsters in the building and around the area.


    He can also hear the screeches and sound of movements coming from inside the building.


    Not only that, he also felt how the temperature kept rising as he got close to the building and the ground that was scorched in different places. He knew that the monsters responsible for this is the monsters occupying the building, the mutant fire ants.


    With a smile on his face, Leo gripped by Nightshade tightly.


    "Let''s do this, Fiona," he said, as he saw the first of the mutant creatures appear in line if sight.


    In less than five normal heartbeat, the first of the fire ants was already upon Leo and the wolves.


    Leo made his move as he swung his blade, cutting the creature into two equal halves.


    [You have acquired Level 9 Mutant Fire Ant Life Force!]


    Yes, the mutant fire ants are way weaker than Leo but he still chose to come here. The reason for that is because of almost endless amount of fire ants occupying the building. According to what Tatiana said, they are thousands of them.


    Yes, he''s aware that what Tatiana said is correct, then he''s in for an endurance battle against the fire ants as they won''t let him until either they all are dead or he is.


    But that is exactly what Leo wants. He wants to push himself beyond his limits by fighting the mutant fire ants. Besides, he has skills that are made for endurance battles and be intends to make use of them.


    Also, thinking of being able to level up to the required level for evolving by clearing out the fire ant nest is extremely enticing.


    Leo braced himself as a large number of fire ants rushed out of the building towards him. He smirked, with adrenaline coursing through his veins.


    "Here they come."


    The first wave of fire ants rushed toward him and the wolves. Fiona growled sharply, leaping into action alongside Leo and the wolves followed suit.


    Leo swung Nightshade in wide arcs, each strike cleaving through the fire ants with ease.


    Their bodies fell in pieces around him, the ground beneath his feet becoming slick with their blood. The scent of burning burnt flesh and blood, and ash filled the air, stinging his nose and throat.


    Fiona lunged at an approaching ant, her powerful jaws snapping shut around its head. She shook it violently before tossing the lifeless body aside, already turning to face the next threat.


    The rest of the wolf pack moved like a well-oiled machine, savagely tearing through the waves of ants.


    Leo, Fiona and the wolves kept attacking and the fire ants kept coming.


    Wave after wave poured out of the building, their numbers seemingly endless. For every ant that fell, more emerged to take its place.


    The air grew hotter with each passing second, the oppressive heat sapping at Leo''s stamina but he wasn''t bothered.


    It has been a couple of minutes now and he has been fighting the mutant fire ants with nothing but just his sword, and his body.


    He hasn''t used any of his skill or that of Nightshade since the battle began, and now it was time to do so.


    He immediately activated [Seismic Stomp], as he slammed his foot into the ground, and sent a shockwave rippling outward.


    The front line of fire ants stumbled and fell, and they were crushed by their comrades that kept surging endlessly from the building.


    The brief reprieve allowed Leo to catch his breath, but it was short-lived. The fire ants were relentless, their screeches growing louder as they surged forward once more.


    Leo didn''t hesitate as he followed up by activating his [Berserker''s Roar] skill.


    A deafening roar erupted from him, the sheer force of it freezing the fire ants in their tracks.


    The wolves took advantage of the pause, lunging at the immobilized creatures and tearing them apart. Leo also didn''t let go of the opportunity the afereffects of using the skill presented, as he rushed into the fold.


    One of the afereffects of activating [Berserker''s Roar] is that his Strength and Agility increases by 15% for 10 seconds. A very significant boost for him.


    But despite the effectiveness of his skills, Leo could feel the strain beginning to set in. His arms ached from the constant swings of Nightshade, and his legs felt like lead.


    His stamina was being passively regenerated by his [Ravenous Regeneration] but the rate at which it''s being regenerated isn''t enough to keep with the speed at which he''s expending it.


    Leo was feeling very exhausted right now but he pushed through the exhaustion, his determination burning brighter as time went on.


    The battle raged on, the ground littered with the corpses of the mutant fire ants. The heat intensified, waves of it rolling off the building and washing over Leo like an oppressive tide. His clothes stuck to his skin, soaked with sweat and blood.


    Fiona let out a sharp bark, drawing Leo''s attention to a cluster of fire ants attempting to flank them.


    Without hesitation, he dashed toward them, cutting through their ranks with brutal efficiency. The wolves followed his lead, their movements swift and calculated.


    Time flew for Leo and the wolves as the battle between them and the fire ants raged on. Seconds turned into minutee. Minutes into hours, until they lost track of time and all they did was kill, kill, kill.


    The ground was littered with fire ants'' corpse that piled up on each other, forming a mountain that''s as tall as an adult male.


    The sun was already setting on the horizon and luckily for Leo, and the wolves, the fire ants numbers were already dwindling and there was only a few stragglers.


    Leo had no idea how many they have killed by now but he was sure that it was in the thousands.


    No doubt, at this point, Leo was beyond exhausted. He found it very difficult to move his body but he continued to force himself to do so.


    As the last fire ant fell, Leo also collapsed to the floor but instead of the expected exhausted expression, he had a happy smile on his face.


    The reason for it is this:


    [You have acquired Level 9 Mutant Fire Ant Life Force!]


    [You have reached Level 20. You have received three stat points.]


    [You have met the required level for your first evolution and class selection. You won''t be able to increase your level until you have completed your evolution and chosen your class. Life force gained during this period will be stored.]


    S§×ar?h the ¦Çov§×lFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

 Chapter 96 Choosing Class And Evolution Requirements

    Leo lay sprawled on the ground, with Fiona and the wolves also on the ground beside him. His body aching in ways he hadn''t thought possible.


    The air was thick with the scent of burnt flesh and scorched earth, a testament to the relentless battle he had just endured.


    Around him, the remains of the mutant fire ants littered the ground in grotesque piles, their charred exoskeletons cracked and shattered.


    His breaths came in slow, measured gasps as he fought to steady himself. His muscles burned, his stamina depleted, but despite it all, a sense of triumph coursed through him.


    He had done it. He had fought through an unending horde of mutant fire ants, pushing his body to its absolute limits. And in return, he had reached the threshold he had been working toward.


    The system''s notification still hovered in his vision.


    [You have reached Level 20. You have received three stat points.]


    [You have met the required level for your first evolution and class selection. You won''t be able to increase your level until you have completed your evolution and chosen your class. Life force gained during this period will be stored.]


    Leo exhaled deeply, his mind reeling from the weight of the words.


    He was aware that this wasn''t just another level-up. This was the next step in his journey. His evolution, his class selection¡ªeverything that would define his future and his survival in the tournament.


    Closing his eyes briefly, he allowed himself a moment of silence. He didn''t immediately move on to the next thing as he allowed himself to go down memory lane.


    He thought back to the beginning, to the day the world changed. The first time he had seen a zombie, the first time he had fought for his life, the battle with the mutant boar and the mutant ape that nearly killed him. Every of those battle, every decision, every sacrifice had led him to this moment.


    Then there were the people he had met along the way¡ªVes, Miguel, Mia, Tatiana, and his beast companion, Fiona.


    Each of them had played a role in his journey, some more than others. He was very much aware that he was no longer the same person he had been at the start.


    He had grown, adapted, survived. But was it enough? Could he keep going? Could he continue to carry the weight of responsibility that seemed to increase with every passing day?


    With the tournament looming over everything like a storm on the horizon, its presence an ever-present reminder of the battles yet to come.


    The off-worlders were already here, preparing, gathering strength. And here he was, lying on the ground, exhausted beyond belief.


    But he wasn''t done yet.


    With a groan, Leo pushed himself up to a sitting position. His body protested, every movement sending jolts of pain through his limbs, but he ignored it. He had no time to rest. He needed to move forward.


    Bringing up his system window, a new prompt appeared before him.


    [Choose Your Class.]


    A list of available classes materialized, each one tailored to the combat style he had developed so far. He scrolled through the options, reading each description carefully.


    [Warrior: A balanced melee fighter, focusing on swordplay, endurance, and defense. Warriors excel in close combat, relying on a mix of strength and technique to overpower their enemies.]


    [Berserker ¨C A relentless fighter who thrives in the heat of battle. Berserkers gain increased power the longer they fight, trading defense for sheer aggression. Their strength grows as their stamina depletes.]


    [Monk ¨C A disciplined martial artist who uses agility, reflexes, and precise strikes to disable opponents. Monks rely on hand-to-hand combat and specialized techniques that enhance their body''s natural abilities.]


    [Rogue¨C A swift and cunning combatant who relies on speed, stealth, and critical strikes. Rogues specialize in hit-and-run tactics, making them deadly in one-on-one fights but vulnerable in prolonged battles.]


    [Paladin ¨C A warrior of resilience, wielding both physical might and protective abilities. Paladins can reinforce their bodies, heal wounds, and bolster their allies in combat.]


    [Beast Tamer¨C A warrior bound by an innate connection to the creatures of the world, the Beastmaster is a hybrid combatant who fights alongside summoned or tamed beasts.]


    ....


    ....


    ....


    ....


    Leo frowned slightly as he read through the almost never-ending options.


    Each class had its strengths, but they all carried limitations that he wasn''t sure he wanted to deal with.


    The Warrior class would lock him into a straightforward melee combat role, which was effective but too restrictive.


    The Berserker class was tempting, but its reliance on stamina drain and reckless aggression meant he would have trouble in prolonged fights without constant regeneration.


    Though he has skills that can help him to regenerate Stamina, their effects weren''t exactly perfect, as tested from his battle against the mutant fire ants.


    As for Monk and Rogue, both seemed intriguing, but they leaned too much into specialized combat styles that didn''t fully suit his current abilities. Sear?h the N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    There was also Paladin, which offered defense and support capabilities, but it was too dependent on reinforcing others.


    And Leo had no intentions of becoming a shield for someone else¡ªhe needed to carve his own path. It''s also the same reason why he doesn''t want to go with the beast tamer class.


    Though he has the [Beasmaster''s Bond] skill and Fiona is bonded to him, Leo doesn''t exactly want to follow that path.


    To him, Fiona is more like a beast companion, like a dog to man, rather than a best used for fighting.


    Also, Leo wants to be the one to fight his own battles. Sure, he will need help along the way but it doesn''t mean that he has to be dependent on the strength of another party.


    Just as he was about to resign himself to picking the least restrictive class, he noticed something at the very bottom of the list.


    A single word.


    [Warden.]


    Unlike the other class names, this one was marked as [Unique], and next to it, a faint, glowing star.


    His instincts immediately latched onto it. Something about this class called to him.


    Focusing on it, he attempted to bring up more details, but the system remained silent. No descriptions, no abilities listed¡ªnothing.


    Leo narrowed his eyes. The fact that the system wasn''t providing him with any information was strange. Every other class had clear-cut paths, but this one? It was a complete mystery.


    But maybe that was exactly what he needed.


    He didn''t want to be tied to a single rigid combat style. He didn''t want to be forced down a path that limited his growth. The tournament was unpredictable, and if he was going to survive, he needed versatility.


    His mind was made up.


    "I choose Warden," Leo said, his voice steady.


    The system responded instantly.


    [You have selected the Warden class. Are you sure? This decision is irreversible.]


    Leo took a deep breath. He had no idea what he was stepping into, but he wasn''t backing down now.


    "Yes."


    The moment the word left his lips, the system reacted.


    [Class selection confirmed. Warden has been chosen.]


    A final system notification appeared.


    [Your evolution requirements have been revealed.]


    Leo steadied himself and opened the prompt.


    [Evolution Requirements for Warden]


    [Defeat enemies without using skill or weapon. (0/100)]


    [Defeat An Evolved Rank creature.]


    [Raise Your beast companion to the Evolved Rank.]


    [Defeat An Off-worlder.]


    Leo read the list carefully, his mind already working through the implications.


    "Without skills or weapons¡­ that means pure hand-to-hand combat. No Nightshade. No abilities. Just my fists, my instincts, and my body."


    He clenched his fingers into a fist, feeling the raw strain and soreness in his muscles from the fight with the fire ants.


    Now that he thought of it, he hasn''t trained his body. He felt that this was probably the reason for the first requirement.


    Instead of relying on the incredible sharpness of Nightshade''s blade, he has to come up with a way to take down a hundred enemies with nothing but brute force?


    "This is going to be painful."


    He knew that this wasn''t just about strength¡ªit was about endurance, about knowing how to move, how to dodge, how to break down an enemy without relying on power boosts or skill-based precision. This would push his adaptability to its absolute limits.


    The second requirement caused him to tighten his jaw.


    The second requirement was a clear-cut challenge. He was still in the Awakened Rank, meaning that anything in the Evolved Rank would completely overpower him in raw stats alone. And also with what Tatiana said about the impossibility of fighting across rank.


    "So I have to find a way to outthink, outmaneuver, or just outright survive long enough to kill something stronger than me."


    The fire ant nest had already drained him, and those were just low-level creatures.


    He would have to find an Evolved Rank enemy and win against something that, by all logic, should kill him the moment the fight starts. Or even before the fight starts.


    "I need to start preparing now. If I don''t¡­ I''m dead before I even get the chance to evolve," He muttered to himself.


    Leo''s gaze flicked toward Fiona, who was resting nearby, licking her wounds, as he thought of the third requirement.


    He was aware of the pack''s loyalty and their bond growing stronger with each battle. But he had neglected one thing: Fiona was still too weak to survive what was coming.


    "It''s not just about me getting stronger¡­ If she stays at this level, she''s going to die in the tournament. I won''t let that happen."


    His hand instinctively found Fiona''s fur, running through it. She let out a soft growl, nudging into his palm.


    This wasn''t just another requirement. This was about making sure that when the battlefield turned to hell, she wouldn''t be a liability¡ªshe would be a force of nature standing beside him.


    *"I have to push her¡­ make sure she reaches Evolved Rank, no matter what."


    Out of all the requirements, the last one was what scares Leo the most as he felt a chill run down his spine.


    "An Off-Worlder¡­ not just a monster, not just a mindless beast. A trained warrior. Someone from another realm, someone who''s already prepared to fight and win this tournament."


    His mind flashed to Tatiana, to her overwhelming presence, to the sheer aura of strength she carried.


    And she wasn''t even the strongest. There were others¡ªbeings from across the Multiverse, beings who had trained their entire lives for battle.


    "I have to defeat one of them."


    The reality of it sank in like a lead weight in his gut. This wasn''t just about monsters anymore. He had to fight against someone with intelligence, skills, and a will to survive just like his own.


    Not just that, but someone who is extremely privileged and way stronger than him. From what Tatiana said, he knew that the lowest rank of the off-worlders on Earth is at the Evolved Rank.


    Tatiana had warned him before. "You won''t just be fighting to win, Leo. You''ll be fighting to live."


    His fingers curled around Nightshade''s hilt, his grip tightening.


    "Then I better make damn sure I''m ready."


    Leo let out a slow breath, rolling his shoulders as he absorbed everything. The road ahead was brutal. There was no shortcut, no easy power-up.


    This was going to be the hardest two weeks of his life.


    But as he looked at Fiona, at his blade, at the path stretching before him, he couldn''t help but smile.


    "Fine then,"he thought. "Let''s get to work."

 Chapter 97 Late Night Discussion

    Leo trudged along the cracked pavement, his body aching with every step.


    The night air was cool against his sweat-slicked skin, a stark contrast to the overwhelming heat he had endured fighting the mutant fire ants.


    The breeze carried with it the faint scent of damp earth and distant burning smell, remnants of fires that still smoldered somewhere in the ruined city.


    Above him, the moon hung high, casting a pale glow over the landscape, illuminating the broken buildings and abandoned streets in an eerie silver light. Though beautiful.


    His mind, though heavy with exhaustion, was far too occupied to grant him the relief of simply embracing the quiet of the night.


    The evolution requirements weighed on him. Leo would be honest and say that be didn''t expect what he saw. He has no idea what to call the requirements. Impossible?


    Out of the four mission impossible level requirements, the first is the easy one. If not too easy, considering that he just finished taking down a mutant fire ants nest of more than 100 mutant fire ants.


    "Of only the requirements had came before I fought them or during the fight, I would had gotten some numbers in," he muttered to himself.


    Beside the first requirement and the third, the rest are things that he doesn''t want to think about.


    Imagine killing an Evolved Rank mutant creature. That''s just suicidal. The reason why Leo is said this is because he feels like the giant black lizard that appeared a couple of days ago is an Evolved Rank creature.


    Why does he think this? Because Tatiana said that she can beat it to a near death state. Yes, it''s also possible that the monster is also on the same level as Tatiana, but Leo felt that this was highly unlikely. Next to impossible even.


    As if that wasn''t enough, he also has to win against an off-worlder. Leo was happy that he doesn''t have to kill the off-worlders to meet the requirement. How did he come to this conclusion? It''s just a hunch he has.


    Thinking of how insanely strong the off-worlders are, Leo felt that his evolution requirements is more of a death sentence for him.


    He decided to stop thinking about everything as he let out a long breath, rolling his shoulders in an attempt to shake off some of the stiffness.


    His entire body protested the movement. His muscles burned, his legs felt like they were filled with lead, and the dull throbbing in his arms reminded him of every ant he had cut down, every strike he had delivered. But despite the overwhelming fatigue, he felt an odd sense of triumph.


    As he neared the entrance of the residential building, a familiar figure came into view, standing in the dim light cast by the flickering lamps of the lobby. Ves.


    She stood anxiously at the doorway, her posture rigid, fingers fidgeting slightly at her sides.


    Even from a distance, Leo could see the tension in her expression, the way her eyes constantly scanned the darkness, searching for something¡ªno, for him.


    The moment she spotted him, relief washed over her face, only to be quickly replaced with concern when she saw the way he was dragging his feet, his exhaustion evident in every movement.


    Without hesitation, she sprinted toward him, her boots barely making a sound against the concrete.


    "Leo!" she called, closing the distance between them in seconds.


    He barely had time to react before she was beside him, her hands gripping his arms, her sharp gaze running over his body, searching for any sign of injury.


    "You look like you''ve been through hell," she muttered, her voice filled with worry.


    "Are you hurt? What happened?"


    "I''m fine," he reassured her, though his voice came out hoarse.


    He offered her a tired smile, but it did little to ease the tension in her expression.


    Ves frowned, clearly not convinced. She moved to his side, slipping an arm around his waist to help support him.


    He wanted to protest, to tell her he could walk on his own, but the warmth of her presence, the quiet steadiness of her touch, made him swallow his pride.


    "Come on," she said softly. "Let''s get you inside."


    He leaned into her just enough to ease the strain on his legs as they made their way into the building.


    The warmth of the lobby was a stark contrast to the coolness of the night outside, the familiar scent of aged wood and faint dust greeting him as they walked out of the elevator and through the access hallway.


    By the time they reached their apartment, Leo felt his limbs grow heavier, his exhaustion settling deep into his bones.


    "I''ll run you a bath," Ves said as she helped him inside. "You stink."


    Leo chuckled, too tired to argue. "Thanks."


    She rolled her eyes but there was no real annoyance behind it.


    "Go on, I''ll get dinner ready."


    Leo didn''t waste any time. He made his way to the bathroom, shedding his filthy clothes and stepping into the warm water Ves had prepared for him.


    The heat seeped into his muscles, dulling the ache, and for a few blissful moments, he allowed himself to simply relax.


    By the time he emerged, his body felt marginally better, though the exhaustion remained. S§×ar?h the N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    He changed into fresh clothes and made his way to the small dining area where Ves had already set the table.


    She looked up as he approached, nodding toward his plate. "Eat. You need it."


    Leo didn''t need to be told twice. He sank into his chair, picking up the piece of meat on his plate and taking a bite.


    The moment he did, a system notification flashed before his eyes.


    [You have consumed Mutant Boar Meat. Strength +2.]


    Leo blinked, momentarily caught off guard. His eyes widened slightly, realization dawning on him. He immediately brought up his status screen to confirm.


    [Name: Leo ****]


    [Level: 20]


    [Specie(s): Human, ****, ****]


    [Class: ¨C]


    [Title: None]


    ______


    [Strength: 31]


    [Agility: 21 (+30)]


    [Stamina: 28]


    [Intelligence: 23]


    [Mana: 125]


    ______


    [Stat Point(s): 12]


    ______


    [Skill(s): [Regeneration (Innate)], [Beastmaster''s Bond (Innate)], [Sesimic Stomp], [Berserker''s Roar], [Ravenous Regeneration], [Predator''s Instincts].


    ...


    "It really did increase," b


    Leo said slowly, with a bright smile on his face.


    He took another bite and he saw the notification again.


    [You have consumed Mutant Boar Meat. Strength +2.]


    He ate again and ihe saw it again.


    [You have consumed Mutant Boar Meat. Strength +1.]


    Leo''s movements became quicker, his hunger completely taking over as he started shoveling the food into his mouth.


    Ves watched him with a bemused expression.


    "Slow down, you''re going to choke."


    But Leo barely registered her words. He was too hungry to do anything but consume what was on the table.


    By the time he had finished his meal, he didn''t feel just satisfied, he also felt stronger.


    It wasn''t a massive leap, but the seven Strength points he got from eating the mutant boar meat was extremely valuable.


    Leo was aware this meant that if they could find more mutant creatures with beneficial effects from their meat, they could maximize their growth.


    Ves arched a brow at his expression.


    "You look like you just had an epiphany."


    Leo leaned back in his chair, exhaling deeply.


    "You could say that."


    "Glad to see the food helped." Ves smirked


    They sat in comfortable silence for a while before Ves spoke again. "So¡­ tell me about your day."


    Leo hesitated for a moment before nodding. He recounted everything¡ªhis battle with the fire ants, the sheer endurance it took, the brutal fight that left him nearly collapsing from exhaustion.


    Ves listened intently, her gaze never leaving his. When he mentioned reaching level 20, her eyes widened slightly, impressed.


    "You''re evolving soon, then?"


    "Yeah," he said, his voice quieter now. "But the requirements¡­ they''re tough."


    He gave her a brief summary, watching as her expression shifted. Concern, understanding, and something else¡ªsomething softer.


    Ves leaned forward, resting her arms on the table.


    "Leo¡­ you don''t have to do this alone, you know."


    He looked at her, meeting her eyes.


    "We''re all in this together," she continued. "You''re not the only one fighting to survive. And you''re not the only one who cares."


    There was something in her voice that made his chest tighten, an unspoken warmth that lingered between them.


    Leo chuckled, shaking his head.


    "You always know what to say, don''t you?"


    Ves smirked. "One of us has to."


    The conversation carried on for a while longer, the two of them talking about everything and nothing all at once.


    The atmosphere between the two of them was easy, comfortable, natural. The two of them could feel this there was something undeniably strong between them.


    It was something neither of them had fully acknowledged yet, but it was there¡ªgrowing, steady, unspoken.


    Eventually, exhaustion won out. Ves stifled a yawn, stretching her arms.


    "We should get some sleep."


    Leo nodded. "Yeah¡­ another big day tomorrow."


    They both got up from the table, making their way to their respective rooms. As Leo lay in bed, he let out a slow breath, staring at the ceiling fur w couple of moments, before drifting to sleep.


    .....


    Leo was jerked awake by the sudden, sharp jolt of fear coursing through his body.


    His instincts screamed at him, his mind snapping to full awareness.


    He bolted upright, his breath ragged. His heart pounded as his senses scanned the room.


    The next moment, a hearty laughter broke out in the room.


    "Pfff."

 Chapter 98 Wake-up Call

    Leo''s breath was still ragged from the abrupt awakening, his heart pounding against his ribs as he adjusted to reality.


    The cold sweat clinging to his back made his nightshirt stick to his skin, but the cool morning air in the room was already working to ease his frayed nerves.


    His instincts were still screaming, the remnants of the nightmare lingering in the back of his mind like a shadow he couldn''t quite shake.


    Then, his attention snapped toward the source of the laughter.


    There, standing near the foot of his bed with a bright smile on her face, was Tatiana.


    Her presence was as effortless as always, the sunlight streaming through the window illuminating her pale skin, making her crimson eyes gleam with something between amusement and curiosity.


    Her dark attire contrasted starkly with the soft glow around her, enhancing the regal, almost ethereal quality she exuded.


    Leo''s initial tension morphed into mild irritation as realization dawned on him.


    "Are you that easily scared?" Tatiana teased, stepping closer, the sound of her boots barely making a sound against the wooden floor.


    Leo frowned as he collapsed his head back into his pillow. He still felt the phantom weight of dread from his nightmare, but her words made him pause.


    "Was that your doing?" he asked, his voice hoarse from sleep.


    Tatiana chuckled, tilting her head slightly as she crossed her arms.


    "Not exactly," she admitted. "I merely let out a little bit of my presence, and your instincts did the rest. Whatever nightmare you had? That was just your danger sense kicking in, forcing you awake."


    Leo exhaled sharply, shaking his head as he swung his legs over the side of the bed. His body still ached from the previous day, but the residual tension from his nightmare made it impossible to sit still.


    "So, you were testing me," he said, rubbing his temples. It wasn''t a question¡ªit was an understanding.


    Tatiana offered a sly smile, moving beside the window opposite his bed. She placed her hands behind her back, gazing outside at the still, dark cityscape.


    "More like checking how quickly you react to danger when you''re vulnerable," she corrected, her tone light yet laced with underlying purpose.


    "There are beings who can strike without warning, Leo. If you can''t wake up in time, you won''t even know you''re dead."


    Leo let out a sigh, rolling his shoulders. "Right. Because what I really needed after an exhausting day was a lesson in paranoia."


    Tatiana chuckled but didn''t argue. She remained by the window, her expression unreadable as she studied the moonlit streets below.


    After a moment, she spoke again. "I''m guessing that you''re already at level 20. How many classes were you given to choose from, and what did you pick?"


    Leo, now stretching the last bit of stiffness from his limbs, paused at her question. He grabbed a fresh shirt from the chair beside his bed and pulled it over his head, glancing at her as he answered.


    "How many? I didn''t count, but there were¡­ a lot of them," he said honestly, recalling how the list had seemed almost endless.


    Silence filled the room.


    Leo looked up at Tatiana and was surprised to find a rare expression on her face¡ªshock.


    Tatiana, the ever-composed, ever-knowing vampire princess, was stunned.


    "What?" he asked, narrowing his eyes.


    Tatiana turned to face him fully, her lips parting slightly as if to say something, but no words came immediately. It took her a few moments before she finally spoke.


    "What do you mean by ''a lot''?" she asked, her tone slower, more measured.


    Leo frowned, rubbing the back of his neck.


    "I mean exactly what I said. The list was long, almost endless."


    Tatiana stared at him, her crimson eyes scrutinizing his every movement. "That shouldn''t be possible," she muttered under her breath, more to herself than to Leo.


    Leo''s curiosity was piqued. "Why not?"


    Tatiana hesitated before responding.


    "Classes are supposed to be tailored based on compatibility and potential. Most people get four, maybe six options at most. Even the most gifted individuals get eight at most." She studied him closely, her expression unreadable.


    "But you got¡­ a lot?"


    Leo nodded, still unsure why this was so significant.


    Tatiana took a breath, composing herself. "Alright. What class did you choose?"


    Leo shrugged. "One called Warden."


    Tatiana''s frown deepened instantly.


    "Warden?" she echoed, her eyes narrowing. "I''ve never heard of that class before. Are you sure it wasn''t Warlock?"


    Leo arched a brow at her reaction.


    "Pretty sure. It had a unique tag on it, and there was a glowing star behind the name."


    That made Tatiana go completely still.


    Her expression darkened slightly, and her gaze became more calculating. The room felt heavier as she processed his words.


    Leo shifted uncomfortably. "Is that¡­ bad?"


    Tatiana exhaled through her nose, regaining her usual composed demeanor.


    "Not bad. Just¡­ strange," she admitted. "Unique classes are rare. Some are hidden. Some have unknown origins. And some¡­ well, some are granted to people who don''t fit into any existing mold."


    Leo mulled over her words, then sighed. "So basically, I''m on my own. No guide, no known strengths or weaknesses."


    Tatiana nodded.


    "Exactly. You''ll have to figure everything out yourself. But..." she smirked slightly, "at least you have me to help."


    Leo chuckled dryly. "Oh, great. That''s reassuring."


    Tatiana rolled her eyes. "Sarcasm aside, I''m serious. I''ll help however I can."


    Leo nodded, appreciating the offer. "Good. Because my evolution requirements are... brutal."


    Tatiana''s interest piqued again, and she motioned for him to continue. Leo didn''t hold back, listing out each requirement.


    As he spoke, Tatiana''s expression shifted from curiosity to concern, and then to a deep frown.


    "Those are quite some requirements," she muttered, arms crossing over her chest. "The first one is manageable. The second¡­ slightly surprising, but considering that you aren''t entirely human, not shocking." Sear?h the N??eFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "What I don''t understand is the last requirement. How in the world do they expect you to defeat an off-worlder?" She muttered to herself.

 Chapter 99 Wake-up Call (contd)

    "Those are quite some requirements," she muttered, arms crossing over her chest. "The first one is manageable. The second¡­ slightly surprising, but considering that you aren''t entirely human, not shocking."


    "What I don''t understand is the last requirement. How in the world do they expect you to defeat an off-worlder?" She muttered to herself.


    Leo exhaled slowly, running a hand down his face. "Yeah. That''s been on my mind too."


    Tatiana''s frown deepened. "You might not realize this, but the lowest-ranked off-worlders here are at the Exalted Rank. That''s two whole ranks above you. Do they want you dead?"


    Leo grimaced. "Feels like it."


    Tatiana paced slightly, lost in thought. "Fighting across rank is nearly impossible, Leo. It''s not just a matter of skill¡ªit''s the sheer gap in stats, abilities, multipliers, everything." She paused, then turned to him. "Even I can''t defeat someone a rank above me, right?"


    That sent a chill down Leo''s spine.


    "So you''re saying I have to do the impossible," he muttered.


    Tatiana regarded him for a long moment before sighing. "Not exactly impossible. Just... very unlikely."


    Leo let out a humorless chuckle. "Oh, that''s so much better."


    Tatiana smirked. "You''ll just have to find a way to make the impossible possible."


    Leo shook his head, his exhaustion settling in again. "You really love saying ominous things, don''t you?" S§×ar?h the ¦ÇovelFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Tatiana shrugged, a small grin on her lips. "It''s part of my charm."


    Leo rolled his eyes, but a faint smirk tugged at his lips.


    Tatiana let out a soft chuckle, clearly pleased with herself. "Well, I suppose I''ve taken up enough of your time. You have a long day ahead of you, after all."


    Leo gave her a deadpan look. "You mean after you scared me awake for your own amusement?"


    Tatiana smirked. "That''s beside the point."


    She turned toward the window, gazing out at the pale sunlight creeping over the ruined skyline.


    "You should start working on your evolution requirements soon. You don''t have much time before the tournament begins."


    "I know." He ran a hand down his face, still processing everything. "I just need to figure out where to start." Leo sighed.


    Tatiana turned back to him, her crimson eyes gleaming with something unreadable.


    "You''re resourceful, Leo. You''ll figure it out. Just don''t die, ok?"


    Before he could respond, she disappeared, leaving behind a faint whisper of her presence and a lingering feeling of amusement.


    Leo sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. "Yeah. No pressure."


    He stretched, pushing aside the remaining exhaustion from his body. There was no point in lingering in bed any longer. He had work to do.


    ****


    Tatiana reappeared in the penthouse suite she had claimed as her temporary residence.


    The suite was as grand as expected, situated in one of the tallest surviving buildings in the city.


    Floor-to-ceiling windows overlooked the ruined streets below, providing an unparalleled view of the changing world.


    The furniture was pristine, untouched by the chaos outside¡ªluxurious chairs, velvet curtains, and a grand chandelier that still gleamed despite everything.


    Elda was already there, standing near the window, her sharp eyes fixed on the distant horizon.


    The faint glow of the portals from the previous night had long since faded, but the presence of off-worlders still lingered in the air, a suffocating reminder of the war brewing beneath the surface.


    "You took longer than expected," Elda noted without turning around.


    Tatiana shrugged, making her way toward the plush seating near the center of the room.


    "I was having fun."


    Elda turned to her, raising an eyebrow. "Fun?"


    Tatiana smirked, reclining into the chair with ease.


    "I gave Leo a little morning wake-up call."


    Elda sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose. "You truly enjoy messing with him, don''t you?"


    "He reacts well," Tatiana admitted, stretching her arms above her head. "And he''s entertaining. But that''s not all."


    Her expression shifted slightly, becoming more thoughtful.


    "I learned something interesting."


    Elda tilted her head.


    "Something about the boy?"


    Tatiana nodded. "His class. He chose something called Warden."


    Elda frowned. "Warden? I''ve never heard of it."


    "Neither have I," Tatiana admitted. "It was marked as unique, and there was a glowing star behind the name."


    Elda''s frown deepened. "That''s not normal."


    Tatiana chuckled. "That''s an understatement. And then there are his evolution requirements."


    She quickly recounted what Leo had told her, watching as Elda''s expression grew more serious with each detail.


    "Defeating an Evolved Rank monster is already difficult enough, but taking down an off-worlder?" Elda shook her head. "Even for a prodigy, that''s beyond absurd."


    Tatiana leaned forward, resting her chin on her hand.


    "It''s almost as if something¡ªor someone¡ªis guiding his growth. Shaping him into something more than just another contestant."


    Elda met Tatiana''s gaze. "Do you think the Council is involved?"


    Tatiana considered the question for a moment before shaking her head. "If it were the Council, I don''t they will be so subtle. No, this feels like something else."


    Elda crossed her arms. "Then what do you plan to do?"


    Tatiana smirked. "Isn''t it obvious? I plan to keep watching. Leo is proving to be far more interesting than I first thought. And¡­ I did give him my word that I would help him."


    Elda sighed. "You do realize this attachment you''re forming is dangerous, don''t you?"


    Tatiana''s smirk faltered slightly before she waved a dismissive hand. "It''s not an attachment. It''s an investment."


    Elda gave her a knowing look but chose not to press further. Instead, she turned back toward the window, watching the world beyond.


    "Things are moving faster than we anticipated. More off-worlders are arriving each day. Alliances are already forming."


    Tatiana''s gaze sharpened. "And Lucien and Liliana?"


    "They''ve arrived," Elda confirmed. "And they''re already making moves."


    Tatiana''s expression darkened. "Of course, they are."


    Elda turned back to her. "What do you want to do?"


    Tatiana exhaled slowly, a wicked smile curling at the edges of her lips. "Nothing


    Elda nodded, her expression unreadable. "Then let''s get to work."


    As the morning sun climbed higher, the city below stirred with unseen tensions. The tournament had yet to begin, but things were already falling into place.

 Chapter 100 Making Progress

    The battle was fierce. Every breath Leo took felt like fire in his lungs, his body burning from exertion, but he refused to slow down.


    His fists were bloodied, his knuckles scraped raw against the hardened chitin of his opponent¡ªa towering mutant centipede, its segmented body writhing with unnatural speed, each movement accompanied by the sickening scrape of its legs against the cracked pavement.


    The centipede lunged, its mandibles snapping just inches from Leo''s face. He barely dodged in time, his body twisting with instinct honed by countless battles. Sear?h the ¦ÇovelFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Without a weapon, without his skills, it was pure, unrelenting brutality. It was his fists against the hardened shell of a creature evolved for killing.


    He ducked beneath another swipe of its venom-dripping mandibles, his muscles coiled tight.


    Then he struck, his fist slamming into the centipede''s side with every ounce of his strength. The impact sent a crack rippling through its armored plates, but it wasn''t enough.


    The beast screeched, lashing out with its tail, catching Leo across the ribs and sending him skidding backward.


    Leo coughed, tasting blood in his mouth. His vision blurred for a second, but he remained steady. He couldn''t fall now.


    Around him, the battlefield was littered with the corpses of mutant creatures¡ªjagged husks of armored beetles, twisted remains of zombie abominations, and the smoldering bodies of creatures he barely had names for.


    Not far from him, Fiona and the wolves were locked in their own battles. A monstrous, mutated boar, nearly twice Fiona''s size, slammed its hooves into the ground, creating deep cracks in the pavement.


    Fiona snarled, her body bleeding in several places, but her eyes remained focused, unwavering. The rest of the pack circled the beast, waiting for the moment to strike.


    Leo didn''t have the time to admire them as he turned his attention back to his own battle.


    The centipede coiled, its many legs scuttling as it prepared to strike again.


    Leo could feel the exhaustion weighing on him, the strain in his muscles from fighting without pause. But he was aware that he can''t afford to stop.


    With a sharp exhale, he rushed forward. The centipede lunged, but this time, Leo was ready.


    He sidestepped, bringing his entire weight into a devastating elbow strike against the already cracked portion of its shell.


    The impact sent a shockwave through his arm, but he felt the exoskeleton splintering under his force.


    The centipede reeled, its movements erratic as a high-pitched screech tore from its mandibles.


    Leo didn''t hesitate as he immediately leapt onto its back, and started raining punches on the back of the centipede.


    Leo was aware that ordinary punches won''t do any damage to the centipede and this is why he put his full strength into each punch and made sure to keep targeting the same spot with every time.


    Each punch created a loud bang every time, his fist made contact with the chitinous exoskeleton on the creature''s back as they struck with the force of a battering ram.


    The punches continued to fall without fail and after an unknown amount of them, Leo gave one final punch and jumped down from the back of the centipede.


    He made sure he didn''t give the centipede any time to recover and make its own attack, as he followed up with more attacks.


    A right hook to its mandibles.


    A left jab to its exposed underbelly.


    A final, devastating uppercut to its head.


    The mutant creature let out a high-pitched wail as its exoskeleton finally gave way, its skull cracking beneath the sheer force of Leo''s blow.


    It collapsed to the ground, its massive body convulsing before finally going still.


    Leo panted, his breath coming in shallow and ragged, his body screaming for rest as he staggered back, letting the corpse collapse at his feet.


    As he tried to catch his breath, he turned his attention to the system notifications floating in his retina.


    [You have acquired Level 12 Mutant Centipede Life Force!]


    [Your acquired Life Force has been stored and will be allocated after you have completed your evolution.]


    ¡­.


    The notification first popped up after he made his first kill for the day and has continued ever since.


    Leo barely acknowledged the notification as his attention was more on his exhausted body.


    He looked at his hands that were trembling slightly, not from fear, but from the sheer amount of strain it had experienced for him pushing his body beyond its limits.


    "I really miss Nightshade," Leo sighed, as he sat down on the carcass of the centipede he just killed.


    It was during his fight against the mutant centipede that Leo finally realised just how much dependent he has been on Nightshade and its abilities.


    Though, he can''t really be blamed as Nightshade is his biggest asset. With its incredible sharpness that would have easily cut through the incredibly tough chitin exoskeleton of the mutant centipede, and its collection of amazing abilities, it would be impossible for him to not be dependent on it.


    "Let''s see my progress," he said as he called up his status screen.


    [Name: Leo ****]


    [Level: 20]


    [Specie(s): Human, ****, ****]


    [Class: ¨C]


    [Title: None]


    ______


    [Strength: 34]


    [Agility: 21 (+30)]


    [Stamina: 33]


    [Intelligence: 25]


    [Mana: 135]


    ______


    [Stat Point(s): 0]


    ______


    [Skill(s): [Regeneration (Innate)], [Beastmaster''s Bond (Innate)], [Seismic Stomp], [Berserker''s Roar], [Ravenous Regeneration], [Predator''s Instincts].


    ...


    [Evolution Requirements for Warden]


    [Defeat enemies without using skill or weapon. (15/100)]


    [Defeat An Evolved Rank creature.]


    [Raise Your beast companion to the Evolved Rank.]


    [Defeat An Off-worlder.]


    ...


    "Fifteen down..." he muttered to himself, wiping the sweat from his brow. He still has a long way to go.


    His gaze shifted toward Fiona. She was still locked in battle, her massive frame darting around the boar as it attempted to trample her.


    Leo narrowed his eyes, pulling up the [Beastmaster''s Bond] panel.


    [Bonded Beasts]


    [Name:Fiona]


    [Species: Mutant Wolf]


    [Level: 15]


    [Abilities: Enhanced Agility, Enhanced Senses, Bone Claw, Regeneration.]


    Not bad. She was growing, but it wasn''t enough.


    Leo clenched his fists. He had to get stronger, and so did she. His evolution requirements weren''t just about himself, they were about Fiona.


    He has to make sure she''s strong enough to contribute to what''s coming and so that she can be able to stand beside him as something more than a simple beast companion.


    He exhaled deeply, shaking out his tired limbs.


    No time to waste.


    Without hesitation, he moved to rejoin the hunt.


    The coming days would be brutal. He needed to complete the first requirement as fast as possible, and at the same time, find ways to push Fiona toward her own evolution.


    He didn''t know what awaited him after evolution, but he had no choice but to press forward.


    Leo turned his gaze back toward the ruined streets ahead.


    There were still plenty of creatures lurking in the shadows, waiting.


    He could feel them.


    And he was going to hunt every last one of them.


    ¡­..


    The hunt was relentless.


    Hours passed with the sun creeping higher in the sky as Leo tore through enemy after enemy.


    His fists were raw, his knuckles split open from repeatedly striking through thick hides and hard exoskeletons.


    He had fought every mutant creature he found, in the bid to meet the first requirement. Each battle pushed him further, testing his endurance, his resilience.


    And with each fight, the number of his kills grew.


    [Defeat enemies without using skill or weapon. (27/100)]


    It wasn''t enough.


    Not yet.


    Leo wiped the sweat from his brow, his body screaming for rest. But he ignored it.


    He couldn''t stop.


    Not until he had reached his goal.


    One might be thinking why Leo didn''t just look for a nest containing a colony of insects, just like the fire ants, but that was exactly what he did.


    He found a nest filled with a colony of mutant ants but after he made the first kill, and killed a couple more, he saw that his kills didn''t count, he knew that he shouldn''t bother himself any longer.


    Leo has no idea why the kills didn''t count towards his requirements but he felt that he might be able to take a guess. And his guess is that it''s because the mutant ants is a hive mind.


    He doesn''t know if this is true but he felt that it could be likely, and it was the only explanation he could come up with, as his kill number started going up after he killed a zombie and two mutant rats.


    Leo decided to stop thinking about his earlier inconveniences as he turned his attention to Fiona.


    He saw that they were still engaged in their own battles, fighting tirelessly against their opponents. He had no doubt that they were exhausted too, but like him, they refused to falter.


    Their survival depended on their strength. On their ability to fight. To endure.


    There was no room for hesitation, no space for weakness. In this new world, hesitation meant death. The creatures they faced did not know mercy, did not understand fear. They existed to hunt, to kill, to consume.


    "The hunt continues."

 Chapter 101 Battling The Praying Mantis

    The battlefield was a wasteland of destruction.


    Leo''s breath was ragged, his body battered, but his stance remained firm. His knuckles were torn and bruised, and his arms, screaming from the strain of the continuous, brutal combat.


    Blood seeped from a fresh wound on his side where the mutant praying mantis had previously caught him off guard with its skill, [Wind Blade], leaving a deep tear in his flesh.


    Across from him, the mutant praying mantis stood tall, its insectoid form eerily poised, shifting ever so slightly on its thin, bladed legs.


    Its emerald-green exoskeleton gleamed under the faint light filtering through the ruined buildings, the segmented plates reflecting like polished steel.


    Its most terrifying feature, however, were its forearms¡ªtwo massive, scythe-like appendages that curved ominously, each one long enough to cleave through a tree in a single swipe.


    A gust of wind rushed between them as the creature hissed, its elongated head tilting slightly, the eerie glow of its compound eyes narrowing in focus.


    Its body emitted a faint hum, the sound of air vibrating and building up within its limbs.


    Leo narrowed his eyes.


    Here it comes.


    The mantis suddenly lunged, with its skill, [Wind Blade], activating in an instant. A crescent arc of razor-sharp wind sliced through the air toward him.


    Leo moved with his body reacting purely on instinct.


    He twisted, barely slipping past the slicing force, the wind pressure grazing his shoulder.


    A second [Wind Blade] followed almost immediately. Leo ducked, feeling the air shift just above his head as the attack carved through the cracked pavement behind him.


    It''s fast.


    He had already taken one of those hits earlier in the fight, and the pain from the wound at his side reminded him just how deadly even a single mistake could be.


    But now, he had adapted. The battle had dragged on long enough for him to be able to read the mantis'' movements, to understand the rhythm of its strikes.


    Still, even with all his improvements, he wasn''t winning.


    The mutant mantis was a force of nature. Every movement it made were precise, seemingly calculated.


    It didn''t waste energy with any unnecessary attacks and it didn''t flinch under pressure. Its attacks came in relentless waves, each faster than the last, each more precise.


    Leo gritted his teeth. Even now, he couldn''t believe that despite the damages he had inflicted on it, it was still standing.


    He knew it. The praying mantis is completely different and stronger than the others.


    He had fought countless mutant creatures by now, but this one was on an entirely different level. Leo clenched his fists tighter, ignoring the burning in his muscles.


    No, he wasn''t just keeping up. He had grown.


    Just weeks ago, he wouldn''t have lasted a second in a battle like this. He would have been overwhelmed, torn apart.


    But now¡ªnow, he was standing against a monster that should have been beyond his level, holding his ground, trading blows.


    He could do this.


    The battlefield around them had become a graveyard of shattered bodies. The corpses of various mutant creatures and zombies lay scattered, broken and forgotten, testaments to the sheer destruction their battle had wrought.


    Even the lesser creatures that had initially swarmed the area had long since retreated, driven away by the overwhelming pressure of the duel.


    Only two remained.


    Leo inhaled deeply, ignoring the pain in his ribs.


    .....


    Unseen to both combatants, high above the battlefield, floating amongst the clouds, a lone figure watched.


    She was draped in flowing white and green robes, the fabric shimmering softly as it fluttered in the wind.


    Her long, silken hair cascaded down her back, and her pointed ears twitched slightly as she observed the battle below.


    Her violet eyes gleamed with curiosity.


    Interesting¡­ she thought, resting her chin on her delicate fingers.


    She had come to this world expecting to find nothing but fragile low-level mortals scrambling for survival. And yet, below her, a native was holding his own against a creature that''s about to complete its evolution, and attain the Evolved Rank.


    How rare¡­


    She watched the battle and she saw that there was no hesitation in Leo''s movements, no trace of fear in his strikes. She also saw how he was adapting, evolving in the middle of combat.


    That makes him useful¡­


    A small smile graced her lips.


    She had no interest in the weak. But strength¡­ strength was worth watching. Strength was worth investing in.


    Her gaze lingered on Leo for a moment longer before she turned, vanishing into the mist.


    She had seen enough.


    ...


    Back on the battlefield, the wind howled between the ruined structures as both Leo and the mantis remained locked in place.


    The battle had reached its breaking point.


    Leo''s body screamed in protest, every muscle burning from exhaustion. His breaths came in ragged gasps, his vision blurring at the edges.


    The constant, brutal exchange of blows had drained him beyond what he had anticipated. His stamina regeneration skills, which had carried him through previous battles, could no longer keep up. His reserves were nearly empty, and every movement felt like wading through thick mud.


    But he wasn''t alone, across from him, the mutant praying mantis was just as battered as he is.


    Its once-gleaming emerald exoskeleton was cracked in several places, green ichor leaking from the wounds Leo had managed to inflict.


    Its movements, once fluid and precise, had begun to slow, betraying the exhaustion creeping into its body.


    The constant use of its abilities had taken its toll as well¡ªits last [Wind Blade] had been noticeably weaker, the cutting force no longer as sharp or deadly as before, but still carrying with a blunt force enough to knock Leo off his feet.


    Leo panted, sweat dripping from his brow, mixing with the blood seeping from the gash at his side. He hadn''t expected the fight to last this long.


    In the previous battles he had fought before he met the praying mantis, he had always relied on overwhelming his enemies quickly, relying on his sheer adaptability and Nightshade''s lethality.


    But now, without his weapon, without his skills, it was just him¡ªhis fists, his endurance, his instincts.


    And it wasn''t enough.


    The mantis was faster than him, stronger than him, and despite all the damage it had taken, it was still standing.


    Leo forced himself to think, to analyze.


    ''This thing isn''t normal. It''s too damn strong.''


    He had faced dozens of mutant creatures in the past few days, some even larger than this one, but none had fought like this. None had lasted this long.


    ''Its intelligence, its endurance¡­''


    Leo''s eyes narrowed.


    ''Is this thing close to evolving?'' S§×arch* The Nov§×l?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    If so, then that would explain everything.


    It wasn''t just another mutant¡ªit was on the verge of reaching the Evolved Rank. And there''s also the fact that mutant creatures are naturally stronger physically than their human counterpart.


    Leo gritted his teeth. If that was the case, then he was in more danger than he had realized. A creature fighting for its life so that it can meet its evolution requirements and attain the Evolved Rank isn''t an ordinary opponent.


    The thought sent a fresh jolt of adrenaline through him.


    ''I have to finish this now.''


    But there was a problem. He could barely move.


    His legs felt heavy, his muscles sluggish. His body had reached its limit, and no amount of sheer willpower could change that.


    If he made a mistake, if he faltered for even a second, the mantis would cut him down.


    The battlefield around them was eerily silent, the ruined streets littered with broken bodies. Even the lesser creatures that were previously lurking in the shadows had retreated, recognizing that they were nothing but collateral damage in this brutal fight.


    Leo and the mantis were locked in a deadly stalemate.


    Neither of them dared to move.


    They both knew the truth.


    The first to make a mistake¡­ would die...


    Then¡ªit happened.


    A single misstep.


    The mutant mantis shifted its weight, preparing for another strike, but in its exhaustion, it hesitated.


    It was brief¡ªbarely a fraction of a second¡ªbut Leo saw it.


    And he reacted.


    With a roar, he surged forward. His hand lashed out, gripping the mantis'' raised arm¡ªits deadly, scythe-like limb.


    Then, with every ounce of strength he had left, he twisted.


    A sickening CRACK echoed across the battlefield as the mantis'' arm was torn from its body.


    The creature let out a piercing shriek, its body convulsing as dark, greenish fluid sprayed from the wound. Its remaining arm flailed wildly, but it was too slow, and Leo was too desperate.


    Leo didn''t give it a chance.


    Still gripping the severed limb, he turned the creature''s own weapon against it.


    He swung the severed limb in his grip, its jagged, scythe-like edge still glinting menacingly in the dim light.


    The mantis barely had time to react before Leo drove its own weapon straight into its neck.


    The blade sliced through its thick exoskeleton like butter, severing its head in one clean, brutal motion.


    The mantis'' body twitched violently, its legs spasming as its severed head tumbled to the ground with a dull *thud*.


    Then, silence.


    Leo staggered back, his chest heaving, his vision blurring as the world swayed around him.


    The mutant praying mantis, the relentless predator that had pushed him to his absolute limit, collapsed lifelessly at his feet.


    It was over.


    [You have acquired Level 20 Mutant Praying Mantis Life Force!]


    [¡­..]


    Leo exhaled slowly, his knees buckling as he dropped to the ground beside the corpse.


    His entire body ached, his hands still trembling from the sheer force he had exerted. His breaths came in short, ragged gasps, but a smile painted his face.

 Chapter 102 Meeting The First Requirement

    Leo pushed himself off the ground, his muscles aching with every movement. His body was covered in dirt, dried blood, and bruises, an undeniable evidence to the countless battles he had fought throughout the day.


    His knuckles were raw, the skin torn from repeatedly striking against hardened exoskeletons and thick hides. His breathing was labored, his stamina drained to its limit, but beneath the exhaustion, a quiet satisfaction coursed through his veins.


    The setting sun bathed the ruined cityscape in hues of deep orange and crimson. The jagged remains of buildings cast long, eerie shadows across the cracked pavement, and the air was thick with the scent of blood, sweat, and the faint stench of decay.


    The wind carried a whisper of dust, swirling around the scattered remains of the monsters he had slain.


    The ground was littered with corpses¡ªmutant creatures, some with shattered exoskeletons, others with gaping wounds where Leo''s fists had struck with unrelenting force. The earth itself bore the scars of his battle, cracked and broken from the sheer intensity of his and the mutant praying mantis strikes.


    Despite his battered state, a smile tugged at Leo''s lips. He had made significant progress. He was more than halfway to completing his first requirement, and at this pace, in just a few more days, he would have it done.


    His legs felt like lead as he trudged toward Fiona and the wolves. His entire body protested each step, but he ignored the pain.


    As he neared them, he saw Fiona standing tall, her silver fur streaked with dirt and blood. The rest of the pack lingered nearby, standing on alert despite their exhaustion.


    Leo crouched beside Fiona, running his fingers through her fur, checking for any injuries.


    She huffed softly, nudging his hand as if to assure him that she was fine. He did the same for the other wolves, his fingers brushing over their thick coats, ensuring they hadn''t sustained any serious wounds.


    "Good job, all of you," he muttered, his voice tinged with fatigue. The wolves let out soft whines, their tails wagging slightly at his praise.


    He let out a slow breath and glanced toward the distant skyline, where the sun dipped lower, casting a golden glow over the ruined city. It was time to head back.


    With slow, heavy steps, he and the wolves made their way home.


    .....


    Later That Night sea??h th§× N??eFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Leo sat at the small dining table across from Ves, his bandaged knuckles resting against the wooden surface. The plates before them were empty, the remnants of their meal scattered across them.


    Ves leaned back in her chair, arms crossed, watching him with an amused expression before she reached across the table, tapping his hand lightly over the bandages.


    "It looks like I''m going to be patching you up every day from now on because I know you''re going to go and break your body again tomorrow."


    Leo chuckled. "You already did a great job today. I''d probably be worse off if you didn''t force me to sit still long enough to wrap these up."


    Ves rolled her eyes. "You''re terrible at taking care of yourself."


    He gave her a lopsided grin. "I know that. I''m glad I have you."


    She scoffed but didn''t deny it.


    A comfortable silence settled between them, broken only by the occasional sound of the wind outside.


    After a moment, Ves tilted her head slightly.


    "So? How was it?"


    Leo leaned back in his chair, rubbing the back of his neck.


    "Brutal, but good. I made a lot more progress than I expected. I''m already past halfway on my first requirement."


    Ves raised an eyebrow, clearly impressed.


    "Not bad. At this rate, you''ll have it done in no time."


    "That''s the plan," Leo said, exhaling deeply. "What about you? How''d things go on your end?"


    Ves shrugged. "Mia and Miguel are getting stronger. We ran into some tougher creatures today, but we handled it. Nothing too crazy."


    Leo nodded. "Good. We need to be ready."


    Ves''s expression grew serious for a moment. "Yeah¡­ we do."


    Another silence fell between them, this one heavier with unspoken thoughts. The tournament loomed over them, a storm waiting on the horizon.


    But for now, they had this¡ªthese quiet moments, this fragile normalcy.


    Eventually, Ves stretched her arms above her head, yawning. "We should get some sleep. Big day tomorrow, right?"


    Leo smirked. "Always."


    ...


    The routine became a cycle.


    Each morning, Leo set out into the ruins, tracking down and fighting every mutant creature he could find.


    His body adjusted to the relentless battles, his movements becoming sharper, his instincts keener.


    His strikes hit harder, his reactions grew faster. The pain became something familiar, a constant companion rather than a hindrance.


    The creatures he faced varied¡ªmutant wolves, hulking boars, insectoids, and even a few stray zombies.


    Each fight pushed him further, forcing him to adapt, to refine his technique without the aid of his weapons or skills.


    He was getting stronger.


    At night, he returned to the apartment, greeted by Ves, who made sure he ate, tended to his wounds, and listened as he recounted his progress.


    Their conversations remained light, but beneath the surface, there was an unspoken understanding between the both of them.


    They were both pushing themselves, preparing for what was coming.


    Leo''s fights became more efficient, his understanding of raw hand-to-hand combat deepening. He no longer relied on brute force alone.


    He learned to anticipate movements, to read the subtle shifts in his opponent''s stance, to counter before they could strike.


    He wasn''t just fighting anymore¡ªhe was refining his craft.


    He had long since abandoned the hesitation that came with battle. Now, he struck without thought, without pause. Every move was calculated, every strike meant to disable or kill.


    It was astonishing the amount of progress he made in just three days. If Tatiana saw him right now, she would be shocked no doubt.


    On the third night, as Leo sat on the couch, the faint glow of the system screen illuminated his face. He pulled up his status window and looked at his progress.


    [Evolution Requirements for Warden]


    [Defeat enemies without using skill or weapon. (100/100)]


    Leo exhaled, a small smile playing on his lips.


    This is it. Finally did it.


    For the first time in days, he allowed himself to relax, leaning back against the couch as the exhaustion settled over him.


    The hardest part of his evolution requirement was complete.


    Now, only three tasks remained.

 Chapter 103 Fiona Is Missing?

    The apartment was silent. Ves had already gone to bed after tending to his injuries, making sure he ate, and scolding him (as usual) for pushing himself too hard.


    He had assured her that he was fine, that he was used to this by now. She hadn''t looked convinced.


    He tilted his head back against the couch, staring at the ceiling. There was still so much left to do.


    The first requirement was complete, but the others¡­ raising Fiona to the Evolved Rank and, worst of all, defeating an off-worlder.


    He sighed.


    A faint gust of wind stirred the air.


    Leo''s eyes snapped open.


    Before he could fully process what was happening, a familiar presence filled the room.


    The air turned thick, charged with an almost imperceptible power, and a faint floral scent reached his nose.


    He knew that scent.


    Leo didn''t even need to turn his head.


    "You''re getting better at sensing me," Tatiana''s voice came from the shadows, smooth and amused.


    Leo exhaled, rubbing his temple. "Or maybe you''re just getting lazy."


    A chuckle. Then, with her usual fluid grace, Tatiana stepped forward from where she had been standing near the window, her crimson eyes gleaming faintly in the dim room.


    She wore something far more casual than usual¡ªa loose dark blouse with fitted black pants¡ªbut even dressed down, she still exuded that regal air of untouchable confidence.


    She crossed her arms, tilting her head slightly as she studied him. "You look terrible."


    Leo snorted. "Thanks. I haven''t exactly been playing around these past three days."


    She leaned against the edge of the table, one boot tapping lightly against the wooden floor.


    "I mean it. You look like you got chewed up and spat out."


    Leo shrugged. "I know."


    She regarded him for a long moment before letting out a sigh. "So? How is your progress?"


    Leo gestured toward the system screen still floating before him. "First requirement, done."


    Tatiana raised an eyebrow. "Already?"


    "Yeah," he said, stretching his sore limbs. "Three straight days of fighting. No weapons, no skills. Just me and my fists."


    Tatiana let out a low whistle. "Color me impressed. I half expected you to be crawling back here begging for a shortcut."


    Leo shot her a glare. "Yeah, no thanks. Besides, we both know there aren''t any shortcuts in this."


    "True," she admitted, nodding. "But I have to say, I''m surprised. But really, that''s a brutal requirement. Even for someone like you."


    Leo huffed. "Tell me about it. I didn''t realize just how much I relied on Nightshade until I had to fight without it. Every battle felt like I was walking a tightrope over a pit of knives."


    Tatiana smirked. "And yet, here you are. Alive and stronger than before." sea??h th§× nov§×lF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Leo exhaled. "Yeah. But there''s still more to do."


    Tatiana''s expression shifted, something thoughtful flickering in her gaze. "Fiona."


    Leo stiffened slightly before nodding. "She needs to evolve. I have to push her to the next level."


    Tatiana crossed her arms again, her tone measured. "Easier said than done. Raising a beast companion to the next rank isn''t the same as leveling up on your own. I don''t know how it''s done but I do know that it''s not going to be easy."


    "I know," Leo murmured. "But she''s strong. She can do this."


    Tatiana studied him carefully before speaking again. "And the last requirement?"


    Leo clenched his fists. "Still working on that one."


    "Defeating an off-worlder¡­" Tatiana''s voice trailed off. "That one''s the real problem, isn''t it?"


    Leo didn''t answer immediately. He didn''t need to. The weight of that requirement was enough to make his chest tighten.


    He had fought monsters, survived ambushes, pushed his body to its breaking point¡ªbut an off-worlder?


    That was something else entirely.


    Tatiana exhaled through her nose. "Just focus on the first three requirements first. I think I have an idea on how to go about the last."


    Leo smirked, but there was no humor in his expression. "Yeah, well¡­ I don''t have much of a choice, do I? And thanks."


    Tatiana was silent for a long time before shaking her head.


    "You''re reckless."


    "Comes with the territory."


    She let out an exasperated sigh but didn''t push further. Instead, she unfolded her arms and turned toward the window.


    "You should rest. You''ve done enough for today."


    Leo watched as she moved toward the shadows, her form blending almost seamlessly with the dim lighting.


    "You leaving already?" he asked.


    Tatiana glanced over her shoulder, a small, knowing smile playing on her lips. "Don''t miss me too much."


    With that, she vanished, leaving not even the faintest whisper of her presence behind.


    Leo exhaled, running a hand through his hair. He didn''t know what it was, but there was always something about Tatiana''s visits that left him feeling both amused and on edge.


    Shaking his head, he pushed himself off the couch and made his way to his room.


    .....


    The next morning, Leo woke to the sound of silence.


    That wasn''t unusual¡ªmornings were usually quiet before everyone stirred. But something felt¡­ off.


    The air felt still. Too still.


    Pushing off the covers, he sat up and rubbed his face, his body still sore from the previous days of fighting. His thoughts drifted to the requirements again, to what he still had to do¡ª


    Then, he noticed it.


    A gnawing feeling in his chest.


    It was faint, but there¡ªsomething missing.


    Something wrong.


    Frowning, he got to his feet and moved toward the window. His eyes scanned the ruined cityscape, searching for something he couldn''t quite place.


    Then, his gaze shifted downward.


    The wolves were still there, resting in the shade of the building.


    But Fiona¡ª


    Fiona wasn''t.


    His chest tightened.


    She wasn''t in the building.


    She wasn''t in the surroundings.


    She was gone.


    Leo''s stomach dropped. His mind immediately raced through possibilities.


    Had she wandered off? No¡ªFiona was smarter than that. She never left without him.


    Had something taken her?


    His pulse quickened.


    Something wasn''t right.


    Without another thought, Leo grabbed his gear and bolted for the door.


    This wasn''t normal.


    And he wasn''t about to sit around and wait to find out why.

 Chapter 104 Level 20 Fiona

    Leo bolted out of the building, his heart pounding with every frantic step he took.


    The morning air was crisp, but he barely noticed as his eyes scanned the surroundings in desperation. His chest tightened when he saw the wolves gathered near their usual resting spot¡ªbut Fiona was nowhere in sight.


    His pulse quickened. He turned sharply, eyes darting across every shadowed corner, every ruined structure surrounding their home.


    "Fiona!" he called out, his voice hoarse with urgency.


    Nothing.


    Not even a distant howl or any familiar sound from her.


    A cold dread settled in his stomach.


    He focused his skill, [Predator''s Instincts], his senses sharpening as he reached out with everything he had, sensing the area covered by the skill, but....


    Nothing.


    "She''s out of the skill''s range. Where could she had possibly gone?"


    Leo''s asked himself, with his hands clenched into fists, his breathing growing uneven. He had never felt this before¡ªthis gnawing, uncontrollable fear.


    The wolves, sensing his distress, whined softly, their ears flattened as they looked up at him. Even they seemed restless, sniffing around as if trying to locate their missing packmate.


    Leo seeing this, walked up to them, to the previous pack leader specifically and asked if it knew where Fiona was.


    Leo was aware that his action would had qualified him for a patient position in an psychiatric hospital, but he had no idea on what to do.


    Just as he expected, he didn''t get anything from the wolf. Not even it using his snot to point him in the direction that Fiona might had gone.


    Leo felt that something wasn''t right as Fiona never wandered far. And even if she did, he should be able to sense her through their bond.


    So why¡­?


    His thoughts spiraled, dark scenarios flooding his mind.


    Did something take her? Was she hurt? Was she¡ª


    A sharp creak from the building behind him snapped him out of his panic.


    "Leo?!"


    Ves''s voice rang out, thick with worry.


    He turned to see her standing in the doorway, her brows knitted in concern. She was still in her sleepwear, her hair slightly tousled as if she had just woken up.


    The moment she saw his face, her expression darkened further.


    "What happened?" she asked, walking toward him quickly.


    Leo forced himself to take a breath. "It''s Fiona. She''s gone."


    Ves froze for half a second before her expression shifted.


    "What do you mean gone?"


    "I mean exactly that," Leo snapped, his frustration leaking through.


    He quickly took another deep breath, trying to calm himself.


    "I''m sorry Ms Ves. What I mean is that she''s not here. I can''t sense her. Even [Predator''s Instincts] isn''t picking anything up."


    Ves''s face paled slightly, and she didn''t waste another second.


    "I''ll look for her," she said quickly, focusing her skill, [Life Force Detection] to search for Fiona.


    Leo watched anxiously as Ves used her skill to scan the area, with heightened perception.


    A tense moment passed. Then another.


    Ves frowned.


    "I don''t¡­ see anything," she admitted, her voice barely above a whisper. She tried again, this time activating [Predator Insight], but her frown only deepened.


    "There''s no trace of her anywhere," she said, a slight tremble in her voice.


    Leo''s heart sank further.


    If Ves''s skills¡ªones designed to detect and track¡ªcouldn''t find Fiona, then this was worse than he had feared.


    Ves bit her lip, the worry in her eyes unmistakable.


    "Leo, what if¡ª"


    "I don''t want to think about ''what ifs''," he interrupted sharply.


    She flinched at the edge in his voice, but she nodded and smiled warmly, understanding his fear.


    By now, Miguel and Mia had come downstairs, drawn by the tension in the air.


    "What''s going on?" Miguel asked, looking between them.


    Ves quickly explained everything to them.


    Mia''s face darkened when he heard Ves'' explanation.


    "Then we need to go out and find her."


    Miguel nodded.


    "Yeah, we can split up and¡ª"


    "No," Leo said firmly.


    They blinked at him in confusion.


    "What do you mean no?" Ves demanded.


    "I mean you guys should keep training. You can''t afford to waste time on this," Leo said, his tone unwavering.


    Mia stepped forward, her brows furrowed.


    "Leo, this isn''t something small. She could be in danger."


    "I know," he admitted, voice low.


    "Then why won''t you let us help?!" Ves snapped, her worry boiling over into frustration.


    "Because you guys need to increase your strength. We don''t know what happened and why she left. But if anything happens later, you''re going to need all the strength you can get. Don''t let this slow you down," Leo said.


    The three of them stared at him, clearly not happy with his decision, but they knew that he wasn''t going to budge.


    Finally, after a long moment, Miguel sighed. "Alright. But if you don''t find anything by tomorrow, we''re helping, no arguments."


    Leo nodded. That was the best compromise he could get.


    Ves hesitated but finally stepped back. "Just¡­ be careful, okay?"


    Leo gave her a small nod before turning away.


    ...


    Leo spent the next hour combing the area.


    He searched the entire residential complex, every shadowed alley, every ruined structure, every possible place she could have gone.


    But he got nothing.


    He extended his search two miles out.


    But still nothing.


    By the time he stopped to catch his breath, his frustration had turned into something heavier¡ªdread.


    Then, out of desperation, he opened the [Beastmaster''s Bond] panel, and his eyes widened when he saw the information displayed on it.


    [Name: Fiona]


    [Species: Mutant Wolf]


    [Level: 20]


    [Abilities: Enhanced Agility, Enhanced Senses, Bone Claw, Regeneration.]


    .....


    "Level 20." Leo exhaled sharply.


    And just like that, he understood.


    She was probably trying to meet her evolution requirements.


    He felt that this was probably the reason the reason why he couldn''t find her. That''s why even [Predator''s Instincts] couldn''t detect her.


    Because she had gone off on her own to complete her evolution requirements.


    Relief washed over him¡ªbut it was fleeting.


    Even if this explained why she was gone, it didn''t tell him where she was.


    What if something happened to her during the process?


    What if she was hurt? What if she was trapped somewhere, struggling alone?


    His fists clenched.


    He hated this. The not knowing. The helplessness.


    He knew there was nothing he could do but wait¡ªbut that didn''t make it any easier.


    His eyes remained locked on her status for a long moment before he let out a slow breath, forcing himself to calm down.


    If Fiona is out there, trying to meet her evolution requirements, then she needed time.


    She had always been strong. He just had to trust that she could handle this on her own.


    But it didn''t stop the nagging feeling in his chest.


    And there was still his own evolution to think about.


    The thought of his own evolution requirements, brought to mind the third requirement.


    [Raise Your beast companion to the Evolved Rank.]


    He wonders if it will still count if Fiona does everything on her own. He hopes it does. Because if it doesn''t, then it means that he won''t be able to meet all of his evolution requirements, which equally means that he will be stuck at level 20 for a very long time. If not forever.


    But at the moment, Leo doesn''t care if it will help him or not, as all he wants is for Fiona to be safe.


    Leo sighed as he turned his attention back to the most pressing matter at hand. His eyes darkened as he closed the status panel.


    He needed to kill an Evolved Rank creature.


    And for that, he needed help.


    And only one person came to mind.


    Tatiana.


    If there was anyone who could help him track down something that powerful, it was her.


    With renewed determination, Leo turned back toward the building.


    First, he needed to rest and recover from the three days of nonstop battle. He would have to be at his best, both physically and mentally, for what he''s about to do next.


    After he has rested and he''s ready, then, he would find Tatiana.


    *****


    Deep in an unknown part of the now ruined city, Fiona stood atop a pile of broken concrete.


    Her silver fur stained with blood¡ªboth hers and that of the countless creatures she had torn apart.


    Her deep, piercing gaze scanned the battlefield, ears flicking as she listened to the guttural growls and screeches of the enemies that encircled her.


    The area she had wandered into was nothing short of a graveyard. Shattered buildings surrounded her, their skeletal remains casting jagged shadows beneath the faint glow of the moon.


    The scent of decay and blood filled the air, mingling with the oppressive heat radiating from the mass of mutant creatures closing in around her.


    She had fought for hours, driven by instinct, by the growing hunger for strength.


    And now, she was surrounded.


    The creatures were varied¡ªmutant hounds, centipedes with razor-sharp mandibles clicking hungrily, spiders, rats, even mutated wild animals.


    Fiona exhaled through her nose, lowering her body slightly. Her claws dug into the cracked earth beneath her as her tail flicked behind her. She wasn''t afraid. No, she welcomed the challenge.


    Her instincts screamed at her to do one thing: to fight. And that, she would do.


    The first creature, a monstrous hound, lunged at her, with its elongated jaws snapping toward her throat.


    Fiona moved with a blur of silver.


    She twisted her body, sidestepping the attack and countering with a vicious swipe of her claws. The hound barely had time to yelp before its throat was torn open, and its blood spraying across the ground.


    Another enemy took its place almost instantly.


    A mutant centipede launched itself at her, its serrated mandibles aimed for her hind legs.


    Fiona jumped, and with shocking flexibility, twisting midair as she lashed out with her claws, and shockingly severing its head from its writhing body in one fluid motion. Sear?h the N?vel(F)ire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    The moment her paws touched the ground, three more monsters rushed her.


    Her muscles burned. She had been fighting nonstop for hours now, her stamina waning. But she knew that can''t afford to stop.


    With a fierce snarl, she surged forward, meeting the onslaught head-on. But they just kept coming.

 Chapter 105 A Monster Right In His Backyard

    Leo lay on his bed, his body heavy with exhaustion, but his mind far too restless to allow him any peace.


    The past few days had been brutal¡ªfighting, killing, and pushing himself beyond his limits to complete the first requirement for his evolution.


    His knuckles still ached, the bandages wrapped tightly around his hands a stark reminder of the relentless battles he had endured.


    Yet, despite the pain, there was satisfaction. He had grown stronger. The progress he had made was undeniable. His hand-to-hand combat had improved, his instincts had sharpened, and he could feel himself... moving closer to something greater.


    He was very curious as to the sheer amount of life force he had stored. He knew that once it''s allocated after his evolution, he would skyrocket in strength.


    But even as he thought of his own growth, his mind drifted to Fiona.


    She was out there. Somewhere.


    Leo knew she was strong. Perhaps, one of the strongest creatures he had ever seen, but that didn''t ease the unease gnawing at him.


    He hated not knowing.


    If he had no clue where she was, how could he be sure she was safe?


    If it weren''t for the fact that he had seen her level reach 20, confirming that she was trying to meet her own evolution requirements, he would still be searching for her.


    And he would have gone to any length to find her.


    But he couldn''t.


    Whatever she was going through, he knew she had to do it alone. Sear?h the nov§×lF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "I hope I don''t lose her¡­" Leo muttered to himself, his voice barely above a whisper and his fingers clenched into fists.


    "She should escape and come back home if she finds herself in a difficult situation."


    The thought of losing another companion brought old memories bubbling to the surface¡ªmemories he had buried deep.


    The orphanage.


    For the first time since the apocalypse began, Leo remembered.


    The faces of the other children, the warm voices of the caretakers. The laughter, the games, the rare moments of peace in a world that had never given him much.


    Had he really forgotten all of that?


    He hated that it had taken him so long to remember.


    The moment the apocalypse began, his world had shifted entirely. He had fought, struggled, and survived so relentlessly that he hadn''t even spared a thought for the place he once called home.


    His stomach twisted.


    Were they still alive?


    He knew the chances were slim¡ªno, almost impossible.


    The first day of the apocalypse had been hell on earth. If he, a fully capable and incapable fighter, had struggled to make it through the chaos, how could an orphanage full of children have survived?


    Still¡­


    He had to go back.


    After he evolved¡ªafter he gained the strength he needed¡ªhe would go and see for himself.


    Even if it was just to confirm what he already feared.


    A long sigh escaped his lips, and he rubbed his face, trying to push the heavy thoughts away.


    Then¡ª


    "Hey. What''s making you sigh so much?"


    Tatiana''s familiar voice rang out through the quiet room.


    Leo''s heart nearly jumped out of his chest as he sat up abruptly. He hadn''t even noticed her arrival.


    Standing near his window, as if she had been there the entire time, was Tatiana.


    She was dressed in a more casual outfit than usual¡ªa dark, flowing blouse tucked into form-fitting black pants.


    Her crimson eyes gleamed with mild amusement as she watched him.


    Leo exhaled sharply, placing a hand over his chest.


    "You need to stop doing that."


    Tatiana smirked. "Doing what?"


    "Appearing out of nowhere like a damn ghost."


    She laughed, walking towards the sofa in the corner of his room before sinking into it gracefully.


    "I sensed something was wrong and decided to check up on you," she said, crossing her legs.


    Leo chuckled, shaking his head. "The great Tatiana von Carstein is worried about me? That''s a first."


    Tatiana rolled her eyes, but there was a faint smile on her lips.


    "I have to worry about you. We''re allies now, remember? And you guys are important to me."


    Then, her gaze softened slightly.


    "You especially."


    Leo blinked, caught off guard by the sincerity in her voice.


    But before he could think too much about it, Tatiana''s expression changed, her usual playful smirk returning.


    "Anyway, what''s got you so deep in thought?" she asked, tilting her head.


    Leo hesitated for a moment before sighing.


    "I need your help with something."


    Tatiana raised an eyebrow, intrigued. "Oh?"


    "Can you help me locate an Evolved Rank mutant? I need to tackle my second evolution requirement."


    Tatiana''s lips curved into a sly grin.


    "Is that all? No heartfelt confessions? No deep questions about the meaning of life?"


    Leo rolled his eyes. "Just the location of an Evolved Rank monster."


    Tatiana pretended to look disappointed. "How boring."


    Then, she leaned forward, resting her elbow on her knee, her chin on her palm.


    "You''re sure that''s all?"


    "Yeah. Unless you''ve got something else for me?"


    Tatiana was silent for a beat before she smirked.


    "No. Just curious."


    In truth, she had expected him to ask about Fiona. She had information about her. She knew exactly where the wolf had gone.


    But since he didn''t ask, she won''t tell him. At least, not yet.


    She was aware that if he knew what Fiona was going through, he would drop everything and go after her, and that wasn''t an option.


    He needed to focus on his own evolution, because in the grand scheme of things, his strength was more important right now.


    "Well," Tatiana finally said, stretching. "You''re in luck. I know exactly where two Evolved Rank monsters are."


    Leo''s eyes narrowed. "Two?"


    Tatiana nodded. "One is the giant black lizard that appeared during your fight with that rat a while ago. The other is..."


    She paused for dramatic effect.


    "A tree."


    Leo blinked. "A¡­ tree?"


    Tatiana smirked. "Not just any tree. A very territorial one."


    A sense of dread settled in Leo''s stomach as he realized what she was talking about.


    "The giant, lush green tree¡­ the one surrounded by dead land?"


    Tatiana nodded. "That''s the one."

 Chapter 106 Fionas Situation

    Leo frowned deeply. He had noticed that tree before but hadn''t thought much of it at the time.


    "You''re telling me that thing is an Evolved Rank monster?"


    Tatiana''s expression darkened slightly. "Yes. And if you don''t handle it soon, it''ll become a bigger problem than you can deal with."


    Leo''s eyes narrowed. "How bad?"


    Tatiana exhaled.


    "Bad enough that if it grows any stronger, you''ll have to abandon this base. Because at that point, only an off-worlder will be able to take it down."


    Leo tensed.


    That was not what he wanted to hear.


    His home¡ªtheir base¡ªwas dangerously close to that tree.


    If it was becoming a threat, then that meant he had no choice.


    "I guess that means I know what I''m fighting next," Leo muttered.


    Tatiana smiled. "Good choice. You kill it now, you won''t have to deal with it later."


    Leo clenched his fists. The next step in his evolution had been decided.


    Tomorrow, he would face the Evolved Rank monster living in his backyard.


    The battlefield was drenched in blood and Fiona stood in the center of it all.


    Her silver fur now matted with crimson streaks and her sides heaved with each ragged breath. Her muscles were screaming in protest but she still stood strong.


    Around her, the bodies of fallen beasts lay in twisted heaps¡ªmutant hounds with their throats torn out, monstrous centipedes split in half, grotesque rats whose flesh had been ripped away. But despite the carnage, more creatures still surrounded her.


    Their hunger hadn''t waned and her fight wasn''t over.


    Fiona''s body ached. Blood seeped from multiple gashes along her legs and torso, her once-flawless coat now marred by deep wounds.


    Her vision blurred slightly, exhaustion creeping in like a slow poison, but she forced herself to remain focused.


    She had fought for what felt like hours, tearing through the seemingly endless horde of monsters that had converged upon her the moment she stepped into their territory.


    Now, she was trapped.


    Her instincts told her that she was being pushed to the very edge of her limits, but she refused to fall.


    The pack of creatures before her had learned.


    They no longer lunged mindlessly, no longer charged into her claws like the beasts before them. They had begun coordinating, waiting for her to make a mistake .


    Fiona growled lowly, her ears flicking as she calculated her next move. She couldn''t allow them to overwhelm her completely.


    The ground beneath her was cracked and filled with blood, filling the air with the thick smell of the crimson matter.


    The once-standing buildings around her had been reduced to rubble, shattered by the sheer force of her battle.


    The devastation was massive to say the least, as it was caused by dozens of monsters level 15 and above.


    Chunks of concrete and debris lay scattered, some stained with the remains of creatures that had been slammed into them with bone-shattering force.


    The soil beneath her paws was torn up, uneven from where her claws had ripped through flesh and stone alike.


    And yet, her enemies kept coming.


    A massive mutant boar, easily twice her size, pawed at the ground a few feet away. Its thick, reddish-black hide looks like armor plating, its eyes glowing with primal rage.


    To her right, a serpentine beast, its elongated body covered in spiny protrusions, coiled in anticipation, waiting for the perfect opportunity to strike.


    Behind her, several mutant hounds prowled, their jagged teeth bared, their bodies twitching as they prepared to lunge at her throat the moment she faltered.


    Fiona lowered her body, her claws digging into the dirt. Her limbs shook, her stamina drained beyond anything she had ever experienced before.


    The fight had gone on for too long.


    She had reached her limit but there was no retreat.


    The boar charged first, with the ground trembling beneath its massive weight as it surged forward with terrifying speed.


    Fiona reacted on instinct, dodging at the last possible second, her claws swiping across its exposed flank. A deep gash opened, but the creature didn''t even slow down, its sheer bulk barreling into a nearby structure, collapsing it into rubble.


    But she didn''t have time to react as the serpentine beast struck next.


    Its long body lashed toward her like a whip, the razor-sharp spines along its back grazing her side, leaving behind a trail of fresh crimson wounds.


    Fiona snarled in pain, retaliating immediately with a powerful bite to its throat.


    Her fangs sank deep, but before she could tear it apart, the hounds lunged.


    Pain flared through her hind leg as one of them sank its fangs into her flesh, dragging her down.


    Another latched onto her shoulder, its powerful jaws clamping down, trying to pin her in place.


    A third leapt for her exposed throat¡ª


    With a furious snarl, Fiona jerked her entire body, slamming the hound on her shoulder into the serpentine beast''s spiny back.


    The creature let out an agonized screech, its sharp protrusions tearing through the hound''s hide.


    She then spun midair, twisting her body in a way that allowed her to crush the hound on her leg with a forceful stomp.


    The sound of bones shattering echoed through the battlefield.


    But the remaining enemies didn''t hesitate.


    The boar had regained its balance, its wounds only fueling its rage as it roared.


    The mutant hounds, despite their fallen brethren, showed no fear .


    The serpentine beast, though injured, coiled itself once more, preparing another strike. S§×ar?h the Nov§×l?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Fiona''s chest heaved and her vision swam.


    Her limbs felt like lead and she could barely move.


    Her breath came out in slow, ragged gasps, her body refusing to keep up with her will to fight.


    Her instincts screamed at her, telling her that she had reached her breaking point .


    She couldn''t go on. And for the first time in this battle, doubt crept into her mind .


    Was this it?


    Was this where she fell?


    Her ears flicked at the distant sound of the creatures growling, advancing toward her.


    The fight wasn''t over but she was at her limit, and for the first time, she couldn''t see a way forward.


    The monsters moved in and Fiona couldn''t stop them.

 Chapter 107 Fiona Begins Her Evolution

    Fiona''s breaths came in ragged bursts, with her vision swimming as she struggled to stay up on her feet.


    The battlefield was a graveyard of broken bodies and shattered bones, and yet despite the carnage she had caused, the fight was far from over.


    Her silver fur that once sleek and pristine, was now drenched in blood with some of it hers, but most of it belonged to the countless creatures she had torn apart in this relentless battle.


    Her muscles screamed with every step she took, and every little movement sent sharp jolts of pain through her body.


    Deep gashes lined her legs, her shoulders bore deep bite wounds, and her left ear had a fresh tear from where a hound had nearly ripped it off, while trying to bite off her neck. Sear?h the Nov§×l?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    But despite the injuries, despite the exhaustion, she still stood strong. Even with how she was surrounded.


    The enemy forces had thinned out significantly, but what remained were the most dangerous ones.


    The massive mutant boar with its thick hide that formed an armor-like plating over its body, snorted thick clouds of hot air from its flared nostrils.


    The serpentine beast with its spiny ridges and piercing, calculating eyes, coiled like a noose waiting to strike.


    The mutant hounds, snarling as they paced in perfect unison, their eyes gleaming with the hunger of creatures who knew their prey was on the verge of collapse.


    Fiona exhaled through her nose, lowering her body into a defensive stance, claws digging deep into the dirt.


    Her mind was racing. She knew that she was at her limit and if she tried to take them all on at once, she would fall.


    She needed a way out.


    From the looks of it, the mutant boar was the biggest threat. It had already taken multiple deep slashes, yet it still stood strong. Every time she tried to wound it, its thick hide absorbed most of the damage.


    She knew she needed to take it out first.


    Fiona''s ears flicked as she assessed her surroundings. The ruins around her were crumbling, debris littering the battlefield. Large chunks of collapsed buildings, jagged metal rods protruding from the ground.


    She could use this.


    The boar pawed the ground, its massive hooves cracking the pavement beneath it. It was preparing to charge.


    Perfect.


    Fiona lowered her stance further, letting her body tremble slightly¡ªan intentional feint, making herself appear weaker than she actually was.


    The boar took the bait.


    With an enraged snort, it surged forward, its massive bulk shaking the ground as it barreled straight for her.


    Fiona held her position, forcing her legs to stay steady even as every instinct screamed at her to move.


    Wait. She thought to herself.


    The boar closed the distance, tusks gleaming as it aimed for her torso, ready to gore her completely.


    Wait.


    The moment the beast lunged, Fiona shifted at the last second.


    She twisted her body sideways, narrowly avoiding the deadly tusks as the wind pressure from the charge whipped past her.


    Instead of retreating, she turned toward the nearest ruined structure¡ªan unstable, half-collapsed building.


    The boar, unable to stop its momentum, slammed into the crumbling foundation at full speed.


    The impact sent a deafening crack through the air.


    The weakened structure couldn''t hold and with a low, earth-shaking groan, the entire section of the building came crashing down.


    The mutant boar let out a shocked grunt before being buried beneath tons of falling debris. It tried to escape but it was too slow.


    Dust and rubble exploded into the air, filling the battlefield with a thick, blinding cloud.


    Fiona staggered backward, panting hard.


    One down.


    But there was no time to celebrate.


    The moment she turned, the serpentine beast struck. Its long, spiny body lashed toward her with terrifying speed.


    She tried to dodge, but her exhaustion slowed her just enough for its tail to slam into her side.


    The impact sent her flying, her body crashing against the remains of an overturned vehicle.


    White-hot searing pain flared across her ribs.


    She barely had time to recover before the creature lunged again, its fanged jaws snapping inches from her throat.


    Fiona twisted midair, slashing out with her claws. She caught the beast across the eye, and it let out a shriek, recoiling in pain.


    She hit the ground hard, her legs shaking as she forced herself up.


    Her lungs burned and her vision swam. She couldn''t take much more of this.


    The mutant hounds saw their opportunity.


    They closed in, their snarls low and hungry.


    Fiona knew if they surrounded her and pinned her, it was over. She had to act now.


    Gritting her teeth, she lunged toward the injured serpentine beast. Instead of attacking it, she used it as a weapon.


    With a burst of speed she didn''t know she had left, she clamped her jaws around its already-injured neck and twisted.


    The creature screeched, thrashing wildly.


    Then, with a sudden jerk of her body, Fiona flung the wounded serpent toward the incoming hounds.


    The massive body crashed into them, sending them tumbling in a heap of tangled limbs and screeches.


    Two of them were crushed instantly under the weight.


    The others scrambled to recover, but Fiona didn''t wait as she made her move.


    Her claws found the throat of the nearest hound before it could rise.


    A swift, precise and powerful bone crushing bite ended its struggle.


    Another hound lunged at her side.


    Fiona twisted, using the remaining debris as cover.


    She feinted left, then sprang right, her claws ripping into its exposed flank before it could react.


    The beast let out a strangled cry before collapsing.


    Only one remained.


    The last hound hesitated, its body tense, uncertain.


    Fiona stood before it, her entire body trembling from exertion, her fur matted with blood.


    But her golden eyes still burned with fury.


    She let out a low, rumbling growl.


    A warning.


    The hound¡ªinjured, winded, and now alone¡ªrecognized what the others had failed to see.


    It immediately turned and fled, disappearing into the ruins.


    The battlefield fell silent.


    Fiona remained still, her chest rising and falling in slow, heavy gasps.


    She had done it. She had survived but at a significant cost.


    Her legs buckled as the moment the adrenaline left her body, the exhaustion hit her all at once.


    She collapsed onto the cold, bloodstained ground, barely able to keep her eyes open.


    Her body refused to move. She had been fighting from the early hours of the morning and the moon was already high up in the sky.


    She wanted to immediately make her way back home to Leo and her pack mates, but she had not even a trickle of stamina left.


    Her vision blurred and she felt herself slowly losing consciousness. But just as she closed her eyes, a massive amount of energy erupted from her body, enveloping her.


    She had met her evolution requirements, and her evolution into the Evolved Rank had begun.

 Chapter 108 The Ordinary-looking Tree

    Early the next morning, after he was done with what he had to do and has made his preparations, Leo went downstairs to check if Fiona was back.


    Unfortunately, when he got to the ground floor, Fiona wasn''t in sight and there was no sigh that she came back the previous night as he stayed up late, waiting for her.


    He decided to use the [Beasmaster''s Bond] panel to check up on her.


    The next moment, Leo''s eyes widened in shock and his jaw dropped, as he read what was being displayed on the panel.


    [Name: Fiona]


    [Species: Mutant Wolf]


    [Level: 24 (Evolved Rank)]


    [Abilities: Enhanced Agility, Enhanced Senses, Bone Claw, Regeneration.]


    ....


    "Wow..." Leo laughed in disbelief.


    This was all Leo could say. He couldn''t believe what he was seeing. He didn''t even know how to begin to process it but he felt something bubbling up from within him.


    Pride. Yes, he felt very proud of Fiona and of her achievement.


    When he realised that she left because she was probably trying to complete her evolution requirements, he was confident that she would be able to survive whatever it is she has to go through.


    But what he didn''t expect was that she would actually complete her evolution requirements in just a single day. He was completely at a lose of words but he was equally proud.


    Realising something, he brought up his evolution requirements to check something.


    [Evolution Requirements for Warden]


    [Defeat enemies without using skill or weapon. (100/100)]


    [Defeat An Evolved Rank creature.]


    [Raise Your beast companion to the Evolved Rank. (Completed)]


    [Defeat An Off-worlder.]


    ..... S§×ar?h the N?vel(F)ire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "Yes! It counted!" Leo exclaimed in excitement.


    Who knew that he would be able to complete his second evolution requirement without even doing anything.


    Leo was extremely happy. If Fiona was right in front of him, he would had hugged her tightly.


    "Now, I only have two more evolution requirements to complete," Leo smiled, nodding in satisfaction.


    He turned to leave for the location of the tree but before that, he looked into the distance, wanting to see if he will catch a glimpse of Fiona. But as far as his eyes could see, there was no sign of her.


    "Come home soon and safe, Fiona. You have done more than enough." Leo smiled, as he started making his way to the tree.


    .....


    Leo stood at a distance, observing a lush green, ordinary-looking tree at the distance.


    Who would had thought that such a inconspicuous tree was an Evolved Rank entity and quite a high ranked one at that.


    Naturally one would had taken the dead land around it as a clue that something was off but it still wasn''t enough to tell one how strong the tree is. It wasn''t enough to tell one that it''s an extremely dangerous entity.


    Leo observed the tree a bit more before deciding to take action. He had been standing just outside of the dead area surrounding the tree, which means that he''s out of its attack.


    He believes this is the reason why he hasn''t been attacked yet. Or maybe it''s because the tree can''t attack him. He remembered that the last time he was here, he got very close to the tree and touched it''s bark, and yet, nothing happened.


    Then again, he felt that the reason fur that was probably because the tree was weak then. But who knows?


    All he knew was that it the tree hasn''t noticed him yet, it will when he steps into the dead area.


    With a smile, he raised one of his leg and slowly placed it in the dead zone he waited for a while but nothing happened. He decided to put his other leg in when he saw this and yet, nothing happened.


    He was surprised when he saw this but he knew that he can''t never put his guard down. He gripped Nightshade tightly as he slowly approached the tree.


    He would had loved to go hand-to-hand combat with the tree but with how much stronger than him it is, he can''t risk his life unnecessarily.


    Leo had walked a couple of steps and was now halfway to the tree. He took a couple more steps and the next moment, he heard a whooshing sound, followed by another and another.


    He felt the ground under him crack and give way, with multiple roots shooting out of it, towards him.


    Leo''s instincts screamed at him the moment the ground beneath him trembled. His grip on Nightshade tightened as massive roots shot up from the cracked earth like spears, lunging for him with terrifying speed.


    He barely had time to react before the first tendril-like root slammed toward him. He twisted his body, dodging just in time as it cracked the earth where he had stood mere moments ago.


    More followed¡ªfive, six, ten¡ªeach moving with eerie precision, seeking to impale or ensnare him.


    He leaped back, narrowly avoiding a thick root that attempted to coil around his ankle.


    "It knows I''m here now."


    Leo had suspected the tree wouldn''t stay dormant forever, but the sheer aggression of its response was more than he had anticipated.


    He had no doubt now¡ªthis thing wasn''t just a mindless plant. It was aware. And it was actively trying to kill him.


    Another root lashed out, coming at him from the side. He brought Nightshade up in a swift arc, slicing clean through it. A sickly, dark green liquid sprayed from the severed end, hissing as it hit the ground like acid.


    Leo didn''t have time to celebrate the successful strike. The tree retaliated instantly, three more roots shooting toward him.


    He ducked, rolling to the side as one of them grazed his shoulder, tearing through the fabric of his sleeve. A stinging sensation flared where the tip had nicked his skin, and he quickly realized these roots weren''t just blunt instruments¡ªthey were covered in tiny barbs, designed to tear flesh apart.


    He couldn''t afford to get caught.


    Pushing himself to his feet, he dashed forward, weaving between the assaulting roots as he closed the distance toward the tree''s massive trunk. He could already see the thick bark shifting, pulsating almost like it was breathing.


    The entire thing felt unnatural, an abomination of nature itself.


    Another barrage of thorn-covered vines shot toward him. He swung Nightshade in rapid succession, cutting through them, but more took their place almost instantly.


    Then the air around him suddenly became heavy.


    Leo barely had time to react before a fine golden mist seeped out from the tree''s branches. The moment he inhaled, his vision blurred, the edges of the world became distorted.

 Chapter 109 Evolved Rank Devourer Tree

    Spores.


    Leo had read about plants that use airborne toxins to weaken their prey, but experiencing it firsthand was another matter entirely¡ªespecially from an Evolved Rank plant.


    His movements became sluggish, his thoughts slower. His grip on Nightshade faltered for just a second.


    And that second nearly cost him.


    A massive root, thicker than his own torso, surged toward him. In his dazed state, he barely managed to twist his body, but it still clipped his side, sending him flying through the air.


    Leo crashed into the ground hard, the impact forcing the breath from his lungs. He rolled, gritting his teeth as pain radiated from his ribs.


    He forced himself up, shaking his head, trying to clear the fogginess from his mind. His vision was still blurry, but he couldn''t afford to stay down. He had to move.


    He reached into his pocket, pulling out a small cloth he had prepared earlier. He tied it around his nose and mouth, hoping it would filter out some of the spores.


    "Alright. Change of approach."


    He was aware that rushing in blindly won''t work. The tree''s defenses, its roots, were too fast, too adaptive. He needed to find a weakness.


    His eyes darted toward the massive trunk, noting the thicker, darker knots in the bark. That had to be its core, its weak point.


    If he could land a solid hit there, he might be able to deal serious damage.


    Leo was thinking of how to proceed with his plan when he felt a deep rumble vibrate through the ground as the tree shifted, its very presence becoming more oppressive.


    Then, without warning, the entire area beneath him sank.


    Leo''s eyes widened as the ground turned into a swirling pit of loose dirt¡ªquicksand.


    The tree was actively manipulating its terrain, trying to drag him down and immobilize him.


    He kicked off the ground, launching himself forward just as the earth below him collapsed into a pit.


    That was too close.


    He had no choice but to go on the offensive.


    Leo''s instincts screamed at him as he barely escaped the sinking ground beneath his feet.


    The earth had turned to a roiling pit of loose dirt, threatening to drag him under. He had fought countless monsters by now, but none of them had ever been able to control the terrain.


    He landed hard, his boots skidding against the cracked, lifeless earth just beyond the pit.


    Sweat dripped down his brow, his lungs burning from the residual spores still clinging to the air.


    Then, the tree shifted again.


    A deep, guttural creaking sound echoed through the dead zone, reverberating in his bones.


    The golden mist thickened, as it began to swirl in hypnotic patterns as new roots burst from the ground, faster than before.


    Leo barely had time to react before one of the thickest roots yet shot toward him like a battering ram.


    He twisted, throwing himself to the side, but it still clipped his shoulder, sending him tumbling across the cracked soil.


    Pain flared through his body as he hit the ground, rolling to a stop near the edge of another pitfall.


    He groaned, pushing himself to his feet. His vision swam for a second, the neurotoxin still lingering in his system. His limbs felt sluggish and his breaths came in shallow.


    He was running out of time.


    "This thing¡­ isn''t just strong. It''s intelligent," he muttered, tightening his grip on Nightshade.


    He knew that this wasn''t going to be a battle of brute force as he initially thought. He could see that the tree was adapting, reacting to his every move. He knew that he couldn''t rely on sheer strength alone. He had to think. And fast.


    Unfortunately for him, another wave of twisting vines lashed out from all directions, towards him.


    Leo dodged left, cutting through one tendril midair. The severed limb exploded into a spray of acidic sap, sizzling as it hit the ground.


    His heart pounded. If that had landed on him¡­


    Another root came from below, trying to wrap around his leg. He stomped down, breaking free just before it could fully tighten.


    A dozen more vines shot toward him, and Leo knew he couldn''t avoid them all.


    So he didn''t try.


    Instead, he activated [Seismic Stomp].


    With a sharp exhale, he slammed his foot into the ground, sending a shockwave rippling outward.


    The sheer force shattered the encroaching roots, breaking them apart before they could fully reach him.


    The ground trembled, cracks spreading outward. Dust and debris flew into the air as several of the tree''s limbs recoiled. Sear?h the Nov§×l?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    But the attack didn''t stop the monster.


    If anything, it seems to have made it even angrier.


    A deep, groaning sound resonated from the tree''s core, and suddenly, a massive trunk-like limb shot toward him from above.


    Leo''s eyes widened.


    It was too big to dodge.


    With no other option, he raised Nightshade and swung with all his might.


    The moment his blade connected with the massive root, a deafening crack split the air.


    The force of the impact sent a powerful shockwave through Leo''s arms, nearly rattling the sword from his grip.


    The root split¡­ but didn''t sever completely.


    Instead, it pulsed, the gash leaking a thick, golden sap that reeked of rot.


    Then, to his horror, the wounded limb regenerated almost instantly.


    Leo''s stomach dropped.


    "Of course it has regeneration," he muttered under his breath.


    The tree let out another groan, and before he could react, the root he had just cut slammed into him with full force.


    The world blurred as he was sent flying backward.


    He crashed hard into the ground, rolling several times before coming to a stop. His ribs ached. His arms felt like they were on fire.


    Blood dripped from the corner of his mouth.


    He had barely gotten back to his feet when the ground beneath him caved in again.


    This time, he couldn''t escape.


    The earth swallowed his legs up to his knees, locking him in place.


    His heart pounded as he struggled, but the more he moved, the deeper he sank. The soil hardened around him, trapping him completely.

 Chapter 110 Evolved Rank Devourer Tree (II)

    Above, the tree began gathering energy.


    Golden veins pulsed through its trunk, the same light gathering in its uppermost branches.


    Then, dozens of razor-sharp roots began twisting together, forming something massive.


    Leo''s eyes widened as he realized what was happening.


    It was about to launch its strongest attack.


    If he didn''t get out now, he was dead.


    Desperation surged through his veins. He gritted his teeth, reaching deep within himself, forcing his body to move despite the exhaustion.


    If strength alone wasn''t enough¡­ then maybe he needed to fight fire with fire.


    Leo immediately activated [Berserker''s Roar].


    A powerful shockwave of raw energy erupted from his body as he let out a deafening battle cry.


    The surrounding air shook. The very ground trembled beneath him.


    For a split second, the golden mist around him wavered, thinning out.


    The sudden burst of force loosened the soil around his legs, giving him just enough room to push off with everything he had.


    With a fierce yank, he broke free.


    The moment his feet hit the ground, he sprinted forward, straight toward the core of the tree.


    The monster reacted instantly, hurling its massive, condensed root attack straight at him.


    Leo didn''t stop.


    He raised Nightshade and charged.


    He knew that this was his last chance.


    It was all or nothing.


    And as the monstrous attack barreled toward him, he swung with every ounce of strength he had left.


    Nightshade met the incoming attack with a force that sent a shockwave through the air.


    The impact was deafening.


    For a fraction of a second, the world seemed to freeze.


    Then, the collision erupted.


    A violent burst of energy exploded outward, tearing through the surrounding ground, sending shards of bark and debris flying in all directions.


    Leo felt the force of it tear through his arms, the sheer power behind the attack rattling his bones.


    But he didn''t let go.


    He couldn''t.


    The tree pressed forward, its massive root attack still pushing against him, trying to overwhelm him completely.


    His feet dug into the earth, his muscles screaming in protest.


    He gritted his teeth, his grip tightening around Nightshade.


    He wasn''t going to lose. Not here. Not now.


    With a roar, he shifted his stance and pushed back.


    The root trembled¡ªcracks splintering across its massive surface.


    Then, with one final, desperate surge of strength, Leo drove his blade deeper.


    A sickening crack split through the battlefield as the massive root snapped in half.


    Leo barely had a second to breathe before the ground beneath him quaked violently.


    The tree screeched¡ªan unnatural, horrifying sound.


    The golden veins pulsing along its trunk flared like dying embers, flickering wildly.


    Leo knew what was happening.


    He had wounded it¡ªbadly.


    But it wasn''t dead yet.


    And it was about to retaliate with everything it had.


    The tree''s entire structure shifted, its branches contorting unnaturally.


    The golden mist thickened once more, forming dense clouds of toxin that rapidly spread across the battlefield.


    Leo staggered back, already feeling the numbing effect trying to creep into his body.


    His breath came in sharp gasps. His limbs felt heavier than before.


    The tree seems to have realised that it can''t win against Leo, so it was now preparing to take him down with it.


    Roots erupted from all sides¡ªjagged, spear-like limbs shooting toward him with terrifying speed.


    Leo dodged, weaving through the attacks with whatever little strength and stamina he had left. But he was slowing down.


    His movements weren''t as sharp as before. Same with his reflexes weren''t as fast.


    A root grazed his leg, slicing deep enough to tear through flesh.


    Another clipped his shoulder, sending fresh pain lancing through him.


    His vision swam. He knew that if he didn''t finish this now, he wouldn''t get another chance.


    Through the haze of battle, his gaze locked onto the tree''s pulsing core at the base of its trunk.


    That was it. That was the weak spot.


    It was flickering, the golden glow dimming. The tree was weakening¡ªbut it wouldn''t die easily.


    Leo tightened his grip on Nightshade.


    One final attack.That was all he had left in him.


    Leo forced himself forward, dodging through the onslaught of roots.


    One barely missed impaling his side.


    Another wrapped around his arm for a split second before he slashed it away, burning his flesh with its acidic sap.


    His breaths were ragged and his body was screaming, but he kept going.


    Closer.


    The core pulsed, sensing his approach and the tree reacted violently.


    A massive root slammed into the ground in front of him, blocking his path.


    But Leo didn''t slow down.


    Instead, he planted his foot on the thick root and used it as a springboard, launching himself into the air.


    He raised Nightshade high above his head.


    The tree''s branches screeched as they twisted toward him, trying to intercept him.


    But it was too late.


    With every ounce of power left in his body, Leo brought Nightshade down in a devastating arc.


    The blade struck the core.


    The moment it connected, the world seemed to implode.


    A deafening shockwave rippled through the battlefield, sending out a pulse of raw force that shattered nearby debris and sent dust flying into the air.


    The golden veins running through the tree''s trunk flared¡ªthen violently shattered.


    For a brief moment, everything went still.


    Then¡ª


    The tree let out a final screech¡ªa dying wail.


    Its massive form convulsed, its roots flailing wildly before collapsing in on themselves.


    The once-majestic branches withered in mere seconds, their vibrant golden hue fading into a sickly brown.


    The massive trunk split apart, cracking from the inside out.


    The ground beneath it trembled one last time¡ª


    And then it fell.


    With a thunderous crash, the entire tree collapsed into a heap of decayed wood, its lifeforce drained.


    Silence followed.


    Leo stood among the wreckage, his breath coming in slow, uneven gasps.


    His entire body trembled. His vision was swimming, but he was alive. S~ea??h the Nov§×l?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    And he had won.


    The system notification flared before his eyes but he didn''t have the strength to read its content.


    His body refused to move. The wreckage of the battlefield stretched before him, but all he could think about was¡­ sleep. He let out a slow, shuddering breath¡­ and everything faded to black.

 Chapter 111 Tatianas & Ves Worrys

    Boom! Boom! Boom!


    A deep, thunderous sound rumbled through the ruined city streets, shaking the very air around them. The echoes bounced off the shattered buildings, sending tremors through the cracked pavement.


    Ves, Mia, and Miguel came to an abrupt halt. The sound had come out of nowhere, and it was close. Too close.


    Mia was the first to break the silence, her voice laced with unease.


    "What the hell was that?"


    Miguel shifted uncomfortably, his fingers tightening around his axe. His eyes scanned the ruins ahead.


    "That¡­ didn''t sound normal. Could be a fight, maybe."


    Ves''s expression darkened. She turned her gaze toward the direction of the sound. It was coming from close to their base.


    "That''s¡­ coming from where we live," she muttered, her gut twisting.


    Mia''s eyes widened in realization.


    "Wait¡­ didn''t Leo go out today?"


    She turned to Ves, her voice rising slightly.


    "Is it possible that he''s¡ª?"


    Ves didn''t let her finish. The mere suggestion was enough to make her tense.


    Her mind raced. If it was Leo, was he in danger? Had something happened? Had he gone and picked another fight with something beyond his strength?


    She clenched her fists. If he did, she was going to kill him herself.


    "You guys go on ahead. I''ll check it out," Ves said abruptly, already stepping forward.


    Miguel frowned. "Alone? Isn''t it better if we all go together?"


    Mia nodded. "Yeah, Ves. What if something happens? We should go with you."


    Ves shook her head. "No. If it''s Leo, I''ll handle it. If it''s something else, I don''t want to risk all of us running into trouble."


    Mia looked unconvinced. "You sure?"


    "Yes." Ves turned toward the source of the sound, her body tense, ready to move. "I¡ª"


    She stopped as she noticed something strange.


    A presence had suddenly appeared.


    Not walking up to them. Not stepping out of the ruins.


    Just¡­ appearing. S§×arch* The nov§×lF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    The air around them shifted, as if reality itself had warped for a split second. Then, standing right in front of them, as if she had been there all along, was a woman.


    Tall. Pale. Beautiful¡ªbut unnerving.


    Long, silver hair cascaded down her back, and her sharp crimson eyes gleamed with an unnatural light.


    She was clad in a form-fitting, dark military-style coat, embroidered with intricate patterns that seemed to shift under the dim light.


    And she was watching them.


    Mia took a sharp step back, her hands already gripping her daggers. Miguel''s axe was half-raised.


    Ves, however, stared directly at the woman¡ªher entire body tensed, ready to move if needed.


    "Who the hell are you?" Ves demanded.


    Elda tilted her head slightly, amused.


    "That''s quite the hostile greeting."


    "That''s because you appeared out of nowhere," Mia shot back, her voice edged with suspicion.


    Miguel tightened his grip on his weapon.


    "If you''re looking for trouble¡ª"


    "I''m not," Elda cut in smoothly. She folded her arms behind her back, regarding them with mild curiosity.


    She wanted to tell them of her identity but decided not to when she saw their reaction.


    "I was merely observing the battlefield. And you three happened to be in the way."


    Ves narrowed her eyes. "Battlefield?"


    Elda''s smirk widened ever so slightly. She was finding the situation very interesting.


    "Yes," she said.


    "The cause of that loud noise you just heard? That was Leo."


    Ves felt her stomach drop.


    Mia gasped.


    "Leo?! What¡ª"


    "He''s alive," Elda interrupted before Mia could finish, though her tone turned almost¡­ amused.


    "Barely."


    Ves stepped forward immediately.


    "Take me to him."


    Elda''s gaze flickered toward her, and for a second, there was something unreadable in those crimson eyes.


    Then she smiled.


    "No."


    Ves''s patience snapped. "Listen, lady¡ª"


    "He''s unconscious," Elda said, her tone unbothered.


    "Taking you to him right now wouldn''t change that."


    Ves didn''t care. "You don''t understand," she snapped, her voice sharp. "I need to see him."


    Elda studied her for a moment before letting out a soft chuckle.


    "You care about him," she mused, tilting her head. "Interesting."


    Ves''s jaw clenched. "That''s not the point¡ª"


    Elda sighed dramatically. "Fine. If it means that much to you."


    Before Ves could say another word, the woman, Elda, vanished¡ªjust like that, as if she had never been there.


    But her voice lingered.


    "Follow me if you must."


    And with that, Ves moved.


    Mia and Miguel, still shocked by the encounter, had no choice but to follow her.


    .....


    The battlefield was eerily silent like a graveyard. Smoke and golden mist still lingered in the air, mixing with the scent of burnt wood, decay, and blood.


    The once towering behemoth, which had fought so viciously, now lay in lifeless fragments across the deadened land, its pulsing golden veins now nothing but dull, crumbling remains.


    Tatiana stepped forward, her boots pressing into the ashen ground, the remnants of the monstrous entity crunching beneath her.


    The entire battlefield bore the marks of a struggle beyond anything ordinary¡ªcracked earth, massive craters, and jagged gashes where roots had torn through stone and soil in their desperate last efforts to consume their enemy.


    And amidst it all, lying motionless at the base of the fallen tree, was him.


    Tatiana''s crimson eyes flickered toward Leo''s unconscious form, sprawled across the ruined battlefield.


    His body was battered¡ªcuts and bruises lined his arms, his torn shirt revealing deep gashes along his side.


    Blood stained the ground beneath him, soaking into the dirt. His sword, Nightshade, lay loosely at his side, its once gleaming blade now caked in sap and grime. His breath was shallow, barely noticeable.


    A strange tightness curled in Tatiana''s chest as she took in the sight of him.


    For a long moment, she simply stood there, staring.


    He had won. Alone. Against an enemy that should have been beyond him.


    A small, humorless chuckle escaped her lips. Of course, he did.


    He was reckless. Stubborn. A fool.


    And yet, despite herself, she felt proud.


    She has no idea why Leo keeps surprising her at every turn.


    Letting out a slow breath, she finally moved, kneeling beside him.


    Her gloved fingers hovered over his forehead, brushing against the sweat-matted strands of his hair.


    She hesitated for a fraction of a second before gently sweeping them aside, revealing his face.


    His jaw was bruised, a fresh cut running along his cheekbone. His expression, even in unconsciousness, was one of determination¡ªeven as he lay there, utterly spent, there was something unbreakable about him.


    Tatiana swallowed. What is this feeling?


    She had seen men on the brink of death before.


    But this¡­


    This was different.


    Her fingers brushed along his cheek for a fleeting second before she pulled back sharply, scowling at herself.


    With a soft sigh, she slipped her arms under him and lifted him effortlessly. He was heavier than he looked, his body solid with muscle, but to her, it was nothing.


    "Let''s get you cleaned up," she murmured, her voice softer than she intended.


    And then, in the blink of an eye, she vanished into the thin air, carrying him away.

 Chapter 112 Tatianas & Ves Worrys (II)

    Tatiana appeared in Leo''s and Ves'' apartment, with Leo still cradled in her arms.


    The air inside was warm, familiar, a stark contrast to the cold, lifeless battlefield she had just left behind.


    She moved swiftly, her movements graceful despite the weight of the man in her arms. She set him down carefully onto the couch, adjusting him so he wouldn''t put pressure on any of his deeper wounds.


    Then, for the first time, she allowed herself to pause as she stood there, watching him, her arms still faintly tingling where his warmth had been.


    He looked... different like this. Vulnerable, for once.


    No witty remarks. No stubborn bravado.


    Just Leo, unconscious and still.


    Tatiana clicked her tongue, shaking her head before kneeling beside him.


    "I don''t even know how or what to feel about you," she muttered under her breath.


    She immediately set to work, peeling off the ruined, bloodied remains of his shirt with careful hands, mindful of his injuries.


    The sight of his bruised, battered torso made something unpleasant twist in her stomach.


    She wasn''t used to this.


    She wasn''t used to caring.


    But for some reason, seeing him like this¡­ it didn''t sit well with her.


    Tatiana retrieved a clean cloth and a bowl of water from the kitchen. The moment the cool cloth pressed against his wounds, Leo stirred slightly, his body tensing.


    Tatiana froze.


    His lips parted, a small, barely audible sound escaping¡ªher name.


    "...Tatiana¡­?"


    She exhaled sharply, forcing herself to focus. She didn''t want him to wake up and find her like this, to find her taking care of him. She knew Leo and she knew that he would use it to tease for eternity if he wakes up.


    "Still causing trouble, even when you''re unconscious," she muttered, shaking her head as she continued tending to his wounds.


    She worked in silence, her movements careful and precise. Cleaning the dried blood, wiping away the grime, making sure each wound was properly bandaged.


    As she worked, she found herself watching him.


    The way his chest rose and fell steadily. The way his expression flickered slightly, as if lost in some dream or memory.


    And the way her own fingers lingered just a second too long against his skin before she realized what she was doing.


    Tatiana scowled, pushing herself back onto her feet.


    What is wrong with me?


    She had never felt like this before. This strange, tight sensation in her chest. This¡­ concern.


    It was annoying.


    With a soft sigh, she leaned against the wall, crossing her arms as she looked at him once more.


    "Just what are you doing to me, Leo?" she whispered.


    She stayed there for a long while, watching over him. And then, as silently as she had arrived, she disappeared into the night.


    .....


    The evening air carried a quiet stillness, interrupted only by the slow, steady rhythm of Leo''s breathing.


    Ves sat beside him, her fingers curled tightly in her lap.


    She had been there for hours, waiting¡ªwatching.


    Her heart had only just begun to slow, but the fear still lingered in the pit of her stomach. The moment she had found him, battered (bandaged), unconscious, and barely breathing (soundly asleep), something inside her had clenched so painfully, she had felt suffocated.


    She wanted to take the situation calmly after hearing what happened from Tatiana but deep down, she knew that no amount of warning would have prepared her for seeing him like that.


    Now, as she sat by his bedside, her breath hitched the moment he finally stirred.


    His fingers twitched, his brow furrowing slightly. A groggy exhale left his lips before his eyes fluttered open, hazy and unfocused.


    "...Ves?" His voice was hoarse, as if he had been asleep for years.


    Ves let out a breath she hadn''t realized she was holding. Thank god.


    Then¡ª


    Whack.


    She smacked him lightly on the arm.


    "You reckless idiot," she hissed, her voice sharp but shaking at the edges.


    "What the hell were you thinking?!"


    Leo blinked at her, still sluggish, as if his brain hadn''t caught up yet.


    "...What?"


    "You fought an Evolved Rank monster alone?! Do you have a death wish?!"


    Leo let out a weak chuckle, running a hand through his hair.


    "I won, didn''t I?"


    Ves smacked him again, harder this time.


    "That''s not the point!"


    Leo winced, rubbing his arm. "Ow¡ªokay, okay, I get it¡ª"


    "You don''t get it," Ves cut him off, her arms crossing tightly over her chest.


    "Do you have any idea how close you were to dying?!"


    Leo hesitated. He had been close. Too close. He knew that.


    But what caught him off guard wasn''t her words¡ªit was her expression.


    She looked... shaken.


    Not in the way someone was when they were simply upset. No, this was different.


    She had been scared.


    "You scared me, you know?" she muttered, looking away for a moment, as if she hated admitting it out loud.


    Leo''s teasing smirk faded as he took her in¡ªher stiff posture, her clenched hands, the way her lips pressed together tightly, as if she was trying to hold back something she didn''t want to say.


    The room was quiet for a long moment.


    Then¡ª


    "I didn''t mean to worry you," he said softly.


    Ves sighed, shaking her head.


    "...Just don''t do it again."


    Leo smirked. "No promises." S~ea??h the nov§×lF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    She glared, but the relief in her eyes betrayed her.


    "You''re impossible," she muttered under her breath, shaking her head.


    Leo grinned slightly, shifting in bed. "You still stuck around, though."


    "Yeah, because someone had to make sure you weren''t dead," she shot back.


    Silence stretched between them¡ªa different kind of silence now.


    Ves was still tense, but softer than before.


    And Leo?


    For the first time, he noticed the way the light from the lamp behind her caught the soft waves of her dark hair.


    The way her expression, even when irritated, was gentler than before.


    The way her eyes¡ªsharp, fierce, and endlessly blue¡ªheld something unspoken when she looked at him.


    It made something inside him twist.


    He opened his mouth to say something¡ªanything¡ªbut just then, his body protested.


    A sharp pain shot through his ribs, and he groaned, shifting slightly.


    Ves immediately leaned forward.


    "Hey, don''t move so much!"


    She reached out on instinct, grabbing his arm to steady him¡ª


    Only for Leo to move at the same time, causing her palm to press directly against his bare chest.


    Silence.


    A very awkward silence.


    Leo''s eyes flicked to her hand.


    Ves froze.


    Her fingers were pressed against the heat of his skin, right over where his heart was beating way too fast.


    Her eyes widened, her cheeks tinging a very faint shade of pink.


    Leo, still groggy and not quite sure how this had happened, let out the most awkward cough known to mankind.


    "...Uh¡ª"


    Ves snatched her hand back so fast it was like she had touched fire.


    "I¡ªyou¡ª" she started, words failing her.


    Leo, to save both of them from dying of embarrassment, cleared his throat loudly and looked away.


    "Right. Uh. Yeah. Let''s, uh¡­ pretend that didn''t happen?"


    Ves, still looking very much like she wanted to bury herself six feet under, quickly stood up.


    "Good idea," she muttered. "Great idea. Never happened."


    "Yep. Absolutely," Leo agreed way too quickly.


    Another long, painfully awkward silence.


    Then¡ª


    A low, familiar growl echoed from outside.


    Ves turned sharply toward the door, her brows furrowing. "Wait¡­ is that¡ª?"


    Before Leo could even react, he heard a familiar howl.


    "Fiona¡­"

 Chapter 113 Fionas Return

    Fiona''s paws pressed softly against the cracked pavement as she walked toward the residential building. The familiar scent of home filled her senses, mixing with the distant traces of the city''s decay. But she wasn''t alone.


    The moment she stepped into the vicinity, she felt the weight of familiar gazes locking onto her.


    The wolves.


    She kept moving, her steps unhurried. She had expected this.


    And just as she predicted, the door to the building creaked open. One by one, the pack stepped out, their eyes gleaming under the dim evening light.


    They didn''t rush to her.


    Instead, they walked toward her in a slow, measured pace, their bodies tense with curiosity.


    Fiona came to a halt, her golden eyes steady as the pack encircled her. Their noses twitched, their ears flicked as they took in her scent¡ªassessing, questioning, wondering.


    They knew she had left for something important.


    They knew she had refused their silent offer to follow.


    Now, they wanted answers.


    Fiona didn''t move. She let them do as they pleased, allowing them to take in everything they needed to.


    She understood their worry.


    And she would ease it.


    The moment passed, and then, one by one, the wolves took a step back. Their heads lowered slightly¡ªnot in submission, but in acknowledgment.


    She had changed. She had grown.


    And they knew it.


    Fiona lifted her head toward the sky and let out a long, deep howl.


    It was a sound of return, of completion, of strength.


    ¡­.


    He didn''t hesitate. The moment he heard the howl, he pushed himself up from the couch, ignoring the protests from his aching body. His heart pounded, his mind already racing.


    Fiona.


    He staggered slightly, but Ves was already beside him, steadying him with a firm grip.


    "Leo, wait¡ª" she was startled.


    Since after the mutant ape, it has been a while since Leo has been injured to this extent. Unlike last time, during the fight with the mutant ape, where his consciousness was taken into that dark space and after coming to,he found himself fully healed from the life threatening injuries, this is the first time that he''s facing the full brunt of a life threatening injury.


    But still, he''s holding strong as his innate skill, [Regeneration], has already taken care of most of the injuries.


    If it was someone else that suffered the amount of injuries he suffered in his fight against the Evolved Rank tree, they would still be unconscious. And that is if they somehow miraculously survive the fight.


    Leo slowly walked towards the window, with Ves supporting him. When he got to the window, he looked out the window of his room, catching a view of Fiona as she stood in the middle of a circle made by the wolf pack.


    He saw how their heads were lowered in respect, and he couldn''t help but smile.


    "She''s back," he said with a laugh.


    Ves glanced at him, her worry still evident, but she said nothing. She knew that she wouldn''t be able to stop him from going down to see Fiona in his condition.


    She helped him move, guiding him out of the room and toward the elevator, her grip steady even as he leaned heavily on her.


    Step by step, they made their way down to the ground floor of the building.


    ¡­..


    The elevator doors slid open, revealing the open space of the ground floor.


    Fiona was already there, standing with the wolves lined up behind her.


    Leo''s breath was caught in his throat when he saw her standing there. He has lived the past two days worried about her and how she was doing.


    Even after he woke up this morning and saw through the [Beasmaster''s Bond] panel that she was already at the Evolved Rank, he was still worried.


    His thoughts couldn''t help but go back to the day he tamed her. Who knew that they would grow so close in such a short amount of time, and he would start worrying about her.


    Leo continued to stare at her and for a moment, the entire world slowed to a stop.


    Everything else faded¡ªthe faint sound of the city, even Ves''s presence beside him.


    It was just the two of them.


    Leo and Fiona.


    Their eyes met, and in that moment, no words were needed, as their eyes alone told each other everything.


    In Fiona''s golden gaze, Leo saw everything¡ªher struggles, her triumphs, the battles she had fought to stand where she was now.


    And in his own, she saw what he wouldn''t say out loud¡ªthe worry, the pride, the deep, unspoken relief that she had returned.


    A thousand words passed between them, yet neither of them spoke.


    Then¡ª


    Fiona moved.


    Slowly, deliberately, she stepped forward, closing the distance between them with measured grace.


    Leo bent down slowly and spread open his arms.


    Fiona reached him, her eyes never leaving his.


    And then, with a soft huff, she snuggled her body into his waiting arms.


    Leo''s breath left him in a shaky exhale as he wrapped his arms around her, burying his fingers into the thick fur along her neck.


    She was warm. Solid. Real.


    A soft, contented growl rumbled in her chest, and he felt it against his ribs, steady and reassuring.


    "You''re back," he whispered, his voice barely audible.


    Fiona didn''t respond, but she didn''t need to. The weight of her presence was enough.


    For a long time, they just stood there.


    The wolves remained silent, watching their leader embrace the one she had chosen.


    Even Ves, Mia, and Miguel¡ªwho had followed behind them¡ªstayed quiet, sensing the moment wasn''t theirs to interrupt.


    Leo finally pulled back slightly, just enough to look at her properly.


    His hands moved over her, checking for injuries, searching for anything different.


    No physical changes. No unnatural shifts in form.


    She was still Fiona.


    And yet¡ªshe wasn''t.


    He could feel it. The strength beneath her skin, the raw power just beneath the surface of her skin, coursing through her body like an ocean current.


    She had evolved and grown stronger.


    Leo let out a small, breathless laugh, shaking his head.


    "You''ve really outdone yourself, haven''t you?" he murmured.


    Fiona flicked her ear, nudging his side in response.


    Leo grinned, running a hand through her fur.


    "I''m proud of you," he said, his voice filled with nothing but sincerity.


    Fiona let out a soft exhale, her tail flickering behind her, slightly, as she snuggled into his arms.


    She understood what he had said. Sear?h the ¦ÇovelFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Leo exhaled deeply, his exhaustion finally settling in now that his emotions weren''t running high.


    But despite everything¡ªthe pain, the fatigue¡ªhe felt lighter.


    She was home.


    Leo let out a small chuckle, rubbing behind her ears.


    Ves stepped forward, her sharp eyes scanning Fiona for any changes.


    "She didn''t change much physically," she observed.


    Leo nodded.


    "Yeah, I noticed that too."


    Ves tilted her head slightly.


    "You expected her to?"


    "Not really, but I wasn''t sure." Leo shrugged.


    "I actually did expected some sort of physical changes but it seems there will be no physical changes."


    Ves nodded, turning to look at Fiona again.


    "Still¡­ it''s impressive."


    Mia grinned. "She really looks like a queen with the way the other wolves treat her."


    Miguel chuckled. "She kinda is."


    Leo smirked. "Yeah. And she knows it."


    Fiona flicked her ear in amusement, lifting her head slightly, as if embracing the title.


    Leo shook his head.


    "Alright. I think we''ve had enough dramatics for one day."


    Ves shot him a look.


    "Says the guy who nearly got himself killed."


    Leo raised a finger.


    "Hey, I did kill that thing. It just took a little extra effort."


    "A little?" Ves scoffed. "You were out for hours."


    Leo grinned. "And yet, I''m still alive."


    Mia shook her head with a laugh.


    "You two should get a room."


    Leo and Ves both shot her a glare at the same time.


    Mia smirked. "See? Perfect match."


    Miguel sighed. "Mia, now''s not the time."


    Leo groaned, rubbing his temple.


    "Let''s focus on what matters. Fiona is back and her strength is going to be an asset to us."


    Ves nodded in agreement.


    Leo gave her a knowing look.


    "See? You do care."


    Ves rolled her eyes. "Shut up."


    Leo laughed.


    The tension had finally eased.

 Chapter 114 An Unexpected Visitor

    Leo and his team slept soundly through the night, the tension that had gripped him for days finally lifting. With Fiona back and the wolves keeping watch as always, there was nothing to fear.


    For the first time in days, he didn''t wake up in the middle of the night, his mind restless and full of worry. The gnawing unease that had accompanied Fiona''s absence had finally disappeared.


    Now, he could breathe.


    As the first light of morning filtered through the broken blinds, Leo stirred. He shifted slightly, groaning softly at the lingering aches in his body.


    The fight with the tree had left him battered, and even though his [Regeneration] skill had done most of the work, he still felt sore all over.


    It was the kind of exhaustion that clung to his bones.


    He was just about to stretch when he noticed something.


    Someone was watching him.


    His instincts kicked in, and his muscles tensed as his eyes shot open.


    And there she was.


    Tatiana.


    Standing beside his bed with a smirk on her lips.


    Leo let out a long, suffering sigh and ran a hand down his face.


    "Tatiana¡­ on this world, we have something called privacy. You can just knock on my door, and if I''m awake, I''ll let you in."


    Tatiana''s smirk only widened. "Privacy?" she echoed, as if the concept itself was laughable.


    She took a step closer, tilting her head.


    "You lost your privacy the moment the Off-worlders started arriving."


    Leo frowned. "What''s that supposed to mean?"


    Tatiana chuckled. "It means you can be seen right now through these walls. You can be heard from miles away. Even if you whisper, there''s an Off-worlder out there who will hear every word."


    She crossed her arms, eyes glinting with amusement.


    "So, do you really think you still have privacy?"


    Leo exhaled through his nose, the weight of her words settling in.


    The Off-worlders weren''t just stronger. They had abilities beyond what he could comprehend. If they could track him that easily, then¡­


    His mind immediately went to his final evolution requirement.


    His stomach twisted.


    "Now, I''m really worried about how I''m going to complete the last requirement," he muttered. "With all these advantages, beating an Off-worlder is going to be near impossible."


    Tatiana''s smirk didn''t fade. In fact, it widened.


    "Indeed, it''s going to be," she said. "But no need to worry. That''s why I''m here."


    Leo narrowed his eyes. "You''re planning something."


    Tatiana gave a mock gasp. "Me? Planning something? Perish the thought."


    Leo''s expression remained flat. "Tatiana."


    She chuckled. "Fine, fine. I have an idea on how you''re going to defeat an Off-worlder, but first, you need training. And for that¡ª"


    Her eyes gleamed with something almost sinister.


    "Elda will be your trainer."


    Leo tensed slightly at the name.


    Elda. Her bodyguard?


    Leo felt that this was going to be worst than fighting the Evolved Rank tree.


    Tatiana continued, "But before you ask¡ªnot now. First, you need to heal completely. That fight with the tree left you closer to death than you think. You wouldn''t last an hour in real training."


    Leo didn''t argue. His body still ached like hell. He wasn''t about to rush into another fight when he could barely stand without wincing.


    Tatiana seemed satisfied with his silence.


    "Well then, that''s all I came for," she said, brushing imaginary dust off her sleeve. "See you later, Leo."


    With that, she vanished, leaving Leo alone in his room once more.


    He stared at the spot where she had been.


    She was up to something. He knew it.


    But for now, he had to focus on recovering.


    Leo pushed himself up and stretched, wincing slightly at the stiffness in his muscles. Even if he wasn''t going anywhere today, he refused to just lie in bed like some fragile invalid.


    An hour passed.


    Everyone else had left the building to continue training, and even Fiona was gone again, out leveling up with the wolves.


    The apartment was quiet.


    Leo sat near the window, enjoying the silence.


    And the next moment, he felt a chill ran down his spine.


    A presence.


    Not Tatiana''s. Not anyone that he was familiar with.


    Something else.


    His instincts screamed at him.


    Leo didn''t move. He didn''t turn. But he knew.


    He wasn''t alone in the room anymore.


    He inhaled slowly. "Are you going to introduce yourself, or are you just going to keep standing there?"


    A voice¡ªsmooth, lilting, amused.


    "Clever."


    Leo turned his head slightly¡ªand his breath caught. sea??h th§× ¦Çov§×lFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    A woman stood near the far side of the room, near the door.


    Tall. Elegant. Ethereal.


    She had long, silvery-white hair that cascaded like flowing silk, and piercing violet eyes that seemed to glow faintly in the dim light.


    She was dressed in a long, flowing white and green dress, its delicate fabric shifting slightly despite the lack of wind.


    But the most prominent part of her was her long, pointy ears and green eyes.


    Elf?


    Leo thought to himself.


    She smiled slightly. "I was wondering when you''d notice me."


    Leo''s fingers twitched. He didn''t reach for Nightshade¡ªnot yet¡ªbut he was on edge.


    "Who are you?" he asked.


    The woman tilted her head, the movement eerily smooth.


    "An admirer," she said.


    Leo frowned.


    "Not an answer."


    She chuckled softly. "I suppose not."


    She took a step closer, moving with a grace that didn''t seem natural. It was almost like she glided.


    Leo forced himself to stay still.


    "I''ve been watching you," she admitted, her gaze sharp. "Since your battle with the mantis."


    Leo''s jaw tightened. "Why?"


    Her eyes gleamed. "Because you are different."


    She let the words settle before continuing.


    "You are not like the others on this world. You stand against creatures far beyond your level, and yet, you win. You adapt. You survive."


    She smiled.


    "And that makes you¡­ interesting."


    Leo inhaled slowly. "What do you want?"


    She clasped her hands behind her back. "An alliance."


    Leo blinked.


    She watched him carefully. "You and I¡­ we could help each other."


    Leo narrowed his eyes. "And how exactly would that work?"


    The woman''s expression didn''t change.


    "You have potential," she said. "I can make sure you survive the tournament. I can make sure you thrive."


    Leo''s fists clenched. "And in return?"


    "You serve me."


    The words were smooth. Effortless. Dangerous.


    Leo let out a sharp breath.


    "Yeah, that''s gonna be a no."


    She smiled, but there was something cold behind it. "I expected as much."


    Still, she didn''t look disappointed. If anything, she looked amused.


    "You are stubborn," she mused. "But that will only take you so far."


    She turned slightly, as if preparing to leave.


    "Think carefully, Leo," she said. "The tournament is unlike anything you can imagine. You will face beings beyond your understanding."


    Her violet eyes locked onto his.


    "And if you aren''t ready, you will die."


    With that, she vanished¡ªjust like that.


    Leo exhaled sharply.


    His entire body was tense.


    He didn''t know who she was. He didn''t know what she wanted.


    But one thing was clear.


    The tournament was going to be an avenue for a tides of blood to flow and he must prepare himself, and other if he wants to survive.


    "Sigh... Why can''t someone just have some moments of peace without thinking about this tournament."

 Chapter 115 A One-Day Training

    Leo spent the next few days doing what he hated most¡ªresting.


    His body screamed at him to move, to fight, to keep pushing forward, but he knew better. His injuries from the battle with the Evolved Rank tree had been extensive, worse than any he had sustained before. Even with [Regeneration] working tirelessly to mend his wounds, he needed time.


    And so, begrudgingly, he listened to reason.


    The first day was the hardest. He barely slept, his body aching in a way that was impossible to ignore. Every movement reminded him of the sheer brutality of that fight, of how close he had come to being torn apart.


    By the second day, he could move without feeling like his bones were grinding together. He spent the time stretching, walking around, keeping his body loose so that once he was fully healed, he wouldn''t feel sluggish.


    The third day was better. His strength had returned, and he could feel his body adjusting once again, preparing itself for what was to come.


    And then, the fourth day arrived.


    Leo stood by the window of his room, his gaze fixed on the ruined cityscape beyond. The air was heavy with tension, as if the world itself knew what was coming.


    Three days left until the tournament.


    Three days to complete his final evolution requirement.


    If he failed¡ªif he wasn''t ready¡ªthen surviving the tournament would be a miracle.


    He exhaled, running a hand through his hair before calling Tatiana in his mind, just as she told him to.


    She answered immediately.


    "Finally!" Tatiana''s voice was brimming with excitement. "I was starting to think you''d never call."


    Leo sighed. "I needed time to heal."


    Tatiana let out a dramatic huff. "You and your excuses."


    Leo rolled his eyes. "So? What''s the plan?"


    There was a beat of silence, then a slow, mischievous chuckle.


    Leo instantly regretted everything.


    "Leo," Tatiana purred. "Are you ready?" sea??h th§× ¦Çov§×lFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Something about the way she said it made his stomach twist.


    "Yeah?" he answered hesitantly.


    Her grin was practically audible.


    "Good."


    The next thing he knew, the air around him shifted. Tatiana appeared in front of him in an instant, grabbed him by the collar of his shirt, and lifted him effortlessly off the ground.


    "Wait¡ªwhat¡ªTatiana!" Leo yelped, his legs dangling as she floated effortlessly out of his room and into the sky.


    "Too late to back out now!" she chirped, holding him tightly as they soared above the city.


    Leo groaned, trying not to focus on the fact that he was now miles above the ground. "You do know there are other ways to travel, right?"


    Tatiana smirked, her crimson eyes gleaming. "Where''s the fun in that?"


    Leo muttered a string of curses under his breath as he looked down. Their destination was already in sight¡ªthe battlefield where he had fought the Evolved Rank tree.


    Or rather, what was left of it.


    The once-massive tree was nothing more than charred remains, its massive roots curled in on themselves. The ground was still scarred, deep craters littering the landscape from their battle.


    And standing in the center of it all was Elda.


    The moment Leo spotted her, his stomach dropped.


    She stood motionless, her posture perfect, her hands tucked neatly behind her back. Her sharp, predatory gaze was locked onto him the moment Tatiana started descending.


    Leo swallowed thickly.


    This was going to be hell.


    Tatiana landed gracefully, dropping Leo onto his feet before dusting off her hands.


    "Well, here we are," she said cheerfully. "Have fun!"


    Leo barely had time to turn and glare at her before she vanished, leaving him alone with Elda.


    The silver-haired warrior studied him with an unreadable expression.


    "You''ve recovered," she stated.


    Leo forced himself to stand straighter. "Yeah."


    Elda tilted her head slightly. "Good. Then we begin immediately."


    Leo barely had time to react before she moved.


    One second, she was standing several feet away.


    The next, she was right in front of him.


    Leo''s instincts screamed, and he barely dodged as her fist shot toward his stomach. The sheer force behind the strike sent a shockwave through the air, cracking the ground where he had been standing.


    His eyes widened. That would have killed him if it landed.


    He didn''t have time to think. Elda was already moving again.


    A knee came for his ribs. He twisted away, but she adjusted mid-motion, slamming her elbow toward his shoulder.


    Leo raised his arm just in time to block, but the impact sent him skidding back several feet, his bones rattling from the force.


    "You''re slow," Elda observed, her voice as calm as ever.


    Leo gritted his teeth.


    "Maybe because you''re trying to kill me," he shot back.


    Elda didn''t react. She simply stepped forward again, her movements precise, calculated.


    Leo exhaled sharply, his mind racing. She was faster, stronger¡ªhe couldn''t match her in raw power. He needed to think.


    She attacked again. This time, he saw it¡ªher stance, the slight shift in her balance.


    She was aiming for his ribs.


    Leo moved at the last second, sidestepping just enough to avoid the full force of the blow.


    Elda''s eyes flickered with interest.


    "Better," she mused.


    Leo didn''t waste the opening. He lashed out with a kick, aiming for her knee.


    It barely connected.


    Elda shifted, absorbing the impact like it was nothing. And it was really nothingf to her.


    Then she retaliated.


    Her palm struck his chest with the force of a cannon.


    Leo gasped as he was launched backward, his body crashing against the ground.


    He groaned, rolling onto his hands and knees. Every inch of him ached.


    This wasn''t training.


    This was survival.


    Elda slowly walked toward him, her movements eerily fluid.


    "Do you understand now?" she asked.


    Leo coughed, pushing himself up. "That you''re insane? Yeah, loud and clear."


    Elda didn''t smile. "No. That you''re still weak."


    Leo clenched his fists.


    He knew that. He didn''t need her to tell him.


    But he wasn''t going to stay weak.


    Not anymore.


    He got back on his feet, his breath coming in heavy. His body screamed in protest, but he ignored it.


    Elda nodded slightly. "Again."


    And the fight continued.


    For hours, Elda pushed him to his absolute limit. She didn''t let up, didn''t give him a second to breathe. Every mistake he made, she punished. Every opening he left, she exploited.


    Leo lost count of how many times he hit the ground.


    But something changed.


    Slowly, gradually, he started to see.


    The way she moved. The tells before she struck. The slight weight shift before a kick. The tiny pause before she countered.


    She was forcing him to adapt.


    By the time the sun began to set, Leo was barely standing. His entire body ached, his muscles screaming from exertion.


    But he had learned what he needed to. The training was only for a day and it was the reason why Elda seem to have went all out on him. Even though she was actually holding back her strength a lot.


    If she had attacked him with even ten percent of her full strength, he would had died no doubt.


    Elda finally stopped, watching him as he swayed on his feet.


    "Good," she said simply. "You''re learning."


    Leo let out a breathless laugh. "Great¡­ now I just need a hospital."


    Even though he said that, he was happy inwardly. He has gotten a taste of just how strong an Exalted Rank individual is, by training with an Overlord Rank individual.


    If this isn''t enough for him to complete his last evolution requirement, them he should just forget everything.


    Tatiana reappeared just as Leo collapsed onto the ground.


    "Well?" she asked, grinning.


    Elda glanced at Leo before nodding. "He''ll survive."


    Tatiana smirked. "Barely."


    Leo glared weakly at both of them. "I hate you both."


    Tatiana just laughed.


    "I hope you''re ready for what''s to come. Even though we aren''t allowed to kill, this person you''re going to fight has no reservations about beating you into a pulp and throwing you to her dogs to finish you off."

 Chapter 116 Fighting An Off-worlder

    Leo spent the entire day resting, as Tatiana had advised. His body had mostly healed from the brutal training session with Elda, but his mind wasn''t at ease.


    The lingering question gnawed at him: Who was the Off-worlder he would have to fight?


    Tatiana hadn''t told him, which only added to his frustration. Knowing her, if she wanted him to know, she would have told him already. Still, he couldn''t shake the curiosity¡ªand the anxiety.


    The day passed uneventfully. Ves, Miguel, and Mia were out training and leveling again, and Fiona had taken the wolves to continue hunting and leveling. The base felt empty. The silence left Leo alone with his thoughts.


    Ves had told him the day before that all three of them¡ªherself, Miguel, and Mia¡ªhad reached level 20. He was genuinely happy for them, but when Ves shared her evolution requirements, Leo had sighed heavily.


    Her requirements were just as difficult as his. Though she had three requirements¡ªthe standard amount according to Tatiana¡ªit didn''t make things easier. The challenges they all faced were monstrous, and time was running out.


    Just a day and half left until the tournament.


    The rest of the day went by uneventfully and it was finally D-day.


    Leo woke up the next morning, stretching with a groan as he opened his eyes¡ªonly to find Tatiana standing beside his bed with her usual infuriating smile.


    He sighed deeply, dragging a hand down his face. "Tatiana¡­ seriously?"


    "Good morning to you too," she said, her voice dripping with amusement. "I figured I''d drop by early. Today''s a big day, after all."


    Leo sat up slowly, his body still stiff from the previous days of brutal training.


    "So, are you ready for your first fight against an Off-worlder?" Tatiana asked, her crimson eyes gleaming with excitement.


    Leo raised an eyebrow. "You know, you still haven''t told me who I''m fighting."


    Tatiana''s smile widened. She stepped closer to him, bending down until her lips were near his ear.


    "My stepsister," she whispered.


    Leo''s eyes widened in shock. His entire body went still. sea??h th§× N??elFir§×.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "...What?" His voice cracked slightly.


    Tatiana stepped back, grinning from ear to ear.


    "You heard me. My stepsister."


    Fear crept into Leo''s expression. "Your stepsister?! Are you trying to get me killed?! You want me to fight your stepsister?"


    Tatiana nodded, her grin never faltering.


    "Why?! I mean¡­ there are other Off-worlders, right? Must it be her?"


    "Yes," Tatiana said firmly, crossing her arms.


    "Why?!" Leo almost yelled.


    Tatiana sighed as if explaining something obvious to a child.


    "Look, Leo. You can''t just waltz up to any Off-worlder and expect them to fight you. Even if they agree, they''ll send their minions first. The natives they gathered, the ones they use as shields. You wouldn''t get a chance to fight them directly."


    Leo opened his mouth but said nothing.


    Tatiana continued. "But if you challenge my stepsister, Lilliana, will have no choice but to step in. She hates me. Despises me, actually. If she thinks you''re my chosen fighter, she''ll come after you without hesitation. Her pride won''t allow her to step back."


    Leo stared at her, realization dawning.


    "For the first time, you''re actually telling me something about yourself," he said, studying her carefully. "You don''t have a good relationship with your stepsister, do you?"


    Tatiana''s smile dimmed, but only for a second. "Let''s just say¡­ family is complicated."


    Leo sighed. "So, what''s the plan? Are we just going to show up and challenge her? Just like that?"


    Tatiana grinned. "Exactly like that."


    Leo groaned. "I was afraid you''d say that."


    "Trust me, Leo. If you challenge her, she won''t give you time to prepare. She''ll want to crush you immediately, in front of everyone. For her, it''s about saving face. You''ll have one shot."


    Leo shivered. He could tell from Tatiana''s tone that Lilliana wasn''t the type to hold back.


    "Get ready," Tatiana said, her grin sharp. "We''re leaving now."


    Before Leo could object, Tatiana grabbed him by the arm.


    "Wait¡ª"


    But Tatiana didn''t wait.


    With a surge of power, she launched them both into the sky.


    The wind roared in Leo''s ears as they soared above the ruined city. He looked down, taking in the cityscape stretched beneath them¡ªruined buildings, crumbling streets, and distant figures scavenging through what remained.


    The entire city was a graveyard, a stark reminder of the apocalypse that had brought the world to its knees.


    As they flew, Leo caught glimpses of other survivors, struggling to stay alive. Some groups huddled together, others hunted alone.


    The world had become cruel.


    But none of that mattered now.


    Tatiana''s grip tightened.


    "There," she said, pointing ahead.


    Leo looked.


    A large building complex came into view¡ªtall, sleek, untouched by the decay that surrounded it. Unlike the ruined city, this place seemed¡­ pristine. Powerful.


    And Leo could feel it.


    A pressure. A presence.


    This was Lilliana''s base.


    Tatiana landed gracefully at the edge of the complex, dropping Leo onto his feet.


    "Welcome," she said, "to Lilliana''s playground."


    Leo barely had time to take in the sight when movement caught his eye.


    Several figures emerged from the building.


    Lilliana''s group.


    They looked strong¡ªtoo strong. Each one radiated power, their gazes cold and dismissive. But that was only on the surface, as Tatiana could feel how scared they all are.


    The moment they saw Tatiana, their expressions twisted into sneers.


    "You''re not welcome here," one of them said, stepping forward.


    Leo instinctively reached for Nightshade, but Tatiana raised a hand.


    "Don''t bother," she said.


    And then¡ª


    With a flick of her wrist, a burst of crimson energy exploded from her hand.


    The shockwave sent the group flying backward, crashing into the walls of the building with bone-shattering force.


    Leo stared in shock.


    "Was that really necessary?" he asked.


    Tatiana smirked. "Of course."


    The ground trembled.


    A door slammed open.


    And she appeared.


    Lilliana.


    Tall. Regal. Dressed in flowing white robes lined with gold. Her silver hair cascaded down her back, and her sharp emerald eyes blazed with fury.


    Her presence was suffocating.


    Leo immediately understood¡ªthis woman was dangerous.


    Lilliana''s gaze locked onto Tatiana.


    "You," she hissed. "What are you doing here?"


    Tatiana smiled sweetly. "Visiting family, of course."


    Lilliana''s eyes narrowed.


    Then, she saw Leo.


    Her lips curled into a cold smile.


    "And who is this?"


    Tatiana stepped forward, placing a hand on Leo''s shoulder.


    "My champion," she said.


    Lilliana stared at Leo for a long moment.


    Then, she laughed.


    "A native?" Her voice dripped with disdain. "You send this*m to challenge me?"


    Her smile faded, replaced by something darker.


    "Fine. I''ll humor you. I''ll crush your little champion and prove, once again, that you are nothing."


    Her gaze locked onto Leo.


    "And you¡­ I''ll break you."


    Leo felt the weight of her words. The sheer pressure of her aura pressed down on him.


    But he didn''t back down.


    He met her gaze head-on.


    Tatiana stepped back with a grin.


    "Let''s see what you''ve got, Leo."


    Lilliana raised her hand. Energy crackled around her fingers.


    The fight was about to begin.


    The air itself seemed to freeze.


    Leo tightened his grip on Nightshade.


    This was it.


    No more running.


    His battle against an Off-worlder was about to start.

 Chapter 117 Liliana von Carstein

    Leo stood still, his grip tightening around Nightshade as he faced Lilliana. The air between them felt heavier than before, charged with tension that pressed against his chest.


    He had heard everything Tatiana told him about her stepsister, yet seeing Lilliana in person stirred something deeper¡ªan instinctual warning for him to turn around and run for his life.


    No matter what Tatiana said, Leo wasn''t fooled.


    According to Tatiana, Lilliana was "weak trash." But Leo had quickly learned that Tatiana''s definition of weak wasn''t something he could take lightly and he should never even dare to make such a costly mistake.


    To someone like her, who had awakened her racial traits at birth¡ªa feat that instantly marked her as a prodigy¡ªcalling Lilliana weak was relative. Tatiana''s standards were impossibly high. She had told him as much with that ever-present smirk of hers.


    "She''s trash. But don''t get it twisted¡ªtrash at my level can still crush you like an ant."


    That sentence replayed continuously in Leo''s mind.


    Lilliana, despite her "weakness," was still at the Exalted Rank.


    An Exalted Rank vampire that could erase him from existence with a flick of her finger. He knew that. Tatiana knew that.


    Yet here he was, standing face-to-face with her, about to fight.


    No running now.


    He focused his gaze on her.


    Lilliana had a regal air about her. She wore a flowing crimson dress, the fabric shimmering like fresh blood under the pale sunlight.


    Her silver hair, a stark contrast to her piercing green eyes, cascaded down her back in smooth waves. She looked every bit like royalty.


    But Leo knew the truth¡ªat least, the version of it that Tatiana had shared.


    Lilliana, the first daughter of the Blood Emperor, had been branded a disappointment. The one with the purest bloodline, the one expected to surpass all, had failed to awaken her racial traits.


    Blood manipulation, transformation, and every vampire abilities innate to her kind¡ªshe had awakened none until very late.


    For a vampire of her lineage, this wasn''t just a minor flaw. It was unforgivable.


    Among vampires and every major races in the Multiverse, racial traits defined everything.


    For vampires, the ability to manipulate blood wasn''t just a power; it was a status symbol. It represented dominance, superiority, and worthiness. Those who awakened early were seen as destined for greatness.


    Tatiana had awakened her racial traits at birth.


    Her half-brother had awakened his by the age of three.


    But Lilliana?


    Nothing.


    Not a flicker of power. Not a single trait emerged during the years when it mattered most. And therefore, she was labeled trash.


    A disgrace to the Blood Emperor''s name.


    And what made it worse¡ªwhat truly cemented her shame¡ªwas how she finally gained her power.


    External help.


    Tatiana had practically spat those words when she explained it.


    "She wasn''t strong enough to awaken her own powers. She had to rely on others. That alone makes her unworthy."


    For vampires, power wasn''t just about strength¡ªit was about inheritance. Power earned through bloodlines and instinct. External help was a stain that could never be washed away.


    Leo studied Lilliana closely.


    Even though Tatiana told him that her strength won''t be as refined as hers, he made sure to not to relax. But in fact, made sure to up his guard.


    He could feel how her aura and how oppressive, and undeniably strong it is. That Exalted Rank presence pressed down on him, making it hard to breathe.


    Gifted or not, Lilliana was far beyond his current level.


    He remembered the stat rankings Tatiana had explained to him.


    Awakened Rank: Levels 1¨C20. The rank where most young mortals dwelled, struggling as they increase their strength.


    Evolved Rank: Levels 21¨C40. A stage of slight transformation in strength, where few reached without immense hardship and the rank where most commoner, and average adult are at. People here also called mortals as they are still weak.


    Exalted Rank: Levels 31¨C60. A realm where strength actually starts. With significant physical transformation and also in strength, coupled with insane multipliers, each level here represented a power gap that could swallow dozens of lower-ranked fighters whole.


    And Lilliana stood comfortably within that Exalted Rank.


    Her stats alone were terrifying. If he had to guess¡ª


    Strength easily above 400. Agility that could turn her into a blur faster than his eyes could track. Endurance capable of shrugging off wounds that would kill anyone else.


    Leo''s own stats, even after all his battles, weren''t even close. Not even up to 10% of her strength.


    But Tatiana believed he had a chance. Or maybe she just enjoys seeing me get beaten up.


    "Are you done staring?"


    Lilliana''s voice snapped him out of his thoughts. It was cold, dripping with disdain.


    "You should feel honored," she continued, stepping forward. The air seemed to ripple around her.


    "You''re about to be crushed by someone far above you. Not many natives get that chance." S~ea??h the n?vel_Fire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Her gaze flickered briefly toward Tatiana, venom flashing in her eyes.


    "And you," she hissed. "Still hiding behind others, I see."


    Tatiana smiled lazily. "Oh, Lilliana. I''m not hiding behind anyone. You''re just too easy to provoke."


    Lilliana''s face twisted into a sneer.


    Leo could see it now¡ªhow much she hated Tatiana. The grudge ran deep.


    And he was the unfortunate target caught in the middle.


    But Leo wasn''t planning to back down.


    He wasn''t here to protect Tatiana''s pride.


    He was here to survive. And to complete his evolution.


    "You really think you stand a chance?" Lilliana said, her voice dripping with superiority.


    Leo didn''t respond. He simply raised Nightshade, shifting into a stance. His muscles tensed, his mind sharpening.


    Lilliana scoffed.


    "Pathetic."


    Energy flared around her¡ªa deep crimson aura that seemed to drink the very light from the surroundings. The air grew colder, sharper.


    Leo''s instincts screamed at him to move.


    The fight hadn''t even started, but his body already knew of what it''s going to experience.


    This would be a battle unlike any he had faced before.


    Tatiana stepped back, her arms crossed, watching intently.


    "You wanted a challenge, Leo," she murmured. "Let''s see if you survive this."


    The tension in the air thickened.


    Lilliana raised her hand.


    Leo gripped Nightshade tighter.


    This is it.


    The battle against an Off-worlder¡ªan Exalted Rank vampire¡ªwas about to begin.

 Chapter 118 Fighting Liliana

    The air stilled.


    A suffocating silence fell across the battlefield.


    Then¡ª


    It came.


    A wave of sheer, suffocating pressure erupted from Lilliana.


    The ground shattered beneath her feet, spiderweb cracks splintering outward in every direction. The atmosphere distorted, warping like a mirage under a blazing sun.


    The decaying ruins surrounding the battlefield groaned under the weight of the energy, ancient stone walls crumbling as if crushed by invisible hands.


    Leo''s breath caught in his throat. He tried to force himself to breath but all her could was gasp for breath. It felt like he was drowning in an ocean with no one to save him.


    It felt like the sky itself had fallen.


    His knees buckled instantly.


    "What¡­ is this?"


    The force bore down on him from all sides, a crushing weight threatening to flatten him into the earth. His legs trembled. His bones creaked under the unbearable pressure. His vision blurred.


    "I¡­ can''t¡­ breathe."


    Every cell in his body screamed.


    He had known there would be a gap. But this¡ª


    This was something else entirely.


    Exalted Rank.


    The gap wasn''t just a difference in levels. It was a chasm. A canyon so wide it felt insurmountable.


    Lilliana hadn''t moved. She hadn''t attacked.


    All she had done was just stand there¡ªand the battlefield had begun to collapse under her mere presence.


    "Do you understand now?"


    Her voice echoed like a whisper in his mind, dripping with disdain.


    "This is what separates you from me."


    Her violet eyes gleamed with cruel satisfaction as she stepped forward. The simple movement caused another shockwave, sending dust and debris flying. The ground cracked further, jagged fissures tearing through the earth.


    Leo fell to one knee.


    "Move. Get up."


    But his body refused to listen. His arms felt like lead, his chest crushed by an invisible force.


    This was just her pressure.


    And yet, it felt like death itself loomed over him.


    "You''re trembling. Good."


    Lilliana''s voice was soft, almost gentle, but every word pierced him like a blade.


    "You will now understand how pathetically weak a mortal Awakened is compared to an Exalted."


    She raised her hand lazily and the wind howled wildly.


    The ground beneath Leo''s feet shattered entirely, and he plummeted a few feet before landing hard on jagged rock.


    The gap between Awakened Rank and Exalted Rank wasn''t just power. It wasn''t just speed.


    It was dominion.


    Lilliana wasn''t just stronger.


    She owned the battlefield.


    Her mere presence bent reality around her, forcing it to heed her will.


    Leo tried to push himself up, gasping.


    "No. Not yet."


    But the pressure only intensified.


    Then¡ª


    A faint glow.


    Golden-purple light flickered faintly around Leo''s form.


    Lilliana''s eyes narrowed.


    "What is this?"


    The pressure on Leo lessened¡ªonly slightly¡ªbut enough for him to lift his head.


    He blinked.


    "The sun? No."


    A purple-golden sun hovered faintly above him, its light washing over his battered form. It wasn''t fully formed¡ªtranslucent, almost like a memory not real¡ªbut its mere presence was enough to keep Lilliana''s pressure at bay.


    The light coiled around Leo like a protective barrier, shielding him from the crushing force.


    Lilliana stepped back, her eyes narrowing further.


    "This¡­ shouldn''t be possible."


    Her voice held a rare note of disbelief.


    Tatiana, watching from the distance with folded arms, allowed a small smile to curl her lips.


    "So," she whispered, "it showed itself after all."


    Back on the battlefield, Leo''s breathing steadied.


    The sun''s glow faded as quickly as it appeared, but the relief it provided remained.


    He staggered back to his feet.


    "That¡­ was close," he muttered.


    Lilliana''s gaze sharpened.


    "What was that?" She asked curiously, with a feeling of uneasiness.


    Leo didn''t answer as he wasn''t sure himself. He had no idea as to the reason why the enigmatic sun would want to protect him.


    But whatever it was¡ªit gave him a chance.


    Just a chance.


    The pressure returned¡ªthis time focused. Sharper.


    Lilliana''s smile returned, cold and cruel.


    "Let''s see if that thing can protect you from this."


    She vanished.


    Leo''s eyes widened.


    "So fast¡ª"


    A fist slammed into his side.


    He barely registered the movement.


    Pain exploded through his ribs, sending him skidding across the ground. The impact carved a deep trench through the earth before he crashed into a broken wall.


    Too fast. Too strong.


    The damage wasn''t superficial. He could feel that his ribs had shattered and turned to dust with that blow. And even with [Regeneration] dulling the worst of it the impact, it was still very serious.


    Lilliana stood where he had been a moment ago, dusting off her hands as if brushing away dirt.


    "Disappointing."


    Leo coughed, spitting blood.


    "Get up."


    His fingers tightened around Nightshade.


    "Move."


    "One opening. I just need one opening."


    Lilliana blurred forward again.


    Leo raised Nightshade instinctively¡ª


    Her foot slammed into his raised sword, sending him flying once more.


    The impact rattled his bones.


    His vision blurred at the edges.


    I can''t keep up¡­


    Lilliana didn''t chase immediately. She stood tall, expression cold.


    "Do you realize it yet?"


    Her voice echoed across the broken battlefield.


    "The difference between us."


    Leo gasped for breath, forcing his trembling legs to hold his weight.


    "Not yet. I''m not done yet."


    Nightshade''s blade gleamed faintly as he tightened his grip.


    Just one chance.


    Lilliana raised her hand slowly.


    The air shattered.


    Leo''s instincts screamed¡ª


    Move or die.


    A sphere of condensed blood formed above her palm, swirling violently.


    Blood compression attack.


    Tatiana''s eyes narrowed in the distance.


    "She''s serious now."


    Leo pushed everything into his legs¡ª


    The sphere launched.


    Too fast¡ª


    He ducked¡ªbarely¡ªfeeling the heat sear past his face. The sphere detonated behind him with a deafening explosion.


    The shockwave obliterated the ruins behind him.


    Debris rained down as Leo coughed, stumbling forward.


    Lilliana appeared in front of him instantly, her hand glowing with crimson energy.


    "Goodbye."


    Her palm shot forward.


    Leo swung Nightshade with everything he had.


    The blade and palm met¡ª


    BOOM!


    The resulting shockwave shattered the earth beneath them. S~ea??h the novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Leo felt his arms shatter under the impact.


    The world blurred¡ª


    "No. I can''t. Not now."


    Nightshade''s blade gleamed with the sunlight hitting it.


    Leo''s eyes burned with determination. He wasn''t going to lose the opportunity that Tatiana has given him.


    Today is the last day before the tournament begins and if he doesn''t win this fight, then he''s going to be in for a world of hurts.


    It''s only with sufficient strength can he be confident about being able to protect himself and those around him.

 Chapter 119 Fighting Liliana (2)

    The shockwave from the collision of Nightshade and Lilliana''s attack echoed across the battlefield, a deafening boom that cracked the earth and shattered distant ruins.


    Dust and debris flew into the air, blocking out the fading sunlight. The force of the collision sent ripples through the ground, splitting it apart as though the earth itself recoiled from the impact.


    Leo was thrown back. His body felt weightless for a moment before crashing hard against jagged stone.


    He gasped, spitting out blood. His arms hung uselessly at his sides; he could feel the fractures in his bones, the burning ache of muscles pushed beyond their limits.


    Even with [Regeneration] working overtime, his body was on the verge of collapse.


    Nightshade remained in his grip, though barely. His fingers were finding it very hard to grip it. The blade''s gleam had dulled, stained with his blood and dust. His vision blurred. His chest rose and fell in shallow, ragged breaths.


    Lilliana stood tall, unharmed, her crimson-glowing hand resting at her side. The cold smirk on her face deepened as she took a step forward.


    The ground creaked beneath her, unable to withstand the pressure radiating from her mere presence.


    "You''re still standing?" Her voice was smooth, almost amused. "Impressive, I must say."


    Leo pushed himself to his knees, coughing violently. His ribs protested with sharp pain. His legs trembled, barely able to support him. Yet, despite everything, his eyes burned with determination.


    Lilliana''s smile widened. "Ah, I see. You''re still clinging to hope. How adorable."


    With a blur, she vanished.


    Leo barely had time to react.


    A fist slammed into his stomach. The impact drove the air from his lungs, sending him flying once more.


    He skidded across the broken ground, coughing and gasping for breath. His vision dimmed, stars dancing before his eyes.


    But Lilliana wasn''t done.


    She appeared above him, her leg descending like a guillotine.


    Leo raised Nightshade in desperation. The blade blocked the strike, but the sheer force drove him deep into the ground, like a nail being hit by a hammer, creating a crater beneath him. His arms screamed in agony, and he could feel the fractures worsening.


    "You''re nothing," Lilliana whispered, standing over him. "Tatiana must really think poorly of me to send you. To send an insect like to fight me and the both of you will pay. And you will be the first."


    Leo gritted his teeth, forcing himself to stand. He didn''t bother to listen to what Lilliana was saying as he had far more important things to do than to listen to her rants.


    His whole body shook, every movement bringing searing pain. His grip on Nightshade tightened. He couldn''t afford to give up. Not with everything was at stake.


    Lilliana tilted her head. "Still fighting? Very well. Let''s see how long that lasts."


    With a flick of her wrist, dozens of crimson blades materialized around her, floating in the air like deadly petals. They brimmed with energy, sharp enough to cut through steel.


    "Let''s break you," she whispered.


    The blades shot forward.


    Leo moved. He had no choice.


    He dodged left, the first blade slicing the air where he had stood. He ducked, another blade grazing his cheek, drawing a thin line of blood which turned into mist and floated towards Liliana.


    He parried one of the crimson blades with Nightshade, and the impact sent vibrations through his already broken arms.


    Leo continuously tried to dodge but there were too many.


    One blade cut across his thigh. Another slashed his side. His blood sprayed across the battlefield.


    Leo staggered, barely able to keep his footing. His vision blurred further. His breathing grew ragged.


    Lilliana appeared beside him again.


    Her hand gripped his face.


    Before he could react, she drove him into the ground with enough force to create another crater. The earth groaned under the impact, cracks spreading out in all directions.


    Leo lay there, gasping for breath, his body refusing to move as a never-seen-before headache enveloped his head. His grip on Nightshade weakened.


    "Pathetic," Lilliana whispered. "You thought you could fight me? You''re barely more than an insect. You don''t even qualify to be called an insect. You''re nothing more than a speck of dust."


    She raised her foot, placing it against his chest. Slowly, she began to press down.


    Pain exploded in Leo''s chest as his ribs cracked under the pressure.


    "How does it feel?" she asked softly, her eyes gleaming with cruelty. "To know that you''re utterly powerless? To know that you can do nothing but stay put and accept your miserable death." S§×ar?h the N?vel(F)ire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Leo gasped. He could feel his bones breaking. The world dimmed at the edges. His thoughts grew sluggish.


    But then the faintest glimmer of the purple-golden sun appeared again.


    It flickered in the corner of his mind. A distant warmth. Faint, yet undeniable.


    The faint, ethereal purple-golden light from the sun enveloped him again.


    Lilliana paused, sensing it too. Her eyes narrowed. "What¡­?"


    The warmth grew stronger.


    Leo''s mind cleared. It was only for a moment but it was enough.


    His fingers twitched and with the last of his strength, Leo gripped Nightshade once more.


    Lilliana''s eyes widened slightly as Leo raised the blade, the sun''s faint glow reflecting off its surface.


    He swung.


    The blade connected with Lilliana''s leg.


    For the first time, a thin line of blood appeared.


    Lilliana stepped back, her expression shifting from amusement to irritation.


    "Interesting," she whispered. "So you have something left after all."


    Leo fell forward, supporting himself with Nightshade. He was barely hanging on to his consciousness.


    Lilliana''s smile returned, colder than before. "I''m very curious to know how many times that thing of yours can save you from your inevitable death."


    She vanished again.


    A punch to his side sent him crashing into a wall.


    Before he could recover, a kick to his back that almost broke his spine, drove him to the ground.


    Another punch to his stomach left him gasping.


    She was faster now. Stronger.


    But Leo kept hanging on the last thread of his consciousness, never wanting to let go, no matter how many times she knocked him down.


    Lilliana''s smirk faded. Her strikes grew more aggressive. More desperate.


    Why isn''t he staying down?


    Leo''s vision blurred. His body screamed. But he remembered Tatiana''s words.


    If you don''t win this fight, you''re going to be in for a world of hurt in the tournament.


    He had to survive. He had to win.


    Even if it meant pushing himself beyond the limit.


    The sun''s glow flickered once more, lessening the pain he was feeling.


    Lilliana appeared in front of him for what she intended to be the final time.


    "Enough."


    She gathered her energy, crimson light swirling around her.


    Leo shakingly raised Nightshade one last time.


    The blade glinted with the crimson color of Liliana''s forming attack.


    And they clashed.


    The explosion rocked the battlefield.


    Dust and debris clouded the air.


    As the dust settled, Leo stood there, barely conscious, barely breathing, swaying like a small plant in a hurricane.

 Chapter 120 Fighting Liliana (3)

    Leo stood barely upright, his body broken and battered, held together only by his sheer will.


    His breathing came in shallow, ragged gasps. His vision blurred, with Nightshade slipping from his hand, due to his weak trembling fingers being unable to hold it anymore.


    Lilliana stood across from him, her expression unreadable. The faint cut Leo had managed to inflict on her leg was the only mark on her flawless appearance.


    Her violet eyes glimmered with cold amusement, but beneath that was extremely annoyance at Leo refusing to accept defeat after all the trashing she has given to him.


    But she was infuriated by the fact that a mere Awakened, an insect from a backwater world, managed to inflict an injury on her.


    She felt that the reason why he was able to injure her was because of the weapon in his hands. A weapon that Tatiana gave him as there was no way that he would have gotten such a weapon by himself in a backwater world.


    "Still standing?" she murmured, her voice carrying across the ruined field. "You''re more persistent than I expected. But I''m curious to know if it''s worth it?"


    By now, if she hasn''t guessed that there was more to Leo fighting her, then she''s truly foolish.


    She thought about it and felt that it was impossible that Tatiana put him up to it or that she''s forcing him to fight her.


    The reason for this is because her knowledge of Tatiana doesn''t portray her as someone like that. Even as a vampire, Tatiana is considered a goody two shoes.


    She looked at Leo, the way he stood and the way he did his best to block her attacks. With this and the fact that he''s a very strong Awakened, she felt that she finally understood why he was fighting her to death.


    "But that shouldn''t be possible...," she murmured as she narrowed her eyes.


    Realising this, she decided to finish Leo once and for all. She doesn''t know if her guess is correct but she isn''t going to take her chances. There''s no way that she will allow Tatiana to keep someone so powerful.


    She raised her hand, causing the air to shift, and rimson energy to surge around her, condensing into sharp tendrils of blood that twisted and writhed as if alive. Sear?h the n?vel_Fire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    The pressure from her power deepened, heavier than before, suffocating and oppressive.


    The ground beneath Leo cracked further under its weight.


    Leo''s knees threatened to give in, but he forced them to hold, and keep him standing.


    He gritted his teeth, ignoring the searing pain coursing through his body, nearly causing him to scream out with every breath.


    His ribs were broken, shattered even. His arms were barely functioning at this point, and blood seeped from countless wounds on his body.


    Even though he can''t move, the most important thing was he was still breathing.


    Lilliana stepped forward and the earth quaked with her movement, though her feet barely touched the ground.


    "Let''s finish this."


    With a flick of her wrist, the blood tendrils snapped forward.


    Leo pushed his exhausted body, forcing it to move.


    The tendrils struck.


    One grazed his shoulder, tearing off his flesh and exposing his white bone. Another sliced across his thigh, nearly bringing him to the ground.


    The pain was blinding, but he forced himself to grip Nightshade tighter, and forced himself to push forward, even though he could only take half a step.


    "Closer. I need to get closer."


    But Lilliana didn''t stop.


    More tendrils lashed out, faster, sharper this time.


    Leo ducked one, used whatever little strength he had to pary another with Nightshade, but each strike drained him further. The muscles in his arms burned and his breath was so shallow that it felt like he was no longer breathing.


    Then, a tendril struck true.


    It drove through his side.


    Leo gasped, blood spraying from his lips.


    The impact sent him flying and he crashed into the remnants of a stone wall, the impact collapsing the structure around him.


    Silence.


    Dust settled.


    Lilliana lowered her hand, turning away.


    "It''s over."


    But then¡ª


    A cough.


    Lilliana froze, glancing over her shoulder.


    Leo was still standing.


    His legs trembled. Blood poured from the gaping wound in his side. His face was pale, and if someone was close to him, they would notice that he was really finding it hard to breathe.


    Lilliana''s eyes narrowed when she saw this.


    "You should be dead."


    Leo didn''t respond.


    He couldn''t.


    But his body moved.


    One step.


    Another.


    He moved like a zombie but each step was extremely slow and painful.


    Lilliana turned fully toward him.


    "You don''t know when to quit, do you?"


    Her expression hardened.


    "Fine."


    The crimson glow around her intensified.


    The tendrils returned, but this time they merged, forming a massive spear of condensed blood. It brimmed with power, radiating pure death.


    Leo could barely stand, let alone dodge an attack like that.


    He knew it.


    Lilliana knew it.


    "This is your end," she whispered.


    The spear launched.


    The world seemed to slow.


    Leo''s vision dimmed.


    Move. Now.


    But his legs refused.


    Move.


    The spear drew closer.


    Move!


    Then, a faint warmth enveloped him.


    The purple-golden sun appeared again.


    It flickered in the corner of his vision again, brighter than before.


    For a heartbeat, time stopped.


    Leo felt his body surge with warmth, his mind sharpening.


    The spear was inches away.


    With no idea where the strength came from, he raised Nightshade with everything he had left.


    The blade caught the spear.


    The impact was catastrophic.


    A shockwave erupted from the collision, obliterating the ruins around them. The ground shattered, sending debris flying in every direction.


    If any Awakened was caught in the collision right now, there''s no doubt he would have obliterated into oblivion, without being able to put up a fight.


    Leo screamed, pushing Nightshade forward, fighting against the unstoppable force. Even with the strengthening of the light from the purple-golden sun, his arms nearly went limp under the pressure. His body was torn further apart.


    But he didn''t let go.


    The purple-golden sun blazed brighter and became more visible.


    Finally, the blood spear cracked.


    Lilliana''s eyes widened.


    "No¡­"


    With a final roar, Leo pushed everything into one last strike.


    Nightshade cleaved through the spear.


    The explosion that followed consumed the battlefield.


    Flames. Wind. Stone.


    All swallowed by the blast.


    When the dust finally settled, Leo was still standing there.


    His entire body was broken. His arms hung uselessly. He stood there like a corpse.


    Lilliana stood opposite him, her expression unreadable.


    The gap between them remained.


    But for the first time, Lilliana no longer looked amused.


    "You¡­" she whispered.


    Leo had no idea what came over him, maybe due to the light of the purple-golden sun still enveloping him, he raised Nightshade one last time.


    "I''m not done yet."

 Chapter 121 Defeating An Exalted Rank Off-Worlder

    Smoke and dust choked the air, swirling around the shattered ruins and deep craters that marred the ground.


    The earth itself seemed to groan from the sheer destruction wrought by the battle.


    Leo stood, swaying like a leaf in the wind. His chest heaved and his entire body screaming in agony. Blood dripped from countless wounds.


    His right arm holding Nightshade, trembled continuously. And his legs felt like they could give out at any second. But all this was only possible because of the purple-golden light still enveloping, or he would had already been deader than dead on the floor.


    Lilliana stood opposite him, her silver hair slightly disheveled, her violet eyes gleaming with cold fury.


    The air around her shimmered with power, blood-red spears and swords forming and dissolving in the air around her as her rage boiled over.


    "You''re still standing?" Lilliana''s voice was sharp, unsteady. "You should be dead!"


    Leo didn''t answer. He was only hanging on by a thread¡ªa thin, fragile thread that could snap at any moment.


    His [Regeneration] skill coupled by the purple-golden light were the only reason he was still alive, but even it couldn''t keep up.


    His vision blurred at the edges, and every breath sent a fresh wave of pain through his ribs.


    Lilliana lifted her hand, and the air distorted again.


    Dozens of crimson spears materialized around her, their tips gleaming wickedly.


    "You should have stayed down. Now, I will make you regret it."


    Leo laughed weakly when he heard what she said.


    "You know for someone who is royalty of a major race in the Multiverse, you talk too much."


    Her voice trembled¡ªnot with fear, but with rage.


    She hadn''t expected this.


    A mere Awakened Rank mortal pushing her this far.


    Lilliana''s pride burned. She had toyed with him for too long.


    Now, she would end it.


    With a scream of fury, the spears shot forward.


    They came from every direction, each one carrying enough power to turn Leo into a human sieve.


    Leo''s mind raced.


    Move.


    Move!


    He couldn''t block them all. He couldn''t dodge them all. His body was too slow, too broken.


    But he could move forward.


    Straight at her.


    With a roar, Leo forced his legs to move. He used the strength the purple-golden light was giving him, taking advantage of it to oust himself forward.


    The spears closed in.


    One grazed his shoulder, tearing flesh. Another slashed across his side.


    Blood sprayed, but he kept moving.


    Closer.


    A spear aimed for his throat. He ducked, nearly missing it, and feeling the wind of its passing.


    Closer!


    Two more came from above¡ªhe rolled forward, pain flaring in every limb.


    He was almost there.


    Now!


    Lilliana''s eyes widened.


    He was too close.


    Panicking, she formed a sword of condensed blood in her hand and slashed downward.


    Leo raised Nightshade with both hands.


    The blades met.


    The impact sent another shockwave across the field.


    But this time, Leo held his ground.


    Out of nowhere, the purple-golden light enveloped Nightshade, and it intensified, allowing the blade cutting through the crimson energy.


    Lilliana snarled, raising her other hand to summon more weapons¡ª


    Now!


    Leo shifted his grip, ducked low, and surged forward.


    His knee struck her stomach.


    The breath left Lilliana''s lungs in a harsh gasp.


    Her concentration broke. The crimson weapons dissolved into mist.


    Leo didn''t stop.


    With a final, desperate cry, he pushed forward, slamming Lilliana to the ground.


    Dust exploded around them.


    When it settled¡ª


    Leo was on top of her, his knees pinning her arms to the ground.


    Nightshade''s blade pressed firmly against her chest, its tip resting just above her heart.


    Lilliana stared up at him, her eyes wide with disbelief.


    Her own crimson blades hovered in the air around them, poised to strike¡ªready to tear him apart.


    One wrong move, and they would both die. Or so they both thought.


    The battlefield fell silent.


    They stared at each other¡ªneither moving, neither blinking.


    The slightest twitch would mean death.


    Leo''s grip on Nightshade tightened.


    "This is it," he whispered, his voice hoarse. "Drop your weapons."


    Lilliana''s eyes narrowed. "You wouldn''t dare."


    "Try me," Leo growled.


    The crimson blades inched closer, shimmering dangerously.


    Lilliana''s lips curled into a cold smile.


    "Let''s see who''s faster then."


    Leo didn''t flinch.


    "You sure about that?" His voice was low but steady. "You really want to gamble with your life? Because I promise you¡ª"


    He pressed the blade, still covered with the light, down and just enough, shockingly, draw a thin line of blood.


    Lilliana''s breath caught.


    "¡ªI''ll win." Leo completed his sentence.


    She glared up at him, her pride screaming at her to fight back.


    But Leo wasn''t finished.


    "You think I''m bluffing? Let me paint a picture for you."


    He leaned in closer, his eyes cold and hard.


    "If I die here, Tatiana will tear you and your little group apart. She''ll crush every single one of you without breaking a sweat. And she''ll enjoy it."


    Lilliana''s eyes flickered. She didn''t believe it but she also didn''t want to take her chances. Also, she knew that she can''t kill Leo or she will be disqualified, and that is enough for her to even attempt suicide.


    "You know I''m right," Leo continued. "And if by some miracle she doesn''t destroy them? My team will be right behind her. They''ll hunt down the rest of your group. Injured. Weakened. Easy targets."


    He smirked, blood dripping from his lip.


    "Tell me, Lilliana. How does that sound?"


    Lilliana''s hands twitched beneath him.


    Frustration burned in her eyes.


    She had power. She had rank.


    But in this moment¡ª


    She had lost.


    Leo pressed the blade down further.


    "Drop. Your. Weapons." S§×arch* The n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    The crimson blades trembled.


    Lilliana''s breath came in ragged gasps.


    For a long, agonizing moment, the battlefield remained still.


    Then¡ª


    With a soft hiss, the crimson blades dissolved into mist.


    Lilliana turned her head away, her teeth gritted.


    "I concede."


    Leo exhaled.


    His arms gave out.


    But before either of them could move¡ª


    A blur of motion.


    Tatiana appeared in an instant, and without a word, she grabbed Leo by the arm.


    Lilliana''s eyes widened.


    "Wait¡ª"


    But before she could react¡ª


    Tatiana vanished with Leo, disappearing from the battlefield.


    Silence returned.


    Lilliana remained on the ground, staring at the empty space where they had been.


    Her fists clenched.


    "I¡­ lost?"


    The wind blew softly across the ruined battlefield, carrying away the last remnants of the fight.


    And far away¡ª


    Leo collapsed into unconsciousness in Tatiana''s arms, the faint glow of the purple-golden sun flickering briefly before fading.

 Chapter 122 Because Hes Leo

    Tatiana flew through the sky, the wind whipping past her as she cradled Leo''s limp body in her arms.


    The ruined city stretched below, a maze of crumbled buildings and lifeless streets.


    Her grip on him was firm but gentle, as though afraid he might disappear if she loosened it.


    She glanced down at him. His face was pale, his breathing ragged, and shallow. Bloody bruises and deep gashes with blood flowing out of them, could be seen all over his body, staining his clothes and giving it a sticky feel.


    He looked fragile¡ªtoo fragile for someone who had just fought an Exalted Rank opponent and survived.


    Tatiana''s crimson eyes softened.


    If it was anyone else, she wouldn''t had paid any attention to them but something about Leo strikes a chord with her.


    During Leo''s fight against Liliana, she saw him have multiple close shaves with death, and each time, and each time she wanted to step in.


    She was barely holding herself back from grabbing Liliana and trashing her, but when she remembered that this was for Leo and it was the only he could complete his evolution requirements, she held back.


    She was very happy for the mysterious and enigmatic purple-golden light that kept saving Leo''s life each time he was at the brink of death.


    Immediately after Liliana unleashed the full pressure of an Exalted Rank, Tatiana thought that Leo would die but he didn''t.


    He had stood his ground against Lilliana. Despite the overwhelming difference in power, he kept getting back up. He didn''t quit.


    And that terrified her without a doubt.


    Why did you push yourself this far? she wondered. Was it worth nearly dying for?


    Of course she knew the answers to these questions but at some point, she expected him to just give up but he didn''t.


    She had no idea but she felt very proud.


    Her thought went to the purple-golden sun had appeared again. That mysterious power that seemed to awaken only when Leo was on the brink of death. It was the only reason he survived.


    And Tatiana felt that using it might had taken quite a toll on him.


    ''You won,'' she thought, tightening her grip on him.


    The base came into view¡ªa tall residential building standing stubbornly against the skyline and other ruined buildings around it.


    As she landed softly on the balcony, Tatiana pushed open the door with a flick of her wrist, walking through the empty living area before making her way to Leo''s room.


    She laid him gently on the bed, her crimson eyes scanning his body. The bruises, deep cuts, and burns covered him from head to toe.


    His shirt was barely hanging on, torn and soaked in blood. The sight stirred something unfamiliar in her chest¡ªworry, frustration, relief.


    For a moment, she just stood there, watching him. His face looked so different now¡ªno defiance, no stubborn grin. Just a battered, unremarkable, young human male.


    She stared at his bloodied body for a while and sighed.


    "Guess I have no choice."


    With deliberate movements, she reached for the hem of his ruined shirt. Her fingers hovered there for a moment, hesitation flickering in her gaze.


    "This¡­ is necessary, I''m only doing this because I have to." she muttered under her breath.


    Still, a faint blush crept up her cheeks as she peeled the tattered fabric away, revealing the damage underneath. She had done this before, she has no idea why she''s blushing now.


    Actually, now that she thought of it. She did blush the first time.


    "Oh Tatiana, what has come over you? Are you really falling for him?" She muttered in a very low voice.


    Her voice was so low that would had been difficult for anyone standing right beside her to hear her.


    She shook her head, chasing the unwanted thoughts away as she turned her attention back to Leo''s injuries.


    Deep gashes marred his torso, some still oozing blood. Bruises bloomed across his ribs, dark and angry. And the sight caused her fingers twitched.


    "Tsk. Lucky you." She smiled.


    Carefully, Tatiana retrieved a clean cloth and a bowl of warm water she had prepared earlier. She dipped the cloth into the water, wrung it out, and began wiping away the blood and dirt.


    Her touch was gentle, more so than she expected. Each time Leo stirred or winced in his unconscious state, she paused, watching his face for any sign of pain.


    Her hand brushed against a particularly deep wound on his side. The cut had barely started to close, despite his regeneration ability.


    Tatiana frowned, pressing the cloth a little firmer against it. Blood stained the water in the bowl a deep crimson.


    The room was quiet except for Leo''s ragged breathing and the soft sound of water being wrung from the cloth.


    Tatiana continued cleaning his injuries, working slowly and carefully. Every now and then, her fingers would brush against his skin, sending a strange warmth through her that she quickly pushed aside.


    "Focus," she scolded herself. "This isn''t the time for¡­ whatever this is."


    Once his wounds were clean, she reached for a roll of bandages. As she began wrapping his torso, Tatiana leaned in closer, her face inches from his.


    The scent of blood was still strong, but it wasn''t as strong as before.


    Leo stirred again, letting out a faint groan. Tatiana froze, watching him carefully. But he didn''t wake. His breathing slowed once more, falling back into that deep, exhausted rhythm.


    Tatiana sighed in relief and continued her work.


    By the time she finished, Leo was fully bandaged¡ªhis chest, arms, and legs wrapped neatly, the worst of his wounds cleaned and covered. He looked less fragile now, though the exhaustion still clung to his features.


    Tatiana sat back, brushing a stray strand of hair from her face.


    "There. All done," she whispered.


    But she didn''t move. For a long time, she simply sat there, watching him.


    The sun had dipped below the horizon, casting the room in a soft, golden twilight. Shadows lengthened across the walls, and the quiet sound of the city''s ruins filtered through the window.


    Tatiana leaned back in the chair beside the bed, crossing her arms.


    "What am I even doing?" she whispered to the empty room.


    Her gaze drifted back to Leo''s face and she remained there, her crimson eyes never leaving him.


    She stayed through the silence, watching over him until sleep finally claimed her as well.


    Tatiana sat beside him, her expression unreadable. She watched the slow rise and fall of his chest, listening to the faint, raspy breaths that echoed in the silent room.


    Minutes passed.


    Then hours.


    She didn''t move.


    Her fingers brushed the edge of the blanket covering him, as if reassuring herself that he was still there.


    ''Why do I care so much? You''re just a mortal¡­ right?'' she wondered.


    The door creaked open.


    Tatiana didn''t turn her head.


    Ves stood in the doorway.


    Her face drained of color the moment she saw Leo.


    He lay motionless, bandaged from head to toe, his face pale and bruised.


    "Leo¡­?" Ves whispered, stepping inside. Her voice trembled.


    Then her eyes shifted.


    Tatiana.


    Sitting there.


    Calm.


    Watching.


    "You. What did you do to him?" Ves hissed, her voice rising with each word.


    Tatiana finally looked up, her crimson eyes meeting Ves''s furious gaze.


    "Don''t jump to conclusions. He''s alive," Tatiana said smoothly.


    Ves stormed across the room, her fists clenched.


    "Alive? This¡ª" she gestured to Leo''s broken form¡ª


    "this is alive to you?"


    Tatiana didn''t flinch. "Barely. But yes."


    "You¡­!"


    Ves lunged forward, grabbing Tatiana by the collar of her dark blouse.


    Tatiana remained still, her expression calm even with Ves inches from her face.


    "How did this happen? Why did you allow it to happen?" She said in a slow, hissing voice.


    Tatiana sighed, brushing Ves''s hands off her.


    "Sit down. Let me explain."


    Ves didn''t move.


    Her breathing was ragged, her eyes locked on Leo''s still form.


    Tatiana''s gaze softened. "He fought Lilliana."


    Ves'' eyes narrowed in confusion. "Lilliana? Who''s Lilliana?"


    "My stepsister. An Exalted Rank Off-worlder," Tatiana replied.


    Ves took a step back, disbelief clouding her face.


    "You made him fight an Exalted Rank vampire?! Are you insane?! We''re you trying to kill him?!"


    "I didn''t make him do anything. He chose to fight her," Tatiana said, her tone cool.


    Ves clenched her fists. "Why?"


    "Because he needed to." Tatiana crossed her legs, settling back into the chair beside Leo''s bed.


    "It was the only way for him to complete his final evolution requirement."


    Ves stared at her.


    "You knew he wasn''t ready," Ves whispered, her voice trembling with rage. "This was the reason why you put him through that hellish training yesterday. You knew this would happen."


    Tatiana closed her eyes briefly. "I knew the risk. But I also knew he could survive."


    "Survive? Survive?!" Ves''s voice broke. "Look at him! He''s barely breathing!"


    Tatiana opened her eyes again, sharp and cold.


    "Keyword: he is breathing."


    Ves froze.


    Tatiana''s gaze softened, just a fraction. "Because he won."


    The room fell silent.


    Ves looked back at Leo. His face was peaceful despite his injuries, like he was finally resting after a long, exhausting journey.


    "He won¡­?" Ves whispered.


    Tatiana nodded. "It''s shocking but be actually won. He defeated an Exalted Rank Off-worlder."


    Ves collapsed into the chair beside the bed, burying her face in her hands.


    "I don''t understand. How did he¡­?" she whispered.


    Tatiana glanced at Leo, a faint smile tugging at her lips.


    "I guess the only thing I can say is because he''s Leo."


    Ves exhaled, looking at Leo''s face again. She reached out, brushing her fingers lightly across his hand.


    Tatiana stood, brushing her coat down.


    "He''ll wake up soon. His injuries are healing faster than I expected."


    Ves looked up at her.


    "And if he doesn''t?"


    Tatiana paused at the door, glancing back.


    "He will," she said, before disappearing. S~ea??h the N?vel(F)ire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Ves stared after her for a long moment before turning her attention back to Leo.


    Minutes passed.


    The room was silent again.


    The only sound was the slow, steady rhythm of Leo''s breathing.

 Chapter 123 Tournament Begins, Leaderboard Ranking

    The soft sound of silence filled the dimly lit apartment. The air hung still, heavy with a strange tension that seemed to seep through the very walls.


    The night outside was eerily calm, almost as if the entire world was holding its breath, waiting.


    Ves stood beside Leo''s bed, her gaze fixed on his unmoving form. His chest rose and fell steadily, but the deep bruises and freshly wrapped bandages that covered him from head to toe served as a constant reminder of how close he had been to death. Again.


    After Tatiana left, Ves had watched over Leo for a while. But with no sign that he would wake anytime soon, she had reluctantly stepped away.


    He needed rest, and while she wished she could do more, the least she could do was ensure there would be food waiting for him when he woke.


    The kitchen felt too quiet as Ves moved around, gathering ingredients. She glanced out the cracked window, watching the city''s ruined skyline bathed in silver moonlight.


    Shadows stretched across broken streets, silent and foreboding. The city had grown quieter these past days. Too quiet. As if it too was waiting.


    Her fingers worked automatically, slicing the last of the mutant boar meat they had been rationing. The thick cuts glistened under the pale kitchen lights.


    The aroma of roasting meat soon filled the air¡ªa smell that had become familiar, comforting even.


    The mutant boar''s meat no longer granted stat boosts, but its rich flavor and nutritional value made it a staple they couldn''t afford to waste.


    Ves stirred the pot absentmindedly, her thoughts drifting.


    Tomorrow. The tournament. The event that would throw them all into chaos.


    She shivered at the thought, her hand tightening around the spoon.


    Leo¡ªwho had thrown himself into one impossible battle after another. Who had taken beatings that would have killed anyone else. Who, despite it all, kept moving forward. Reckless. Stubborn. Determined.


    And it terrified her.


    Her thoughts trailed off as she glanced toward Leo''s room. He hadn''t stirred since Tatiana had brought him back.


    Seeing him unconscious, covered in wounds, barely breathing¡ªher heart had nearly stopped.


    She hated how helpless it made her feel. How all she could do was stand there and watch.


    And tomorrow, it begins again. The thought gnawed at her. The tournament would be worse. More brutal. No rules. No mercy. If Leo wasn''t careful¡­


    Ves shook her head, forcing the thoughts away. She finished preparing the meal and plated it carefully.


    The rich scent of the cooked boar''s meat filled the air, thick and savory. She picked up a plate and walked back to Leo''s room.


    The door creaked softly as she entered. The faint moonlight filtering through the window bathed Leo''s pale face in silver. His expression was peaceful, despite the bruises and cuts.


    Ves sat beside him, balancing the plate on her lap. As she ate, she kept stealing glances at him. His breathing remained steady, but the tension in her chest refused to ease.


    "You''re so close," she whispered. "You just need to wake up."


    Hours passed.


    The night deepened, and the world outside grew impossibly still.


    Ves remained at Leo''s side. The plate was empty now, resting on a small table nearby.


    She pulled her knees to her chest, resting her chin atop them as she continued to watch over him.


    The dim glow of the city outside did little to chase away the heaviness in the air.


    A faint sound began to creep through the silence.


    Ves frowned, lifting her head.


    The sound grew louder.


    She stood abruptly, her eyes narrowing as a faint pulse ran through the floor. The air thickened. The shadows deepened. The entire world seemed to be holding its breath.


    Her heart started to pound.


    "No... It''s too soon."


    Then, outside the window¡ª


    A brilliant, blinding flash of light exploded across the sky.


    Ves rushed to the window, throwing it open.


    The city skyline was bathed in a crimson glow. High above, stretching across the heavens like a banner of war, a massive leaderboard appeared.


    Golden text shimmered against a blood-red backdrop. The letters glowed, casting their eerie light down upon the ruined city.


    The world seemed to freeze.


    A cold, mechanical voice echoed everywhere. It wasn''t heard through the ears but in the mind¡ªdeep, resonant, and absolute.


    [The Convergence Tournament Begins Now.]


    Ves stepped back from the window, her breath caught in her throat.


    The voice continued, cold and unfeeling.


    [All Participants Will Now Be Ranked.]


    [Ranking Leaderboard.]


    [#1: Rargan.


    Origin: Infernal Realm.


    Race: Demon.


    Rank: Exalted.]


    .....


    ....


    The leaderboard shimmered, lines of text shifting and rearranging. S§×ar?h the N??elFir§×.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Ves stared in shock as the names began to appear.


    The top contenders from other realms she didn''t recognize. More than half of the ranking was occupied by Demon race, and it sent a very unpleasant chill down her spine.


    As the list continued, she finally some familiar names., recognising two of them due to some similarities with a certain someone name.


    [#67: Lucian von Carstein.


    Origin: First prince of Crimson Fall Realm.


    Race: Vampire.


    Rank: Exalted.]


    She recognised this person as he has the same last name as Tatiana.


    The ranking continued and the second familiar name appeared.


    [#72: Tatiana von Carstein.


    Origin: First princess of Crimson Fall Realm.


    Race: Vampire.


    Rank: Exalted.]


    [#85: Liliana von Carstein.


    Origin: Second princess of Crimson Fall Realm.


    Race: Vampire.


    Rank: Exalted.]


    .....


    "85th position... She''s strong but just how strong?" Ves asked herself with her eyes narrowed.


    She continued watching the ranking and there¡ªglowing faintly at the bottom of the list¡ª


    [#100: Leo Astranox


    Origin: &#@&#@#&@#


    Race: &#@&#@#&@#


    Rank: Evolved.]


    ...


    Ves'' blood ran cold when she saw Leo''s information on the leaderboard ranking.


    Immediately after the ranking appeared, she felt a huge wave of energy enveloping Leo and the entirely.


    At first a faint image of a purple-golden sun appeared in the room, filling it with its light.


    Seeing the image of the sun, Ves felt like she was standing in from of a insurmountable monster. A monster that could erase her out of existence with a glance.


    Her body tensed up and when she tried to breath, she found herself unable to. Her 3lga were also shaking and on the brink of giving out. But just as the last moment, the sun disappeared and the massive pressure along with it.


    Ves took a deep breath and steadied herself. After the sun disappeared, she had no idea why but she felt something telling her to look back at the Leo''s ranking on the leaderboard again.


    [#100: Leo Astranox


    Origin: Earth''s native. Son of Astragar, the third dragon prince, and Elunara, the caretaker goddess of the world tree, Yggdrasill.


    Race: Human, Dragon, God.


    Rank: Evolved.]


    ...


    "Holy..."

 Chapter 124 Leos Shocking Background

    The appearance of the leaderboard ranking caused a very heavy and loud silence to envelop the world.


    It felt like the world had stopped rotating and was now on a standstill. Sear?h the n??el Fire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Slowly, everyone¡ªthe humans¡ªstarted to feel some tension in the air. The tension grew and became very palpable.


    It was just tension alone that was in the air, but also fear.


    Yes, fear.


    For the humans, it could be said that this is the first time that they are seeing the races.


    Demons, vampires, werewolves, elves, dwarves, beastkin and the rest. It''s the first time that they are hearing of them.


    Yes, someone of them have met some of these .... aliens directly, interacted with them and seer that they are actually real. And they are now surbodinates and some of them, forced slaves to these entities.


    But it wasn''t the same for everyone around the world.


    Earth is a planet with a population of more than 8.2 billion humans. Even with the apocalypse and the dangers that comes with it claiming immeasurable numbers of lives, the remaining Earth''s population is still in the hundreds of millions.


    And naturally, it''s impossible for the hundreds of millions of people to be able to meet a small number of people.


    For those who had haven''t met the Off-worlders, they were naturally scared when they saw the names on the ranking. And seeing that no human among them is on the ranking, made feel even more scared.


    But the appearance of Leo on the leaderboard ranking changed everything. They didn''t understand how someone like him could be a native of Earth as stated by his information on the leaderboard. But they hoped that the fact he''s a native would gave them hope. No matter how useless it might seem at the moment.


    Father, Dragon prince. Mother, caretaker goddess of the world tree.


    These were the words that was continuously repeated in almost everyone''s head when they read Leo''s information.


    ...


    As for the Off-worlders, the appearance of the leaderboard ranking marked the beginning of the chaotic and bloody battle that''s going to happen in the coming days.


    The leaderboard''s appearance wasn''t the beginning of the tournament. It was the beginning of something massive, something that would change their lives forever.


    As they continued to view the leaderboard and its occupants, some of them saw some very familiar names.


    This was especially so for Tatiana. She saw the names on the ranking and she suddenly felt that she might had been underplaying the value the tournament holds in everyone''s heart.


    Seeing her step siblings on the ranking was no surprise. It would have been quite a slap to the face of the Blood Emperor, and an insult to his status, if his children didn''t make the ranking.


    What actually surprised her, shocking her even, was the appearance of so many demons and their domination over half of the ranking.


    Tatiana felt that there was more to the appearance of these demons and everything was exactly as it seems. This was especially so with how they are.


    Yes, weak. The demons on the ranking are weak. The Infernal Realm Tatiana knows is a ruthless places populated by the different Infernal races occupying it.


    It''s ruled by an entity called Lucifer, a being on the same level as gods. The Infernal Realm is also ruled by numerous Apocalyptic Rank and multiple Celestial Rank entities.


    Another thing to note is that demons can''t leave the Infernal Realm without the permission of an Archdemon, who in turns seeks permissions from the ruler of the circle of their dwelling.


    The reason for this is because of a treaty that was signed between Lucifer and the Council of gods ages ago, bringing to an end the long raging war between demons and the entire Multiverse.


    Yes, there was a time when the Infernal Realm was at war with the whole Multiverse but that was before the appearance of the dwellers of the Abyssal Realm.


    All these are things that Tatiana read from the library when she was still in the Palace.


    She also remember reading that the minimum rank of demons that are allowed to freely exit the Infernal Realm starts from Overlord Rank.


    "It seems like things are going to get dangerous very soon," Tatiana said to herself.


    She continued to view the ranking and she saw some other familiar names like the Elf princesses, scions of some very popular Dwarves, the princes and princesses of the Werewolf race, and lots of royalty and scions from some well-known noble families in the Multiverse.


    Tatiana nearly burst into laughter when she saw Liliana''s ranking. She knew that compared to her, Liliana is weak, but she had no idea that would actually be topped by the scion from a noble family from Crimson Fall Realm. Her own subject.


    Her attention was quickly drawn away from Liliana''s position as she went back up the ranking again to confirm something.


    "As expected, the dragon race isn''t participating. They have never wanted anything to do with the divine and they won''t start now," she said to herself, smiling in relief.


    Her eyes continued going down the ranking and right at the very bottom of the ranking, she saw something that shocked her to her very core.


    "Leo Astranox. Son of Astragar, the third dragon prince, and Elunara, the caretaker goddess of the world tree, Yggdrasill. What in the bloody sanguine moon?!"


    She couldn''t believe what she was seeing.


    "Astragar, the third dragon prince? Isn''t that the only dragon that was born with the ability to control chaos and was blessed by one of the members of the Council, the primordial goddess, Nyx?" She asked herself, swallowing hard.


    "Elunara, the caretaker goddess of the world tree, Yggdrasill? No, this can''t be possible, right?" Tatiana asked herself in shock.


    From what Tatiana read from the books in the Palace library, the feud between the dragon race and the god race has been on for as long as one could remember.


    It goes way back to even before the war between the Infernal Realm and the Multiverse.


    The gods¡ªeven though the Council of Primordial are the ones that are at the backbone of the Multiverse¡ªhas always see themselves as the ruler of the Multiverse, asking every mortal race to bow them.


    As for the dragon race, they are a very prideful race that has never submitted to anyone. They are the only mortal race that have the backing of a primordial, though vaguely, and this was long before the birth of Leo''s father.


    With the dragon''s pride, one could imagine how they felt when the gods asked the mortal races to bow to them.


    The god race were naturally enraged when the dragon race refused to listen but they couldn''t do anything as they didn''t want to incur the wrath of the primordial backing them.


    This was how their feud began and has continued to this day. But if that is so, then how is it possible that Leo is the son of two very powerful entities from different two races that hates each other with passion?


    Tatiana was very curious and so was every Off-worlders that saw Leo''s information.


    Tatiana chose Leo because he has a lot of potential but with this new revealed information about him, she felt that she has bitten off more than she can chew.


    The question is if she will throw it out of her mouth or force herself to chew it no matter what.


    Tatiana didn''t even need to consider her choices as she disappeared from her position, and blitzed towards Leo''s location.


    She got to balcony of his apartment and walked into his room. There, she saw him sitting on his bed, with a smile on his face. And Ves who has a peculiar expression on her face, seated beside him.


    "I know you would come. Took you long enough," Leo said with a smile when he saw Tatiana.

 Chapter 125 Fucked In More Ways Than One

    Leo watched Tatiana as she slowly walked towards him.


    "How do you know that I would be coming?" Tatiana asked curiously, and with a little bit of caution.


    She was still very confused by everything concerning Leo''s identity, and this was why she came to see him. And now, hearing him saying that he knew she would come, she felt something she has never felt in a very long time: vulnerable.


    It was vulnerability due to weakness but from the fact that she no had any idea what was going on. And she feels like she''s losing control of the whole situation.


    Leo sighed when he heard Tatiana''s question. His head was currently filled with so many thoughts that he couldn''t follow all of them at once, and it left feeling very confused. With the only one that can clear his confusion right now being Tatiana


    "I figured that when you saw the information on the leaderboard, you will likely come here. Besides we are friends with benefits, right?" Leo replied.


    "Friends with benefits, your ass," Tatiana said, glaring at Leo.


    "Tell me, did you know?" She asked curiously.


    Leo smiled wryly when he heard Tatiana''s questions. How could he have known anything? Before today, his identity has been the most confusing thing about his life.


    He has no idea who or what he is. His last name had always been concealed and his race, except for the human being displayed, the other three were concealed just as his name.


    And also the fact that all his parents, who apparently are big shots, left him was a letter didn''t help his case.


    But strangely, Leo didn''t blame them one single bit for anything. He couldn''t bring himself to do it.


    From their letter, he understood that they were into something dangerous, and having him around them would kill him, and make things difficult for them.


    Leo sighed when he thought of this. He turned, reaching out to the drawer beside his bed. He slid a compartment and the white-as-snow envelope that the matron of the orphanage home, could be seen.


    He picked up the envelope and gave it to Tatiana.


    "What is this?" Tatiana asked curiously, as she collected the envelope.


    "I think it would help you to understand." Leo replied.


    While Tatiana took out the letter in the envelope and started reading it, Leo turned his attention to Ves.


    He saw the expression on her face and he knew that there''s a lot of things going through her mind.


    But he was happy because she''s someone who has been there with him from the beginning. She has been the one taking care of him since he was in orphanage home, so she understands everything about him and even some that he doesn''t understand about himself.


    He smiled as he stretched his hand and held Ves'' hand that was resting beside him. sea??h th§× Novel?ire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    His action startled her but he saw her quickly recover herself, and sighing afterwards.


    "I''m sorry for losing myself like that, Leo," Ves smiled wryly.


    "I just... I''m just... The past month have been very chaotic, with the apocalypse happening, the monsters, zombies, and even me almost turning into a zombie, and trying to kill you. Everything has been a big mess from the start."


    "And when I saw the announcement for the tournament, I thought, ''yeah, things might get worse in the future but things will still always remain the same between us.''


    I will still continue to be the big sister who has been taking care of you and you will be the sweet little boy that I''ve always known. But now... It seems like the sweet little boy I''ve always known had always been more from the beginning. He''s the son of a dragon prince. Royalty. And the son of a goddess who takes care of the world tree," Ves said with a wry smile, as her eyes started to become moist.


    "And now, I don''t know why but I can''t help but feel like I''m holding you back when you can be so much more. I know it''s selfish but I don''t want to lose you. You''re the only person I have left. But if I keep you by my side, how can you reach your full potential?" Ves said with a shaky voice, as tears streamed down her cheek.


    Leo felt like a couple of needles were being passed through his heart when he saw the tears streaming down Ves'' cheek.


    He had no idea when his body moved and he held Ves'' face, and kissed the tears.


    "Is that enough to answer your question?" He asked with a smile.


    There was a moment of loud silence as everyone in the room was completely frozen. This was the same for Tatiana who had just finished reading the Leo''s parent letter.


    Leo himself was equally shocked by his own actions, as he looked at Ves, who was also looking at him in shock.


    "Um... I''m sorry, Ms Ves. I didn''t mean to. I had no idea what came over me," he said, trying to explain himself.


    He hopes that Ves would believe him as he truly had no idea how what he just did.


    As he observed Ves, he couldn''t help but notice that her face was now beet red, something that shouldn''t be possible due to her half-human, half-zombie nature.


    He also noticed that she was doing her best to avoid looking him in the eyes.


    "Thank you, Leo," she said in a very small, sweet voice before standing up and bolting out of the room.


    Leo was surprised by Ves'' action and so was Tatiana, but she understood what had just happened and what it means.


    ''She likes him too but she doesn''t want to acknowledge it yet.''


    Tatiana smiled when she saw this, but her smile faded the next moment and turned into a frown.


    She looked at Leo who was still looking at the door, surprised and with a smile on her face, and she smacked him on the head.


    Leo was shocked by Tatiana''s action and he turned to look at her with an expression that says, ''what the hell?''


    "What was that all about?" Tatiana asked, glaring daggers at him.


    "Um... I don''t know? Like I said before, I had no idea what came over me," Leo replied, sighing at the end.


    "Tsk. Tsk. Tsk." Tatiana clicked her tongue, shaking her head, seemingly in disappointment.


    Leo rolled his head at her antics, and smiled. But the smile faded and was replaced with a very solemn expression.


    "So, what do you think?" He asked, with his eyes pointing towards the letter in Tatiana''s hand.


    "Well, from what I got from this letter. For starters, your life is in danger. Secondly, your life is in danger and lastly, your life is in danger," Tatiana replied with a smile, that was so much of a smile.


    "So, I''m fucked in more ways than one. Good. Very good," Leo said, nodding his head in satisfaction.

 Chapter 126 Answers, More Questions [Golden Tickets Bonus Chapter]

    To explain Leo''s situation to him, Tatiana started by telling him about the the feud between the dragon race and the gods. And she explained how it started. S§×arch* The N??eFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    After that, she told him everything she knew about his father, Astragar, the third dragon prince. And everything she has read about the dragon race royal family from the books in the Palace library.


    "So, what you''re telling me right now is that my dad is someone who is favoured by a Primordial goddess, who is a member of the Multiverse ruling Council?" Leo asked in confirmation.


    "Yes," Tatiana said, nodding.


    "I see... Then, what about my mother?" Leo asked.


    He was trying to wrap his head around what Tatiana just said about his father, and the feud between his father''s race and his father''s race.


    But he was more interested in his mother, who is caretaker goddess of the world tree. Of course, this doesn''t mean that he isn''t interested in his father.


    Heck, he''s interested in the both of them. Growing up, Leo had watched movies about dragon and gods. He has also read books about them and even some of them featured the world tree, Yggdrasill. So, one can understand his increased curiosity towards his mother.


    Tatiana sighed when she heard Leo asking about his mother. The truth is that apart from the gods and the Council, not many among the mortal races of the Multiverse knows much about the world tree, Yggdrasill, and everything about it. This is especially so for her caretaker goddess, Leo''s mother, Elunara.


    If Leo wants to know more about his mother and the world tree, then he would have to meet the royals of the Elf race, or the leading members of the ruling clans of the Dwarf race, as both races share the same mortal realm.


    Seeing that she had nothing much to tell him, Tatiana decided to tell Leo the little she knows.


    "Leo, there''s not much information recorded about the world tree or you mother. I had no idea she even existed until today. Everything about the world tree has always been kept under lock and wrap by the Elf race. If you want any information on your mother or the world tree, you will have to meet someone from the Elf race royal family," Tatiana explained.


    "I see... There are two of them here, participating in the tournament. I will meet up with them later and ask them," Leo said, nodding to himself.


    "I will advise against that, Leo," Tatiana said, with a solemn voice.


    "Why? I want to know more about my mother. If the two Elf princesses are the ones that can give me the information I need, why shouldn''t I meet them?" Leo asked curiously.


    He wasn''t offended by what Tatiana said. He knew that she probably has a reason for it but he was still curious to know why she doesn''t want him to meet the Elf princesses.


    "You can''t meet up with the Elf princesses. At least not now. Just like the Dragon race, the Elf race is also a proud one. And just like the Dragon race, it isn''t just about their race alone. They are very proud about their bloodlines, its purity and their connection to the world tree.


    They have done everything within their power to make sure that nothing taints the world tree, and they will continue to do so. They are not the only one as this is the same for the Feys," Tatiana said, and continued.


    "To summarise everything, the Elf race worships the world tree and your mother being its caretaker goddess, is like a holy temple priestess to them.


    I once heard a story that there was once a half-blood born between an Elf noble and a Beastkin. The Elf court didn''t just reject him. They burned an entire forest to ''cleanse the stain.''


    So, imagine what their reaction would be when they discover that their holy priestess had a child with a dragon. To them, your mixed bloodlines is like an aberration. And they don''t take too lightly to aberrations. This is the same for the Dragon race," she explained.


    Leo sighed when he heard what Tatiana said. He had no idea that things in the Multiverse were this complicated. But it''s understandable.


    In a universe filled with entities that were previously things of myth and fantasy, and with them wielding unimaginable power, it''s understandable that things are definitely bound to be complicated.


    He sighed once more and looked at Tatiana, who was seated beside him.


    As it stands right now, she''s the only Off-worlder he can trust right now. Even before the complications of his identity, she has always seen something special in him.


    Leo kept thinking about how complicated his identity is and one particular question kept bothering him: how is he human?


    His father is a Dragon prince and according to what Tatiana said about the Dragon race taking pride in the purity of their bloodline, there''s no way that his father is a half dragon.


    As for his mother, she literally called a goddess and one linked with the world tree. So, it''s impossible that the human side of him came from her.


    If that is so, then where did it come from? How is he part human?


    He knew that he won''t be able to get the answer, if he keeps asking himself the question. He would only be tormenting himself.


    With that realisation, he decided to ask Tatiana. Though he had very little hope that she would have the answer to his question.


    "Tatiana, do you know why I''m partly human?" He asked.


    "I''m not sure but if my guess is correct, it''s from the world tree," Tatiana replied, and she saw a look on confusion on Leo''s face.


    "Let me explain. I must remind you that I''m not sure if I''m entirely or even actually correct. But it''s recorded in the books in the Palace library, that the world tree has everything about every mortal races in the universe. Everything about them, from how and when they were created, and their bloodline too.


    If my guess is correct, I think your mother was able to extract a human bloodline from the world tree and infuse into you when you were born. The reason for that? So that you can be able to live on Earth without worries of being expelled," Tatiana explained.


    She thought that she has explained everything but she saw that Leo was still confused, and even more than before.


    "Ughhh... To explain the last part, before Earth''s awakening, Earth was sealed off to all of the Multiverse. No one can go in or out."


    Hearing what Tatiana said, Leo laughed mischievously.


    "Hehehe. I was just teasing you. Though, thanks for explaining the last part. But I must say that your theory about the human part of me makes sense in a way."


    "If what you said about about the world tree having the information on every mortal races in the Multiverse is correct, then I feel that this is the most likely source of my human bloodline. What does it mean for me? If I''m the son of beings this powerful¡­ what kind of future is waiting for me?..." Leo thought to himself, out loud.


    "I guess that''s something you will have to figure out on your own, Dragon God," Tatiana said, with a teasing smile.

 Chapter 127

    Leo sat in silence long after Tatiana had finished speaking. The weight of his lineage and his identity pressed down on him, weighing heavily on his mind.


    He had spent his whole life thinking he was just another human struggling to survive in a world gone mad. But now? A dragon prince. A goddess''s son. The child of two races that would rather see each other erased from existence.


    All those times at the orphanage¡­ every moments he spent there, he had felt like he didn''t belong. He was starting to realise that it wasn''t just his imagination. Maybe he was always meant to be an outsider.


    Leo''s fingers curled into the bedsheet as he exhaled sharply.


    Tatiana watched him with a solemn look on her face. She knew that he has a lot going through his mind and that even with her explanation, he was still confused.


    She was also aware that it would take him a long time before he finally comes to term with everything. It''s not everyday that someone wakes up and find out that he or she was born in the middle of an eon long feud between two very powerful race.


    And she''s also still trying to wrap her around everything. She was very curious to know how Leo''s parents met. How they got together and why they decided to have a child?


    Everything surrounding Leo is still very confusing and each questions she has, keeps leading to more questions.


    But even with all the confusion and the shock surrounding Leo''s identity, Tatiana didn''t lose sight of the most important thing: increasing their strength.


    "Leo, you won''t get anything solved by overthinking. And neither will you be able to change anything. The best thing you can do right now is to try to increase your strength as fast as possible," she said. S~ea??h the n?vel_Fire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "You don''t have to worry about the dragon race. They are not participating in the tournament. Though they might be paying attention to it and might had already known about the leaderboard, it doesn''t mean that they know where you are.


    And besides, your face isn''t on the ranking. Just your name. It would take them a long time before they can finally track you down, and by then, you would had already been strong enough.


    And if who knows? If you show them your strength and they find you worthy, they might not actually do anything to you," Tatiana said, and continued.


    "And as for the gods, I''m pretty sure they already know about you and they can hear us talking now, but they won''t be able to do anything. They can''t descend directly to Earth and they will only be able to send a Champion Herald after you. And I''m sure that a Champion Herald will be no problem for the future you.


    Also, before they can send one of those after you, they will still have to consider the world tree and that Primordial stance. Both of them aren''t entities that they can afford to slight easily. The world tree holds the power over the mana and life force channel of the Multiverse, and the Primordial, she''s freakishly strong."


    Leo nodded in agreement to Tatiana''s words. She was right. He won''t be able to solve anything by overthinking it and the only thing that can give a shot at surviving what''s to come, is absolute strength.


    Also, he still has the tournament to worry about. Which means he has to start increasing his strength and he has to do it fast.


    "So, what''s the fastest way for me to increase my strength?" Leo asked curiously.


    "I thought you would never ask," Tatiana smiled.


    "The fastest way to increase your strength is by killing the Abyssal Dwellers from the Abyssal Realm." Tatiana replied.


    Leo blinked his eyes at her in confusion. He has no idea what she was talking about. Abyssal Dwellers? Abyssal Realm? What are those?


    Tatiana saw the confusion on Leo''s face and smiled in understanding, and started explaining.


    "The Abyssal Realm is like the opposite of the Multiverse and it''s filled with creatures we call the Dwellers. They are very powerful creatures and those with the weakest strength there are as strong as those of us that are at the Evolved Rank. The Dwellers are plague of the Multiverse and I''m very sure that the hidden agenda of the tournament is for us to go there and hunt them down."


    Leo nodded in understanding at Tatiana''s explanation. From what she said, the Abyssal Realm is a good place to grind unlimitedly. And he was sure there''s a ''but'' to it.


    "But?"


    "But you can''t stay there for too long as the abyssal energy will cause you to go mad and lose yourself, also becoming one of the Dwellers," Tatiana replied.


    "I see... So, when do we start?" Leo asked.


    "When you have recovered fully. So, get some rest," Tatiana replied.


    "I''ve recovered fully. If I haven''t, I wouldn''t had woken up. And my body is brimming with so much energy that I''m looking for an outlet for it," Leo smiled.


    Tatiana couldn''t help but look at Leo in shock when she heard what he said.


    "You have recovered fully?" She asked again in confirmation.


    Leo nodded and to prove it, he started taking off his bandage.


    Tatiana tried to stop him but when she saw the first bandage come off and she saw there was no sign of any injury, she believed him.


    Tatiana wanted to be shocked by how fast Leo recovered but when she remembered his identity, she could only shake her head at how unfair the Multiverse is.


    She knew that if she was the one with all the injuries Leo had and with his level of strength, even with her top tier talent in blood manipulation and healing, it would still take her at least a week.


    Leo smiled when he saw the shocked look on Tatiana''s face. He understood her shock but this wasn''t the time for them to lose their composure.


    "So, when do we go into the Abyssal Realm?" Leo asked again.


    "Later. First, you need to get some rest. Even if you have recovered completely, I advised you get some rest. Your body and mind are two different entities. Your body has recovered from the injuries you received in the battle but the same can''t be said about your mind. Don''t worry though, I will contact you when the sun comes up and it''s time to go," Tatiana said, and stood up.


    "I will be waiting for you, then," Leo said.


    Tatiana nodded and left, just the way she came: disappearing into the night.


    After Tatiana had left, Leo snuggled into his bed, wanting to get some sleep. Tatiana was right. His body has recovered from the injuries he got from the battle with Liliana but his mind hasn''t.


    Leo closed his eyes and slowly drifted off to sleep.


    ...


    Meanwhile in a different part of the Multiverse.


    In a realm filled with pure chaos energy, an otherworldly beautiful woman, with dark purple hair, could be seen seated on a dark throne.


    In front of her was something that looked like a portal or a mirror, and in its reflection, was showing Leo sleeping.


    "And so it begins."

 Chapter 128 Abyssal Realm

    Leo and Tatiana stood before the gaping maw of the Abyssal Rift, a massive tear in the fabric of reality.


    It shimmered like a living wound, its surface an unsettling mixture of deep black and bleeding crimson, swirling in a chaotic dance that pulsated with unnatural energy.


    Even from a distance, Leo could feel the oppressive force rolling off it, an almost tangible wave that sent a shiver down his spine. The energy clawed at his skin, a creeping, corrosive sensation that made his instincts scream at him to turn back.


    His gaze drifted to the landscape surrounding the rift. The land was dead¡ªno, beyond dead. It was erased.


    The ground was cracked and barren, drained of any essence of life. No grass, no trees, not even the stubborn weeds that usually managed to thrive in the most desolate places. Even the air felt suffocating, as though the very concept of existence had been stripped away.


    "I think you can now understand why I didn''t want you to bring Ves and the others with you," Tatiana said, with a calm yet firm voice.


    Leo nodded, his grip tightening on Nightshade. The sheer intensity of the energy leaking from the rift told him everything he needed to know.


    The Abyssal Realm was not a place for the weak. It wasn''t just dangerous. It was like a predator, one that consumes those who weren''t strong enough to fight back.


    Tatiana tilted her head slightly, her sharp eyes studying him.


    "Can you hear it? The voices?"


    Leo frowned. He strained his ears, but all he could hear was the faint, eerie sound of the swirling energy crackling at the edges of the rift.


    "No," he admitted.


    Tatiana nodded with a solemn expression.


    "Good. You just need to know that it''s time to leave when you start hearing them. That means the corruption is settling in."


    She crossed her arms, her gaze flickering toward the rift.


    "That''s why most people don''t survive here. It''s not just the Dwellers. It''s the Abyss itself. The longer you stay, the more it seeps into you. And once it takes hold, there''s no coming back."


    Leo exhaled slowly, letting the information settle. He had already made his decision. He couldn''t afford hesitation, not now.


    "I''m curious, Leo. Have you unlocked your draconic traits?" Tatiana asked, as she looked at Leo.


    Leo shook his head in response. He seem to remember Tatiana talking about racial traits before but he he''s yet to get one.


    Leo decided to check his status screen as he hasn''t checked it since he completed his evolution requirements, and evolved.


    [Name: Leo Astranox]


    [Level: 24 (Evolved Rank)]


    [Specie(s): Human, ****, ****]


    [Class: Warden]


    [Title: None]


    ______


    [Strength: 35.5]


    [Agility: 22.5 (+30)]


    [Stamina: 34.5]


    [Intelligence: 26.5]


    [Mana: 150]


    ______


    [Stat Point(s): 16]


    ______


    [Skill(s): [Regeneration (Innate)], [Beastmaster''s Bond (Innate)], [Sesimic Stomp], [Berserker''s Roar], [Ravenous Regeneration], [Predator''s Instincts]. Enjoy new adventures from My Virtual Library Empire


    .....


    Leo was slightly surprised when he saw his stat information. He noticed that his last name that was previously hidden was now being displayed. But his race was still hidden and he has no idea why that is still so, as the information on the leaderboard ranking has told him all that he needs to know.


    He also noticed that he was now at level 24 and all his stats has been increased by 1.5 stat points, except his Mana which has increased by 15 points.


    He has no idea the reason for the increase but it felt it was somehow related to his evolution. And to him, the increase was a welcomed development


    He also noticed that he now have 16 free stat points.


    ''Four level ups and 16 free stat points. It seem like the free stat points per level up for those in the Evolved Rank is four.'' Leo thought to himself.


    He didn''t waste time as he quickly distributed all of his free stat points. He distributed the equally by allocating 4 stat points each to each of stats.


    Immediately after adding the stat, Leo felt some changes in his body. He felt stronger, faster, lighter and he could feel his body brimming with energy.


    .....


    Tatiana frowned when she saw Leo shake his head in response to her question.


    "That''s strange. Every race has their own unique traits. It''s a compilation of skills and abilities. It''s far superior to regular skills," Tatiana said, explaining.


    Hearing Tatiana''s explanation, Leo realised something as the memory of the first notification he got the day the apocalypse started, telling him that the first seal has been broken.


    ''I guess that''s why they are hidden. There''s a seal on the both of them,'' He thought to himself.


    "It seems you already know the reason why you don''t have it yet," she said, when she saw the look of realisation on his face.


    "I think so but I''m not sure," Leo said, nodding.


    "I hope you awaken it soon. Considering that you''re royalty, the awakening should come early. And I''m curious to know if you have god traits too," Tatiana smiled, and turned to look at the rift.


    Leo smiled and also turned to look at the rift.


    "So," he said, flexing his fingers around Nightshade''s hilt. "Do we go in?"


    Tatiana nodded and, without another word, grabbed Leo by the arm. The next thing he knew, the world around them blurred as she propelled them forward at breakneck speed.


    The moment they crossed the threshold of the rift, reality shifted.


    Everything vanished.


    Leo felt like he had plunged into a bottomless void. His vision was gone, replaced by an all-consuming darkness so complete that he wasn''t sure if his eyes were still open.


    His hearing followed next¡ªsilence, absolute and suffocating, as if all sound had been swallowed whole. Even his sense of touch disappeared. He couldn''t feel Tatiana''s grip, couldn''t feel his own body, as though he had been stripped of all existence.


    Panic began to claw at his mind, but then¡ªjust as abruptly as it started¡ªthe sensation lifted.


    For a brief moment, he thought he saw something in the void¡ªsomething staring back at him. But when his senses returned, it was gone.


    His vision returned in a flash, and with it, the crushing silence shattered.


    Leo inhaled sharply, his lungs burning as if he had been drowning moments ago. He stumbled slightly, his legs sinking into the cracked, colorless earth beneath him.


    The stench of decay and something far worse assaulted his senses. He looked up, and his breath caught in his throat.


    The Abyssal Realm stretched endlessly in all directions, a landscape of death and ruin. The sky was a churning mass of gray and black, devoid of any sun, moon, or stars.


    The air was thick with ashen flakes, swirling like dying embers in a world that had long since been abandoned by life. Each flake that touched his skin left a faint, cold sting before disintegrating into dust. It wasn''t just ash. It was like the remnants of things that had once lived.


    And then, in the distance, he saw them.


    Dark, twisted figures lurking at the edges of the horizon, their bodies shifting unnaturally, their forms barely distinguishable from the oppressive shadows surrounding them. The sound of their low, guttural screeches sent a chill through Leo''s spine.


    "We can''t go deeper than this," Tatiana, who was beside him, said, scanning the moving figures.


    "We will fight them here."


    Leo tightened his grip on Nightshade and nodded.


    The Dwellers moved.


    It wasn''t a charge. It was something far worse. They flowed like liquid shadows, their bodies bending and twisting in ways that defied logic.


    The closer they got, the more their forms became visible. They had elongated limbs, their hands ending in razor-sharp claws. sea??h th§× N?vel(F)ire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Their faces were grotesque mockeries of humanoid features, with hollow, glowing eyes that flickered with something malevolent, something that didn''t belong in any sane reality.


    And they were fast.


    Too fast.


    One of them was already upon him before he could react.


    A clawed hand lashed out. Leo barely managed to bring Nightshade up in time to block, but the force behind the attack sent him skidding backward, his legs grinding against the cracked ground. The impact rattled his bones.


    Strong.


    Leo didn''t have time to recover before another was on him. He ducked as a second Dweller swiped at his head, its claws slicing through the air where his skull had been a fraction of a second ago.


    He spun, bringing Nightshade in a horizontal slash aimed at its midsection. The blade cut through its flesh, but instead of blood, a dark, viscous substance oozed from the wound.


    The creature didn''t even flinch.


    It lunged, mouth stretching unnaturally wide, revealing a row of jagged, interlocking teeth.


    Leo barely managed to leap back, but his heart was pounding.


    Tatiana was already moving. Unlike him, she wasn''t caught off guard. With a swift motion, she extended her hand, and the air around her vibrated.


    A thin, crimson spear formed from her fingertips, and with a flick of her wrist, she launched it at an approaching Dweller.


    The spear pierced straight through its skull, and the creature let out an unearthly screech before collapsing.


    Leo exhaled, forcing himself to focus. He needed to be faster. Stronger.


    The Dwellers kept coming.


    They didn''t move like ordinary creatures. They didn''t hesitate, didn''t flinch, didn''t retreat. Even when struck, they only faltered for a moment before continuing their relentless assault. They weren''t fighting to survive. They were fighting to consume.


    Leo adjusted his stance. He couldn''t afford to make mistakes.


    The next Dweller lunged at him, and this time, he was ready. He sidestepped the attack, twisting his body to avoid the claws.


    As he turned, he swung Nightshade in a brutal downward arc, cleaving straight through its arm. The severed limb hit the ground, writhing for a few seconds before turning into black dust.


    But the Dweller didn''t stop. It snarled, lunging again, and Leo drove Nightshade straight through its chest. The blade cut deep, and the creature let out a piercing shriek before dissolving into the same black dust.


    Immediately, Leo got a notification.


    [You have acquired an Abyssal Spawn Refined Death Force!]


    .....


    Leo didn''t have the luxury of paying attention to the notification as he noticed more of the Dwellers coming.


    Leo wiped the sweat from his brow, breathing heavily.


    "We might have a problem."


    Tatiana grinned, twirling another blood spear between her fingers.


    "Good. That just means more to kill."


    As the next wave of Dwellers surged toward them, Leo pushed aside his doubts.


    This was his first battle in the Abyss. And he was going to survive it.

 Chapter 129 Fighting Dwellers

    The ground beneath Leo''s legs felt brittle, like it would crumble away if he stood still for too long.


    Every time his feet shifted, the earth beneath him seem to groan, as if protesting his weight. Enjoy new chapters from My Virtual Library Empire


    Leo could feel it in his bones, the sickening sense that everything around him was slowly being undone.


    It wasn''t just the land; it was the very fabric of reality that seemed to be disintegrating in this place. But there was no time to think about that as more of the Dwellers were coming.


    The first wave had tested him. It had thrown him into the chaos, forced him to adjust and sharpen his instincts. But now? Now they were coming in droves. And they were faster. Deadlier. Relentless.


    Leo tightened his grip on Nightshade, feeling the smoothness of the hilt in his hand.


    He rolled his shoulders, his muscles sore but slowly getting accustomed to the rhythm of the battle. The fight was becoming more familiar, but the Dwellers were far from predictable.


    One of them lunged at him, its limbs stretching unnaturally long, the claws slashing down toward his neck.


    Leo saw it coming in the corner of his eye and leapt to the side just in time. The creature''s talons carved deep gashes into the ground where he had been standing, leaving behind jagged trenches of blackened earth.


    Without hesitation, Leo swung Nightshade in a vicious arc. The blade cut through the Dweller''s midsection, meeting resistance but slicing cleanly.


    The dark viscous blood splattered across his arms, a sticky substance that clung to his skin like tar.


    The creature screeched¡ªa horrid, guttural sound that set his teeth on edge. It twisted violently, its body writhing in a grotesque parody of life, before disintegrating into a cloud of black dust.


    Leo didn''t have time to catch his breath. Another Dweller came at him from behind, the movement so fast it was almost a blur.


    His instincts kicked in, and he dropped low, twisting his body as a clawed hand swiped just above his head.


    As the creature''s claws carved through the air like a blade, the wind from the strike was sharp, a searing chill that left a sting on his skin.


    He spun, bringing Nightshade up in a swift upward slash. The Dweller reacted unnaturally fast, its body twisting mid-air, twisting like liquid shadows to avoid the blow.


    But Leo wasn''t done. As his feet landed, he surged forward, throwing his shoulder into the creature''s torso. The impact was brutal, sending both of them skidding across the cracked earth.


    Without a moment''s hesitation, Leo drove his knee into the Dweller''s chest to pin it down, his muscles straining with the force.


    He took a sharp exhale, his breath coming in heavy gasps, and plunged Nightshade straight through its skull. The creature convulsed once, then disintegrated into dust.


    Leo pushed himself up, his breath ragged, sweat dripping down his forehead. He barely had time to steady himself before the next one came. And then another. And another.


    The battle had been going on for what felt like an eternity. Leo had started out hesitant, unsure of his footing. But now? Now his body was reacting faster, each movement more fluid, more instinctive.


    He wasn''t just swinging blindly anymore. His strikes were calculated, and his footing was more stable, more secure. The unpredictability of the Dwellers still threw him off, but he was adjusting. Adapting.


    Tatiana fought not far from him, her form a blur of motion. Blood spears rained from her hands, skewering multiple Dwellers in quick succession. Each strike was calculated, each movement precise.


    Leo couldn''t help but admire her efficiency, the way she made it look so effortless. But he didn''t have the luxury of watching her. He had his own battle to fight.


    A low growl sent a jolt of tension through Leo''s spine. He turned just as a Dweller leaped from the side. It was fast¡ªtoo fast¡ªand Leo barely had time to react.


    He threw himself backward, narrowly dodging the strike. The creature''s claws slashed down where he had been just a moment ago, the wind from its attack a biting chill against his skin.


    As soon as his feet hit the ground, Leo twisted his body, raising Nightshade just in time to block an incoming strike from another Dweller.


    The force of the blow sent vibrations up his arms, nearly making him drop his weapon. The creature snarled as it pressed down against his blade, its glowing eyes burning with a malice that made Leo''s stomach twist.


    Leo gritted his teeth, his muscles straining as he pushed back with all his strength. He planted his foot against the creature''s abdomen and kicked with everything he had.


    The Dweller staggered back, but before it could recover, Leo lunged forward, driving his blade deep into its chest.


    The moment it dissolved, another took its place.


    Relentless. They just kept coming.


    Leo ducked instinctively as a Dweller''s claws sliced through the air above his head. He rolled to the side, coming up just in time to see two more closing in on him from both sides. He had no time to think. His body moved on instinct.


    He surged forward toward the Dweller on his right, catching it off guard. He slammed the hilt of Nightshade into its head, dazing it for a brief moment before spinning on his heel and slashing at the other.


    The blade connected, severing its arm at the elbow. The Dweller screeched, but it didn''t fall. It didn''t retreat.


    Leo didn''t have time to waste. He twisted his body again, driving his blade into the first Dweller''s throat before yanking it free in one swift motion. The creature dissolved into black dust before it could make another sound.


    Leo''s breath was coming in sharp bursts now. His muscles burned, and sweat trickled down his face, mixing with the grime and dark ichor splattered across his skin. His body was starting to feel the strain, but he couldn''t stop.


    The Dwellers also weren''t slowing down.


    More of them emerged from the horizon, their grotesque forms shifting and writhing in the distance.


    Leo clenched his jaw, his grip tightening around Nightshade. He was holding his ground, but he needed to be faster. He needed to be stronger. He needed to push past the limits of his body.


    A heavy presence settled over the battlefield. The air seemed to vibrate, the oppressive weight of something powerful pressing down on his shoulders.


    Tatiana stopped mid-movement, her gaze snapping upward.


    Leo followed her gaze.


    His breath hitched.


    A shadow loomed overhead, growing larger by the second. Something was descending from above.


    A streak of darkness tore through the sky, heading straight for them. It moved with an unnatural speed, faster than anything Leo had ever seen. The air around it warped, bending under the pressure.


    Leo tightened his grip on Nightshade, his mind racing. The Dwellers were one thing. They were relentless, sure. But this? This felt like something else entirely. Something even more dangerous.


    The Dwellers paused, as if sensing the new arrival. The battlefield fell into an eerie silence, the air thick with tension. Leo''s heart hammered in his chest as he took in the sight of the shadow.


    It was enormous. Dark wings spread wide, casting a vast shadow over the battlefield. The creature''s silhouette was a blend of claws, fangs, and wings.


    The shape of its body shifted as it came closer, flowing like liquid darkness. The moment it hit the ground, the earth trembled beneath its weight.


    And then, its eyes locked onto him and Tatiana. S§×ar?h the N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    A chill ran down his spine.


    This was no ordinary monster.


    The ground beneath him seemed to tremble as the creature''s wings unfurled, their span enough to block out the sky. And as it hovered in the air, Leo knew this battle was far from over.


    "Leo, that''s an Abyssal Fiend. Get ready for the battle of your life," Tatiana said, and Leo nodded.

 Chapter 130 Abyssal Fiend

    The air around Leo felt heavier, as if it were pressing down on him with an unseen force.


    The Abyssal Fiend had yet to move, yet its presence alone made it feel as if the world itself was recoiling in fear.


    Leo''s grip on Nightshade tightened, his breath slow and controlled, but his pulse betrayed him, pounding in his ears like a war drum.


    Tatiana stood beside him, her crimson eyes locked onto the monstrous figure before them, her body tense with anticipation.


    The creature''s form was fluid, shifting between solid and shadow, its body composed of writhing darkness that stretched and shrank as if reality itself struggled to contain it.


    Massive wings, jagged and unnatural, spread wide, blotting out the dim light of the Abyssal Realm. Its claws, each the size of a longsword, twitched at its sides.


    Two piercing, hollow dark eyes burned through the darkness, settling onto Leo with an unnatural focus.


    Then, it moved.


    Leo barely had time to register the motion before a force like a tidal wave slammed into him.


    One moment, he was standing, and the next, his body was airborne, the world spinning violently as he crashed into the brittle ground. The impact rattled his bones, sending a sharp spike of pain up his spine. S~ea??h the N?vel(F)ire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    He gasped, rolling onto his side just as Tatiana shot forward. Her hands wove intricate patterns in the air, and crimson spears materialized, streaking toward the Fiend like bolts of lightning. The Abyssal Fiend didn''t dodge. It didn''t need to.


    The spears struck its form, piercing through its body¡ªonly for the wounds to close almost instantly, the darkness knitting itself back together as if nothing had happened. The creature let out a deep, rumbling growl, but it wasn''t out of pain.


    Tatiana clicked her tongue, her expression hardening. She barely had a second to react before the Fiend retaliated.


    With a flick of its clawed hand, a wave of pure abyssal energy exploded outward.


    Tatiana dodged just in time, vanishing into a blur of motion as the energy slammed into the ground behind her. The impact sent shockwaves through the land, splitting the brittle earth and sending debris flying.


    Leo forced himself to his feet, pushing past the ache in his ribs. He couldn''t afford to hesitate.


    He lunged forward, Nightshade flashing as he slashed at the Fiend''s midsection. The blade met resistance, as if cutting through something half-solid, half-liquid. For a split second, he thought he had done some damage.


    Then the Fiend''s body shifted, twisting unnaturally as its dark flesh wrapped around the blade.


    Before Leo could react, an overwhelming force sent him flying again, this time skidding across the ground in a shower of dust and broken stone.


    The Fiend moved like a phantom, its body flowing seamlessly through space, defying all laws of motion. It was toying with them. Testing them.


    Tatiana reappeared above the creature, her body suspended in the air as a massive crimson spear formed in her grip. The air crackled with raw energy as she launched it downward, aiming for the Fiend''s head.


    The spear struck with the force of a meteor, exploding into a violent burst of blood energy. The shockwave rippled through the battlefield, shattering the ground beneath them.


    For a moment, everything was still.


    Then, the darkness swirled, shifting as the Fiend emerged from the attack unscathed. It also seems to be laughing. The sound of its laugh was hollow, echoing unnaturally, as if reality itself was mocking them.


    Leo pushed himself up, wiping the dirt and sweat from his brow. His breathing was labored and they hadn''t even scratched the Fiend.


    Tatiana landed beside him, her face grim.


    "That should have at least injured it," she muttered.


    The Fiend didn''t give them time to strategize as it made its move again.


    Leo barely saw it coming. A clawed hand shot toward him, the air screaming as it sliced through space.


    He managed to dodge at the last second, but the sheer force of the attack sent him stumbling.


    Tatiana wasn''t as lucky.


    The Fiend''s second strike caught her mid-dodge, raking across her side with brutal precision.


    She cried out as she was flung backward, hitting the ground hard. Blood splattered onto the cracked earth, staining it deep red.


    Leo felt something snap inside him. He bolted towards the Fiend and swung Nightshade with all his strength, aiming for the Fiend''s neck.


    The blade struck true, but the creature didn''t even flinch. Instead, it reached out, grabbing Leo by the throat in an instant.


    A sickening cold seeped into his skin, spreading through his veins like liquid ice.


    His vision blurred, and for a moment, he felt as though his very existence was being pulled apart, unraveled by the abyss.


    He struggled, his grip tightening around Nightshade''s hilt, but his strength was fading fast.


    Then, an explosion of crimson energy erupted from behind the Fiend. Tatiana, bloodied but standing, unleashed another barrage of blood spears.


    This time, instead of trying to pierce the Fiend''s body, she targeted its grip on Leo.


    The attack was enough to force the creature to release him. Leo hit the ground hard, gasping for breath. His skin burned from the lingering abyssal energy.


    Tatiana was breathing heavily, blood dripping from the gash on her side.


    "We can''t beat this thing head-on," she panted.


    Leo''s mind raced. She was right. They were outmatched. The Fiend wasn''t just stronger than them; it was something entirely beyond their current limits.


    But they had to do something.


    Leo gritted his teeth, forcing his body to move despite the pain. If they couldn''t overpower it, they had to outthink it.


    He glanced at Tatiana. "We need to force it into a disadvantage. It''s too fast, too strong. We need to pin it down."


    Tatiana''s eyes flickered with understanding.


    "You have a plan?"


    Leo nodded, gripping Nightshade tighter. "Buy me a few seconds."


    Tatiana didn''t hesitate. She dashed forward, sending another volley of crimson spikes toward the Fiend.


    This time, she didn''t aim for the body¡ªshe aimed for the ground around it.


    The blood spears struck, hardening into jagged pillars of crimson crystal, locking the Fiend''s movement momentarily.


    Leo moved, pushing past his exhaustion. He focused, channeling every ounce of strength into a single, decisive attack.


    He sprinted forward, Nightshade glowing faintly as he poured his remaining energy into it.


    The Fiend, sensing the danger, let out a guttural snarl and began to move, but the blood pillars held it for just long enough.


    Leo leaped, bringing his blade down with everything he had.


    Nightshade struck the Fiend''s head.


    For the first time, the creature recoiled.


    A sharp, ear-piercing shriek split the air. The darkness around it wavered, its form distorting violently.


    Leo landed, stumbling from the force of the blow. He didn''t have time to celebrate.


    The Fiend wasn''t dead.


    It was angry.


    Its body trembled, the shadows surrounding it twisting chaotically. The abyss itself seemed to respond, the air thickening with raw energy.


    Tatiana''s voice was tense. "Leo, we need to run."


    Leo wiped the blood from his lips, gripping his sword tightly.


    "No," he said, breathless but resolute. "We need to finish this."


    Find your next read on My Virtual Library Empire


    "We can''t. An Abyssal Fiend is twice as strong as an Exalted. There''s no way the both of us can beat it. And we have stayed too long. In a short while, we will start experiencing the effects of the corruption," Tatiana said.


    Leo heard what Tatiana said but he didn''t want to leave. He wants to fight this monster and kill it. But he knew he couldn''t.


    The Fiend is too strong. Just as Tatiana said, the both of them can''t beat it. And they also have to worry about the corruption.


    Understanding this, Leo knew that it was time to leave.


    "Ok, let''s go," he said, and immediately Tatiana grabbed him and turned into blur, heading for the rift through which they came through.


    The Abyssal Fiend seeing that its preys were running away, roared and smashed its body against the blood pillars.


    After smashing into it a few times, it finally shattered the pillars and its bolted towards Leo''s and Tatiana''s direction, trying to catch up to them.


    But it was too late as Tatiana and Leo had already passed through the rift. Seeing this, it raised its head to the sky and screeched loudly.

 Chapter 131 True Strength Starts At Exalted Rank

    Tatiana finally stopped flying after she was sure they had gotten far enough from the rift. The weight of their encounter with the Abyssal Fiend still lingered in the air like an unseen force pressing down on them.


    She loosened her grip and let go of Leo, dropping him onto the solid ground below.


    Leo landed with a soft grunt, rolling his shoulders as he stretched his limbs. His body was still aching from the battle, his muscles stiff from exertion.


    The cool air felt sharp against his skin, carrying the scent of damp earth and distant fires. He exhaled, turning back toward the rift they had just fled from, his gaze narrowing.


    Tatiana stepped beside him, her crimson eyes flickering in the low light. She was watching him carefully, gauging his reaction.


    "So, what now?" Leo finally asked, his voice steady despite the storm brewing inside him.


    Tatiana crossed her arms. "We get stronger," she said simply. "Fiends aren''t one to give up easily. The next time we enter the Abyssal Realm, it''ll be waiting for us, and it won''t be toying with us like it did today."


    Leo nodded, his fingers curling into fists at his sides. "Then we''ll need to prepare. But how long before we can go back in?"


    Tatiana glanced back toward the rift. Its glow pulsed, casting eerie shadows across the broken landscape.


    "The Abyssal Realm only has one rift per realm. Unless we find another one, which is highly unlikely, we''ll have to wait," she explained. "The only other way to return would be to travel to another realm and use their rift."


    Leo absorbed the information in silence, his thoughts racing. The Fiend wasn''t just some monster. It was one of the apex predator of the Abyss, something that existed outside the boundaries of normal strength. Facing it again would be a death sentence if he wasn''t strong enough.


    "I see..." He ran a hand through his hair, his mind already working through scenarios. "Then the only real option is to increase my strength as fast as possible."


    Tatiana smirked slightly. "That''s the only option you ever had. The Abyss isn''t going anywhere, and neither is the Fiend. But your real problem isn''t just the Abyss anymore."


    Leo frowned. "What do you mean?"


    Tatiana''s expression turned serious. "The demons," she said simply. "They make up half the leaderboard. And something tells me they didn''t come here by chance."


    Leo''s jaw tightened. He hadn''t forgotten about the leaderboard, but now that she brought it up again, he realized how convenient¡ªhow deliberate¡ªit all felt. The demons being here¡­ it was too much of a coincidence.


    "You think they''re here because of me?" he asked.


    Tatiana nodded. "It''s a feeling more than anything. But if I''m right, then you need to prepare. And I must tell you, demons are very strong."


    Leo let out a slow breath, staring into the distance. If she was right, then his problems were only just beginning.


    The silence stretched between them for a moment before Leo spoke again.


    "Tatiana, I noticed something about the tournament," he said, his tone shifting slightly. "It seems¡­ stacked in favor of the Off-worlders. And I can''t help but wonder¡ªwhat''s the actual reward for winning?"


    Tatiana''s lips curled into a knowing smile. "You caught on," she mused.


    Leo tilted his head. "So? What is it?"


    Tatiana let out a small breath before answering. "The winner gets the opportunity to become a god."


    Leo blinked. Of all the answers he had expected, that hadn''t been one of them.


    Tatiana continued, watching his reaction carefully. "The tournament was designed to see who can reach the Celestial Rank the fastest. And whoever does gets the chance to ascend."


    Leo frowned. There was something about it that didn''t sit right with him. The whole setup¡ªthis grand event that conveniently gathered the strongest fighters, pushing them to their limits¡ªit felt like a game with hidden rules. But he wasn''t at the level where he could challenge the system itself.


    At least not yet.


    "I see¡­" He exhaled. "I guess that''s not something I should be worrying about right now."


    Tatiana nodded. "Exactly. You need to focus on the immediate future. The tournament. And your own survival."


    Leo clenched his fists. The path ahead of him was clearer now. He needed to get stronger. No matter what it took. sea??h th§× N?vel(F)ire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    .....


    Tatiana didn''t waste any more time. She grabbed Leo by the arm again, her wings unfurling as she took off into the sky, carrying him with her.


    The wind howled past his ears as they soared through the night. The city lights below were dim and sparse, remnants of a world that had once been filled with life. Now, it was a battlefield, and he was just another fighter trying to carve out his place.


    Leo glanced at Tatiana as they flew. "So¡­ when do I get to fly?" he asked, half-joking, half-serious.


    Tatiana smirked. "Exalted Rank."


    Leo raised a brow. "That late?"


    "That''s when true strength starts," she said. "Anything before that is just a warm-up."


    Leo absorbed that information. Exalted Rank. That was the milestone he needed to reach. The real beginning of power.


    They flew in silence the rest of the way, the wind carrying them effortlessly through the sky.


    When they finally arrived, Tatiana didn''t waste time. She dropped Leo off at the balcony of his bedroom and, without another word, turned and vanished into the night.


    Leo watched her disappear before stepping inside.


    .....


    The moment he entered his room, the tension in the air shifted.


    Ves was there.


    The second their eyes met, the weight of their last conversation and the incident of the previous night hit them both like a crashing wave. The room suddenly felt too small, and the silence too loud.


    Ves sat on the couch, her hands clasped together, her gaze flickering away the moment he stepped in. There was something unreadable in her expression.


    Leo stood in the doorway, unsure of what to say. He had fought an Abyssal Fiend today, had barely escaped with his life, but this? This felt just as daunting.


    Ves finally broke the silence.


    "You''re back," she said quietly.


    Leo nodded. "Yeah."


    Another pause. The tension remained, thick and suffocating.


    Ves exhaled, her fingers tightening around each other. "You should rest."


    "I will," Leo said, but neither of them moved.


    For a moment, it felt like they were standing on the edge of something neither of them knew how to cross. And maybe they weren''t ready to. Read new adventures at My Virtual Library Empire


    Leo finally took a step forward, heading toward his bed.


    "Goodnight, Ves," he said.


    Ves hesitated before responding. "Goodnight, Leo."

 Chapter 132 Lucian von Carstein

    Leo lay on his bed, looking at the ceiling deep in thought. His mind couldn''t help but go back to the incident of the previous night and the fact that they are yet to address it, and thus, the cause of the awkward atmosphere between the both of them.


    As for addressing the situation, Leo has no idea what to do. He would actually be honest and say that he finds the situation very confusing.


    He had also been scolding himself and asking himself why he did what he did last night. Why did he kiss her tears?!


    But no matter how many times he asked himself that question, he couldn''t find an answer to it.


    He couldn''t help but sigh as he snuggled into his bed. He really hopes that the situation between him and Ves could be resolved quickly.


    But he was also scared. He was scared that if he doesn''t resolve it in the right way, then he''s going to lose Ves. And just the thought of losing her scares him very much.


    Ves has been with him since the time when he was in the orphanage home and till now. They have gone through so much together, experienced so many things together, fought battles together, and laughed together. It can be said that she has become something like family to him as they have cared for each other since the apocalypse began.


    And it was actually the truth because in this ruined world, Ves is the only one Leo has, and Leo was also the only that Ves has.


    "Why does things have to be so complicated?" Leo asked himself.


    Leo just wants to forget about everything and go to sleep, hoping that things would resolve themselves by the time he wakes up. But he was very much aware that this was just his wishful thinking.


    Leo sighed once more as he finally decided to close his eyes and get some sleep. He was about to close start drifting off to sleep when he noticed a very strong presence approaching the base.


    As if to confirm it, he heard one of the wolves'' howl. And in addition to that, he could also sense multiple presence approaching.


    Leo quickly got our of bed and grabbed Nightshade, before running out of his room. Outside, he met Ves, who had already sense the presence with her skills, and now has a solemn expression on her face.


    "We need to move fast and get the others," she said, and Leo nodded.


    Quickly, they two of them left the apartment and made their way to the elevator.


    Just as they were about to reach the elevator, they heard shocking explosion which rocked the foundation of the whole building.


    They felt the ground under shake as the whole building trembled.


    They looked at each and they realised that the elevator won''t be the best option anymore. And, so immediately, they rushed to the stairs.


    Getting to the stairs, the blockades that they placed on the door was still there, but having no time to waste, all Leo did was slash Nightshade in wide arc, and everything was cut into two. The door included.


    The blockades was split into two by Leo''s slash, and they all started falling apart. But Leo didn''t have the time to waste, and so, he rushed in and smashed his body into the crumbling blockades, sending them all flying. Including the door of course.


    With the blockades now gone, the two of them rushed down the stairs from the eight floor, making their way down to the ground floor.


    Leo and Ves were running at full speed, not caring to reserve their strength or stamina. Their base was under attack and if they reserve their strength and get there any slower, and the building is destroyed or taken from them, then what use would be the strength they are reserving?


    Leo was moving as fast ws he could, jumping a couple steps and even a whole fight. But even with that, he still found it to be very slow.


    It was at times like this that he really wish he could fly just like Tatiana, but he knew that it was impossible until he achieves the Exalted Rank.


    Leo finally arrived at the ground floor and the first thing he saw chaos. Outside the building, the wolf pack was fighting against a huge number of people. With a rough headcount from Leo, putting them at at least 50.


    With such huge disadvantage in numbers, it was natural that the wolves would be losing. And not only that, some of them were already on the floor, injured, and some... some may still on the floor, with Leo fearing the worst.


    Leo was about to lose his composure and fall into rage when he saw this, but he quickly controlled himself. He walked towards the battlefield, while scanning it for any sign of Fiona. But no matter how he looked, he couldn''t find her.


    He was disheartened when he saw this but he also felt relieved. Since Fiona wasn''t fighting with the rest of her pack on the battlefield, and she isn''t one of the wolves lying still on the floor, then it means that she''s fighting her own battle somewhere else.


    With his thought, Leo gripped Nightshade tightly and started walking towards one of the group ganging up on one of the wolves.


    He was forced the next moment, when he felt a strong presence behind his back. It was the same presence he felt previously.


    He quickly turned and he saw dressed in attires he had only seen on Tatiana and Liliana¡ªregal, elegant, but even more refined than theirs.


    The fabric shimmered under the dim light, deep shades of crimson and black woven with silver embroidery. It was exactly the same as Tatiana''s and Lilliana''s.


    The young man also bore all the features of a vampire. Pale, flawless skin that seemed untouched by time. Sharp, angular features with a beauty both mesmerizing and unnerving.


    His hair was the same deep shade as Tatiana''s and Liliana''s, cascading down his back, but neatly tied with a silver clasp.


    And his eyes¡ªthose piercing, predatory crimson eyes¡ªheld an eerie resemblance to Tatiana''s.


    Leo didn''t need to ask.


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    But that was the shocking thing right now. The thing that caused Leo to clench his fist tightly and gripped Nightshade''s hilt tightly, like he was going to break it is because Fiona is being held tightly by the neck by him.


    He could hear her whimper as she tries to fight him off but with every struggle of hers, the young man increased the strength of her grip on Fiona''s neck, causing her to struggle even more.


    Leo nearly flew into rage when he saw this but when he remembered that the young man in front of him is an Exalted, and a very dangerous one at that, he knew that anger won''t help him in his current situation.


    Lucian slowly descended to the ground with a bland expression on his face, while gripping the neck of the wolf in his hand tightly.


    He had come here with a single purpose: Leo. But what he didn''t expect was that it was someone so young. Now, he''s very curious as to how he was able to achieve the feat he did.


    "So, you''re the Leo? The one who defeated my sister and that bastard child, Tatiana''s dog?" He asked, as he scanned Leo from head to toe, before looking away dismissively.


    "I actually thought you would be more. But you''re only a child. And now, I''m very disappointed in my sister. How could she allow someone like you, an ant like you, a scrap, a nobody from a backwater, forsaken planet that doesn''t amount to much in the grand scheme of things of the Multiverse to defeat her? It''s something I don''t understand. But I guess I will find out soon enough, won''t I?" He said with a mocking smile, as he tightened his grip on the wolf''s neck, causing to her to let out strangled groans.


    Leo saw this and he was about to rush forward, but he saw Lucian look at him and he found himself unable to move his body.


    "You as so much take a single step, it dies," Lucian said, smiling coldly.


    Every fiber of Leo''s being screamed at him to move, to rip the vampire apart. But he knew... He could see it in Lucian''s eyes that the moment he acted on that impulse, Fiona would die.


    And the thought of losing her, of watching her small frame go limp in that monster''s grip, made his blood run cold.

 Chapter 133 Lucian von Carstein (2)

    Leo''s fingers twitched, but his body remained locked in place, an invisible force holding him prisoner. His breaths came sharp and shallow, his chest burning with frustration.


    He tried to push every single muscle in his body to move, to rush towards Fiona and save her from Lucian''s hand but his body refused to listen to him.


    He was also aware that he couldn''t dare move as if he does, then Lucian will kill her. With that, he was left between a rock and a hard with no idea on what to do or how to go about it with his body fixed to a spot.


    ''Is this the true strength of an Exalted? Tatiana said that she''s almost on the same level as him, but there seem to be a difference between the two of them. Or maybe it''s because she hasn''t bothered to use her true due to our relationship,'' Leo thought to himself.


    He has fought Liliana, an Exalted, and this started to make him look down on Exalted, thinking of them as just another rank. But Lucian has actually made him understand what Tatiana meant by true strength starts at Exalted Rank.


    Leo''s eyes turned towards Fiona, and she whimpered, her small frame trembling in Lucian''s iron grip.


    He could see the panic in her blue eyes, the silent plea for help¡ªand he could do nothing. Nothing.


    And to make it worse, he could feel Fiona''s emotions from their bond. He could feel her telling him not worry, that she will be fine. But how could he not worry when she''s barely hanging on to her life in Lucian''s hand?


    Fiona had been with him since the beginning. Through the blood, the battles, the endless fights for survival¡ªshe had never left his side. And now, she was dangling helplessly, dying right in front of him. And he could do nothing."


    His mind screamed at him to move, to attack, to do something¡ªbut his limbs remained frozen, paralyzed under the weight of Lucian''s mere presence.


    "Why are you doing this? What do you have against me?," Leo asked through gritted teeth, with his eyes burning with rage. S§×ar?h the Novel?ire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "Yes, I defeated your sister but it was just by dumb luck," he added.


    The reason he said this is because Tatiana has told him not to boost about defeating Liliana to any Off-worlder, especially to Lucian as it might expose his identity.


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    So, it was better to attribute his win to dumb luck, rather than saying something about him being strong enough to defeat her.


    There''s naturally no Off-worlder that would believe something like that. A native from a backwater world, who is still an Awakened, defeated a Vampire princess.


    Indeed, it was enough to raise eyebrows and attract a lot of attention.


    Lucian sighed, shaking his head in disappointment at Leo''s words.


    "Was that really all there was to it?" he mused, tightening his grip on Fiona''s throat.


    The little wolf let out a strangled whimper, her paws weakly pushing against his hand, but he didn''t loosen his hold. If anything, he squeezed harder.


    His crimson eyes flicked back to Leo, who remained frozen, his face twisted in barely restrained rage.


    "''Just dumb luck?'' You know, I expected more than ''just dumb luck'' from someone who humiliated my dear sister," Lucian continued, his tone almost bored.


    "But look at you¡ªpathetic. A caged beast, watching helplessly as I take away something precious from you."


    He took a single step and the next moment, he was already in Leo''s front, covering the distance between them instantaneously.


    He leaned closer to Leo, his voice turning into a venomous whisper.


    "But there''s something you''re gravely mistaken about. My sister can''t be defeated by ''just dumb luck''. She might be weaker than the average Exalted of royal lineage, but not so much that an ant like you can defeat her. And not only that, you forced her to a corner, forcing her to accept defeat.


    You can''t tell me that that is your definition of dumb luck. Can you? What are the odds that a native like you, who looks like he just achieved his initial evolution and chose his first class can defeat my sister?" Lucian said.


    Immediately, Leo felt the temperature drop drastically, and very cold chills creeping into his body, and causing him to breath out cold air.


    It was like he was plunged into an ice cellar that has been working on overdrive for a very long time.


    Leo wanted to say something but he found that he was unable to open his mouth. It was like his lips were sealed shut and every single attempt of his to open it was futile.


    Lucian looked at Leo struggling, and sighed again. He looked towards his men attacking the wolves and he saw that they had already taken care of all of them, and the wolves were all now lying dead on the floor.


    Seeing this, he simply waved his hand and blood started draining from the wolves, and floating upward, and forming a ball of blood.


    Fiona''s lungs burned. Her paws weakly scratched at the iron grip around her throat, but it was useless.


    The more she struggled, the tighter it became, like an unbreakable vice crushing her windpipe.


    She could barely hear anything past the ringing in her ears, past the pounding of her own heartbeat struggling to keep going.


    Her vision swam, but she caught sight of Leo¡ªhis eyes wide with rage, with desperation. He was fighting against something, struggling to move, but he couldn''t.


    She wanted to tell him it was okay. That she wasn''t afraid. That she still believed in him.


    But no words came. Because Lucian''s grip kept tightening.


    She was about to give up and stop struggling, but when she saw Lucian draining the blood from her dead pack, she flew into rage.


    Leo was shocked when he heard what could be called a roar from Fiona and he felt a huge wave of anger, and bloodlust coming from their connection.


    And the next moment, he saw her enlarge to more than three times her size, escaping Lucian''s grip.


    Immediately after Fiona escaped Lucian''s grip, she faced him but a casual slap from Lucian sent her flying into residential building.


    "Stupid dog. She thinks enlarging herself will suddenly make her stronger. Hmph. No matter how big or small an ant is, it will still be nothing more than an ant," Lucian said, with a cold voice, before turning to face Leo.


    "And as for you, I''m curious. Are you the same Leo on the leaderboard? Leo Astranox?" He asked, with a very sinister voice.

 Chapter 1 - 1: Stranger Things

    Today was finally the day. The day that Leo has been anxiously waiting for the past two months.


    It was the day that he would finally leave the orphanage home where he had grown up all his life and moved into the real world.


    Today, Leo clocks 16 and would leave the orphanage, gaining his independence into adulthood.


    "Leo, the administrator would like to see you." Leo heard a voice from behind the door.


    ''Is it time already? Finally!'' Leo thought to himself as he stood up from his bed and moved to the door.


    He opened it to find a beautiful lady dressed in blue jeans and a white tank top standing in front of him.


    "Ms Ves." Leo greeted when he saw the lady.


    "How are you, Leo?" Ves smiled at him.


    "I feel great," Leo smiled back.


    "Hehehe. Are you really that excited to leave us?" Ves giggled.


    "Yes," Leo replied without mincing his words.


    Ves could only smile when she heard his response. She had known Leo for three years now, and she was completely familiar with his character.


    She knew how badly he wants to leave the orphanage and start experiencing the outside world. But as someone who grew up in real society, she knew that it wasn''t exactly all rainbows and roses.


    But how could she bring herself to tell that to young Leo who looks so ecstatic.


    She knew that it would be better for him to go out there and experience it for himself; maybe then he will know that it''s not really worth all the hype he has been heaping on it.


    "Come, you don''t want to keep the administrator waiting. Or don''t you want to leave anymore?" Ves asked and started leading Leo towards the administrator''s office.


    They walked through a hallway that had multiple doors connected to it. As they passed, the doors opened and children who looked to be almost the same age as Leo started popping their heads out.


    "Is big brother Leo really leaving?" A young girl asked as she stared at the receding back view of Leo walking beside Ms. Ves.


    "Yeah, he''s already old enough and besides, you know just how much he wants to see the outside world." A boy standing at a door opposite hers, replied.


    He sighed as he thought of how much time he still have until he also leaves the orphanage.


    "The outside world... There''s nothing to it. All I hear Ms. Ves and Ms. Nora talk about it are very scary things." The girl pouted and stomped her feet lightly on the ground.


    The boy scoffed and shook his head when he heard what the girl said, "You''re definitely saying that because you don''t want to see him leave. Do you like him that much?"


    "Yes, big brother Leo is so handsome and so cool! I''m definitely going to marry him after I leave here." The girl responded without hesitation.


    She giggled happily as she daydreamed about how her future with Leo would be.


    "Eww...." the boy made a face of disgust when he heard what the girl said, "Aren''t you too young to be thinking about marriage?"


    "Don''t you have other important things you should prioritize?" The boy asked with a face filled with disgust.


    "And besides, ''your big brother Leo'' doesn''t even pay any attention to you." He added.


    "Tch... What do you know about a girl''s life? You''re just jealous because it''s not you." The girl said and made a mocking face at him.


    She knew that the boy was right about Leo not paying any attention to her but she didn''t care.


    "Okay, that''s enough talking, kids. You all go back into your room." A female voice echoed throughout the hallway.


    The children obediently went back into their rooms and closed the door when they heard the female voice.


    *****


    Ms. Ves and Leo arrived at the door of the administrator''s office and knocked.


    "Yes, come on in," a voice came from behind the door.


    Ms. Ves looked at Leo and gestured for him to go inside, to which he nodded. He opened the door and walked into the office.


    After Leo walked into the office, Ves smiled and and left. She knew that after Leo came out of the office, he would no longer be part of the orphanage.


    .....


    Inside the administrator''s office, an elderly-looking lady who looked to be in her late 50s watched Leo as he walked into the room and took his seat.


    "Good morning, Mrs. Anna," Leo greeted the elderly-looking woman as he took his seat. S§×arch* The NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "Good morning, Leo. I don''t need to ask you how you are feeling to know that you are pumped for your departure from the orphanage." The lady called Mrs. Anna smiled, as she looked at Leo with an affectionate gaze.


    The affectionate gaze of hers turned complicated the next moment as she remembered the reason why she called Leo to her office.


    "Leo, the reason why I called you into my office isn''t related to your departure from the orphanage but for something else," Mrs. Anna said as the expression on her face turned slightly serious.


    She reached into an open drawer and took out a peculiar-looking envelope, brought it up and placed it on the table.


    "On the night that you were brought here, this envelope was found in your crib. Since you are now an adult and ready to leave the orphanage, it''s time you have it." Mrs. Anna said as she slid the envelope to Leo.


    Leo was a little surprised when he heard what Mrs. Anna said. This is the first time he has heard anything related to how he got into the orphanage. No one had mentioned anything related to it to him before.


    It''s not like he had bothered to ask but that didn''t mean that he hadn''t been curious about it. He has been very curious but he just never knew how to ask.


    Leo stretched out his hand, picked up the peculiar-looking envelope and brought it closer to examine it.


    The peculiarity of the envelope was due to its odd design and its pure whiteness. The whiteness of the envelope made Leo wonder if it had been soaked in a bleaching agent for the past 16 years.


    Of course, he knew that it was impossible for paper to be soaked in a bleaching agent but this analogy is to explain just how white the envelope is.


    Another reason for the oddness of the envelope was due to every single inch of its corner being plated in gold. Yes, every end of the envelope was plated in solid gold.


    What was even odder was that Leo felt something stirring inside him when he saw the gold. Just a look at the gold and he felt an urge to possess it, but he quickly suppressed it, and the urge slowly disappeared.


    Leo didn''t understand what just happened but he decided to not pay anymore attention to the envelope. He put it in the pocket of his pants and nodded at Mrs. Anna in appreciation.


    "That would be all for now. You can go back to your room and wait for Ms. Ves. She would be the one to escort you to the accommodation we have prepared for you." Mrs. Anna said, and Leo nodded before standing up, and taking his leave.


    After Leo left, Mrs. Anna continued to gaze at the door as she slowly got lost deep in her thought.


    She remembered that night vividly. The night that Leo was brought to the orphanage.


    *****


    16 years ago.


    "I hope the storm passes quickly," a lady said as she looked at the stormy night beyond the window, with different thoughts occupying her mind.


    The worried look on her face was evidence that something was bothering her.


    "Sigh. The orphanage is running low on funds. Do I really have to close it? Why can''t I come up with a solution? There has to be a way to solve this funding issue." The lady sighed and was about to look away from the window when she noticed a vague figure standing in the rain.


    She wouldn''t had noticed it if it wasn''t for the lightning that just flashed. She was surprised and looked closely to confirm if she was really seeing correctly.


    When she looked closely, she saw that it wasn''t one but two figures that were standing in the stormy rain.


    "What are they doing out there in the storm and why does it look like they are looking at me?" She asked herself.


    She watched the figures for a few more moments and she saw them started to approach the window


    She noticed something peculiar about the two of them: their eyes were glowing. One of them had eyes that were glowing with a soft, dark purple, almost blackish color, while the other had eyes that glowed with golden color.


    The lady couldn''t believe what she was seeing. When did people''s eyes start glowing? She had never heard of such a thing before.


    She thought she might be hallucinating but she knew that what she was seeing was real. Fear gripped her when she realized this and she wanted to move away from the window.


    She wanted to run. To get away from the window but she found her body to be out of her control. It refused to respond and her feet felt like it was glued to the ground.


    She was still trying her best to regain control of her body when she saw the two figures bent down, a couple of distance away from the window, stood up back a few seconds later and started walking away.


    The lady''s attention was drawn to the spot where the two figures had bent down and she was shocked when she saw what looked to be a baby crib right there, and in the rain!


    She didn''t know when she regained control of her body and rushed outside the building to the baby crib''s location.


    She thought she might be seeing things and everything was an illusion caused by the accumulated stress of the past couple of days. But when she got to the spot and really saw a baby crib right there in the rain, and with a baby inside it, she knew that everything was real.


    She immediately bent down and picked up the crib before rushing back into the building. Before she walked into the building, she turned to look at the two figures to berate them for dropping a baby in the rain when she saw a dark, shadowy figure standing right in front of her.


    "Thank you. Please take care of him." The figure said and bent down, placing a finger on the baby''s forehead, before disappearing the next second as a streak of lightning lit up the stormy sky.


    The lady instinctively looked up to the sky to see a massive creature flying in the sky. She looked closely in curiosity and she was shocked when it turned its long neck to look at her.


    "Is that a dragon?!"

 Chapter 2 - 2: Leaving The Orphanage Home

    Inside his room, Leo could be seen packing his things. It took him a couple of minutes, but he was finally done with it.


    "This is it." He smiled as he looked at his luggage beside the bed.


    He walked to his bed and sat down to wait for Ms. Ves. While he waited, he decided to check the content of the envelope he received from Mrs. Anna.


    He took out the envelope from his pocket and tore it open, revealing what was inside: a folded piece of paper¡ªa letter. He took out the letter and dropped the now torn and empty envelope on the bed.


    Leo was very curious to know what was written in the letter. He unfolded it and started reading.


    "Hello Son."


    Leo frowned slightly when he saw this. It seems that the envelope was left behind by his parents.


    He has been curious about his identity and about his parents; it seems like the letter might provide some of the answers he seeks. sea??h th§× novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Curious to know what the letter entails, he continued reading.


    "If you''re reading this, it means that you''re already old enough. I know that there are a lot of things that you don''t understand. Things that your mom and I are unable to explain to you.


    We just want you to know that we are deeply sorry for everything. If it were within our power, we wouldn''t have sent you away, but we had no choice.


    Sending you away was the best option we had, and it was the only way for you to survive and have a normal life.


    We don''t know what the future holds for you, and we are not putting any expectations on you, as we have no right to. What we only want from you, son, is to grow up and become your own person, your own man, and make your own decisions.


    We love you, son. Mom and Dad love you very much and wish you all the best."


    Leo didn''t know how to react to what he just read. The truth was that he hasn''t thought much about his parents. Why should he bother about them when they dropped him off at the orphanage?


    Though he has always fleeting thoughts about them, and that was all there was to it¡ªjust fleeting thoughts. But why does he feel so much emotion from the letter? Why is it making him cry?


    Leo forced himself to clean the tears streaming down his face as he folded the letter, putting it back in his pocket.


    He forced himself to calm down and get his emotions under control. It took him a few minutes, but he was finally able to stop the tears streaming down his face.


    After that, Leo felt like he had lost all the strength in his body. He fell back on the bed and sighed.


    "What was all that about? Why did I feel so much emotion just from a letter?" He didn''t understand why he felt such deep sadness and sorrow from the letter, but he knew that it was probably related to his parents. How that was possible, he has no idea.


    His dad, his mom... Leo has barely thought of them in his sixteen years of growing up in the orphanage. It wasn''t that he wasn''t curious about them; it''s more like there was something preventing him from doing that.


    Leo would be lying if he said that he wasn''t curious about his identity, about his family, and everything about himself, but he knew that there was no way he would be able to get answers to his questions.


    "I will just have to do as the letter says; live a good life and become my own man. Whatever that means." Leo said and sighed.


    He thought that the letter would have provided some of the answers he needed, but it left him with even more questions.


    Why did his parents drop him off at the orphanage? From what''s written in the letter, he knew that there was some sort of problem. What type of problem it was¡ªhe had no idea.


    He sighed as he knew he might never get the answers to his questions.


    "Well, I''m finally going to leave the orphanage today. A place that I have called my home for the past sixteen years.


    I wonder what the real world has to offer. I want to succeed quickly and pay back the orphanage for everything they have done for me, to start supporting them as soon as possible." Leo smiled as he thought of what the future holds in store for him.


    Knock, knock, knock.


    Leo quickly stood up when he heard the knock on the door. He knew that the only person that could be knocking on the door would be Ms. Ves.


    As if to confirm his thought, he heard her voice from behind the door.


    "Leo, it''s time to go."


    With a smile, he grabbed his bag from the ground and walked to the door. Before he opened the door, he took one last look at the room that has been his own for many years, and smiled.


    Leo was very happy to be leaving the orphanage after so many years. It wasn''t that he hated the orphanage; it was quite the opposite, as he loved and felt loved by everyone here.


    The reason why he wants to leave the orphanage badly is because of the tugging feeling in his heart. It was a feeling that he couldn''t put into words, and he couldn''t quite understand it himself, but he knew that he could only find the answers to it outside.


    He sighed once more before opening the door.


    "Come, let''s go," Ves said and started walking ahead.


    Leo smiled and followed behind her. They walked through the hallway again, and Leo couldn''t help but gaze at each doors they passed.


    He wanted to say goodbye to them but he didn''t know what to say and besides, he also plans to visit once in a while.


    He smiled as he remembered all of the plays they used to play together and he thought of how much he was going to miss them. He hopes they meet once again in the future.


    If only Leo knew what the world has in store for him, he might had thought differently about everything.

 Chapter 3 - 3: The Awakening

    Ves and Leo made their way out of the orphanage home building and into a waiting car outside. They got into the backseat and the driver started the engine, and drove off.


    "You didn''t say goodbye," Ves asked as she looked at Leo, who was staring out the window.


    "Why say goodbye when I intend to meet them again in the future? It''s not like I''m moving to another country and I plan to visit from time to time," Leo said as he continued looking out the window.


    He saw the slightly busy streets filled with cars and people. It''s not everyday he gets to see something like this and it feels very satisfying to watch.


    It was impossible for him to get such a view as he lived in the orphanage that was located somewhere far from the hustle and bustle in front of him.


    Ves was surprised when she heard that Leo plans to visit from time to time. She wouldn''t had believed it if someone had told her.


    It was something that goes against her understanding of Leo''s character. But it was different hearing it from Leo himself as she knew that he meant it.


    "Really? I thought that you would completely cut off ties with us after leaving. Who knew you still cared about us? Even though you don''t show it, you have a good heart, Leo, and I hope you can continue to maintain it.


    The world outside isn''t as beautiful as it looks, be careful who you trust and choose your friends wisely. The most important of them all is to always stay true to yourself. Never try to change yourself for anyone," Ves said, trying to give Leo the best advice she could.


    "Thank you, Ms. Ves. I will heed your advice." Leo smiled.


    He didn''t understand why Ms. Ves was painting the outside world in such a light but he knew that she was only looking out for him.


    "Leo, I''m being serious. The world outside is more dangerous than you think," Ves said when she saw how casual and slightly dismissive Leo was to the advice she gave him


    She wanted to advise him more and make him understand just how dangerous the world outside was but she knew that anything else she says will fall on deaf ears.


    She sighed and looked out the window. She saw that the sky that was gradually darkening, indicating that a storm was coming.


    ''That''s odd. The weather forecast for today was sunny skies. Why the clouds?'' Ves thought to herself when she saw the dark cloud forming in the sky.


    The dark clouds continued to form and gather in the sky, until it formed a thick blanket in the sky and blocked out the sunlight, covering the whole city like a blanket of darkness.


    "This is odd. Rain clouds aren''t always like this," Ves said in suspicious when she saw how dark everywhere was.


    "This isn''t an ordinary rain cloud, dear," The driver, an old man who looks to be in his late 50s said, causing Ves to look through the windshield.


    She was shocked when she saw that even though the headlights of the car was on, it could barely penetrate the darkness.


    She suddenly had a bad feeling but she quickly composed herself, not allowing her emotions to show on her face.


    The driver had already stopped the car due to the darkness and she knew that others would had also done the same.


    Everywhere wasn''t just dark, it was also quiet, extremely quiet to say. It was like the slightly busy streets had been transformed into a graveyard.


    With the aid of the car''s interior lighting, Ves looked at Leo who was still looking out the window and sighed in relief. As long as nothing happens to Leo, everything was fine.


    She was about to ask the driver a question when she felt a chill run down her spine. She felt like something, an apex predator, was staring at her.


    Before she could process what was happening, she saw the window started to freeze. This was followed by a thunderous rumbling sound as a quick shift was felt from underneath the car.


    They didn''t understand what was happening as they found themselves losing their center of gravity and spinning in the air. Few seconds later, a loud crashing sound was heard as the car made contact with something solid. sea??h th§× N??eFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    .....


    "Arghh.... Hiss..." Leo hissed in pain as he recovered his consciousness.


    There was a ringing sound in his head, causing him to feel slightly disoriented and dizzy. It took quite a while before it finally stopped, allowing him to recover himself.


    Though the ringing has stopped, Leo was still feeling dizzy. He closed his eyes and opened it a few times, trying his best to shake the dizziness off. It took him a good minute before he finally shook off the dizziness and recovered himself completely.


    After the ringing in his head and the dizziness stopped, Leo found himself to be in so much pain.


    Every inch of his body ached so much that it was almost unbearable. It felt like someone picked him up from the ground and slammed him on a flat, hard surface.


    He felt like his bones were broken and grounded into fine dust. His flesh being flayed and shredded at different places.


    He also found that his position was odd as he was now facing upside down. He felt his upside down position to be the cause of his dizziness and disorientation.


    He still has no idea of what had happened and he was unable to think due to immense pain coursing through his body.


    Leo gritted his teeth, doing his best to endure the pain. After an unknown amount of the had passed, the pain gradually started subsiding until it stopped completely.


    "Ughh..." Leo groaned as he forced his aching and shaky fingers to remove the seat belt.


    After a few struggles, he was successfully able to take off the seat belt and he fell to the ground, or what was supposed to be the roof of the car.


    He noticed that the blanketing darkness has already dispersed and the sunlight was now hitting the surface. But it wasn''t the only thing, as heavy rain and snow were also falling.


    Leo turned to looked at Ms. Ves and the driver who were still unconscious and had the same expressions of pain he previously had, on their faces


    He knew that they were probably experiencing the same pain he just did. He was about to look around and understand what the situation was when he heard two distinctly different voices in his head.


    The first was a female voice which he felt a vague sense of familiarity with and the second was a cold, and authoritative male voice.


    Immediately after the two different voices sounded in his head, two screens appeared in front of him.


    [Requirements met. First Seal Broken.]


    [Innate skill awakened: Regeneration.]


    ...


    [The citizens of planet #674589 has been given the opportunity to awaken. Stat screen can now be viewed. The first view is for explanatory purpose.]


    [Name: Leo ****]


    [Level: 0


    [Specie(s): Human, ****, ****]


    [Class: ¨C]


    [Title: None]


    ______


    [Strength: 15(10)]


    [Agility: 15(10)]


    [Stamina: 14(10)]


    [Intelligence: 13(10)]


    [Mana: 100(10)]


    ______


    [Skill(s): Regeneration (Innate).]

 Chapter 4 - 4: Strange People

    Leo stared at the screen floating in front of him in shock. He felt like he might still be feeling delirious due to the car crash and this was what followed after the disorienting feeling he had experienced previously.


    He shook his head trying to shake off the presumed delirious feeling. After he shook his head, he saw that the first screen had already disappeared, leaving only the second.


    He saw this and decided to shake his head one more time. He felt that it would take a few more shaking of his head to get the delirious feeling off him.


    But even after shaking his head multiple times, he could still see the second screen. When he saw that the screen still hadn''t disappeared, a feeling of curiosity, anxiety and even a little bit of excitement started welling up in his heart.


    "Is this real?" He asked himself as he slowly stretched out his hand to touch it. Unlike what he thought would happen, his hands touched nothing.


    Actually, the screen wasn''t being displayed in front of him. It was more like it was all in his head.


    "I can see it like it''s being displayed in front of me but it''s in my head. Could it be?..." Leo said to himself as he came to with a wild conjecture.


    The feeling of excitement he was feeling gradually increased with each second as the conjecture continued to grow in his head.


    He closed his eyes briefly and let out an exhale. He cleared his mind before the final test to confirm if the screen he''s seeing is real.


    Remembering something that he has read once on Ms Nora''s phone, he decided to try it out. Using his thought, he controlled the screen to close and the next moment, the screen disappeared.


    Leo''s heart started beating fast in excitement when he saw this. He didn''t understand how something like this was possible and why it was happening but it was a welcomed development to him.


    "Now, for the final confirmation..," Leo said and took in a deep breath before letting it out slowly.


    "Status."


    [Name: Leo ****]


    [Level: 0


    [Specie(s): Human, ****, ****]


    [Class: ¨C]


    [Title: None]


    ______


    [Strength: 15]


    [Agility: 15]


    [Stamina: 14]


    [Intelligence: 13]


    [Mana: 100]


    ______


    [Skill(s): Regeneration (Innate).]


    "..."


    Leo''s eyes widened in shock and excitement.


    "It''s real! It''s real!" Leo exclaimed in excitement.


    He was about to start studying the screen in front of him when he noticed that the driver was starting to shake.


    Leo didn''t know what was happening but he felt that the driver''s shaking was probably due to the pain he was feeling.


    He quickly thought of a way to relief the pain for him and stop the shaking but he couldn''t come up with anything.


    "What do I do?" He asked himself as he looked around the car for anything that could help.


    He thought hard and finally remembered what he was taught to do when he finds someone in an emergency situation.


    ''But how do I apply the first aid method when he''s hanging upside down?'' Leo thought to himself.


    Leo thought of something and moved to remove the seat belt but just as his hands were about to touch the seat belt, he saw something extremely shocking.


    The driver suddenly made a weird movement. A movement that seemed impossible with the seat belt still on and firmly holding him down.


    His neck twisted unnaturally, with his face almost facing the back and his hands bent to an unnatural angle. This was coupled with the crisp sounds of bones breaking.


    Leo''s eyes widened in shock and fear when he saw this. He didn''t understand why everything was going south today of all days.


    He was about to move towards the driver and return his neck, and hands to their original position but something even more shocking than the last happened.


    The driver started thrashing around violently with sounds of bones breaking being continuously heard from his body. This was also accompanied by low snarls.


    Leo didn''t understand what was going on but his instincts screamed at him and he immediately took action.


    He has always trusted his instincts as it has always been right and he wasn''t going to overlook the warning it was giving him, especially in such a precarious situation.


    He knew he has to get out of the car. Even if he has to brave the heavy rain and snow, he has to choose between two devils¡ªbetween the snow and rain outside or the unknown in the car.


    He didn''t need to think too much about it as he had already known what to do. Just as they say, it''s better to choose the devil you know than the angel you don''t.


    Leo quickly made his decision, choosing the cold rain and snow outside. He was about to crawl out of the car when he remembered Ms Ves.


    He knew that he has to escape but he didn''t want to leave her behind. Also, the fact that she was still unconscious made things even more difficult for him.


    He also knew that he has to make a quick decision or things won''t end well if he''s still here when the driver completely turns into whatever he''s turning into. S§×arch* The N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Making a quick decision, he swiftly moved towards Ms Ves and he saw that she still had that pain-filled expression on her face. With a quick movement, he unbuckled the seat belt.


    He quickly grabbed her and held out his hand, doing his best to cushion her fall. Without wasting time, he grabbed her and started dragging her out of the car.


    As he stepped out of the car, the heavy rain immediately drenched his body. The rain caused his clothes to become wet, allowing the snowflakes to easily stick to it and melting afterwards.


    Leo didn''t notice his already wet body as his attention was on his surroundings and the scene in front of him. The best way to describe it would be chaos as it was nothing short of it.


    The previous elegant and tall towering buildings were now collapsed and broken structures with some of the broken parts falling onto cars and people, crushing them in the process.


    Leo never knew that he could see so much blood and death in his life. He thought of when he was groaning in pain before from the headache he felt due to the car crash but what about the people crushed under the rubbles from the collapsed building?


    He looked and also saw a lot of people on the floor and in their cars thrashing around violently, with the hands and legs twisting to unnatural angles just like the driver. And this followed by the same snarling sound that the driver was making.


    Leo felt a chill in his heart when he saw this. He knew that things were extremely dangerous at the moment and he had to immediately get to safety.


    He was actually surprised that even with the heavy rain and snow falling, he could see his surroundings perfectly.


    Without wasting any more time, he dragged Ms Ves out of the car and into the rain, and snow. He was sorry for his actions of dragging her on the floor but he had to get the two of them far away from the people thrashing violently on the floor as he doesn''t know what might happen next.


    As he dragged her, he looked around for a safe place where they could hide until everything had settled.


    He was looking for a safe place and was shocked to find a very beautiful young lady who looked to be the same age as him standing in the heavy rain and snow with a happy smile on her face.


    Her skin was extremely pale to the point of being white but it was beautiful. Her exquisite red dress, adorned with golden patches and unknown symbols made her look even more beautiful, giving her a regal air.


    It wasn''t only the young lady that was standing in the rain and snow. There was a middle-aged lady standing behind her.


    If Leo was to guess her age from her appearance, she looked to be of the same age as the oldest caretaker back at the orphanage home.


    The middle-aged lady also had the same skin color as the young lady but she was dressed in what looks to be a servant outfit. Still, she was just as beautiful as the young lady but gave off a different feeling.


    The thing shocking about the young lady and the woman is that the heavy rain and snow wasn''t touching them. It was they holding an umbrella above their head but there was nothing to see guiding them from the rain.


    "Hehehe." He heard the young lady laugh in an equally beautiful voice.


    "You see, Elda, the information given to us was correct!" She said excitedly.


    "Princess, please don''t make such reckless deals again. You were only lucky that they gave you the right information. You know that if you''re to suffer any grievances, your father would go likely mad with rage," The middle-aged lady called Elda, said.


    The young lady pouted when she thought of her father''s possible reaction if he hears that she was scammed by someone.


    The pout was quickly replaced with a smile when she remembered her reason for coming here and the reason why she went through the trouble of buying that information from a very unreliable source.


    "Elda, let''s not focus on that. We should be thinking of how to get enough benefits before those vermins start finding their way here.


    "Princess, you shouldn''t talk that way about others. Also, even though this is a planet that is still going through its awakening, we should be careful. I''m very sure you know where we are." Elda said, cautioning the young lady.


    "Yeah, yeah." The young lady said as she waved her hand dismissively, before taking a look around.


    "They are all so weak. Almost all of them are turning into zombies and who knows when those that are still normal will fully awaken and wake up? Even if the awaken, how long would they be able to survive?" She asked she shook her head in disappointment.


    "Tsk. I thought that I would find something interesting here but it''s just as boring as everywhere else. The only difference is that they are weak," She sighed in even more disappointment.


    While the young lady was feeling disappointed, Leo was just processing everything he just heard. He didn''t understand most of the things they said but the sentence that stuck in his head was about everyone turning into zombies.


    He knew what zombies were as he had seen them in a movie before and if what the young lady said was true, then...


    He looked at those on the floor and saw that they were still thrashing around.


    ....This means he and Ms Vex are in extreme danger.


    He decided to hurry up and quickly find a good place to hide. He can''t keep standing in the rain and allowing it to continue drenching him and Ms Ves.


    Just when he was about to continue dragging Ms Ves, he saw the young lady standing in front of him.


    "Interesting, he''s the first to wake up. That''s amazing. This means that he must have some talent," She said in intrigue as she walked towards Leo, and started studying him carefully.


    As she moved around him, studying him, Leo''s eyes followed her every movement carefully and at alert. He knew that he wouldn''t be able to react if she wanted to do anything to him as he didn''t even notice when she appeared in front of him. But he still wanted to make an effort.


    As the young lady walked around Leo, she noticed that his eyes were following her every movement. This is something that is impossible as a very high level concealment skill of hers was active.


    She would have thought it wasn''t active but she knew that it was active, as things would be completely different for her if it wasn''t.


    She looked at him curiously and waved her hand in front of his face. When she saw him flinch, she knew that he could definitely see her.


    "Hey, you can see me, right?" She asked in confirmation and she saw Leo nodded slowly in response.


    "What?! How?!"

 Chapter 5 - 5: Zombie

    The young lady was extremely shocked. She didn''t understand how a mortal who just awakened most likely less than ten minutes ago, on a new awakened planet could see through her high-level concealment skill.


    The current level of her concealment skill makes it even hard for some of those higher level beings to sense her. This is the reason why she was able to sneak into this newly awakened planet unnoticed.


    But as if she was being mocked, right now in front of her, there''s a level 0 mortal that can see through her concealment skill. Was the System joking with her?


    "Hey, how is it that you can see me?" She asked curiously.


    "I don''t know. With my two eyes?" The mortal asked as he looked like he was looking at someone stupid.


    Leo found the young lady''s question to be extremely stupid. How was he supposed not to see her when his eyes are wide open and working perfectly? Or is he not supposed to be able to see her?


    He didn''t even want to think about anything else as all he just wanted was to get himself and the unconscious Ms Ves out of the rain and snow, and to somewhere safe.


    He still has to be cautious about the people on the floor that would very likely turn into zombies just as the young lady said. S~ea??h the Nov§×l?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    He stopped paying attention to the young lady and quickly looked around for an intact building. He saw one and started walking towards it while dragging Ms Ves along.


    Tatiana was about to explode when she saw the mocking expression on the mortal''s face when he answered her question. He saw how he looked at her like she was stupid before ignoring her.


    She was angry but she quickly controlled her emotions. She knew that she wasn''t somewhere she could behave recklessly and get off without any consequences.


    Also, she found the young mortal in front of her to be very interesting. Not only could he see through her concealment skill, he could also understand what she was saying perfectly.


    If she didn''t know better, she would have thought he was one of those vermin but she knew very well that she was the only foreigner on this planet at the moment.


    She was very curious about the identity of this interesting mortal in front of her and she wants to know everything about him. Even to the last tiny detail.


    "Suddenly, this planet isn''t so boring anymore," She said as she did a twirl in excitement of what''s to come.


    "Hey," She called out as she ran to catch up with Leo.


    Leo saw the young lady now running towards him with her servant following behind her but he decided not to pay any attention to her.


    He has so many questions that he wants to ask them but his safety and that of Ms Ves was what''s paramount at the moment.


    He continued walking to the building and dragging Ms Ves along. He found it surprising that even after dragging her on the ground from the car to their current location which is more than 20 meters, she was yet to wake up.


    Forget about waking up, he hasn''t even felt her stir and this was even with the heavy rain that was falling.


    Leo noticed that he was starting to feel the cold as his body was starting to freeze up. He was actually surprised that he hasn''t frozen up from staying so long in the combo of heavy rain and snow.


    Even if it has only been a little bit over ten minutes since he got out of the car, it was already long enough for him to have freezed to death.


    He was actually very worried about Ms Ves who was unconscious. He just hopes that he can get them to safety before she freezes up or the people on the floor turn completely into zombies.


    His thought seemed to have jinxed the situation as he saw someone who was previously thrashing wildly, suddenly go still.


    Leo felt a very strong sense of foreboding when he saw the person suddenly go still. He immediately picked up the pace and started walking faster towards the building.


    He had only taken a couple of steps when he heard a deep, guttural growl. The growl sent shivers down his spine and he slowly turned his head to look at the source of the sound.


    It was the same person he saw suddenly go still before. He or should he call it, as what he''s looking at looks no different from a humanoid monster.


    The person in front of him has an unhealthy pale skin, completely white eyes that look empty, a very emaciated body and a very ferocious look on its face, radiating hunger and malice. This was coupled with the bone chilling snarls that were coming out of its mouth.


    Leo''s heart nearly jumped out of his chest when he saw this. The man in front of him looked exactly like those creatures.


    Realizing what this means, he picked up the pace even more as he continued walking and dragging Ms Ves to the building.


    He knew the key characteristics of zombies. He knew that they were attracted to sounds but he wasn''t sure if the zombie in front of him was the same.


    Even if it was, Leo felt that the sound of the heavy rain was more than enough to drown out all other noise in the surrounding, with his and Ms Ves included.


    Unfortunately for Leo, something completely unexpected happened the next moment.


    Growl!


    The zombie roared and bolted towards Leo in a series of erratic movements.


    Leo''s eyes widened in a mixture of shock and surprise when he saw this.


    The two emotions immediately gave way to fear, a type of fear that Leo has never felt in his life.


    The fear caused him to momentarily lose focus of what exactly was happening and he froze up. What he could only do was watch the fast approaching zombies get closer.


    As the zombie approached him, Leo felt like his name was being written in the black book of death. He felt that he was going to die there and then, and without a chance to put up a fight.


    Without having any idea of what happened or how it happened, Leo snapped out of his stupor at the very last minute.


    The zombie had already reached him and its claw was right in front of his face.


    Leo''s eyes widened and he didn''t know what happened as he immediately sidestepped, causing the claw to miss his face by just a hair width.


    He wasn''t allowed to calm his rapid beating heart or catch his breath before the zombie attacked again.


    It swiped its claw at him but it was another miss as Leo was able to move out of the way before the attack reached him.


    Without giving him a moment of respite, the zombie attacked again with its claw and bared teeth.


    Leo immediately reacted without any thoughts and out of impulse due to the fear he was feeling. He punched the zombies in the chest, stunning it a little and causing it to stagger backward a little.


    He didn''t give the zombie time to react as he punched it in the face. This time, the punch didn''t have much of an effect on it but only served to enrage it.


    "Roar!" It roared angrily into the air, with intense hunger, malice and ferality emanating from it.


    Immediately, it rushed towards Leo and with even more intensity than before.


    The young lady was standing at a distance and watching the battle between Leo, and the zombie in interest.


    "That punch right now¡­" She said as her eyes narrowed slightly in thought.


    "It''s just as you guessed, Princess. It''s not an amount of power that a level 0 being should be able to bring out," Elda, who was standing behind her, nodded.


    "Is he?..." She asked curiously.


    "No," Elda replied.


    "I see¡­" She said with an intrigued smile.


    She was looking forward to what more surprises Leo has in store for her but he would have to survive all the way and she wasn''t going to help him in any way.

 Chapter 6 - 6: First Blood

    Leo almost froze up when he saw the zombie rushing towards him with increased intensity. He didn''t understand what in the world was going on and why everything had gone so wrong.


    But one thing he understood was the world he knew has changed completely. The zombie attacking him and the people thrashing wildly on the floor, and were now suddenly going still made him understand that the world right now is all about survival.


    And Leo was determined to see to it that he survives and survive he must. He knew that to survive, he has to first kill this monster in front of him.


    With his heart determined on surviving and his mind made up, quickly and before the zombie could reach him, he looked around for anything that can be used as a weapon.


    Due to the environment he grew up in, he hasn''t been in a fight in his life, neither has he seen anyone fighting but he has secretly watched movies that involve violence on the phones of the caretakers. And he knew what he had to do.


    As if the heavens were smiling on him, he saw a sizable piece of broken flat metal with a sharp edge, lying a few steps away from him.


    With a quick and calculated movement, he rolled on the floor, dodging the incoming attack of the zombie and grabbing the piece of metal in the floor.


    He held the metal in his hand and watched the zombie that was rushing towards him again.


    Leo remembered the zombie movie he watched and how they always target the head of a zombie before it can be killed. He knew that he can only try the same thing with this one but he wasn''t sure if it would work as the zombie in front of him isn''t the same as in movies, but he has no other choice than to try.


    He gripped the metal in his hand tightly and took a crappy attacking form, as he waited for the zombie to get closer.


    Leo didn''t know if he would be able to kill the zombie but he knew he has to. There''s no "but" or "if" in his current situation. He either kills it or get killed.


    In the space of three heartbeats, the zombie was already in front of him. Immediately, without any distracting thought in his mind, he sidestepped a little, to get himself a good angle.


    Achieving what he wanted, he gathered every ounce of strength in his body and with his teeth gritted in anger and determination, slashed the sharp edge of the metal at the zombie''s neck. But the wound was too shallow.


    The zombie roared in pain from the attack but Leo didn''t give it an opportunity to make any movement as he slashed at the same place again and again, before using all of his strength to push the sharp edge of the metal into its neck. He didn''t care how many times he has to slash to kill the zombie, he would gladly do it.


    As he pushed the sharp edge into its neck, the zombie lost its balance and fell over.


    Leo, seeing its current position to be perfect, pinned the zombie down and pushed the metal deeper and harder into its neck.


    He made a series of very swift movements as he removed the metal and stabbed it again into its neck, using all of the driving force he could muster.


    "Die! Die!" He screamed as he continued to remove the metal and stabbed it into the neck of the zombie, while cutting and slashing at it. This was all because he wants to decapitate the zombie head and kill it completely.


    As he slashed, stabbed and cut at the zombie''s neck, the wound was becoming deeper and black blood continued to splash out, staining his hands, face and some part of his body, and a few getting into his mouth, but he didn''t care.


    Even though the blood gave off the smell of rotten and decaying flesh, even though his body was almost frozen up completely due to the heavy rain and snow, his blood now circulating slower than before and his fingers becoming numb, Leo cared very little as his mind was focused on his survival.


    The rain fell on him, continuously washing away the blood that spilled on his body, causing the snow on the ground to be stained red.


    The zombie also wasn''t willing to go down without a fight as it put up its own struggle but Leo had already had it pinned down. Also, due to the combination of the rain and snow, the ground was extremely slippery.


    With Leo pinning it down to the ground with all his strength, it was impossible for it to move. It still did its best to attack by trying to claw at him but its hands were also pinned to the ground.


    Leo was aware of just how dangerous even the light scratch of a zombie is. And even if the zombie under him isn''t the same as the ones he saw in the movie, he wasn''t going to take any chances.


    He continued to slash, cut and stab, not paying attention to his already numb fingers and the cold breath coming from his mouth.


    To him, the cold was something that can be taken care of but will happen to him if he gets eaten by a zombie or turns into one? This is something that he doesn''t even want to consider.


    In the final moment of its struggle, the zombie''s limbs flailed as Leo''s blade cut into its neck, but its dead eyes never wavered. It clawed at him, its jaws snapping open and shut with mindless hunger.


    Leo continued the series of actions and after slashing, cutting and stabbing a few more times, the zombie''s head finally tumbled to the ground and black blood flowed freely from the decapitated neck, onto the ground.


    Immediately after the zombie''s head tumbled to the ground, the familiar screen appeared in front of him again but this time, with a different message.


    [You have acquired Level 1 Normal Zombie Life Force.]


    [You have reached Level 1. You have received three stat points.]


    ¡­..


    The young lady giggled in excitement and anticipation when she saw the zombie''s head roll on the ground.


    "Fufufu. I like him already," She said as she bit her lower lip.


    "Elda, you see that? I found someone very interesting." She smiled as she gazed at Leo, who was now standing on his feet and looking back at her.


    Her smile widened when she saw the fire burning in his eyes and it made her lick her lips in anticipation.


    Sear?h the N??elFir§×.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

 Chapter 7 - 7: Will To Survive

    Leo didn''t pay attention to the screen as he forced himself to stand up. He staggered to his feet as he pushed his exhausted and near-freezing point body up from the zombie''s decapitated body.


    He took a deep breath, trying to steady his shaky breath and rapidly beating heart. After he finally steadied his breath, he took a look at the zombie on the floor, with different thoughts crashing around in his head.


    No matter how sees it and no matter how he wants to put it, he just killed a human or something that looks human.


    Even though the headless body lying on the floor with its severed head a few steps from it was trying to kill him a second ago, it made no difference to him.


    Leo knew that the presence of the zombie meant that the world as he knew it was long gone and has now been replaced with one where everyone has to fight to stay alive.


    He knew that he would have to survive first if he wants to live in this new world and to survive, he must have sufficient strength. This is what the battle with the zombie taught him.


    He knew that if he doesn''t have the strength, he might one day end up becoming food for the zombies and potentially turning into one of them.


    He previously thought that after he came out of the orphanage home, he would do the things he has always dreamt about doing.


    But he was quickly made to understand that the world where dreams exists is no more and that in this new world, there''s no such thing as living one''s dream. It''s all about survival, and it''s as simple as that.


    From now on, everything depends on his ability to survive. And if he wants to continue living in this new world, he would need to get stronger.


    He would have to get stronger and survive, if he wants to meet those kids in the orphanage home one day and he would have to get stronger, and survive if he wants to see the sun rise up every day, and set every evening.


    Leo was determined to see to it that he doesn''t die. Even though the world has ended, he still felt that there are a lot of things he can still achieve in the new world.


    He felt that this was the tugging feeling has been trying to tell him about. About this new world.


    He raised his head and saw the young lady being referred to as princess, standing at a distance and looking at him with a smile on her face.


    He has no idea what the identity of the young lady is but he knew she wasn''t human and he has a very strong feeling that he would be able to get the answer to his questions from her.


    Leo closed his eyes briefly and let out a sigh of relief. The battle with the zombie left him feeling completely exhausted. He didn''t know how well he did, as it''s his first ever fight and a very deadly one at that but the fact that he''s still alive goes to say a lot.


    He took a look around him and he saw that most of the people who were thrashing around violently on the floor had already gone still.


    Seeing this, he knew that he has to quickly get out to a safe place or one of two things will happen; It''s either the zombies kills him or the cold does. Either way, he does. sea??h th§× ¦Çov§×lFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Still tired and exhausted from the fight with the zombie, he walked towards Ms Ves who was lying unconscious on the floor.


    He picked up her hands and he felt how cold it was. The heavy rain and snow has been falling for a while now and has caused the ground to be very wet and cold, and the fact that he left her lying on the cold hard floor meant that the cold has already penetrated deep into her body.


    "Let''s get out of here first," Leo said as he held her hand tightly and started dragging her towards the building.


    As he made his way to the building, he heard the familiar growl of a zombie and looked towards where the sound was coming from.


    A chill ran down his cold spine when he saw the newly turned zombies standing up and bolting towards him the next moment.


    He knew what had to be done as he immediately picked up the pace. He forced his young body that was already on the brink of collapse to muster up whatever strength it still has left.


    He knew that fighting another zombie in his current condition would be suicidal. It would mean certain death for him if he''s to face off against the horde of more than five zombies rushing towards him.


    He continued to push his body to its limit but no matter how far he tried to push it and no matter how much more strength he tried to squeeze out of it, nothing came out.


    This is the aftereffect of the previous rush of adrenaline he had from the fight with the zombie. His body was completely drained.


    Leo knew that he was going to die if he doesn''t come up with something. His brain kicked into sixth gear as he quickly tried to think of something.


    His eyes lit up the next moment when he remembered the message he saw after he killed the zombie.


    He quickly brought up the status screen and glanced at it. The glance gave him a quick understanding of what he has to do.


    He immediately spent the three free stat points he had, adding one stat point each to his Strength, Agility and Stamina.


    He instantly felt some subtle changes in his body after he added the stat points. The changes were very small, almost unnoticeable but Leo felt them because his previously exhausted body had recovered slightly.


    Immediately, Leo mustered up all the strength he could and continued making his way towards the building.


    The zombies were almost close, just a couple of distance away from him but he was also just a few steps away from the building.


    "I can''t allow myself to die here! Just a few more steps!" Leo said through gritted teeth as he pushed his body beyond its limits.


    The next moment, he felt another rush of adrenaline pumping through his body. His previous wobbly legs that refused to listen to him, started moving on their own and fast.


    Leo capitalized on the new adrenaline rush as he pushed his body to its new limits. Right now, it''s only three steps between him and the building but those three steps felt like three miles, and an insurmountable mountain to climb.


    The mountain was even harder to climb due to the fact that he was dragging Ms Ves along with him and to make things worse, the new wave of adrenaline rush has already ended.


    It was too short but Leo couldn''t complain. He could only continue to push himself but it was extremely difficult due to the aftereffects of the adrenaline rush.


    His breathing was now rapid but very shallow. The pounding in his ear was loud and almost disorienting and the freezing cold he was feeling didn''t help matters.


    He could hear the thudding steps of the zombies as they approached him. Their growls filled with intense hunger and malice reverberated through his body and their sickening rotten appearance almost made him puke.


    "Three more steps!" Leo gritted his teeth as he forced himself to take a step. He has to push himself or he would become food for the group of walking dead rushing at him.


    The zombies were already so close that even with the heavy rain and snow, Leo could perceive the rotten smell of their dead flesh.


    "Two more steps!" Leo forced himself to take another step.


    At this point, the zombies were already less than five heartbeats away from him. Leo saw this and bit his lips hard, almost drawing blood as he forced himself to continue.


    "One more step!" Leo screamed with a hoarse voice as he finally stepped in through the automatic glass door of the building


    Immediately after his leg got inside the building, it was like the previous exhaustion he was feeling was a lie as his body suddenly became energetic.


    He quickly dragged Ms Ves inside and away from the door, allowing it to close. With his heart in his mouth, he watched the zombies hit the glass door one after the other and bounce back.


    Seeing this, Leo felt that he could finally breathe easy. He let out a sigh of relief and immediately collapsed to the cold, hard floor in exhaustion.

 Chapter 8 - 8: Tatiana von Carstein

    A sound of labored breathing could be heard as Leo tried to pass air through his cold and burning lungs.


    He could still hear the pounding in his ear and his body felt very cold, and the cold air and burning lungs wasn''t helping his case. His legs were quaking and he could barely feel his finger.


    It took him a while but he was finally able to steady his breathing and his body started relaxing slowly.


    He really felt like dozing off and going to sleep, but he knew that he couldn''t. Even though he''s already safe from the horde of zombies outside, he still doesn''t know if inside the building is as safe as it appears to be.


    Also, he can''t keep lying on the cold floor for too long or he will freeze to death. Leo sighed in exhaustion and tried to push his body up but it refused to listen to him.


    He tried again but no matter how much he forced himself, his body refused to listen to him. His legs still continued to quake from time to time and his fingers were still numb.


    Leo knew that with his body''s current condition, he won''t be able to achieve anything even if he forces himself to stand up. He decided to relax a bit and regain his strength before doing anything else.


    His decision to seek shelter and safety from the rain, and zombies outside was a decision he made without any fore knowledge about the entire situation in the building.


    But the reason why he chose the building was because from a look outside, he saw that its lobby was empty of people and looked completely safe.


    Leo has no idea if there were zombies in the building. Even if there is, there''s nothing he can do about it in his current exhausted condition.


    The truth is that when he got close to the door of the building and it opened automatically, his heart fell to the lowest part of the abyss.


    He thought that the door would also open up automatically when the zombies came close to it but he was very happy when he saw that it didn''t happen. And as to why it didn''t open? He has no idea.


    Thinking back to then, his body was drained leaving him powerless, Ms Ves was still in his arms and the zombies were just a few away from me.


    What should he had done then? Start looking for another building? That was beyond impossible. He could only brace it and hope for the best.


    This was the reason why he felt extremely happy and relieved when he saw the zombies slam their bodies against the closed door.


    Even now, he could still hear their growls and the loud snapping of their jaws as they bite into thin air while pressing their bodies against the glass door.


    While he waited for his body to recover, he decided to check the screen. He immediately summoned it and it appeared in front of him.


    [Name: Leo ****]


    [Level: 1]


    [Specie(s): Human, ****, ****]


    [Class: ¨C]


    [Title: None]


    ______


    [Strength: 16]


    [Agility: 16]


    [Stamina: 15]


    [Intelligence: 13]


    [Mana: 100]


    ______


    [Stat Point(s): 0]


    ______


    [Skill(s): Regeneration (Innate).]


    ...


    Leo quietly studied the screen, taking in the information displayed on it. The first thing that caught his attention are the asterisks in front of his name.


    ''Why were they there?'' He thought to himself curiously. He noticed that it wasn''t just his name that has those asterisks but also his species.


    "I''m not just human?" Leo thought to himself with a frown.


    It wasn''t a very pleasant thing to know that you''re different from everyone else. It was like finding out that everything you have been known growing up was a lie.


    This would had been true for someone else but for someone like Leo who has always had the feeling of being different from others, the information only elicited a frown from him and nothing more.


    Also, the content of the letter his parents left him hinted at something and the information displayed on the screen was just some sort of confirmation.


    But that didn''t mean that Leo wasn''t curious. He was very curious to know exactly what the asterisks were hiding but he knew that there was nothing he could do about it. At least for the time being.


    He turned his attention to other things as his eyes went down to the part where his stats were displayed.


    "When it was displayed the first time ''for explanatory purpose'' according to the second voice, each of them had in front of them, ten in brackets. What does that mean?" Leo thought to himself out loud.


    "It means that ten is the average stat." A familiar voice said, causing Leo''s eyes to widen in fear.


    With a quick reaction, he pressed his hands on the floor, to push himself up but he quickly collapsed back to the ground.


    "Fufufu¡­ No need to be scared, I''m not a zombie," The voice laughed lightly.


    "I know that you''re not a zombie. Zombies don''t talk. You''re that princess girl. What do you want?" Leo asked with a frown on his face as he turned his head to where the source of the voice.


    Just as he thought, it was the princess and as always, standing behind her is Elda, the middle-aged woman dressed in a maid uniform.


    He was very curious to know what they were doing here and how they were able to get into the building without him being aware. Was he that absorbed in studying the screen?


    He tilted his head and looked at the door to confirm a thought of his but unlike what he was thinking, the zombies were still at the door.


    He saw them continuously clawing at the door trying to get in, with constant loud snapping sound from their jaws as they bit into the air.


    ''It seems they didn''t get in through the entrance. Then how?'' He thought to himself, but when he remembered how they were standing in the heavy rain, and they never got wet, he knew that something like this would be very simple for them.


    Tatiana''s eyes twitched in irritation when she heard what Leo said about zombies being unable to talk. She can''t understand why this boy always knows just how to get on her nerves.


    "Hey, I gave you the answer to your question. Shouldn''t you at least be appreciative or something?" She asked as she glared daggers at him.


    Leo slowly turned his head to look at her and smiled.


    "Thank you."


    "...."


    A very awkward silence descended in the lobby afterwards as Leo and the young lady stared at each other with their thoughts unknown.


    Ahem... S§×arch* The Nov§×l?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    The young lady coughed lightly, finally breaking the awkward silence.


    "Good to know that you''re grateful. Now, let''s do a little introduction. What''s your name?" She asked as she took slow steps towards his lying position on the floor.


    Leo took a look at the young lady walking towards him. He has no idea why she was asking for his name but he didn''t feel any reason to withhold it from her.


    From what he has seen, she''s definitely someone special, has some sort of status, and she''s also powerful. It wouldn''t do him any good to make an enemy out of her. It would only add to the already existing problems he has.


    With that decision made, he proceeded to tell her his name.


    "The name''s Leo."


    The young lady smiled and nodded lightly in acknowledgement when she heard his name.


    "I''m Tatiana von Carstein. Daughter of the ruler of Crimson Fall, Lucian von Carstein, the Blood Progenitor and the King of Vampires. The lady behind me is Elda, my handmaid and my bodyguard."


    "Such status!"

 Chapter 9 - 9: Friends With Benefits

    That was Leo''s honest reaction. He already knew that she''s a princess due to Elda constantly referring to her by her title.


    This is also visible from how elegant and luxurious she''s dressed, and Elda, who is standing beside her is dressed in maid attire.


    But what Leo didn''t expect is for her to be a vampire princess! He already knew that she wasn''t human and not from his world but what he didn''t expect is for the young lady in front who looks so beautiful to be a vampire princess.


    Leo felt grateful to himself for not irritating the young lady any further or who knew what she would had done to him.


    He knew what vampires are. When he was still at the orphanage home, he had watched two series about them on one of the caretakers'' phone but just like the zombie, he wasn''t sure if she''s the same as the vampire he''s familiar with.


    Still, Leo was happy with himself for the decision he made. Who knows? He might have saved his own life without even having any knowledge about it.


    He took a look at Tatiana who was now in a bent position beside him and studying him carefully like he''s some exotic animal.


    "I still find it hard to believe that someone like you exists in such a backwater world," She said as she looked at him intently.


    Their eyes met and Tatiana smiled, with her thoughts unknown.


    "Leo, I don''t know if you know this but you''re very special. It''s just that I don''t know just how special you are. The fact that you can see me is something that shouldn''t be possible in the first place.


    And even more shocking is that you can understand the words coming out of my mouth. If you thought it''s normal, then I will tell you right now that it''s not," Tatiana said, before standing up and walking to Ms Ves.


    She bent down beside her and also started studying her. Few minutes later, she smiled and looked at Leo, who was also staring at her.


    "The two of you are interesting. Really." She smiled brightly as she stood up.


    Her smile was so bright and beautiful that Leo felt something tug at his heart. He didn''t know what it was but he gave him a good feeling.


    He heard what Tatiana said about her not believing that someone like him can exist in such a backwater world. He also heard what she said about him being special.


    And he finally understood why she was asking him if he could see her. Though she didn''t say why he wasn''t supposed to be able to see her, Leo didn''t bother to ask.


    He felt that she would had told him if she wanted to. Also, he heard about his ability to understand what she was saying. Again she didn''t say why he shouldn''t be able to understand what she was saying but he didn''t ask.


    ''Maybe she''s speaking vampire language...''


    Though Leo wasn''t surprised by her words as he already knew that he''s not just human as it''s something displayed in his status screen. The thing is that he doesn''t know what he is exactly. He doesn''t even know his own full name.


    But there''s something that Tatiana said that caught Leo''s attention. Why did she say that the two of them are interesting? What is it about Ms Ves that''s interesting?


    He was about to try and find out from Tatiana, when he heard her next words.


    "Leo, what do you say about the two of us becoming friends? Friends with benefits of course.


    I will help you by giving you whatever information I have that you need and you help me with something in the future. What do you think?" She asked, smiling at him.


    Leo''s eyes narrowed slightly when he heard the offer she was making. The truth is that he needs information, answers to his questions and he knew that Tatiana was aware of this, and this is the reason why she''s making such an offer.


    She knew that it was an offer he won''t be able refuse.


    "And what is it that I could possibly help you with?" Leo asked curiously and carefully.


    Tatiana smiled when she heard his questions. She wasn''t bothered by it as she knew that he would ask but she has no plan on telling him. It would be better if he doesn''t know about it yet.


    "You don''t need to worry. It''s not something that would bring you any harm. It''s something you can actually do now but it''s going to be very difficult for you to achieve it," She said with her smile never leaving her face.


    "You don''t need to worry about anything, Leo. I won''t harm you. If I wanted to do anything to you, I would had done it a long time ago. It''s not like you can stop me if I wanted to.


    As for the consequences of doing you any harm? They are almost non-existent. Just some feathered bugs but they would be taken care of by my father." She said and shrugged.


    Leo didn''t know how to respond when he heard what she said.


    The truth is that her offer isn''t bad but there''s one problem with it¡ªthe part where she said that he would help her with something in the future.


    He already knew that he won''t be getting the information from her for free but he couldn''t help but feel that what she''s going to ask him to help her with in the future, is something that outweighs the worth of the information she''s going to give him.


    Leo didn''t know or understand much about people in the outside world¡ªas he had very little interaction with them¡ªbut he remembered the advice that Ms Ves gave him.


    Also, he knew that she was right about her being able to do whatever she wanted to him, without him being able to do anything.


    Leo thought about it and decided to take the offer. It''s not like he has any other choice. Though she wasn''t threatening him at the moment, who knew what she would do if he refuses her offer. S§×arch* The novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "Ok, I will trust your words and accept your offer," Leo finally said after a brief moment of deep thought.


    The smile on Tatiana''s face brightened even more when she heard his response. She giggled happily and did a twirl.


    "Trust me, Leo, you won''t regret this,"She said with the smile still on her face.


    ''I hope I don''t.'' Leo said to himself as he watched her do her little celebration dance.


    "Now, let me kick off our agreement with the first piece of information," She said and directed her gaze at Ms Ves who was on the ground beside Leo.


    "The lady beside you is a half-zombie."

 Chapter 10 - 10: Half-Zombie

    "Half-zombie?!" Leo asked in shocked voice as he turned to look at Ms Ves who was still unconscious on the floor.


    He let out a sigh of relief when he saw thst she was still unconscious. When he heard what Tatiana said, his heart fell to his stomach as he felt like he had been sentenced to death.


    Even though a a few minutes has passed, Leo was still yet to recover his stamina. His body still ached all over, his fingers were still numb and the biting cold from the floor was already getting to him.


    In his condition, how is he expected to fight another zombie? The answer to that is obvious and his outcome is already certain.


    Tatiana giggled when she saw the fallen expression on Leo''s face. She isn''t a sadist but the expression was funny to her.


    "You don''t have to look like that. Like I said, she is a half-zombie. Different from the regular zombies," She said, as she tried to explain more.


    Leo turned to look at Tatiana, who was still smiling, clearly taking joy from his misery. "How is a half-zombie different from regular zombies?" he asked, his curiosity getting the better of him.


    Tatiana''s eyes sparkled. "I''m glad you asked. But to answer that, I first need to explain what a zombie is."


    Leo sighed internally, bracing himself for the lecture.


    "Zombies," she began, "are people who couldn''t tame the first burst of mana that rushes into their bodies when the world awakens. That first mana surge is always violent, chaotic and filled with different impurities. Whether you survive it or not depends mostly on luck."


    Leo frowned, his confusion evident. "Wait¡­ mana? Chaotic?"


    "Let me clarify," Tatiana said, noting his expression. "Mana is all around us, but it''s dormant in an unawakened world. When the System¡ªan unknown entity activates it¡ªmana floods the world and surges into anything with life force. You remember life force, don''t you? It''s what you absorbed when you killed that zombie."


    Leo nodded slowly, piecing things together.


    Tatiana continued. "This might sound lengthy, but here''s the simple version: zombies are the result of what we term a mana infection. Their bodies couldn''t handle the wild surge of mana that entered them, so the mana starts to overpower their life force."


    "And when that happens?" Leo asked.


    "Their bodies deteriorate," she said, "but the mana keeps them animated. They become driven by one primal urges¡ªa desperate need to consume more life force to keep going."


    Leo''s eyes widened. "So that''s why¡­?"


    "Yes. Zombies can sense life force from a distance and, once they make contact with a living being, they try to drain that energy¡ªthrough biting or scratching. Once they''ve drained someone completely, that person becomes a zombie too."


    For a moment, Leo turned to look at the zombies at the door. He knew that they were different from those that he''s familiar with but now he understood just different they are.


    Leo exhaled as he turned to look at Ms Ves. "So, what makes her different? The half-zombie?"


    Tatiana''s smile faded, and she shrugged. "My guess? She''ll retain her rationality, at least to some degree. Unlike regular zombies, she probably won''t be completely driven mad by the craving for life force.


    But how much control she''ll have over herself¡­ well, that''s the unknown part."


    Leo sighed after Tatiana was done with her explanation. He has never heard so much and so little words in his life.


    At the end, she didn''t explain anything on how exactly Ms Ves half-zombie status is different from regular zombies. But he was able to get some information through from her explanation.


    He now understands why the zombie was able to sense him and made a follow-up attack when it woke up. It was because he could sense his life force. But there''s something he was curious about.


    "The zombies, what''s the distance limit of their ability to sense one''s life force?" He asked as he turned to look at Ms Ves.


    "For regular zombies, it''s 30-50 metres," Tatiana replied.


    Leo''s eyes narrowed when he heard this. 30-50 metres? It was then he completely understood everything.


    But what does she mean by regular zombies? Are there other types of zombies? He felt that this should be very possible.


    If zombies drain the life force of a living being, then it''s basically the same thing as leveling up and this means that they might also be able to increase their own strength. If so, then this makes things even more dangerous.


    As if she knew what he was thinking about, Tatiana decided to explain a little more the zombie situation. sea??h th§× ¦Çov§×lFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "Zombies can also level up like regular people too. This is the same for animals and plants. But it''s harder for zombies to increase their strength as they have no intelligence on how to go about it.


    So, I don''t think you need to worry too much about it. But there''s a conjecture that if a zombie consumes enough life force, it can return back to normal but this conjecture has never been proven."


    Leo sighed in relief when he heard this. It was like a huge boulder was suddenly lifted from his chest.


    The truth is that Leo is overthinking everything¡ªhe knew this¡ªbut he can''t be blamed as it''s something related to his survival.


    Even if zombies can easily increase their strength there was nothing he would be able to do about it. It was disheartening but it''s the simple truth.


    Leo continued to gaze at Ms Ves who was sleeping¡ªwith different thoughts occupying his mind.


    "So, do you know what made her to mutate?" He asked curiously.


    Tatiana remained quiet when she heard Leo''s questions. She was also curious to know what made the lady to mutate but she has a guess.


    "I think it''s you. Maybe when you touched her, the violent mana surging through her, made its way to your body. But I''m not sure, so I can''t say."


    Leo nodded slowly when he heard this. The truth was that he was having conflicting thoughts. He didn''t know what to do with Ms Ves.


    He was worried for his safety around her but he just can''t leave her alone. She''s someone who has been taking care of him since she started working at the orphanage home three years ago.


    She didn''t treat her work like a job, taking him and all the kids at the orphanage like her siblings. She was also one of the person he was closet to.


    Leo closed his eyes briefly and sighed. There was no need to think about it as the decision had already made itself.


    He won''t abandon her. Even if it''s as a form of repaying everything she has done for him, he would do this best for her.


    He doesn''t know how he''s going to achieve it or if he will be able to achieve it but he still wants to try.


    Leo felt that things were becoming interesting. He now have a vampire princess as a friend, his caretaker from the orphanage home is now a half-zombie and he doesn''t know what he is.


    ''Really interesting.''

 Chapter 11 - 11: Ms Ves Turned?

    It was after an unknown amount of time had passed that Leo was finally able to recover some of his strength, enough to move his body.


    He immediately got up from the ground, pushing his exhausted and still-aching body from the cold floor.


    Right now, what Leo wanted to do was rest enough to recover his strength completely and for his body to stop aching, but Leo knew just how impossible that is for him.


    The cold from the floor has already penetrated deep into his body, causing his fingers to become even number than it was before. His blood was barely flowing at this point as the complexion of his skin was already turning pale and taking a bluish tint, and his body was becoming stiff.


    Leo was aware that if he would freeze to death in no time if he continued to lie on the floor.


    But standing up wasn''t that easy. Even though he has recovered enough strength to move his body, it wasn''t enough for these type of movements, but Leo cared less.


    He gritted his teeth as he forced himself up from the ground. As he moved, his body made cracking sounds, his stiff body and bones adjusting itself.


    Leo winced from the pain that followed the cracking sounds made from the readjustment of his bones. It wasn''t easy. The pain was uncomfortable and almost unbearable, and this was even more so that every little movements of his was enough to cause him pain.


    Leo had no idea how long it took him before he finally stood up on his two feet. He looked around the empty lobby of the building, safe for him and Ms Ves who was still unconscious on the ground.


    Tatiana had left, saying that she has something to take care of and would be back later.


    Leo didn''t bother to ask where she was going as it''s none of his business. What he should be concerned right now is his survivor and that of Ms Ves, and not a girl who can completely take care of herself.


    Focusing on his current predicament, he continued looking around the lobby for anything that can be used as a makeshift bed or any indication of the building was used for before the apocalypse.


    Leo hoped that it''s something either related to food or clothing but after looking around and seeing nothing but a computer rested on the receptionist''s table, document papers scattered on the floor and the cold metal waiting chairs, he knew that this was an office building.


    He knew that things weren''t in anyway going according to how he hoped it would, when he saw this and it caused him to sigh in frustration.


    "More work to be done then," He said to himself.


    Leo was clear on what they¡ªhe and Ms Ves¡ªneed right now is a good place to sleep. They need something that''s not cold like the floor, possibly warm¡ªthough extremely impossible to find.


    They also need dry clothes, possibly warm thick coats for the cold. Not impossible to find but looking extremely difficult right now with things are.


    The wet clothes on Leo and Ms Ves'' body were already drying and this was the reasons why Leo was feeling the cold more than before.


    The last and equally important is food. Leo was feeling very famished right now and would very much want to eat anything edible he can get his hands on.


    "The food can wait, what I should take focus on right now is a good place to sleep and dry clothes. I might be lucky to get some edible food," He said as he made his way up the main staircase located on the building''s grounds floor.


    Slowly and cautiously, he climbed the stairs, and made his way up to the first floor of the building.


    From what Leo saw outside, the building had a total of three floors, excluding the ground floor.


    With this, he deduced that the building shouldn''t have a lot of occupants before the apocalypse but he knew that it would still be more than a hundreds workers.


    Leo didn''t know if everyone was able to escape from the building before everything went to shit, but he was banking on it.


    There''s no way he would be take on any zombie in his current state but he knew that if he''s caught in a situation where he has no choice, he would have to face the zombie like it or not.


    Leo arrived on the first floor landing and he was greeted by an empty floor. There was nothing to see besides scattered documents papers on the floor and deserted desks.


    Leo breathed a sigh of relief when he saw this. He knew that since he couldn''t find anyone on the first floor, then it means that the first place was free of zombies.


    "I wonder what I can salvage from here? I can maybe convert these desks into something that we can use to sleep," Leo said, as he walked around the first floor. Sear?h the n??el Fire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    After he had confirmed that it was truly empty of any living being or zombie, he made his way back to the ground floor again.


    The reason why he came to the first floor was to confirm if it was safe for what he''s about to do next.


    He plans to use the waiting chairs and receptionist''s desk in the lobby to barricade the ground floor windows and door, completely blocking out the zombies.


    This is to prevent them from getting through even if their numbers are to increase in the future.


    Leo has no idea how long he''s going to be making use of the building but he felt that as long as he occupies it, he should make it as safe as possible to save himself too much trouble in the future.


    As for how this relates to his venturing to the first floor, the reason is because he wants to make sure that no zombie is close by and attracted by the sound that would be made when he''s moving the chairs and desk.


    Tatiana did say that the zombies are attracted to life force but she never said anything about them not being attracted to sound or light. Leo felt that it''s better to go through this small trouble now than to ignorantly put his life in danger later.


    Immediately after he got back to the ground floor, Leo started barricading the door and windows as planned.


    He was still feeling weak, tired, hungry and cold but he didn''t allow himself any time to rest. He knew that the earlier he get what he''s doing done, the better for himself.


    Not paying attention to his battered and exhausted body, his numb fingers and parched lips that he licked constantly, Leo continued to move the chairs to the door.


    Just as he expected, moving the chairs alone created a lot of noise and he could see how the small zombie horde outside was reacting.


    They started clawing at the door harder, banging their bodies and biting into the air. Their actions caused Leo to become frightened as he didn''t know if the door would be able to hold for long against the type of assault it was getting.


    "Before they breach the door, I have to barricade it completely, barricade the windows and the main staircase leading to the first floor, only then can I relax," Leo said, as he forced himself to not pay attention to the zombies at the door.


    Leo was still moving the chairs when he noticed a movement in the corner of his eyes. He quickly turned to see Ms Ves up on her feet and looking at him, and he felt a chill down his spine.


    "Leo, run!" She said with a low growl as her eyes turned white completely and she rushed towards him.


    Before he could process her words, she lunged at him with unnatural speed, her hands clawing toward his throat.


    "Fuck!" Leo screamed internally, his body reacting instinctively. He stumbled back, narrowly avoiding her grasp as she slammed into the chair he''d been moving. The impact sent it skidding across the floor.


    "Ms. Ves! Stop!" he shouted, his voice cracking with panic.


    But she didn''t stop. Her movements were erratic, her growls filled with primal rage. She lunged again, and Leo scrambled backward, his legs threatening to give out beneath him.


    His mind raced. She''s turning. She''s turning into one of them.


    He reached for the closest object¡ªa jagged piece of metal from the broken desk. His fingers trembled as he gripped it tightly, his vision blurring with fear and exhaustion.


    "Ms. Ves, please!" he begged, his voice breaking. "It''s me! Leo!"


    For a moment, her movements hesitated. Her head tilted slightly, as if she recognized his voice. But then the growling returned, louder and more feral, as she lunged again.


    Leo clenched the metal shard, his heart pounding. I don''t want to hurt her. But if I don''t¡­


    The sound of her growls echoed through the lobby, mixing with the relentless pounding of the zombies outside. Leo''s back hit the barricade, his escape cut off.


    Tears stung his eyes as he raised the makeshift weapon, his hands shaking violently.


    "Don''t make me do this," he whispered, his voice trembling.


    Ms. Ves roared, her hands clawing toward him as she closed the distance.


    Leo''s grip tightened.


    ''I have no choice.''


    The next moment, everything happened in a blur.

 Chapter 12 - 12: Ms Ves Situation

    Leo didn''t know what happened. One moment he was being attacked by Ms Ves and the next, she was rolling on the floor and biting her hand hard, while letting out growls that continued to send shiver down his spine.


    He was very confused by the series of events and had idea on how to react to them. He wanted to run and save himself but a part of him was telling him to stay and help Ms Ves.


    ''What do I do?'' He thought to himself but no matter how he thought about it, the only rational thing for him to do right now was to run, but he didn''t want to...


    Even though Leo is someone that doesn''t show his emotions openly, the truth is that he cares and has always cared about everyone around him.


    He thought everyone at the orphanage home as his family and Ms Ves was no different. She was someone who would go the extra miles for the kids at the orphanage home.


    She always work late into the night, even after everyone had gone to sleep, and some midnights when Leo comes out to do his business, he would see her still working, either taking care of their dirty laundry or something.


    She''s also someone kind and caring to him and the kids at the orphanage home, and it''s for this reason that everyone loves her baby there.


    Thinking back at the orphanage home, tears threatened to fall from his eyes as he thought of their chances of survival in this dangerous new world.


    *Crack!*


    A cracking sound jolted Leo out of his thoughts. He quickly assessed the situation; Ms Ves was now still on the ground, her breath loud wnd and dragged, the zombie horde outside was about to breach the entrance door.


    This only brought him to one conclusion, he has to move as quickly as possible if he doesn''t want to get into a situation that would mean his certain death.


    He didn''t dawdle as he squeezed the metal shard in his hand and slowly walked towards Ms Ves.


    He took a step forward and just when he was about to take another, he heard her voice.


    "I told you to run, why are you still here?" She asked with a low voice, that was filled exhaustion.


    Leo paused for a moment when he heard what she said.


    "Run? Where do you think I can run to, Ms Ves? Everywhere is crawling with zombies and in addition to that, the rain and snow is still falling heavily," Leo said as he took another step towards her.


    "So tell me, Ms Ves, where can I run to? Where is safe enough for me to hide? Do you really think I can leave you behind and run?" Leo asked as he took another step towards her.


    He took one more step and was now standing in front of her. He bent down and their face were directly at each other.


    "I don''t know why Ms Ves but I can''t leave you behind. It would had been different if you had turned completely but you can still maintain your rationality, which means that you''re still human.


    I don''t know how I would be able to live with myself if I should leave a human behind when those things are out there. And the fact that it''s you makes it harder for me," Leo said, as he took her self-bitten arm and examined the bite mark.


    He saw that the bite mark was healing at a speed visible to the eye. The torn flesh healed and closed completely, leaving behind nothing but the blood that was drawn when she bit it.


    Leo was shocked by what he saw. He didn''t believe that something like this was possible. The speed at which the wound healed was nothing short of fascinating and miraculous.


    ''I guess I''m going to be seeing a lot of fascinating things in the future.'' Leo said to himself.


    "I wonder why you don''t always show your emotions, I guess this is the reason why, huh?" Ms Ves smiled.


    Her head was in a mess right now. She didn''t know what to make of the situation. She was awaken by the loud sound of someone moving a chair, and when she saw Leo, in her head, a voice in her head started shouting at her, telling her to bite him.


    She found it hard to control herself at that moment and the next she knew was that she was already rushing at Leo, to bite him. And this was the reason why she told him to run.


    It was very hard for before she regained control of herself but she knew that if she had caught during her first attack, she would had really bitten him and done something bad to him.


    Now she didn''t know how to feel about herself when she knew that she almost killed one of the children that she always took care of in the orphanage home. Not only that but the fear of losing herself again in the future and biting Leo frightens her.


    But Leo wasn''t going to just leave her behind. She didn''t know that he could care this deeply about people and it made her heart warm when she remembered the emotionless Leo from the orphanage home.


    Leo was studying Ms Ves face and he saw how the expression on her face changed multiple times. He saw how she did her best to hide her emotions but failed ultimately.


    "Ms Ves, if you''re thinking of how to make me leave you behind, then just know that it''s impossible. Yes, you''re a half zombie but you''re still half human, and that human part of you means a lot."


    At this point, Leo has no idea what he''s saying. He felt that his lips were just moving on his own but deep down inside him, he knew that he was doing the right thing.


    If what Tatiana said about zombies being able to level up, grow stronger and also possibly recover themselves was true, then it means that Ms Ves still has a change to recover completely.


    He has no idea on how he''s going to achieve that but he knew that he has to find a way. Besides, he needs Ms Ves. She was an adult and stronger than him. Even if he has leveled up once, it wasn''t enough.


    He looked at Ms Ves who was looking at him strangely, with a smile on her face and asked, "So what do you say, Ms Ves?"


    There was brief moments of silence before she finally replied, "Fine. It''s seems I can''t change your stubborn mind. I will go with you then."


    "Good. Now, let''s get out of here before those guys out here break in and get to us," Leo said and pulled her up from the floor.


    The two of them supported themselves and started making their way up the main staircase.


    And just as they took a step forward, they heard multiple cracking sounds, followed by a loud shattering sound.


    Crash!


    Growl!!! Sear?h the n??el Fire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    The barricaded door gave way, and the growls of the horde grew deafening. Shadows poured into the lobby as the zombies surged forward, their decayed forms moving with terrifying speed.


    "Go!" Leo shouted, pulling Ms. Ves toward the stairs.


    Her legs wobbled beneath her, but she forced herself to move, matching his frantic pace.


    Behind them, the horde closed in, their growls echoing through the building like a death knell.

 Chapter 13 - 13: Looking For A Safe Place

    Leo and Ms Ves dragged themselves up the staircase, forcing their tired and unwilling bodies to climb the flight of stairs.


    It was after much struggle and heart pounding did they finally arrive at the first floor.


    Leo didn''t waste any time standing around, as he dragged Ms Ves and started climbing the stairs to the second floor.


    Ms Ves was surprised by Leo''s actions. She didn''t know why he didn''t look for a safe place for them to hide and wait, allowing the zombies to pass.


    "Leo, why are we going up to the second floor? Shouldn''t we look for a place to hide and wait till the zombies pass?" She finally asked after being unable to think of the answer herself.


    "We can''t stay on the first floor. It''s too dangerous. The zombies aren''t like conventional zombies. They are attracted to sound, light and something called life force. It''s something that normal people have and zombies can smell it from 30-50 metres away.


    Which means that they would locate us quickly if we stay on the first floor," Leo replied as he continued to drag the two of them up the flight of stairs.


    Ms Ves nodded in understanding when she heard what Leo said. She knew that his decision to go up to the second floor was the best, as with just a glance, she saw that the width of the first floor was less than 50 meters.


    But if this is so, then it probably means that the upper floors are also the same width as the first floor. If so, then it means that they also can''t stay on the second floor. They have make their way to the third or fourth floor. And from the fact that the building is an office building and has no elevator, then it means that the third or fourth floor would be the last floor.


    "That should be it," she said to herself when she thought of this.


    "Leo, do you know how many floors the building has?" She asked curiously.


    "Three, excluding the ground floor."


    "Good. We have to make our to the top floor and look for somewhere safe to wait." Ms Ves said, but she saw Leo shaking his head in response.


    "I don''t think that''s possible Ms Ves. I don''t even know if the second floor is safe from zombies. I didn''t scout it," Leo said.


    Ms Ves frowned when she heard this. She immediately thought of their next possible line of action.


    She quickly spun her brain into action and it didn''t take her long to think of something.


    "The emergency stairwells!" She exclaimed.


    "Emergency stairwells?" Leo asked in confusion.


    "Yes, emergency stairwells. Every building always has an emergency stairwell located on each floor for in the advent of an emergency. This stairwell always hidden behind a designated door and leads to the secondary exit of the building," Ms Ves explained.


    Leo''s eyes brightened when he heard this. He was glad that he did leave Ms Ves behind.


    His initial thought was to make it to the third floor of the building, look for a good hiding place, preferably a place with a door for added security, and they would hide there. But Ms Ves ides was miles better than his.


    But all these¡ªboth his idea and Ms Ves''¡ªwas counting on the second floor being free from zombies.


    Well, he didn''t have to continue hoping as they finally arrived at the ground floor and just like the first floor, it was empty. Very surprising he would say.


    As if to remind them of their current situation, reverberating growls came from the first floor, following with the sounds of scuffling footsteps, that echoed against the walls of the staircase, as the zombies made their way up the staircase.


    Leo''s breath almost seized in his lungs when he saw this. He quickly looked around the second floor for where the emergency exit Ms Ves talked about, and it didn''t take him long to find it.


    It was a very conspicuous red door located at the other end of the floor, with "emergency" boldly written on it in white.


    It also seems like Ms Ves was doing the same thing as him as she started dragging him towards the location of the emergency stairwell, the same time he wanted to make his move.


    "Come on, we have to move fast before they get up here," She said as she dragged him to the emergency stairwell.


    They got to the door and she pushed it open, and pulled Leo inside before closing the door shut and locking it.


    She didn''t allow herself and Leo to rest as she held his hand, and they descended down the emergency stairwell to the ground floor.


    It was only when they got close enough to the secondary exit attached to the emergency stairwell, did Ms Ves finally stop, allowing Leo and herself to rest.


    "Fuu..." She let out a deep breath as she collapsed to the floor, with her back sliding down the wall. S§×arch* The NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "That was intense," she smiled, as she looked Leo who was collapsed on the floor and trying to catch his breath.


    "Yeah, it was," Leo laughed lightly as he looked up the flight of emergency stairs twy just descended.


    "So what''s the plan now?" He asked curiously after catching his breath.


    "We rest enough, recover our strength and energy, then we get out of here and look for someplace safe. A military base would be best as they have weapon and it''s filled with trained soldiers. Even in all the chaos, there''s no way that it would fall so easily," Ms Ves replied.


    "It''s a good plan but what about the zombies crawling around everywhere? Also how far is the nearest military base to here and how are we supposed to get there?" Leo asked curiously.


    He welcomed Ms Ves'' idea but he has to be sure that it''s something that can work and they won''t be dumbly putting themselves in danger.


    "Sigh.... It seems like the idea won''t work. The nearest military base from here is more than three days drive away. Just that alone makes it impossible," Ms Ves sighed, with a slumped shoulder.


    Her young and beautiful face was drawn from exhaustion, her figure was slouching from the weight of their current situation.


    Leo also sighed when he heard this. Their situation seemed very hopeless at the moment, with nothing making headway.


    Just as he was thinking of what next to do, a random thought popped into his head.


    "I wonder how they are doing? Ate they safe?" He thought out loud.


    He couldn''t help but glance at Ms Ves, curious to know her reaction.


    "I hope they are. If only it''s possible for us to go back and check but we are quite a distance away from there," she chuckled wryly.


    The two of them spent the following moments in silence, resting and recovering their strength.


    It was after an unknown amount of time had passed did one of them finally break the silence.


    "We can''t keep staying here. We have to get out of here as soon as possible. We need food, good, dry clothes and a safe place to stay," Leo said, as he stood up from the ground, having rested enough.


    "Yeah. You''re right. We need to move and the most important of those things you listed is shelter. We need to look for a safe place to stay before we can think of other things," Ms Ves said as she also stood up.


    "What do you suggest?" Leo asked curiously.


    "We need to look for a safe high rise residential building. It''s our best bet option right now," Ms Ves replied.


    "And where do you think the nearest high rise residential building would be?"


    "Not far," She replied as she looked at the emergency exit.


    "Let''s go."


    As they approached the secondary exit, a low growl echoed faintly from above.


    Both of them and froze, their eyes darting to the dimly lit staircase leading back up. The sound grew louder, accompanied by the scrape of nails on metal.


    Leo''s grip tightened on the metal shard in his hand.


    "Looks like we''re not alone," Ms. Ves whispered.


    "Fantastic," Leo muttered, his jaw tightening.


    The two of them exchanged a glance, unspoken determination passing between them.


    "Ready?" Ms. Ves asked.


    "Not really," Leo replied. "But let''s do it anyway."

 Chapter 14 - 14: Black Phantom

    The first thing they saw when they opened the door was a quiet and deserted alley. The two of the quickly got out and closed the door shut, doing their best to not make noise that could potentially attract the attention of any zombie.


    After they had made sure that the alleyway was safe and they didn''t attract any zombie, they started moving forward, slowly and stealthily out of the alleyway.


    The rain and snow has already stopped falling and the sun was high up in the sky, but the ground was still very wet and almost slippery for the both of them, but they quickly got used to it as they walked.


    After some short minutes of walking, they finally got to the end of the alleyway. At the end of the alleyway was an isolated, deserted and empty side street, filled with some abandoned vehicles.


    They didn''t say anything to each other as they started walking down the side street. As they walked, they made sure to be as quiet as possible and check their surroundings for any potential danger.


    The alleyway stretched out in eerie silence, flanked by tall, dilapidated brick buildings that loomed like forgotten sentinels over the narrow passage.


    Discarded garbage bags spilled their rotting contents, their smell mingling with the acrid stench of damp and decay that clung to the air. Puddles of murky water dotted the uneven ground, reflecting the sunlight.


    Abandoned carts, toppled trash bins, and scattered debris created an obstacle course that spoke of panic and chaos long past.


    A broken chain-link fence, half-crumpled against a wall, rattled softly in the wind, its metallic whine the only sound breaking the oppressive quiet.


    Luckily for them, the side street was completely empty of any living being or moving creature, zombies namely.


    They continued making their way down the side street and half through, they could see the faint silhouette of what looks like a high rise residential building from afar.


    The both of them looked at each and they could see the smiles in their eyes. They immediately quickly their steps, but still making sure to be as quiet and cautious as possible.


    They had already walked more than half the distance and they could now see the building clearer than before, and it was just as they hoped. It was a residential building and one that that''s still standing perfectly.


    "Come on, let''s go," Ms. Ves said with a smile as she tapped Leo''s shoulder lightly.


    Leo smiled back and nodded at her. He looked at the building and started walking towards it, but his steps and Ms Ves'' stopped the next moment and they looked at each other with an alarming expression on their faces.


    The next moment, a short gust of wind blew and a silver gleam was seen from the corner of Leo''s eyes. Instinctively and immediately, he raised the metal shard in his hand to defend himself.


    The loud sound of metal striking each other was heard and a low grunt escaped Leo''s mouth, as he was pushed back a little.


    He quickly steadied himself and looked at whatever it was that attacked him, and he was shocked by what he saw.


    ''A cat?'' He asked himself incredulously.


    He didn''t understand how it was possible but the creature in front of him¡ªthe thing that attacked him¡ªlooks like a cat.


    The only difference between this creature and the regular cats he knew was that it''s bigger than them. The creature in front of him was big and looked almost the same as tigers, but smaller. It looked more like a lynx.


    Its black fur was also different as it had a metallic gleam to it, and its blue, slit eyes looked like it was glowing.


    Leo knew that the only thing he can do at the moment was to fight this creature in front of him.


    And as if you confirm his thought, the cat attacked the next moment as it lunged at him and clawed at his face, but Leo was equally quick to react.


    He dodged the attack by a hair and took some steps back, creating some distance between him and the creature.


    Leo found out that even though he was quick to react, he was still too slow compared to the speed of the creature.


    "Too fast." S§×ar?h the N?vel(F)ire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    He immediately thought of what to do as he assessed the situation. Fighting the creature with just the metal shard in his hand would be him putting his life in danger.


    The metal shard wasn''t strong enough as it was nearly torn apart from the first attack. This could be seen from the long claw mark on it.


    He quickly thought of something and looked to Ms. Ves position but it seems like he didn''t need to tell her what to do, as she rushed towards the creature.


    "Leo, let''s kill this thing together. Work with me," She said as she swiped her claws at it, but the creature was too fast as it easily dodged her attack.


    Leo didn''t dawdle as he moved and flanked the creature at the other size, trying to corner and box it in.


    The creature was now caught in the middle, being circled by Ms. Ves and Leo. It hissed as it studied their movements and the next moment, it attacked.


    Like a phantom, it appeared directly in front of Ms. Ves the next moment and swiped at her face. It quickly wants to take care of the this strange smelling being and turn its attention to the human.


    Just as the creature''s attack was about to connect to Ms Ves'' face, she attacked. With a swift movement, she took a step to her left to give herself a better positioning and without wasting any time, she squeezed and drove her fist into the side of the creature''s stomach, aiming for the soft flesh just beneath its ribs.


    Her attack seemed to have worked as the creature let out a guttural growl, staggering back as the blow momentarily knocked the air from its lungs.


    "Leo, now!" She shouted but her shout was redundant as Leo had already made his move.


    Pushing his leg off the ground, he rushed at the creature and stabbed the metal shard into one of its eye.


    A tearing sound and squelching sound was heard as the metal shard penetrated the eyes of the creature, causing a loud shriek and whimper to escape from its mouth.


    Leo saw this but didn''t give it to react or attack, as he pushed the metal shard deeper into its eyes. Blood was now flowing freely from the creature''s punctured eyes.


    The creature continued to scream and whimper. It flailed it paws in a bid to claw and attack its assaulter but Leo made sure not to step in the range of its claws.


    He gritted his teeth and shoved the metal shard in one more time. Squelching sound was heard as the metal shard penetrated deeper and blood was now flowing from the eyes of the creature.


    Leo''s breath came in short gasps, his heart pounding like a drum in his ears. He wasn''t sure if he could keep up, but the thought of letting Ms. Ves fight alone forced him to press forward.


    With one final shove, the metal shard penetrated deep enough.


    The creature let out one final, bloodcurdling screech as the shard pierced deep into its skull. Its convulsions shook the ground beneath Leo''s feet before it went completely still, its glowing eyes dimming like extinguished flames.


    [You have acquired Level 2 Mutant Cat: Black Phantom Life Force!]


    [You''ve obtained a weapon: Nightshade!]

 Chapter 15 - 15: Nightshade

    "Huff, huff, huff," Leo took long, deep breaths as he listened to the system''s notification in his head, but he didn''t pay much attention to it.


    His attention was more on the weapon he got after killing the Black Phantom; Nightshade.


    The Nightshade is a sword with a slender, slightly curved blade that seems to absorb light rather than reflect it, and the edges are razor-sharp. Its hilt was wrapped in black leather, giving it a comfortable feeling in his palm.


    Leo was very happy to finally get a weapon he can use and a very beautiful sword at that.


    ''I wonder if it''s just sharp or it has any special skills?'' He thought to himself, and immediately, a cyan screen appeared in front of him.


    [Nightshade (Unique): a blade forged from shadowsteels. It remains a small trace of shadow power, infused into its sharp edges, allowing it effortlessly slice through steel barriers or armor equivalent to high-grade military plating.


    Abilities:


    Soul Bound: Binds to the user''s soul and can''t be unequipped with permission from the person.


    Bypass Defense: Ignores the defenses of any being below level 35.


    Cloak of Shadow: temporary invisibility. Cancels immediately upon any movement. (Duration: 10 seconds.)


    Shadow Steps: use the shadows around you to move unseen, teleporting to another shadow within range (max: 15 meters)


    Venomous Edge: Coats the blade with a shadowy venom, causing lingering damage. Can be stacked up to 3 times, increasing its potency.


    When Equipped (Passive): Agility +15, Stealth +20%]


    Leo was shocked when he read the description of the blade in his hand. He didn''t know it was so powerful.


    He immediately thought of something and brought up his status screen.


    [Name: Leo ****]


    [Level: 1]


    [Specie(s): Human, ****, ****]


    [Class: ¨C]


    [Title: None]


    ______


    [Strength: 16]


    [Agility: 16 (+15)]


    [Stamina: 15]


    [Intelligence: 13]


    [Mana: 100]


    ______


    [Stat Point(s): 0]


    ______


    [Skill(s): Regeneration (Innate).]


    ....


    ''Wow. 15 whole Agility points? Assuming the amount of free points given for every level up is the same as the first, that''s equivalent to me using three level up worth of reward points. Nice,'' he said to himself with a bright smile on his face.


    He was very happy with the reward that he got. It made the dangerous situation he and Ms Ves just went through worth it.


    Now that he thought about it, he has no idea if Ms Ves got anything. He turned to look at her but he saw her looking at the dead Black Phantom''s body curiously.


    The battle against the mutant cat called Black Phantom was short, but it left him feeling almost, if not completely, drained.


    He felt that he would have really lost his life if he was the only one that fought the mutant cat. He couldn''t help but look at Ms. Ves, who was also looking at him.


    Looking closer at Ms Ves, Leo noticed something; she was breathing normal. He found this to be odd as he clearly saw her trying to catch her breath after the escape from the zombie horde into the emergency stairwells.


    He knew that this was related to her zombie side and he made a decision to ask her about it later. If she would be willing to talk about it, that is.


    "Leo, let''s get moving before another of this Black Phantom appears,"Ms Ves said as she stood up from the floor, and patted her hands.


    She looked at Leo and the sword in his hand, and nodded in satisfaction.


    "Nice blade. Now, we don''t have to worry about not having a good weapon," She said and started walking to the high rise building ahead.


    The two of them quietly made their way to the end of the side street, without encountering any creature.


    Standing close to the end of the side street, they could see the high rise building ahead of them, across the street, and just as they hoped,it was a residential building.


    To make things even better, the entrance was mostly empty with a handful of relatively weak looking zombies, hanging around.


    Taking a closer look, they saw that it was only a few zombies that were in the lobby. But there was one problem.


    How would they be able to make into the building without causing a scene? No matter how they looked at it, it was currently impossible.


    The building was located across the street and due to zombies'' ability to sense life force within 50 meters, covering such distance would surely attract the attention of those outside the building''s entrance, inside and in the surroundings.


    In no time, they would be surrounded and there was no need to second guess what their outcome would be.


    "This is going to prove very difficult," Ms Ves said as she took a look at the zombies hanging around the building''s entrance.


    "Yeah. It is," Leo said solemnly as he felt Nightshade in his hand.


    He wanted to test out the weapon immediately but he knew better than go stupidly throw his life away.


    He was nothing more than a level 1 being. If he''s to be surrounded by a horde of zombies, he would definitely not be able to escape.


    He thought of using the stealth skills and the additional stat points he got from Nightshade but he wasn''t sure about its effectiveness on zombies.


    Zombies can sense life force and since the skills didn''t specify that it would no help him mask his life force to avoid detection from the zombies, he knew that he had to be careful and rational in making his decision.


    He was still thinking of what to do when he heard Ms Ves say something outrageous.


    "I will go."


    "What?!" Leo looked at her with a mixture of shock and confusion.


    "What do you mean you will go?" He asked curiously, as he felt an uneasy feeling coming on.


    "I will go and check out the area, check for the location of any zombies, take care of those at the entrance and in the lobby, and after I''m done, you can come. How does that sound?" She said as she looked intently at the building.


    "Crazy! Definitely not letting you do it," Leo replied, almost raising his voice in shock. sea??h th§× N??elFir§×.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Ms Ves looked at Leo and smiled. She was touched by how much he cared about her.


    "You say that but you do understand the reason why only me can do it. I''m half zombie. At least the zombie side of me should allow me to walk by them without trouble," She said with a smile, as she turned to gaze at the building, with her thoughts unknown.


    "But you don''t know that. You''re doing this based on assumptions," Leo said but he only got a smile from her, in response.


    "What if something goes wrong?" He asked but he got no response from her.


    Leo wanted to talk Ms Ves out of doing what she plans to do but he knew that it as impossible to change her mind once it''s made up.


    He clenched his fists, his knuckles whitening. Every fiber of his being screamed at him to stop her, to find another way. But deep down, he knew she was right.


    And he hated himself for it. He hated that he couldn''t think of a better plan, hated that he had to rely on her risking her life.


    Ms Ves smiled when she saw how worried Leo was looking. She also didn''t want to do what she was about to do but there''s no other viable option.


    Even though she sounded calm on the surface, she was very nervous inside. She wasn''t sure if she was doing the right thing or if her assumption was correct, but she has to try.


    She knew they can''t keep standing around where they are or they would eventually be noticed by a zombie. And if they are to be noticed by even only one, then the rest might follow.


    She also doesn''t want to start looking around for another high rise residential building. She has no idea how long that would take.


    Thinking about this, Ms Ves smiled and started walking towards the building.


    ''I hope the voice in my head is right.''


    The next moment, a loud roar was heard.

 Chapter 16 - 16: Mysteries Surrounding Leo

    Leo''s heart fell to his stomach when he heard the roar. He clenched his fist and squeezed Nightshade as he looked at Ms Ves who was still walking safely towards the building.


    Leo didn''t know when he let out a sigh of relief. He thought that the roar came from a zombie that was about Ms Ves, or a mutant creature, but there was nothing.


    He smiled in encouragement when he saw Ms Ves turn back to look at him, before she turned back and continued walking to the building.


    Even though she tried to hide it, he could see the unease and nervousness on her face.


    While Ms Ves was making her way to the building, Leo prepared himself to move in immediately if he saw any sign of her being in danger.


    Even though he allowed her to risk her life like this, it doesn''t mean that he''s going to stand back if she''s in danger.


    He''s aware he''s not yet strong enough to face off the multitude of zombies around, but that doesn''t mean he won''t be rescue Ms Ves and escape if he wants to.


    From the description of the abilities of Nightshade, he knew that they were no joke and in addition to this, he''s faster than before.


    Leo was carefully watching Ms Ves and didn''t notice someone standing behind him until a soft wind was blown into his ear.


    "Hello, my friend with benefits," a sweet voice said into his ear, jolting him and causing him to take a defensive stance, with Nightshade held up in front of him.


    "Tsk, tsk, tsk. We haven''t seen each other for so long and the first thing you do when you see me is to point a weapon to my face? Not so friendly I would say," Tatiana said, pouting, but the playful glint in her eyes gave her away.


    Leo sighed in relief when he saw that it was the vampire princess. He felt it strange that something was able to sneak up so close to him without him being aware but he was relieved that it was Tatiana.


    He didn''t want to think what would had happened if it was a mutant creature or a zombie.


    "Can you please not scare me like that again? I nearly did something dangerous to you," Leo said, as he let out another breath of relief and put Nightshade down to his side.


    Tatiana giggled when she heard what Leo said. She walked closer to him and pressed a finger on his chest, while licking her lips slowly.


    "You said you almost you almost did something dangerous to me. Did that come out wrong or you actually want to do something dangerous to me? If you really want to do it, we can go ahead.


    After all, we are friends with benefit, right?" She traced her finger slowly on his chest up to his neck, and pressed it a little, before stepping back with a smile that looked predatory to Leo.


    Leo didn''t understand what just happened. He felt like someone just played with his heart and pulled some unknown strings.


    He looked at Tatiana and saw her her lips curled into a teasing smile, her eyes flickering with mischief, causing his eyes narrow. S§×ar?h the n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    He felt something dangerous when she touched his neck for a brief moment. It felt like he has been marked by an apex predator and would be devoured at a later time.


    ''Now that I thought of it. Tatiana is a vampire and vampires sucks blood. Would she?...'' He asked himself, as he looked at her.


    He saw the same mischievous look in her eyes and he shivered as a chill ran down his spine.


    He still couldn''t shake the chill from her touch. Her predatory smile wasn''t just teasing, it was a reminder of how far removed she was from the fragility of humanity.


    She was a predator, one that could end him on a whim, and that realization only deepened his unease.


    "Oh, please. Don''t be like that. Don''t give me that look. If I wanted to suck your blood, I would had done it a long time ago. You can''t stop me and besides, as royalty and a high level Exalted being as myself, I don''t need to feed on blood to survive," Tatiana said with a smile, but it only served to make Leo even more uncomfortable.


    Tatiana saw that Leo was still looking at her strangely and decided to explain.


    "There are seven classes or ranks for everything. In your case and mine, classes, living creatures. It''s also the same for items and skills.


    For us, it''s Awakened, Evolved, Exalted, Overload, Disaster, Apocalyptic, then there''s Celestial and Divine but the last two are way out of reach.


    They are things reserved for the two special races in the universe," Tatiana said, doing her best to explain but she saw that Leo still has that look on his face.


    "You do know that explaining things is never your strong suit, right?" Leo asked as he continued to look at her strangely.


    "You!... Why do I even bother explaining to someone so... dense?" Tatiana harrumphed and stumped her feet in annoyance, as she looked away. She wasn''t going to waste her time on a newly Awakened like Leo.


    Elda who was standing at a distance behind couldn''t help but smile when she saw Tatiana''s reaction.


    "Seeing the princess show such reaction is amusing. She has always been stuck up around those scions but seeing her act do free around Leo is refreshing."


    She looked towards Leo in curiosity and with caution in her eyes. She was very curious to know everything about Leo and why he''s so special.


    She wants to know how and why he was able to wake up minutes after the apocalypse while it took other almost an hour.


    She was curious to know how he was so strong and have a faint traces of the aura of those two races on him.


    ''Was he touched by them?'' she thought of a possibility but she felt it was impossible, as there''s no way that anyone in those two races would bother with someone from such a backwater world.


    She was still studying him but her eyes narrowed the next moment, when she noticed the black blade in his hand.


    "Shadowsteels? How?"


    Elda''s sharp eyes fixated on the black blade in Leo''s hand.


    ''Shadowsteel... here?'' Her mind raced.


    There''s only one place she knew Shadowsteels can be found and for Leo to possess a weapon from it it wasn''t by accident. If so, then it means that ''that person'' has plans for him.


    She couldn''t help but feel a strong sense of unease when she remembered the being that lived in that ''place''.


    "This world is going to go through more than just an awakening."

 Chapter 17 - 17: Ms Ves Dilemma

    Ves was almost frightened out of her wit my the roar. She immediately positioned herself and took a fighting stance, in preparation of what''s to come. But when she saw that it was just one of the zombies in the lobby of the high rise building, ranting, she let a huge sigh of relief.


    Her tensed body relaxed slightly and she turned to look at Leo, who seemed to have had the same reaction as her, as the blade in his hand was raised and he looked ready to rush towards her.


    She couldn''t help but smile when she saw this. The truth was that Leo showing such emotions and reactions was something completely new to her.


    Throughout the time he was in the orphanage home, she always saw a passive expression on his face and rarely have she seen him show any emotion or reaction similar to what he''s showing now.


    The fact that he didn''t leave her behind even after she had turned into what she is now, but instead, put himself in danger for her, made her to feel very warm inside.


    "Who would had believed that I would become a hambie." She sighed, and continued slowly walking towards the building.


    She made sure to be cautious and watch out for sign of any possible danger, beside the zombies in front of her.


    As she continued to walk to the building, she noticed that she was already in the 50 meters radius of the nearest zombie but nothing was happening.


    A small smile played on her face when she saw this. She continued to walk forward but even after getting very close to the zombie, that she was standing directly in front of it, and close to others, nothing was happening.


    She smiled brightly when she saw this, "It seems the voice in my head was right."


    Standing in front of the zombie, she decided to test something out. She stretched out her hand and held the zombie''s head, and she snapped.


    What she heard was a cracking sound before the zombie fell to the ground lifeless, and immediately, she felt changes in her body as a strange energy flowed into her, giving her a very cool and refreshing feeling.


    She felt herself become stronger. She felt that if she''s to fight that Black Phantom again, she would be able to hold her own without Leo''s assistance.


    Her senses also sharpened a bit. She could now hear things from a little bit farther than before. This was also the same for her sense of smell and her eyesight, but the most noticeable was that the smell of that strange energy was stronger.


    Her eyes narrowed in suspicious when she noticed this. The strange energy was the same thing she sensed from Leo when she woke up back, and it was the reason why she attacked him.


    But that wasn''t caused her to narrow her eyes, it was this:


    [Name: Ves Thalor]


    [Level: 1]


    [Specie(s): Human, Zombie]


    [Class: ¨C]


    [Title: None]


    ______


    [Strength: 30]


    [Agility: 30]


    [Stamina: 50]


    [Intelligence: 15]


    [Mana: 100 (Locked)]


    ______ sea??h th§× novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    [Skill(s): Regeneration (Innate), Enhanced Strength (Innate), Bone Claw (Innate), Life Force Detection (Innate), Enhanced Senses (Innate), Predator''s Sight (Active).]


    ....


    This was what she saw when she woke up but she noticed that after killing the zombie, those numbers increased.


    "I guess I did get stronger," She smiled and turned to look at the remaining zombies, who weren''t reacting even after one of the comrade was killed.


    ''If that''s so, then I should kill off the rest of them and increase my strength faster. It''s the only thing I can do to help Leo,'' she thought to herself, and just when she was about to start killing the zombies, she heard a voice in her head and something happened.


    "Life force!" A low malevolent voice, hissed in her head, causing her to lose control of her body.


    She saw her nails extending out of her fingers into a claw, causing a sharp pain to shoot through her body.


    Her eyes took a milky color, almost hollowing out as she slowly turned to look at the nearest source of life force: Leo.


    Ves knew that what was happening; her zombie side was taking control again and she knew what this means.


    She immediately tried to regain control of her body. She forced her neck to stop turning towards Leo and she bit her lips hard, causing a sharp pain to shoot through her body, adding to the one coming from her fingers.


    She saw that her actions were barely having an effect and it was starting to scare her. She knew that if she doesn''t stop herself, she''s going to attack Leo and that''s something she doesn''t want to see happen.


    Just the thought of it alone causes her a lot of heartache. She thought of what to do and there was only one thing she knew she could do.


    "I can''t let that happen. I mustn''t! I can''t become that monster again," she said to herself, as she brought her hands closer to her neck.


    Her hands trembled as they hovered over her neck. Tears blurred her vision, but she didn''t care. If this was the only way to protect him, then so be it.


    She added a bit of strength as she clenched her jaw, ready to end it, until a sudden clarity swept through her, breaking the zombie''s hold.


    Her extended claws retracted inside, her eyes returned to normal, and she was now back in control of her body.


    She couldn''t help but nearly break down in tears when she thought of what just happened.


    "I''m a monster..." She sniffed as she looked at the clear blue sky above. She sighed in exhaustion and looked back at the building, and the zombies in front of her.


    "A pure instinctual monster is what I am." She muttered to herself in unsteady breaths, as she started walking to the building.


    She got to the entrance and pushed the glass door open. The glass door swung open with a creak, revealing a dimly lit lobby.


    Debris were scattered across the tiled floor, and faint growls echoed from deeper within. The air was heavy with the stench of decay, but the zombies paid her no mind, their hollow eyes staring aimlessly ahead.


    She didn''t bother to watch out for any danger as she already knew that the zombies won''t attack her.


    But she wasn''t herself at the moment. The recent shook her up completely and she didn''t know how to go about it. She was scared that she would lose control again in the future, around Leo and attack him.


    A shadow lingered in her mind, the memory of losing control, the voice whispering for life force. She shuddered, knowing it wasn''t the last time she''d hear it


    She wanted to leave but she didn''t hurt Leo''s feeling. Her thoughts were very conflicted at the moment and she has no idea on what to do. But she was also aware that there was very little she could do.


    She decided to put those thoughts aside and focus on the reason why she came to the building.


    "Things might just work out in the end."

 Chapter 18 - 18: Succumbing To The Other Side

    After walking into the building, Ves started looking around. She made her way to the elevator and luckily in addition to the building to still in perfect condition, it still has electricity supply. But Ves wasn''t sure how long it was going to last.


    Standing in front of the elevator, she pressed the button and it opened up slowly. She would had naturally taken the stairs but since she didn''t have to worry about being attacked by zombie, she decided that taking the elevator was faster for her.


    The elevator opened up completely and immediately, a horde of zombies poured out of it. They rushed at her and started sniffing her but after a few sniffs, they staggered away.


    Ves didn''t pay attention to the zombies as she walked into the elevator and pressed button with floor number she wanted, and the door closed.


    Few minutes later, she was now standing on the first floor of the building and it was mostly empty with only a few zombies seen hanging around.


    She didn''t bother with them as she started looking around the apartments on the floor. She went from apartment to apartment, checking for it''s safety.


    After she had confirmed that there was nothing more than zombies on the floor, she left and went up to the next floor and did the same.


    Just like the first floor, there was no other activities except for zombies. She continued with what she was doing, moving up each floors and checking them out.


    A few hours has passed since she started and nothing out of the ordinary has happened. The only noteful thing about the building is that it''s crawling with undead.


    Zombies were everywhere in the building¡ªat least on the floors she has checked and she was currently on the 7th floor. They were in some apartments, some stranded in elevators and was later accidentally released by Ves when she opened the elevator.


    Ves walked to the elevator and got inside, taking it to the eighth floor. On her arrival on the floor, she immediately got to work as she started taking care of every zombies on the floor.


    She walked to her first target, a zombie that was standing a few distance from the elevator, and snapped it neck.


    A cracking wound was heard as the zombie''s head was decapitated and it''s undead body fell to the ground, limp.


    Ves didn''t waste any time as she moved on to the next zombie and she went on a zombie killing spree on the floor.


    She went from apartment to apartment, rooms to rooms, checked every possible hiding places for zombies and used her enhanced senses to sniff them out, and killed all of them.


    She would had done this in the lower floors but there was multiple reasons why she didn''t kill them. The first was because of time.


    She knew that they were in a time-critical situation, so taking care of all of the zombies would be impossible.


    The second was because she didn''t want to attract the attention of any mutant creature that might in the building or its surroundings.


    This was actually the reason why she went from apartments to apartments on each floor, and the same reason why she didn''t take care of the zombies on the ground floor.


    A couple of minutes has passed and Ves has already killed more than a dozen zombies.


    The zombies were unable to put up a fight due to their limited intelligence compared to Ves, and the fact that stronger than them. But this was only because all of them were normal zombies at level 1.


    Something she noticed while making her way up each floors was that the number of zombies on each floors were increasing as she went up.


    As Ves'' kill score increased, she noticed that she was beginning to become stronger. She was faster than before and her senses had been enhanced further.


    Out of curiosity, she stopped to check her status screen.


    [Name: Ves Thalor]


    [Level: 2]


    [Specie(s): Human, Zombie]


    [Class: ¨C]


    [Title: None]


    ______


    [Strength: 45]


    [Agility: 43]


    [Stamina: 70]


    [Intelligence: 24]


    [Mana: 100 (Locked)]


    ______


    [Skill(s): Regeneration (Innate), Enhanced Strength (Innate), Bone Claw (Innate), Life Force Detection (Innate), Enhanced Senses (Innate), Predator''s Sight (Active).]


    "Wow. It increased so much," She smiled when she saw the increase to her stats.


    She turned to look at the zombies in front of her and instead of their previous disgusting, and repulsive appearance, they looked like more like her beloved loot bags.


    With a deathly grin on her face, she rushed at them and continued her killing spree.


    Few minutes later, she was done taking care of every zombies on the eight floor and was ready to make her way up to the ninth floor.


    She plans to take kill all the zombies on that floor and move upward again, and she only plans to stop after eliminating all the zombies on the 12th floor, as was her original plan.


    The residential building has a total of 25 floors and Ves wants to clear out five of the floor, in the mid range zone, so that it can be safe and free of zombies, allowing them to move in immediately.


    Just as she was walked into the elevator and pressed the button for it to take her to the ninth floor, she heard that malevolent voice in her again and this time, it was louder and stronger than before.


    "Life force!" It hissed loudly like an ancient beast that has been starving for eons. S~ea??h the n??el Fire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    The next moment, she felt those familiar changes in her body. Her eyes turned milky as before, her nails started extending out of her fingers, sending waves of shearing pain through her pain.


    Her throat burned like it hasn''t tasted water in ages and her mind became muddled. Her veins felt like molten lava coursed through them, and her mind fractured into fragments. The scent of life force filled her senses, sweet and tantalizing


    She was unable to put up a fight as she lost control of her body to her zombie side in matter of seconds.


    Now standing in the elevator and completely turned, Ms Ves stared in the general direction of the nearest source of life force; Leo.


    Few seconds later, the elevator stopped and its doors opened, and Ms Ves or her zombie figure, staggered out of it.


    Still looking in Leo''s direction, she roared and bolted towards him.

 Chapter 19 - 19: A Stubborn Idealism

    Leo was still standing at the end of the side street, waiting for Ms Ves'' return. It has been over an hour or two since she went into the building, and he hasn''t heard anything or seen her come out.


    He was starting to get worried and anxious. He nervously squeezed the hilt of Nightshade as he continued to look at the building, with his anxiety building.


    He was still anxiously waiting when he heard a loud guttural roar come from the building, and he instinctively gripped Nightshade tightly.


    "It seems she turned completely."


    He heard Tatiana''s voice beside him and it felt like his heart fell to the bottom of his stomach.


    He didn''t need to ask to understand who she was talking about. His grip on Nightshade''s hilt tightened as he clenched his teeth in anger.


    He has no idea what caused Ms Ves to turn completely but he felt somewhat responsible for it.


    He glared at the building and without hesitation, made his decision as he started walking towards it.


    "Where do you think you''re going?" Tatiana asked with narrowed eyes, as she appeared in front of Leo, stopping him in his track.


    "Going in there," Leo replied as he tried to take another step, but Tatiana was still blocking him.


    He turned to walk around her but Tatiana was already in front of him again.


    "You''re going in there? Can''t you see the number of zombies hanging around outside the building alone? Do you really think that you can take them all on?


    Even if they are normal level 1 zombies, don''t underestimate their collective strength. Even if you have a weapon, you''re still nothing against them. You''re weak," Tatiana said with a cold voice, as she looked him deep in the eyes.


    Leo closed his eyes briefly and tightened his grip on Nightshade''s hilt, when he heard what Tatiana said.


    He knew that she was right. He was weak, he didn''t need someone else to tell him but how can he stand and watch Ms Ves go down that path. He has to do something about.


    He looked at Tatiana who was still blocking his way and said coldly, "Out of my way."


    Tatiana scoffed when she saw this. A mere mortal who was still a normie a couple hours ago dares to tell an Exalted being as herself to get out of his way? Laughable.


    If it was in her world, she would had killed him ten times over. And if it wasn''t for the fact that Leo is someone special, she would had killed him right now and have her father take care of whatever trouble comes later.


    Her eyes turned cold as she looked at Leo, and the air around her chilled.


    "Tell me, Leo. Say you get past all these zombies out here and in there, what do you plan to do when you get to her? Talk to her? Don''t make me laugh. You would have already been shredded apart before you would even get a chance to say a word.


    Do you think you can save everyone? Do you even have enough strength to protect everyone and save yourself? You think because you''re somewhat special, that you''re invisible? You''re not," Tatiana said in a cold voice, and her voice got so cold that the air around her started freezing up slightly.


    "You''re not the only special one in the universe. There are people who were even more special than you but they died before they could realize their potential. If you think it''s only zombies and mutated animals of your world that you''re going to be facing in the future, then you''re horribly wrong. The awakening of a world follows with a lot of chaos and there''s no escaping that chaos for you."


    Leo smiled coldly at Tatiana''s words. He wasn''t bothered by the freezing air around him as he looked her directly in the eyes.


    "You say all that because you know nothing about me. Arrogant or not, weak or strong, special or not, I don''t give a fuck. I do things my way. I protect those I care about and that is never going to change.


    If I go in there and Ms Ves has truly completely turned into a zombie, and there''s no way for her to turn back, then I will take care of her myself. She took care of me, care for me and loved me as her sibling, I won''t allow her to be killed by someone else like a monster. And I''m sure that she would want the same," Leo said, as his grip on Nightshade''s hilt tightened even more.


    It felt like he was going to crush it with his grip but his strength wasn''t enough to achieve that.


    He looked at Tatiana who was still standing in front of him and took a step forward, and said coldly, "Now, get out of my way."


    Tatiana glared daggers at Leo. She saw that he wasn''t going to change his mind and she decided to leave him to his own device. whatever happened to him in the building wasn''t going to be any of her business.


    She looked at him one more time and said, "You''re weak, Leo, and you''re going to get yourself killed. But... if you insist on doing this, don''t expect anyone to save you. Survive and become stronger for your world is about to be turned into a warzone soon."


    After saying that, she disappeared, followed by Elda.


    Leo didn''t bother wasting time as he looked at the building and started walking towards it


    "Time to test your abilities, Nightshade," He said as he turned to look at a lamppost shadow cast beside him, that stretched to the entrance of the building.


    [Shadow Steps: use the shadows around you to move unseen, teleporting to another shadow within range (max: 15 meters)]


    He took a step towards the lamppost shadow and immediately, the closest zombie roared and charged towards him.


    Leo wasted no time as he activated one of Nightshade''s skills, and stepped into the shadow.


    Instantly his body melded into it and Leo saw him himself in a different space, darkness enveloping him.


    But strangely, he was completely aware of his surroundings. He could see or better word, sense everything close to the shadow but when he felt his senses dull when he tried to extend it farther.


    The zombie that sensed Leo''s life force arrived at the location where the life force signature we coming from, but there was nothing in front of him. sea??h th§× N??elFir§×.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    It sniffed around, it could still sense the life force but it couldn''t see its prey, and it roared in anger.


    Leo heard the roar of the zombie from the darkness and was a little nervous. He didn''t know how the [Shadow Steps] works but he was relieved when he saw that the zombie couldn''t see him.


    "Nice skill but it''s a mana vacuum," he said as he looked ahead. Just a single activation of the skill has shaved off 20 mana points from his mana pool.


    He saw the entrance of the building, and he bolted towards it without a second thought.


    Arriving at the end of the shadow, at the building''s entrance, he exited the shadow, deactivating the skill. With a fluid movement, he slashed the lone zombie standing at the entrance door.


    A system notification popped up but he didn''t pay attention to it as he pushed open the door and walked into the building.


    Immediately after walking in, he didn''t bother with the zombie rushing towards him as he stepped into another shadow. He came for Ms Ves and that''s his priority.

 Chapter 20 - 20: Fighting Inner Demons

    Bang!


    A loud banging sound was heard as a zombie smashed it body against the door of an apartment.


    The door held but a faint crack could be seen on its surface, at the point of impact.


    The zombie seeing this, was enraged. It roared and smashed it body against the door again, but the door didn''t give way, angering the zombie further.


    It roared again and was about to smash it body against the door, when it stopped abruptly and turned to look at the end of the access hallway, where the elevator was located.


    Slowly, it saw the elevator''s door start to open slowly. The zombie snarled and immediately dashed towards the elevator.


    The door of the elevator opened completely and the zombie got inside only to find it empty.


    It looked around, seemingly in confusion , before sniffing the air. After sniffing the air a few times and raised its head to look up at the now open hatch, that looked to have been torn open.


    Standing outside the hatch was Leo, with a solemn look on his face. He looked at the zombie with complicated expression on his face as he gripped Nightshade in his hand tightly.


    The zombie roared in anger when it saw Leo. It clawed at the air as it tried to reach him but its actions were futile.


    Leo sighed grimly when he saw this. His grip on the black sword tightened further and his eyes moistened as he bit his lip, swallowing the sob that threatened to come out.


    "Is there no other way," he muttered to himself, as he watched Ms Ves who had now completely turned into a zombie, doing her best to get to him, clawing at the air and the elevator wall.


    He saw her milky eyes, her elongated nails and he felt from her, the same intense malicious hunger other zombies has.


    His chest tightened as he felt like his heart was been squeezed by unknown force when he saw her appearance. He felt so angry with himself as he didn''t know what caused Ms Ves to turn completely, but he felt responsible for her current predicament.


    He thought of what to do and any possible be could turn her to normal but no matter how hard he thought, nothing came to mind.


    A tear rolled down his cheek when he realized that there was really no saving Ms Ves anymore. She had completely turned into a zombie and there was no way he was going to turn her back into human.


    Leo squeezed Nightshade''s hilt, tightening his grip on it as he realized that the only thing he can do was to kill her, or the thing she has become.


    He smiled wryly as he remembered how she used to smile at him back at the orphanage¡ªmemories that now felt like they belonged to another lifetime. He remembered how beautiful she looked in her white tank top and blue jeans when she came to call him from his room yesterday.


    He remembered her laugh and how she played with the children in the orphanage. As he thought of all this, the tears flowed freely down his cheek.


    His grip loosened but tightened back the next moment. He immediately forced back the tears flowing his cheek as he closed his eyes and sighed.


    He opened his eyes and muttered something to himself, before disappearing from his location.


    The next moment, the shadow behind the zombie rippled as Leo appeared from it and slashed.


    The blade of Nightshade was barely some inches away from the zombie''s nape when he heard it call his name, with a hoarse voice.


    "Leo."


    Leo nearly froze up when he heard her call his name but he was quickly able to react, as he switched the sharp edge of the sword for the dull side before it reached her neck.


    The next moment, the zombie¡ªMs Ves, collapsed and fell to the ground as she was hit by the dull side of the sword.


    Leo was shocked when he saw this. He had already made up his mind, steeled his heart and was about to finish Ms Ves, now turned zombie, off. But this happened.


    He has no idea on what to do and he could be only continuing looking at the unconscious Ms Ves on the floor.


    It was times like this he needs Tatiana but after their little episode outside, he doubt that she would be willing to help him out. He felt that he was actually lucky that she didn''t get mad and kill him.


    Leo continuing observing Ms Ves and he notices something; her body was starting to change back to normal.


    He saw her elongated nails go back in, the intense malicious hunger radiating from her before, couldn''t be felt anymore.


    His eyes narrowed and his fist clenched when he saw this, and a hopeful thought bloomed in his heart as be continued observing her.


    ... S§×ar?h the nov§×lF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Meanwhile, inside Ms Ves'' head, a chaotic war between her remaining shred of consciousness and a massive, formless dark creature that looked like it came from the abyss, was ongoing.


    The creature towered over her, a monstrous amalgamation of shadow and malice. Its massive, formless body seemed to be woven from pure darkness, with tendrils of black mist spilling off its edges and pooling on the ground like ink.


    Its body couldn''t be outlined and the only thing that was visible was its glowing red eyes, that promises chaos, blood and power.


    Compared to the creature, Ms Ves looked more like an ant, as she stood in front of it. But the even with the overwhelming disadvantage, she didn''t falter as she glared daggers at the creature.


    She knew that the dark creature was her zombie''s side personality and what is causing those those zombies to rampage, but the main thing is that it''s the reason why she''s rampaging in the real world.


    Her fist was clenched and her eyes burned with rage and defiance. She refused to allow herself to be controlled by the creature.


    "You fucking creature, release my body this instant," She roared as she charged towards it.


    "Life force!"


    The creature roared as it moved a part of its massive, formless body and also attacked.


    After Ms Ves lost control of her body to the zombie side of her, she found herself standing in front of this creature.


    Immediately after she appeared, the creature tried to swallow her but she resisted and they have been fighting each other since then.


    "Releasing my body!" Ms Ves roared as she rained punches on the creature.


    Even though the creature looked formless, Ms Ves'' punches were hitting something solid as she was getting feedback from her fist.


    The creature roared once and a sharp gust of wind¡ªthat shouldn''t exist where they are¡ªblew and Ms Ves was forced back.


    Ms Ves didn''t allow herself to be sent flying as she dug her feet into her ground, of what should be the ground, skidding across the space.


    Enraged, her eyes turned completely white as she looked at the creature now rushing towards her.


    She hissed as she took a battle stance. She immediately bolted towards the creature and squeezing, and gathering every single of ounce of strength she could, she roared and punched.


    "I said release my body, you fucking beast!"

 Chapter 21 - 21: See No Evil

    Ves didn''t know for how long everything lasted but when she woke up, she saw herself lying on a bed.


    She looked around the room, looking for Leo but couldn''t find him. She pushed herself out of the bed and walked towards the door, and tried to open it but she saw that it was locked.


    "Sigh... Did Leo lock me inside?" She smiled before walking back to the bed.


    She slumped back onto the bed and started staring at the ceiling, deep in thought. She remembered everything that happened, how she lost herself and was trying to attack Leo.


    She knew that if they were close to each and not separated by the walls of the building, she would had gotten to him and attacked him.


    She was very happy that she didn''t allow Leo to come with her then. She didn''t know what she would had done if that had happened and she had attacked him. How would she be able to live with herself if she eventually regains control of her body?


    Thinking of everything that has happened in the past two days, Ves felt extremely tired. She just wanted to sleep and wake up to the old world. Even though it was filled with the evil of men, it was better than what''s going on now.


    "Besides, it''s not like the apocalypse wiped out everyone in the world, leaving only the two of us," she muttered to herself, as she stood up from the bed and went to the window.


    "I wonder where Leo is?" She asked herself, looking out the window and watching the zombie horde outside.


    ...


    Meanwhile, down the access hallway of the ninth floor , Leo was fighting a zombie. This zombie wasn''t as weak and as low leveled as the other zombies he has fought.


    Roar!


    The zombie roared in rage and intimidation, with its malicious hunger filling the air, and creating a suffocating feeling.


    Leo gripped the hilt of Nightshade tightly as he assessed the zombie in front of him. He has already has a few exchange with it and he knew that it was strong.


    Not only that, the zombie is incredibly fast, too fast for Leo to follow with his eyes. He tried to follow its movement before he can always make it out, the zombie would had already appeared in front of him.


    Leo didn''t know what level the zombie is but he felt that it won''t be beyond level 5. He felt that if it was anything beyond that, he would had already died with the first exchange he had with the zombie. sea??h th§× NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Actually, he knew that the only reason he''s still alive right now is because the zombie isn''t intelligent. If it was this strong and was like Ms Ves, there''s no way he would still be around.


    Roar!


    The zombie''s roar vibrated through the hallway, a guttural growl that almost sent chills down Leo''s spine. Its claw tore through the air, a blur of death aimed at his face. Leo ducked, feeling the rush of displaced air graze his skin.


    He took a couple of steps forward, equally closing the gaps between him and the zombie.


    The moment he was close enough to the zombie, he gathered up every ounce of strength he could gather and slashed at its armpit.


    The zombie didn''t know what was happening as it saw one of its hand falling to the ground.


    As a level 2 zombie, even though it''s not intelligent, it knew just how strong it is and this was the reason why it was angry that the food in front it was resisting so strongly. And now, that same food has cut off one of its hand.


    It roared in anger and was about to charge at Leo but the next it knew was its head spinning in the air and the constant voice in its head.


    Leo saw the decapitated zombie fall to the ground with a loud thud and smiled.


    [You have acquired Level 2 Normal Zombie Life Force.]


    [You have reached Level 3. You have received three stat points.]


    "Nice. It was worth it," Leo said, as he immediately distributed the free stat points he got.


    There was no need for him to keep them. His main objective and the reason why he''s hunting the zombies on the floor is because he wants to get stronger. If he should keep the free stat points, how is that helping his objective?


    Leo added two stat points to his Strength and one to his Stamina. His logic was simple. Since his Agility is already at a total of 31 points, thanks to Nightshade, then he should quickly raised the two other physical stat to the same level.


    After he was done distributing the stats, Leo felt his strength increase. His body felt lighter than before and his grip on Nightshade was firmer. The accumulated exhaustion he felt from hunting the zombies has also eased slightly.


    Leo wanted to continue his zombie hunting but he was feeling very mentally exhausted at the moment. He had spent the past couple of hours hunting the zombies on the ninth floor and he has killed more zombies than he can count.


    He looked around and saw the floor of the access hallway filled with the corpses of zombies he killed.


    This was also the same for the apartments on the floor. Leo has hunted every single zombies on the floor and it was safe to say that the ninth floor was safe from zombies.


    Leo smiled when he thought of this. He knew that major reason why he was able to kill all of them was because they were all level 1, with the last one being an exception.


    "Time to get back to Ms Ves. I wonder if she''s already awake and back to normal?" Leo asked himself as he started walking to the apartment where he left Ms Ves.


    He opened the door of the apartment and walked in, and made his way to the room where Ms Ves was.


    When he got to the door, he waited for moment, listening for the familiar sound of zombie growling or snarling, but after a few moments, he heard nothing.


    Leo took a deep breath as he neared the door, every step cautious. He pushed it open slowly, expecting the worst¡ªonly to freeze in place, his brain short-circuiting at the sight before him.


    Opening the door, he saw Ms Ves who looks like she just came out of the bathroom, from her wet hair, standing in middle of the room, almost naked with nothing but her panties.


    "Ahhh!"


    "Ahhh!"

 Chapter 22 - 22: See No Evil (II)

    "Leo?!" Ms Ves shouted in embarrassment, causing Leo to immediately close the door and an awkward silence to envelope the two of them.


    "Ah! I¡ªI didn''t see anything!" Leo stammered, turning away so fast he nearly tripped over himself.


    Inside, Ves exhaled sharply, her own face red as she hurriedly pulled on her clothes.


    "That idiot¡­" she muttered with a small, embarrassed smile.


    He couldn''t believe what he just saw. His brain felt like it was about to melt and run out from his ear.


    That moment was very embarrassing for them to say the least. For Ms Ves, it was the first time that anyone of the opposite sex has seen her that part of her body.


    As an orphan, the children in the orphanage home she grew up in was her family and after she left, she has been busy trying to make something of herself before she decided to go work for the orphanage home.


    As for Leo, it was naturally the first time he would seeing the real thing. He has seen them in some movies¡ªvery bad movies that Ms Nora has in her phone.


    But seeing the real thing was different. He felt his face flushed red and coupled with the hormones flooding his body, he felt his body become strange.


    ''What am I thinking? That''s Ms Ves!'' Leo scolded himself and slapped his face.


    He could feel his face burning, and no amount of scolding himself seemed to help. But the slap seemed to have worked as his body slowly started returning to normal and in a couple of minutes, he no longer felt the same strangeness.


    Leo finally let out a sigh of relief when he felt his body finally return to normal. He stopped standing in front of the door and went to the kitchen of the apartment to see if he can get himself something to eat.


    He and Ms Ves haven''t eaten anything since the apocalypse began. He would had eaten before going for the zombie hunt but that was before one of them, drawn by his life force, started banging at the door of the apartment.


    Leo opened the fridge and luckily for him, he saw some fruits, a full loaf of untouched bread and some cooked food that was packed into some plastic containers.


    "Wow. Very nice. Ms Ves'' idea of looking for a residential building was the best idea." Leo nodded to himself when he saw the stocked fridge.


    "It''s very convenient," Ms Ves said from behind Leo, causing him to be startled.


    Leo slowly turned back to find Ms Ves fully dressed and smiling at him.


    "M-Ms Ves, I''m sorry!" Leo immediately apologized when he saw her.


    "I didn''t mean to walk in like that. I''m sorry, I should have knocked." He apologized again.


    "It''s fine. You don''t have to apologize. It''s nothing serious," Ves said, brushing off the incident.


    Leo heard what she said but he felt that he should still apologize again. Even though she seems to be casual about what happened, he has idea no idea if it''s going to strain their relationship and he doesn''t want it to happen.


    "Once again, Ms Ves. I''m sorry." Leo apologized for the third time.


    "I said no more apologizing. Besides, it''s not like you haven''t seen it before and you also said that you didn''t see anything, right?" Ms Ves asked, as she turned to give him a sly smile, causing Leo to immediately look away embarrassed.


    Leo indeed wanted to say that it was the first time but something told him that he shouldn''t, and as someone who always follows his instincts, he didn''t.


    Leo''s face flushed all over again, and he coughed into his fist. "Y-Yeah¡­ nothing."


    "Like I said, don''t overthink it too much Leo. It was an accident," Ms Ves said, as she took some fruits from the fridge and started eating.


    Though She sounded calm, but the faint blush creeping up her neck betrayed her own embarrassment.


    She quickly walked to one of the chair in the dining area, took her seat and started eating the fruits she took from the fridge.


    That was¡­ awkward," Leo muttered under his breath, shaking his head as he opened the fridge. Despite everything, he found himself smiling faintly. At least she''s okay. Sear?h the n??el Fire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    He also took some fruits from the fridge and walked to one of the chairs in the dining room, and took his seat.


    "Leo, about the building, I was thinking that if we can completely wipe out all the zombies in the building and its surrounding, secure it and other place we would need, like supermarkets, and also some basic amenities and protect the ones we had, living here would be very easy," Ms Ves said, after Leo had taken his seat.


    Leo nodded in agreement to Ms Ves'' words. He completely agree with what she said. The residential building they are in has electricity and water, two things that are very important.


    And in addition to that, it''s in perfect condition. From the apartments he has checked so far, none of them has any broken windows or door.


    "I completely agree with you, Ms Ves but that isn''t what''s important right now, is it?" Leo asked, as he looked at her solemnly.


    The expression on Ms Ves'' face also turned solemn at Leo''s question. She looked down at the apple in her hand with different thoughts flying around in her head.


    Leo saw the expression on Ms Ves'' face and he clenched his fist in worry and anxiety.


    The atmosphere between them tensed a little and there was a brief silence between the two of them.


    The next moment, Ms Ves raised her head and smiled at Leo, and said something.


    "I won''t turn anymore. The thing causing me to turn is no more." She laughed heartily.


    It was the first time she has laughed since the apocalypse started and it was very genuine.


    As expected, Leo was shocked by what Ms Ves said. He looked at her with his eyes wide open in disbelief.


    The smile on Ms Ves'' face widened when she saw Leo''s reaction. She knew that it was something that''s hard for anyone to believe and so she decided to explain.


    "It all started like this..." Ms Ves said, as she started explaining everything that happened to Leo.


    She told him about the shadow creature in her mindspace, the personality of her zombie side and possibly the entity controlling other zombies.


    She told him about how she fought it and how she won.


    Even after Ms Ves had explained everything, Leo still found it hard to believe. It wasn''t that he didn''t want to believe but the reason was that he felt that it shouldn''t had been so easy to get rid of her zombie side so easily.


    He felt that there was more to it but he knew that since Ms Ves didn''t tell him anything more, then be should forget about it.


    Even though he was suspicious of the whole thing, he was genuinely happy that Ms Ves had regained complete control of herself and her zombie side won''t be taking over again.


    "That''s wonderful,. Ms Ves. I''m very happy that everything is back to normal. This changes a lot of things for us. We can combine our strength and secure the building and the things, and also increase our strength." Leo said, before he continuing eating the fruits in his hand.


    Ms Ves smiled at Leo''s words. She couldn''t help but look at him strangely, trying to study him to see if there''s anything peculiar about him but no matter how much she looked, she saw nothing.


    She glanced at Leo, who was focused on his food. Her smile faltered for just a second.


    "Protect him with my life," she thought. The words echoed in her mind like a whisper, and she didn''t know whether to feel grateful or terrified.


    ''Why did that person mention my relationship with Leo? Why did she help me? Why was I told to protect me with my life?'' she thought to herself, as she remembered what happened in her mindspace when she was fighting her zombie personality.

 Chapter 23 - 23: Securing The Building

    After the two of them finished eating their fruits, they wanted to continue the zombie hunting but it was already getting late.


    Since they can''t continue the zombie hunting, they decided to secure the two floors they have cleared out¡ªthe eight floor directly below them and the floor they are currently on¡ªso that no zombie would be able to make it way into them.


    Leo wanted the two of them to split up and for each of them to focus on a floor, but Ms Ves decided against it, saying that it was dangerous and better for the both of them if they stayed together.


    Leo didn''t argue with her or disagree and the two of them immediately got to work. The plan was simple. They will block off every single point to access to the two floors so that the zombies from the floors below and above can''t get to them.


    To do this, they will block off and barricade the stairwells and elevators. They will also reinforce apartment doors and windows on the two floors, by closing off the apartments and they will cover the windows to stop lights from getting in.


    Leo has done multiple test during the time he was hunting the zombies on the ninth floor to know that they zombies are attracted to both sound and light, and this is coupled with their disturbing ability to sense one''s life force from 50 metres away.


    It was an ability that was both disturbing and terrifying. Leo didn''t want to imagine how the awakened outside were faring.


    No matter how he thought about it and with the amount of zombies crawling around, he knew that there was no way things would be easy for them.


    And things would be even more difficult for those that are in regions where they can''t find shelter immediately.


    On their plan of securing the eight and ninth floor, the two of them will also have to designate a base and escape route. They will choose a central apartment to be used as their base and they will secure access to the emergency stairwell for the eventuality of them needing to escape.


    Another important thing they must do is to stockpile essentials. They will gather water and food from cleared apartments.


    Though the building still has running water and electricity, who knows how long it was going to last? And they can''t just keep waiting until the foods and fruits in the fridge of the apartment they were in before, to finish before they start hunting for food.


    Lastly, they will set up noise traps and an observation points for early warnings. They don''t want to be caught unaware by a zombie or a horde of them.


    Leo and Ms Ves decided to take care of the floor they are currently on first before going down to the eighth floor.


    After they were done with everything, sealing off all entry and exit points, and everything they wanted to do on each floor, they made their way to the eighth floor.


    But before that, they moved the corpses of the zombies into the elevator and got in themselves.


    Leo and Ms Ves was also aware that zombies weren''t the only threat in this new world, as they are also mutant animals and even possibly plants too.


    And Leo couldn''t get what Tatiana said about the world turning into a battleground and descending into even more chaos¡ªbefore leaving, out of his head.


    He knew that in his new world, what truly matters is one''s strength and he has made up his mind to become as strong as possible.


    Even if the dream life he envisioned for himself before leaving the apocalypse might no longer be possible, he would do his best to survive in this new world as he still has a lot of things he wants to achieve in it. S§×ar?h the N??elFir§×.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    He still has people he wants to live for; Ms Ves, the children at the orphanage home¡ªif they are still alive, his parents and himself.


    Leo squeezed the hilt of Nightshade tightly when he thought of this. The world has changed too quickly and without warning, but that doesn''t change anything.


    As the elevator arrived on the eight floor, Leo and Ms Ves stepped out of it, leaving behind the pile of zombies'' corpses.


    Their actual plan for the corpses is to move the corpses on the two floors to the ground floor.


    It''s impossible for them to leave the corpses as they run the risk of exposing themselves to health hazards that would come from the decomposition of the bodies.


    Also, they have no idea if the smell of the bodies would attract any threat and they sit around to find out, so they have to action.


    It''s for this that the first thing they did when they got to the eighth floor was to move the zombies'' corpses into the elevator.


    After they had done that, Ms Ves left Leo to go dump the bodies on the ground floor. The ideal for them to do would be burning the bodies but they are currently tight on time and they have no idea who or what might be attracted by the fire.


    On the eight floor, Leo immediately got to work. He blocked off all possible entry and exit points, and set up traps.


    He was still on it when Ms Ves camd back and she also joined in. They two of them were able to complete their objectives before the sky went dark completely.


    After the two of them had completed their objectives on the eighth floor, they took the elevator back up to the ninth floor.


    Immediately after they arrived on the floor and the elevator''s door opened, Ms Ves extended her claws and grabbed the call panel of the elevator, and ripped it out.


    Her action surprised Leo and he couldn''t help but look at her strangely. He was very curious as to what she plans to do but he didn''t ask as he knew that it was something related to their safety.


    After ripping open the elevator call panel, Ms Ves ripped out all the wires connected to the panel.


    "That should do it," she said with a smile after she was done.


    She looked at Leo and saw that he was looking at her strangely, and she decided to explain.


    "Just making sure no one¡ªor nothing¡ªcan call it from another floor." she smiled faintly.


    "Good call." Leo blinked, then nodded slowly.


    Leo nodded slowly in agreement when he heard this. It was something he never thought of. He felt very happy that Ms Ves is with him as she''s the one doing most of the thinking.


    After the elevator has been taken care of, the two of them started moving out the essentials they gathered from the other floor.


    .....


    "That was hectic," Leo said after dropping the essentials he was carrying, in the apartment.


    "Go take a shower but try not to waste the water. Let''s micro manage it so that it can last us for a while," Ms Ves said, and Leo nodded before walking to the bathroom in the second room in the apartment.


    While Leo was taking his shower, Ves decided to make dinner. She brought out one of the food containers in the fridge to warm the food packed into it.


    Few minutes later, she was done and Leo was already out of the bathroom and seated at the dining table.


    The two of them ate dinner and after they were done, they went to bed. They still have more to be done then next day.


    The building has to be cleared out completely and they still have to secure the supermarket as planned.


    Tomorrow, they''d face the rest of the building and the unknown outside. The thought was enough to keep Leo''s grip tight on Nightshade, even as exhaustion finally pulled him to sleep.


    The night went by uneventfully and it was already morning of the next day, marking the third day that the world ended.

 Chapter 24 - 24: New Additions?

    In a location not too far from the residential building Leo and Ms Ves are, a group of people could be seen facing off a horde of zombies.


    The group numbering five individuals, four men and a young lady who looks to be in her teens were facing off a horde of eight zombies. And they were losing badly.


    The initial group of eight people have been reduced drastically after being taken by surprise by the horde of zombies.


    And now they are not only fighting the original horde but also with the addition of their fallen comrades, now turned zombies.


    They have been fighting for their lives for more than half an hour now but the zombies proved to be stronger.


    "Everybody, gather your strength and let''s fight our way out of here. We will make our way into one of those building," one of the man, who was holding an ordinary looking axe, said.


    The man knew that if they would meet their end here if they continue fighting the zombies. He could already see some zombies rushing towards them and if those new additions are to arrive, then their fates is sealed.


    The other members of the group heard this and started giving it their all. They trusted the man as he has been the one leading them for the past two days.


    The next moment, a zombie fell as one of the members pierced the head with the broken mop stick in his hand.


    Another one fell the next moment as the young lady stabbed a kitchen knife into the head of the one zombie attacking her.


    "Now!" The man shouted as he pushed the zombies attacking him away and started running towards one of the high rise buildings.


    The other members immediately followed, not wanting to be left behind. They ran towards the building with the zombies chasing them from behind.


    "Move faster!" The man shouted, as he continued running towards the building.


    He looked at the building''s interior to assess the situation for any signs of zombies, and he was shocked by what he saw.


    The ground floor of the building was filled with nothing but piles of zombie corpses that stacked up on each other like a mountain.


    The man felt that something was amiss when he saw this but he knew that there was no stopping for him and the group right now.


    They either take the risk of venturing into the unknown or stay and fight the zombies chasing after them. But with the current state of their body, he knew just how impossible the second option is.


    The man gritted his teeth in anger when he thought of how the world ended two days ago.


    Who would had believed that the world didn''t end from nuclear fallout but by something called mana.


    Even at this moment, the man found it to be very ridiculous. He felt that everything was a bad dream but the undead chasing after them and the faces of their comrades that also turned to zombies, their roars, snarls and the loud clattering of teeth, reminded him of how real everything is.


    The man arrived at the building and quickly pushed open the entrance, and rushed in, while also holding it open for others.


    As he held the door open, he noticed that the zombies chasing after them stopped at a distance from the building and were roaring loudly, and attracting the attention of nearby zombies. S~ea??h the Novel?ire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    The man was surprised when he saw this. He didn''t know why the zombies stopped chasing them and be wanted to feel happy, and relieved about it but instead, it increased the uneasiness he was feeling.


    Still, there was nothing he can do about it at this point but hope for the best.


    Immediately after the last person got into the building, he closed the door and collapsed to the floor.


    He was beyond tired at this point. His body was aching so much to the point that even a single movement sends bolt of pain throughout his body.


    His lips were parched, his throat was dry and his stomach was empty.


    It wasn''t only him that was feeling this way. It has been almost two days now and the group hasn''t eaten anything or had time to rest.


    They have been moving from places to placesz fighting zombies and strange creatures that looks like regular animals and insects that went berserk.


    As each of them were about to catch their breath, they felt their heart jump into their throat when they saw the pile of zombies bodies in front of them.


    They slowly turned their head go look at the man leading them but when they saw the exhausted look on his face and how he was licking his lips, they knew that they would have to make do with their current situation.


    Each of them sat down, trying to catch their breaths while also keeping up their guards. They looked around the ground floor of the building but the only thing they could see was piles of zombies bodies.


    They studied the bodies and they saw that some of them either have their head cut off or pierced through with what could possibly be a knife.


    "What do we do now, Mr Miguel?" One of the men, asked.


    "I don''t know. We won''t be able to go outside for a while. The hordes outside would easily make a meal out of us. We can only explore this building or look for one of those emergency exits.


    Honestly, at this point, I''m really tired. I just want to eat something, drink water and have a good sleep. We haven''t rested or had anything to eat for a whole day and it''s telling on us right now," the man said in a low voice filled with exhaustion.


    The other members sighed when they heard what Miguel said. They knew that he was right but the pile of zombies bodies lying on the floor makes them feel very uneasy.


    Just as they were thinking of what to do, they heard the sound of elevator door opening.


    They immediately tried to force themselves to stand up to fight whatever or whoever is coming but their bodies refused to listen to them.


    Slowly and dreadfully, they could only watch the elevator door slid open with a soft chime, the sound cutting through the oppressive silence.


    The air immediately felt heavy as though the building itself had held its breath.


    Miguel struggled to push himself up, his legs shaking from exhaustion and fear beneath him.


    "Stay...stay ready," he rasped, gripping the axe tighter, though his fingers barely had the strength to hold it.


    The young girl whimpered, clutching her knife as her wide eyes darted between the door and her fallen comrades turned zombies.


    The group froze, their breath hitching as two figures emerged, shadows cast long by the flickering overhead lights.


    The boy''s steady gaze and the woman''s cold demeanor sent chills down their spines, their exhaustion momentarily replaced by sheer terror.


    They saw the black blade glinting in his boy''s hand and the they felt the commanding presence from the lady.


    The boy''s steady gaze swept across them, unflinching. The woman''s movements were deliberate, predatory, like a lion surveying weakened prey.


    Miguel''s axe slipped from his grasp, clattering to the floor. The sound deafening in the silence, and the two newcomers turned toward them.


    "Who...who are you?" Miguel croaked, his voice barely more than a whisper.


    The boy didn''t answer immediately. His eyes narrowed slightly, as if evaluating them, before he finally spoke.


    "Are you bitten or scratched?"

 Chapter 25 - 25: New Additions? (II)

    Leo and Ms Ves were just done clearing out the twelfth floor and were about to move up to the thirteenth floor, when they heard a small sound of commotion.


    Immediately, they got curious and cautious of what could possibly be causing the sound.


    Ms Ves decided to listen closer using her [Enhanced Senses] skill, and she noticed that the sound started becoming distinct to her.


    She was immediately able to get where where the sound of commotion was coming from and following it, she walked to the floor-to-wall window, where she saw a group of people fighting a small horde of zombies, at a small distance away from the building.


    Leo observed Ms Ves'' actions and he saw the significant change in her expression when she got to the window.


    He knew that she must have already gotten the origin point of the sound, and curious to find out, he also walked to the window and he saw the group of humans battling the zombies horde.


    Leo''s initial reaction when he saw them, was to go help them but he quickly stopped himself, and decided to continue watching.


    He was very curious to see how the group would fare against the horde of zombies. He also felt it was an opportunity to see how strong others are compared to him and Ms Ves.


    Leo''s and Ms Ves'' strength has increased as they took care of the zombies occupying the half of the building. The both of them have also been able to rise up one more level.


    As the two of them continued to watch the group battling the zombies with all they''ve got, Leo started feeling bad when he saw that one of them nearly fall to the zombie attacking him. He was about to walk to the elevator, when he heard Ms Ves ask a question.


    "Are you going to help them?" She asked, as she continued to watch the fight.


    Leo paused for a few seconds when he heard her question. He was about to reply ''yes'' to her question and he could already guess the direction where the conversation that would follow, would be heading to.


    He felt that it was going to be the same thing as Tatiana and this made Leo to pause and think about his decision to help.


    He remembered the questions she asked him: Does he think he can save everyone? Does he have the strength to protect himself and save others?


    The truth is that no matter how much Leo wanted to deny it, he knew that the answers to these questions are solid NO.


    No matter how much he would want to try it, he knew that it was very impossible for him to save everyone. And also, another truth to this situation is that Leo doesn''t know any of those people.


    The question now is should he put himself in danger for a group of strangers? Are they worthy of it? Leo wanted to answer yes to this questions so bad but he knew that answering yes to it wouldn''t change the actual facts.


    Ves turned to look at Leo with her thoughts unknown. She didn''t need to hear Leo''s answer to know what he was thinking.


    The world has ended and a lot of things has changed. Even though they haven''t met or seen other survivors in the past two days¡ªwith the group being the first¡ªVes was aware that some things would still remain the same. And one of those things is the evil in the heart of men.


    But even though she knew this, she knew that no matter how much she says it to Leo, it won''t change his mindset. The only way to change it is for him to experience the real heart of people for himself. Maybe then, he would understand that not everything that glitters are gold.


    Still, Ves was hopeful. She hopes that the group doesn''t turn out to be one of those bad eggs so that they can become allies. And this was especially for the man who was weilding the axe.


    Ves saw his movements to be that kd someone who is an experienced fighter. If he can join them, he would become a major boost to their firepower.


    As it stands now, she knew that the both of them¡ªshe and Leo¡ªneeds some helping hands with the things they are doing. Killing and also transporting the corpses of dead zombies down to the ground floor is no doubt, very tiring, but things might be different if the group joins them.


    She sighed and walked away from the window, and made her way out of the apartment.


    "If you''re gonna to help them, let''s go," she said as she stood in front of the apartment''s door.


    Leo opened his mouth to say something but he decided to keep quiet instead, and follow Ms Ves.


    The two of them left the apartment and got into the elevator, making their way to the ground floor of the building.


    "Leo, not everyone is good," Ves said as the elevator descended. She leaned against the wall, her arms crossed.


    She paused for a few moments and continued, "Not everyone are like you that cares about other people so much that they are willing to go the extra miles for them. S§×ar?h the nov§×lF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    If it was someone else, I''m not saying this to scare you or anything, but I''m 90% sure that they would had done everything in their power to kill me immediately when they knew that I was different. Actually, that''s me being optimistic. The truth is that the person might had left me in that car and ran away, saving themselves instead."


    She smiled wryly as memories of when she first turned and when she turned completely, starting surfacing again.


    The truth is that she knew that no matter how much she wants to deny it, the only reason she''s still alive is due to Leo''s kind and innocent heart. She would be lying is she says that she doesn''t want him to maintain it but that wouldn''t be ideal in the dark world they now find themselves.


    Leo went silent when he heard Ms Ves'' words. He swallowed hard as he fidgeted with Nightshade, the weight of her words pressing against his chest.


    He thought back to that moment in the car, to the fleeting temptation to leave her behind. The thought alone felt like a betrayal and ven without Ms Ves telling him, Leo was aware that most people would had acted on that thought but he didn''t.


    Realizing this, Leo remembered all of the fleeting thoughts he has had and he understood that the not everyone are like him. Some people would have these thoughts and would act on them immediately.


    "I see... So, that''s how it is..." He muttered to himself in a low voice, but Ms Ves was able to hear him clearly and she smiled.


    ''It seems like he finally understood but does he really?'' She thought to herself.


    It didn''t take long for the elevator to stop with a ding, announcing their arrival at the ground floor. As the elevator doors slid open, the faint sound of shuffling and labored breaths reached their ears.


    Leo adjusted his grip on Nightshade, his pulse quickening. Ves glanced at him, her expression unreadable, before stepping out into the lobby.


    "Were any of you bitten or scratched?" Leo asked, his voice steady but firm.


    The group froze, their wide eyes darting between him and Ves. In their eyes, Leo saw fear and desperation. But he also saw something else¡ªwariness, the kind Ms. Ves had warned him about.

 Chapter 26 - 26: New Additions (III)

    The group was momentarily caught off guard by Leo''s question but they were shocked by his young appearance, and the familiar feeling that the lady beside him was giving off.


    The lady was giving them a dreadful feeling. It was like they were standing in front of a zombie and a human at the same time.


    The group felt their hand go wet with cold sweat at the feeling the lady was giving off. Just the familiar zombie feeling she was giving off made them want to attack her but they knew what fate awaits them if they are to act on their thoughts.


    It''s wasn''t just the lady but the boy beside her was giving off an equally dangerous feeling, and this feeling was heightened by the black blade in his hand.


    The group members knew that at this point, the only thing they can do is to have their leader take over. Sear?h the novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    They slowly turned their head to look at Mr Miguel who also had a frightened expression on his face. They could see him stretching out his hand to grab his hand but his body didn''t have the strength to lift it up.


    Miguel saw the look his teammates were giving him and he cursed them silently. He hated them for transferring the responsibility to him but he hated himself more.


    With cold sweat running down his back, his breath still unsteady and even from the recent fight with the zombie hordes outside¡ªthat has now increased, his body also weak and devoid of strength after expending it all on escaping from the zombies, he tried to grab his axe again but his body was beyond spent to squeeze out any strength.


    The faint, distant sounds of zombie snarls outside, made the silence between Leo and the group even more oppressive, and this was coupled with the air heavily tinged with the metallic stench of dried blood and decay from the zombies'' corpses in the lobby.


    Leo saw Miguel''s action and he squeezed the Nightshade''s hilt, preparing himself for any potential confrontation but he knew that it would never come.


    With just a look, he saw how exhausted and weak the ground is, and this was shown by how Miguel was unable to muster the strength to lift his axe.


    Leo''s intention is to help the group, but after taking Ms Ves'' and Tatiana''s words into consideration, he decided to do it smartly.


    It''s for this reason that he asked the question he asked. He doesn''t want a situation whereby after helping them, one of them would turn and put himself, Ms Ves and the others in danger.


    He sighed when he thought of this. His gaze became firmer and his grip on Nightshade became tighter.


    ''The world has changed and I also have to change along with it. Though I don''t have to become ruthless and apathetic to others, I have to be smart when interacting with people,'' Leo thought to himself, as he continued to gaze at Miguel.


    "I will ask for the last time, were any of you bitten or scratched? If I don''t get an answer, then I would take your silence for a yes and would have to send you out," Leo said, with the most emotionless voice he could come up with.


    Ves who was standing beside him smiled slightly when she saw this. She knew that Leo was doing his best to change but she was also aware that it isn''t something that will happen instantaneously, but she knew that given time, Leo would become someone that the world wouldn''t want to trifle with.


    The face of Miguel and his group went pale when they heard what Leo said. They slowly turned to look at the zombies roaring and growling at a distance, and they felt chill run down their spine.


    There was no need for them imagine what their fates would be if they are to be sent outside. This time, the group members didn''t wait for Miguel as one of them spoke up.


    "No. None of use were bitten or scratched. Though we lost some of our members to the zombies. Three of them turned," one of them, a male who looks to be slightly older than the girl, spoke up.


    Leo nodded when he heard this. He looked at Ms Ves and he saw her nodding at him. He understood what she meant with the nod and he turned to look at the group, mostly at Miguel. He wants to make sure that he''s not being lied to because they want to protect one of their own.


    "Are you sure that none of you is infected?" He asked, as he flexed Nightshade a little.


    The young man swallowed hard when he saw this, and he nodded desperately.


    "I swear. We''re clean."


    Love narrowed his eyes for a moment when he heard this, but he eased his expression almost immediately. He knew that they were telling the truth now and he decided to believe them. But he will still be taking precautionary measures against them.


    "If that is so, then you can join us. You all look exhausted, so I will allow you to rest on any of the apartments on the first floor. If after you have restedvand you want to leave, then that''s fine by me," Leo said, and paused allowing what he just said to sink in, before continuing.


    When he saw that them nodding in understanding, he decided to continue:


    "But understand that if step out of this building with the intention of leaving, then there''s no coming back. If you''re to be seen close to the building after that, then I will take your return as a threat."


    The group continuously nodded when they heard what Leo said. They could understand where he was coming from and why he''s being so cautious, and they can''t blame him. Though they were slightly surprised that someone as young as him would actually say things like that, but when they remembered the current state of the world, they understood where he was coming from.


    Leo smiled while secretly letting out a sigh of relief when he saw them nodding in agreement. He felt like a massive boulder has been lifted off his shoulder, allowing him to finally breathe easily.


    ''Putting on a strong front isn''t really my strong suit but it''s something I will have to learn. I have to adapt and get stronger so that I can protect myself and those around me.'' He said to himself internally.


    Ves decided to take over the situation since Leo has taken care of the difficult part. She would had done it herself but she allowed him to do it as she felt it''s a way to help him learn and grow.


    "Since all of you understand the situation, you''re in, you can follow us up to the first floor," She said, and started walking to the elevator.


    She saw that Leo was already waiting in front of the opened elevator, and she smiled proudly at him.

 Chapter 27 - 27: Threat

    "You guys can choose any apartment here. Clean yourselves up. As you see, the building has electricity and it also has water. But make sure you guys ration the water well so that it can last longer," Ves said, as the door of the elevator opened up to the access hallway of the first floor.


    The group nodded and stepped out of the elevator. While others moved to choose an apartment for themselves, Miguel didn''t.


    He feebly held his axe as he looked at Leo and Ves for a few moments.


    "Is there anything else you need help with?" Ves asked Miguel curiously when she saw him still standing in front of elevator.


    "No...," Miguel replied and gulped. Sear?h the Novel?ire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "It''s just that I wanted to say thank you for helping me and my group. I promise to repay the favor," he said, and started walking down the access hallway.


    "He doesn''t seem to be a bad person." Leo smiled when he saw Miguel walking away.


    "Yeah. He doesn''t. I just hope it''s not a facade," Ves smiled wistfully, as she pressed one of the floor selection buttons.


    The elevator door closed and elevator started ascending, this time to the thirteenth floor.


    Since they were already done with the group''s problem, they decided to continue their zombie hunting and this time from the thirteenth floor.


    They had already taken care of the twelfth floor and the only thing that''s left is to transport the zombies'' corpses to the ground floor. And they decided to leave this task of clearing out the zombies'' corpses to the building''s new addition. That wasmy they would be useful.


    Arriving on the thirteenth floor, Leo and Ves were about to continue their zombie hunting when a loud roar that shook the foundation of the building and its surrounding was heard.


    Its roar was guttural, like metal scraping against stone, and the ground seemed to tremble under its unseen weight.


    "What was that?" Leo asked in apprehensive curiosity as he looked towards where the sound could possibly be coming from.


    "We have a problem, Leo." Ves said with a tensed voice.


    Leo immediately looked at Ms Ves and he could see the fear in her eyes, and how she was continuously nervously clenching her fist.


    "What is it, Ms Ves?" Leo asked with his apprehension of the situation increasing with each second.


    "It... It''s a mutant Boar and it seems to be higher leveled than us. Possibly more than five levels higher than us and it''s coming from there," Ms Ves replied, pointing to the direction where the mutant Boar was.


    Ves could almost picture its hulking form, bristling with mutated features.


    Leo''s face tensed up with worry and anxiety when he heard this. He thought of different ways to deal with the current situation and only two feasible ways came up: they either hide their presence from the mutant Boar or they face it head on..


    But Leo was also aware of just how impossible the first is. Hiding their presence wouldn''t be the best decision for them right now as he has no idea if the mutant creature is just passing by or it intends to make this its territory. Also, it''s not like they can just walk up to it and ask it this questions.


    Leo sighed and closed his eyes briefly when he thought of this. He knew that the only thing they can do is to face the beast head on. Even though its level is higher than his and Ms Ves, they have no choice. They either sit around and wait for their death like cowards or they die fighting.


    "Ms Ves, how far is the mutant Boar from the building?" Leo asked, as he started formulating a plan in his head.


    "Less than 70 meters away and it''s closing the distance fast," Ms Ves replied.


    "I see..." Leo nodded.


    "What do you think are our chances or beating it," Leo asked curiously, as he finalizes the plan in his head.


    "I don''t think we even stand a chance against it. The only thing we can is run. Nothing else." Ves replied in a solemn voice.


    "You know we can''t do that. We either face this thing and kill it or we all die. Since it''s at least five levels higher than us, then it means it''s stronger and faster than us. Which means we can''t outrun it." Leo said with a equally solemn voice.


    "How do you suggest we fight it? The new additions can''t fight. They''re too weak and they are too tired to. It''s just you and me but even with the combination of both our strengths, I don''t see us winning," Ves said with a tensed voice.


    "Then, we just have to make do with the two of us," Leo said, causing Ms Ves to sigh.


    "Are you sure about this? There''s a high chance that we won''t survive this fight." Ves asked, as she looked him directly in his eyes.


    "Yes, I''m sure. There''s a high chance that we won''t win but there''s also a chance that we might and we have to take those chances no matter how small." Leo replied.


    Though it felt like he was talking to himself more than he was actually replying Ms Ves'' question.


    "If you say so, then how do you intend to proceed?" Ves asked as she looked out the window.


    "We attack immediately. We make use of the sun still shining," Leo replied and Ms Ves nodded.


    "I understand. Let''s move."


    The two of them immediately took the elevator down to ground floor.


    In the access hallway of the building''s first floor, Miguel and his group were looking at each other in fear. All of them rushed out of their apartments when they heard the roar.


    Though they are not like Ms Ves who can sense what made the sound thanks to her [Enhanced Senses] skill, they knew that things weren''t good.


    "What do we do now?" One of male asked, with his hand shaking visibly.


    "Nothing. You guys can''t do anything. What it is that roared, it''s way stronger than us. We can''t fight it, we will only get killed," Miguel replied, biting his lips in anxiety as many thoughts filled his head at once.


    "Then what about them? Can they fight it?" Another asked in a trembling voice.


    "I don''t know but we can hope they can." Miguel replied with uncertainty in his voice.


    "Should we help?" The girl asked.


    "Can we?" Miguel asked, as he smiled wryly.


    Miguel was aware that if the boy and the strange woman can''t stop the whatever it is that roared, they''d be as helpless as lambs in a slaughterhouse.

 Chapter 28 - 28: A Battle Of Life Or Death

    Roar!


    The deafening roar that sent a shockwave that rattled the building''s foundations was heard, as the mutant beast got closer. S§×ar?h the Nov§×l?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Leo gripped Nightshade''s hilt tightly, instinctively, his heart pounding as the mutant boar appeared in their vision.


    As the mutant Boar got closer, each step it took seemed to shake the earth. Leo didn''t know if it was due to his monstrous size or it''s possibly using a skill, but the ground kept shaking with each step it took.


    Ves hissed beside him, her claws flexing as she dropped into a fighting stance.


    ''This thing''s no ordinary beast,'' she muttered, her voice low but sharp with tension.


    Leo didn''t need her warning. From just the appearance of the boat alone, he knew that this was a very terrifying creature.


    The mutant Boar was huge and tall, almost reaching two metres, and Leo estimated its size to be at least 1,000kg.


    The Boar''s height and huge size wasn''t the only scary thing about it. Its body was covered with dark fur that glistened with a metallic shine under the sunlight, it massive hooves looks just as it''s whole body.


    But the most terrifying thing about its appearance was its massive white tusks. They looked more like extremely sharp daggers than tusks.


    And in addition to that, the boar giving off a very terrifying presence. It was like they were standing in front of an insurmountable mountain.


    Leo took a deep breath as he turned to look at Ms Ves. Their eyes met and they nodded in understanding.


    Immediately, Ves bolted towards Boar. Just a step from it, she extended her claws and slashed at its skin.


    The boar didn''t dodge as it stood there and allowed Ves to attack it.


    Ves'' attack made contact with the Boar''s skin and she screamed out in pain. She quickly withdrew her hand and jumped, distancing herself from the Boar, and arriving beside Leo.


    "Ughhh" she groaned and hissed in pain, gripping her hand tightly.


    Ves took a look at her hand and she saw that all her claws has been broken off, and the nail bed was filled with blood, that dripped to the ground from time to time.


    Leo saw Ms Ves injury and he knew that there was no way that Ms Ves would be of help in this fight.


    Ms Ves doesn''t have any weapon beside her claws and if the claws can''t even scratch the Boar''s skin, then that only means that he would have to do things himself.


    "Ms Ves, you stay here and heal completely. I will take care of this," Leo said, as he took a step towards the Boar.


    "Leo! It''s too strong and its fur is like a metallic armour. Be careful," she said, with gritted teeth.


    She felt very angry and frustrated at the fact that she can''t help Leo out in such a high stakes fight.


    She felt that even though she''s the adult between the two of them, Leo has been the one protecting her since the day the world ended.


    She clenched her injured fingers into a fist as she made a vow to herself to become stronger so that she can be the one to protect Leo.


    Leo nodded at Ms Ves'' words and slowly approaches the Boar. From what he can see and what Ms Ves told him, he already knew that the Boar is practically invisible, with impenetrable skin and its hulking size.


    But Leo wasn''t worried. Though he wasn''t sure if he would be able to kill the Boar without taking any injury, he was confident in winning.


    The reason for this isn''t because of Nightshade''s sharpness that can cut through the defences of anything below level 35, or Nightshade''s skills. The reason for his confidence is because it''s what he has set his mind to.


    He was aware the only thing he can do is win. He dare no lose as he was very aware of the fate that awaits him and everyone if he does.


    Leo took one more step and he was halfway to the Boar. He looked at it with determination blazing in his eyes and with a low grunt, he dashed towards it and closed the distance almost immediately. Arriving in front of Boar, Leo bent down and slashed at its knee.


    The Boar also didn''t initially react to Leo''s attack but at the last moment when the blade was about to make contact with its leg, it jumped back dodging the attack.


    Leo wasn''t disappointed when he saw this. On the contrary, he was smiling in relief.


    Without wasting a second, he rolled on the floor and followed up with another attack at its knee.


    The Boar sensing the incoming threat, dodged the attack again and roared in anger. It distanced itself from Leo and snorted, a cloud of steam billowing from its mouth in the air.


    It pawed the ground violently, scraping its hooves against the pavement with a sound that echoed like distant thunder, before letting out a guttural grunt that sent shivers down the spines of those that heard it.


    The next moment, it charged at Leo, with each step it took, causing the ground to shake.


    The Boar was surprisingly agile even with its bulky size, as it closed the distance between it and Leo immediately.


    The Boar roared and slammed its massive hooves into the ground, unleashing a deafening shockwave that rippled outward. The force struck Leo like a hammer, sending him stumbling backward as the ground beneath his feet trembled violently.


    His ears rang, his vision blurred, and his legs felt like lead as he struggled to stay upright. For a moment, it was as if his body refused to obey him, leaving him vulnerable and at the mercy of the beast''s next move.


    The Boar didn''t allow Leo the opportunity to recover as it attacked again. It lunged at Leo, its massive tusks gleaming like ivory blades in the dim light. The charge came too fast¡ªtoo powerful.


    Leo, who was yet to recover from the Boar''s first attack, was unable to dodge. The tusks slammed into him, the sheer force throwing him backward like a ragdoll.


    The world blurred as he crashed into a wall, the impact knocking the air from his lungs. Pain exploded in his side, sharp and unrelenting, as if his ribs had splintered like brittle glass.


    "Leo!" Ms Ves screamed when she saw Leo lying on the floor, seemingly unconscious.

 Chapter 29 - 29: A Battle Of Life Or Death (II)

    Ves'' breath hitched as she saw Leo crumpled against the rubble. She clenched her hand instinctively, sending fresh waves of pain shooting through her mangled fingers.


    "Get up!" She screamed, but Leo still didn''t respond as he lay there, unmoving.


    ''Please get up,'' she muttered to herself, with her voice breaking, as she was on the brink of breaking down.


    Leo''s lay on the floor, his vision swam with stars, his chest a cacophony of sharp pain. He tried to inhale, but it felt like his ribs were collapsing under the pressure.


    As the world around him swayed, a dull roar filling his ears like an ocean tide. Somewhere in the distance, a voice shouted¡ªa faint, muffled cry that seemed to rise and fall with the rhythm of his pounding head.


    The words were lost to him, but the urgency in the tone clawed through the haze, pulling at his scattered thoughts. And he recognised the owner of that voice immediately.


    "Not now," he grunted in pain as he shook his head, trying to shake off the dizziness and disorientation he was feeling.


    Images of Ves, the kids at the orphanage, and a blurred image of his parents flashed in his mind.


    ''I can''t die here,'' he screamed to himself internally.


    He gripped Nightshade''s hilt¡ªthat was strangely in his hand¡ªtightly and tried to push himself up from the ground, only to collapsed back, and causing a bolt of pain to course through his body.


    "This stupid body, what are you doing? What''s the use of my [Regeneration] skill? Why is it not working?" Leo groaned in pain.


    He gulped a mouthful of saliva and tried to stand back up on his feet again. He stabbed Nightshade into the ground and using it as leverage, pushed himself up.


    He slowly stood up to his feet with a few staggers. He coughed, trying to relieve himself of the dull pain occupying his rib cage.


    He looked at the Boar and he saw it continuously stomping its feet on the floor and snorting, causing steam to escape from its nose, as it looked at Leo menacingly.


    Leo gritted his teeth, as he gripped Nightshade''s hilt tighter and raised it, ready to attack.


    The Boar snorted when it saw this. Leo''s act of raising his sword and challenging it, seemed to have to hurt its pride.


    It snorted again, this time louder than the rest, and pawed the ground, as it readied for another charge. The next moment, without warning, it lunged at Leo.


    "Not this time, you big, overgrown pig," Leo said when he saw the Boar attacking again.


    He took a quick look around as he formulated a plan in his head. The next moment, he smiled as he finally found what he was looking for.


    Immediately, he made his move. He dashed towards a building beside him.


    The building wasn''t actually his target but the shadow it cast onto the ground.


    Leo''s movement allowed him to dodge the Boar second attack. The boar''s momentum carried it forward, crashing into the debris with a thunderous impact, sending shards of stone flying.


    As it reared back, preparing for another attack, Leo, now standing in the shadow of the building, gripped his Nightshade''s hilt tighter, his heart pounding in his chest.


    "Come on, you overgrown pig!" He shouted, taunting it.


    The next moment, the Boar roared in response and charged at him. It closed the distance between them and appeared in front of Leo.


    "I can''t believe how it''s this fast?" Leo muttered to himself, as he quickly activated one of Nightshade''s skill, [Shadow Step].


    As the skill activated, his body immediately melded into the shadow on the ground.


    The Boar halted its charge when it saw Leo disappear. It snorted angrily and stomped the ground, but nothing happened.


    Enraged, it roared and stomped the ground with enough force to crack the asphalt. Steam curled from its flared nostrils as it let out a thunderous snort.


    It pawed at the earth, gouging deep scars into the dirt, its massive tusks swinging as it tossed its head violently.


    The ground seemed to tremble under its rage and the guttural growls that seems to promise destruction.


    It continuously stomped the ground aggressively as it strutted to where Leo initially was, before he disappeared into the ground.


    It got to the place and started pawing and stomping it but no matter how many times it did it, nothing happened. Leo didn''t appear.


    It let out a growl when it saw that its actions wasn''t producing the results it wanted, and it turned its attention to the remaining human left; Ves.


    It let out a deep snort and pawed the ground, as it prepared to charge at her.


    In the shadow world¡ªthe name Leo gave the dark world¡ªLeo saw the Boar''s action and he knew what it''s next action would be.


    "I''m not letting you do as you wish," he said, as he made his move.


    He jumped out of the shadow world and attacked, slashing at the Boar''s underbelly with every ounce of strength he could squeeze out from his body.


    The Boar sensed the danger and immediately tried to dodge, but it was too late.


    The attack connected and the following moment, the Boat roared in a mixture of anger and pain. Its chest heaving as steam poured from its nostrils. Then it roared again¡ªa deep, deafening primal sound that shattered the air, reverberating and seeming to shake even the shadow world that Leo was in.


    The small eyes that has now gone bloodshot due to its berserk state, locked on Ms Ves and it charged at her. S~ea??h the N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Each charge left a trail of destruction, deep gouges in the ground and shattered debris marking its path. The boar''s repeated stomps sent shockwaves rippling through the ground, toppling debris and threatening to throw Ms Ves off balance.


    Leo saw this and cursed silently. He immediately exited the shadow world and chased after the the madly charging Boar.


    "Ms Ves, run!" He shouted at her when he saw her still standing.


    He wanted her to run and save herself but he saw that even after shouting, she didn''t move. Instead, she took an attacking stance, ready to face the Berserk Mutant Boar.


    Leo wanted to shouted again but he saw Ms Ves smile at him the next day, and he could only close his mouth and grit his teeth in anger.


    He increased his speed wanting to catch up to the beast, but he was unable to. The Berserk state seemed to have increased its speed.


    Leo continued chasing after the Boar. Every muscle in his body screamed in protest as he pushed himself harder, the world blurring around him.


    Pain wracked his body with every step, his ribs screaming in protest. But the thought of Ves standing alone against the beast drove him forward, his fear replaced by a primal need to protect.


    ''Faster. Just a little faster.''


    But the distance between him and the raging beast only seemed to widen.


    Ves tightened her grip, ignoring the searing pain in her mangled fingers. She knew she couldn''t outrun it, but she could meet it head-on. If this was the end, she''d face it standing


    The boar''s tusks gleamed, mere inches from Ves. She stood her ground, eyes locked on the beast, as Leo''s shout echoed futilely behind her. And then...

 Chapter 30 - 30: Gorefang

    The ground quaked beneath her feet as the berserk boar charged, its bloodshot eyes locked onto her.


    Ves stood rooted, her body tense but her mind focused, each second stretching into an eternity.


    ''Wait... not yet... now!''


    With a sudden burst of movement, she sidestepped just as the boar''s tusks tore through the space where she''d been standing.


    The force of the missed charge caused the Boar to slam into the building behind her, sending a shockwave rippling through the air.


    A loud rumbling sound was heard as the building shook and small, almost invisible cracks started forming on its surface.


    Immediately, Ves countered as she rushed at the Boar, dropping low into a controlled slide, the rough ground scraping at her legs as she shot beneath the hulking beast.


    Ves slid into position beneath the towering beast, the pungent heat of its massive body pressing down on her.


    But Ves didn''t waste the opening. Without hesitation, she sprinted forward, dropping low into a controlled slide, the rough ground scraping at her legs as he shot beneath the hulking beast.


    She wasted no time as she punched upward, her fist connecting with the soft underbelly of the Boar.


    Ves'' fingers still hasn''t healed completely and her action caused the wound to reopen, and a fresh wave of pain to wash wash over her. Her eyes nearly went white from the pain but she bit her lips, forcing herself to stay sane.


    She sited a gash on the Boar''s underbelly, immediately followed up with a clawing attack with her second hand, targeting the gash.


    She plunged her fingers into the tear, feeling the warm, sinewy flesh close around his fingers, as her fingers penetrated its flesh and embedded half of their length into it.


    She tried to push it harder but the underbelly was tougher than she expected, and her fingers could go no further.


    In addition to that, the embedded fingers kept sending nearly unbearable pain throughout her body. The only reason she hasn''t lost consciousness is because she kept continuously biting her lips.


    The mutant boar bellowed in pain as blood sprayed across the rubble-strewn ground. It started thrashing wildly, its hooves slamming into the ground just inches from her head. Sear?h the N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Gritting her teeth, Ves struck again. She yanked her hand out of the wound and repeated the same set of attack again.


    Her fist and fingers continuously penetrated the Boar''s flesh, slightly widening the gash and and causing blood to pour from it.


    But the boar wasn''t finished. It reared back, roaring with fury. Realizing the danger, Ves rolled to the side just as the beast''s, nearly two elephants sized body, crashed down, missing her by a hair''s breadth.


    Boom!


    A loud explosion shook the surroundings, followed by a quake that nearly caused the building the Boar initially slammed into, to collapse.


    In one fluid motion, Ves used the momentum of her roll to kick himself upright, flipping onto her feet, and her claws still extended, waiting for opportunity for another attack.


    The next moment, she saw a figure pass her in almost a blur, followed by a short gust of wind.


    ''Leo.'' she smiled to herself.


    Leo arrived at the side of the Boar and slashed at its belly. The pain from the Boar''s first attack still continued to racked his body, but he didn''t pay attention to it.


    The Boar still lying on its injured underbelly was unable to dodge the attack. The force of the slash penetrated its thick hide, tearing into the muscle beneath, with its thick fur doing nothing to stop it.


    It roared in pain again and tried to stand up, but Leo wasn''t going to allow it. He attacked again but this time he went for its head.


    He slashed its neck, leaving a deep gash from which blood splattered before turning into a steady flow. He didn''t paused as he attacked again, the same place.


    He slashed at the deep gash again, widening it and causing even more blood to flow from it. He continued slashing with no intention of stopping.


    The Boar was on the ground, continuously roaring in pain and anger. It tried to attack but with its current position and how Leo was attacking it without rest, it couldn''t.


    It could only continue to roar in pain and anger. As time went on, its roar started losing their intensity and with a few more slash from Leo, it let out a whimper as it took its last breath and slumped to the ground.


    As the Boar went silent, the familiar screen popped up again but Leo didn''t pay it attention, as he looked up to the sky and the rain that was hitting his face.


    He has never for once imagined his life would be like this one day. Fighting a monster on the brink of death for survival.


    Before the world ended, he was just a boy who was about to start leaving his dream adult life in the real society. Though, he still has those dreams, they have changed in a lot of ways, just like everything around him.


    Leo gasped for air, every breath a jagged knife in his ribs, compounded by his broken ribs that seems to be digging into his skin, and his internal organs.


    Pain continued to rack his body but in light of all that, a bright smile was on his face.


    Both he and Ms Ves nearly died from fighting the Mutant Boar but he was happy. He was happy that they were still alive.


    Even though the both of them still has grave injuries, the fact that they were still alive means a lot.


    Leo slumped to the ground, the rain mingling with the blood splattered across his face.


    Ms Ves stumbled over to him, her voice trembling.


    "You did it, Leo."


    He looked up at her, his smile faint but genuine.


    "We did it."


    [You have acquired Level 10 Mutant Boar: Gorefang Life Force!]


    [You have reached Level 5. You have received three stat points!]


    [You have reached Level 6. You have received three stat points!]


    [You have reached Level 7. You have received three stat points!]


    ...


    ...


    ...

 Chapter 31 - 31: Tension

    Ves sat beside the bed, watching Leo sleep soundly. She saw that even deep in his sleep, he was still feeling pain.


    She saw his brow furrowed deeply, and his lips quivered faintly as though caught in a grimace. Every so often, his jaw tightened and his face twitched.


    She looked at him with a soft gaze as she smiled warmly, and caressed his face, trying to ease his pain. Her hand trembled slightly in pain as her fingers made contact with Leo''s face, but she didn''t care.


    "I promise to become stronger fast to protect you and made sure you never have to put yourself in danger again. Not for anyone, not for me or anyone. No more," she muttered to herself with a fire of determination burning in her eyes.


    After the battle with the mutant Boar ended and Leo collapsed, she carried Leo up to their apartment on the eight floor and laid him on the bed.


    Following that, she looked for the first aid box in the room to treat their injuries. She was actually surprised when she pulled up Leo''s shirt and saw a deep wound on his torso, with blood pooling over its surface.


    Her eyes widened in shock and fear when she saw it. She knew that Leo was injured from the Boar''s attack but she had no idea that it was this serious.


    Actually, she has no idea that he was bleeding and the reason for this is the black shirt and the rain that drenched them immediately after the battle ended. Also, the both of them were too occupying with not dying from the Boar''s attacks to notice anything.


    She quickly got the first aid box from where it was and began treating Leo''s injury. She cleaned the surface of the wound, disinfected it and dressed it.


    Her hands trembled as she bandaged his wounds, the pain in her fingers nothing compared to the ache in her heart.


    She doesn''t want anything to happen to him, as she had no idea what she would do if anything does.


    Ves felt guilty and frustrated when she thought of herself, the adult between the both of them, being the one that has to be protected, instead of the other way around. This made her feel like she was the reason why Leo was in this current condition.


    Her anger and frustration increased when she remembered the task of protecting Leo she was given by the person that helped her to win her zombie''s personality.


    It was at that moment she made up her mind. She wasn''t going on sit back and watch Leo put himself in danger everytime to protect her, and those around him.


    She would increase her strength and get strong enough to be the one to protect Leo. She would get strong to do her job as the adults and she wasn''t going to back down. She vowed to herself.


    Ves smiled and let out a tired sigh as she finished cleaning Leo''s injury. The next thing she did was to take care of her own injuries.


    Though, they were already healing, thanks to her [Regeneration] skill, as she could see some blood clots on it. But the healing process was slow and the pain was almost unbearable for her.


    Meanwhile on the building''s first floor, Miguel and his group were still standing in front of an apartment''s floor-to-wall window, staring at the massive Mutant Boar''s carcass in stunned silence.


    The silence continued until one of them finally broke it.


    "Did he¡­ just kill that thing?" one of the men whispered, his voice trembling.


    No one answered, their eyes fixed on the massive corpse. No matters how they tried to wrap their heads around it and follow the events that happened with logic, nothing just seems to make sense.


    They saw the young boy, who looks no older than a teenager and even younger than the girl in their group, fighting the Boar and killing it at the end, but they still couldn''t believe their eyes.


    They were aware that he got help from the lady with peculiar aura around her but even with that, killing such a massive creature was something beyond the ordinary.


    It was now they understood why the ground floor of the building was filled with zombies corpses. Compared to the weak zombies, the Mutant Boar was much more dangerous.


    During the battle, when Leo was hit by the Boar''s attack and was sent smashing into a wall, they feared that he was dead. And when they saw him stand back on his bed, they let out a long, shaky breath, only now aware of the tension that had gripped them.


    They continued holding their breaths throughout the duration of the battle and they only truly felt relieved when they saw the Mutant Boar go limp.


    "Can we also do that?" One of them asked, while continuing staring at the massive carcass.


    He knew he wasn''t alone with the question he asked and that every single one of them felt the same way. They all want to be as strong as the boy.


    Miguel was the most affected by the scene in front of him. He knew that the boy and the lady was strong but he didn''t know that they were this strong.


    The truth was that he had already made his peace when he saw the appearance of the Mutant Boar.


    He was someone that struggles when facing more than two zombies, there was no way he would even dare think of facing such a colossus monster. It was nothing short of suicide.


    "I guess the world really changed after all," he muttered to himself.


    He knew that if the world was still as it was, there was no way such a creature like the Mutant Boar would exist. And not just that, but the streets won''t be crawling with zombies, neither would there be someone as strong as Leo.


    Miguel was still thinking of the old world when he saw some movement from the corner of his eyes. He quickly turned his head to look and he saw a group of armed individuals walking towards the Mutant Boar''s carcass.


    Seeing how they were looking at it and looking at the building where they are, Miguel could already guess their intentions.


    "All of you, follow me," he said, as he grabbed his axe and left the apartment.


    His group members were actually surprised when they saw him leaving but when they saw the group approaching the carcass, they immediately understood.


    They immediately grabbed their weapons¡ªmakeshift weapons they found in some of the apartments on the first floor¡ªand followed behind Miguel.


    Miguel and his group reached the ground floor, and just as they stepped outside, they spotted the other group standing near the carcass, preparing to dissect it.


    "Stop! That doesn''t belong to you," Miguel shouted, striding toward them.


    A bulky man from the other group turned, a smirk spreading across his face. Sear?h the Novel?ire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "And who does it belong to?" he asked mockingly, crossing his arms.


    "To us," the young girl said firmly, stepping forward to stand beside Miguel.


    The bulky man stared at her for amoment, then threw his head back in a hearty laugh.


    "You?" he bellowed, his voice echoing across the open space.


    His laughter cut off abruptly, replaced by a menacing glare as his smirk vanished. His eyes locked on Miguel, his voice turning cold and sharp.


    "Listen, old man, this carcass belongs to us. If you want it, you''ll have to fight for it."


    The bulky man''s group immediately shifted into attacking stances, their eyes narrowing as they sized up Miguel and his companions.


    The air grew heavy with hostility, an unspoken challenge hanging in the space between them.


    Just the appearance of the newcomers¡ªa ragged band, their clothes torn and weapons mismatched, eyes gleamed with a dangerous mix of desperation and greed, told Miguel that they were bad news.


    But there''s no way that he would be willing to back down. Leo nearly died to kill the Mutant Boar, there''s no way he was going to allow another group reap the benefits.


    He gripped his axe tightly, his knuckles white. His group was outnumbered and outgunned, their makeshift weapons a stark contrast to the newcomers'' sharpened blades and crude but effective firearms.


    Both groups stood poised, the carcass lying between them like a coveted prize, its presence fueling the simmering tension

 Chapter 32 - 32: Grewishka And Company

    Grewishka and his group were out searching for food end necessities when they heard a series of loud sounds.


    He stopped his group and listened closer, trying to ascertain what could be causing the sound.


    Listening closer, he was surprised when he realised that the sounds was because of an ongoing battle. He was still doubtful but when he heard a female voice shout the name, ''Leo'', he believed that the sound was really caused by a battle.


    He couldn''t believe it. From what he could discern from the sounds, he knew that that this Leo person was fighting something huge. What it was, he has no idea.


    Realising this, he immediately move far away from the surroundings with his group, keeping a safe distance so that the fight doesn''t find them.


    He found a safe place and hid himself and his group, waiting for the battle to end. He wanted to go back to their base and take refuge there, but without any idea of what the Leo person is fighting and how it would affect them, he didn''t dare to, as he didn''t want to put those back at the base in danger.


    Also, it wouldn''t be good if they go back empty-handed after expending so much time and energy. It would amount to a wasted trip and every single one of them¡ªhis group and the others back at the base¡ªwould starve, if they come back empty-handed.


    Things might had been easy if they close to the woods or a place with vegetations but with the woods located at least a mile from their current location, it was impossible to get to it.


    For this reason, Grewishka decided to wait and his group agreed with him. They continued waiting, while also listening to the sound of the raging battle.


    Few moments later, they heard the sound of someone shouting, following shortly by a loud rumble and another rumble followed shortly again.


    After that, everywhere went still and a heavy silence enveloped the surroundings.


    Grewishka curiously and carefully look towards where the sound seems to be coming from and looked around, confirming that there was no immediate danger.


    He confirmed that there was no immediate danger but he decided to wait a little to see if anything out of the ordinary would happen. But after waiting for a while, everywhere was as still as it was after the second rumbling sound.


    Confirming that everything was fine, Grewishka and his group came out of their hiding place.


    "What could that possibly be?" One of them asked, after coming out of their hiding place.


    "I don''t know but from the sounds, it seems like two people fighting something huge," Grewishka replied, as he continued looking at the where the sound was coming from¡ªsome high rise buildings that was a distance.


    He was thinking of what next to do when he felt a drop of water fall on his hand. He looked at it and looked towards the sky, and saw that it was starting to rain.


    He looked back at their hiding place but shook his head afterwards. Hiding there from the rain would be impossible as the place doesn''t have a covering to shed them from the rain.


    He turned to look at the high rise buildings at the distance and made up his mind.


    "Let''s go there and wait out the rain," he said, pointing to the buildings, and started walking towards them.


    The group immediately followed behind Grewishka, walking towards the building. After walking a couple of distance, they all stopped in shock.


    In front of them is a massive black creature that was bleeding out on the floor, the ground around was a testament to the destruction that has occurred, and was from how still it was, it was dead.


    "What the hell is that?!" One of them asked in unrestrained shock, with a slightly loud voice.


    He was continue talking but a quick glare from Grewishka shut him up. He closed his forcefully but the shock he was feeling wasn''t going away anytime soon.


    It wasn''t just the man that was shocked by the scene in front of them. The feeling was the same for all of them and some of them were so shocked that they couldn''t talk.


    They knew that the behemoth-looking creature in front of them was killed by two people that they heard shouting, but they found it hard to believe that this is something a human can do.


    Though they were aware that they world has changed qnd so is everything on it, but for a human to defeat something that huge was something they refused to believe no matter how they thought of it.


    While his group were still reeling from the shock of the massive dead creature in front of them, Grewishka had already recovered and was now assessing the situation.


    From his distance of four meters, he observed and studied the carcass ot the black creature on the floor.


    "It looks like a giant pig, except that it has furs which pigs don''t have....," Grewishka said to himself, as he observed it.


    "I would had said it''s a Warthog but they aren''t found in our country, so it should be a Boar," Grewishka said to himself.


    His eyes widened in realization when he realised that the creature that the two shouting individuals, were fighting was a huge Boar.


    He thought that the awakening of a thing only affected humans but seeing the dead huge Boar in front of him, told him just how wrong he was. S§×arch* The N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Grewishka couldn''t help but admire the person that was brave and strong enough to kill the Boar. From just its size alone, he knew that the Boar wasn''t an easy opponent.


    Though this feeling only lasted a moment as his growled the next moment, reminding him of its empty state.


    Rubbing his empty stomach and looking at the Boar''s carcass, Grewishka had an idea. Though he has no idea if the person or the individuals that killed the Boar that killed was still around, he was willing to take the risk.


    He didn''t want to starve to death and also, he felt that it was possible for the people that fought this Boar to go free without any severe injuries.


    "Guys, we don''t need to worry about food anymore. We will be taking this Boar home," he said, pointing to the Boar''s carcass.


    The group members looked at Grewishka strangely after what he said. They don''t understand how they are supposed to carry something that looks like it weighs a ton back to their base.


    Not even considering how they are going to carry the Boar, the real question is if the Boar is safe for so consumption.


    Seeing the strange looks his group members were giving him, Grewishka smiled and proceeded to tell them his plan.


    "Relax. We''re not dragging the whole thing back; we''ll take what we can carry. Meat is meat, and this thing has plenty to spare."


    The group exchanged uneasy glances, still unsure about his plan.


    "What I''m actually worried about is if the meat is safe for consumption. We don''t know what type of parasites or stuff is inside it. Who knows? It might be poisonous and we don''t know why it''s so big," one of the said, looking at the Boar cautiously.


    "Poison, my foot. The reason why it''s big is most probably due to the same thing that we will see when we kill zombies. Even if it''s poisonous and unsafe for consumption, are you willing to die of starvation?" Grewishka asked, looking at the person that spoke, meaningfully.


    "But what if the people who killed it comes back? What if they''re still nearby? We can''t fight them off. We are not even one bit as strong as the monster on the floor." One of them spoke up hesitantly.


    Grewishka frowned, his tone turning sharp, as he said, "If they wanted it, they''d still be here guarding it. Besides, it''s either this or we go back empty-handed. Do you want to explain that to everyone at thebase? As for whoever killed it, if they were still here, they would''ve made their presence known by now."


    Despite his confident words, he knew the risk was real. Whoever killed this creature had to be exceptionally strong¡ªfar stronger than anyone in his group. But desperation pushed aside caution.


    The others fell silent, realizing the truth in his words. Despite their lingering fear, hunger pushed them forward.


    Grewishka saw this and signaled for the them to approach the carcass cautiously, keeping an eye out for any signs of danger.


    As they reached the Boar, the group marveled at its sheer size. Its fur was coarse and black, its tusks jagged and menacing even in death.


    Blood pooled beneath its massive body, soaking the ground and releasing a metallic tang into the air. Even with the rain that falling, the smell still hung in the air.


    Grewishka wasted no time, pulling out a makeshift blade and instructing his group to do the same.


    "Work quickly. Take as much meat as we can carry, but don''t be careless. Keep an eye on the area."


    They were about to start dissecting when done group with armed members l, seemingly ready to fight, arrived in front of them.


    "Stop! That doesn''t belong to you" a man who seems to be their leader, said.

 Chapter 33 - 33: Finding A Common Ground

    Miguel was surprised by the bulky man''s words and the action of his group members.


    ''Fight for it? What is this bastard talking about?" He thought to himself.


    He observed the bulky man''s expression and that of his group to know if they were being serious about attacking them, and taking away the Boar''s meat. And he was perplexed when he saw his serious the expression on their faces were.


    Miguel actually found it be ridiculous. With just a glance, he knew that there was no way that Miguel and his group would be able to just ''whisk'' the Boar''s carcass away.


    The Boar was as tall as a small car and with just a glance, it looks like it weighs at least a ton or even more. Sear?h the Novel?ire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Thinking about this, Miguel just couldn''t come up with a conceivable theory on how the bulky man and his group were going to carry the whole carcass away.


    Yes, he took into consideration that they might be as strong or even stronger than the boy and young lady that killed the Mutant Boar, but even with, he felt that it was too out reach.


    Miguel narrowed his eyes as an idea popped up in his head. He felt like he already knew what the bulky man and his group were actually after.


    He smiled and slowly walked towards the bulky man, and stood close to the Mutant Boar''s carcass.


    Grewishka flinched slightly when he saw the man''s action. The reason why he put up a thug act and asked the man, and his group to fight for the Boar''s carcass, was because he wanted to frighten them.


    But who would had believed that not only did his tactics not work, but it actually seemed have given the man courage.


    Grewishka immediately thought of what to do next but just as he was about to speak, he heard something that surprised him a little.


    "Look here, boy. There''s no way you and your group can possibly carry this back to your base or wherever you want to carry it to," Miguel said, pointing to the Boar''s carcass.


    He looked at the bulky man intently in the eyes and continued, "Why don''t we do this? I will call the people who killed it and they decided what to do. Honestly, the Boar''s meat would be too much for even us and it wouldn''t be good to waste something as precious as it, in the world''s current apocalyptic situation. Right?"


    Miguel smiled meaningfully at the bulky man, studying his expression and wanting to hear his reply.


    "But if you really do insist on us fighting for the meat, then we can go ahead with. The question is are you sure you would win?" He added, and walked back to his group.


    He continued watching the bulky man, waiting for a response.


    A heavy and slightly oppressive silence enveloped the two group, and it heightened by the rain drenching the two of them.


    Grewishka was looking at Miguel and his group, deep in thought. He was trying to assess the situation, stimulating in his head, scenarios that would follow any response that he would give.


    He thought about it and after nearly a full minute, he sighed and looked back at his group. He could see that they were ready to fight but with how empty their stomach is, would they even be able to put up a fight?


    Though he felt that he might be strong enough to carry the Boar, carrying it back to the base with how rough the terrain is was completely different.


    Though he saw how exhausted Miguel and his group looks, he still didn''t like his odds.


    Grewishka doesn''t want to lose any of his men. With the world already gone to shit and danger lurking at every corner, the more manpower they, the safer they are.


    Also, with Miguel''s group having something of such high stake on the line, who knows what they would do to keep it.


    Grewishka sighed again when he thought of this. He knew that there was only one thing he can do. He can''t continue putting on an act, as he has no idea what would happen if he continues to fake it.


    With the current situation of the world, one can no longer fake it till they make it. Everyone has something on the line.


    "Fine. You''re right, old man. We can''t take it all, what we actually want is just two of its leg. Can you help us to tell the original owner this?" He said, after a few moments of silence in deep thought.


    Hearing this, Miguel smiled, while inwardly letting out a sigh of relief. He was happy that he won''t have to fight the bulky man and his group, but for him to ask for two legs, wasn''t that a bit too much for all of them.


    Miguel thought about it but no matter how he did, he still can''t understand why they would need two legs of the massive Mutant Boar.


    The Boar''s legs looks nearly as thick as a tree trunk, each one a meal that could feed dozens.


    ''How does a group of 8 people intends to eat so much?'' Miguel asked himself.


    The only explanation was that there were still a lot more people back at their base. This was the only explanation Miguel could think of.


    It seems like he wasn''t the only that had this thought, as he could see the surprised expression on their faces, followed by furrowing of brows.


    Miguel smiled and was about to go talk to Ves but when he turned, he saw her walking out of the building.


    "You can have the two legs but if you come back here next time and try to pull what you just did today, trust me, you will have yourself to blame for whatever happens to you," she said, and immediately walked back into the building, without bothering to listen to anything any of them had to say.


    Miguel was slightly taken aback by Ves'' sudden appearance but her words made him smile. He turned to look at the bulky man and smiled meaningfully at him.


    From the stiff expression on his face, Miguel was sure that he also could feel it¡ªthe peculiar aura around Ves that''s similar to that of zombies.


    Miguel didn''t bother to continue wasting time with the bulky man as he got his group to bring what they would also use to dissect the Boar and transport it into the building.


    He knew that he can''t leave the Boar''s carcass outside for you long as it would attract the other beast to the area. And with how world have changed and the strongest among them is currently seriously injured m, things would get troublesome if any monster are to come, attract by the blood of the Boar.


    Grewishka immediately got his team to get to get to work and they started dissecting the Boar. This was the same with Miguel and his group.


    As the two teams dissects the Boar, they couldn''t help but think of how much the world has changed and what type of horrifying monsters they are going to see in the future.

 Chapter 34 - 34: New Threats [Bonus Chapter]

    Ves was watching Leo sleep, caressing his face and thinking of the time when they were still in the orphanage home. S§×ar?h the n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    She remembered how the kids there looked up to Leo and treated him as their big brother. This was mostly because Leo was the oldest among them, with the second older being just a year younger than him.


    Remembering the orphanage home and everyone there, Ves felt a slight feeling of melancholia.


    The Mutant Boar they just fought made her to almost lose hope that they might still be alive, somewhere out there.


    With how young the children are and the how old the workers there are, surviving in this new world would be extremely difficult. Infact, beyond difficult.


    The orphanage was staffed mostly by elderly women or young, inexperienced females. Ves couldn''t fathom how the weak, inexperienced, and elderly staffs would be able to protect themselves, let alone the children.


    Still, she was still hopeful. She sighed and closed her eyes briefly, before standing up. She walked to the window and looked at the Mutant Boar where it lay inert on the floor.


    She still couldn''t believe that they were able to beat something as huge as that. If someone told her that something like would be possible, she would look at such person like they are late on their meds.


    One of the reasons for this is that the Mutant Boar was something that just the size alone was enough to cause someone to pee their pants.


    Ves studied the Mutant Boar, thinking of what to do with its carcass. Leaving it where it was was completely out of the question, as it would do them more harm than good.


    Considering its size, the first thing they would experience would the catastrophic smell that would envelope the area if it starts decaying. And this is if the carcass doesn''t attract the attention of other monsters and that will spell even more trouble for them.


    And with how things are right now, Ves felt that the second has more likelihood of happening.


    Ves was still thinking about it when her eyes lit up in realization the next moment.


    "Yes, we can do that. It should be edible as apart from just being huge, the fleshy part of it that I touch didn''t feel much different to normal meat," Ves said to herself.


    Though she wasn''t entirely sure if her guess is correct, she knew that they have to do something about the Mutant Boar''s carcass, and this was the only way she could think of.


    Also, with how edible it looks and how difficult the world has become, it would be a sin to let it go to waste.


    Carry it out and dispose it somewhere? Impossible. It''s something that even the combined strength of everyone in the building won''t be able to achieve.


    Thinking of how they defeated it, Ves smiled proudly. Her smile turned stiff the next moment, causing a slightly funny expression to appear on her face, when she saw a group of people walking towards the Mutant Boar.


    With just a glance she could already guess what their intentions are. She frowned and immediately left the room, making her way to the ground floor.


    Immediately after stepping out of the elevator, she heard someone who looks like the leader of the unknown group, telling Miguel to fight him for the Boar''s carcass if he wants to lay claim to it.


    She got angry when she heard this and was about to go teach the loud mouth a lesson when she heard what Miguel said next. Out of curiosity to see how he would handle the situation and get an understanding of his character, she decided to wait.


    She was really surprised and impressed by what Miguel said, and how he handled the situation.


    Her curiosity piqued and she waited to see how the unknown group leader would respond and react.


    The following moments, a smile bloomed on her face when she heard his response.


    "He''s smart," she muttered to herself, thinking of how Miguel handled the situation perfectly.


    She quickly changed the expression on her face, replacing the smile with a piercing glare and with furrowed brows. Her lips pressed into a thin, unyielding line, and she set her jaw so tightly it exudes raw dominance.


    After putting on the best boss lady expression she could, she walked to the door, out of the building and to where the two groups were standing.


    "You can have the two legs but if you come back here next time and try to pull what you just did today, trust me, you will have yourself to blame for whatever happens to you," she said, and immediately walked back into the building, without bothering to listen to anything any of them had to say.


    Ves walked back into the building and relaxed the expression on her. She sighed and made her way to the eighth floor, to the apartment she''s sharing with Leo.


    Now, that she thought of it, she could choose any of the apartments on the eighth floor but instead, she chose to stay in the same apartment with Leo.


    This was something that was very easy for anyone who heard it and had no prior knowledge of their relationship, to misunderstand. If not for the fact that Leo was years younger than her, their situation would be like something out a kdrama.


    Yes, Leo had caught her in just her panties before but that was a honest mistake from the two of them.


    Ves couldn''t help but giggle to herself when she thought of it. She felt like teasing Leo about it again. To her, she felt that the chances of anything happening between her and Leo was nil.


    Leo would remain nothing more than her little brother and that won''t change no matter what.


    Though she felt that things might be actually different if Leo was at max two years younger than her. But that''s on a maybe.


    Ves felt her becoming hot when she thought of this.


    "What are you thinking, Ves?" She immediately slapped her face lightly, and bringing herself back to reality.


    The elevator finally arrived on the eighth floor, and as she stepped out, her eyes widened in shock, her brows furrowing into a deep frown while her body tensed slightly.


    "Where did they come from? Six of them? Were they drawn by the scent of the Boar''s blood? Or are they a new territorial threat" She asked herself in a mixture of shock, fear and nervousness.


    The reason why Ves was feeling this was because in the range of her [Predator Sight] and [Life Force Detection] skills, shows a pack of six wolves. And from the intensity of life force she detected from them, the weakest among them was two to three level lower than the Mutant Boar.

 Chapter 35 - 35: Shocking Healing Speed [Bonus Chapter]

    One of Ves'' innate skills, [Life force Detection] is a passive skill unique to the zombie side of her. And just as the name implies and as said before, it''s a skill that allows her to detect life force in a 50 meters range, even obstacles like walls or other mundane things blocking her sight.


    In her sight, the life force of all lifeform is like a bright burning green flame and using the intensity at which it''s burning, she can deduce the level of lifeform.


    Though it''s mostly accurate but not always. She has tried on Leo and the intensity at which his life force was burning didn''t correlate to his level.


    To give an analogy, the life force of other people, zombies and monsters she has seen were no bigger than a candle flicker.


    The biggest she has seen is the size of a softball and that belonged to the level 9 Mutant Boar. But Leo''s life force was way bigger and it burns brighter than other, not only that, it was colored strangely.


    Unlike others, Leo''s life force is like a swirling sphere of purple-and-gold flames, roughly the size of a basketball.


    At first she thought it was normal as he was only human that has been with her, but when she saw the color Miguel had his group''s life force, and at the intensity at which it was burning, she knew just how different he was.


    As for her other skill, [Predator Sight], it''s similar to [Life Force Detection], but instead of merely sensing a target''s life force, it enables her to actually "see" and track them.


    Its range isn''t infinite, yet it''s still greater than [Life Force Detection]. Though it requires quite a significant amount of mana to use. But by combining detection, lock-on, and tracking all at once, it becomes an immensely powerful ability.


    Ves continued to watch the pack of wolves, as she slowly made her way to the apartment.


    She saw that they were just standing at a distance, watching the the two groups dissecting the Mutant Boar''s carcass.


    Ves didn''t understand why they were just standing and weren''t making any attempt if attacking¡ªnot that she was hoping for them to¡ªbut she was happy and relieved about it.


    She didn''t know what was stopping them from attacking but she hopes that whatever it is delays then for as long as possible.


    With Leo still unconscious, her fingers yet to heal and with how tired Miguel, and his group are, if the wolves are to really attack, then things are going to get very difficult.


    "Dangers is really at every turn." She sighed, as she finally arrived at door of the apartment.


    She opened the door and walked into the apartment. Walking into the apartment, she deactivated her [Predator Sight] skill, as it taken quite a shave in her mana pool, reducing it it from its original 130 points to 10 points in just 20 seconds. It was literally a mana sinkhole.


    Ves didn''t want to deactivate the skill but she doesn''t know what would happen if her mana points completely goes down to zero, and she doesn''t want to find out.


    She was still thinking about her skills and the Wolf pack when she heard Leo''s voice, startling her


    "I was actually looking for you, Ms Ves," Leo said, and was surprised to see Ms Ves holding her chest and heaving a sigh of relief.


    "Are you ok, Ms Ves," Leo asked, with a worried voice.


    "No... I was lost in thought and your voice startled me a bit." Ves smiled, and walked to Leo.


    "What are you doing up? You should stay in bed. Your injury is very serious. You need to rest and allow it to heal completely," Ves said, with a stern face.


    "My injuries are healed already and I''ve taken off the bandage," Leo replied, and walked to the kitchen to get himself something to eat.


    He initially planned to eat before the Mutant Boar showed up and after that intense battle that almost left him at death''s door, he was feeling extremely hungry.


    Ves was surprised when she heard what Leo said. She couldn''t believe it and she immediately rushed towards him.


    "What do you mean by your injuries are healed already and you have taken off the bandage?," she said, as she worriedly pulled his shirt up.


    Shockingly, when she pulled his shirt, she saw nothing showing that Leo was injured or has been injured.


    What was supposed to be the injury site was now covered by healthy and perfect skin. It was just as Leo said, he''s fully healed.


    "Impossible. A serious injury like that couldn''t have possibly healed in such a short amount of time. How? It has only been like 20 minutes and the injury was at least 2 inches," Ves muttered to herself in shock, and disbelief.


    "Ms Ves. Ms Ves." Leo called to Ves who had already spaced out.


    "Huh, what?" Ves responded in curiosity when she heard Leo calling her name.


    "You''re holding my shirt." Leo smiled.


    "Ohhh..." She said and immediately released his shirt.


    "I''m sorry about that. I was shocked at your speed of recovery. It''s shocking." She said, and lightly clenched her fist, but the sting that followed made her unclench it quickly. S~ea??h the nov§×lF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ''It hurts like hell. How did he heal so fast?.''


    Leo smiled with his thoughts unknown when he heard what Ms Ves said. He was actually surprised when he woke up and saw a part of his stomach area bandaged.


    He knew that the only reason it would be there was probably because he was injured and Ms Ves took care of it, but the surprising thing was that he didn''t feel any discomfort when he moved or touched the area.


    And when he took off the bandage, he found nothing. He was surprised but he didn''t think too much about it as he thought that the injury might had not been initially serious. But hearing what Ms Ves just said told him otherwise.


    Leo knew that this was related to his [Regeneration] skill and it made him very curious to know more about what it can do.


    Growl!


    His stomach protested loudly.


    But that would have to wait as his stomach needs to be filled.

 Chapter 36 - 36: An Overpowered Skill

    Leo and Ves could be seen seated on the dining table, having a meal.


    As Leo ate, he curiously decided to check his stat screen. He called it up and he froze when he saw the figures being displayed on it.


    [Name: Leo ****]


    [Level: 9]


    [Specie(s): Human, ****, ****]


    [Class: ¨C]


    [Title: None]


    ______


    [Strength: 19]


    [Agility: 19 (+15)]


    [Stamina: 18]


    [Intelligence: 13]


    [Mana: 100]


    ______


    [Stat Point(s): 12]


    ______


    [Skill(s): Regeneration (Innate).]


    ''Level 9... Nice. I went up four levels. Not bad''


    Leo felt that the rate at which he was improving and getting stronger was quite fast but he still wasn''t satisfied. Though he was very much aware that he can''t just become extremely strong in a single day or short period of time, but he wants to be strong enough that even more of the Boar comes, he would be able to face them comfortably.


    The way he felt almost powerless in the fight with the Mutant Boar was something he never want to experience again.


    ''It seems I have to clear out the building fast and go hunting outside,'' he thought to himself.


    I should use my free stat points immediately. No use keeping them.''


    He immediately distributed his free stat points, equally between his Strength, Agility and Stamina.


    After using up his free stat points, Leo''s attributes experience a huge boost and he felt the same sensation of getting stronger.


    After he was done with that, he decided to satiate his curiosity and check his [Regeneration] skill to know the reason why his healing speed was so fast¡ªalledgedly.


    It''s something that he has never been curious about but the situation calls for it. He wants some explanation.


    Thinking of how to get the answers he wanted, he focused his attention on it and the next moment, his familiar stat screen was replaced by another screen, displaying the full information of his [Regeneration] skill.


    _______


    [Regeneration] (Innate) (Unique)


    Type: Passive/Active


    Mana Cost:


    Passive: 10 MP/minute


    Active: 50 MP Cooldown (Active Use): 10 minutes.


    Description: A unique skill derived from the traits of two very powerful race


    The skill grants accelerated healing and regeneration capabilities. In its passive form, it restores the user''s physical injuries and ailments at a rate significantly faster than a normal life form. In its active form, it can regenerate critical damage, restore lost limbs, and heal internal injuries at the cost of mana and stamina.


    Overhealing excess damage can temporarily enhance physical stats (e.g., strength, stamina).


    Unique Feature: Enhanced adaptability: Regenerates stronger tissues over time (e.g., bones become denser, muscles more elastic) based on previous injuries.


    [Additional Note: The user''s life force affects the potency of this skill.]


    Leo didn''t know how to respond when he saw the description of the skill. He thought that the skill was just something that was sitting duck there, but now that he read its description, he knew that it was very powerful skill.


    Though it''s not an offensive or defensive skill but what the skill can do is something skills in both categories would never be able to achieve.


    Healing lost limbs and organs? That was beyond amazing! Though it would cost a significant amount of mana points and stamina points but to Leo, it''s a very small price to pay for the effects that the skill would achieve.


    To Leo, this was like having something of an extra life of some sort. As long as he isn''t dead and have enough Mana, and Stamina points, he can heal and return to his peak form.


    And not only that, the skill also has a unique feature, enhanced adaptability. A feature that would make sure to make the injured tissue stronger than it previously was.


    This means with time, his body might become so strong that he won''t have to worry about getting injured. If that doesn''t make the skill powerful, then Leo has no idea what else will.


    Though Leo has some questions. From the skill description, he read that skill was derived from two very powerful races and it got him curious about the origin of the skill.


    From what he knew, the second voice he heard that day that had a vague sense of familiarity to it, has no connection to the voice that accompanys their stats screen.


    If that was so, then it was probably something unique to him alone. This got him even more curious about his actual identity and that of his parents.


    He remembered Tatiana saying something the two most powerful races in the universe and thinking about the two very powerful races that was in his skill''s description, Leo felt that there might be a connection.


    ''What connection could there possibly be?'' Leo scoffed.


    ''Even though I might be special as Tatiana said, linking my identity to the two most powerful races in the universe is going above and beyond. Though I''m curious about the life force part and I''m also curious about why everything I''ve seen so far is one way or the other related to it''s.'' Leo murmured in a curious tone.


    He was curious about a lot of things and has a lot of questions that needs answers, but since Tatiana isn''t around, he would have wait.


    Now that Leo has gotten an explanation for why his injuries was able to heal so fast, he decided to focus his attention on other things. And one of them being the most important at the moment, taking care of the Mutant Boar''s carcass.


    He didn''t know if Ms Ves was already taking care of it and he decided to ask.


    "Ms Ves," he called out to her.


    Ves, who was seated at the other end of the table, having her meal, raised her head and looked at Leo, curious to know why he called her.


    "Yes."


    "What do you think we should do with the monster''s body? If we leave it there, it would bring more problems for us. If something like that appear here, then it means that other wild animals like it can.


    And with the commotion that the fight caused and the blood from its injury, they might already be around," Leo said, as he continued eating his food.


    "About that, you don''t need to worry. It''s already being taken care of by the bjew group," Ves responded, and lowered her head, contemplating if she''s to tell Leo about the wolf pack.


    She was very conflicted on what to do. Should she tell him about it? Or should she not?


    She was very sure about what his reaction would be if she does tell him¡ªhe would want to fight them and it''s for this reason that she doesn''t want to tell him.


    It hasn''t been long since the very dangerous battle with the Mutant Boar that left him heavily injured. Even though he has recovered and he''s back in perfect shape, thrusting him into another battle and one that looks like it''s going to be even more dangerous than the last, is something she isn''t willing to do.


    Ves couldn''t help but grip her fork tightly when she thought of putting Leo in danger again. sea??h th§× N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    But she was also aware of how dangerous not telling Leo about the wolf pack is.


    Ves knew that there was nothing else she could do but to let Leo know¡ªeven if she doesn''t want to.


    ''If only I was stronger. If only I was strong enough, he wouldn''t have to put himself in danger to protect those who are supposed to be the adults.'' She smiled wryly.


    Just as she was about to tell Leo about the wolf pack when they heard a bloodcurdling scream.


    Ves froze and immediately looked towards the source of the scream and her face went pale.


    "Oh no, they are here," she said, as she immediately stood up from her seat.


    "Who is ''they''?" Leo, who was already standing on his feet, asked curiously.


    "More monsters."

 Chapter 37 - 37: Wolf Pack

    "More monsters?" Leo''s brow furrowed as he picked up Nightshade from the table and gripped it tightly.


    He knew that the situation was very dangerous as he could see the fear in Ms Ves''s eyes. And the fact that she used a plural form meant that they are more than one.


    "How many?" he asked, his voice calm despite the swirling emotions that he was feeling at the moment.


    "Six. It''s a pack of six wolves and its leader''s level seems to be just be slightly lower than the Mutant Boar," Ves replied, as her face hardened.


    She had been hoping that whatever it was that was stoping the wolves from attacking would continue to do so but it seems that she was asking for too much.


    She knew that the only thing they can do right now is to fight the wolves head on¡ªsomething she doesn''t want to happen.


    ''I''m still yet to recover from my injury.''


    Leo was surprised when he heard that the monsters in question is a pack of six wolves. He knew that the sounds from his and Ms Ves fight with the Mutant Boar would have already attracted the attention of any lifeforms in the vicinity.


    Not only that, he knew that the blood that constantly bleeding out from the Mutant Boar''s injury will also attract them. But what Leo didn''t expect was for one to appear so fast.


    Also, he was curious to know why so many animals that are supposed to be in the wild are in what that can be called a city. He wonders if there''s a zoo nearby as it''s the only that can explain everything.


    But that wasn''t important at the moment. What is more important right now is dealing with the wolf pack.


    Thinking of this, Leo subconsciously looked at Ms Ves'' bandaged hand, indicating that her injuries are yet to heal.


    ''It seems I would have to do it alone,'' Leo said to himself


    He was about to walk to the door when he was stopped by Ms Ves. He turned to look at her and he saw the look in her eyes that seems to be begging him not to go.


    He wasn''t sure if he was seeing it right but even if it''s true, he knew that the only reason she would be showing such a reaction was because she was worried about his safety.


    From what she said, the pack leader is two levels lower than the Mutant Boar they just fought, which means that the other five wolves in its pack would be at max, three level below it.


    Though he knew that this might not be accurate but it was just him playing it safe.


    With this, he could see why Ms Ves was worried. And with the fact that she won''t be able to fight due to her injuries might have increased her worries.


    "It''s okay. I will be careful," Leo said, as he smiled at reassuringly.


    Ms Ves sighed when she heard what he said. Of course, she knew that she won''t be able to make him change his mind. It was the reason why she didn''t want to tell him about them in the first place.


    Remembering how badly he was injured during his fight, Ves hesitated a little to let him go but she knew she has to.


    Ves smiled back at Leo and nodded at him, telling him to go.


    Leo nodded back at Ms Ves and was about to leave, when he heard her telling him to wait.


    "Wait here," she said and immediately rushed to her room.


    She appeared seconds later with what to be two coloured glass balls in ger hands.


    "Here, they seem to have come from the Mutant Boar. I don''t know what they are and I know it''s not the best time to give them to you but I think you should have them, as you might need them," she said, as she handed the glass balls over to him.


    The two glass balls were something she saw lying beside the body of the Mutant Boar when she wanted to carry Leo. She had no idea what it was but she decided to pick it up as she felt it was important.


    Leo took the blue colored glass balls and turned them over, looking at them curiously to know what they are.


    As if to answer his question, the familiar windows appeared in his eyes.


    On one of the glass balls was displayed [Skill Orb] and on the second was displayed [Equipment Orb].


    Instinctively, without needing anyone to tell him what had to be done, he squeezed the two orbs and they shattered into motes of light, leaving two objects behind in their places.


    In one is a set of sliver daggers and above them is a window displaying its information.


    [Twin Fang Daggers (Rare): +10 Agility when equipped.]


    In his second hand is a brown scroll, that had a blue aura around it, with its information being displayed above it.


    [Seismic Stomp (Rare): The user slams the ground, releasing a shockwave that stuns enemies within 10 meters for 5 seconds. Cooldown: 15 seconds.]


    Leo''s eyes widened in surprise, then in realization when he read the information being displayed above the brown scroll.


    From the description, he felt that this was the skill that the Mutant Boar used that made him unable to move.


    ''How do I learn it?'' Leo thought to himself, as he squeezed the scroll but nothing happened.


    "You just have to wish to learn it. It''s that simple." He heard Tatiana''s voice in his head.


    He froze and slowly raised his head. Lo and behold, he saw the devil herself seated on the chair he was previously seated on, with Elda standing behind her as usual.


    He saw her smiling at him and he heard her voice in his head. Sear?h the NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "Missed me?"


    He smiled and rolled his eyes at her question, before quickly turning his attention back to the scroll and he did as Tatiana said.


    The next moment, the brown scroll followed the two blue orbs, turning into motes of lights.


    [You learned an external active skill: Seismic Stomp. You can learn 4 more external active skills.]


    Leo smiled brightened in happiness and in curiosity when he saw the message floating in front in his eyes.


    Now, he has acquired a additional skill, he was naturally very happy. With this skill, even though he''s outnumbered, he should be able to hold his ground against the wolf pack.


    He turned his attention to the dual daggers in his hand and looked at Ms Ves who was still standing in front of him.


    "Thanks Ms Ves. Though, you will have to keep this for yourself, I can''t make use of it," he said, as he handed the daggers to her.


    "Ok. But I can''t use them. I will keep them for you later to decide later what to do with them," Ves said, as she collected the daggers from Leo.


    Leo wanted to ask why Ms Ves can''t use the daggers and he also wants to stop her from following him due to her injury, but he decided not to as there was something more important at the moment.


    Immediately, he left the apartment, with Ms Ves following behind, and the two them made their way to the ground floor.


    When they arrived at the ground floor, they saw a pack of wolves slowly circling a group of humans and the body of the Mutant Boar.


    Immediately, sensing Leo''s presence, they turned to look at him.

 Chapter 38 - 38: Wolf Pack (II)

    Miguel, who was a former butcher was finally using his skills since the world ended.


    Gripping his axe skillfully, he slashed at the monster''s flesh¡ªtargeting the underbelly side where it was injured by Leo and Ves¡ªthe blade biting deep into the thick, sinewy hide, widening the tear, and leaving a gaping hole in the monster''s body.


    Dark blood oozed from the gaping wound, pooling around the carcass as he pulled the axe free with a sharp tug. The air was heavy with the metallic scent of gore, mingling with the faint stench of decay.


    He slashed again, targeting the already expanded tear. The axe bit deeper this time, ripping through the monster''s flesh with a sickening squelch, widening the gash further. Organs, slick and glistening, came into view, spilling slightly as even more blood poured from the wound, staining the ground in thick, dark rivulets.


    The air grew even more oppressive, heavy with the cloying metallic tang of blood, made worse by the humid rain failing to fully wash it away. The choking stench of gore and decay lingered, saturating the space and seemingly clinging to everything nearby


    Miguel''s hand was now stained with blood, but a bright smile could be seen on his face. Breathing heavily, he paused to wipe his brow, smearing it with streaks of crimson from his already-stained hands.


    He looked at the eight individuals holding up two of the monster''s leg and nodded.


    The individuals saw Miguel nodding and left the legs of the Boar, letting it fall with a loud thud. They immediately walked towards a distance, to where to individuals each where holding a small rope attached the two legs they were previously holding up.


    Joining forces with the two individuals, they pulled the monster''s right limbs apart with all their strength, trying to create more space to expose its split underbelly.


    They groaned as they tugged at the ropes, pulling. It was only a couple of minutes of pulling, did they finally achieve their aim.


    The monster''s right limbs fell to the ground with a loud thud, splashing blood stained water around.


    The boar''s hulking body now lay sprawled, its chest cavity partially exposed and organs shifting under the tension of its spread frame.


    Its intact ribcage arched upward, while the underbelly''s opening provided full access. Blood pooled beneath it, mingling with rain, creating the illusion of a fully split carcass. sea??h th§× ¦ÇovelFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "Who knew the monster''s skin would be this hard? Really, big respect to the people who defeated it," one of Grewishka''s men said in an incredulous voice, staring gobsmacked at the Boar''s hulking body.


    He still couldn''t believe that such a behemoth was defeated by a human and from what he has heard from Miguel''s group, a boy who looks to be in his teen and a young woman who was just a little older than him.


    He felt like he has been cheated in life when he heard it. He just couldn''t understand just how they were able to defeat such a mammoth. He, just like everyone, was fully aware that the world has changed in many very unimaginable ways but he felt that no matter how much its changed, some logic should still remain. But it seems like he has been completely left behind.


    Miguel smiled at the man''s words. He didn''t blame him as he knew that what the boy and the young lady achieved is something that he wouldn''t had believed if he didn''t see it for himself.


    "Now, if we can find a way to cut and break the bones, the rest should be easy," He said, as he let out a deep breath.


    Cutting the underbelly of the Boar wasn''t exactly an easy job for him. Even though he was using his axe and his full strength, its flesh was unnaturally elastic, absorbing impacts and resisting cuts as though it were layered with thick, living rubber.


    If it wasn''t that his axe was extremely sharp and he, himself, was strong, he wouldn''t had been successful.


    He wasn''t actually the first person that attempted to cut the monster''s body. It was one of Grewishka''s men that tried to use a kitchen knife on it. And unsurprisingly, the knife immediately it made contact with its body. It never stood a chance from the beginning.


    Miguel frowned slightly as he thought of how he was going to cut the Boar''s bones. If he actually wants to dissect its body, he would have to take care of the towering ribcage that stood like curved beams. But that is literally impossible with how tough the bone is.


    He had tried before, and the memory still lingered unpleasantly. The force of his swing had been absorbed by the unyielding bone, sending a jarring vibration through his axe and back into his arms. The impact had rattled his entire body.


    He was still thinking of how to proceed next, when he heard a scream that sent shivers down his spine, causing him to shiver slightly.


    He looked at the person that screamed¡ªthe young girl in his group¡ªand saw her pointing at the distance.


    He followed her fingers and his eyes widened in shock and fear. His body froze for a moment and his breath was caught in his lungs.


    Miguel couldn''t believe what he was seeing. A pack of six wolves was slowly approaching them, drooling savagely as they seem to eye them and the Mutant Boar''s carcass.


    He seem to recover himself the next moment as he gripped his axe tightly and prepared himself for the imminent battle to come. His knuckles whitened as he tightened his grip on the axe, waiting for the inevitable.


    He wanted to run but after he saw just how fast the Mutant Boar was, and with how big, and tall the wolves in front of him are, even taller than a Tibetan Mastiff, Miguel doesn''t see any chances of them escaping. This leaves them with no other choice than to fight.


    He watched as the wolves approached them slowly with heavy thud of paws against wet ground growing louder, punctuated by low, guttural growls, snarling menacingly, baring their teeth. In no time they were surrounded and being encircled.


    Miguel looked towards the building''s entrance, hoping for the lady to come to their aid. He wasn''t being too hopeful as he saw how badly injured they were from fighting the Mutant Boar, but he was still being hopeful as it was the only he had to hold up at this moment. Hope.


    While he hoped agd waited, he continued watching the wolves, hoping to react quickly when they attack.


    He saw the wolves inching closer to them and just as he thought that they are about to attack, he saw one of them turn to look at the building''s entrance, and he also followed its line of sight. What he saw caused a smile to bloom on his face.


    "They came." He muttered to himself.


    He was only being hopeful but he didn''t really believe that they would come.


    "We should be safe now." He muttered to himself, relaxing slightly, as he looked at Leo, who was standing at the entrance of the building.


    The next moment, he saw the boy make his move as he blitzef towards them. In a matter of seconds, he arrived in front of them and slashed at one of the wolves.

 Chapter 39 - 39: The Wolf Pack (III)

    Leo stood in front of the wolf pack, gripping Nightshade tightly in his hand. He watched as they encircled him, trying to trap him and making sure that he doesn''t escape.


    He looked ahead and saw two wolves, one lying on the floor, whining loudly and licking its leg where a gash could be seen with blood bleeding out of it. And another standing in front of the injured, seemingly guarding it while glaring fiercely at Leo and growling intensely.


    The wolf lying on floor was the wolf that Leo had attacked initially, it got injured and just before Leo could finish it off, the one guarding it rushed in and saved it.


    Leo was surprised when he saw the second wolf''s action and just when he was about to continue his attack, the second wolf howled sharply and the whole pack turned their attentions to him and encircled him.


    For one, Leo was surprised by the pack''s action. He didn''t expect the type of coordination they exhibited and the fact that they were willing to switch their target to him because he injured one of their members baffled him a little.


    Leo had watched documentaries on wolves are exceptionally loyal to their pack and those in it, treating each other as family. But there''s a difference between hearing something and seeing it for oneself.


    Also, with the world changing and everything, Leo felt that the wolves should be behaving more like what they actually are; wild animals. But their actions seems to differ greatly from that.


    His initial intention for the wolves was just like the Mutant Boar; fight them and kill them, but the wolves'' reactions changes everything.


    Seeing how coordinated the wolf pack were when they surrounded him and how intelligent their leader is, gave Leo an very outrageous thought.


    ''Is is possible?'' he thought to himself.


    What Leo intends to do is to tame the wolf pack. Yes, game the wolf pack. The idea itself felt very ridiculous to Leo that the probability of its failing was staring at him right in the face.


    For starters, how does he intend to achieve that? Does he even know what had to be done and how it''s to be done? Actually the question that should be asked is why he wants to tame a pack of mutant beasts?


    Well, the answer to that is already obvious. The wolf pack is valuable to Leo alive than dead. Their excellent coordination and intelligent of their leader is something that Leo would want to make use of.


    But all these is based on if he actually succeeds on taming them and he has no idea on how he''s going to do that.


    "Hey Tia," he called out to Tatiana in his head, hoping for her hear him.


    He remembered how he heard her voice I his head and he was hoping that she would hear him. But unfortunately for him, whatever Tatiana did to speak to him directly in his head didn''t seem to be a two way thing as he got no response from her.


    He wanted to ask Tatiana if she has any information on how to tame beasts but that won''t be possible anymore.


    He looked at the wolf pack''s leader and he saw that it was licking the injury of the injured wolf, whining. Its whines seems to be filled with pain and anger. As if sensing Leo looking at it, it turned to him and howled sharply.


    Immediately, the wolves that had encircled Leo, attacked all at once. Leo immediately reacted as he dodged an attack coming from his left by sidestepping.


    He turned his head and saw two wolves lunging at his neck, and he quickly sidestepped again, dodging the attack.


    He wasn''t allowed a moment of respite when he saw something moving quickly from the corner of his eyes. He tried to dodge but he was too slow as he felt a sharp pain from the left side of his stomach.


    His instinctual reaction was touch the place where the pain came from and check what injured him but when he saw three wolves coming at once from all sides, he decided to get serious.


    He immediately switched the sharp side of his blade for the dull side and just as the first of the three wolves lunged at him, he swung hard at its belly.


    The wolf let out a sharp yelp as the dull side of the blade crashed in the side of his belly. It fell to the ground and started letting out continuous whimpering sounds.


    The remaining two wolves seeing their comrade on the ground, got enraged and attacked Leo immediately.


    They snarled and lunged at him but Leo was faster. With a quick set of movements, he arrived in front of them and struck down at their backs with the dull side of Nightshade.


    The two wolves reactions was just like the previous as they let out a loud, sharp yelp and fell to the ground, whimpering.


    After dealing with the two, Leo turned just in time to see something moving fast towards him. He reacted immediately as he swung his blade in that direction.


    The blade made contact with the attacking wolf and a clanging sound was heard, followed by a loud yelp and then continuous whimpering sound.


    Leo looked on the floor and saw the four wolves that previously surrounded him, now lying on the floor, curled up and whimpering in pain.


    Leo didn''t know what to make of this site. The wolves'' reactions didn''t seem to be that of those that came from the wild. They were unlike anything like the savage Mutant Boar.


    He was very curious to know why they were behaving the way they were but that might not be possible anymore, as he looked at their leader and he saw the rage burning in its eyes.


    The injured wolf was still lying on the floor and from what Leo could see, it was already on the brink of death.


    The next moment, what Leo knew was the pack leader moved and before he could react, it was already in front of him.


    He reacted immediately and swung his blade but the wolf was faster as it bent down, dodging, before immediately lunging at him.


    Seeing the wolf lunging at him, Leo wanted to dodge but with the distance between them being so small and his body still under his previous attack momentum, the only thing he can was to take the attack head on.


    Leo braced himself for impact but just as the wolf attack was about to land on him, Ms Ves appeared beside him in a blue and punched it.


    Ves'' punch sent the wolf flying wnd tumbling onto the ground.


    "Sorry, I''m late. I had to make sure that I got all of them to safety," She said, as she took an attacking stance beside him.


    Leo smiled and nodded at her in appreciation.


    Ms Ves was previously handling the task of rescuing and getting the other survivors to safety while Leo attracted the attention of the wolf pack and deal with it.


    Leo turned his attention back to the wolf pack leader, who was now standing on its feet and growling at them and now slowly approaching the two of them.


    The other wolves were previously whimpering on the floor were now also on their feet and slowly approaching them, following behind their pack leader.


    As he watched the wolf pack''s approach, his eyes moved towards the injured wolf on the floor and he saw that another wolf was now guarding it in place of the pack leader that was previously guarding it.


    Seeing this, Leo got curious to know the reason why the injured wolf was being so closely guarded by the pack. Why is it so important? He didn''t get the answer to his question but it gave him an idea. A crazy one.


    Leo couldn''t explain why he was having this idea but something inside of him seems to be telling him to tame these wolves. And there''s something like a vague guide telling him how to go about it.


    Leo would be lying to say that he wasn''t confused by everything but how much the world changed in just a day, he knew that his guts is one of his biggest to surviving this world.


    And right now, that same guts is telling him to do something crazy. He has no idea why he was having these crazy ideas in his head in the first place but no matter how crazy the ideas are, they sounded better than killing off the wolves.


    Leo let out a deep breath as he looked at the injured wolf again, before turning to look at the wolf pack slowly approaching them and about to surround the both of them.


    "Ms Ves, I have an idea. Do you trust me?" He asked, as he continuing watching the wolves slowly approach.


    "With my life, Leo," Ves replied confidently.


    "Thank you. Now, please listen carefully," Leo said and told Ms Ves what to do.


    Immediately after he was done, he rushed towards the injured wolf and reacting to his action, the wolf pack turned their attention to him and rushed towards him.


    As Leo darted toward the injured wolf, the pack leader let out a thunderous growl. The wolves surged forward as one, their snarls echoing like a battle cry.


    "Keep them distracted, Ms. Ves!" Leo shouted, his pulse racing. If he could just reach the injured one... sea??h th§× n?vel_Fire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

 Chapter 40 - 40: Taming The Wolf Pack

    Leo jumped, narrowly dodging an attack from one of the wolves. He dove down, sliding and dodging another attack by just a hair breadth.


    He was inching closer to the injured wolf with every step but the pack were more determined to stop him, and their determination kept growing by the second and this was the same with their aggression.


    Ms Ves was behind him, doing her best to hold them back but they kept slipping through, until it was just the pack leader that was left. And now, the two of them were engaged in a very fierce battle.


    The wolf pack leader was also getting even more aggressive in its battle with Ms Ves and was giving her a very hard time. And to make things even more difficult for her, she''s yet to recover fully from her injury, causing her to experience pain with each exchange she had with pack leader.


    Leo knew that he has pick up the pace when he saw Ms Ves struggling and doing her best to hold back the pack leader. And he was also aware that she wasn''t going to last long.


    He knew that things would get even more difficult if the pack leader is join in the fray currently chasing after him, and this another reason for him to hurry things up.


    He continued running towards the injured wolf and in almost in front of it, with the only obstacle standing between him and it being the wolf that''s guarding it. And also, those chasing him from behind.


    He took a step forward and the next moment the guard wolf lunged at him, baring its fangs at him.


    Leo sidestepped, narrowly dodging the attack, but just as he prepared to move forward, he felt a sharp tug on his pants.


    Glancing down, he saw one of the wolves clamped onto the fabric, its teeth tearing into the material as it tried to yank it from his waist.


    Leo grunted and punched the wolf on the nose, causing it to release his pants and fall to the ground, whimpering in pain.


    Leo didn''t pay attention to its whimpering as he moved towards the injured wolf. He arrived in front of it and immediately knelt down beside it.


    The injured wolf growled weakly at him and tried to lung at him, but it collapsed back to the floor, whimpering in pain.


    The wolf pack paused in their attack when they saw Leo kneeling beside the injured wolf. And this included the pack leader.


    They started inching closer to the two of them, growling and snarling, as if warning him not to do anything to the wolf.


    He didn''t pay attention to them as he cut his palm with Nightshade, held the head of the injured wolf and brought his now bleeding palm to its mouth.


    Leo would be spewing nothing but falsehood if he said that he has any idea of what he''s doing, as he don''t. His whole line of actions has been him following his gut feeling. Or should he call it instincts.


    Bringing his crimson stained palm to the wolf''s mouth, he closed his eyes, trying to sense something within himself.


    Again, he has no idea what he''s doing as he was just following his instinctual feeling that guiding him.


    Slowly, Leo felt that his position change and he was no longer kneeling on the ground but floating in a dark space. There was nothing in the dark space except a massive spherical ball of swirling purple and golden lights that refused to mixed, floating in front of him like a sun.


    Leo was shocked by the massive purple-golden sun but he wasn''t able to pay too much attention to it as he felt something calling out to him from within it.


    He concentrated his attention on whatever it was that was in the purple-golden sun that was attracting him.


    As he continued to focus on the purple-golden sun, he felt a presence in the sun and then a horrifying and crippling pressure descend on him, and he felt like he was being suffocated.


    Both the presence and the pressure was brief, disappearing almost immediately, like it was never there


    The next moment, he had no idea what happened as he found himself back in the real world. Before coming back to the real world, he seem to have seen the two colours of the sun trying to mix but he had no idea what happened afterwards.


    He was still kneeling on the ground, with the wolf head in his hand and his bleeding palm pressed to its mouth. But there was changes.


    The injured wolf that previously looked like it was on the brink of death and was now on its last breath, was now breathing steadily and the injury he inflicted on it has healed completely.


    Unlike before when the wolf was constantly whimpering in pain, it was now sleeping peacefully in his arm.


    That wasn''t the only changes as Leo felt he could now feel some sort of connection with the wolf. He could now hear its thought directly in his head, see into its memories and he could understand how it was feeling. And right now, it was extremely and glad that it could finally sleep after so long.


    But that wasn''t the most important change that Leo experienced. Unknown to him, in the dark space that the purple-golden sun was, the phantom of a wolf that looks similar to the one in his arm, was now floating in front of the sun.


    "So the both of you are siblings, huh?" Leo said to himself, as he caressed the wolf''s fur.


    He raised his head and saw that the pack had stopped inching closer to him and was now standing at a distance, looking at him and the wolf in his arm.


    But this wasn''t the same for the pack leader as it continued walking towards them, growling in a low voice.


    Leo''s body tensed up when he saw the pack leader walking towards them. He could feel that even after he healed his its sibling, it was still angry at him and still has the intention of attacking.


    Leo was feeling tensed because his body wasn''t in its peak condition. Whatever it is that he did to heal the wolf gas left him feeling very weak.


    "Sure, you can see your sister," he said, gesturing towards it.


    The pack leader looked at Leo cautiously, hesitating a little but when its eyes fell on its siblings, it threw all cautious to the wind and ran towards them.


    It got to where Leo and the wolf was. And it brought its head closer to its sister and whined in a low voice, nuzzling his nose and burying its nose into her fur for warmth.


    After a few minutes of it making sure that his sister was safe, it looked at Leo and took a couple of steps back. After that, it sank to the ground, its body pressed flat against the ground, its tail tucked between its legs and its head lowered.


    Seeing this, the whole pack followed suit, also submitting to Leo just like their pack leader did. S~ea??h the Nov§×l?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Leo smiled and sighed in relief when he saw this. He felt like he just took a trip to an unknown place seeking for something that never was but was fortunate enough to get it.


    Leo wasn''t the only one feeling relieved and happy that the situation has been resolved as planned. Ves who was standing at a distance, with her bandaged fingers that were now covered in blood due to her injuries reopening, was smiling proudly at the scene.


    "It hurts." She winced, as she unintentionally tried to clench her fist.


    ....


    Meanwhile, in Leo''s apartment, Tatiana and Elda was standing in front of the window looking at the scene that just transpired in shock, disbelief and confusion.


    Even Elda who was the most experienced one between the both of them has no idea what just happened.


    It wasn''t the taming of the wolf that was shocking to her, as its isn''t something thats unheard of. Though beast taming is rare, it doesn''t mean that it doesn''t exist.


    Her shock was from the process that Leo used. All she knew was that Leo touch the wolf and the following moment, a very terrifying presence that caused her skin to crawl and cold sweat to full her back the enveloped him, and the surrounding for a brief moment before disappearing.


    It was like what she felt was an illusion but for someone like her who is a Overlord Rank, there are not that much people in the whole known universe that can make her feel this way.


    She was happy the presence wasn''t hostile as she couldn''t begin to imagine what their fate would be if it was.


    This made her to suddenly take the deal between her Miss and Leo serious. She has no idea whose descendant he truly is, but one thing she knew very well is that that those people aren''t ordinary.


    ''He''s favoured by that ''person'' and he has the aura of the universe''s two most powerful races around him. Leo, who are you truly? And why did the scent of your blood become even stronger? Young Miss, who did you get yourself entangled with?''

 Chapter 41 - 41: Beastmasters Bond

    Leo sat on the ground, his breath shallow and ragged, as the rain continued to drizzle.


    Around him, the once-ferocious wolves lay in submission, their fierce growls replaced with soft whimpers.


    His hand instinctively rested on the head of the injured wolf, now healed and sleeping soundly in his lap.


    "What just happened?" he muttered to himself, his eyes locking on the pack leader standing at a distance.


    Its golden eyes stared back and inside, Leo could see wariness and ... should he call it respect?


    The truth is that Leo was still confused by everything that just happened. The dark space that the purple-golden sun was, the purple-golden sun itself, the terrifying presence with that equally terrifying and bone chilling pressure.


    Everything to Leo felt he was thrown into a random place without anything or anyone to guide him, and he has to figure out everything for himself.


    Everything that happened also made him curious and for the first time, he started entertaining the thought of looking for his parents.


    He knew that the only way he can get answers to his questions is to look for them. The problem now is that Leo has no idea where to begin his search for them.


    The letter they left him didn''t have even a single clue as to where they might be. And not only that, from what Leo understood after reading it, his parents probably don''t want him to look for them.


    But if he doesn''t look for them, how will he get answers to his questions? How would he know what that terrifying presence, the dark space and the purple-golden sun is all about?


    Leo sighed when he thought of everything. Even if he wants to look for his parents, be can''t at the moment as he has even more important things to take care of.


    The first of such things is his strength. He has to become even stronger, get to the Exalted rank like Tatiana, surpass it and reach more rank above it.


    He knew that it if his feelings are right, then the reason why his parents don''t want him to look for him is because it''s dangerous. But even without him looking for his parents, Leo was aware that he has to continue growing stronger if he wants to survive this new dangerous world he now found himself.


    "I guess that''s that?" He smiled as he touched the place where he was injured during his fight with the wolf pack.


    As expected, when hw touched the place, be felt nothing, indicating that it has healed. S§×arch* The NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "I wonder if I got anything new by successfully taming the beast," he murmured to himself, and called up his stats screen.


    [Name: Leo ****]


    [Level: 9]


    [Specie(s): Human, ****, ****]


    [Class: ¨C]


    [Title: None]


    ______


    [Strength: 21]


    [Agility: 21 (+15)]


    [Stamina: 20]


    [Intelligence: 13]


    [Mana: 100]


    ______


    [Stat Point(s): 0]


    ______


    [Skill(s): Regeneration (Innate), Beastmaster''s Bond (Innate)]


    ....


    "Beastmaster''s Bond..." Leo muttered to himself when he saw the new skill being displayed in his stat screen.


    Curiously, he focused his attention on the skill and he saw his stats screen change to information about it.


    [Beastmaster''s Bond (Innate Skill)]


    Type: Passive/Active


    Rank: Unique


    Mana Cost (Active): 50 MP to bond with a new beast


    Cooldown (Bonding Attempts): 24 hours per failed attempt.


    Skill level: 1


    Bond Limit: 1.


    Description: Allows user to form lasting bonds with beasts and monsters, granting control and a deep, empathic connection with bonded creatures.


    "Sounds like a good skill but I wish I can see what it actually does and not just the description," Leo said, after reading the new skill''s description.


    The skill''s description has already told Leo everything or almost everything he needs to know about it, but he was very curious to know more about it.


    He doesn''t believe that the skill was just as simple as the description is. There''s no way it would be that simple.


    As if you prove him right, a new screen popped up.


    [Beastmaster''s Bond (Skill Details)]


    Level: 1 (Progress: 0%)


    Bond Limit: 1 Beast


    Active Skills:


    Shared Vision: View surroundings through bonded beast''s perspective.


    Empathy Link: Sense emotions and pain of bonded beast.


    Passive Abilities:


    Pack Mentality: Slightly increases the agility and strength of bonded beasts.


    Alpha Presence: Bonded beast is less likely to flee and gains resistance to fear.


    ________


    [Bonded Beasts]


    [Name:¨C]


    [Species: Mutant Wolf]


    [Level: 6]


    [Abilities: Enhanced Agility, Enhanced Senses, Bone Claw, Regeneration.]


    ...


    "I see... So that''s how it is," Leo muttered to himself after reading the information being displayed on the screen.


    If there''s one thing has to say about the skin, it would be that it''s just as powerful as his [Regeneration].


    In fact, he can confidently say that the [Beastmaster''s Bond] skill is even more powerful than the first, as it''s a skill that gives offensive abilities through his bonded beasts.


    "Speaking about my bonded beasts, I''m yet to give a name to mine," Leo said, remembering the blank name section.


    "Why don''t I call you... Fifi? Shirt for Fiona." Leo smiled, as he caressed the wolf''s fur.


    Immediately, the blank space in the name section was changed and the name, Fiona, was now being displayed in front of it.


    Leo also noticed that his connection with the wolf seems to have to begin stronger after he gave it its name.


    "I guess I still have a lot to learn about my skill," he said, as he pushed himself up from the ground.


    His ragged and shallow breath was now steady, and he has recovered his strength, no longer feeling the same weakness he was feeling before.


    Standing up, he looked at Ms Ves who was cautiously standing behind the wolf pack leader. He could see that she was ready to act if the pack leader is to try and attack him.


    Leo smiled when he saw this. He was very happy and grateful to me Ms Ves for hmmwr assistance. It was due to her holding back the wolves that he was able to get to the injured one, and tame it.


    "Thank you, Ms Ves," he said, nodding his head.


    "You don''t have to, Leo," she said with a smile on her face.


    Ves was genuinely feeling very proud for Leo. She didn''t actually believe that his plan would be a success and he would be to successfully have the wolf pack submit to him, but he did and it made her extremely happy.


    "Leo, let''s get out of the rain. I don''t want you catching a cold," she smiled at him, and he nodded in agreement.


    Before going inside, Leo looked at the pack leader and instructed it on what to do next.


    "Guard the area and protect those dealing with the meat. Make sure no monster comes close to the area and alert us if any does come," Leo said, and he saw it glaring at him before to looking away.


    Leo smiled when he saw the pack leader''s reaction. Even though he wasn''t connected to it, he could guess what it was trying to say through its action.


    "Don''t worry, you guys will have some meat after they are done dissecting it."


    After he was done, giving instructions to it, he started walking towards the building.


    .....


    "Elda, was that supposed to happen during a beast taming session?" Tatiana finally asked after a long time.


    "That wasn''t normal," Elda muttered, her gaze fixed on Leo through the rain-splattered window.


    The oddity and scary presence that enveloped the surroundings when Leo was taming the wolf was something Tatiana had never seen before in her life. She thought that it might be due to her inexperience but after hearing what Elda said, she knew that it wasn''t exactly true.


    This further proved to her just how special Leo was and how wise it was of her to become partner with him.


    She actually never for once thought that he would try to tame the wolf. She could understand the reason why he did it but the fact that he succeeded was completely different.


    Another thing is that beast tamers are very rare, almost rare to the point of being non-existent. This made Leo''s value in her eyes to shoot up through roof.


    "Normal stopped applying to him a long time ago," Tatiana said with a smile.


    Tatiana could have never believed that she would see someone like Leo who had so many secrets in such a backwater world.


    "I guess I''m not going to be so bored after all."

 Chapter 42 - 42: The Groups Shock

    A tense and eerie silence enveloped the surroundings, only broken by the pattering of rain against the floor.


    Miguel and his group stood frozen in fear, shock and disbelief, but mostly fear, staring at the now-docile wolf pack surrounding the carcass of the Mutant Boar. This was the same for Grewishka and his group.


    The once-feral beasts, dripping with rain and terror, now appears subdued and stood quietly before Leo. These were the same beasts that were hell-bent on tearing him to pieces.


    It was a massive turnaround of events for them and no matter how hard they tried, they can''t understand anything that happened.


    But the wolves weren''t what was important right now. What was important is the fact that a very terrifying pressure enveloped the surroundings for a brief moment, almost killing them.


    The fact that they aren''t dead yet is more shocking when surprising than the now docile wolves.


    They all looked at Leo who they believe to be the source of the pressure and they shivered slightly. They can''t believe that such a young boy would have such terrifying pressure to him.


    Who was he exactly? They were very curious to know.


    Thinking of the pressure that made them helpless, Miguel tightens his grip on his axe, his knuckles white as he watches the wolves quietly spread out, guarding the perimeter.


    "What the hell¡­ just happened?" one of his group members whispers, his voice barely audible over the rain.


    His eyes dart nervously between Leo, the pack leader, and the sleeping wolf at Leo''s feet.


    Miguel doesn''t answer immediately. His gaze shifts to Leo, who is now standing upright, visibly drained and talking to the lady before turning his attention to one of the that seems to be the pack leader.


    "Did¡­ did he tame them?" the young girl in Miguel''s group asked, her voice trembling.


    Miguel''s eyes narrowed when he heard her question. From what he could see and with the fact that the wolves that were previously trying to attack Leo was no longer on his neck, the only explanation was that he tamed them. But the question is how?


    "I really don''t know, Mia." Miguel replied, as he continued observing Leo and the wolves.


    Leo finally turns toward the two groups and started walking towards them. His steps leaving muddy imprints in the rain-soaked ground.


    His hand brushes against the fur of the pack leader as he walks past it, and the massive wolf doesn''t react, only lowering its head slightly.


    "You''re safe now," Leo said to the group when he arrived in front of them.


    Miguel''s eyes darted between Leo who was standing in front of him and the wolves at the distance.


    "Are you sure? What if they attack us once you leave?" Miguel asked cautiously, carefully observing the wolves.


    Leo smiled and glanced back at the wolves, who remain alert but unmoving. He opens his mouth to respond but stops when he notices the unease in Miguel''s group.


    "As long as none of you provoke any of them, you can be rest assured that they won''t attack you. The reason why they surrounded you guys was because they wanted part of the Boar''s meat. They never actually intended to attack any of you," Leo replied, doing his best to reassure them.


    It was just as he said. The reason why the wolf pack surrounded the groups and the monster''s carcass was because they wanted part of it.


    They never in the first place intended to attack anyone in the group. Well, that''s if none of them trys to stop them.


    This was something that Leo got to know from Fiona''s memories. The wolf pack were actually from the same place as the Mutant Boar, a zoo that''s not quite far from their current location.


    ''I have to prepare in case more of the animals that was being kept there finds their way here. I can''t take anymore, so the only option would be to kill.'' Leo thought to himself when he remembered the information about the zoo.


    As for the wolf pack, due to the fact that the only one that Leo had tamed among them is Fiona, he wasn''t exactly sure of how they would behave towards others. But from what the pack leader told him and the information he got from Fiona''s memories, they have never without provocation, attacked humans before. S§×ar?h the N?velFire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Well, this would depend on their definition of provocation and from what Leo saw in Fiona''s memories, they weren''t exactly provoked but were attacked due to fear. Something that Leo found to be very logical as he would had done the same thing too.


    But that was then. Now that the wolves are under, or should he say that now that Fiona has been bonded to him, he intends to use her to control the pack as a whole.


    After saying what he wanted to say, Leo made his way into the building.


    Leo could see the fear and unease in the group''s eyes but he didn''t want to bother himself any longer. He has already explained the best way he could, it was left to them if they want to believe him. As for him, he has more important things to take care of.


    While Leo went back into the building, Ves decided to stay behind with the group. She knew that they were still scared and wary of the wolves, so as to prevent any incident from happening.


    She walked up to the sleeping wolf to carry it up and away from the rain, and immediately she got close to it, she saw that the pack started growling at her in a low voice, as it warning her to rethink whatever action she''s about to take. This was especially so for their leader who was now inching closer to her.


    Ves smiled when she saw this but she wasn''t bothered. She knew that pack was only looking out for one of their own.


    She carefully lifted up the sleeping wolf and startled walking towards the building, with the wolves watching her carefully.


    As Ves made her way to the building, the two groups finally mustered up the courage and decided to continue with what they were doing before they were interrupted.


    *****


    Tatiana and Elda were still discussing the strangeness of Leo''s process of taming the wolf when their expression turned solemn the next moment.


    "Princess, I will be back," Elda said, and disappeared.


    Tatiana nodded and turned to look out the window. She had no idea that her trip to come to the planet would lead her to meet someone like Leo.


    Remembering the reason why Elda left, she frowned and looked at the rainy sky.


    "I guess it''s going to start sooner than expected." She muttered to herself.

 Chapter 43 - 43: Cael VS Elda

    Some distance above Earth, an entity enveloped in white light, dressed in a white, shining attire that seems even brighter than the sun, with an halo above his head and white wings on his back, could be seen hovering and looking at the blue planet with a piercing glare.


    The angel''s form radiated a blinding light, his wings unfurling in celestial majesty, their edges shimmering with golden fire. Against the vast black void of space, he appeared like a burning star, his presence suffocating yet impossibly beautiful.


    Yes, the entity hovering above Earth is Angel and he seemed to be searching for something but no matter how much he looked, he can''t find whatever it is.


    "You''re the first to arrive, huh?" He seemed to ask the vastness of space around him.


    "Yes. The princess insisted we arrive early," Elda''s replied as she appeared behind the Angel.


    "So, she went through the stress of going to buy information from unverified sources when she could had just waited for the announcement from the Eternals of Balance?" The Angel asked, as he slowly turned to look at the lady in blood red dress, behind him.


    "Are you saying that this is what happened, Elda," he asked, as he looked at her with a piercing glare.


    Elda smiled when she heard the angel''s questions. She knew that if she answers affirmative to his question, then things might not go smoothly for Tatiana as the Angel before her might look for ways to disqualify her from the upcoming competition.


    And if that is to happen, then it''s going to affect her race for the throne. Something that she doesn''t want to see happen.


    Elda wanted to delay answering the question but seeing the piercing glare the Angel was giving her. Also, her delay in answering the question might just be the answer the Angel needs.


    She could also feel the air between them becoming very oppressive as the Angel was slowly releasing his aura. And this is even though they are in the emptiness of space.


    "Cael, the princess was only curious about the newly awakening planet and wanted to visit it earlier to see how it looks before the awakening. She didn''t have any ulterior motive," Elda said with her most convincing voice.


    Though she wasn''t exactly lying about the fact that Tatiana wanted to visit the planet before its awakening. No matter how strong an awakening makes the planet or its inhabitants afterwards, the destruct that it caused can never be erased.


    A lot of things would change to accommodate the introduction of mana into their environment and a lot of things would be built around it. But before the awakening, she wanted to see how mundane the planet and its inhabitants was.


    Cael looked at Elda intently when he heard her response. He knew that she wasn''t lying as he could feel it. Also, he knew that arriving early won''t give the Blood Princess an advantage over her other competitors, unless...


    Elda forced a smile, the angel''s piercing gaze making her muscles tense.


    "As I said, Cael, the princess was merely curious. Nothing more." She felt the oppressive aura tighten around her like an iron cage, her composure slipping for just a second.


    She straightened, masking the flicker of unease with a sharp breath.


    "I assure you, her motives are benign"


    "Then, do you know anything about the brief presence that was felt some moments ago?" Cael asked, giving an even more piercing glare.


    His gaze seemingly boring holes into her dress and body.


    "No, Cael. We were also shocked by it. It''s also the reason why I came here. I thought you might know something about it," Elda replied.


    There was no way that she was going to tell Cael that the presence came from a young boy who is one of the natives of the planet. She didn''t need to be told as she already knew what they would do to him.


    Elda''s crimson dress rippled faintly as her smile froze in place, the oppressive light of Cael casting sharp shadows across her sharp features. Sear?h the N?velFire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Her knuckles whitened, gripping her hands behind her back, yet her voice remained calm, even as resentment simmered under the surface.


    "Hmmm... Are you sure? Because I was definitely sure that the presence came from this planet," Cael said, looking at Elda intently, before turning his attention to the blue planet in front of him.


    "Though, what I don''t understand is why a presence that has a trace of divinity in it would be doing in such a planet. And how was he or she able to descend into it without turning it to dust?" He said, more to himself than to her.


    Cael was very confused by the brief divine presence that enveloped the planet and its surrounding. No matter how much he thought about it, he couldn''t wrap his head around it.


    What was the motive of the owner of that presence? As a presence that''s on par with his master, there''s no way that he doesn''t have his or her own domain to take care of. Then why come here?


    Cael sighed internally at the realization that he might never get the answer to his question. He turned to look at Elda one last time.


    Elda maintained her courteous tone, though her thoughts dripped with disdain.


    ''Look at him, parading his authority as if he owns the stars themselves. Cael, you''re just a dog on a divine leash.''


    "The tournament''s timeline has been accelerated," Cael said, his tone clipped. His golden eyes scanned the planet below.


    "The Eternals have declared it so. Whether it''s the divine trace or the planet''s awakening, this place is far more significant than anticipated. I''m just telling you this because I know it''s of no use to you. I will be taking my leave then.


    And please, if you get information on the presence from before, please let me know. You can come here and call me, I will appear immediately. Thank you in advance," he said and disappeared.


    Cael appeared a couple of distance away from Elda and the planet, a very solemn look on his face.


    "A trace of divinity in a forsaken corner like this? No, something doesn''t add up. Divinity does not simply manifest without purpose. If this is a deception or a sign of rebellion..." Cael''s gaze hardened, his wings flaring slightly.


    "I must uncover the truth before it festers." He said and disappeared.


    Immediately after making sure that Cael had truly left, the smile on Elda''s face faded, replaced with a disgusted and angry expression.


    ''That stupid pigeon. He acts all high and mighty because he serves a divine level being. Asking me to tell him when I get information on who the divine presence belongs to, like I''m his servant or what?''


    Her expression of disgust and anger was replaced with a frown when she remembered what Cael said about the the presence having a trace of divinity to it.


    ''But how does Leo have a divine presence around him?''


    She wasn''t able to sense it then as she had never come in contact with a divine level being all her life. It''s only people like Cael who have an entity like that as their master or have felt one before, would sense the familiarity and it''s even more difficult for her since it''s in a trace.


    She could already guess from the faint aura of the universe''s two powerful races surrounding Leo that he was related to them in one way or the other. And what Cael said about the presence proved her guess to be correct.


    "It seems like things are going to get very complicated going forward and the princess have thrown herself into it. I hope everything pans out." She sighed and looked at the blue planet in front of her.


    "Time to go back and start preparing for the upcoming tournament," she said, and disappeared from her position.

 Chapter 44 - 44: Discussion With Tatiana

    Leo walked into his apartment and the first thing he saw was Tatiana tapping a chair beside her, gesturing for him to come sit.


    He smiled when he saw this. He could already guess what she wants to do and since he was in the mood to entertain her, he decided to take his seat.


    "I thought I would never see you again," Leo said, as he took his seat. S§×arch* The n?vel_Fire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "Why?" Tatiana asked, smiling.


    "Well, considering how we parted ways last time, I thought maybe you''re already done." Leo answered, smiling back at her.


    Tatiana chuckled when she heard what he said.


    "I understand what you mean but you seem to be forgetting something," she smiled, as she looked into his eyes.


    "And what might that be?" Leo asked curiously.


    "We made a deal, remember? Friends with benefits," she replied, smiling mischievously at him.


    Leo couldn''t help but laugh when he saw her actions. He was very happy that Tatiana was back as it means that he now have his information well back. Maybe through her, he would be able to the answer to the question he has.


    The next moment, the smile on Tatiana''s face vanished and was replaced with a very solemn expression. She looked at Leo in the eyes, observing him as she asked:


    "Leo, I know you have your own secrets but there''s something you need to know about the this new world you find yourself. You can''t just go around displaying your strength however you wish."


    She paused and continued to look at him. She saw that he was no longer smiling and his expression has also become solemn like hers, and she smiled lightly in satisfaction.


    The smile was replaced by the solemn expression again as she continued what she was saying.


    "There are a lot of things that you don''t know yet and there are very powerful people that even I can''t do anything to. If those kind of people targets you because of the ability you displayed today or because of the terrifying presence that came from you today, I will be in a very difficult position.


    Just like I said before, Leo. You have to grow strong as fast as possible. I don''t need to tell you that your world is now crawling with dangers at every turns. It''s not just the mutant beasts, plants or the zombies. You''re also in danger from ordinary people."


    Tatiana looked at Leo, expecting him to say something but when she saw how silent he was, she knew that she had driven home her point.


    She sighed and looked outside the window, watching the raindrops racing the glass of the window.


    "There''s also something I want to tell you. Remember when I said that your world is about to become a battleground, that time is almost upon us. You will get an announcement very soon and after that, I will explain everything to you," Tatiana said, not taking her eyes off the window.


    Leo tapped on the table rhythmically, processing everything that Tatiana said. What she said was just an extension of everything that Ms Ves has been telling him after the world ended.


    The truth is that he was aware that him showing off such ability like that wasn''t exactly the best but it couldn''t be helped, especially with the situation they found themselves in.


    If he didn''t tame the wolves, then he would have to kill them and killing them would create more problems for them. The carcass ot the Mutant Boar is already too much to deal with, add the carcass of six wolves that are almost the same size as it wasn''t exactly the best decision.


    Also, with how intelligent the wolves are, they were more valuable alive than dead. Leo had already thought of multiple things he could do with them if they are alive but if they are dead, they are of no value to him.


    Their meat? Well, the meat of the mutant Boar is already more than enough and from what Ms Ves told him, it would be able to last them up to a month.


    And with the fact that everything he did was on instincts without any assurance that it would actually work, Leo felt that he couldn''t exactly be blamed.


    But even though his actions had a solid reason behind it, it doesn''t change the fact that he shouldn''t had been too open with it.


    Just like Tatiana said, what if some very powerful people targets him for his ability? Though he has no idea of these people that Tatiana who is a Exalted rank being would be worried about, one thing he knew was that they would be no joke.


    "Thanks, Tatiana," he said with a smile, before he stood and started walking to his room.


    "Where are you going?" Tatiana asked when she saw Leo standing up.


    "To my room, to take my bath. Would you like to join me? I actually don''t mind if you want to. Besides, we are friends with benefits, right?" He replied, giving her a mischievous wink.


    "Like hell I would like to join you. Go, go wash up, you smell like wet dogs," she said with a grossed out expression on her face.


    Leo laughed at her reaction and walked into his room. He kind of found it nice giving Tatiana a taste of her own medicine.


    After Leo walked into his room, Elda appeared in the living room and walked towards Tatiana.


    "What did the white feathered bug want?" Tatiana asked, with a frown on her face.


    "You can already guess," Elda replied, causing Tatiana to sigh.


    "Tch. They work so hard when they feel their territory being threatened or encroached on but can do nothing to help the mortals in their domains," Tatiana said with a slightly irritated voice.


    "There''s also something else you need to know, princess."


    "What is it, Elda?"


    "As expected, the tournament date has been moved forward. Also, the pigeon said that the presence has a trace of divinity to it."


    Tatiana''s eyes widened in shock when she heard what Elda said. Her expression of shock was replaced with a smile the next moment.


    "I see... So, that''s how it is."


    Elda saw Tatiana''s expression and knew that she was already scheming something in her head. She knew that the princess doesn''t like to be cunning most of the times as it''s always especially terrifying when she wants to.


    "Do you plan to tell him about this, princess?" Elda asked curiously.


    "No. We will let him find out about everything himself. Who knows? He might become complacent if we do." Tatiana replied.


    "But still, this is some great news. A divine presence. My boring and monotous life is really going to change for the better very soon, it seems." She smiled, and turned to look out the window, with her gaze fixing on Ves.

 Chapter 45 - 45: Showing Off, Schemes

    Inside the bathroom, Leo sat in the bathtub in a lotus form with his eyes closed, and a frown on his face.


    It''s been over half an hour now and he has been trying to go back into that dark space, but no matter how hard he concentrated, he can''t seem to get in.


    After a few more tries of futilities, he gave up and decided to take his bath.


    "I wonder why it''s so hard to get back into that dark space? Can I only access it when I''m using the [Beastmaster''s Bond] skill?" Leo asked himself curiously.


    He wanted to go back into that space to study it. He was very curious to know what it is, the purple-golden sun, the presence that he felt. He was curious about everything and wants to study them but unfortunately, he couldn''t access the dark space anymore.


    The memory of the dark space nagged at him. That overwhelming presence, the purple-golden sun, the suffocating pressure¡ªit wasn''t just strange, it felt important. Critical. And yet, he was locked out of it, like a door slammed shut in his face.


    He closed his eyes again, trying to replicate the feeling, but all he found was silence. Frustration bubbled up in him, his chest tightening. Was it because he wasn''t strong enough yet? Or was it something else entirely?


    Leo decided to not bother about it for now. He had this feeling that he would find himself back in that dark space very soon. Though he has no idea how soon is the very soon.


    Leo took his time, taking his bath, washing off all the dirt, blood and grime that has accumulated on his body from the two fights¡ªwith the Mutant Boar and the wolf pack.


    Meanwhile, downstairs, the two groups were struggling to cut up the body of the Mutant Boar. They were still in the rib section that they were before the whole incident with the wolves, and they have been trying everything in their power to break it but their efforts has all been futile.


    Miguel looked at his red, sore palms and sighed. He had tried hacking the bones with all his strength but whatever force he used always get redirected back to him, causing series of very jarring vibrations to ripple through his body.


    He turned to look at Grewishka¡ªthe leader of the second group¡ª and he saw that he wasn''t in any better condition than him.


    He saw how he was panting heavily and constantly rubbing his sore wrists, and he shook his head in disappoint.


    ''What a disappointment. I thought he was a tough one, who knew that he was actually putting on an act. He now looks like huge stuffed bear.''


    Miguel was unable to hold himself as he started laughing to his own his thoughts. He stopped almost immediately when he saw the everyone looking at him strangely.


    "Ahem... Guys, how do you all propose we take care of this?" He asked, pointing to the towering ribcage that arched above them.


    No one bothered to answer. They have all tried whatever they can but nothing seemed to be working. At this point, they just want to leave the carcass and go back into the building to wait out the rain but they knew it was currently impossible for them to do that.


    Miguel has already explained what might happen if they are to leave the bloodied carcass out in the rain, and the wolves were a perfect examples of it.


    They all were still thinking of what to do when Mia, the young girl in Miguel''s group, slowly walked towards Ves, who was walking towards them after dropping Fiona in the building''s ground floor.


    "Ms Ves, if you don''t mind, can you help us with the bones of the monster? We have been trying but we are not strong enough to do any damage to it," she said with a low voice, while looking up at Ves with pleading look in her eyes.


    "Sure." Ves replied, and started walking towards the monster''s carcass, following behind the girl.


    Even without the girl asking, she already had the intention of helping them out as she saw how they were struggling. So, she wasn''t bothered by the request.


    She looked at her bloodied bandaged fingers and smiled wryly. She didn''t understand why the healing of the wounds was taking so long. Compared to Leo''s, it was like it was moving at a snail pace, and this was coupled with the fact that it got reopened during her fight with wolf pack leader.


    ''Forget it. It would heal at its own pace. After I''m done, I will change the bandage and clean it again,'' she said to herself, as she arrived in front of the carcass.


    She climbed onto the body, walking on its what was supposed to be the interior of its body, creating squelching sounds as her leg stepped on the sinewy interior.


    She approached the ribcage and arriving in front of it, she touched it, running her fingers on it. She stopped feeling it and knocked on it lightly and the bone absorbed the force without the faintest give, producing a dull thunk.


    Feeling the toughness of the bone, Ves smiled as she took two steps back, before getting into a punching stance.


    She drew back her fist, gathering every ounce of strength she had left. Her vision blurred slightly from the pain, but she forced herself to focus.


    The air trembled as her fist cut through it. As her fist connected with the towering ribcage, the sound of shattering bone echoed through the rain-soaked air.


    The recoil sent a shockwave through her injured hand, and she nearly stumbled.


    Ves cradled her hand briefly, hissing through gritted teeth.


    A loud defeaning boom was heard as her fist connected with the bone, followed by a strong gust of wind that whipped against the body of everyone close to her.


    After the wind had cleared, the once towering ribcage that had been reduced to nothing more than piles of broken bones on the floor.


    Grewishka and his group froze when they saw this. As people who didn''t see Ves in action against the Mutant Boar, they had no idea just how strong she was. Though they knew that she was strong from the fact that she was able to go head to head with wolf pack leader, but they had no idea just how strong. sea??h th§× n?vel_Fire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Seeing how strong she was, they felt that they had escaped from the maws of death without even having any idea of it.


    ....


    "What do you think about her, princess?" Elda asked, when she saw Tatiana observing Ves.


    Tatiana didn''t answer immediately as she continued observing Ves. Her mind had started walking in overdrive when she confirmed that the timeline of the tournament would be moved forward.


    The tournament is something that would determine her future as she intends to fight for the throne and take it from her stupid half brother.


    "She''s perfect, Elda. But we can''t make the same offer we we did with Leo. She doesn''t look that gullible but of I can get something that will interest her..." Tatiana replied with a smile.


    Elda''s eyes widened the next moment when she realized what Tatiana was talking about.


    "Princess, please don''t tell me it''s what I think it is," she said with a solemn voice.


    Tatiana smiled when she saw Elda''s reaction. It''s to be expected as what she intends to give Ves is something that would make her if not more human, but extremely powerful.


    ''Leo, Ves, I hope you all don''t disappoint me.''

 Chapter 46 - 46: Shopping Plans

    It took both Miguel''s and Grewishka''s groups almost the whole day of working hard, tirelessly, without any form of rest before they were finally done dissecting the body of the mutant boar.


    This was also with the help of Ves, who helped them to break the bones that were almost as strong as steel. If not, they wouldn''t even had been able to get anything done.


    By the time they were done, Grewishka and his group decided to take a small portion of the meat for themselves. This was contrary to their previous request of taking just a leg or two for themselves.


    Instead, they took the amount they felt would be enough for the for a single day or just two meals.


    There were reasons for this,or this and one of them is because of how unexpectedly heavy the meat of the Mutant Boar is.


    After Miguel had successfully cut off a leg for Grewishka''s group, they tried carrying it but even with the combined strength of eleven individuals, they were barely able to lift the meat up. They had to drop it barely a few seconds later as it was just too heavy for them.


    That was just one of the reasons but the actual reason is because of Leo and Ves. To be precise, it''s the strength that the both of them displayed.


    After witnessing just how strong Ves is for himself and seeing how capable the young boy, Leo is, Grewishka decided to move the location of his group''s base to the the residential building area where, to be right beside the two powerhouses.


    His thoughts were simple. Leo and Ves are strong and by far the strongest he has met since the world ended. Yes, it''s just been three days but in those three days, Grewishka had gone through multiple near death experience.


    Also, not only about Leo''s and Ves'' physic strength, the addition of the wolves changes everything. From the way Grewishka sees it, it increases their chances of survival by more than a thousand fold.


    With this, he thought, why not stay close to such powerful people and go into an alliance with them? No matter how he thought about it, it was more beneficial to him and group, than staying out all by themselves in such a dangerous world.


    His leader status? Well, that can go to hell. Would he tell a zombie horde that has caught up to him and were about to about to devour him that he''s the leader of group of a survivor group? Of course, do zombies or the monsters know reason? They would ravage him without mercy.


    Of course all these depends on if the two powerhouses themselves agrees to his request.


    Luckily for him, when he brought it up with Ves, she only asked how many survivors his group has and after he had given her the answer, she readily agreed.


    Grewishka would be lying if he said that he wasn''t surprised by how easily Ves accepted but when he heard her reason, he completely understood.


    "She''s right. No man can survive as an island in this new world. It might had been possible for some people before the world went to shit, but not anymore."


    Grewishka wiped the sweat from his brow, the metallic scent of blood clinging to his clothes.


    "Man... I thought I was tough," he muttered. "Guess not."


    He chuckled to himself, shaking his head. His mind drifted to a simpler time¡ªnights out, fast cars, and faster women. A crooked grin tugged at his lips as he remembered his college life and all the hot girls he used to bag and the majority of them that has turned into zombies.


    "Fuck. Why did Tinisha also have to turn. Her stuff was premium. Gawd dayum, that tightness and those thighs that could crush a man''s soul have become nothing more than a walking dead. What a waste." Grewishka unknowingly mused to himself out loud.


    His group members burst out into laughter when they heard what he said. They knew that Grewishka was a famous playboy but for him to be thinking of such thing during a time like this was really surprising.


    Nonetheless, they understood him as they too had lost a lot of people, both family and friends, since the world ended.


    The only thing they all can do is get stronger, if possible become as strong as the boy and the lady, and survive for as long as they can.


    **** sea??h th§× n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Leo and Ves were seated in the living room of the apartment, discussing plans for tomorrow. They would had loved to go to bed immediately as the day has been a very busy one for them, from clearing the zombies in the building¡ªwhich they are yet to complete, to fighting the Mutant Boar, and then, there was also the incident with the wolves.


    All these in one day. If it wasn''t for their somewhat significant high level and their unique physique, they would had collapsed a long time ago like Miguel and his group that are sleeping like logs in their respective apartments.


    But even with that, their mental health could not be ignored. Right now, even Ves who has higher stats and more endurance than Leo due to her hambie nature, is feeling very tired and just wants to sleep.


    "Ms Ves, I will take the wolves out tomorrow. We will check out the surroundings and look for a supermarket as planned," Leo said, mapping out his plans for the next day.


    "Are you going alone? With just the wolves? Will you be ok?" Ves asked worriedly.


    She was aware that Leo was strong but going out on his own, even if it''s with the wolves is something she doesn''t want to agree to.


    "I think I will be fine. I don''t know if I will encounter other animals from the nearby zoos, that are now turned monsters. But I think I should be fine. I have the wolves with me and they aren''t weak. Also, I can use Nightshade''s abilities to run if I find myself in too much of a danger that I can''t fight through," Leo replied, putting on a reassuring smile.


    He was aware that the outside world was dangerous but he was confident about his own safety. It wasn''t arrogance. It was type of confidence that came from within. Even Leo himself has no idea how to explain it.


    Ves looked at Leo, thinking of ways to make him change his mind but when she saw the confident look on his face, she knew his mind was made up.


    "Then, I would take Miguel and his group, and continue clearing the zombies in the building. With their help, we should be able to get it done before the end of tomorrow," Ves said, and Leo nodded.


    "Then, I will be going to bed. I feel like dying right now," Leo said, as he stood up and dragged his feet to his room for the night.


    After Leo had left, Ves still say in the living room for a few more minutes, thinking of how she''s to proceed the next day, before going to her room for the night.

 Chapter 47 - 47: Strange Tree, Supermarket

    The sun had barely risen when Leo stepped out of the residential building, the wolves padding silently by his side. The ground was still damp from last night''s rain, and the morning air was crisp, carrying the scent of wet earth. The sky was a clear expanse of blue, with no clouds in sight¡ªa deceptive calm after the chaos of the past few days.


    Leo took a deep breath, savoring the fresh air. It was a rare moment of peace, but he knew better than to be lulled into a false sense of security. Danger lurked around every corner in this new world, and he couldn''t afford to let his guard down.


    "Let''s go," he muttered, and the wolves, led by the pack leader, followed closely behind him.


    His plan for the day was simple but risky. He would scout the area surrounding the residential buildings, mapping out any potential threats or hiding spots for monsters. After that, he''d head to the nearby supermarket to gather food, clothes, and other essentials.


    Normally, this kind of endeavor would require a team. But with their current shortage of manpower, Leo had no choice but to go alone¡ªwell, almost alone. He glanced at the wolves beside him, their sharp eyes scanning their surroundings. Their presence gave him a sense of security.


    The weakest of the pack was at least level 4, and their agility and strength far surpassed that of ordinary animals. Combined with Leo''s own abilities, including his [Shadow Steps] skill, he was confident in his chances of survival.


    Still, he couldn''t deny the risk.


    "Let''s just hope we don''t run into anything too nasty today," he murmured, tightening his grip on Nightshade.


    ---


    For over an hour, Leo and the wolves combed through the neighborhood, moving cautiously and keeping to the shadows. They checked alleyways, rooftops, and abandoned cars, searching for any signs of danger. But to Leo''s surprise, the area was unusually quiet.


    There were no mutant beasts prowling the streets, no zombie hordes lurking around corners. It was almost¡­ peaceful. Too peaceful.


    "Something doesn''t feel right," Leo muttered under his breath.


    He crouched beside Fiona¡ªthe wolf he had bonded with¡ªand ran his hand through her fur. The wolf''s ears twitched, but she showed no signs of distress. That, at least, was reassuring.


    They continued their sweep, and it wasn''t long before they stumbled upon something unusual. At the edge of a small park, Leo spotted a tall, solitary tree. Its branches stretched high into the sky, and its leaves were a deep, vibrant green. But what caught Leo''s attention wasn''t the tree itself¡ªit was the ground around it.


    The soil looked dead. It was cracked and dry, as if all the life had been drained from it. The grass around the tree was yellow and withered, creating a stark contrast against the lush foliage above.


    Leo approached cautiously, his eyes narrowing.


    "What the hell happened here?" he whispered.


    He knelt down and touched the ground. It felt brittle, crumbling beneath his fingers like ash. Yet the tree remained healthy and green, standing tall and proud amidst the desolation.


    Leo circled the tree, searching for any clues. Was this the result of some kind of mutant plant? Or perhaps a sign of something more sinister?


    "Strange," he muttered. "But I don''t have time to figure it out now."


    Making a mental note to investigate further later, Leo and the wolves continued their journey.


    ---


    After another twenty minutes of walking, they finally reached their destination¡ªa towering structure that loomed over the surrounding buildings. The supermarket was massive, easily as tall as the residential complex they were staying in.


    Leo stopped at a safe distance, crouching behind a rusted car to survey the area.


    His eyes widened in shock.


    The entrance to the supermarket was crawling with zombies. Dozens¡ªno, hundreds¡ªof them shuffled aimlessly around the parking lot and near the entrance. Their decaying bodies moved in jerky, unnatural motions, and their low groans filled the air, creating a haunting symphony of death.


    Leo did a rough count, estimating the number of zombies to be well over a hundred. And that was just the ones he could see.


    "Wow," he breathed. "That''s¡­ a lot."


    He let out a sigh of relief, grateful that he hadn''t walked straight into their detection range. The last thing he needed was to alert a horde of zombies to his presence.


    "I was wondering why the area around the residential buildings was so quiet," he muttered. "Guess I found the answer."


    The zombies had gathered here, drawn to the supermarket like moths to a flame. It made sense. In the early days of the apocalypse, people would have flocked to places like this in search of supplies. The supermarket would have been a hub of activity¡ªa prime feeding ground for the undead.


    Leo observed the horde carefully, noting their movements and behaviors. Most of them seemed to be ordinary zombies, slow and mindless. But he spotted a few that moved differently¡ªquicker, more deliberate. Those were the ones he needed to watch out for.


    "Runners," he muttered. "Great."


    Leo leaned back against the car, running a hand through his hair. Taking on that many zombies alone was suicide. Even with the wolves, it would be nearly impossible to clear them all out without drawing more attention.


    But he needed to get inside. The supermarket was their best bet for finding long-term supplies.


    "What do I do?" he whispered, tapping his fingers against Nightshade''s hilt. S§×ar?h the ¦Çov§×lFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    The wolves sat patiently beside him, their eyes never leaving the horde. Fiona nudged his arm with her nose, as if sensing his hesitation.


    Leo smiled faintly. "Yeah, yeah. I know. I''m thinking."


    .....


    After a few minutes of contemplation and observing his surrounding, Leo came up with a rough plan. He couldn''t take on the entire horde, but he could try to draw a smaller group away and deal with them one by one.


    "Divide and conquer," he murmured. "It''s risky, but it''s the best shot we''ve got."


    He turned to Fiona and the other wolves, crouching down to their level.


    Before they began, Leo crouches beside Fiona and gently scratches her behind the ear.


    "Alright, girl. Here''s the plan. You take the others and create distractions. Lead the zombies away, but don''t engage unless you have to."


    Fiona growls softly in acknowledgment.


    "Stick to the shadows. If you sense anything unusual, howl. I''ll be listening."


    Fiona licks his hand before turning to the rest of the pack. The wolves spread out, each taking their positions as Leo gives a final glance toward the supermarket.


    Alright. Let''s get to work."


    Leo takes a deep breath and steps forward, his hand tightening around Nightshade.


    "Let''s do this."


    With one last glance at the supermarket and its zombie-filled entrance, he stepped out from behind the car, the wolves following close behind.

 Chapter 48 - 48: Caught In A Quagmire

    Leo stepped out from behind the rusted car, each step deliberate, his gaze fixed on the towering supermarket. The air was filled with a faint, metallic stench of decay lingered in the breeze.


    He took two steps forward, and almost instantly, hundreds of lifeless eyes snapped toward him.


    The silence shattered as a cacophony of guttural growls filled the air. The zombies, a grotesque combination of twisted limbs and rotting flesh, lurched toward him in erratic, jerky movements.


    Their hunger was palpable, their collective groans rising like a macabre symphony of death.


    Leo didn''t hesitate. His grip on Nightshade tightened, and he sprinted toward the shadow of a building nearby, his boots crunching against the wet asphalt.


    "Come on," he muttered, glancing over his shoulder at the horde closing in.


    The wolves, led by Fiona, sprang into action. They darted through the streets, splitting into groups, weaving between wrecked cars and debris. Their snarls mixed with the zombies'' growls, adding to the chaotic atmosphere.


    Leo reached the building''s shadow, his heartbeat steady despite the chaos behind him. Without slowing, he activated his skill.


    "[Shadow Steps]."


    The world around him shifted as he plunged into the shadow realm, his body melting into the darkness like ink spreading across paper.


    The cold, otherworldly silence of the shadow realm enveloped him. Here, time felt slower, and the colors of the real world faded into grayscale shades of black and gray.


    The zombies reached the spot he had been standing mere seconds ago, their grotesque faces twisted in frustration.


    They clawed at the ground, scratching at the darkened corner of the building, drawn to the lingering trace of his life force.


    Leo moved effortlessly through the shadow realm, making his way between the shadows cast by the buildings.


    His surroundings blurred as he crossed the distance between the abandoned structure and the towering supermarket. The two buildings'' shadows were connected, providing him with a smooth path.


    The supermarket''s massive entrance loomed ahead. Leo focused, deactivating his skill as he emerged from the shadows, stepping back into the physical world.


    Immediately, the stench of rot hit him like a sledgehammer.


    "Shit," he muttered, wrinkling his nose.


    He barely had time to adjust before the groans returned¡ªlouder this time. The horde was relentless.


    The zombies poured toward the entrance, their decayed hands clawing at the shattered glass doors. Their sheer numbers overwhelmed the flimsy barrier in mere moments.


    "Not good," Leo whispered, already moving.


    The wolves had done their job outside, drawing away part of the horde. But dozens of zombies remained inside the supermarket, shambling toward him from the aisles.


    Their clothes hung in tatters, their flesh peeling and grotesque, revealing muscle and bone underneath.


    Leo sprinted deeper into the supermarket, his footsteps echoing in the cavernous space. Shelves toppled over, their contents spilled across the floor¡ªrotting food, shattered glass, and abandoned personal belongings.


    The scene was a grim reminder of the chaos that had unfolded during the early days of the apocalypse.


    Spotting the escalator ahead, Leo made a break for it. The upper floors would provide a vantage point, giving him a better chance of navigating the store and avoiding the horde.


    But just as he reached the escalator, a sickening sound echoed from above.


    Thud¡­ thud¡­ CRASH!


    Leo''s eyes widened as he saw more zombies rushing down the escalator toward him, their grotesque forms tumbling over each other in a frantic bid to reach their prey.


    Some of them didn''t bother with the stairs¡ªthey threw themselves off the upper floors in a frenzy, their decayed bodies smashing against the ground below.


    The impact shattered their bones, reducing them to grotesque piles of flesh and bone. But the sight of the undead willingly sacrificing themselves to get to him sent a chill down Leo''s spine.


    "Fan-fucking-tastic," he muttered, adjusting his grip on Nightshade.


    The zombies that survived the fall dragged themselves across the floor, their broken limbs twisting unnaturally as they pulled themselves toward him.


    The air was thick with the sound of groaning, shuffling, and the sickening squelch of flesh against the blood-slick floor.


    Leo''s mind raced. He was boxed in¡ªthe entrance behind him was overrun, and the upper floors were swarming with undead. He needed a plan. Fast.


    The nearest zombie lunged at him, its rotting teeth snapping mere inches from his neck. Leo sidestepped, spinning Nightshade in his hand before slamming the blunt side of the blade into the creature''s head. The zombie crumpled to the ground, its skull caved in.


    "One down," Leo muttered. "Only a hundred more to go."


    More zombies surged toward him. He swung Nightshade again, the blade slicing cleanly through one zombie''s neck, severing its head. Blood sprayed across the floor, but Leo barely registered it.


    His focus was on survival.


    He darted toward a nearby aisle, weaving between toppled shelves and scattered debris. His goal was to create distance, to buy himself time to come up with a plan. But the zombies were relentless, their numbers growing with every passing second.


    "Think, Leo. Think."


    He glanced around, searching for anything he could use to his advantage. His eyes landed on a toppled display of canned goods.


    "That''ll work."


    Leo grabbed a few cans and hurled them across the supermarket. The loud clatter echoed through the space, drawing the attention of several zombies.


    "Come on, follow the noise," he muttered.


    The distraction worked¡ªfor now. A portion of the horde broke away, shuffling toward the sound, but they turned back almost immediately.


    But that little distraction was enough for Leo, as he took the opportunity to move toward the employee-only area near the back of the store. He pushed open the door and slipped inside, quickly barricading it with a metal cart.


    Breathing heavily, Leo leaned against the wall, his mind still racing.


    "I need a better plan," he whispered to himself.


    He looked around the room and saw the glowing screens of the supermarket''s CCTV cameras. He also saw a red device on the wall that has something that reads "Fire Alarm" on it. S~ea??h the N?velFire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Also, there was a door connected¡ªdifferent from the one he got in through¡ªconnected to the room.


    Seeing this, Leo suddenly had a plan as he moved towards the screens.


    Leo scanned the supermarket''s CCTV screens, his eyes darting across the grainy black-and-white footage. The cameras covered most of the building, showing clusters of zombies wandering the aisles, some dragging broken limbs while others moved with unsettling speed.


    He spotted Fiona and the other wolves outside, circling the building to keep any stragglers from returning.


    "Good. They''re doing their job," he muttered.


    But inside, it was a different story. The horde was spreading out, hunting for him, their grotesque forms lumbering through the shattered shelves and wreckage.


    Then his gaze shifted to the fire alarm on the wall and he nodded in understanding.


    "Perfect."


    He quickly assessed the plan forming in his mind. The fire alarm would activate the sprinklers and, more importantly, set off a loud, piercing siren that would draw every zombie inside the store to one location.


    With the horde gathered in one spot, he could either slip away unnoticed or take out a large chunk of them if he could find a weapon capable of mass damage.


    Leo glanced at the secondary door in the room, leading deeper into the supermarket''s restricted areas. He didn''t know what was back there, but he hoped to find something useful.


    "Alright. Time to make some noise."


    He moved to the fire alarm and hesitated for a moment. Once he pulled it, there was no turning back.


    "Let''s do this."


    Leo yanked the lever down.


    A deafening siren blared through the supermarket, echoing off the walls and drowning out the zombies'' groans. The sprinklers activated, drenching the store in a steady downpour of water.


    The zombies reacted immediately. Their heads snapped toward the source of the noise, and they began shuffling toward the employee-only area, their hunger driving them faster.

 Chapter 49 - 49: Leaving The Supermarket, Danger

    Leo darted through the door to the employees-only room, his footsteps echoing in the confined space. He didn''t stop to think.


    The blaring siren was drowning out all other noise, but he knew the horde would breach the barricade any second. The metallic thud of the zombies'' relentless assault against the door sent a chill down his spine.


    His grip on Nightshade tightened as he pushed the door open and slipped inside. He took a quick glance behind him, watching as the metal cart wedged against the door rattled under the weight of the undead pressing against it. Time was running out.


    "This was reckless," Leo muttered under his breath as he closed the door behind him. "But there''s no turning back now."


    .....


    The room he found himself in was dimly lit, the faint flicker of emergency lights casting shadows across the walls. As his eyes adjusted, Leo quickly realized he was standing in the supermarket''s loading dock. The space was large and mostly empty, save for a few abandoned pallets and scattered crates. The faint scent of mold and motor oil lingered in the air, mixing unpleasantly with the distant stench of decay.


    Leo''s tense shoulders relaxed slightly as he took in his surroundings. The loading dock provided a glimmer of hope¡ªa way out of this nightmare. Large, roll-up doors lined one side of the room, leading to the outside. If he could get one open, he might just escape the supermarket without drawing the horde''s attention.


    He moved cautiously through the dock, his boots thudding softly against the concrete floor. His gaze darted between the shadows, searching for any sign of movement.


    Zombies weren''t the only threat anymore. The world had changed drastically in the last three days, and Leo knew better than to let his guard down.


    He approached the nearest door, examining the large rolling mechanism and thick chains used to pull it open. His fingers brushed against the metal, cool and slightly greasy to the touch.


    "This could work," he thought. "But I need to be sure the coast is clear."


    .....


    Leo closed his eyes and concentrated, reaching out through his [Empathic Link] to Fiona. The connection between them was growing stronger, more intuitive. He didn''t need to speak out loud to communicate; his thoughts flowed directly into her mind.


    "Fiona, check the area around the loading dock entrance. Make sure it''s clear before I open this door."


    A brief pause followed, during which Leo felt a wave of reassurance wash over him. Fiona was responding¡ªnot with words, but with emotions. He felt her determination, caution, and loyalty radiating through the bond.


    Moments later, her thoughts brushed against his mind. "Clear."


    Leo smiled faintly. "Good girl."


    .....


    With renewed confidence, Leo grabbed the thick chain connected to the roll-up door. He gave it a hard pull, the muscles in his arms straining as the door groaned in protest. The sound was loud¡ªtoo loud¡ªbut he had no choice.


    The chain rattled as the door began to rise, the metal slats coiling upward with each tug. The noise echoed through the loading dock, a grating, metallic screech that set Leo''s teeth on edge. He winced but kept pulling, determined to get the door open.


    When the door finally rolled up completely, Leo was greeted by the sight of the parking lot behind the supermarket. It was deserted, save for a few abandoned cars and overgrown weeds poking through cracks in the asphalt. The morning sun cast long shadows across the pavement, and for a moment, everything seemed eerily peaceful.


    Leo took a cautious step outside, his eyes scanning the area. No zombies in sight.


    "So far, so good."


    .....


    Leo took a deep breath, savoring the fresh air. It was a stark contrast to the stifling, decaying atmosphere inside the supermarket. He leaned against the doorframe, allowing himself a brief moment of rest.


    "This was reckless," he admitted to himself. "I should''ve been more prepared."


    The truth was, his decision to venture into the supermarket had been driven by necessity. The residential building he and the others were staying in still had water, electricity, and some food, but those resources wouldn''t last forever. The electricity was a particular concern¡ªit had been a stroke of luck that the power grid was still functional, but Leo wasn''t naive. It could cut out at any moment.


    And when it did, all the *mperishable food in their refrigerators would spoil.


    He sighed, running a hand through his damp hair. "I can''t afford to wait for things to go wrong. I need to fix them before they do."


    Still, he couldn''t deny that he had underestimated the danger. The number of zombies inside the supermarket far exceeded his initial estimate. It was a mistake born from inexperience¡ªa rookie error in a world where such mistakes could be fatal.


    "I won''t make that mistake again."


    ---


    Leo pushed off the doorframe and stepped fully into the parking lot, his boots crunching against the gravel. Fiona and the other wolves emerged from the shadows, their eyes alert and ears perked.


    Leo knelt beside Fiona, running a hand through her fur.


    "Good job, girl," he murmured. "You did great."


    Fiona nuzzled his hand in response, her warm breath puffing against his palm.


    Leo stood and took another look around. The parking lot stretched out before him, bordered by the empty streets of the surrounding neighborhood. He could see abandoned houses in the distance, their windows shattered and doors hanging ajar.


    The world was eerily quiet¡ªtoo quiet.


    "Something''s not right."


    .....


    Leo''s instincts screamed at him to remain cautious. The silence was unnatural. In a world overrun by zombies and mutant creatures, there was rarely any peace. The absence of noise usually meant that something was lurking nearby.


    He turned to the wolves.


    "Spread out," he instructed through the empathic link. "Check the perimeter. If you sense anything unusual, alert me immediately."


    The wolves obeyed without hesitation, splitting into pairs and fanning out across the parking lot. Their movements were graceful and silent, their keen senses tuned to detect any threats.


    Leo, meanwhile, moved toward one of the abandoned cars. He peered through the cracked window, scanning the interior for anything useful. An empty backpack lay on the passenger seat, and he quickly smashed the window with Nightshade''s hilt to retrieve it.


    "Every little bit helps," he muttered, slinging the backpack over his shoulder.


    ...


    Just as Leo was about to return to the loading dock, a piercing howl echoed through the air.


    His head snapped toward the source. It was Fiona.


    "Damn it," Leo cursed, sprinting toward the sound.


    He found Fiona standing at the edge of the parking lot, her body tense and ears flattened. She was staring into the distance, where a figure was slowly emerging from behind one of the houses.


    As the figure drew closer, Leo''s eyes widened.


    It wasn''t a zombie. Sear?h the ¦Çov§×lFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    It was something far worse.


    A mutant creature, standing taller than any man, its body, huge and grotesque looking, like the combination of man and monster. Its skin was covered in chitinous armor which is actually its fur. It also has long, clawed limbs jutted out at odd angles. Its eyes glowed with an unnatural light, filled with rage and malice.


    The creature let out a guttural snarl, and Leo''s heart skipped a beat.


    "Well¡­ shit."

 Chapter 50 - 50: Fighting The Mutant Creature

    The creature towering before Leo was grotesque¡ªa horrifying mockery of what should have been a majestic beast. At first glance, one could mistake it for a mutated gorilla, but as Leo took in its twisted form, he realized there was something far more sinister about it.


    The thing standing before him was no mere mutant animal; it was a monster born from the apocalypse.


    Standing at an intimidating 9 feet tall, the creature''s frame was a brutal combination of raw muscle and grotesque deformity. Its ashen gray fur clung to its body in patches, the rest of its form covered in hardened black chitin-like armor that gleamed dully in the morning light.


    The armor encased its chest, shoulders, and forearms, creating natural plating that looked impervious to most weapons.


    The creature''s face was a nightmarish visage of rage and brutality. Its once-ape-like features were twisted beyond recognition¡ªits eyes glowed a furious red, burning with feral intensity. Thick veins pulsed visibly beneath its armored hide, hinting at the raw power coursing through its body.


    Its jaw was grotesquely oversized, jutting forward unnaturally. Rows of jagged, shark-like teeth filled its maw, each tooth looking capable of tearing through flesh, bone, or even steel. When the creature bared its teeth, it let out a deep, guttural snarl that reverberated through the air.


    But the most terrifying part of the creature''s anatomy was its arms. They were thick as tree trunks, covered in both fur and hardened armor. Each hand ended in massive claws, bone-white and razor-sharp, each claw as long as a human forearm. The sheer size and lethality of those claws left little doubt in Leo''s mind¡ªthis creature was a predator, designed to tear its prey apart with brutal efficiency.


    Leo took a slow step backward, his heartbeat steady but his mind racing. This wasn''t like the wolves or the Mutant Boar. This was on another level entirely.


    "Okay, this is bad," Leo muttered under his breath, his gaze never leaving the beast. sea??h th§× NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    The ape-like monster snarled again, its glowing eyes locked onto him. Leo could feel the weight of that gaze¡ªit wasn''t just animalistic hunger; it was focused rage, as though the creature recognized him as a threat.


    ....


    Leo gripped Nightshade tightly, his knuckles turning white. His mind raced as he calculated his options.


    "Alright, let''s be real," he thought. "I''m probably not strong enough to take this thing down head-on."


    He could feel the tension in his muscles, the familiar rush of adrenaline surging through his veins. His instincts screamed at him to run, but he forced himself to stay rooted in place. The creature was blocking the most obvious escape routes, and Leo knew that turning his back on a predator like this would be a death sentence.


    Still, Leo wasn''t entirely without a plan. He''d already scoped out the loading dock''s layout and identified several escape points if things went south. [Shadow Steps] would give him an edge in mobility, but he needed to conserve his mana.


    "Fight smart, not hard," Leo reminded himself.


    ...


    The creature''s muscles tensed, and Leo recognized the telltale signs of an impending attack. It let out a bone-chilling roar, its jaws opening wide to reveal those razor-sharp teeth.


    The sound was deafening, echoing across the empty parking lot.


    Without warning, the creature charged forward.


    The ground shook under its massive weight, each step leaving deep indentations in the asphalt. It moved with terrifying speed, far faster than something of its size should have been capable of.


    Its massive arms swung with brutal force, tearing through the air as it tried to close the distance between them.


    Leo barely had time to react. He dove to the side, rolling across the wet ground just as one of the creature''s claws slashed through the spot where he''d been standing. The impact sent chunks of asphalt flying into the air, the ground splitting beneath the creature''s claws like soft clay.


    "What the...," Leo hissed as he scrambled to his feet.


    The creature didn''t pause. It whirled around, its red eyes locked onto Leo once more. There was no hesitation in its movements¡ªit was a relentless predator, and Leo was its prey.


    .....


    Leo darted backward, keeping his distance as the beast lunged at him again. This time, he activated [Shadow Steps], slipping into the shadows just as the creature''s claws sliced through the air.


    He emerged from the shadows several meters away, crouched behind an abandoned car.


    "Okay, it''s fast," Leo muttered, peering over the hood of the car. "Really fast."


    The creature let out another snarl, sniffing the air as it searched for him. Its massive chest heaved with each breath, the armor plates rising and falling like shields of living metal.


    Suddenly, the beast lunged forward again. Its powerful arms grabbed the car, lifting it effortlessly before hurling it across the parking lot. The vehicle crashed into a nearby lamppost, crumpling like a tin can.


    Leo''s heart skipped a beat.


    "It can throw cars. Great."


    .....


    Realizing he couldn''t keep dodging forever, Leo took a deep breath and adjusted his grip on Nightshade. He needed to test the creature''s defenses and figure out if it had any weak points.


    As the beast charged again, Leo sprinted toward it, ducking low to avoid its massive claws. He swung Nightshade with all his strength, aiming for the creature''s unprotected leg.


    The blade bit deep into the monster''s thigh, cutting through muscle and fur. Black, tar-like blood spurted from the wound, splattering across the ground.


    The creature let out a roar of pain, staggering backward. But instead of retreating, it slammed its fist into the ground, creating a shockwave that sent Leo flying backward.


    Leo hit the ground hard, the impact knocking the wind out of him. He gasped for air, his vision swimming as he struggled to get back on his feet.


    "It''s stronger than I thought," he muttered, wiping blood from his lip.


    The beast snarled again, its glowing red eyes burning with even more rage. The wound on its leg was already starting to heal, the black blood coagulating rapidly.


    "Oh, come on, Really?" Leo groaned. "It has regeneration too?"


    .....


    Leo glanced at the wolves circling the perimeter. Fiona growled low, her eyes never leaving the creature. She was waiting for his command.


    "Not yet," Leo thought. He couldn''t risk the wolves getting hurt¡ªnot against something this powerful.


    The beast crouched low, preparing to charge again. Leo took a deep breath, tightening his grip on Nightshade.


    "Alright," he whispered to himself. "Time to stop running."


    As the creature lunged toward him, Leo charged forward, meeting it head-on.

 Chapter 51 - 51: Fighting The Mutant Creature (II)

    Leo''s muscles tensed as the beast lunged toward him. The asphalt cracked beneath its feet with every step, and its glowing red eyes burned with murderous intent.


    The creature was relentless and it was coming straight for him.


    ....


    Leo clenched his jaw, his mind racing through his options. He could run. He could hide.


    He could use [Shadow Steps] to slip away unnoticed as was his thoughts initially, bit when he remembered that the residential building just a few blocks away, he knew it was no longer an option.


    He can''t run. Not with Ves and the others relying on him.


    If this monster reached the building, it would tear through everyone there without mercy. Miguel, his group, even the wolves¡ªthey''d all be slaughtered.


    "I can''t let it get to them," Leo muttered, his grip tightening on Nightshade.


    Though he hasn''t known Miguel and his group for a day, he doesn''t want to be the cause of their death.


    "I need to end this here."


    The beast roared, the sound reverberating through the air like a thunderclap. Leo braced himself, his mind already formulating a plan.


    Leo gritted his teeth, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth. His body ached from the relentless onslaught of the monstrous creature towering over him.


    Every swing of its colossal claws sent shockwaves through the ground, each strike pushing him closer to the edge of his limits.


    He wasn''t winning this fight.


    The beast was relentless, its glowing red eyes locked onto Leo with unyielding fury. It moved faster than anything that size should, each step leaving cracks in the asphalt, its claws capable of ripping through steel.


    Leo''s heart pounded in his chest as he ducked another swipe, narrowly avoiding decapitation.


    The creature''s claws tore through a nearby van, slicing it clean in half. Metal screeched, sparks flew, and the van''s remains crashed to the ground with a deafening clang.


    "Holy," Leo muttered, rolling to his feet. His mind raced. He couldn''t keep dodging forever. His stamina was draining fast, and the creature showed no signs of slowing down.


    "I can''t let it get to the others," he reminded himself. The residential building wasn''t far, and if this thing reached it, everyone would die.


    This fight wasn''t just about his survival¡ªit was also about protecting the people who depended on him.


    ---


    Leo activated [Shadow Steps], vanishing into the shadows just as the monster crashed into a parked car.


    The vehicle didn''t survive as it exploded into a twisted mess of metal and glass, debris scattering across the lot.


    Leo emerged from the shadows behind the creature, and with a swift motion, he activated [Venomous Edge], coating Nightshade''s blade with a dark, liquid-like substance. He lunged forward, aiming for the creature''s unprotected leg.


    The blade struck true, slicing through muscle and fur. Black, tar-like blood spurted from the wound, splattering across the pavement.


    The monster howled in pain, its roar reverberating through the air. But it didn''t retreat, as it whirled around with terrifying speed, its claws slamming into the ground where Leo had been standing.


    Leo barely managed to dodge, but the tip of the creature''s claws still grazed his side, ripping through his jacket and leaving a deep gash in his ribs.


    "Fuck!" Leo stumbled back, clutching his side as blood seeped through his fingers.


    The beast didn''t give him a chance to recover. It charged again, its massive fists pounding the ground with enough force to create a small crater. Leo was sent flying, his back slamming into a concrete wall.


    The impact knocked the wind out of him. He gasped for air, his vision swimming. His ribs felt like they were on fire, and he was certain at least two were broken.


    "I can''t keep taking hits like this," he thought, struggling to his feet. "I need to slow it down."


    Leo planted his feet firmly on the ground, and raised one up, before bringing it down, hitting the ground and activating his skill:


    [Seismic Stomp].


    The ground trembled as he slammed his foot down, sending a shockwave rippling outward. The asphalt cracked and split, creating a deep fissure that snaked toward the beast.


    The shockwave hit the creature head-on, causing it to stagger. It let out a guttural snarl, momentarily disoriented.


    Leo didn''t waste the opportunity. He charged forward, swinging Nightshade in a wide arc. The blade bit deep into the creature''s shoulder, venom seeping into its bloodstream.


    For a moment, it seemed like the tide of the battle was turning.


    But the beast was far from defeated.


    It roared in fury, shaking off the effects of the venom. With a burst of speed, it closed the distance between them and grabbed Leo by the arm.


    Leo''s eyes widened in horror as the creature lifted him off the ground.


    The beast squeezed. Sear?h the Novel?ire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Bones cracked.


    "Arghh!"


    Leo let out a bone chilling scream as pain shot through his body. The creature''s grip was like a vice, crushing his arm with terrifying ease.


    Desperate, Leo threw Nightshade to his other hand, catching it, he stabbed the creature''s hand, forcing it to release him, as it screamed in pain.


    Leo took advantage of the opportunity as he ran and hide behind a car, and immediately activating his skill [Cloak of Shadow].


    His mana was running low but the creature doesn''t look like it''s going down anytime soon.


    Leo cradled his broken arm that was on the verge of being broken off by the creature.


    "Shit¡­ shit¡­" he panted, actually cursing for the first time.


    His sweat mixed with the blood on his face. His vision blurred, and his knees threatened to buckle.


    His left arm hung limply at his side, dislocated and fractured.


    "I''m not going to make it¡­"


    ...


    The beast stomped toward him, each step shaking the ground. It was bleeding heavily from the wounds Leo had inflicted, but it didn''t seem to care. If anything, the pain only made it angrier.


    Leo gritted his teeth, refusing to back down. He forced himself to stand, using Nightshade as a crutch.


    "I need¡­ one more hit," he muttered, his voice shaky. "Just¡­ one more."


    The beast lunged again.


    Leo activated [Shadow Steps], disappearing into the shadows once more. He reappeared behind the creature, aiming for its exposed back.


    His mana pool was almost dried up now but he didn''t care as he raised Nightshade, the blade glowing with venom.


    But the beast anticipated his move.


    With a deafening roar, it spun around, its massive fist slamming into Leo''s chest.


    Leo was sent flying again, crashing into a pile of rubble. His body crumpled to the ground, limp and broken.


    .....


    Leo lay in a pool of his own blood, gasping for breath. His vision blurred, and his thoughts became hazy.


    The beast approached slowly, its glowing red eyes filled with cold, calculating rage. It loomed over him, its massive claws raised for the final blow.


    Leo tried to move, but his body wouldn''t respond.


    "I¡­ can''t¡­ die here," he thought, his mind racing. "Not yet¡­"


    But as the creature prepared to strike, a familiar howl pierced the air.


    Fiona.


    Even through the haze of pain, he could feel her presence through their bond.


    The beast hesitated, turning its attention toward the approaching pack.


    Leo''s vision faded to black, his consciousness slipping away.


    The last thing he saw was Fiona lunging at the beast, her fangs bared.


    And then, darkness.


    But before darkness claimed him, a terrifying thought echoed in his mind: Was it enough?

 Chapter 52 - 52:

    Ves was clearing the 18th floor of the residential building alongside Miguel''s group when she heard a loud, earth-shaking roar, followed by a rumbling sound that seemed to reverberate through her bones.


    Ves froze mid-strike. Her fist, which had just connected with a zombie''s skull, paused as the sound sent a chill down her spine.


    "Leo¡­" she whispered.


    Her heart pounded as the ground beneath her feet rumbled slightly, followed by another roar that seemed closer this time.


    Her heart sank.


    She clenched her fists, panic rising in her chest. She tried activating [Life Force Detection], but her range wasn''t enough to locate Leo. The absence of his unique purple-golden flame only heightened her dread.


    "Dammit!" she hissed. She activated [Predator Sight], as she scanned the surroundings. Still nothing.


    She stood frozen for a moment, before a familiar howl pierced the air. Fiona''s.


    Ves''s eyes widened, her body moving instinctively toward the elevator at the end of the hall.


    "Ms. Ves!" Mia called out, but Ves didn''t stop. Her legs carried her forward, as if she was on autopilot.


    ....


    Mia watched Ves disappear into the elevator, worry etched into her features. Her gaze returned to the incapacitated zombies sprawled across the floor.


    "He''ll be okay¡­ right?" one of the men asked nervously.


    Mia''s grip on her daggers tightened when she heard the man''s question.


    "We can only hope," she said coldly, her gaze hardening as she turned back to the crippled zombies on the floor.


    "But if anything happens to them¡­ we''re screwed."


    Hatred burned in her chest. It was a type of rage she had never known before the world fell apart. Three days ago, those creatures were people. Friends. Neighbors. Family.


    Now they were monsters.


    She gripped the twin daggers Ves had given her, even more tightly, causing her knuckles to whiten.


    "You took everything from me," she muttered, her voice trembling with fury. "My parents. My sister. Everything."


    With cold movements, Mia approached a zombie that twitched on the floor. Its cloudy, lifeless eyes stared at her, unseeing, as she raised the dagger.


    She didn''t hesitate.


    The blade sliced through the creature''s neck effortlessly. Blood spurted from the wound, splattering her hands and face, but she didn''t flinch.


    [You have acquired Level 1 Normal Zombie Life Force.]


    [You have reached Level 2. You have received three stat points.]


    Mia barely registered the notification. Her mind was consumed by hatred as she moved to the next zombie.


    "I''ll kill every last one of you."


    ****


    Meanwhile, Ves burst out of the building, the cold air hitting her face but she barely registered it.


    She didn''t stop to catch her breath. Her feet pounded against the wet pavement as she pushed her speed to its limit, racing toward the source of the sound.


    "Leo¡­ please be okay," she muttered, her heart hammering in her chest.


    She activated her detection skills repeatedly as she ran, hoping¡ªpraying¡ªto sense Leo''s unique life force. But still, nothing.


    Her mind raced with worry. She regretted letting him go alone, despite his reassurances. He was strong, yes, but the world was far more dangerous than either of them had anticipated.


    "He should have listened to me¡­" she whispered, tears stinging her eyes.


    ****


    Leo opened his eyes to darkness. The familiar dark space stretched endlessly around him, devoid of light except for the massive purple-golden sun hovering in the distance.


    The purple-golden sun floated in front of him, massive and radiant, casting a soft, otherworldly glow across the endless void. The colors swirled violently, refusing to mix, creating an almost hypnotic pattern.


    Leo frowned.


    "So¡­ I''m back here," he muttered. "Does that mean I''m still alive?"


    The thought brought a flicker of hope, but it was quickly overshadowed by the memory of the fight. His body had been battered, broken, on the verge of collapse.


    He remembered the beast''s claws almost tearing through him, the overwhelming strength that had left him helpless.


    "I should have listened to Ms. Ves," he admitted bitterly. "I thought I could handle it, but I was wrong."


    His gaze drifted to the purple-golden sun and he slowly stretched his hand toward it, but an invisible barrier stopped him. No matter how hard he pushed, he couldn''t move any closer.


    Before he could ponder further, a familiar sense of dread crept over him as the air suddenly grew cold.


    The light from the sun dimmed slightly and the familiar, suffocating presence enveloped him. S~ea??h the nov§×lF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    And it was stronger this time, crushing him under its weight. It pressed against his chest, stealing his breath, crushing his ribs, causing his heart to race, as it pounded against his ribcage like a drum.


    Leo gasped for air, clutching his neck as if trying to force his lungs to work. But there was no air to breathe, no escape from the oppressive force.


    His vision blurred. His muscles trembled. His body screamed for oxygen he didn''t need.


    Then, it spoke.


    "Weak."


    The voice boomed through the dark space, reverberating through Leo''s very soul. It wasn''t just an insult, it was more of a judgment, a declaration of his worth.


    "Weak."


    The word cut deep, striking something within him and whatever that was, roared in defiance.


    Leo clenched his fists, his eyes blazing with determination.


    "I''m not weak!" he shouted, his voice echoing through the void.


    The purple-golden sun pulsed, and for a brief moment, Leo thought he saw a pair of glowing eyes within it¡ªeyes that watched him with cold indifference.


    .....


    Leo gasped as he snapped back to reality. His lungs burned as he sucked in air, his vision clearing.


    He was lying on the wet asphalt, the sky above him blue and beautiful.


    He sat up slowly, wincing as he expected pain¡ªbut there was none.


    Leo glanced down at his body, stunned.


    His wounds were gone. The broken ribs, his mangled arm, the gashes, the bruises¡ªall healed. His clothes were still torn and bloodstained, but his skin was unmarred.


    "What¡­ the hell?"


    A sharp yelp drew Leo''s attention.


    Fiona and the wolves were locked in a brutal battle with the mutant creature. The beast, towering and monstrous, swiped at the wolves with its massive claws.


    The creature was relentless. It caught one of the wolves, slamming it into the ground with bone-crushing force.


    Leo''s heart clenched.


    "No!"


    He pushed himself to his feet, Nightshade appearing in his hand.


    The beast roared, its glowing red eyes locking onto him.


    Leo''s grip on Nightshade tightened, his jaw set in determination.


    Seeing Leo standing back on his feet, the creature didn''t bother with the wolves as it charged towards him, its footsteps shaking the ground.


    Leo''s mind replayed the voice in the dark space.


    "Weak."


    The word echoed in his mind, fueling his anger.


    He narrowed his eyes. "I''ll show you weak."


    The beast lunged at Leo, its massive claws slicing through the air.


    Leo activated [Shadow Steps], vanishing into the shadows.


    He reappeared behind the creature, leaping into the air and slashing at its exposed back. Nightshade''s venom-coated blade bit deep, drawing more of the creature''s black, tar-like blood.


    The beast howled in rage, whirling around to face him.


    Leo landed on his feet and met the creature''s gaze, unflinching.


    "You think I''m weak?" he whispered. "Let''s see who''s standing at the end of this."

 Chapter 53 - 53: A Hard Fought Fight

    Leo observed the mutant creature carefully, looking for any possible sign of weakness in its defence he could exploit.


    From his knowledge on the creature after their first round, he knew that it''s fast, extremely fast, strong, its regenerative ability is impeccable as it can heal wounds inflicted by Nightshade in matter of seconds.


    Leo has no idea why its regenerative ability is so powerful. He felt that if it wasn''t for it, be would had taken care of the mutant creature.


    ''[Venomous Edge] doesn''t work on it. The creature is too strong and fast for me to stack it fast enough for it to achieve my desired effect. Even if I can stack it fast enough, I can''t use it as I''m out of mana. With just 10 Mana Points left, I can''t use any of my skills.'' Leo muttered to himself, as he continued observing the mutant creature.


    He knew that he has to think of a way to kill the mutant creature fast if he wants to live.


    He can''t use Fiona as she has already been battered by it and was now on the floor with the rest of the pack, whimpering in pain.


    Leo was aware that the reason why he''s running low on mana is because of his [Regeneration] skill healing up all the injuries he had.


    It wasn''t just his mana. His stamina was also running low but he felt that it would be enough if he can take care of the mutant creature quickly. Though he has no idea how he''s going to do it.


    "Think, Leo. Think. There''s has to be a way."


    Leo wasn''t allow to continue being in his own as the monster attacked with a roar.


    The monster lunged toward Leo, its near-arm-length claws tearing through the air with the force of a wrecking ball.


    Leo dodged to the side, barely avoiding the monster''s strike. With his stamina almost gone, his muscles screamed in protest. Each movement felt like he was dragging his limbs through mud, but he couldn''t stop.


    The creature snarled in frustration, its red eyes filled with rage. The ground shook as it stomped forward, each step cracking the asphalt beneath its feet.


    "Alright¡­ I can do this," Leo muttered, with a shaky, yet determined voice.


    He gripped Nightshade tightly, his knuckles white. His mind raced with possibilities, trying to figure out the monster''s weakness.


    So far, everything he had tried had been useless. The creature''s regeneration was too fast, healing wounds before they could cause any lasting damage.


    But there was something else he noticed.


    After every major injury it heals, it slows down for just a fraction of a second¡­


    It wasn''t much, but it was something. And in a fight like this, fractions of a second could mean the difference between life and death.


    He wasn''t sure about this but with the situation he found himself, he can only take the risk.


    The beast roared, charging again.


    Leo sprinted toward the wreckage of a toppled van, using it as cover. The creature barreled after him, smashing through the vehicle with terrifying ease. Metal crumpled like paper under its claws.


    Leo rolled to the side, wincing as the sharp edge of a broken pipe grazed his arm.


    ''Stay focused¡­''


    He darted out from behind the van, circling the creature. His goal wasn''t to overpower it, as that was impossible. Instead, he aimed to tire it out, injure it more and force it to expend more energy on healing its injuries.


    The monster''s massive fist came crashing down again. Leo jumped back, but the impact sent shockwaves through the ground, causing him to stumble.


    Before he could recover, the creature was on him.


    It grabbed him by the leg and hurled him through the air like a ragdoll. Leo crashed into the side of a building, the impact knocking the wind out of him. He crumpled to the ground, gasping for air.


    "Argh¡­" He groaned, pushing himself up.


    His vision blurred, and his body felt like it was about to give out. But he couldn''t stop.


    The creature was relentless.


    It stomped toward him, its claws gleaming in the morning light. Blood dripped from its wounds¡ªwounds that were already closing.


    Leo''s mind raced. He couldn''t keep this up much longer. His mana was almost gone. His body was on the verge of collapse.


    But then he noticed it¡ªthe creature''s movements had slowed. Just a little.


    ''It''s getting tired¡­''


    Leo was sure about it now. If it was before, the monster would had already closed the distance between them almost instantly and attacked. But it was slower now and he can make out its movements almost perfectly.


    The monster lunged again.


    Leo dodged, ducking under its swing and slashing at its leg with Nightshade. The blade bit deep, cutting through muscle and tendon. Black, tar-like blood gushed from the wound.


    The creature howled in pain, staggering backward. But once again, its regeneration kicked in, the wound sealing itself within seconds.


    Leo''s chest heaved as he tried to catch his breath. His hands trembled from exhaustion, but he refused to let go of Nightshade.


    The monster lunged at Leo again but this time, compared to how fast it was before, it felt like it was moving at a snail pace but that wasn''t true as it was still incredibly fast.


    ''It''s working¡­ but I need to push it further.'' Leo muttered to himself.


    He charged at the creature, aiming for its exposed flank. The beast swiped at him, but Leo was faster, slipping past its claws and slashing at its side. Another deep wound. More black blood.


    The creature roared, turning to swipe at him again. This time, its movements were noticeably slower than before.


    Leo ducked under its claws, aiming for the creature''s knee. He drove Nightshade into the joint, twisting the blade. The monster howled, collapsing onto one knee. S~ea??h the N?vel(F)ire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    But it wasn''t done.


    With a furious snarl, it swung its massive fist, catching Leo in the ribs. The impact sent him flying again, crashing into the remains of a broken car.


    Leo coughed, blood spilling from his mouth. His vision swam, and for a moment, he thought he might pass out.


    ''No¡­ not yet.''


    He stabbed Nightshade in the ground, using it as a crutch to push himself up.


    Leo staggered, his vision swimming. His body screamed in protest with every step, blood oozing from the gash on his ribs. His breath came in ragged gasps, each inhale like swallowing broken glass


    The creature struggled to get back on its feet. Its wounds were healing, but each regeneration was shaving off its stamina significantly.


    ''This is it¡­ I just need to keep going¡­''


    Leo stumbled toward the creature, his body on the verge of collapse. Every step felt like he was walking through fire, but he pushed forward.


    The beast roared, lunging at him again.


    Leo gathered up every bit of stamina and strength he had left, into his legs and bolted towards the monster.


    The distance between them closed almost immediately and just when the monster''s claw was about to reach for Leo''s head, he dove down, sliding on the floor, in between its legs and appearing behind it.


    Immediately, he stabbed, driving Nightshade into its back.


    The blade sank deep, piercing through muscle and bone. Black blood sprayed everywhere, coating the ground.


    The creature let out a deafening roar, thrashing wildly. But its movements were sluggish now, its strength drained.


    Leo twisted the blade, pulling it out and slashing at the creature''s neck. The beast collapsed to the ground, its massive body trembling.


    It tried to get up, but its limbs wouldn''t respond.


    Leo stood over it, panting heavily. His entire body shook from exhaustion, but he didn''t let his guard down.


    With one final swing of Nightshade, he drove the blade into the creature''s skull.


    The beast shuddered once¡­ then went still.


    For a long moment, there was silence.


    Leo stood over the monster''s corpse, blood dripping from Nightshade. His chest heaved with each ragged breath, his mind still reeling from the battle.


    Then, he heard footsteps behind him.


    He turned to see Ves approaching, her eyes wide with shock.


    "Leo¡­" she whispered.


    He smiled weakly, wiping the blood from his face.


    Ves''s gaze shifted to the massive creature at his feet. Her eyes widened in disbelief.


    "You¡­ you killed it?"


    Leo nodded weakly, his smile widening despite the pain.


    Ves approached slowly, her expression a filled extreme concern and awe. "You''re hurt¡­"


    "I''m fine," Leo said, though his body begged to differ. He glanced down at the monster''s corpse, a sense of pride swelling in his chest.


    "I did it. I''m not weak."


    .....


    Somewhere in the universe, a figure covered in darkness, smiled at Leo''s words.


    "Still weak."

 Chapter 54 - 54: Aftermath

    Ves caught Leo just as his legs gave out beneath him. His battered and bloodied body collapsed into her arms, his head lolling against her shoulder.


    She tightened her grip, preventing him from hitting the ground, her heart pounding in her chest.


    "You idiot¡­" she whispered, her voice trembling.


    Despite her words, a soft, relieved smile spread across her face as she cradled him. Her hand gently brushed through his hair, smoothing back the blood-matted strands.


    His face, though bruised and pale, held a peaceful expression in unconsciousness, as if the battle he had just endured was a distant memory.


    For a moment, Ves simply held him, savoring the fact that he was still breathing.


    "You did it¡­ You really did it."


    She lifted her gaze, taking in the battlefield around them. The scene was one of utter devastation. Cracks spider-webbed across the asphalt where the mutant creature''s massive fists had struck.


    Vehicles lay overturned and crumpled like discarded toys, their metal frames twisted beyond recognition. Blood¡ªboth black and red¡ªstained the ground, mingling with the rainwater pooling in the fissures.


    Her gaze shifted to the monster''s corpse. Even in death, the beast was terrifying. Its hulking body lay sprawled on the ground, its grotesque, chitin-covered armor cracked and shattered.


    Black, tar-like blood oozed from the gaping wound in its head where Leo had delivered the final blow.


    The creature''s red eyes, now dim and lifeless, stared blankly at the sky, and its massive claws were still extended, as if even in death, it refused to surrender.


    Ves shuddered, unable to tear her eyes away.


    "He fought that¡­ alone."


    Her thoughts drifted back to the battle. She could only imagine the sheer willpower and determination Leo had summoned to face such a monster head-on.


    The devastation around her told the story of a brutal struggle¡ªa battle of wit versus brute strength, of a boy standing against impossible odds.


    "You crazy, reckless fool," she murmured, her voice laced with both pride and frustration.


    Her gaze shifted to Fiona and the wolf pack. They lay scattered around the battlefield, their bodies bruised and battered.


    Fiona whimpered softly, licking at a deep gash on her foreleg. The other wolves lay curled up, their fur matted with blood and mud, their breaths shallow.


    Ves took a deep breath, pushing down her emotions. There was no time to dwell on the past. Leo needed her, and so did the wolves.


    "Come on, let''s get you home," she whispered.


    Before she left, she decided to check around the monster''s corpse to see if she would find those small glass balls that contains treasures.


    She didn''t need to search for too long as she saw four of the small glass balls she was looking for, on the ground beside the monster''s corpse.


    She immediately picked them up and dropped two of them into her pockets, and held the rest in her hands. S§×arch* The N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    She walked back to Leo and with a grunt, she hoisted his unconscious body into her arms. His weight pressed heavily against her, but she bore it without complaint.


    With Leo on her shoulder, she walked to the Fiona and the wolves.


    "Can you walk?" She asked Fiona, and she got a soft whimper as response.


    "I would have carried you guys but as you can see, my hands are full. If you all can still walk, follow me back. I will take care of you all when we get back," She said, and Fiona, and the wolves whimpered softly in response.


    Ves smiled when she saw this. She nodded at them and started walking back to the residential building with her steps were slow and measured.


    Behind her, Fiona and the wolves limped along, their movements sluggish. Despite their injuries, they followed her without hesitation, their loyalty to Leo evident in their every step.


    ...


    The day passed in a blur. Ves had spent hours tending to the wolves, cleaning their wounds and ensuring they were as comfortable as possible.


    She felt she owes them that much for protecting Leo¡ªeven though she has no idea how they contributed to the battle, but the injuries they suffered was enough evidence.


    She had carried Leo to his room, gently laying him on his bed before cleaning the blood and grime from his body.


    Now, as night fell, Ves sat beside Leo''s bed, her hand resting lightly on his arm. Her eyes flicked to his face every few minutes, watching for any sign of him waking.


    His face was peaceful, his breathing steady, but his body still bore the marks of battle, from the bruises, cuts, and bandaged wounds on it.


    Ves sighed, leaning back in the chair. The weight of the day pressed down on her shoulders, exhaustion tugging at her. But she refused to leave his side.


    Her gaze flicked to the window. The moonlight bathed the room in a soft glow, illuminating the quiet stillness.


    Her mind replayed the battle over and over, her emotions a swirling mix of anger, pride, and fear.


    When Leo finally stirred, Ves shot upright.


    "Leo?"


    His eyes fluttered open, his gaze hazy and unfocused. He groaned, his hand twitching as he tried to push himself up.


    "Easy," Ves said, gently placing a hand on his shoulder. "Don''t move too much."


    Leo blinked, his gaze slowly sharpening. He winced as he tried to shift his position, a sharp hiss escaping his lips.


    "Fuck¡­" he muttered, his voice hoarse.


    "Don''t swear," Ves scolded, her voice softer than usual. "You''ve been through enough today."


    Leo chuckled weakly, though the action made him grimace in pain.


    "Yeah¡­ feels like I got hit by a truck."


    "You did, several times," Ves replied, her tone dry.


    Leo groaned as he tried to sit up again, his movements slow and labored. His ribs ached with every breath, and his muscles protested with each shift.


    "How bad is it?" he asked.


    "Bad enough," Ves said. "Your ribs are broken and you''ve got bruises all over."


    Leo let out a weary sigh, leaning back against the pillows. "Could be worse."


    Ves crossed her arms, her gaze narrowing. "It could have been a lot worse. You could''ve died, Leo."


    Her words hung heavily in the air, the weight of them pressing down on both of them.


    Leo looked away, guilt flickering across his features. "I know."


    "Do you?" Ves leaned forward, her expression stern. "Do you understand how reckless you were? You went out there alone and faced a monster that should''ve killed you ten times over. And for what?"


    "For us," Leo said quietly. "For everyone in the building. We need supplies. We need to secure this area. If I hadn''t gone¡ª"


    "No, Leo. Don''t try to justify your actions," Ves interrupted. "I know you''re confident about your strength but I''m sure that you''ve seen that no matter how strong you are, there''s something about there stronger than you. You''re strong, Leo, but you''re not invincible."


    Leo remained silent, his gaze fixed on the ceiling.


    Ves sighed, her tone softening. "I''m not saying this to scold you. I''m saying it because I care. We care. You''re not alone, Leo. You don''t have to carry everything on your shoulders."


    Leo turned to look at her, his eyes filled with emotion. "I just¡­ I didn''t want anyone else to get hurt."


    "And you think I don''t feel the same way about you?" Ves asked, her voice gentle. "I don''t want you to get hurt either. We don''t want you to get hurt either."


    Silence stretched between them, the tension slowly easing.


    "I get it," Leo finally said. "I won''t go out alone again. I promise."


    Ves nodded, satisfied. "Good. Because next time, I''m coming with you. Whether you like it or not."


    Leo chuckled softly, a genuine smile tugging at his lips despite the pain. "Deal."


    As Ves leaned back in her chair, relief washed over her. The day had been long and exhausting, but Leo was alive. That alone was enough.

 Chapter 55 - 55: Level 14

    The morning sun filtered gently through the cracks in the window blinds, casting slanted beams of golden light across the modest room.


    Dust particles danced lazily in the light, drifting through the still air. The faint scent of damp earth wafted in from outside, a lingering reminder of the previous day''s rain.


    The sound of distant birdsong mixed with the quiet rustle of leaves, creating a serene backdrop to the otherwise chaotic world beyond.


    Leo sat on the bed with his back pressed against the wall, her legs stretched out before him, and his gaze distant.


    His injuries were yet to heal, so he wasn''t out of bed yet. Rather, he wasn''t allowed to be out of bed yet.


    Leo was alone but the silence of the room was comforting, wrapping around him like a familiar blanket.


    His fingers drummed lightly on his thigh as he stared at the sunlit patch on the floor, lost in thought.


    The bedside table beside him held remnants of the night before: a half-empty glass of water, a folded cloth that Ms Ves had left for him to use, and four treasure orbs. The small, marble-like objects glowed faintly in the sunlight.


    But Leo''s attention wasn''t on the orbs yet.


    He leaned back, exhaling slowly, and summoned the system interface to check his unread notifications.


    The familiar translucent screen flickered to life before his eyes, illuminating the room with a soft, bluish glow.


    [You have acquired Level 18 Mutant Ape: Greyback Life Force.]


    [You have reached Level 10. You have received three stat points.]


    [You have reached Level 11. You have received three stat points.]


    [You have reached Level 12. You have received three stat points.]


    ...


    .....


    Leo''s eyes widened slightly at the notification. A Level 18 mutant creature!


    "Level¡­ 18?" he whispered, the words barely audible in the quiet room.


    The realization hit him hard. The creature he had fought and barely survived against was twice his level during their battle. He clenched his fists, his mind racing as he processed the information.


    "Twice my level¡­" He leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees. "I shouldn''t have survived that fight."


    It wasn''t arrogance that made him think that. It was cold, hard logic. A Level 18 mutant was beyond what he should have been able to handle. Yet he had stood his ground, fought through the pain and exhaustion, and somehow emerged victorious.


    His gaze shifted back to the system notifications before going down to his stat screen.


    [Name: Leo ****]


    [Level: 14]


    [Specie(s): Human, ****, ****]


    [Class: ¨C]


    [Title: None]


    ______


    [Strength: 21]


    [Agility: 21 (+15)]


    [Stamina: 20]


    [Intelligence: 13]


    [Mana: 100]


    ______


    [Stat Point(s): 15]


    ______


    [Skill(s): Regeneration (Innate), Beastmaster''s Bond (Innate)], [Seismic Stomp]


    "Level 14."


    The double-digit number stared back at him, a stark reminder of how much he had grown in just a few days.


    His mind drifted back to that first battle¡ªhis first kill. The zombie outside the orphanage on the day the apocalypse began.


    He had been terrified. His hands had trembled as he gripped the makeshift weapon. The stench of decay, the hollow eyes of the undead¡ªit was a nightmare made real.


    And now¡­ here he was. Level 14. Standing over the corpse of a creature far beyond anything he could have imagined back then.


    "I''ve come a long way," Leo muttered to himself. "But I''ve still got a long way to go."


    "I should distribute my free stat points. It would help me heal faster," Leo said to himself.


    He was about to distribute his free stat points when he thought of something. He realised that he has always been increasing the same attributes every time: his Strength, Agility and Stamina.


    He also realised that he has always neglected his Intelligence attribute and Mana attribute.


    Realising this, he decided to increase the two attributes that he has always been neglecting.


    He added five stat points to his Intelligence but when he tried adding to his Mana, he couldn''t.


    Not only that, he noticed that his Manq increased in its own immediately after he increased his Intelligence stat.


    His Mana pool increased from 100 to 125! It was an increase Leo didn''t expect.


    "Wow. If I actually knew this, I would had added at least one free stat point to my Intelligence after each level," Leo said himself, while smiling wryly.


    From his calculation, he deduced that for each stat points he added to his Intelligence stat, his Mana pool increased by 5 points. Without a doubt, this was a lot!


    "Well, there''s nothing I can do about it now. Rather, I should focus on increasing my Mana pool going forward. Though, I''m curious as to the relationship between my Intelligence stat and my Mana pool. I wonder if Tatiana has information on it." Leo muttered to himselfz before turning his attention to the treasure orbs on the bedside table.


    The soft glow of the morning light shifted, catching the polished surface of the four orbs.


    Leo''s eyes drifted to them, curiosity flickering in his gaze. Three of the orbs are blue while the last is purple.


    Leo already knew that the blue colored orbs are rare rank but the purple colored orb got him very curious. He felt that it might be a higher rank than the blue but he wasn''t sure.


    "I wonder what type of items might be inside? More skills or maybe even a weapon. I hope it''s the two though," he murmured.


    Leo''s curiosity burned but there were more pressing things on his mind.


    ...


    His thoughts drifted back to the battle with the mutant creature.


    Each moment played out in his mind like a vivid memory¡ªthe ground shaking beneath its feet, the terrifying speed with which it moved, the relentless strength it displayed.


    He could still feel the crushing force of its claws against his ribs, the searing pain of being thrown across the parking lot like a ragdoll. His body ached just thinking about it.


    But more than the pain, it was the creature''s regeneration that had stood out to him. The way it healed its wounds almost instantly, draining its stamina in the process. That had been his key to victory.


    He replayed the fight in his mind, analyzing every move, every mistake.


    "I should have realized sooner," he muttered. "The more it healed, the slower it became."


    It had been a grueling battle, one that had pushed him to the brink of his limits. Yet, in the end, he had prevailed.


    And as much as the victory felt like an achievement, there was a nagging thought at the back of his mind.


    Would he have won if not for luck? If he hadn''t been taken into that dark space and his injuries mysteriously healed completely? Would he had won if the creature hadn''t tired out when it did, would he be lying dead in that parking lot?


    Leo shook his head, forcing the thoughts away. His gaze drifted to the window, where sunlight streamed in, casting warm patches of light across the floor.


    His mind wandered to the dark space he had been pulled into during the fight¡ªthe endless void, the swirling purple-golden sun, and the voice that had spoken to him.


    "Weak."


    The word echoed in his mind, sending a shiver down his spine.


    That voice¡­ it hadn''t just called him weak¡ªit had made him *feel* weak.


    Leo clenched his fists, his nails digging into his palms. "Why did it feel so real?"


    The suffocating presence, the overwhelming pressure. And that voice¡­


    "Who are you?" he whispered, his gaze distant.


    The more he thought about it, the more questions arose. Was the voice tied to his abilities? To the purple-golden sun? Was it something within him, or something watching from afar?


    There were no answers. Only questions.


    And that frustrated him.


    Leo let out a deep sigh, rubbing his face with both hands. "Enough."


    He couldn''t keep overthinking everything. Ves had told him to rest, and for once, he intended to listen.


    He stretched out on the bed, staring up at the ceiling as sunlight continued to stream through the window.


    "I''ll figure it out," he whispered to himself. "One step at a time."


    The weight of exhaustion settled over him, and slowly, his eyes began to close. S§×arch* The n?vel_Fire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    As sleep claimed him, one last thought lingered in his mind.


    "I''m not weak. I''ll prove it."

 Chapter 56 - 56: Beyond The Walls

    The air in the hallway was damp and heavy with the stench of decay. Light from the access hallway recessed bulbs flooded the hallway but it did very little to ease the atmosphere.


    Mia crouched low, her twin daggers glinting faintly. She tightened her grip on the hilts, sweat trickling down her brow.


    Her breathing was steady, but her heart pounded in her chest as she stared down the hallway, where two zombies shuffled aimlessly.


    "Alright¡­ I''ve got this," she whispered to herself, more to quiet her nerves than to boost her confidence.


    She stepped forward, her footfalls light, deliberate. The daggers felt awkward in her hands. Though Ves and Miguel had given her some pointers, handling the twin daggers was still new to her.


    Her movements were slow, cautious. Though the twin daggers gives her a +10 Agility boost, it only brought her speed up to the same level as the zombies age fighting.


    She lunged toward the first zombie, slicing its neck with one dagger while plunging the other into its eye socket. Blackened blood sprayed across the wall, and the creature crumpled to the floor.


    Before she could breathe, the second zombie lurched toward her with a guttural growl. Mia stumbled backward, barely dodging its grasp.


    Her heart raced as she fumbled to get into position. The zombie''s rotting arms flailed wildly, and its decayed teeth gnashed hungrily.


    "Come on¡­ you can do this," she muttered, her hands trembling.


    With a grunt, she sidestepped and slashed upward, severing its jaw. The creature fell to the ground, twitching violently.


    Panting, Mia wiped her brow with her sleeve, her hands sticky with blood.


    "I''m still struggling with these¡­ and Leo fought a mutant boar," she muttered bitterly.


    Her thoughts wandered to Leo. He had faced a massive creature head-on, while she could barely handle two shambling zombies. The gap between their strength felt immense. Luke the difference between heaven and earth.


    But she had come far. The fear that had gripped her on the first day of the apocalypse had lessened. She was no longer the helpless girl hiding behind others. She was fighting. Surviving.


    "One step at a time. I''m currently level 5 right now, if I continue killing more zombies, I will level up more and maybe become as strong as him," she told herself, steadying her breath.


    ...


    Miguel swung his axe with ease, cleaving through the heads of two zombies in one swift motion. His broad shoulders flexed with each swing, his stance firm and balanced.


    "Keep moving! Don''t get caught standing still!" he called out to the group, his voice calm but commanding.


    Miguel had always been a natural leader. Way before the world fell apart and he started his job as butcher, he had been a firefighter. It was a job that demanded quick thinking and unwavering resolve.


    Those qualities had carried over into this new world, where survival depended on more than just brute strength.


    He wiped his axe on his jeans, smearing dark blood across the fabric. His eyes scanned the hallway, always alert for any new threats.


    "Good job, Mia," he said, offering her a nod of approval.


    Mia returned a hesitant smile, grateful for the encouragement. But Miguel''s gaze quickly moved to the others, ensuring everyone was holding their own.


    .....


    The hallway felt colder as the group pushed deeper into the 19th floor. The air was thick with the stench of rot and decay, almost choking them. It was a nauseating reminder of the undead that lurked around every corner.


    Mia wiped her sweaty palms on her jeans before gripping her twin daggers again. Her heart pounded in her chest as the group approached the next cluster of zombies. Eight of them.


    Their decayed forms shambled aimlessly, their groans filling the otherwise silent corridor.


    Miguel raised his hand, signaling the group to stop.


    "Same plan," he said quietly. "We take them in pairs. Watch each other''s backs."


    Mia nodded, tightening her grip on her daggers. Her eyes flicked to the nearest zombie. It was a woman who she felt had a once-beautiful face but was now twisted and decayed, her eyes cloudy and lifeless.


    "Ready?" Miguel asked.


    "Yeah," Mia whispered, though her voice wavered slightly.


    The group moved as one, stepping cautiously into the hallway. The zombies already aware of their presence bolted towards them, growling and snarling menacingly.


    The group immediately got ready to fight as Miguel took the lead, his axe gleaming as he swung it with clean-cyt accuracy.


    The first zombie''s head split cleanly in two, the decayed skull cracking like brittle wood. Blackened blood sprayed across the wall, but Miguel didn''t flinch.


    "Next!" he called out, stepping aside as Carlos moved in.


    Carlos, with his hammer raised high, charged toward the second zombie. His heavy footsteps echoed in the hallway, and with a loud grunt, he brought the hammer down on the creature''s head.


    The impact crushed the zombie''s skull, sending bone fragments and brain matter splattering across the floor.


    "That''s how we do it!" Carlos said with a grin, but his moment of triumph was short-lived.


    Another zombie lunged at him from the side, its bony fingers reaching for his throat.


    "Watch out!" Jian shouted, darting forward.


    Jian moved with fluid grace, rushing towards him. His katana gleamed as he sliced through the zombie''s outstretched arms, severing them at the elbows.


    The creature let out a guttural groan, stumbling backward. Jian followed up with a swift strike to its neck, decapitating it in one clean motion.


    Carlos let out a breath of relief. "Thanks, man."


    Jian nodded silently, his expression calm and focused.


    On the other side of the hallway, Mia faced off against two zombies. Her hands trembled slightly as she dodged their clumsy attacks, her mind racing.


    "Focus," she told herself. "You can do this."


    The first zombie lunged at her, its decayed teeth snapping inches from her face. Mia ducked low, slashing upward with her dagger.


    The blade sank into the creature''s jaw, severing its tongue and sending blackened blood spraying.


    The second zombie grabbed her arm, its grip cold and unyielding. It immediately opened it mouth wide, ready to bite.


    "Shit!" Mia struggled, trying to twist free.


    "Hold on!" Miguel shouted, rushing to her aid. His axe cleaved through the zombie''s arm, freeing Mia from its grasp.


    With a follow-up attack, he severed the zombie''s head.


    "Thanks," she panted, stepping back to catch her breath.


    "Keep moving," Miguel said. "We''re not done yet."


    Ryan lingered at the back of the group, his eyes darting around the hallway. His machete gleamed in the dim light, but he hadn''t made a move yet.


    "Ryan! Get in here!" Miguel barked.


    Ryan hesitated, his gaze locking onto a zombie stumbling toward him. With a sigh, he stepped forward, swinging his machete with a quick, efficient strike.


    The blade cut through the zombie''s neck, sending its head rolling across the floor.


    "About time," Carlos muttered, shaking his head.


    Ryan smirked. "Just making sure you guys had it covered."


    .....


    Ves stood at the rear, watching the group with a critical eye. Her gaze flicked between each member, noting their strengths and weaknesses.


    Miguel was reliable, a natural leader. He moved with confidence, his axe cutting through the undead with brutality and efficiency. Ves could see why the group followed him¡ªhis calm demeanor and tactical mind made him a pillar of strength.


    Carlos was brash but dependable. His strength was his greatest asset, and he wielded his hammer with devastating force. But he needed to work on his awareness as he was too focused on his attacks, leaving himself open to counterattacks.


    Jian was precise and efficient. His movements are calculated and deliberate.


    Ves suspected he had some formal combat training and this is also with the fact that he has a katana with him. He rarely spoke, but his actions spoke volumes.


    Mia¡­ Ves saw immense potential in her. Despite her inexperience, she fought with determination, pushing through her fear. Ves could see shades of Leo in her¡ªa stubborn will to survive and grow stronger.


    But Ryan¡­


    Ves''s eyes narrowed as she watched him. There was something off about him. He fought when necessary, but he always seemed to hold back, letting the others do most of the work. His eyes darted around, always calculating, as if looking for an opportunity to exploit.


    "Keep an eye on him," Ves murmured to herself


    .....


    The group faced off against the remaining zombies. Miguel, Jian, and Carlos took the front, while Mia and Ryan covered the rear.


    The zombies came at them in a relentless wave, their groans echoing through the hallway.


    Miguel swung his axe in a wide arc, taking down two zombies at once. Blackened blood splattered across his clothes, but he didn''t falter.


    Jian moved like a dancer, his katana slicing through the undead with grace and precision. Each strike was calculated, each movement efficient.


    Carlos let out a roar as he brought his hammer down on a zombie''s head, the impact shaking the floor.


    Mia darted forward, her daggers flashing as she took down another zombie. Her movements were less refined, more frantic, but there was a determination in her eyes that Ves admired.


    Ryan lingered at the back, his machete ready. He took down a zombie that got too close, but his gaze remained distant, detached.


    When the last zombie fell, the group stood in silence, their breathing heavy.


    "Good job," Ves said, stepping forward. "We''re improving."


    Miguel nodded, wiping blood from his axe. "Yeah. We''re getting there."


    Mia offered a small smile, though exhaustion was etched into her features.


    Carlos grinned, raising his hammer. "We''re becoming pros at this."


    Jian remained silent, his katana gleaming in the dim light.


    Ryan smirked. "Not bad."


    Ves glanced at each of them, her mind calculating. They had come a long way since their first encounter with the zombie horde. They were stronger, more coordinated. But there was still room for improvement. As was the same for her and Leo.


    And there was still danger lurking around every corner.


    "Let''s head back," Ves said. "It''s already getting late and we''ve done enough for today."


    ...


    The group made their way to the elevator, descending to the first floor where their apartments were. They exchanged weary nods before retreating to their rooms.


    Ves watched them go, her mind still processing everything.


    .....


    When Ves returned to her apartment, she found Leo waiting on the couch.


    "Back already?" he asked, his voice warm.


    Ves smiled. "Yeah. How are you feeling?"


    Leo chuckled softly. "Like I fought a monster."


    "You did."


    They shared a brief laugh before Ves started heading to her room.


    "I''m going to freshen up," Ves said, standing at the door of her bedroom. "Dinner?"


    "Sure."


    Later, they sat at the dining table, sharing a simple meal. The warm glow of the apartment lights contrasted sharply with the darkness outside.


    Beyond the walls, the world was a nightmare. People fought for survival. Mutated creatures roamed the streets. Death was everywhere.


    But inside, there was peace. sea??h th§× ¦Çov§×lFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

 Chapter 57 - 57: Old Friends

    The pale light of dawn crept over the shattered skyline as Grewishka led his group through the desolate streets.


    The air was heavy with tension, every sound amplified in the oppressive silence. Ves had granted Grewishka permission to join their base, but the journey to safety was far from easy.


    Grewishka led his group through the crumbling streets, eyes darting to every shadow.


    The ruined town they passed through was a graveyard of the old world, filled with rusting cars and collapsed buildings.


    In this new world, danger lurked behind every corner. His grip on his machete tightened, the leather of his glove worn smooth from constant use.


    "Eyes sharp," he muttered with a low voice. "We move quietly. No mistakes."


    The group of twenty-eight survivors followed closely, their footsteps light and careful. Even the children, though tired and hungry, understood the importance of silence. Grewishka had drilled it into them.


    This world was no longer forgiving of mistakes and the children have seen first hand what happens when they don''t listen to instructions.


    They moved in a tight formation, flanked by two scouts on either side. The scouts had sharper eyes and quicker feet than the rest, chosen for their ability to spot danger before it found the group. It wasn''t long before one of them raised a hand, signaling the group to halt.


    Ahead, in the shadow of a fallen building, a group of zombies shuffled aimlessly. The creatures sniffed the air, their heads twitching in unnatural jerks.


    The group skirted the area, their faces pale with dread. No one spoke as they moved deeper into the ruins, with deliberate steps.


    As they moved, Grewishka''s sharp eyes caught a flicker of movement ahead¡ªa hulking, distorted figure. A mutant beast. Its form loomed large in the dim light, its claws scraping against the cracked pavement.


    Grewishka motioned for the group to halt, his voice a low growl.


    "Backtrack. Quietly."


    The group obeyed, retreating with painstaking care. Hearts pounded as they slipped into an abandoned alley.


    They waited in silence, watching the creature sniff the air before lumbering away. Even after it disappeared, no one dared exhale loudly.


    They pushed forward, avoiding a large horde of zombies by using the rooftops of abandoned cars as makeshift bridges.


    The sight of the undead mass was enough to drain the blood from anyone''s face. Yet under Grewishka''s leadership, the group made no sound and avoided confrontation entirely.


    The group continued their journey, veering off the main road, cutting through alleyways and side streets.


    They encountered more threats¡ªa giant, vine-like plant whose tendrils twitched as if sensing movement; a pack of mutated dogs that roamed near a wrecked playground¡ªbut each time, Grewishka and the scouts spotted the danger early, allowing the group to avoid confrontation.


    Despite their success in avoiding threats, the tension never eased. Fear clung to the group like a heavy cloak. Grewishka could see it in their pale faces and the way their hands trembled as they clutched their weapons.


    ...


    Leo''s room.


    The atmosphere was calmer. Leo lay on his bed, his breathing steady as he stared at the ceiling. His wounds had almost completely healed, thanks to his regeneration ability.


    Fiona, lay curled up at the feet of his bed, her silver fur glinting in the sunlight.


    Leo was surprised when he woke up and felt Fiona''s emotions, telling him that she wants to see him.


    He was very curious as to the reason why but when he remembered their fight with the mutant ape, he understood why she felt that way. It was for this reason that he told Ves to bring her up to his room.


    Leo was actually worried that Fiona might be too big to pass through the doors but surprisingly, she seems to pass them with ease.


    Leo stared out the window as he flexed his fingers, testing his strength.


    "Almost there," he murmured to himself.


    Fiona raised her head, her eyes glowing softly as she watched him.


    Meanwhile, Ves and Miguel led their group through the building, clearing out the remaining threats. They moved as a coordinated unit, their teamwork much improved from the chaotic battle days ago.


    They moved in sync, covering each other''s blind spots and communicating efficiently. Even Ryan, who lingered at the back of the group, moved with purpose. Yet there was a cold calculation in his eyes.


    "Last floor floor and rooftop secured," Ves reported as they moved to the next stairwell. "We are done for the day. Let''s all go back and get the much needed rest."


    They made their way down to the first floor, and as they approached the first floor, Ves'' eyes turned sharply, looking into the distance.


    "Someone''s coming," she said, her voice steady but alert.


    They made their down to the ground floor and the at the entrance, they saw a large group of people approaching the base.


    Moments later, the large group became more visible and Ves saw that it was Grewishka''s group.


    The sight of so many survivors approaching the base made Ves tense further, but she stepped forward, her sharp gaze scanning each member of the group.


    "Any trouble on the way?" she asked, her tone clipped.


    "No casualties," Grewishka replied. "We avoided all major threats."


    Ves gave a small nod, her eyes continuing to assess the group. She lingered on Grewishka for a moment before shifting her attention to the others. When she was satisfied, she stepped aside.


    "You''re clear. Take the second floor. It should be enough space for your people."


    Grewishka nodded in gratitude. "Thank you. We''ll make ourselves useful."


    As the group filed into the building, Ves turned to Miguel. "Keep an eye on them. We don''t know them well enough yet."


    Miguel nodded. "I''ll keep watch."


    .....


    Later that night, Grewishka sat alone in a room of one of the apartments on the second floor, taking a moment to rest.


    The journey had been exhausting, but they had made it with everyone alive. That was no small feat in this world. S§×ar?h the n?vel_Fire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    A knock on the door broke his thoughts. Before he could answer, the door creaked open, revealing a familiar face¡ªRyan.


    Grewishka''s hand instinctively went to his weapon, but he relaxed when he saw who it was. "Ryan...," he said, surprised. "Didn''t expect to see you here."


    Ryan offered a thin smile as he stepped inside, closing the door behind him. "It''s been a while."


    Grewishka nodded slowly. "It has. I wasn''t sure of it that day but it''s really you. Didn''t expect to see you here."


    Ryan chuckled, though there was little humor in the sound. "I''ve always had a knack for surviving."


    There was a pause, the air between them filled with unspoken words. Grewishka''s instincts told him to be cautious, but the familiarity of an old friend eased his guard.


    "What are you doing here?" Grewishka asked.


    Ryan''s smile widened slightly, though it never reached his eyes. "I came to talk. About the future."


    "The future?" Grewishka''s brow furrowed. "What do you mean?"


    Ryan stepped closer, his tone calm but carrying a hidden edge. "There''s a lot we can accomplish together. Old friends like us? We could build something out of this chaos."


    Grewishka''s eyes narrowed, a flicker of suspicion crossing his face. "You''re talking about more than just survival, aren''t you?"


    Ryan''s gaze hardened, his smile fading into something more serious. "Survival is just the beginning. I''m talking about control. Influence. Power."


    The words hung in the air, heavy with meaning. Grewishka''s mind raced, weighing his options. The man standing before him was no longer just an old friend¡ªhe was someone who saw opportunity in chaos, someone who wouldn''t hesitate to manipulate those around him to achieve his goals.


    And as Ryan''s smile returned, there was an unmistakable glint in his eyes.

 Chapter 58 - 58: Schemes

    Ryan stood in front of his window if his living room, looking at the cityscape outside, deep in thought.


    The world outside was a wasteland of broken buildings and twisted streets, the remnants of a once-thriving civilization now reduced to ruin.


    But Ryan saw opportunity in the chaos. Where others saw despair, he saw a world ripe for control. S~ea??h the N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    His mind churned with thoughts. From his point of view, the group was too fractured, too reliant on the whims of a boy and a girl who barely understood the depth of the dangers around them.


    To him, leadership required more than just survival instincts; it required vision, ruthlessness, and the ability to manipulate, doing what''s necessary when necessary.


    A soft knock at the door drew him from his thoughts. The door creaked open, and Grewishka stepped inside, his broad frame casting a long shadow across the room.


    His presence was imposing, as someone hardened by the new world''s brutality. Yet, there was a flicker of uncertainty in his eyes as he took a few cautious steps forward.


    "You wanted to see me?" Grewishka''s voice was low, laced with curiosity and caution.


    Ryan nodded, gesturing to one of the sofa in the living room.


    "Sit. We need to talk."


    Grewishka hesitated for a moment before settling into the chair. He leaned forward, resting his forearms on his knees, his gaze locked on Ryan.


    "What''s this about?"


    Ryan moved to a sofa opposite Grewishka''s, and took his seat, folding his hands together.


    "It''s about survival, Grewishka. About the future of this group."


    Grewishka''s brows furrowed.


    "We''ve survived so far. No one has died. Leo and Ves have kept us alive."


    Ryan chuckled softly, a sound that held no humor. "Have they? Or have we just been lucky? There''s a difference, you know. Luck runs out. Planning, strategy¡ªthat''s what keeps people alive in the long run.


    For now, we are safe. But how long will that last under their leadership? You''ve seen it yourself. Leo is just a boy. Ves? She''s barely out of her teens. Do you really believe they can keep us safe in this world?"


    Grewishka shifted uncomfortably in his seat, the weight of Ryan''s words settling heavily on his shoulders.


    "They''ve done well so far. Leo saved us, and Ves has proven capable. They''ve done their best."


    "Their best isn''t good enough," Ryan replied, his tone growing colder. "Leo is just a boy. Ves is young and impulsive. Do you truly believe they can lead us through what''s coming?


    The threats are only growing. Mutant beasts, rogue survivors. Maybe even alien monsters or horrors we can''t imagine. Leadership isn''t about good intentions. It''s about making hard choices."


    Grewishka''s gaze dropped to the table, his thoughts churning. He had seen the dangers firsthand. He had witnessed the fear in his group''s eyes with every near encounter. There was truth in Ryan''s words, but it felt wrong to dismiss Leo and Ves so easily.


    Ryan leaned in, his voice softening into a almost a whisper.


    "You''ve led people before. You know what it takes. The hard decisions, the sacrifices. Are you willing to trust our survival to a child and a girl who can barely hold the weight of the responsibility on their shoulders?"


    Grewishka''s fists clenched, the muscles in his arms taut with tension. "What are you suggesting? And what are you proposing? That we overthrow them?"


    Ryan chuckled again, the sound dark and unsettling. "Overthrow? No. That''s messy. We need to be smarter than that. We guide them, nudge them in the right direction. Make them see that they''re not fit to lead. They''ll step down willingly when they realize it''s for the best."


    Ryan''s continued, but there was no warmth in his voice.


    "I''m suggesting that it''s time we take control. Not through force. That would be barbaric and messy. We guide them. We show them that stepping down is the best thing for the group."


    Grewishka''s eyes narrowed. "And if they refuse?"


    Ryan''s expression darkened, his eyes gleaming with malice. "Then we make sure they have no choice."


    The room fell into silence, the weight of Ryan''s words hanging heavy in the air. Grewishka stood abruptly, pacing the room, his mind torn between loyalty and pragmatism.


    He had always believed in doing what was necessary to protect his people, but this.... this felt different. It felt¡­ wrong.


    Ryan watched him carefully, reading every flicker of emotion that crossed his face.


    "Think about it, Grewishka. How many will have to die before we take action? We''re the ones with experience. We''re the ones who can lead."


    Grewishka stopped by the window, staring out at the ruined city. "I need time to think."


    "Of course," Ryan said smoothly.


    "That''s all I ask. Think about it." Ryan said in a soft voice, and continued.


    "Take all the time you need. But remember this¡ªwe don''t have forever. Every day we wait is another day we risk losing everything."


    ....


    In the days that followed, Ryan''s influence spread quietly through both groups. He was smart, choosing those he spoke to carefully and subtly planting the seed of doubts in them.


    He made sure to point out every mistake Leo made, every moment of hesitation from Ves. And with each conversation, even more seeds of doubt were planted.


    "Do you really trust a boy to make life-and-death decisions for us?"


    "Ves is too young to handle the pressures of leadership."


    "We need stronger leaders. People who''ve faced the worst and come out alive."


    Each word was carefully chosen. The once-unified group began to fracture, the cracks widening with every whispered word.


    Ryan knew the power of perception. It wasn''t about outright rebellion¡ªit was about nudging people to see what he wanted them to see. The idea of Leo and Ves as unfit leaders had to come from within, from the group itself. Only then would his plan succeed without resistance.


    .....


    One evening, Ryan went to see Grewishka in his room.


    For a long moment, neither of them spoke as they sat in the living room, the silence stretching between them like a taut wire.


    "You''ve been quiet," Ryan finally said, breaking the silence.


    Grewishka stared into the flames, his expression distant. "I''ve been thinking."


    Ryan nodded. "And?"


    Grewishka sighed, the weight of his thoughts pressing down on him. "You''re right. Leo and Ves¡­ they''re not ready. They can''t lead us through what''s coming."


    A slow smile spread across Ryan''s face, his eyes gleaming with satisfaction. "Then we do what needs to be done."


    Grewishka glanced at him, a flicker of uncertainty in his expression. "But how far are you willing to go, Ryan? We''re talking about turning against people who''ve helped us."


    Ryan''s smile never wavered. "I''m willing to do whatever it takes to keep us alive. Are you?"


    Grewishka held his gaze, the conflict clear in his eyes. Then, slowly, he nodded. "If it means protecting my people¡­ yes."


    "Good," Ryan said softly. "We move carefully. We don''t need to make enemies out of them. We just ensure they step aside. And if they don''t¡­"


    Grewishka finished the thought, his voice steady. "Then we make sure they have no choice."


    Ryan''s smile widened. "Exactly."


    As night fell over the building, the seeds of discord had taken root, and Ryan''s dark plan began to unfold. The future of the group hung in the balance, teetering on the edge.

 Chapter 59 - 59: Growing Suspicions

    Leo and Ves walked out of the residential complex''s elevator, their footsteps echoing against the concrete walls.


    The air inside was stale, carrying the faint scent of dust and decay. Even though the zombies corpses on the ground floor has been cleared away, the heavy stench of decay still stubbornly hung in the air.


    Leo moved with confidence, steady steps, and strong posture. His clothes seems to hung more snugly on his frame.


    His last battle seemed to have helped him a lot and this could be seen by his improved physical appearance, and the way he carried himself.


    Beside him, Ves walked with her usual sharp awareness, her gaze flicking to every corner of the building.


    Even though they''d secured the building and cleared out all the zombies in it, she could never let her guard down.


    She has no idea why but she felt like there was a coil of tension twisted in her gut, and it was a feeling she couldn''t shake off no matter how hard she tried. She felt that they were during the silence before the storm.


    On the ground floor, survivors gathered in small clusters. Their murmurs created a low flow of unease but they quieted as Leo stepped forward.


    "All fighters, gather up," he called with a steady voice. "We''re meeting to plan our next move."


    The room fell into a hushed silence as capable survivors made their way toward Leo and Ves near the building''s entrance.


    Grewishka stood near the back, his towering presence lending a sense of reassurance to those around him. His arms were crossed over his chest, his gaze sharp and calculating.


    On the far edge of the group, Ryan stood with a faint smirk on his face, and his eyes flicking between each faces, reading the room with unsettling ease.


    Leo cleared his throat.


    "We need to clear the surrounding buildings and scavenge for more supplies. Though most of the building apartments have supplies, we have no idea how long they are going to last.


    We also have the meat of the mutant boar that can last us maybe a month or two but we still need to stock up on foods that doesn''t easily go bad," he explained, and continued.


    "Also, the more secure we make this area, the better our chances of survival. We''ll organize teams to search for food, weapons, and anything else useful."


    The gathered survivors nodded, though they felt a little bit uneasy about going out into the world filled with danger, they knew that Leo was right and they have no choice.


    Ryan looked at everyone and took a casual step forward, with a relaxed posture.


    "It''s a good plan," he said, his voice measured. "But should we be spreading ourselves so thin? A single misstep out there could cost lives."


    His words were heavy and the implication hung heavy in the air. His words caused a murmur of agreement to ripple through the crowd.


    Leo was initially surprised by Ryan''s words and it got him curious, and interested in him. There was no doubt that there was some truth and reason to Ryan''s words, and no matter how one looks at, there was nothing wrong.


    But Leo couldn''t help but feel that there was something more to his words. This was especially with the way Ryan looked at him briefly. If it was before his recent level up, he might had missed it but not now. He saw those looks and it told him that something was up.


    He opened his mouth to talk but before he could speak, Grewishka cut in with a neutral time.


    "We''ve been lucky so far. But Ryan''s right. Caution is key." Grewishka said.


    A few heads nodded in agreement, causing Ves, who was quietly watching from the side to narrow her eyes, with her gaze locking on Ryan.


    From what she just saw, he wasn''t outright challenging Leo''s authority by speaking and letting out his thoughts. It could be seen that he really cares about the group but she felt that his words weren''t so kind.


    The meeting continued and concluded with the plan going as Leo initially intended. As for Ryan''s words and suggestion, Leo told him to do with the rest of the group as he saw fit¡ªthis was after he had taken those that will go with him.


    After the meeting, Ves walked to Miguel.


    "Do you know anything about Ryan?" she asked. "Where he came from?"


    Miguel frowned, crossing his arms. "Not much. I saw him during the chaos of the first two days and when I saw how good he is, I told him to join me."


    "I see...," Ves nodded, as she turned to observe Ryan who was standing at the distance.


    "I don''t know why but I feel like he''s up to something. He''s up to no good," she said with a solemn voice.


    Miguel shrugged, though a crease appeared between his brows.


    "I seem to have noticed it too. But maybe you''re reading too much into it. People change in situations like this."


    Ves remained silent for a moment, her mind churning with thoughts. "Just¡­ stay alert," she said finally. "We can''t afford to trust the wrong person."


    Miguel gave her a nod, but his expression remained thoughtful as he walked away.


    .....


    An hour later, the teams set out into the crumbling streets, splitting up to cover more ground. Leo led one group with Ves at his side, while Ryan took charge of another.


    The streets outside were a labyrinth of ruined buildings and overgrown vegetation. Cracks spiderwebbed across the pavement, and abandoned cars sat rusting in the gloom. The silence was eerie, broken only by the occasional rustle of the wind or distant screech of mutated animals, or zombies. S§×arch* The nov§×lF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Leo''s team didn''t have to search long to find their first challenge. It was a group of mutated rats prowling near an overturned bus.


    The creatures were tall, almost as tall as a human knee. They were grotesque, their once-normal bodies twisted by the mutations the experienced. Their eyes glowed an unnatural green, and their teeth were jagged, sharp enough to tear through flesh.


    Leo''s heart quickened, but not with fear. There was an odd calm that settled over him, a quiet confidence he hadn''t felt before.


    "They''re coming," Ves whispered beside him, with a tensed voice.


    "I''ve got this," Leo said, stepping forward with confidence and without hesitation.


    The rats snarled and lunged as one, but Leo was faster. His movements were fluid, his strikes precise. The first rat fell to a single swing of his blade, its mutated body crumpling in the dirt.


    [You have acquired Level 5 Mutant Rat: Tunnel Rat Life Force!]


    Leo smiled when he saw the level of the mutant rats.


    ''Level 5? That''s not even half of that monster''s level,'' he thought, with his mind going back to the mutant ape he fought two days ago.


    Leo wasn''t allowed to continuing thinking about the previous battle as another mutant rat lunged from the side, but he sidestepped easily, driving Nightshade into its skull with ease.


    His mind barely registered the effort. There was no panic, no second-guessing his actions. He moved through the pack with a grace he hadn''t possessed before, cutting down one rat after another.


    The last mutant rat snarled, its eyes glowing with feral rage. Leo met its gaze and lunged forward, his blade slicing clean through its neck. The rat''s body hit the ground with a final, wet thud.


    Leo stood over the fallen creatures, his breathing steady. He glanced at his hands, surprised by how calm he felt.


    It was¡­ easy.


    The thought sent a small shiver down his spine. These creatures would''ve been a serious threat not long ago. He would''ve struggled, panicked. But now? He barely broke a sweat.


    He thought again about his fight with the mutant ape and a smiled creased his face.


    "I''m stronger," he murmured to himself, his lips curling into a faint smile. "Much stronger."


    "Leo," Ves called softly, approaching him. In her eyes one could see how proud she was about Leo''s strength but there was something else in her eyes.


    Leo turned to her, waving Nightshade, ans wiping off the blood on it.


    "You okay, Ms Ves?" He asked curiously.


    "I''m fine." Ves forced a smile. "You''re getting stronger."


    "So are you." Leo actually meant what be said and he didn''t say it because he wants to make Ves feel better.


    He saw how she moved when she was fighting the mutant rats and he saw just how she has improved.


    Ves nodded at Leo''s words, but her thoughts churned beneath the surface. She had fought alongside him. Her strikes had been swift and fierce but¡­ she couldn''t shake off the feeling that she was being left behind.


    Today, Leo moved with a confidence that hadn''t been there before. His strength was growing by the day, and while Ves was proud of him, that pride was laced with a gnawing sense of inadequacy.


    She clenched her fists, her resolve hardening. ''I won''t fall behind. I can''t afford to.''


    Ves glanced at Leo once more, her heart swelling with pride¡ªand a fierce determination. She would grow stronger, no matter what it took.

 Chapter 60 - 60: More Schemes

    Ryan led his group through the narrow alley, the morning air biting against their skin.


    The remnants of a once-thriving city loomed around them with crumbling buildings, shattered windows, and rusting cars lining the deserted streets. Everything around them seemed to hold danger, and the tension in the air was palpable.


    The group moved cautiously, their eyes darting to every corner. The ground beneath them was cracked and uneven, overgrown with weeds and littered with debris. They were halfway through their sweep when a sudden tremor shook the ground.


    From the ruins of a nearby building, a hulking, spider-like creature emerged. Its eight black legs, long and jagged, clattered against the pavement as it crawled forward. Its many eyes gleamed with hunger, and venom dripped from its mandibles.


    The group froze, panic gripping their hearts.


    "What the hell is that?" someone whispered.


    Ryan''s eyes narrowed as he assessed the creature. He could see the fear etched on every face around him, the trembling hands clutching weapons that suddenly felt inadequate.


    "Stay together," Ryan said, his voice calm and steady. "I''ll distract it. You guys get to safety."


    Before anyone could protest, he stepped forward, drawing the creature''s attention, with calculated and precise movements.


    He waved his arms to keep the beast focused on him, moving forward with deliberate steps as he led it away from the group.


    The spider lunged, its venomous fangs snapping just inches from Ryan''s face, but he dodged with ease, rolling to the side and coming up on his feet in one fluid motion.


    The creature screeched, frustrated, but Ryan kept his composure, guiding it further down the alley.


    If one looks at Ryan''s fave right now, they could see the confidence in it. Even though he was aware of his strength as a level 6 awakened, and the fact that the giant spider was stronger than him, he was still confident.


    From where they hid, the group watched in awe but none of them moved to help. They were either too captivated by Ryan''s bravery or too terrified to act.


    When the creature finally lost interest and skittered back into the ruins, a collective sigh of relief swept through the group.


    One of the younger members, a boy barely out of his teens, stepped forward. His eyes shone with admiration. "That was incredible! You saved us!"


    Ryan smiled modestly, though his eyes gleamed with satisfaction.


    "Just doing what needed to be done," he said, speaking like the leader of the group he was.


    The others murmured in agreement, their respect for Ryan growing with each passing moment. He had shown calmness under pressure, a quality that they craved in a leader.


    Ryan was satisfied when he saw the group''s reaction. This was one of the reasons why he choose the people in it. Their gullibility and weakness was key to hi plan.


    .....


    As they continued their sweep, Ryan spoke up with a light and casual voice.


    "Leo''s plan¡­ it''s a good one," he said, glancing around to gauge their reactions.


    "But it''s risky. Sending us out in different directions, splitting our forces¡­ if something goes wrong, we''ll be too scattered to help each other. Also, he took most of the strongest in the base with him. Including himself and Ves, the lady that''s always beside him."


    A few members of the group exchanged uncertain glances. They knew the dangers of the world outside, and Ryan''s words stirred a flicker of doubt.


    "He''s still young," Ryan continued, his tone light, almost conversational. "He''s done well so far, but¡­ leadership isn''t just about good intentions. It''s about making the hard decisions. Decisions that keep everyone alive."


    One of the older survivors, a man named Kurt, frowned. "Grewishka said that Leo and the lady beside him were the reason whybwe were able to stay in the residential building complex. They gave us a better home. In a sense, they saved us."


    Ryan nodded, his expression thoughtful. "True. But sometimes¡­ saving people isn''t enough. We need someone who can think ahead. Someone who knows when to take risks and when to hold back."


    The group fell silent, Ryan''s words sinking in. His tone was never accusatory. He never outright criticized Leo. But the seeds of doubt he wanted to plant had been planted, subtle and insidious.


    Also, although most of them hadn''t spent more than a day in the base, they weren''t actually satisfied with the fact that it''s a little boy that''s leading them.


    As they walked, Ryan continued to speak, weaving his words carefully.


    "Look at what just happened," he said, gesturing to the alley where the spider creature had emerged. "If I hadn''t acted, who knows what could''ve happened? We need to be ready for anything."


    The younger members nodded, their admiration for Ryan growing. His actions had spoken louder than words, and his calm demeanor made them feel safe.


    "Leo''s strong," Ryan said, his voice softening. "But strength isn''t everything. We need strategy. We need caution."


    Of course, Ryan had no idea just how strong Leo is and how much stronger he has gotten recently. But one thing he knew was that Leo was strong but he felt that his strength should be just a little above that of his, Ves, Grewishka and Miguel.


    He doesn''t feel like Leo isn''t someone that can''t be taken down easily. Besides, he''s just a kid who probably has no real world experience before things went to shit. All be would need when things are ready and in place is a little manipulation, and he would become his loyal dog.


    ....


    By the time the group returned to the base that evening, the mood had shifted. The survivors were quieter, more contemplative. Ryan''s words lingered in their minds, feeding their doubts.


    At the entrance, supplies were stacked neatly, and the fighters from each team exchanged stories of their encounters.


    Ryan''s group spoke animatedly about his bravery, each retelling of the spider encounter more embellished than the last.


    "He faced that thing head-on," one of them said, his voice filled with awe. "Didn''t even flinch." S§×arch* The Nov§×l?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "Leo''s good," another added. "But Ryan¡­ he''s got the kind of calm that makes you feel safe."


    From the sidelines, Ves watched the growing admiration for Ryan with narrowed eyes. Her gaze flicked to him as he stood among his group, a faint smile playing on his lips.


    He said little, letting the others speak for him. But Ves could see it. The subtle shifts in his posture, the way he responded with a slight nod or a quiet word at just the right moment. It couldn''t be mistaken.


    He was manipulating them, planting seeds of discord without ever raising his voice.


    As the survivors settled in for the night, Ryan retreated to his room, his expression serene. But when he closed the door behind him, a satisfied smirk spread across his face.


    The seeds of doubt were taking root.


    He sat by the window, gazing out at the ruined city beyond. His thoughts churned with plans and possibilities. He knew it was only a matter of time before the group turned to him for leadership. And it won''t be long.

 Chapter 61 - 61: Growing Stronger, An Upcoming Event?

    Later that night, Leo lay on his bed, waiting for sleep to come and claim him. He tossed around in his bed but no matter how much he waited, sleep didn''t come.


    Seeing that he was still going to be awake for a long time, he decided to go through the event of yesterday''s night when he checked the orbs that dropped from the mutant ape.


    Just as Leo expected and guessed, the three blue orbs were rare grade items and the purple orb contained an epic grade item.


    From the three blue rare grade orbs, Leo got two skill scrolls and one equipment. It was actually an accessory.


    As for the purple orb, he got an epic grade skill. Till date, it was the highest grade he has received


    Leo was very satisfied with the rewards he got. One of the rewards he was most satisfied with was the accessory.


    He looked at the silver ring on his right ring finger. The surface of the ring was etched with intricate, swirling carvings, resembling what looks like symbols. The patterns seemed to shift subtly under the light, as if carrying a certain meaning to them.


    Leo focused his attention on the ring and a status screen showing its information popped up above it.


    [Ring of Relentless Regeneration] (Rare)


    Effect: Passively regenerates 1% stamina every 5 seconds.


    Active: Boosts stamina regeneration by 200% for 30 seconds. Cost: 50 mana. Cooldown: 2 minutes.


    .....


    Without a doubt, the ring was overpowered. Having a passive effect of regenerating 1% stamina every five seconds wasn''t something that can be scoffed at.


    And not only that, it can actively regenerate his mana by 200%. Though the cost looks like it''s steep as it''s almost half of Leo''s Mana, but with almost how easily he can increase his Mana by increasing his Intelligence, he doesn''t find the cost to be steep.


    Leo had no idea that others weren''t exactly lucky to have such a high amount of Mana at the start.


    For the other three items, the two rare grade skills and epic grade skill, Leo didn''t know what to say about them.


    [Predator''s Instinct] (Rare) sea??h th§× n??el Fire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Effect: Passively detects life forms within a 100-meter radius. +15 Agility.


    [Ravenous Regeneration] (Rare)


    Effect: Passively converts mana into stamina at a rate of 1% of total stamina per 10 mana spent. Minor injuries regenerate instantly without cost.


    Active: Restores up to 20% of total stamina, consuming mana proportional to the amount recovered. Cooldown: 1 minute.


    [Berserker''s Roar] (Epic)


    Effect: Activate the skill, releasing a deafening roar that stuns enemies within 20 meters for 3 seconds and reduces their Stamina by 10% + 1% for every 10 Strength beyond 50 for 10 seconds. Grants the user +15% Strength and Agility for 10 seconds after use.


    Drawback: Reduces mana regeneration by 10% for 30 seconds. Cost: 40 Mana. Cooldown: 1 minute.


    ....


    From just their description, one could see how extremely overpowered the skill is.


    Though Leo was surprised that they mostly focuses more on regenerating his stamina, he didn''t mind it one bit.


    He actually finds them to be beyond perfect. The skills have also boosted his stat by a great deal, and this how his stat screen looks now:


    [Name: Leo ****]


    [Level: 14]


    [Specie(s): Human, ****, ****]


    [Class: ¨C]


    [Title: None]


    ______


    [Strength: 26]


    [Agility: 21 (+30)]


    [Stamina: 25]


    [Intelligence: 18]


    [Mana: 125]


    ______


    [Stat Point(s): ]


    ______


    [Skill(s): Regeneration (Innate), Beastmaster''s Bond (Innate)], [Sesimic Stomp], [Berserker''s Roar], [Ravenous Regeneration], [Predator''s Instincts].


    .....


    The amount of skills hat Leo has has increased with just his fight with the mutant ape.


    He couldn''t help but wish that he can meet more powerful mutant creatures so that he can get even more skills, level up faster and become even more powerful.


    With the skills in his arsenal, Leo''s confidence increased greatly but he was sure not to be arrogant. He knew that even though he was strong and his level was in the double digit, he wasn''t invisible.


    He knew that there would surely be even more powerful creatures that the mutant ape, but he wasn''t scared or bothered. Instead, he felt even more excited at the thought of meeting such monsters, fighting them and defeating them.


    Leo didn''t have any grand plan but he wants to stand at the top of this cold and dangerous world. Not to rule it but to live comfortably without any worries, and he would do anything to achieve that.


    "I''m very excited to see what the future holds."


    Leo felt himself getting sleepy and he snuggled into his bed, but just when he about to fall asleep, he saw someone sitting in a corner of his room.


    He looked towards it curiously and cautiously, and he saw that it was Tatiana.


    "It took you this long to notice me? I''m very curious to know what occupied your mind to make you not notice my presence until now," Tatiana said with her usual slightly sensual voice.


    Leo smiled as he switched on the bedside lamp and sat up onbm his bed, resting his back on the wall.


    "Well, I didn''t expect you come visit me. Especially this late at night. Are you here to claim your part of the desk or something? I''m actually ready and don''t mind," Leo said with a smirk on his face.


    Tatiana rolled her eyes when she heard Leo''s words. She felt that she made a mistake flirting and teasing Leo, as he''s now giving her a taste of her own medicine in full force.


    "You wish. I''m here for something else."


    "What a shame. I was actually ready to get down to work," Leo said with a disappointed expression on his face.


    The expression faded the next second and was replaced with curiosity.


    "Well, if you didn''t come for that. What is it then?" He asked.


    Tatiana scoffed inwardly when she saw the look on his face.


    ''Tch. Shameless.''


    She looked at him and turned her head towards the window, looking at the clear night sky.


    "Remember when I told you about your world turning into a battleground soon?" She asked, as she continued to gaze at the night sky.


    "Yes. It''s not something I can exactly forget easily," Leo replied, following Tatiana''s line of sight.


    "Good. The event that will turn your world into a battleground is coming soon. It''s also related to our deal. I won''t tell you what the event is as you will get an announcement when it''s about to start.


    What I will tell you is what you need to do and that is for you to increase your strength, and the trusted people around you as soon as possible. I don''t know when exactly the event will start but it will be soon. If I''m to take a guess, in a month time or two ," Tatiana said, and paused for a moment, allowing what she said to sink in before she continued.


    "So, in coming days, I want you to increase your strength as much as possible. It would best if you can evolve into the Evolved Rank as it''s the only way you and those around you can survive what''s to come. I don''t want to scare you but the stake is high for the participants, and this is their last opportunity to obtain something that they all want badly. Something very important.


    I won''t tell you what it is but you should just know that it''s also something that you will need. That''s if you want to continue growing stronger in the future. Also, take care of that rat. Don''t allow him to destroy what is yours before you make a move."


    After saying what she wanted to say, Tatiana disappeared, leaving Leo in the cold, silence of the room.

 Chapter 62 - 62: Killing Intent?

    After Tatiana left, Leo couldn''t help but fall into deep thought. What she said weren''t things mthst would go through one ear and come out through the other.


    This was especially with how serious she was. Leo felt that things were about to get interesting and messy at the same time.


    Even though he hasn''t had that much of an interaction with Tatiana, with his little knowledge of her, he knew that she wouldn''t be so serious if it wasn''t something to be serious about.


    To make matters worst, she said that evolving to gej Evolved Rank is the only way he and those around him can survive what''s to come.


    Leo has no idea what''s coming or the event that Tatiana was talking about, but for her paint it in such a dangerous light, he knew that it was just as she said.


    He remember ger saying that the stakes are high and it was the last opportunity the participants has to obtain something very important. What that thing is, she didn''t say but the fact that she said that he would need it if he wants to continue growing stronger made him very curious.


    Even though Tatiana was very cryptic with her message, Leo was able to get the message she wanted to pass.


    "It seems that I can''t continue slacking off. It''s not like I''ve been doing that but I have to actively push myself from now on. I will start actively looking for monsters from now. Especially powerful ones. I have to do as Tatiana said, evolve to Evolved Rank and also help others around me do the same," Leo said to himself, making up his mind.


    He started thinking about those that he can help to get stronger and the first person that came to his mind was Ms Ves, followed by Fiona¡ªeven though she wasn''t exactly a person, she''s someone important to him and his beast companion. The wolf pack followed and after that, he couldn''t think of anyone else.


    As for those in the group, Miguel''s group and Grewishka''s group, Leo''s didn''t consider them in any way.


    This was especially with the event that happened with the "rat" this morning during the meeting.


    There was no way that Leo didn''t understand who the rat Tatiana was referring to was. He knew that it was that Ryan person and it''s for this reason that hw didn''t consider anybody in the group.


    Even though Leo was a kid who had little to no real world experience before leaving the orphanage, he has watched what he considers enough zombie moviea to understand how people can change, and behave in such situations.


    Even without the movies, he was someone who takes advice and the words that Ms Ves said to him before the apocalypse began stuck to him. This was also with his instincts screaming at him that Ryan was up to no good when he spoke up.


    Leo couldn''t help but feel that he and Ms Ves made a mistake by allowing the group residency in the building, as they were about to use their act of goodwill against them.


    Leo felt that the situation at hand was quite easy to handle. Since he and Ms Ves were the first to find the residential building complex, then it''s naturally theirs.


    Though this might had not been logical if it was before but with how things are, and the fact that Leo feels that his, Ms Ves'' and the wolf pack combined strength are more than enough to take everyone on, then he''s naturally right.


    And the fact that someone was trying to take what is his made Leo extremely angry. It was a type of anger he had no idea he had as he couldn''t pinpoint where it originated from as it seems to be something innate to him.


    It wasn''t just anger. Leo felt that he has been insulted and he also has no reason why he fek5thst way.


    "It seems I will have to take out the trash first before I can start with my plan of growing stronger. I only have a month time so I have clean up fast and get ready," Leo said, as his eyes gradually turned cold.


    "I will take him out this weak. It won''t exceed the end of the week. I should let him live some couple days more." He said in an equally cold voice, that seem to increase that of the room.


    "Am I really considering this?" Leo whispered to himself, the thought settling uncomfortably in his mind.


    He clenched his fists, feeling the anger bubbling beneath the surface. But it wasn''t just anger. It was a cold, calculated resolve. Ryan was a threat. And threats had to be dealt with.


    Still, a part of him hesitated. He had fought monsters, creatures that threatened his life without a second thought. But Ryan was human.


    The thought of taking another person''s life left a bitter taste in his mouth. Yet, deep down, Leo knew that this world no longer cared about morality.


    Leo''s gaze flicked toward the window, his thoughts churning. He tried his best to search within himself but he wasn''t sure where the anger came from, but it was there.


    It was like a deep, primal fury at the idea of someone taking what he had fought to protect. The residential complex was his and Ves''. They had claimed it. And now, someone wanted to undermine that. S~ea??h the N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "I won''t let it happen." The words were quiet, but they carried weight. He felt the cold resolve settling in his chest. He wasn''t going to let anyone take what was his.


    Leo decided to stop thinking about everything and go to bed. He was already feeling sleepy and he has busy day ahead of him tomorrow, so he has to get as much sleep and rest as he can.


    Falling into the sweet embrace of the sleep, the room fell silent except for Leo''s soft breathing.


    *****


    Somewhere else, Tatiana appeared in what looks like the penthouse suite of a five star hotel.


    "Princess, have you informed Leo of the tournament?" Elda asked curiously, when she saw Tatiana.


    She would had followed Tatiana but the princess insisted that she wanted to go alone.


    "Not exactly but I told that an event will be taking place soon. I also told him what to do. It should be enough to spur him into action," Tatiana replied, as she slumpes into a long lush sofa in the living room of the penthouse suite.


    Elda smiled when she heard Tatiana words. She felt that the princess was keeping a lot of things from Leo to achieve a certain type of effect when he finds out by himself.


    But she wasn''t exactly against it. From what she has seen so far, the princess has given Leo important informations but in a titbit manner.


    "Elda, had there been any news of my step-brother and sister," Tatiana asked, causing the atmosphere of the room to drop almost immediately.


    "You know we can''t exactly communicate between realms. Especially from a newly awakened realm that''s under the jurisdiction of such powerful entity, it''s even more impossible for communication to be possible.


    But I''ve continuously scanned the realm and it''s surrounding for signs of any dimensional rift, but I haven''t seen anything," Elda explained, causing Tatiana to nod.


    "Good. Inform me if you notice any of their presence."


    "I will, princess."


    The face of her stepbrother and sister flashed in her mind, causing her face to twitch.


    "That bastard and that bitch," She muttered to herself, causing Elda to smile.


    Tatiana nodded and lay down on the sofa, deep in thought.


    Tatiana sighed as she gazed out the huge floor-to-wall window, her mind drifting back to Leo.


    There was potential in him. It was like a fire that could either burn everything in its path or illuminate the darkest corners of this world. But was she making the right choice? Was he ready for what was coming?


    "He''ll have to be," she murmured to herself.


    There was no turning back now. She had chosen her piece on the board, and she would see this game through to the end.


    Elda watched Tatiana closely, noting the distant look in her eyes.


    "Do you think he''ll make it?"


    Tatiana didn''t answer immediately. Her thoughts were elsewhere, lingering on the boy she had placed her bets on.


    "I hope so. He''s our best chance."


    Elda raised an eyebrow. "For survival?"


    Tatiana''s lips curved into a faint smile. "Both. For survival and change."

 Chapter 63 - 63: Playing Along, Chaos

    The sun crested the horizon, spilling its golden light across the crumbling remnants of the old world.


    The sky was a soft gradient of pink and orange, casting long shadows over the deserted streets.


    Birds, seemingly accustomed to the silence of the post-apocalyptic world, chirped cautiously from the broken rooftops, their song faint and haunting.


    The air was crisp and cool, carrying the earthy scent of dew settling on overgrown vegetation. Vines crept along the cracked pavement, their leaves glistening in the morning light.


    In the distance, a gentle breeze rustled through the skeletal remains of trees that once lined busy sidewalks.


    It was peaceful, for now. But beneath the surface, the world thrummed with tension, as if holding its breath for the chaos to come.


    Survivors gathered on the ground floor of the residential complex, with a mixture of weary and determined expressions on their faces.


    Leo stood at the front, Ves by his side. His posture was relaxed, but his eyes were sharp, scanning the room with quiet intensity.


    "We need to keep pushing forward," Leo began. "The supplies we gathered yesterday are good, but it''s not enough. We need to clear more buildings and secure this area before the monsters start moving in again."


    There were murmurs of agreement, though some faces were lined with worry. Even though it was just a day, the near-constant danger outside had worn them down.


    Ryan stood near the back, listening intently. His gaze flicked to the group, calculating, always assessing and waiting for the perfect moment to strike.


    "I''ve been thinking," Ryan spoke up, stepping forward.


    His tone was calm and measured.


    "There''s an area about half a mile from here. I''ve seen it before. It''s got some good buildings that could have supplies. But it''s also close to an old shelter. Could be some weapons or medical gear there."


    Leo met Ryan''s gaze. There was a moment of silence before Leo gave a slow nod.


    "Sounds like a good idea," Leo said evenly.


    "You take your team and check it out."


    Ryan blinked, surprised that Leo didn''t argue. But he quickly recovered, a faint smirk curling his lips.


    Of course, Leo wasn''t blind to what Ryan was doing. But for now, he played along.


    After the meeting, the teams split.


    Leo, Ves and the wolves were about to leave when Mia walked up to them.


    "If you don''t mind m, Ms Ves, Leo, can I come wit6uou guys? Please?" She asked with a smile on her face.


    Leo didn''t know when he heard Mia''s request. He could only look at Ms Ves and he saw her nodding at him.


    He looked at Mia and nodded, agreeing to her request.


    Leo took Ves, Fiona, the wolves, and Mia with him. They moved toward a safer route, focused on clearing nearby buildings.


    Ryan, however, led his team toward the area he''d suggested. He kept his pace steady, his posture calm, projecting an air of confidence that the others found reassuring.


    The streets they passed through grew darker, the buildings more twisted and overgrown.


    Cracks in the pavement were filled with weeds, and the air grew thick with the scent of decay.


    Faint growls echoed from the shadows, causing some survivors to glance nervously at their surroundings.


    Ryan kept his expression neutral, but his mind worked furiously. He knew this area. He knew the dangers lurking here. And he knew exactly how to use them.


    The next moment, a pack of mutated rats scurried from a nearby alley, their glowing eyes fixed on the group. The creatures were the same that Leo fought with before.


    "Get ready!" someone shouted, panic spreading through the team.


    The rats moved with terrifying speed, their screeches piercing the air like knives. They swarmed toward the survivors, claws scraping against the pavement.


    One lunged at a survivor, biting deep into his leg. He screamed, blood spurting onto the pavement.


    "Hold your ground!" Ryan barked. "Don''t run! They''ll scatter if we hold steady."


    The team hesitated but followed his command.


    He lunged at the rat, attacking it and forcing it to release the survivor''s leg. After the rat released his leg, The injured man''s screams filled the street, but no one moved to help him.


    They were frozen in place, their eyes locked on the circling rats. Fear was a tangible thing, tightening around their throats like a vice.


    The rats circled the group, snarling, but after a tense standoff, they backed away into the shadows, their glowing eyes lingering for a moment before disappearing.


    The group breathed a collective sigh of relief, but tension lingered in the air.


    Ryan smiled inwardly after the mutant rats had left.


    ...


    After the incident with the mutant rats, the group pressed on, their steps slower and more cautious.


    Every creak of a building, every rustle of leaves made them flinch. The streets seemed to close in around them, the walls of buildings leaning ominously as if ready to collapse.


    "Let''s check that building," Ryan said, pointing to a structure that seemed intact. Its windows were boarded up, and the door hung slightly ajar.


    The survivors hesitated, but Ryan strode forward confidently.


    The group followed, stepping carefully over debris. The floor inside creakedwith every step, the sound echoing through the hollow space.


    Suddenly, there was a loud crack. The floor beneath one of the survivors¡ªDavid¡ªgave way with a deafening crash.


    "Help!" David''s scream was filled with panic, his voice echoing from the dark basement below.


    His scream echoed through the hollow building as dust and debris rained down around him.


    "Help!" David screamed with a frantic and panicked voice, and echoing from the dark basement below.


    The group rushed to the edge of the hole, peering down into the dark basement below.


    Down there, David lay twisted on the ground, clutching his leg. Blood seeped through his pants, pooling beneath him.


    "Form a chain," Ryan ordered. "We need to get him out before something finds him."


    They immediately did as Ryan said, as they formed a makeshift chain, lowering one of their own to pull David back up.


    Their faces were pale, their hands trembling as they hauled him to safety. Sear?h the N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    David''s ragged breaths filled the silence. His leg was badly broken, the makeshift splint barely holding it together.


    The group exchanged worried glances as their team''s morale dipped further. Fear and frustration simmered beneath the surface.


    Why had Leo sent them here? They all thought collectively.


    Ryan remained calm, his demeanor steady as he helped bandage David''s leg. But he could see it in their eyes¡ªthe seeds of doubt were growing.


    .....


    After things had settled down, the group decided to start heading back to base.


    As they crossed a narrow street, a piercing screech split the air. Heads snapped upward as a massive bird circled above, its razor-sharp talons gleaming in the sunlight.


    "That''s not a normal bird," one survivor whispered, his voice trembling.


    "Get to cover!" Ryan yelled when he saw the monster.


    The creature swooped down with terrifying speed, its talons slicing through the air with a deadly hiss.


    It targeted the group with precision, tearing through one survivor''s arm with a single strike.


    Blood dripped from the gash, staining the ground as the injured man stumbled backward, clutching his arm in pain.


    Immediately, chaos erupted.


    The survivors scattered like frightened animals, their footsteps pounding against the pavement. Some raised their weapons, but their hands trembled too much to aim. They weren''t warriors¡ªthey were just trying to survive.


    Ryan acted quickly, grabbing a broken piece of wood from the rubble and hurling it at the vulture. The makeshift weapon struck the creature in the wing, sending it retreating with a shriek.


    Breathing hard, Ryan turned to the injured man, his expression calm.


    "Get him patched up," he ordered. "We need to keep moving."


    The group looked at him with newfound respect. Ryan had saved them¡ªagain.


    By the time they returned to the base, the tension within the group was palpable.


    David was carried inside, his leg injury severe. The man who had been slashed by the vulture was pale, his arm hastily bandaged.


    Whispers spread through the survivors.


    "Why did Leo send us there?"


    "That place was a death trap."


    "He doesn''t know what he''s doing."


    Ryan didn''t speak. He didn''t need to. The seeds of doubt he had planted were growing, spreading like wildfire.


    As the survivors gathered to debrief, one of them finally voiced what many were thinking.


    "We can''t keep following Leo if he''s sending us into places like that," the man said, his voice shaking with frustration. "He''s reckless."


    Ryan remained silent, a faint smile playing on his lips. Things were going just according to plan.

 Chapter 64 - 64: Confrontation [Bonus Chapter]

    The dim light from outside flowed through the window, cast long shadows across the ground floor of the residential complex.


    Ves leaned against the cold concrete wall, her arms crossed, her sharp gaze locked on Ryan.


    The tension between them was suffocating, thick with unspoken words and hidden motives.


    Ves''s usually calm demeanor was gone with her hostility was barely contained.


    Ryan, however, wore his usual faint smirk, his posture relaxed. He met Ves''s glare with a calm, calculating expression, as though he were trying to solve a puzzle.


    The silence stretched between them, heavy with the weight of what was to come.


    "You''ve been busy," Ves finally said, her quiet, yet sharp.


    Her eyes didn''t waver, drilling into Ryan''s with quiet intensity.


    Ryan tilted his head slightly, with a small, amused smile playing on his lips.


    "Busy? I''ve been helping the group survive, if that''s what you mean."


    Ves took a step forward, her shoes echoing against the concrete floor.


    "I''ve heard the whispers. People talking about how Leo''s reckless. How he shouldn''t be leading. Funny how those conversations started after you started going out with them."


    Ryan''s expression didn''t change, but Ves caught the brief flicker of something in his eyes. It was a spark of recognition that told her she was right on target.


    "People have opinions," Ryan said smoothly. "It''s not my fault if they''re starting to realize the truth."


    "The truth?" Ves''s voice sharpened. "And what truth is that?"


    "That Leo''s young. Inexperienced. He''s doing his best, I''m sure. But in this world, ''doing your best'' isn''t always enough." Ryan''s tone was calm, reasonable.


    He spoke as though he were making a casual observation, not undermining someone''s leadership. But both he and Ves were fully aware of what he trying to achieve.


    Ves clenched her fists at her sides. She was just a second away from activating her [Bone Claw] skill, but she held herself back.


    She could feel the anger bubbling beneath her skin, threatening to boil over. But she forced herself to remain still.


    "You''re a clever man, Ryan," Ves said, doing her best to keep her voice steady despite the rage simmering beneath the surface.


    "Too clever. You''ve managed to make people question Leo without ever saying his name."


    Ryan chuckled softly, the sound low and mocking.


    "People question what they see. I don''t have to say anything. They see a boy leading them into danger. They see me keeping them safe." S~ea??h the N??eFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Ves''s nails bit into her palms. Her mind raced, piecing together the events of the past few days.


    The ambushes, the near-disasters, the growing distrust among the survivors. It all led back to Ryan.


    "I don''t know what you''re playing at," Ves said through gritted teeth. "But I see through you."


    Ryan''s smile widened slightly, his eyes gleaming with amusement. "Do you?"


    Ves took another step forward, closing the distance between them. "You''ve been planting seeds of doubt. Turning people against Leo. Why?"


    Ryan''s expression shifted, the smirk fading into something colder, more calculating. Ge finally let go of his facade for the first time, bringing out his true self.


    "Because this world needs leaders who can make hard choices. Not boys pretending to be heroes," he said with a cold voice.


    The words struck Ves like a blow. Her vision blurred with anger, her body tensing as her instincts screamed at her to strike. But she held herself back, clinging to the last shred of rationality she had.


    "You think you''re that leader?" Ves asked, her voice trembling with barely contained rage.


    "I know I am," Ryan said calmly. "Look at the group. Who do they trust? Who do they look to when things go wrong?"


    "They trust Leo," Ves snapped. "And they trust me."


    "For now," Ryan said, his tone infuriatingly casual and suggestive. "But how long will that last? How many more injuries? How many more close calls before they realize they need someone who can protect them?"


    Ves''s breath came in short, sharp bursts. Her vision tunneled, her focus narrowing to Ryan''s smug face.


    She wanted to wipe that expression off his face. Wanted to knock him down, tag those teeth the gums that they are seated. She wants to make Ryan see that he wasn''t as untouchable as he thought he was.


    "You think you can take what''s ours?" Ves hissed, her voice low and dangerous. "You think you can walk in here and take over?"


    Ryan shrugged. "I think people will choose safety over loyalty. It''s human nature. Besides, what right do you have to claim that something is yours? It should naturally belong to those that can keep it. Or am I wrong?"


    The cold, calculated way he said it sent a shiver down Ves''s spine. There was no emotion in his voice, no remorse. He believed every word he was saying.


    Ves took a slow, deep breath, forcing herself to regain control. "You''re not as clever as you think you are. I see through you. And so will Leo."


    Ryan''s smirk returned. "Then maybe you should tell him. Warn him about the big bad wolf in your midst."


    Ves''s fists clenched again, her knuckles whitening. "I will."


    Ryan''s expression darkened slightly, his gaze sharpening. "Be careful, Ves. People don''t like being told what to think. They like to come to their own conclusions."


    The veiled threat hung in the air, but Ves didn''t flinch. She took a step back, her gaze never leaving Ryan''s.


    "I''m not afraid of you," Ves said quietly. "And I won''t let you tear this group apart."


    Ryan inclined his head slightly, a mocking gesture of respect. "We''ll see."


    Without another word, Ves turned and walked away, her heart pounding in her chest. Her mind raced, replaying every word, every gesture.


    Ryan''s manipulations were clear to her now. He wasn''t just a threat to Leo''s leadership¡ªhe was a threat to everyone''s survival.


    As Ves took the elevator to the upper floors, she made up her mind. She would talk to Leo. They couldn''t let this continue. Ryan had to be stopped.


    And if it came down to it, she was prepared to do whatever it took to protect what was theirs.

 Chapter 65 - 65: Face Off [Bonus Chapter]

    The morning light filtered through the windows of the residential complex, casting lines of shadow across the ground floor.


    The survivors gathered in tense silence, their faces lined with weariness and unspoken worries.


    The usual chatter and murmurs that accompanied the previous two meetings were absent, replaced by a sense of foreboding that hung in the air like a storm about to break.


    Leo stood at the front, his arms crossed, his gaze scanning the room.


    Ves stood by his side, her posture rigid, her sharp eyes darting toward Ryan every few moments. The confrontation from the previous day still lingered in her mind.


    She hadn''t told Leo yet, but her instincts screamed that today was the day Ryan would make his move. It told that the storm was about to break.


    Ryan stood near the back, his usual faint smirk in place, his eyes calculating. He saw that the seeds of doubt he had planted were ready to sprout, and he was equally ready to boost their growth and harvest their produce. S§×ar?h the Novel?ire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "Alright," Leo began, his voice steady. "We''ve made good progress clearing nearby buildings, but there''s still more to do. Today, we¡ª"


    A low murmur rippled through the crowd.


    "Split into teams again?" someone muttered, loud enough for others to hear. "More like split up to get killed."


    Leo paused, his gaze narrowing as he scanned the crowd. It wasn''t the first time he''d heard whispers of discontent as they always complained during the lady two meetings. But today, they were louder, more brazen.


    "Leo''s right," Ves interjected, her sharp voice cutting through the room.


    "We''ve survived because we''ve been proactive. Sitting around waiting for monsters to come to us isn''t an option."


    Carlos, stepped forward with a hard expression on his face.


    "We''ve followed you into danger time and time again. And what''s it gotten us? Injuries? Near-death experiences? Maybe it''s time for a change."


    A few heads nodded in agreement.


    "It''s not about luck," Leo replied, keeping his tone calm with a somewhat intrigued smile on his face. "It''s about preparation."


    "Preparation?" Jian scoffed as he waved his katana.


    "We''ve been walking into ambushes. You keep sending us into danger, and we''re the ones paying the price."


    The murmurs grew louder, spreading through the group like wildfire.


    "I heard someone got seriously injured yesterday," another voice added. "Why are we still following this kid? He''s reckless."


    Ves clenched her fists at her sides, her jaw tightening. The seeds of doubt had taken root.


    She scanned the crowd, her gaze locking briefly with Mia''s, who stood near the back, looking slightly confused at the situation unfolding.


    Before Leo could respond, Ryan stepped forward, with a calm expression on his face.


    It was like everything happening wasn''t related to him in any way and he doesn''t want a part of it.


    "I have a suggestion," he said with a calm and sharp voice that cut through the room like a knife.


    Leo''s gaze flicked to him, unreadable.


    "Go ahead."


    "There''s an area to the west," Ryan said. "It''s been untouched since the Awakening. I believe we could find some valuable supplies there. Maybe some medical geat or even weapons."


    Ves''s jaw clenched. She recognized Ryan''s tactic immediately. It was the same ploy he''d used before to lure survivors into danger.


    Leo nodded slowly. "Alright. You take a team and check it out."


    Ryan''s smirk widened slightly. But before he could respond, a voice rose from the crowd.


    "Why does he get to decide? Why do we keep following his orders?"


    With this word, immediately the tension in the room thickened.


    "Because he gave you idiots a place to stay and kept you bunch of fools safe," Ves snapped.


    "And he also led us into danger," Jian shot back. "We''ve been lucky, but luck runs out."


    Miguel, standing near the back, took a step forward, his expression disbelieving.


    "Jian? Carlos? Are you serious? After everything we''ve been through?"


    Carlos met Miguel''s gaze, his expression unyielding.


    "We''re thinking about survival, Miguel. That''s what matters."


    Ryan seeing that the moment was right, decided to seize it. He coughed lightly, clearing his throat and stopping the chaos that was about to erupt.


    He looked Leo and Ves with a smile on his face, and said with a calm and soothing voice:


    "Carlos is right. This isn''t about loyalty or friendship. It''s about survival. We need to think about what''s best for the group. Leo''s done his best. That, we all can agree on but¡­ maybe it''s time we think about what''s best for the group."


    Leo''s eyes narrowed, his gaze never leaving Ryan.


    "And what exactly are you suggesting?"


    Ryan stepped forward, his posture calm but commanding.


    "I''m suggesting we let the group decide who they want to follow."


    Ves took a step forward, her fists clenched. "This isn''t a democracy. Leo has led us through hell. He''s kept us alive."


    "And yet again, he''s led us into danger," Jian added, stepping up beside Carlos. "We''ve been lucky, but luck runs out."


    Miguel''s eyes widened, disbelief etched across his face. "Jian? Carlos? Are you serious?"


    Carlos met Miguel''s gaze, his expression hard. "We have to think about survival, Miguel. Ryan''s right. We need someone who can keep us safe."


    Ves''s heart pounded in her chest. The lines were being drawn.


    On one side stood Ryan, Carlos, Jian, and the whole of Grewishka''s group. Their expressions were cold, their resolve clear.


    On the other side stood Leo, Ves, Miguel, Mia, and a handful of others. Ves could see the shock and confusion in their eyes, but she knew that their reaction won''t change anything.


    "Can''t you all see that Ryan''s been manipulating you," Ves said, her voice sharp. "Every step of the way. Can''t you see that?"


    Carlos shook his head. "What I see is a leader who will do anything to keep us safe."


    Miguel took a step forward, his gaze locked on Carlos.


    "And what about loyalty? We''ve fought together. Survived together. How can you turn your back on that?"


    Carlos''s expression flickered, but he quickly steeled himself.


    "Like I said before, it''s not about loyalty. It''s about survival."


    Ryan''s smirk returned, his gaze locking on Leo.


    "So, what''s it going to be, Leo? Are you going to let the group decide? Or are you going to cling to your little throne?"


    Leo gave a small amused smile when he heard Ryan''s question. He was very amused by the current development of things.


    Ves stepped closer to him, her voice low but firm.


    "Don''t give in. This is exactly what he wants."


    "I know," Leo replied casually, his gaze never wavering from Ryan and his thoughts unknown.


    The next moment, Leo burst into and hearty laughter, causing Ryan''s smirk to falter slightly.


    "Do you trust someone who''s been hiding in the shadows, planting seeds of doubt?" Leo said with a smile laugh, as he continued. "Someone who''s led you into danger time and time again?"


    "Honestly, all of you are bunch of stupids. Imagine someone giving you all ungrateful imbeciles a place to rest your worthless heads and you want to turn on him? Wonderful. Just wonderful. I''m very impressed," Leo said, with a very sinister smile on his facethat radiated coldness tat filled the room immediately.


    The room immediately fell silent.


    "For those who want to leave, you can leave now," Leo said. "But know this¡ªyou won''t find safety with Ryan. You''ll find manipulation and betrayal."


    The silence stretched, heavy and tense.


    "Now, Ryan, why don''t we settle this the old fashion way?" Leo asked with a smile as he slowly walked towards Ryan, with soft, light steps.


    Ryan''s smirk faltered, face hardened and his mind started racing when he saw Leo''s actions. He felt that things were about to go south.


    He hadn''t expected Leo to be so calm, so confident. The boy had always seemed reserved, cautious. But now¡­ there was something dangerous in his gaze.


    It was something that Ryan hadn''t accounted for. But he couldn''t back down. Not now. If he did, the group would see him as weak.


    "How do you propose we do this?" He asked, throwing the question back to Leo.


    Leo smiled at this but he didn''t mind. He stood in front of Ryan and stared at him directly in the eyes. Even though Ryan was physically older than Leo, Leo was taller than him and looks even more physically fit than him, all thanks to his crazy leveling speed.


    "Ryan, why don''t we do this with a good old duel? We fight to prove our point. Remember what you said? It should naturally belong to those who can keep it. Or am I wrong?" Leo asked with sweet not so sweet smile on his face.

 Chapter 66 - 66: Face Off (II)

    A murmur spread through the crowd, low and uneasy, like distant thunder rumbling before a storm.


    Some faces were filled with anticipation, eager to see what would happen next, while others reflected fear, their eyes darting between Leo and Ryan.


    The room filled with tension, thick and oppressive, pressing down on everyone present. The air itself seemed to vibrate, as though it too was holding its breath.


    All eyes fixed on the two figures at the center of it all¡ªLeo and Ryan.


    For the survivors standing behind Ryan, Leo''s words had struck a nerve. His insults had landed with precision, cutting through their pride like a blade.


    As adults, they had never been spoken to in such a way. The sting of Leo''s words lingered, gnawing at their self-worth.


    They knew, deep down, that Leo was right. Grewishka had told them as much¡ªthat it was Leo and Ves who allowed them to stay in the residential complex, giving them shelter and protection.


    But pride was a stubborn thing.


    Admitting their mistake would mean acknowledging their own weakness. It was easier to cling to their resentment, to justify their rebellion by convincing themselves that Leo was too young to lead.


    They wanted nothing more than to charge at Leo, to wipe that smirk off his face. But the sight of that dark and menacing black sword in his hand, made them hesitate.


    Fear rooted them in place, and they decided it was better to let Ryan handle it.


    Ryan stood at the center of it all, taking in the shifting emotions of the crowd. He could see the doubt in their eyes, the growing uncertainty that threatened to derail everything he had worked hard for.


    He scoffed inwardly. Imbeciles.


    But his thoughts quickly turned back to Leo¡ªthe boy who had challenged him so brazenly.


    The insult of the challenge replayed in Ryan''s mind, grating against his pride like sandpaper on raw flesh. His fists clenched at his sides, his knuckles whitening with suppressed rage.


    Ryan took a step forward, his movements slow and deliberate. He stood directly in front of Leo, their faces almost touching. The air between them was electric, charged with unspoken threats.


    He tilted his head slightly, a cold smile curling at the corners of his lips.


    "Let me tell you something, kid," Ryan murmured, his voice low and dripping with malice. "I understand you feel strong right now. You fought that boar and won. You think you''re invincible. But I''m telling you¡ªif you push ahead with this duel, you will lose."


    His words were laced with cold malevolence, each syllable a dagger aimed at Leo''s confidence. The tone was enough to send shivers down the spine of anyone listening.


    But Leo¡­ Leo smiled.


    He lowered his head slightly, leaning in until his mouth was close to Ryan''s ear. His voice, when he spoke, was even colder¡ªa whisper that cut through the tension like a blade.


    "Bring it on, imp."


    Ryan''s entire body tensed. His jaw clenched so tightly that his teeth ached. His face twitched involuntarily, his composed mask slipping for a brief moment.


    That single word had pierced through his defenses, igniting a fire of rage and humiliation.


    For the first time, Ryan dropped the act.


    He took a step back, his expression twisting into something dark and sinister. The faint smirk he had worn was gone, replaced by a cold, calculating stare.


    "You know," Ryan began, his voice calm but laced with venom, "I really liked you, Leo. I thought that maybe¡­ just maybe¡­ we could be brothers. I thought that if I handled things the right way, if I took control gently, we could work together. Become partners."


    He chuckled softly, though there was no humor in the sound.


    "But I see now that you''re just like the rest. Arrogant. Blind. A fool drunk on a drop of power."


    Ryan''s gaze sharpened, boring into Leo with cold intensity.


    "You think you''re strong because of a few fights? Because you have a little power You''re nothing but a child playing dress-up. And you know what happens to children who don''t know their place?"


    Ryan took another step back, stretching his arms wide, his smile returning, but this time, it was twisted and dark.


    "They get punished."


    The atmosphere in the room shifted. The air grew heavier, pressing down on everyone like an invisible weight. The shadows seemed to lengthen, creeping across the floor toward Ryan as if drawn to him.


    Ryan''s gaze flicked to the crowd, his eyes glinting with cruel amusement.


    "Let me show you," he continued, his voice dropping to a near whisper. "Let me give you a taste of what true power looks like. Let me show you why I''m the only one who can lead this group."


    He turned back to Leo, his expression devoid of emotion.


    "Leo," he said softly, "let me give you a test of my power."


    The next moment, the air erupted with sound.


    Screeches and roars filled the air, deafening and unnatural. The walls of building seemed to tremble as the monstrous noises echoed through the building.


    The survivors flinched, some covering their ears, others stepping back, their face pale from fear. Their hearts raced, the animalistic sounds sending chills down their spines. S§×arch* The N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    The screeches grew louder, more frenzied, as if a horde of creatures was just outside, waiting to descend upon them.


    Ryan''s smile widened as he basked in the fear spreading through the room.


    "Do you hear that?" he whispered, his voice cutting through the noise like a scalpel. "That''s the sound of power. That''s the sound of monsters answering my call."


    He took a step forward, his eyes locked on Leo.


    "You will lose. And when you do, this group will see that I''m the only one who can keep them safe."


    The screeches and roars intensified, shaking the very foundation of the building. The tension reached a breaking point, the room teetering on the edge of chaos.


    But Leo didn''t flinch.


    He stood tall, his gaze steady, his expression calm.


    "Is that all?" Leo asked, his voice cutting through the noise like a blade.


    Ryan''s smile faltered, the slightest hint of doubt flickering in his eyes. He quickly regained his composure as he smiled.


    "I see. You''re confident, huh? Then, show me how you will survive this," he said, pointing to the entrance of the building.


    Everyone followed his finger. Their eyes widened in horror as blood drained from their faces, as they staggered backward.


    Then, suddenly, a scream pierced the air.


    "Ahhh!"

 Chapter 67 - 67: Army of the Dead

    Leo''s eyes widened in shock as he followed Ryan''s outstretched hand to the entrance of the building.


    Beyond the building''s entrance, a sea of the undead surged forward, an unrelenting tide of flesh and decay.


    Hundreds¡ªno, thousands¡ªof zombies** flooded the street, their bodies packed so tightly together they looked like a single, writhing organism.


    Their growls and snarls filled the air, a twisted symphony of hunger and death. The sound was guttural and relentless, like the rumble of a distant earthquake, growing louder with every passing second.


    But it wasn''t just the zombies that sent chills down Leo''s spine.


    Beyond the surging zombies, around the building, Leo sensed different types of monsters lurking seemingly in wait, patiently as if they knew their moment would come.


    Leo clenched his fists lightly when he saw this.


    ''So this is why Ryan was so confident.''


    He didn''t need to fight Leo directly. He brought the fight to him.


    The stench of decay hit Leo like a punch to the gut as the horde closed in. Rotting flesh, blood, and death mixed in the air, making it hard to breathe.


    Then the zombies broke through the entrance.


    The glass door splintered under the pressure of the horde, the glass and metal groaning before giving way completely.


    A wall of undead flesh poured into the building, their glassy eyes filled with mindless hunger.


    Their snarls grew deafening, echoing off the walls like a storm crashing through the building. The sound of bone scraping against concrete, flesh tearing, and teeth gnashing filled the air, creating an atmosphere of pure horror. S~ea??h the n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Leo moved immediately, pushing Ves and Mia out of the way, as he prepared to face the horde. His heart pounded in his chest, but his mind remained calm.


    The zombies rushed forward with relentless ferocity, their rotting hands clawing at the air as they sought to tear apart anything in their path.


    And, chaos erupted.


    The survivors, who moments ago had been standing frozen in fear, now scattered like headless chickens in a slaughterhouse. Their screams pierced the air, blending with the grotesque noises of the zombies.


    "Run! They''re coming!"


    "Hide! Find cover!"


    People shoved each other aside, desperate to escape. The whole underground floor was overturned, the sounds of loud scuffling feet adding to the cacophony.


    Some survivors stumbled over each other in their haste to escape, their screams adding to the chaos.


    One man tripped and fell, his face pale with terror as he scrambled to his feet, his eyes darting around like a trapped animal.


    In less than ten seconds, the ground floor, once packed with survivors, was nearly deserted, leaving almost only Leo, Ves, Mia, and the wolves remained.


    Leo''s gaze shifted to Ryan, who stood calmly near the back of the room. His smile remained, twisted with amusement as he watched the chaos unfold.


    He relished the moment, soaking in the fear and terror that filled the air.


    The first zombie lunged at Leo, its yellowed teeth snapping inches from his face. Its long, claw-like fingers swiped at him, aiming for his throat.


    Leo moved with ease as he dodged the attack, twisting his body with fluid movements.


    The dark and gleaming blade of Nightshade cut through the air with deadly grace. The zombie''s head flew from its shoulders, rolling across the floor before coming to a stop against a wall.


    The headless corpse crumpled to the ground with a sickening thud, but the horde behind it didn''t hesitate. More zombies poured in, their snarls growing louder as they surged toward Leo.


    Leo took a deep breath, his mind razor-sharp. He knew that even though the zombies were huge in numbers, they weren''t the only threat. The monsters outside were just as dangerous as the zombies.


    Though they don''t have the advantage of numbers like the zombies, their individual levels aren''t something to be scoffed at.


    But even with how grim the situation looks, Leo wasn''t scared or bothered in any way. Instead, he felt excited. And even happy.


    His initial plan for today was to go monster hunting and level up as fast as possible, but since Ryan has been so kind to bring the monsters to him, then he would have to make use of the opportunity.


    Also, after leveling up lately, Leo had been dying to test out his strength and skills, and the only way he can do that is in such a situation.


    The zombies closed in, their grotesque forms swaying and stumbling, but Leo didn''t wait for them to come to him. He moved first.


    With a powerful stomp, he activated [Seismic Stomp].


    The ground trembled beneath his feet, sending a shockwave rippling through the horde. The front ranks of the zombies stumbled, their grotesque bodies crashing into one another.


    The building itself seemed to shudder under the impact, dust falling from the ceiling as cracks spiderwebbed across the walls.


    Taking advantage of the momentary pause, Leo launched himself forward.


    He became a blur of motion, cutting through the zombies as he went on a killing spree.


    His blade easily sliced through flesh and bone, sending decaying limbs flying as he carved a path through the horde.


    The sickening sound of flesh tearing and bones cracking filled the room, but Leo paid no mind. His focus was absolute.


    One zombie after another fell before him. Heads rolled, torsos split open, and the ground became slick with dark, rotting blood. The stench of decay grew stronger, clinging to his clothes and skin, but he didn''t falter.


    His speed was unmatched and each of his movements was fluid, as he danced through the horde.


    Nightshade became like an extension of himself, a blur of darkness cutting through the tide of death.


    Behind him, Ves and Mia watched in stunned silence.


    Mia''s hands trembled, clutching the twin daggers tightly. Her eyes were wide with fear and awe as she watched Leo move through the horde like a force of nature.


    "He''s¡­ incredible," she whispered.


    Ves nodded, her eyes never leaving Leo.


    "He''s grown stronger."


    Leo continued his killing spree, cutting down zombie after zombie, clearing 35% of the horde with ease.


    But he knew this wasn''t the end.


    Beyond the horde, the monsters still waited. He felt that he could see their forms shifting restlessly as if eager to join the fray.


    Leo paused for a moment, standing in the midst of a sea of corpses. Nightshade dripped with black, viscous blood, the smell of rot and death thick and suffocating in the air.


    He turned his gaze toward Ryan, who still stood calmly at the back of the room, watching the carnage with cold amusement.


    "Is that all you''ve got?" Leo called out, his voice cutting through the noise like a blade.


    Ryan''s smile widened, but there was a flicker of irritation in his eyes. Leo wasn''t supposed to be this calm¡­ This confident.


    "I see," Ryan said, his voice smooth but laced with thinly veiled frustration.


    The next moment, he pointed toward the entrance of the building.


    Leo followed his finger and he saw beyond the building''s entrance, more zombies surged forward, their dead eyes gleaming with hunger.


    And behind them, the monsters moved, with low and menacing growls as they began to advance, closing in on the building.

 Chapter 68 - 68: Against The Endless Tide

    Leo''s gaze shifted toward Ves, his chest tightening when he saw the mix of fear and anger on her face.


    Her fists were clenched so tightly that her knuckles had turned white, and her eyes glistened with unshed tears of frustration and rage.


    He walked toward her with deliberate calmness, stepping over the piles of rotting corpses that littered the ground. His footsteps echoed in the silence between the growls and snarls of the advancing tide.


    "Ms. Ves," Leo said gently, his voice, soft, calm and steady despite the chaos around them. "You don''t have to worry about them. I''ll take care of them."


    He pointed toward the horde of zombies and monsters that loomed like a living nightmare, advancing toward the building with relentless hunger.


    "What I need you to focus on is that dog." Leo''s gaze flicked to Ryan, who remained standing at the back, his smile still twisted with amusement. "He seems to be able to control the zombies and monsters. If we take him out, we can end all of this."


    Ves opened her mouth, wanting to protest, but Leo shook his head.


    "I know you''re worried," Leo said softly, "and you don''t want me to do this alone. But I''m not alone. I have you, Fiona, and the wolf pack. The monsters and zombies shouldn''t be a problem for me. The best way you can help is by taking care of him."


    Ves sighed, her shoulders slumping slightly in resignation. She knew Leo was right, but it didn''t make the situation any easier to accept. Her heart clenched painfully at the thought of leaving Leo to face the horde alone.


    Her gaze shifted to Ryan, and a wave of emotions crashed over her¡ªgrief, betrayal, and most of all,*burning hatred.


    Her lips curled into a snarl, and her eyes narrowed with cold fury. Her floodgates broke, releasing all the emotions she had bottled up since the mutiny began.


    With light, menacing steps, Ves began walking toward Ryan.


    .....


    Ryan''s body tensed when he saw Ves approaching, her face twisted in unrestrained rage. The calculated calm he had maintained began to falter as he realized the depth of her anger.


    His gaze darted to Grewishka, Jian, and Carlos, who still stood on the ground floor.


    "Stop her!" Ryan roared, his voice laced with panic.


    Jian and Carlos rushed forward without hesitation, their faces hard with determination. Grewishka remained by Ryan''s side, his towering figure acting as a shield.


    Miguel and Mia, who had been standing frozen in shock, finally snapped into action when they saw Ves about to be attacked.


    Miguel''s fury ignited like a firestorm.


    His heart pounded as memories of saving Carlos, Jian, and the others flashed through his mind. He had given them shelter, fought alongside them, and risked his life to keep them alive. And now, those very people were turning against him.


    "You traitorous bastards!" Miguel roared, his voice echoing through the building.


    With bitterness and anger fueling him, Miguel charged toward Jian and Carlos, his weapon raised high. Mia followed closely behind, her daggers gleaming as she prepared to strike.


    The two groups clashed in a flurry of metal and rage, their weapons clanging as the sound of battle mixed with the snarls of the advancing horde.


    .....


    Leo turned away from the fight, knowing he couldn''t afford to get involved.


    The tide of death was closing in.


    The zombies moved like a swarming flood, their dead eyes gleaming with mindless hunger. Their growls and snarls blended into a cacophony of death, a symphony of terror that shook the building to its core.


    Their rotting flesh hung loosely from their bones, and their jagged teeth snapped hungrily as they surged forward. S§×ar?h the n??el Fire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Behind them, multiple mutant creatures also rushed forward, with their beastly eyes trained on him.


    Leo took a deep breath, his heart pounding in anticipation. This was it. This was the battle he had been waiting for.


    He stepped outside the building, his feet crunching on the debris-strewn ground. Fiona and the wolf pack followed closely behind, their eyes gleaming with predatory focus.


    The horde surged toward him, a wall of death and decay.


    Leo stomped his foot on the ground, activating [Seismic Stomp] just as the cooldown elapsed.


    The ground shook violently, sending shockwaves rippling through the horde. The zombies in the front ranks stumbled and fell, crashing into those behind them.


    Dust and debris filled the air as cracks spiderwebbed across the ground, and buildings shuddered from the impact.


    Without missing a beat, Leo activated [Berserker''s Roar].


    A deafening roar erupted from him, sending waves of fear and disorientation through the horde. Zombies and monsters within the 20-meter radius froze, their movements halting as the roar reverberated through the air.


    Leo saw the momentary pause he had created and seized the opportunity.


    With blinding speed, he charged into the horde, Nightshade flashing as he cut through flesh and bone.


    The sickening sound of flesh tearing and bones snapping filled the air. Blood sprayed in dark arcs, staining the ground as Leo moved like a whirlwind of death.


    The system''s notifications kept ringing in his head as he killed the monsters but Leo didn''t pay any attention to it.


    He dodged claws and teeth, his movements fluid and precise. Each strike of his blade was lethal, decapitating zombies and splitting torsos with ease.


    But the horde was endless.


    Zombies kept coming, their numbers overwhelming. Leo could feel the weight of the battle pressing down on him, the sheer mass of bodies threatening to engulf him.


    A zombie lunged at him from the side, its claws aimed at his neck.


    Leo ducked at the last second, swinging Nightshade upward and slicing through the zombie''s chest and spilting its head into two. The creature fell with a gurgling snarl before going silent, but another took its place immediately.


    Leo''s heart pounded, but his mind remained focused. He couldn''t afford to lose the concentration he has right now.


    Another zombie lunged, and Leo spun on his heel, delivering a powerful kick that sent the creature flying backward into the horde.


    The next moment, a zombie lunged at him from behind, its claws inches from his back. He spun just in time, slicing through its neck, but another creature grabbed his arm. With a grunt, he twisted free, his blade flashing as he severed its head.


    He saw a larger mutant creature advancing from the rear. It was a hulking beast with razor-sharp claws and seemingly glowing red eyes.


    The monster let out a guttural growl, its eyes locking onto Leo with predatory intent.


    Leo braced himself, tightening his grip on Nightshade.


    The monster charged forward, its claws slicing through the air with terrifying speed.


    Leo moved to dodge, but the monster was faster than he anticipated. Its claw grazed his side, sending searing pain through his body.


    The force of the blow sent Leo flying backward, his body crashing into the ground with a heavy thud. Blood seeped through his shirt, staining the fabric dark red.


    The horde closed in, their growls and snarls growing louder as they sensed weakness.


    Leo gritted his teeth, pushing himself to his feet despite the pain. His gaze remained locked on the approaching monster, his mind racing.

 Chapter 69 - 69: Against The Endless Tide (II)

    Leo lay sprawled on the ground, his body aching from the force of the blow that had sent him crashing into the debris-strewn floor.


    The metallic tang of blood filled his mouth, and he spat onto the cracked pavement, watching dark red droplets splatter against the stone.


    The snarls and growls of the advancing horde surrounded him, growing louder with every second. The scent of decay and blood hung thick in the air, making it difficult to breathe.


    The ground trembled beneath the weight of the countless zombies and mutant creatures closing in on him.


    For a brief moment, Leo allowed himself to close his eyes, his mind racing through everything that had led to this moment.


    He thought of the people he had saved. The survivors he had welcomed into the base, giving them shelter and protection. He thought of Ryan¡ªthe rat he had allowed in. The one who had betrayed him and brought this nightmare to his doorstep.


    It was now, as he lay on the ground, staring up at the swarming tide of death, that Ves''s words echoed in his mind.


    "Be careful who you trust."


    He hadn''t listened. He had wanted to help, to save people. But now, he wondered if he had been wrong.


    Had his naivety led them to this moment?


    But¡­ was he truly wrong to help?


    Leo sighed, his gaze hardening. There was no use dwelling on the past. He had made a mistake, and now he had to fix it.


    And the only way to fix things was to get rid of this endless tide.


    ¡­..


    The tide surged forward, a mass of rotting flesh and terror. Zombies shuffled and stumbled, their dead eyes gleaming with hunger, while mutant creatures prowled behind them, their beastly eyes locked on Leo.


    The horde was relentless, unending. Hundreds, if not thousands, of monsters closing in, their growls blending into a deafening cacophony of death.


    Leo''s grip tightened around Nightshade, the dark blade gleaming under the dim light. With a grunt of effort, he stabbed the sword into the ground, using it as a crutch to lift himself up.


    His body protested, pain flaring through his ribs and shoulders, but he ignored it. Pain was nothing compared to the threat before him.


    But it wasn''t going to be easy. Even though their levels are low, with most of the zombies being level 1 and the mutant creature, level 5 to 11, their numbers makes up for it.


    As he stood, his eyes locked on the horde. Determination burned in his gaze.


    "You all¡­" Leo muttered, his voice low and cold, "are nothing more than exp points."


    With a roar of defiance, Leo charged forward, Nightshade slashing through the air as he met the horde head-on. S§×ar?h the NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ¡­..


    The first zombie lunged, its claws swiping toward Leo''s face. He sidestepped with ease, bringing Nightshade down in a swift arc, slicing through the creature''s neck.


    Rotting flesh and bone parted like butter, and the zombie''s head rolled to the ground.


    Another zombie lunged from the side, but Leo was already moving. His blade whirled, cutting through torsos and limbs, sending black, viscous blood spraying into the air.


    The stench of decay grew stronger, clinging to his clothes and skin, but Leo didn''t pay it any heed.


    He dodged and weaved, with fluid and precise movements. But the horde was endless.


    For every zombie Leo cut down, two more took its place. The ground beneath him became slick with blood and gore, making it difficult to maintain his footing.


    A mutant rat lunged from the shadows, its glowing red eyes locked on Leo.


    It squeaked loudly, the sound vibrating through the air as it charged at Leo with terrifying speed.


    Leo braced himself, his grip on Nightshade tightening. As the mutant rat lunged, he sidestepped at the last second, swinging his blade upward.


    Nightshade sliced through the creature''s chest, black blood spraying across the ground. The monster let out a guttural snarl, its claws swiping wildly as it stumbled forward.


    Leo didn''t give it a chance to recover.


    With blinding speed, he spun on his heel, bringing Nightshade down in a powerful arc that split the creature''s head in two. The mutant beast crumpled to the ground, its body twitching before falling still.


    Suddenly, a group of mutant rats burst out from his blind spot , charging at Leo with terrifying speed. There were too many to dodge.


    A sharp whistle cut through the air, followed by a blur of silver fur.


    Fiona leapt into the fray, her claws glinting under the dim light. She tackled the lead mutant rat, her jaws locking around its throat with a sickening crunch.


    The wolf pack followed closely behind, tearing into the swarm of mutant rats with savage efficiency. Teeth snapped, claws raked, and the air filled with the sounds of growls and pained squeals.


    Leo smiled briefly. "Thanks, Fiona."


    Fiona growled in response, her eyes gleaming with fierce determination.


    A zombie lunged at Leo from behind, its claws inches from his back. He twisted just in time, slashing upward and severing its head. But as he turned, another lone mutant rat darted toward him, its teeth bared. Leo dodged, barely avoiding the snapping jaws.


    He slashed at the mutant rat''s head, splitting its head into two and leaving its brain exposed to the elements.


    The mutant rat squeaked loudly in pain before falling to the floor, deader than dead.


    ¡­..


    The horde continued to surge forward.


    Zombies clawed and snapped, their grotesque forms relentless. Mutant creatures prowled a short distance away, waiting for the perfect moment to strike.


    Leo''s heart pounded in his chest, but his mind remained focused.


    He activated [Seismic Stomp] again for the third time, sending shockwaves rippling through the ground. Zombies in the front ranks stumbled and fell, creating a domino effect as those behind them tripped over the fallen bodies.


    Dust and debris filled the air, the ground cracking even more and splitting beneath the force of the skill.


    Taking advantage of the momentary pause, Leo charged forward.


    Nightshade flashed in the dim light, cutting through flesh and bone with deadly precision, as Leo carved a path through the horde.


    He leapt forward, his blade slicing through the creature''s neck in one swift motion.


    The mutant beast crumpled to the ground, twitching before going still.


    The system''s notifications rang in his mind, but he ignored them, his focus solely on the battle.


    Leo continued to move as if he was on autopilot. His hand holding Nightshade, swinging without a moment''s rest.


    Some survivors peeked from their hiding spots, their faces pale with fear. Their hearts pounded as they watched Leo stand alone against the tide, guilt gnawing at their insides.


    Leo had no idea how much time had passed as he suddenly found out that all the zombies had been killed, leaving behind a huge pile of broken corpses strewn on the ground.


    Leo smiled when he saw this. The most annoying part of the tide¡ªthe relentless zombies¡ªhas been taken care of, leaving behind just a couple of mutant creatures.


    He took a look at them and did a short head count, counting about 30. They were still a lot of the but they were all weak as half the number was made up by the mutant rats.


    With a small smile on his face, he rushed towards them. One would expect Leo to be tired after battling a horde of hundreds of zombies but with his skills that passively regenerates his Stamina, Leo could be said to have almost an endless amount of Stamina.


    The mutant creatures, Leo, Fiona, and the wolves collided in a clash of blade and claws.

 Chapter 70 - 70: Against The Endless Tide (III)

    The stench of blood and rot hung heavy in the air, clinging to every breath Leo took. Piles of corpses littered the ground, twisted forms of zombies and creatures strewn across the battlefield.


    Each step Leo took squelched through blood-soaked earth, leaving dark footprints behind.


    But it wasn''t over yet.


    The remaining mutant creatures prowled in the shadows, their beastly eyes locked on Leo. Their movements were slow and deliberate, as if calculating.


    These creatures seems smarter than the mindless zombies but Leo knew that that wasn''t entirely true.


    He felt that if Ryan can control them, then he might have a way to control their exact actions.


    He seemed to have reserved the mutant creatures, waiting for the horde to thin out before using them to make his move.


    Leo stood at the center of it all, his chest heaving as he tightened his grip on Nightshade. His muscles ached, his body screamed for rest, but there was no time for that.


    Also, his skills were doing well, regenerating his Stamina and keeping him on his feet.


    Fiona and the wolf pack flanked him, their fur matted with blood, their eyes gleaming with predatory focus. Their growls were low, almost imperceptible, a sign that they were ready to pounce at any moment. Sear?h the N?velFire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    The air was thick with tension, the quiet growls of the mutant creatures reverberating through the ruined streets. They were circling, waiting for the right moment to strike.


    Leo glanced at Fiona. "Stay close. We end this together."


    She growled softly in response, her hackles raised as she bared her teeth, letting out a low, guttural snarl.


    The first mutant creature lunged.


    It was a hulking beast, its muscles rippling beneath twisted flesh. It charged at Leo with terrifying speed, claws slicing through the air.


    Leo sidestepped, bringing Nightshade up in a swift arc. The blade sliced through the creature''s side, but it didn''t go down. The beast snarled, its eyes burning with rage as it swung its massive arm toward Leo.


    Leo ducked just in time, feeling the rush of air as the claws missed his head by inches.


    Before the creature could recover, Fiona lunged. She sank her teeth into its leg, dragging it down with a powerful tug. The beast roared in pain, thrashing as it tried to shake her off.


    Two wolves darted forward, tearing at the beast''s neck and shoulders with relentless ferocity. Their growls mixed with the creature''s howls, a savage chorus that echoed through the battlefield.


    Leo took the opportunity to strike. He charged forward, his blade flashing as he brought it down with deadly precision, splitting the creature''s skull.


    The beast crumpled to the ground, its body twitching before falling still.


    But there was no time to celebrate.


    The next wave of mutant creatures attacked, snarls filling the air as they rushed toward Leo and the wolves.


    A mutant rat darted forward, its glowing red eyes fixed on Leo. It squeaked loudly, the sound very grating on the ear, as it leapt toward him.


    Leo swung Nightshade in a wide arc, decapitating the creature mid-air. Its head hit the ground with a sickening thud, and its body collapsed a moment later.


    Another mutant beast¡ªa twisted fusion of reptile and mammal¡ªcharged at Fiona, its clawed feet digging into the ground with each step.


    Fiona growled, meeting the creature head-on. The two collided with a bone-rattling impact, claws and teeth clashing as they fought for dominance.


    The wolf pack moved as one, their instincts perfectly aligned. They tore into the creatures with savage strikes, each attack hitting their targets squarely.


    But the mutant creatures were relentless.


    A large, spider-like creature scuttled from the shadows, its multiple eyes glinting with malice. It moved with eerie grace, its legs clicking against the ground as it closed in on Leo.


    Leo felt a chill run down his spine as he locked eyes with the creature. It was different from the others. Smarter. More dangerous.


    The spider-beast lunged, its legs stabbing toward Leo like spears.


    Leo dodged the first strike, but the second leg grazed his arm, tearing through his sleeve and leaving a bloody gash.


    He gritted his teeth, ignoring the pain as he countered with a quick slash of Nightshade. The blade cut through one of the creature''s legs, severing it with a sickening crunch.


    The creature screeched in fury, its remaining legs skittering frantically as it tried to regain balance.


    Fiona leapt onto the creature''s back, her teeth sinking into its neck. The spider-beast thrashed, but Fiona held firm, tearing through flesh and sinew.


    Another wolf pounced from the side, snapping its jaws around one of the creature''s remaining legs and dragging it down.


    Leo saw his chance. He rushed forward, his blade poised to strike.


    With one powerful thrust, he drove Nightshade through the creature''s head, the blade piercing through its chitin and exoskeleton.


    The beast shuddered violently before collapsing in a heap.


    Leo pulled his blade free, black blood dripping from the tip.


    But another creature emerged.


    A hulking beast with twisted horns charged toward the wolf pack, roaring as it barreled through the fallen corpses.


    One of the wolves was caught in its path, flung through the air with a yelp as the creature continued its charge.


    Leo sprinted toward it, Nightshade flashing in his hand.


    The beast lowered its head, aiming its horns at Leo.


    Leo jumped to the side at the last second, slashing across the creature''s flank as he passed. The beast roared in pain, turning to face him again.


    Fiona darted in from the other side, her teeth sinking into the beast''s neck. The creature thrashed, trying to shake her off, but she held firm.


    Leo charged again, driving Nightshade into the beast''s chest. The blade pierced through muscle and bone, and the creature let out a final, guttural roar before collapsing to the ground.


    The battlefield fell eerily silent, save for the labored breathing of Leo and the wolves.


    The mutant creatures lay dead, their twisted bodies littering the ground alongside the zombies.


    Leo wiped the blood from his face, his gaze hardening as he turned toward the building.


    Ryan stood at the entrance, his twisted smile unwavering.


    "You survived," Ryan said, his voice carrying across the battlefield. "I''ll admit¡­ I''m impressed."


    Leo took a step forward, Nightshade gleaming in his hand, with a smile on his face.


    "This time, it''s just you and me."


    Ryan''s smile widened. "Oh, I agree. But tell me, Leo¡­ are you ready to face me?"


    Fiona growled softly, her eyes never leaving Ryan.


    Leo didn''t respond. He didn''t need to. His cold, unwavering gaze said it all.

 Chapter 71 - 71: Just All Talk

    The battlefield was eerily silent.


    The air was thick with the stench of death and the intensity of the odor seems to be increasing by the second.


    Pile of corpses¡ªzombies, mutant creatures, and beasts¡ªlittered the ground. The faint rustle of wind stirred the blood-soaked earth, carrying with it the scent of decay and rot.


    Leo stood at the center of it all, his breathing steady despite the exhaustion clawing at his body. His grip on Nightshade was firm, the blade dripping with black blood.


    Beside him, Fiona and the wolf pack flanked him, their eyes locked on the figure standing at the entrance of the building.


    Ryan.


    His twisted smile remained, a mask of calm arrogance. His clothes were stained with blood, but he stood tall, his posture relaxed, as if the carnage around him was nothing more than an amusing spectacle.


    "You survived," Ryan said, his voice cutting through the silence like a blade. "I''ll admit¡­ I''m impressed. I initially thought that you were just lucky but it seems like I was wrong. You actually a decent amount of skill."


    Leo didn''t respond. He simply took a step forward, his eyes cold and unyielding, and an equally cold smile on his face.


    "This time, it''s just you and me," Leo said, with a low voice.


    Ryan chuckled softly, the sound devoid of any warmth. "Oh, I agree. But tell me, Leo¡­ are you ready to face me?"


    Leo didn''t respond directly but cold, unwavering gaze and the smile on his face said it all.


    Fiona growled softly, her hackles raised, but Leo didn''t need her warning. He knew Ryan was dangerous, more so now than ever before.


    "I should thank you," Ryan continued, his tone conversational. "Without your naive kindness, none of this would have been possible.


    You gave me shelter. You trusted me. And now look at what''s become of your precious group."


    Ryan laughed mockingly as he finished his words, wanting to see Leo''s reaction.


    Even though he was completely calm and composed on the outside, he was completely shaken inside and his brain was working twice as much, as he thought of what next to do.


    He never expected Leo to be this strong. He never accounted for his strength on anyway. But even with how things looks like the heaven might fall the next moment, Ryan was still smiling inwardly as his eyes drifted to the wolves behind Leo.


    Leo''s jaw clenched and he squeezed Nightshade tightly as he looked ahead. He wasn''t affected by Ryan''s words, neither did he care about him.


    The reason why he''s feeling so agitated right now is because of Ms Ves who was being held down by a mutant creature.


    He saw how bloody and badly beaten her looks, and he almost lost himself in rage. He did well to control himself by doing a quick breathing exercise, but it did little to lessen his rage.


    "You wanted to save people," Ryan said, stepping forward. "You thought you could protect them. But all you did was make them weak. You coddled them, gave them hope in a world that doesn''t allow it."


    Ryan''s smile widened, his eyes gleaming with malicious amusement. "And look where it got you. Betrayed. Abandoned. Forced to fight monsters while they hid like cowards."


    Leo''s grip on Nightshade tightened.


    Ryan took a step forward, with a slow and delibrate movement.


    "People don''t want a savior, Leo. They want a leader, someone who can make hard choices. Someone who can control them and the situation. Someone who understands that fear is the only way to survive."


    Leo''s smiled when he heard Ryan''s words. He couldn''t help but scoff and shake his head at his opponent''s stupidity.


    Ryan''s smile faltered for a brief moment when he saw Leo''s reaction, but he quickly composed himself.


    "I know. It''s not exactly pretty. But the world isn''t exactly pretty right now and besides, it works. I will keep them alive as I''ve continued to do from the beginning. I will also continue to give them direction. Something you can never do."


    "You will manipulated them, just like you have been doing since," Leo said. "You will use fear and lies to turn them against each other. Just as you have used to turn them against me."


    Ryan shrugged. "And it worked."


    Leo took another step forward, his gaze locked on Ryan. "You think that makes you strong? Manipulating people? Spreading fear?"


    "It makes me a survivor," Ryan said, his tone growing colder. "And that''s all that matters in this world." Sear?h the N?velFire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    For a moment, the two stood in silence, the weight of their words hanging heavy in the air.


    Then, without warning, Ryan''s demeanor shifted. His smile twisted into something darker, more sinister.


    "You''re still clinging to those childish ideals," Ryan said. "Kindness. Loyalty. Trust. They''re weaknesses, Leo. And in this world, weakness gets you killed."


    Leo''s gaze didn''t waver. "It''s not weakness to believe in people."


    Ryan sneered. "People are selfish. They''ll take what they can get and leave you to die when it''s convenient. Just like they did to you."


    Leo''s heart pounded in his chest, but he forced himself to stay calm. He couldn''t let Ryan''s words get to him.


    "You''re right, yet, wrong," Leo said quietly. "The people who betrayed me weren''t weak. They were scared. And fear makes people do stupid things."


    Ryan laughed, the sound echoing through the ruined streets. "And what''s your excuse? You trusted me. You let me in."


    Leo''s grip on Nightshade tightened, the weight of the blade grounding him. "I made a mistake. But I won''t make it again."


    Ryan''s eyes gleamed with madness. "We''ll see."


    Ryan made the first move, as he raised his hand, activating the active effect of his skill, [Corrupt Call], with a dark and ominous energy swirling around his fingers.


    The around air grew thick with tension as a small number of mutant creatures emerged from the shadows, their eyes gleaming with malice and madness.


    They moved with unnatural grace, their bodies twitching as if waiting for a command.


    Leo glanced at Fiona. "Go."


    Without hesitation, Fiona and the wolves charged toward the creatures, their growls reverberating through the battlefield.


    Ryan watched them with a smirk before turning his gaze back to Leo.


    "You''re strong. But strength alone won''t save you," He said as he pulled a dagger from his belt.


    Leo raised Nightshade, his stance firm. "I don''t need saving."


    "We shall see."


    Ryan lunged, his movements swift and erratic, and very surprising.


    One would had expected Ryan to attack Leo but instead... He seems to be running away. Escaping.


    Leo narrower his eyes when he saw this. He didn''t know if Ryan was actually running away or it was a strategy of his.


    It took him a moment but he finally realised... He was really running away.


    "That son of a bitch!" Leo roared as he turned into a blur chasing after Ryan.


    There was no way that he was going to leg Ryan to escape after everything that he has done to him and Ms Ves. He was initially hesitating about killing him but seeing what be did to her, he no longer had any reservations.


    It was just as Leo thought. Ryan was actually running away. He knew that there was no way he could face Leo with his weak strength, and this is even with the fact that Leo had already been exhausted by the monster and zombie tode.


    He wasn''t going to take the risk. Also, the drawback of his skill was already getting too much for him to handle. He has to find a place to settle down and calm the voice in his head.


    If he can''t win today, then he will continue to gather monsters and one day, he would come back and pay Leo for the humiliation he has made him suffer today.


    Ryan was still running and thinking about the future, when he felt something crash into his back. He was sent tumbling across the ground and when he finally stops, he saw Leo standing in front of him with a face contorted in rage.


    "You were running?" Leo asked, with a sinister smile on his face and his head titled slightly.


    "After all that rambling, your next move was to run away? Tsk. So much for a leader that is fit to lead a group in an unforgiving world," Leo said, as he slowly walked towards Ryan who was lying on the ground.


    "I must admit to one thing you said though. You''re right. Strength isn''t enough. A leader must be smart, but you know? He must also be smart and strong.


    The new world is ruled by strength, not schemes. When you meet someone with absolute strength, all you schemes will be like child''s play," Leo said, as he paused his steps and bent down in front of Ryan.


    The next moment, Ryan burst into mad laughter, laughing like someone who has finally lost it, but the next moment, he went silent and said a single word to Leo.


    "Boo-boo."


    The following moment, everything happened like a flash.


    Leo heard growling behind him and he turned to see Fiona and the wolves lunging at him.


    The wolves darted toward him, their growls low and menacing. For a split second, Leo''s mind raced with conflicting thoughts. Why are they coming at me? Did Ryan turn them? He hesitatedly gripped Nightshade tighter, ready to defend himself.


    Instead of them attacking him as he thought they were about to, he saw them rush past him and towards Ryan.


    But another surprising thing happened the next moment, as a figure appeared behind Ryan with a gust of wind and bit him in the next.


    "Ms Ves?"

 Chapter 72 - 72: Consequences

    Leo didn''t understand what just happened.


    One moment, he had Ryan pinned to the ground, rage burning in his chest as he prepared to end it all.


    The next, Ves had appeared like a ghost, her movements swift as she sank her **teeth into Ryan''s neck, drawing blood.


    And now, Ryan lay on the ground, clutching his neck, his fingers pressing against the wound as if he could somehow stop the inevitable.


    Leo stared, his mind struggling to process what he had just witnessed. The battlefield, once filled with snarls and growls, had fallen eerily silent, save for the sound of Ryan''s ragged breathing and the soft rustle of wind carrying the scent of blood and decay.


    Ryan''s eyes met Leo''s, and for the first time, Leo saw something unfamiliar in them¡ªfear and confusion.


    It mirrored the emotions swirling in Leo''s chest.


    His gaze drifted upward to Ves, who stood over Ryan, her shoulders rising and falling with each labored breath.


    Blood smeared her lips, a stark contrast against her pale skin. Her expression was calm, but there was a hint of sadness in her eyes.


    She wiped her mouth with the back of her hand, smearing the blood further before offering Leo a small, tired smile.


    "Ms. Ves¡­ why?" Leo''s voice trembled, laced with confusion and disbelief. "Why did you¡­?"


    Ves took a slow step toward him, her gaze steady despite the storm of emotions brewing behind her eyes.


    "You''re too young to start getting people''s blood on your hands," she said softly, her voice gentle but firm. "Especially not the blood of an animal like him."


    Her words hung in the air, heavy with meaning.


    Leo''s jaw clenched. "I was ready to do it. He deserved¡ª"


    "I know," Ves interrupted, her tone unwavering. "But that''s not a burden you should carry. Not yet."


    She took another step closer, her eyes never leaving his. "I''m supposed to be the adult here. I''m supposed to protect you from¡­ from things like this."


    Her voice wavered for a moment, and she let out a shaky breath. "So I decided to do what I should have done from the beginning."


    Leo didn''t know what to say. His chest felt tight, his mind a whirlwind of conflicting emotions. Should he be relieved? Grateful? Angry? He didn''t know.


    His gaze drifted back to Ryan, who still lay on the ground, his chest rising and falling in shallow breaths. The color had already begun to drain from his face, his skin turning ashen, as if the blood in his veins was being siphoned away.


    Ryan''s fingers trembled as he pressed them against his neck, his breaths coming in short, panicked gasps.


    "What¡­ what did you do to me?" Ryan''s voice was barely a whisper, his eyes darting between Ves and Leo.


    The confusion in his gaze deepened, mingling with a growing sense of dread.


    Leo felt a chill run down his spine as he watched the transformation unfold.


    Ryan''s skin turned paler by the second, the veins beneath the surface becoming more pronounced, like dark rivers weaving through a barren landscape. His eyes glazed over, the once-sharp gaze clouding with milky white film.


    His movements grew jerky and unnatural, his limbs twitching as if he no longer had control over them.


    Leo''s stomach churned at the sight. "Ms. Ves¡­ what''s happening to him?"


    Ves''s gaze hardened. "He''s turning."


    Ryan''s eyes widened in horror and realisation. "Turning? No¡­ no, this can''t¡ª"


    Ryan''s fingers trembled as he clawed at his neck, his breath coming in shallow gasps. "No¡­ not me. I''m supposed to win. I''m supposed to survive¡ª" His voice cracked, fading into a guttural snarl as his humanity slipped away.


    His words were cut off by a sharp gasp, his body convulsing as if something inside him was breaking. He let out a low, guttural snarl, his hands clawing at the ground as his body twisted and writhed.


    Leo took a step back, heart pounding in his chest.


    The sound of bones cracking and muscles shifting filled the air, accompanied by Ryan''s guttural groans.


    Ryan''s transformation was horrific.


    His skin, now ghostly pale, stretched tightly over his bones, giving him a gaunt, skeletal appearance. His eyes rolled back in his head, leaving only white orbs staring into nothingness.


    His mouth opened wide in a silent scream, revealing teeth that seemed sharper, more animalistic.


    And then he stopped. S§×ar?h the ¦Çov§×lFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    For a moment, there was silence.


    Ryan''s body stilled, his head lolling to the side. The air grew heavy, the tension thick enough to cut with a blade.


    Leo held his breath, waiting¡­ watching.


    Suddenly, Ryan''s body jerked upright, moving with unnatural speed. His limbs twisted, and his head snapped back, his dead eyes locking on Leo.


    A snarl escaped his lips, low and feral.


    Leo raised Nightshade, preparing to defend himself.


    But Ryan didn''t attack.


    Instead, he dropped to his knees, his hands trembling as he clutched his head. His movements grew erratic, his body rocking back and forth.


    Without warning, Ryan slammed his head into the ground.


    The impact echoed through the battlefield.


    Again.


    And again.


    The sickening sound of bone and decayed flesh meeting stone reverberated through the air as Ryan repeatedly smashed his head into the ground, each strike more forceful than the last.


    The stench of rot intensified, mingling with the metallic scent of blood. Ryan''s skin cracked as it stretched over his bones, the sound like dry parchment tearing, with blood pooled beneath him, staining the earth.


    Leo''s grip on Nightshade tightened, his heart hammering in his chest. He didn''t know what to do. He didn''t know how to stop it.


    "Why is he¡­?" Leo''s voice trailed off, unable to form the question.


    "He''s fighting it," Ves said softly. "He''s trying to hold on to what little humanity he has left."


    Her gaze softened, filled with a sadness that cut deep. "But it won''t last."


    Ryan let out one final, guttural growl before his body collapsed. His head rested against the blood-soaked ground, his chest rising and falling in shallow breaths.


    The silence that followed was deafening.


    Leo lowered Nightshade, his hands trembling. The weight of everything that had just happened pressed down on him, suffocating.


    "Ms. Ves¡­" His voice was barely a whisper. "Did we¡­ did we do the right thing?"


    Ves stepped closer, placing a hand on his shoulder. "There are no right answers in a world like this. We do what we have to, to survive."


    Leo nodded slowly, but the weight in his chest didn''t lift.


    Ryan''s body lay still, the blood pooling beneath him a stark reminder of the choices they had made.


    And the consequences they would have to live with.

 Chapter 73 - 73: A Monstrosity

    On the rooftop of a one of the high-rise buildings in the residential buildings complex, Tatiana and Elda, stood watching everything that happened from the beginning through to the end.


    "That was some unexpected turns of events. I didn''t expect things to end this way. Also, she was really brutal, wasn''t she? Turning him into a zombie was something I never expected to happen," Elda said with an amused smile on her face.


    Tatiana chuckled lightly and shook her head at Elda''s words.


    "It wasn''t really unexpected. People like him are naturally born cowards," she said, with her gaze on Ryan now turned zombie, who was lying on the floor, in his own blood.


    Her gaze drifted to Leo who was sitting on the floor with a distant look on his face, then to Ves who has the same look on her face.


    "But I''m quite surprised and impressed. I never expected her to take burden on herself. I''m actually to know why she turned him. Did she feel that death would be an easy way out for him or what?" Tatiana said with an amused smile, and a curious look on her face.


    "My questions are the same as yours, princess," Elda said with a smile.


    "But that proves that I''m right, Elda. It means that I can invest in her and have nothing to worry about," Tatiana said, as a small smile played on her lips.


    "Princess, are you really planning on going ahead with that? You do understand just how dangerous what you''re talking about is?" Elda asked, as worry creases her face.


    "Yes. But as you can see from what happened today. She''s someone who will always stay by Leo''s side. Same with Leo. There''s no way the two of them will be able to leave each other side.


    If that is so, then it is only right that we help her get stronger. This is even more beneficial for us. If she''s weak, she will only drag Leo down but when she''s strong, she can be on of great assistance to him," Tatiana said, explaining her thoughts to Elda


    Though, it felt like she was explaining it to herself.


    Elda sighed when she heard Tatiana''s explanation. She knew that she was right but the danger involved is something she''s not willing to allow her take.


    "Princess, what if that person asks for something that you can''t give in return? You know that making a deal with an entity like that is something extremely dangerous," Elda asked with her worries increasing.


    "Whatever he asks for, I would give. As long as I win the tournament, everything will be worth it. Even if it means taking the risk and putting my life in danger," Tatiana said, with the smile still on her face.


    Elda sighed tiredly when she heard Tatiana''s words. She knew that there was no way she was going to be able to change Tatiana''s mind. The only option was to go with her plans and see where it leads them.


    "You''re really going to be the death of me. I don''t even want to think of what these Blood Emperor would do to me and everyone involved if something is to happen to you," she muttered to herself tiredly, but her voice was loud enough for Tatiana to hear.


    "We just have to be careful so he doesn''t find out." Tatiana chuckled, causing Elda to sigh once again.


    "Mmmm... It seems like there will be some action soon," Tatiana said, as she gazed into the horizon.


    ******


    Leo and Ves were seated on the floor, looking at Ryan''s bloody body on the floor.


    "Is he still alive?" Leo asked curiously.


    "Yes," Ves replied.


    A peculiar expression enveloped Leo''s fave when he heard Ves'' response.


    "Do you plan on keeping him like this?" He asked, and he saw Ves nod in response.


    Leo didn''t know what to say or feel when he saw her nod. Yes, Ryan was his enemy but his current situation as a zombie is something he would never wish on his worst enemy.


    A lot of emotions and thoughts were crashing around in his head, and heart. He turned to look at Ves and when he saw the expression on her face, he looked away.


    He wanted to tell her to release him but when he saw how angry she looked, he knew that it wasn''t the best to say at the moment.


    "Can you control him?" He asked curiously, and he saw Ves nod in response.


    "When I bit him, I got a skill and title related to controlling zombies. I can''t learn skills naturally like you and it seems that this is the only way for me to gain one. With the skill, controlling is easy. It''s also the reason why he isn''t attacking you right now," Ves said.


    "I see...." Leo nodded slowly, as he looked at zombie Ryan, who was snarling silently on the floor.


    Leo was conflicted about keeping Ryan in his current condition. It wasn''t just about his morals but the danger and the troubles that it might bring in the future.


    But after hearing about the skill, he didn''t know what to think anymore. He wants her to keep growing stronger but....


    ''I guess this is what he meant by making hard decisions,'' he thought to himself, as he continued looking at the zombie Ryan.


    "What about others? Seeing Ryan like this might put them off or scare them. I''m not talking about Grewishka''s group, I don''t care about them. I''m talking about the man and the girl," Leo said, as his gaze drifted towards the distance.


    "I will explain everything to them," Ves replied, with her gaze also drifting into the distance.


    "You''re going to tell them about...?" Leo asked in surprise, and sighed when he saw Ves slowly nodding in response.


    The two of them were still deep in thought when they felt the ground under them vibrate intensely. Sear?h the Novel?ire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    They glanced at each other in confusion.


    The vibrations grew stronger, a rhythmic pounding that reverberated through the ground like the footsteps of a giant.


    Then they felt it again¡ªa deep, earth-shaking rumble.


    They stood up, scanning their surroundings. At first, they saw nothing.


    But then¡­ the sun dimmed.


    A massive shadow fell over the city, blotting out the light. The air grew cold and heavy, and a low growl rumbled across the horizon.


    Leo''s eyes widened in shock as he turned toward the source of the shadow.


    A monstrous figure loomed in the distance, towering over the buildings. Its scaly skin glistened in the sunlight, a dark, obsidian black that seemed to absorb the light around it. Its spiked back jutted out in jagged ridges, and its massive tail swung lazily behind it, smashing through buildings with ease.


    The creature''s eyes glowed with a sinister red light, filled with malice and primal rage.


    Leo''s heart pounded in his chest as he took in the sheer size of the beast. It stood at sixty-nine feet tall, its massive claws digging into the earth with each step, causing **the ground to quake.


    "What in the world is that thing?" Leo whispered, his voice trembling with a mix of awe and terror.


    Before Ves could respond, the monster let out a deafening roar.


    The sound was like thunder, shaking the very foundations of the buildings. Windows shattered, and the ground cracked and splintered beneath their feet, sending cracks spiderwebbing outward.


    Ves clutched her head, wincing as the roar sent a splitting pain through her skull.


    Leo gritted his teeth, forcing himself to remain standing as the monstrous creature''s gaze locked onto them.

 Chapter 74 - 74: Danger At Every Turn

    The ground trembled beneath their feet, a slow, rhythmic pounding that reverberated through the air like the heartbeat of the earth itself.


    The air grew thick, carrying the scent of dust, ash, and decay. Each vibration sent loose debris tumbling from the cracked buildings, creating soft echoes that seemed to stretch endlessly through the ruins.


    Leo and Ves stood frozen, their gazes locked on the towering figure that loomed in the distance.


    The beast let out a guttural growl, its red eyes scanning the ruined buildings. For a moment, it seemed to lock onto them¡ªbut then it turned away, uninterested.


    The beast¡ªa colossal titan of shadow and destruction¡ªmoved with slow steps that looks like the movements of a grim reaper for anyone looking at it. Each of its steps shook the foundation of the city.


    Its obsidian-black scales shimmered under the dim light, absorbing the sun''s rays and making it appear as though it was part of the darkness itself.


    Its glowing red eyes scanned the ruined streets with a curious intensity, flickering like molten embers as they took in the wreckage left in its wake.


    Leo''s heart pounded in his chest, each beat a thunderous echo in his ears. He clenched his fist and Nightshade at his sides, trying to steady his ragged breathing.


    Beside him, Ves stood rigid, her eyes wide with a mix of awe and terror. S§×arch* The N??eFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "What¡­ what is that thing?" Leo whispered, his voice trembling.


    The beast''s massive head turned, its gaze settling on a crumbling building nearby. It let out a deep, guttural bellow, the sound rolling through the air like distant thunder. The sheer force of the roar sent tremors through the ground, causing cracks to splinter across the pavement.


    Leo felt the roar reverberate through his chest, shaking him to his very core. His hands trembled as he gripped Nightshade harder, the blade feeling almost useless in the face of such overwhelming power.


    The beast''s nostrils flared, taking in the scent of the city. It tilted its head, its movements eerily slow, as if it was trying to make sense of its surroundings.


    Each step it took was a crushing weight on the earth, leaving behind massive craters** in the ground. The buildings around it groaned and trembled, their foundations weakening under the relentless tremors.


    Leo and Ves remained perfectly still, their breaths shallow, as they watched the creature survey the ruins.


    The tension in the air was palpable, like a taut wire ready to snap. Every muscle in Leo''s body was coiled with anticipation, ready to move at the slightest sign of danger.


    The beast''s gaze shifted, its red eyes locking onto the spot where they stood.


    Leo''s heart stopped.


    The monster took a step forward, its massive claws digging into the earth, sending chunks of stone and debris flying. Its tail swung lazily behind it, smashing into a half-collapsed building, reducing it to rubble with a deafening crash.


    Leo''s grip on Nightshade tightened, his knuckles turning white. Cold sweat trickled down his back, and his pulse pounded in his ears.


    "Is it¡­ is it coming this way?" Ves whispered, her voice barely audible.


    Leo didn''t answer. He couldn''t. His throat felt dry, and his thoughts raced as he tried to make sense of the situation.


    The beast took another step, the ground trembling beneath its weight. Dust and debris rained down from the rooftops, creating a haze that hung in the air.


    It let out another roar, louder this time, causing windows to shatter and sending cracks racing through the pavement.


    Leo''s heart was in his throat. His mind screamed at him to run, but his body refused to move.


    Then¡­ the beast stopped.


    It tilted its head again, its glowing eyes narrowing as it sniffed the air.


    For a moment, everything was silent.


    Leo held his breath, his lungs burning from the effort to stay quiet. The world seemed to hold its breath with him, waiting for the creature''s next move.


    The beast let out a low, rumbling growl, turning its head toward the broken body of zombie Ryan, who lay sprawled on the ground, snarling softly.


    The creature lowered its massive head, sniffing the air around Ryan. Its nostrils flared, taking in the scent of decay and blood.


    Leo and Ves watched in tense silence, their hearts pounding in unison**.


    Then, slowly, the beast straightened.


    It let out a snort, sending a cloud of dust and ash swirling into the air. Its red eyes flickered for a moment, then dimmed slightly, as if losing interest.


    The beast turned away, its massive tail dragging across the ground, leaving deep gouges in the earth.


    It began to lumber down the street, its footsteps shaking the ground with each step.


    It''s massive tail swung lazily behind it, smashing through a building with a deafening crash. The ground trembled beneath its footsteps, sending cracks spiderwebbing through the pavement.


    Leo and Ves remained frozen, watching as the creature disappeared into the distance, its massive form blending into the horizon.


    The ground continued to tremble for a few moments after the creature was gone, then slowly stilled.


    Silence returned.


    Leo let out a shaky breath, his body trembling from the adrenaline still coursing through his veins. He glanced at Ves, who was clutching her chest, her breathing shallow.


    "Is it¡­ gone?" Leo asked, his voice hoarse.


    Ves nodded slowly. "For now."


    Leo squeezed Nightshade''s hilt tightly, his mind still racing. The image of the towering beast was burned into his memory, a constant reminder of the dangers that lurked in this new world.


    "That thing¡­" Leo whispered. "It could have destroyed everything."


    Ves nodded again, her expression grim. "And it will, eventually."


    Leo''s stomach churned at the thought. They had barely survived the zombie horde and mutant creatures controlled by Ryan, and now there were monsters like that roaming the world?


    "What do we do if it comes back?" Leo asked, with a slightly shaky voice.


    Ves''s gaze was distant, her eyes locked on the path of destruction the creature had left behind.


    "We will do whatever we can to survive," Ves replied.


    The tension lingered in the air, even after the beast had disappeared. The echoes of its roar seemed to reverberate through the ruined streets, a haunting reminder of the ever-present danger they faced.


    Leo glanced at Ves again, noting the determined set of her jaw.


    "We''ll be ready next time," she said quietly, her voice filled with resolve.


    Leo nodded, though his heart still pounded slightly in his chest.

 Chapter 75 - 75: Determination To Become Stronger

    Tatiana and Elda stood silently, watching the monstrous figure disappear into the horizon, its massive form fading into the distant landscape.


    The tremors from its footsteps still reverberated through the air, making the ground beneath their feet feel unstable, as though the world itself was holding its breath.


    The sunlight began to filter through the dust clouds left in the creature''s wake, casting eerie, shifting shadows across the ruined buildings.


    "That was quite disappointing¡­ and quite a relief at the same time," Elda said, her voice soft, her expression a peculiar mix of dissatisfaction and gratitude.


    Her words mirrored her face¡ªhalf-smiling, half-frowning. She turned to glance at Tatiana, expecting to see the same conflicting emotions on the princess''s face.


    And she wasn''t wrong.


    Tatiana''s gaze remained fixed on the horizon, where the towering beast had vanished, her lips pressed into a thin line. Her expression was difficult to read, but her eyes betrayed her thoughts¡ªa mix of relief, annoyance, and contemplation.


    "It''s actually a good thing," Tatiana finally said, her voice steady but carrying a hint of frustration. "If that thing had wanted to fight them, there''s no doubt about the outcome. They would have died."


    Her gaze shifted down to Leo and Ves, who were still seated on the ground, their bodies tense and unmoving.


    "And everything would have been ruined," she continued, her tone turning thoughtful. "But this will give Leo more reason to push himself harder. At least now, he''ll begin to understand the true extent of the world he''s in. With a creature like that roaming around, he won''t have a choice."


    Elda chuckled softly, her amused expression returning. "I thought you''d say that. You''re always thinking three steps ahead."


    But her smile faded quickly, replaced by a serious frown. Her gaze flickered back to the horizon, where the lingering shadow of the beast seemed to hang over the landscape like a curse.


    "But don''t you find it strange, princess?" Elda asked, her voice dropping into a low, cautious tone. "An Evolved Rank monster showing up now? And that skill¡­"


    Her expression darkened. "It smells like them."


    Tatiana''s lips tightened at the mention of them.


    "The tournament isn''t going to be simple or easy, is it?" Elda continued. "I think you should prepare for surprises, princess. Who knows¡­ those entities might even get involved directly."


    Tatiana sighed, crossing her arms as she processed Elda''s words. She wanted to dismiss the thought, but deep down, she knew Elda was right.


    Ryan''s skill¡­ it wasn''t something a mortal should possess. There was only one explanation for how he had gained it.


    "They''re already here," Tatiana murmured, her voice laced with irritation and concern.


    Elda nodded grimly. "And if they''re here, that means they found a way in. There must be a gate somewhere."


    Tatiana''s gaze hardened. She hated that things were already going wrong before her plans had even begun to take shape. But she knew that Earth was too valuable a prize. It was no surprise that the Council and those entities would take steps to interfere.


    Still, knowing that didn''t ease the tension in her chest.


    "Elda," Tatiana said softly, "let''s search for the gate. If Ryan had a skill like that, they must have come through one."


    Without waiting for a response, Tatiana''s figure blurred and vanished from sight.


    Elda sighed, glancing down at Leo and Ves once more.


    "They haven''t even recovered from the last shock," she murmured to herself. "Poor kids."


    With a soft sigh, she disappeared as well, following the princess.


    *****


    Leo sat silently, his gaze fixed on the horizon, where the beast had disappeared moments before.


    His fingers clenched tightly around Nightshade''s hilt, his knuckles turning white. His chest rose and fell steadily, but his mind was anything but calm.


    The image of the creature was burned into his memory. The sheer size of it, the way it moved through the ruins like a force of nature, the roar that had shaken the very ground beneath them¡­ It was unlike anything he had ever imagined.


    And it terrified him.


    He squeezed his eyes shut for a moment, trying to block out the memory. But the image wouldn''t leave him.


    He remembered the way his body had frozen when the beast locked its glowing red eyes on them. He remembered the paralyzing fear that had gripped him, rooting him to the spot, unable to move or even think.


    "I was useless," he whispered to himself.


    Beside him, Ves sat quietly, her gaze distant. She seemed just as lost in thought, her eyes clouded with lingering fear and uncertainty.


    Leo glanced at her, then back at the horizon.


    "I can''t let that happen again," he murmured, his voice firmer this time.


    The memory of standing frozen in fear gnawed at him. He hated the feeling. He hated knowing that he had been powerless, that he had stood there, unable to protect Ves or himself. Sear?h the n?vel_Fire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    It made his chest tighten with frustration and anger.


    "I won''t be that weak again," Leo muttered.


    His grip on Nightshade tightened even further, the blade gleaming faintly in the dim light.


    The creature had left him with a new reason to grow stronger. It wasn''t about the tournament or Tatiana''s warnings anymore. It wasn''t even about survival.


    It was about never feeling that powerless again.


    He would never allow himself to be in a situation where he had to stand still and watch while a monster¡ªany monster¡ªdid as it pleased.


    "I have to get stronger," he said softly. "Fast."


    Ves glanced at him, her expression softening slightly. "You will."


    Leo nodded, but the determination in his gaze remained. He wasn''t just thinking about strength anymore. He was thinking about control. About freedom from fear.


    He had seen what the world truly held now. Creatures like the one that had just passed through¡­


    And the only way to survive was to become stronger than them. And strong he will become. He doesn''t mind how hard he has to push himself. He will become strong enough so that he doesn''t stand, frozen in fear, in front of a any monster, being or entity. No matter what it is.

 Chapter 76 - 76: To Grow Stronger, Terrified Miguel And Mia

    The tremors in the ground had long since ceased, but the weight of the monster''s presence still lingered like a heavy fog.


    The air felt thick, carrying a faint trace of dust and decay, and the silence that followed the beast''s departure was oppressive, as though the world itself was holding its breath.


    Leo and Ves stood motionless, their gazes fixed on the horizon where the creature had disappeared.


    The massive beast, with its obsidian scales and glowing red eyes, had left an indelible mark¡ªnot just on the city but on their minds.


    Leo glanced at Ves. Her expression was unreadable, her eyes distant as if she were still replaying the events in her head. He sighed softly, feeling that the same storm of thoughts in his mind was likely raging in hers.


    For a moment, he wanted to say something, to break the silence with reassuring words.


    But he knew better. Words wouldn''t erase the image of the towering monster or the lingering dread it left behind. Words wouldn''t make the danger any less real.


    Strength. Absolute strength. That was the only answer.


    Leo''s gaze hardened with determination as the thought took root. He glanced down at Fiona, who was trembling slightly, her fur bristling as though she could still feel the vibrations of the beast''s footsteps.


    His heart tightened at the sight. He knelt beside her, running his hand gently along her back and scratching behind her ears.


    "Hey, it''s alright," he murmured softly. Fiona''s trembling slowly subsided, her body relaxing under his touch. She let out a small huff, leaning into his hand.


    "Leo, I have something to tell you," Ves said suddenly, her voice breaking through the heavy silence.


    Leo turned his head toward her, curious. She was still looking into the distance, her hands clenched tightly at her sides.


    "What is it, Ms. Ves?" he asked, standing up and brushing the dust from his knees.


    "The title and skill weren''t the only things I got when I bit Ryan," she said, finally shifting her gaze toward him. "I also got stronger."


    Leo blinked, his curiosity deepening. "What?"


    Ves hesitated for a moment, her eyes flickering with something unspoken. Then she spoke, her voice calm but firm. "I can grow stronger by turning people into zombies. It''s faster than killing monsters."


    Leo stared at her, his eyes widening in surprise. He hadn''t expected this¡ªhadn''t even considered it. The weight of her words sank into him like a stone, stirring a mix of emotions he couldn''t immediately identify.


    "It makes sense, doesn''t it?" Ves continued, her tone measured. "With the¡­ zombie part of me, I suppose this was always possible. But knowing it and experiencing it are two very different things."


    Leo''s thoughts churned. The revelation was unsettling, not because it felt unnatural, but because of what it could mean for Ves¡ªand for them.


    If she could grow stronger by turning people, it would change everything. The fact that it was faster than fighting monsters added an even greater complication.


    But as he looked at her, he knew. Ves wouldn''t want this. Her very nature would reject it. This was why she was telling him¡ªwhy she had shared this burden with him.


    Leo exhaled deeply, his expression softening. "I won''t tell you what to do," he said quietly. "Do whatever you think is right. I trust you, Ms. Ves."


    Ves''s shoulders relaxed slightly, and she gave him a small nod of gratitude. Leo returned the gesture, a faint smile tugging at his lips.


    But then his gaze drifted to the building behind them, and his expression darkened. He could already imagine the chaos and fear that would await him inside.


    The group would need leadership, reassurance¡ªbut he wasn''t ready for that. Not yet.


    "Ms. Ves," he said, his voice firm. "I''ll be gone for a while. You can take care of the building and the others however you see fit."


    Ves turned to him, her brows furrowing in concern. "Where are you going?"


    "To become stronger," Leo replied simply.


    "You need to rest," Ves insisted, stepping closer. "You''ve been fighting nonstop. Your body needs time to recover. Eat something, sleep, then go."


    Leo shook his head, a small smile on his face. "Don''t worry. I''ll be fine."


    Ves opened her mouth to argue, but the determination in Leo''s eyes stopped her. She sighed, lowering her gaze. She knew she couldn''t change his mind.


    "Be careful," she said softly, watching as he turned and began walking away.


    The wolves followed silently, their movements fluid and purposeful. Ves stood there for a long moment, watching until Leo''s figure disappeared into the distance.


    With another sigh, Ves turned and walked back toward the building. She glanced at Ryan, who was still snarling softly on the ground. With a flick of her fingers, she commanded him to stand and follow her.


    His movements were jerky, unnatural, as he rose to his feet. The sight of him filled her with a strange mix of emotions¡ªdisgust, pity, and a faint flicker of satisfaction.


    When she stepped into the building''s ground floor, she was met with silence. The space that she had expected to be bustling with survivors was now empty, save for two figures sitting near the far wall.


    Miguel and Mia.


    Their faces were pale, their eyes wide with fear and confusion. Ves didn''t need to ask why. She knew.


    As she approached, she saw their gazes lock onto Ryan. Their expressions twisted in horror. S§×ar?h the N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "Ryan?!" they shouted in unison, their voices echoing through the empty space.


    Ves stopped a few steps away, her own expression unreadable. Ryan stood behind her, his pale skin and lifeless eyes making him look like a specter.


    "Yes," Ves said calmly. "It''s Ryan."


    Miguel''s mouth opened and closed, as if he were searching for words but couldn''t find them. Mia clutched her daggers, with her gaze intently fixed in Ryan.


    "What¡­ what did you do to him?" Miguel finally asked, his voice trembling.


    Ves''s gaze didn''t waver. "I turned him into a zombie."


    The bluntness of her words seemed to hang in the air like a heavy weight. Miguel and Mia stared at her, their expressions shifting from shock to something closer to disbelief.


    "How? Why?" Mia whispered, her voice barely audible.


    "Because I can and he betrayed us," Ves replied evenly.


    The tension in the room was suffocating. Miguel clenched his fists, his jaw tightening as he struggled to process what he was hearing.


    Mia, on the other hand, looked at Ves with a mix of fear and uncertainty. "Can you¡­ control him?"


    "Yes," Ves said simply. "It''s the reason why he''s standing here and not attacking you."


    Miguel''s shoulders slumped slightly, the weight of the situation pressing down on him. He glanced at Ryan, then back at Ves.


    "This world¡­ it''s turning us into monsters," he muttered.


    Ves''s gaze softened slightly. "Maybe. But it''s also forcing us to survive. And this is how I''m choosing to survive."


    Silence settled over them once more, the unspoken tension filling the room.


    Ves glanced at Ryan, then back at Miguel and Mia. "You can leave if you want. I won''t stop you."


    Miguel stared at her for a long moment, then shook his head. "We''re not leaving. Not yet."


    Ves nodded, a faint glimmer of relief in her eyes. Without another word, she turned and walked deeper into the building, Ryan following close behind.


    Mia watched her go, her thoughts racing. Miguel placed a hand on her shoulder, giving it a reassuring squeeze.


    "We''ll figure this out," he said quietly.


    Mia nodded, though her gaze remained fixed on Ryan''s retreating figure and different thought were storming around in her head.

 Chapter 77 - 77: An Encounter, Group Of Black Widows

    Leo walked down the deserted street, his footsteps echoing faintly against the silence of the empty city.


    The sky above was overcast, casting the ruins in a dull, gray light. Broken buildings lined the street like silent sentinels, their windows shattered and walls crumbling.


    Abandoned cars, rusting and covered in dust, were scattered haphazardly along the road, a stark reminder of how quickly life had been upended.


    Leo sighed, dragging his hand through his hair in exasperation. He had deliberately chosen this route, moving in the opposite direction of the massive monster that had loomed over the city not long ago.


    The reasoning had been sound as he felt that the monster''s overwhelming presence would have probably chased away any other creatures in the vicinity. Even the boldest of beasts wouldn''t dare remain in its shadow.


    But now, after walking for what felt like hours, Leo was starting to regret his choice. The streets were empty¡ªeerily so. No signs of life stirred, save for the occasional gust of wind that rustled through the debris.


    "This is pointless," Leo muttered to himself, glancing at the wolves that padded silently behind him. "I might as well be walking through a graveyard."


    Still, he pressed on. He needed to find something¡ªanything¡ªto fight. His earlier battle with the horde and mutant creatures had been grueling, but it had rewarded him with two hard-earned levels. And this was after killing almost 200 monsters and zombies. If not more.


    Leo sighed helplessly when he thought of this. He felt that he didn''t get the reward he deserves but then, he remembered that most of the monsters he fought are mostly level 3-5, and the zombies barely made to level 3.


    And considering the high level difference between them and him, and the fact that his level is now in the double digits, it meant that he would need a lot of life force to increase his level. Thinking of this, Leo felt that he was actually lucky to level up and twice at that.


    "I guess it''s true what they say ''even mosquito is meat.''" Leo chuckled to himself as he continued walking down the street.


    The memory of Ryan''s skill flashed through his mind. Leo''s curiosity had been gnawing at him ever since.


    He didn''t know the full extent of the skill''s effects, but if it was what he thought it was, then it was a skill worth coveting.


    The ability to draw monsters to oneself? It sounded like the perfect tool for someone like him¡ªa fast track to leveling up and growing stronger.


    A small smile tugged at his lips as he imagined what it would feel like to wield such a skill. The thrill of battle, the steady rise of power¡­ it was almost too tempting to think about.


    "Of course, knowing my luck, it''d probably come with some ridiculous drawback," Leo muttered with a laugh to himself. "Nothing that good comes without a price."


    His laugh was cut short the next moment when he saw a group of people appear in front of him, at a distance.


    Ahead, at the far end of the street, a group of people emerged from behind a cluster of abandoned vehicles. They were too far away for him to make out their features, but their movements were casual¡ªtoo casual for the apocalypse.


    Leo sighed again, this time in resignation. He could already tell they were trouble.


    As he drew closer, their conversation became clearer. The group consisted of six individuals, all dressed in mismatched, scavenged clothing. Their expressions were a mix of curiosity and amusement as they noticed him approaching.


    One of them, a tall man with a scruffy beard and a baseball bat slung over his shoulder, stepped forward with a smirk. "Hey, kid! What''s so funny? The apocalypse messing with your head, or is it those wolves behind ya?"


    Leo frowned slightly, his grip tightening on Nightshade. He didn''t reply, his gaze steady as he continued walking toward them.


    The group exchanged glances, their smirks fading slightly as they noticed the dark blade in his hand.


    There was something unsettling about the way the boy carried himself¡ªcalm, deliberate, almost indifferent. It didn''t fit with his youthful appearance.


    Another man, shorter and stockier, leaned toward the first. "What''s with the kid? How''s someone like him still alive?"


    "Must be luck," the first man replied with a chuckle. "Or maybe he''s been hiding in some basement while the real survivors do all the work."


    Leo sighed inwardly. He had no interest in engaging with these people, but he could feel the tension in the air growing with each step he took.


    The wolves behind him bristled slightly, their keen eyes locked on the group.


    "Hey, kid!" the scruffy man called again. "You deaf or something? We''re trying to have a conversation here."


    Leo stopped a few paces away, his expression neutral but his eyes sharp. "I heard you. I just didn''t think you had anything worth responding to."


    The man blinked, taken aback by the boy''s bluntness. Then he laughed, a loud, boisterous sound that rang out through the empty street. "Well, aren''t you a cheeky little bastard? Got a mouth on you, don''t ya?"


    Leo shrugged. "I''ve been told."


    The group chuckled, though there was an edge to their laughter. The shorter man stepped forward, pointing at Nightshade. "That''s a nice blade you''ve got there. Where''d you find it?" S~ea??h the N?velFire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Leo''s gaze flicked to the man briefly before returning to the leader. "None of your business."


    The man''s smirk faded slightly, replaced by a faint scowl. "You''ve got a lot of attitude for someone your age."


    "And you''ve got a lot of questions for someone with no manners," Leo replied evenly.


    The tension thickened, the group exchanging glances. The scruffy man stepped forward, his baseball bat resting casually on his shoulder. "Listen, kid. We''re just trying to be friendly. No need to get all defensive."


    Leo raised an eyebrow, his tone turning dry. "Friendly? Is that what this is?"


    The man''s grin widened, though it didn''t reach his eyes. "Sure it is. But if you keep running that mouth of yours, we might have to teach you a little respect."


    Leo''s fingers tightened around Nightshade, his patience wearing thin. "If you want to try, go ahead. But I wouldn''t recommend it."


    The man''s grin faltered, his eyes narrowing. The rest of the group shifted uneasily, their confidence wavering as they noticed the boy''s calm demeanor¡ªand the wolves at his back.


    Before anyone could say another word, the ground beneath their feet trembled.


    Everyone froze, their gazes darting around as the vibrations grew stronger. A faint rumble echoed through the air, followed by the distant sound of snarls and guttural roars.


    Leo''s heart quickened. He turned his head, scanning the street for the source of the noise.


    Squinting his eyes, he saw something from the alleyways and shattered buildings. At first, it was subtle¡ªa faint rustling of debris, the sound of something scraping against the cracked pavement. Then they emerged.


    Large, jet-black spiders crawled into the open, their grotesque forms illuminated by the pale light filtering through the clouds.


    Each one was the size of a small car, their bloated abdomens gleaming like polished obsidian.


    Their long, spindly legs moved with an unnerving grace, each step creating a faint clicking sound that echoed ominously through the empty street.


    Their eyes¡ªclusters of eight glowing red orbs¡ªreflected the dim light, giving them an otherworldly and menacing appearance.


    Fangs the size of daggers twitched restlessly, dripping with a viscous, black liquid that sizzled as it hit the ground, corroding the concrete where it landed.


    The largest of the spiders crawled onto the wreckage of an overturned bus, its weight crushing the vehicle''s rusted frame with a metallic groan.


    Its jagged legs left deep gouges in the metal as it perched on top, towering over the rest of the group.


    Spikes jutted from its abdomen, each one dripping the same corrosive substance. It let out a high-pitched screech, a sound so piercing that it felt like nails dragging across the inside of the skull.


    The scruffy man''s cocky grin vanished in an instant. "What the hell is that?!"


    Leo''s grip on Nightshade tightened, his gaze fixed on the approaching creatures. "Looks like it''s your lucky day," he said quietly, his voice calm despite the chaos brewing.


    The man turned to him, his face pale. "What are you talking about?"


    Leo smirked faintly, his eyes sharp and unyielding. "You wanted to see how I''ve survived this long. Here''s your chance."


    The spiders began to close in, their legs moving in eerie synchronization. Their clicking grew louder, a nightmarish rhythm that sent chills racing down the spines of everyone present.


    The air grew heavy with the stench of rot and venom, an acrid tang that burned the back of the throat.


    The scruffy man stumbled backward, his baseball bat slipping from his shoulder as he stared at the approaching nightmare. "We''re not fighting those things!" he yelled, his voice cracking with panic.


    "You might not have a choice," Leo replied, his tone steady but cold. His gaze never left the spiders as he adjusted his stance, Nightshade gleaming in his hand.


    The largest spider screeched again, its fangs clicking together as it lunged forward.

 Chapter 78 - 78: The Apocalypse Only Cares About Survival

    The sheer speed of the spiders'' movement was terrifying, its massive body skittering across the ground with shocking agility.


    The sound of its legs striking the pavement was deafening, a rapid-fire barrage that echoed through the street.


    Leo barely had time to react as one of the smaller spiders lunged toward him, its fangs aiming straight for his chest. He sidestepped at the last moment, bringing Nightshade down in a swift arc.


    The blade sliced through one of its legs, black blood spraying across the ground as the creature let out a shrill screech of pain.


    The wolf pack sprang into action, their growls echoing as they leapt at the spiders with ferocity.


    Fiona lunged at one of the smaller creatures, her teeth sinking into its abdomen.


    The spider thrashed violently, its legs flailing as it tried to shake her off, but Fiona held firm, tearing through its exoskeleton with brutal efficiency.


    The scruffy man and his group were frozen in fear, their weapons trembling in their hands as the spiders closed in.


    "Do something!" one of them shouted, his voice tinged with desperation.


    Leo didn''t bother responding. He was already moving, weaving between the spiders with fluid movement.


    Another spider lunged at him, its massive fangs snapping shut inches from his face.


    He ducked low, driving Nightshade upward into its underbelly. The blade pierced through its tough exoskeleton, and the spider let out a choked screech before collapsing in a heap.


    The largest spider watched from its perch on the bus, its red eyes glinting with what seems to be intelligence. It let out a series of clicks, and the remaining spiders seemed to respond, shifting their movements to surround Leo and the group.


    Leo''s heart pounded, but he didn''t let the panic take over. His mind worked quickly, analyzing their behavior. These things were coordinated¡ªdangerously so. If he didn''t act fast, they''d be overwhelmed.


    "Get it together!" Leo barked at the group, his voice cutting through the chaos. "If you stand there frozen, you''re as good as dead!"


    One of the men snapped out of his daze, raising his crowbar with trembling hands. He swung wildly at a spider that lunged toward him, managing to hit one of its legs. The spider hissed, retreating briefly before circling back.


    Leo gritted his teeth. These people were useless.


    Just as he expected. The following moment, chaos erupted in full force. The street was alive with the skittering of spindly legs, the shrill screeches of monstrous spiders, and the desperate screams of those caught in the web of their own fear.


    The acrid stench of venom and blood mingled with the metallic tang of blood, creating an oppressive cloud that hung heavy in the air.


    Leo didn''t have the luxury to think. His muscles burned as he dodged another lunging spider, its dagger-like fangs narrowly missing his shoulder.


    He retaliated with a swift swing of Nightshade, the dark blade cleaving through one of its legs.


    Black blood sprayed onto the pavement, hissing as it corroded the surface. The spider shrieked and staggered back, but it wasn''t out of the fight.


    To his left, Fiona let out a feral growl as she tore into another spider, her teeth shredding its abdomen. Her fur was matted with dark blood, but she moved with precision, her instincts guiding her through the chaos.


    The wolf pack darted around her, their movements fluid as they worked together to bring down their prey. Yet even they were struggling; the spiders were faster and far more coordinated than them.


    A blood-curdling scream pierced the air.


    Leo glanced over his shoulder to see one of the group; the man with the crowbar caught in the grip of a spider''s legs.


    The creature''s glowing red eyes gleamed with malice as it raised the man into the air, his screams turning into a gurgling choke as its fangs plunged into his chest.


    The man''s body convulsed violently before going limp, the spider dropping him like a broken toy.


    Leo clenched his jaw, his grip tightening on Nightshade. He wanted to help, but he couldn''t.


    Another spider lunged at him, forcing him to roll to the side and slash upward, carving through its underside. The creature screeched and collapsed, twitching as black blood pooled beneath it. Sear?h the N?velFire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    The group was crumbling. The scruffy man who had mocked Leo earlier swung his baseball bat wildly, his face pale with terror.


    "Get away! Get away from me!" he screamed, his voice cracking.


    But his swings were erratic, uncoordinated. A smaller spider darted in, its fangs sinking into his leg.


    He howled in pain, dropping his weapon and falling to the ground. The spider wasted no time, dragging him away as his cries faded into silence.


    "Damn it!" Leo growled, slashing through another spider that came too close. He couldn''t save them.


    He couldn''t even try. Every time he turned his attention toward the group, another spider came for him, forcing him to fight for his own survival.


    A woman from the group let out a shriek as she stumbled backward, her knife slipping from her grasp.


    She tripped over a piece of rubble, landing hard on her back. Before she could scramble to her feet, a spider loomed over her, its fangs dripping with venom.


    Her final scream was cut short as the creature plunged its fangs into her throat, the sound of her gurgling death sending chills down Leo''s spine.


    The apocalypse was merciless, and it showed no leniency to the weak.


    Leo knew this truth all too well, but seeing it unfold before his eyes stirred something in him.


    Anger. Frustration. Helplessness.


    He hated it. He hated being unable to protect them, even if they weren''t his responsibility.


    "Focus," he muttered to himself, shaking off the emotions threatening to cloud his mind. He couldn''t afford distractions. Not now.


    The largest spider let out a piercing screech, its massive form towering above the battlefield. It skittered toward Leo with terrifying speed, its glowing red eyes locked on him like a predator sizing up its prey.


    Leo barely had time to react as it lunged, its front legs slamming into the ground where he had been standing moments before.


    The force of the impact cracked the pavement, sending chunks of debris flying. Leo stumbled back, his chest heaving as he tried to regain his footing.


    The spider reared up on its hind legs, its fangs gleaming as it prepared to strike. Leo gritted his teeth, bracing himself. When it lunged again, he dodged to the side, narrowly avoiding the deadly strike.


    He swung Nightshade in a wide arc, the blade slicing into one of the spider''s legs. The creature screeched in fury, black blood spraying from the wound, but it didn''t slow down.


    It came at him again, relentless and unyielding. Leo ducked under another strike, driving his blade upward into its abdomen. The spider thrashed wildly, its massive body slamming into Leo and sending him sprawling across the ground.


    He groaned, his ribs aching as he forced himself to his feet. The spider wasn''t done. It turned toward him, its red eyes glowing with rage. The air around it seemed to vibrate with its fury.


    Fiona appeared out of nowhere, lunging at the spider''s side. Her teeth sank into its leg, and she held on tightly even as the creature tried to shake her off.


    The wolf pack joined in, attacking from multiple angles. They tore at its legs, their jaws clamping down with savage ferocity.


    "Good girl," Leo muttered, wiping the blood from his lip as he tightened his grip on Nightshade.


    The spider screeched, its movements becoming more erratic as it tried to fend off the wolves. It lashed out with its massive legs, sending two of the wolves tumbling back. Fiona held on, refusing to let go even as the spider thrashed violently.


    Leo seized the opportunity. He charged forward, his blade gleaming as he aimed for the creature''s head. The spider saw him coming and reared up, its front legs slamming down toward him.


    Leo dove to the side, rolling to avoid the attack. He came up on one knee and swung Nightshade with all his strength, the blade slicing through one of its eyes. The creature let out a deafening screech, blood spraying from the wound.


    But it wasn''t enough. The spider retaliated, its massive leg slamming into Leo and knocking him back. He hit the ground hard, pain radiating through his body as he struggled to breathe.


    The spider loomed over him, its fangs bared as it prepared to deliver the killing blow.


    "No, you don''t," Leo growled, forcing himself to his feet.


    With a burst of speed, he lunged forward, dodging the spider''s strike at the last second. He drove Nightshade upward, the blade piercing through its underbelly and into its core.


    The spider let out a final, earsplitting screech, its body convulsing violently before collapsing in a heap. Black blood pooled beneath it, the air filled with the stench of decay.


    Leo stood over the creature, his chest heaving as he tried to catch his breath. His arms trembled from the effort, his body screaming in protest, but he couldn''t stop. He couldn''t let his guard down, not yet.


    The battlefield was eerily silent now, save for the labored breathing of Fiona and the remaining wolves.


    The spiders were dead, their twisted forms scattered across the street. The group that had mocked Leo earlier was gone, their bodies lying broken and lifeless among the wreckage.


    Leo exhaled slowly, the weight of what had just happened pressing down on him. The apocalypse didn''t care about fairness or mercy. It only cared about survival.

 Chapter 79 - 79: Unfinished Business

    Leo took a look around his surroundings and sighed tiredly.


    The area was eerily silent save for the faint rustle of the wind through the ruined streets.


    The corpses of the massive spiders and the unfortunate group lay scattered across the ground, a grim reminder of the apocalypse''s unforgiving nature.


    Leo turned his attention to the wolves and approached them. His body was still aching from the grueling fight.


    Arriving in front of the wolves, he crouched beside Fiona first, his hand moving gently over her fur to check for injuries. She let out a soft whine, leaning into his touch.


    "You did great," Leo murmured, and Fiona licked his hand in response.


    He moved to the previous pack leader next, running his hand along its sides and noting only a few scrapes.


    Then he checked the rest of the pack, methodically ensuring none of them had suffered anything serious. The wolves, despite their usual stoic nature, nuzzled against him appreciatively as he worked.


    Fiona stood slightly apart from the group, her posture regal yet protective.


    Leo glanced at her, remembering the moment she''d communicated to him that she was now the leader of the pack. It hadn''t surprised him; she had earned their loyalty and respect, just as she had earned his.


    The [Empathic Link] of his [Beastmaster''s Bond] skill had conveyed her feelings clearly to him¡ªher pride, her sense of duty, and her acceptance of the role.


    "You''re all good," Leo said softly after finishing his checks, standing and dusting off his knees.


    He patted Fiona''s head once more. "Thanks, you all. I couldn''t have done this without you."


    The wolves let out soft whines and nudged against him, their affection bringing a small smile to his face. For a moment, the invisible weight on his shoulder felt a little lighter.


    After spending a few moments playing with the wolves, Leo stood and looked toward the direction the spiders had come from. It was the same direction where one of the group members had been dragged. He frowned, his mind weighing the risk of following the trail.


    If the spiders had a nest, it would likely be swarming with more of them¡ªstronger, deadlier ones. He shook his head, sighing deeply. It wasn''t worth it. Not now.


    He turned away and started walking back in the direction he''d originally been headed before the group and the spiders had interrupted his journey.


    Leo had barely taken a few steps when a faint static sound broke the silence. He stopped, his ears pricking as he tried to locate the source. The sound was muffled, interspersed with crackles of static.


    "Hey, James. How''s things on your side? Any luck getting something edible?" a voice crackled through, slightly distorted but audible.


    Leo frowned, scanning the battlefield for the source. The voice was coming from one of the bodies lying on the ground. His curiosity piqued, he walked over to the pile of corpses, searching for the device responsible for the sound.


    The voice crackled again. "Hey, James. Can you hear me? I asked how things are on your side. Have you guys taken down any monsters yet?"


    Leo finally traced the sound to the body of the man with the crowbar. He crouched and turned the body over, spotting a black walkie-talkie clipped to the man''s belt. He unhooked it and inspected it briefly, turning it over in his hands.


    He was about to put it back when the voice came again, laced with a mix of impatience and humor. S§×ar?h the nov§×lF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "Damn it, James. Why aren''t you responding? Are you perhaps smoking some apocalypse weed right now? You know plants are mutated too, right? Don''t try it, James."


    Leo let out a short, surprised laugh despite himself. The absurdity of the statement felt out of place, almost jarring against the grim backdrop of the battlefield, but it added a strange levity to the moment.


    His amusement was short-lived. Another voice crackled through the walkie, this time sharp and urgent.


    "Everyone, back to base. There''s a large group of people heading toward the entrance of the base, and they look hostile. We need backup right now. Repeat: we need backup."


    The urgency in the voice was palpable, cutting through the static with a weight that demanded attention. The message repeated twice before the device fell silent.


    Leo stared at the walkie for a moment, his thoughts racing. He had no idea where this base was or who these people were, but the urgency in the voice left no doubt that something serious was happening.


    He clipped the walkie to his belt, deciding to keep it for now. He searched the other bodies if he would see another walkie bit he saw nothing.


    He motioned to the wolves, and they began moving away from the battlefield. The streets were eerily quiet as they walked, the silence broken only by the soft crunch of debris beneath their feet.


    Minutes later, Leo found himself standing at the edge of a crumbling overpass, his eyes narrowing as he spotted movement in the distance.


    A group of people was huddled together in the middle of the street, surrounded by another, larger group.


    The larger group was armed to the teeth, carrying rifles, machetes, and makeshift weapons. Their postures were aggressive, their movements coordinated. The air around them radiated hostility.


    Leo''s gaze shifted to the smaller group. His breath hitched when he recognized them¡ªthey were members of Grewishka''s group. Their faces were pale, their bodies tense as they exchanged nervous glances.


    One of them¡ªa lanky man with a patchy beard¡ªspotted Leo in the distance. His eyes widened, and he pointed frantically in Leo''s direction, shouting something to the armed group.


    The armed group turned as one, their eyes locking onto Leo. The tension in the air thickened, every second stretching into an eternity.


    The lanky man shouted again, louder this time. "That''s the kid! The one I told you about! He''s got a base stocked with meat¡ªtons of it! Enough to last for weeks!"


    The lanky man''s voice was tinged with desperation, his wide eyes darting between the armed group and Leo.


    "That''s him! He''s got a stockpile of food¡ªenough for all of us!" He paused, then added, almost pleading, "If you let us go, we can take you there!"


    Leo''s blood ran cold. The words hung in the air like a death sentence, and his jaw tightened as the words sank in.


    He had given these people shelter, food, and safety¡ªand this was their repayment? A flame of anger flickered in his chest, but he forced himself to stay calm.


    Just as he expected, he saw the armed group''s expressions shifted, a mix of interest and malice flickering in their eyes.


    One of them, a burly man with a scar running down the side of his face, began walking toward Leo. His movements were slow, deliberate, exuding a menacing confidence... and arrogance.


    Leo''s heart pounded in his chest as he tightened his grip on Nightshade. The wolves growled softly, sensing the rising tension.


    The scarred man stopped a few paces away, his gaze raking over Leo with a predatory intensity. He tilted his head slightly, his lips curling into a faint smirk.


    "Well, well," he said, his voice low and gravelly. "Looks like we''ve found ourselves a little goldmine. Tell me, kid¡­ is what they''re saying true?"


    The street fell silent, the question hanging in the air like a loaded gun.

 Chapter 80 - 80: Strength Comes In Many Forms

    The tension in the air was thick, palpable, pressing down like an unseen weight.


    Leo stood still, his fingers tightening around the hilt of Nightshade as he regarded the scarred man with an unreadable expression.


    Behind him, Fiona and the wolves bristled, their hackles raised. A low growl rumbled from Fiona''s throat, carrying a warning, one that made the air feel even heavier.


    "Well?" the scarred man asked again, taking a slow step forward. S§×arch* The ¦ÇovelFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    His smirk remained, but his eyes glinted with malice.


    "Is what they''re saying true, kid? Do you have a stash of meat back at your base?"


    Leo let the question hang in the air for a moment, his calm demeanor unshaken. He tilted his head slightly, studying the man.


    He noticed the way the others in the armed group shifted nervously, their hands gripping their weapons a little tighter as they waited for his response.


    "Meat?" Leo finally said, his voice calm. "Do I look like someone who''s sitting on a stockpile?"


    The scarred man''s smirk faltered for a fraction of a second, but he quickly recovered.


    "You''ve got wolves with you, kid. Healthy-looking ones at that. Are they your pets? And you''re out here wandering around like you own the place. Sounds to me like you''ve got more than you''re letting on."


    Leo shrugged, his posture relaxed despite the rising tension.


    "The wolves hunt. They take care of themselves. As for me¡­ if I had a stash of meat like that, do you think I''d be out here wandering the streets?"


    The man narrowed his eyes, his smirk fading slightly. He took another step forward, his boots crunching on the debris-strewn pavement.


    "You''re lying."


    Leo met his gaze evenly, a calm yet cold expression enveloping his face.


    "Am I? Or are you just desperate enough to believe whatever you''re told?"


    The scarred man bristled, his shoulders tensing.


    "Watch your mouth, kid."


    Leo didn''t flinch. Instead, he took a step forward, closing the distance between them.


    "And you should watch yours. You''re making assumptions based on the word of people who sold me out to save their own skin. Can you really trust them?"


    Behind the man, the lanky survivor who had exposed Leo looked away, his face pale. The others in the armed group exchanged uneasy glances, their confidence wavering.


    The scarred man''s lips curled into a snarl. "You''ve got a lot of nerve, talking to me like that."


    "And you''ve got a lot of nerve pointing a weapon at a stranger, a kid, without knowing what they''re capable of," Leo countered, his voice low but with a sharp edge.


    His gaze never wavered, locked onto the man''s with unrelenting intensity.


    The two stood there, a silent battle of wills unfolding between them.


    The scarred man''s attempt at intimidation was met with an unwavering resolve that radiated from Leo.


    Despite his smaller stature and younger age, Leo''s presence filled the space, his quiet confidence cutting through the tension like a blade.


    One of the armed men shifted uneasily, glancing at the wolves.


    "Boss¡­ maybe we should back off. Look at those things. They''ll tear us apart if he gives the word."


    The scarred man didn''t respond immediately, his eyes still locked on Leo''s.


    The silence stretched, heavy and suffocating.


    Fiona let out another low growl, taking a step closer to Leo, her sharp teeth bared.


    Leo tilted his head slightly, a faint smirk tugging at the corner of his lips. "I''d listen to him if I were you. My wolves don''t take kindly to threats."


    The scarred man''s jaw tightened, his knuckles whitening as he gripped his machete. "You think you''re smart, don''t you?"


    Leo''s smirk widened ever so slightly. "Smart enough to know you''re stalling because you''re not sure you can win this."


    The man''s eyes flared with anger, and for a moment, it seemed like he might lash out. But then he took a step back, his movements slow and deliberate.


    He glanced at the lanky survivor who had betrayed Leo, then at the rest of his group. They were all watching him, their expressions a mix of apprehension and doubt.


    "You''re lucky I''m in a good mood today," the scarred man said, his tone laced with venom. "But don''t think this is over. If I find out you''ve been lying, I''ll make sure you regret it."


    Leo''s expression didn''t change. "You''ll have to catch me first."


    The scarred man''s smirk returned, but it was thinner this time, less confident. He motioned to his group, and they began to back away, their movements cautious as they kept their weapons trained on Leo and the wolves.


    As the group retreated, the tension in the air began to dissipate, but Leo remained still, his eyes fixed on the scarred man until he disappeared around a corner. Only then did he let out a slow breath, his grip on Nightshade loosening slightly.


    Fiona nudged his side, her growl fading into a soft whine. Leo knelt down, placing a hand on her head. "Good girl," he murmured.


    The wolves gathered around him, their postures still tense but their trust in him was evident. He patted each of them in turn, his mind already racing with thoughts about what had just happened.


    The apocalypse had a way of revealing the worst in people. That much was clear. But if there was one thing Leo had learned, it was that strength came in many forms.


    Today, he had won not through brute force but through wit and resolve.


    As he stood and looked back toward the direction the group had gone, a flicker of anger sparked in his chest. The betrayal from Grewishka''s group stung more than he wanted to admit. He had given them shelter, food and they threw it all away. Not only that, they also betrayed him.


    But even though he felt this way, kevwas aware that he couldn''t afford to dwell on it now. The world wasn''t going to stop moving because of his feelings.


    "Let''s go," Leo said quietly, motioning to the wolves. They fell in line behind him as he began walking down the street, his mind already focused on the next challenge.


    The apocalypse didn''t care about kindness or fairness. It didn''t care about trust or loyalty. And Leo was determined to survive it, no matter what.

 Chapter 81 - 81: The Announcement Is Here

    After the small interlude, Leo decided to get back to what he was doing before he was interrupted, hunting monsters to get stronger.


    Leo took one more look in the direction that the large armed group and Grewishka''s former group left in, and smiled.


    He still has a bone to pick with the Grewishka''s former group but he knew that it would have to wait as he has way more important things to deal with.


    Before continuing his hunt, Leo decided to do the needful as he called up his status screen.


    [Name: Leo ****]


    [Level: 17]


    [Specie(s): Human, ****, ****]


    [Class: ¨C]


    [Title: None]


    ______


    [Strength: 26]


    [Agility: 21 (+30)]


    [Stamina: 25]


    [Intelligence: 18]


    [Mana: 125]


    ______


    [Stat Point(s): 15]


    ______


    [Skill(s): Regeneration (Innate), Beastmaster''s Bond (Innate)], [Sesimic Stomp], [Berserker''s Roar], [Ravenous Regeneration], [Predator''s Instincts].


    .....


    "I got 15 free stat points from leveling up three times. Which means excluding my Agility that''s at a total of 51, I only have my Strength, Stamina and Intelligence to worry about.," Leo muttered to himself.


    He immediately divided his available free stat points equally between the three attributes, allocating 5 stat points each to three of them.


    After he was done, Leo couldn''t help but smile when he saw that his Mana has increased from 125 to 150.


    Leo couldn''t help but feel he discovered a goldmine with the discovery of the connection between the Intelligence attribute and Mana.


    "Well, that''s done. Now, it''s time to level up more and evolve," Leo said to himself, as he started walking down the street.


    "Speaking about evolving, how does it exactly work? Are their some prerequisites or what? Well, with no one to give me the answer I need, I guess I will have to continue leveling up.


    If I''m correct, a notification will probably pop up when I meet the prerequisites or level required for the evolution to take place," Leo muttered to himself.


    "Sigh... So troublesome." He sighed and continued walking down the street. Sear?h the N?velFire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    He had just taken a couple of steps when he felt a chill down his spine. He immediately got on alert as he gripped Nightshade tightly, and looked around himself for any sign of danger.


    After a couple of moments of looking around, Leo found nothing. The street was empty and silent as it had verb from the beginning.


    "That''s weird. I definitely felt something right now. Was I wrong?" Leo whispered to himself, as he took one more careful look around.


    But still, he found nothing. The street was still the same¡ªempty and silent. But the silent was becoming to become creepy.


    Leo decided to continue walking when he didn''t find the source of the danger he was feeling. He felt that the reason he wasn''t seeing it was either because whatever it was wasn''t in his surroundings or.... Because it''s hiding.


    Thinking about it, Leo felt the second was more likely. He knew that the reason why he''s having this sense of dread is because the thing or whatever is causing it is stronger than him. Watmy stronger than him.


    He felt that the source might even be as strong as that massive monster that appeared back then.


    Remembering the monster, Leo decided to get to work. While still keeping up his guard, he continued looking for monsters to hunt as walked down the street.


    Using the link between him and Fiona, he told Fiona and the wolves to spread out, and look around for any signs of any possible high level monster.


    Leo was aware that at his current level, hunting small level monsters won''t do him any good. Instead, the best and fastest way for him to level up is to hunt high level monsters.


    It''s the only way he knew that he can use to level up quickly and possibly reach the level that he would need to evolve.


    .....


    Meanwhile, high up in the sky. A beautiful lady in a black and red elegant dress, with a pale skin, red lips, blue eyes and black hair that cascades down to almost her thigh, was floating in the air and watching Leo with her red lips spread apart in a smile.


    The next moment, she disappeared from her position and appeared before him.


    "Hey, Leo."


    Leo felt like his heart fell into his stomach when he heard someone call his name. Even though the voice was a very familiar one, the abruptness of it and with the tension that he was already feeling didn''t help matters.


    "Fuuuu... It''s you. I nearly died." He let out a sigh of relief, before turning to glare at the culprit.


    Tatiana chuckled lightly when she saw Leo''s reaction. She has no idea but she kind of finds it fun to tease Leo, as his reactions are always cute. And this is when he''s not being shameless.


    "You find it funny, huh?" Leo asked when he saw Tatiana chuckling.


    "Cough. Ahem. You can''t blame me. Your reaction is cute. I just want to keep scaring you over and over again." Tatiana smiled in response.


    "Sigh... I''m very sure that your teasing will kill me first before anyone or anything else does." Leo sighed helplessly, as he continued walking down the street.


    "That''s impossible. We still have a deal, remember? Friends with benefits." Tatiana smiled, as she walked with Leo.


    Leo rolled his eyes when he heard Tatiana''s words.


    "Yeah. Friends with benefits but I''m not exactly getting any benefits," Leo muttered in a low voice, but was loud enough for Tatiana to hear.


    An this time, it was Tatiana''s turn to roll her eyes as she knew exactly where Leo was getting at.


    "You just have to go and ruin the fun by being shameless. Tsk," she said, as he shook her head.


    "Well, let''s forget about that and cut to the chase. The tournament is about to start soon. An announcement will be made soon," she said, and Leo nodded in understanding.


    "I remember you saying that the last time you came and that''s why I''m growing my strength. You said that being in the Evolved Rank is the opportunity for me to survive what''s to come and I''m on it," Leo said, as the two of them kept walking down the street.


    "Yes. I did say that. About that, what level are you right now?" Tatiana asked.


    "17."


    "17? For someone in such a backwater world, not bad at all," Tatiana said, nodding in satisfaction.


    "Your progress has been good so far. The fact that it has only been about seven to eight days or so since the world core of your planet awakened, makes it even better.


    If the tournament''s date hadn''t been pushed forward, you might even be on your way to become an Exalted Ranked before it begins. That''s if you maintain your current speed, that is," she mused to herself, and turned to look at Leo.


    "Ok, I know that you''re curious about the evolution and everything related to it. I will give you the only information I can give you," she said, and age saw Leo looking at her like he was about to extract the information from her with just his eyes.


    "You''re three levels way from the required level. Also, there are some evolution requirements that you would need to meet before you can evolve. The requirements are unique to every person and you ei5ve informed of yours when you get to the required level," Tatiana said, and she saw Leo nodding in response.


    She was about to continue talking when she noticed that his expression changed.


    "What is it, Leo?" She asked curiously.


    "The announcement. It''s here "


    [The citizens of planet #674589.....]

 Chapter 82 - 82: The Announcement Is Here (II)

    [The citizens of planet #674589. Your planet has been chosen as the host of the Convergence Tournament.]


    [The Convergence Tournament is a rare opportunity given by the Council to every mortal in the Multiverse. The tournament exists to identify the fittest, the strongest, and the most adaptable among your kind. Only those who prove themselves shall ascend to greater power and opportunity.]


    [The tournament has only one rule and one: it has only one winner. The prize for winning will be withheld for the moment but what you need to do to win, you will be told.]


    [The tournament is one-time multiversal event and will be held over a duration of ten years. The tournament will only have one winner and that is the top ranking participant on the leaderboard at the end of the tournament. There''s another to win the tournament, and that is for the participant to reach the peak level of the Celestial Rank.]


    [Participants can now register for the event by showing their intent through their status interface. There will be a 72 hours window for registration. Once this window closes, no new participant may join.]


    [The tournament will begin in two weeks and in two week, the leaderboard will reveal the top participants in real-time, showcasing their names, race, levels, and affiliations. Prove your worth and carve your name into the annals of the Multiverse.]


    .....


    After the announcement was made, a different window popped up.


    [You can now register for the tournament. Do you accept?]


    Even though Leo has already been informed by Tatiana about the tournament beforehand, he was still shocked by it.


    But beside the initial shock he felt, Leo felt nothing else, except the intense need to become stronger and evolve in that two weeks window he still has.


    From what he read in the announcement, the tournament is more of a battle royale and it''s a multiversal level event. Which means that there are going to be a lot of powerful people coming to Earth from other realms in the Multiverse, to participate in the event.


    This also means that they are definitely going to be very strong and with the battle royale format, there''s bound to be chaos.


    He knew that there''s no way people like Tatiana will be willing to work together with each other.


    In fact, with the tournament''s reward being kept a secret, Leo felt that the tournament was designed for people like Tatiana. And the reason why it''s being held on Earth is because it''s a newly awakened planet that has no entity powerful enough to affect the tournament result.


    The reason Leo felt this way is because no matter how he thought about it, he felt that it doesn''t make any sense. Also, with the fact that Tatiana has already hinted at the reward being something that will make the winner powerful, Leo felt that he was likely right.


    But Leo was aware that even if he knew all this, there was nothing he can do except to become stronger, survive and protect those close to him. That''s the only thing he knew he can do... for now.


    Leo curiously looked at the Tatiana''s face and saw deep and solemn expression on it. He knew that the reason for this is probably due to her getting the announcement.


    He felt that if he''s right, her announcement will be very different from his, and it might even have the full information without anything being left out.


    He as still studying Tatiana''s face when he saw her turn to look at him.


    "You got the announcement, Leo. You have two weeks to evolve and get into Evolved Rank. The beginning of the tournament will be filled with chaos and you need to be strong enough to survive it," Tatiana said in a very solemn voice.


    Leo nodded in acknowledgement when he heard Tatiana''s words. He couldn''t help but feel the intense seriousness in her voice and face as she spoke. It was the first time that he has seen Tatiana... should he say nervous?


    He felt that there was more to everything that was happening than he and the citizens of his planet are being told, but he knew that there was no way he could ask Tatiana when she has that expression on her face.


    "Good. I''m glad you understand. I know you have a lot of questions about the tournament and I promise to give you the answers you need.


    But for now, I have to go and make preparations on my side. I also have a gift for you, for your lover actually, but I will have to go and get it first. Lots of people will start finding their way into your planet. You have to stay safe. I will be back."


    Immediately after Tatiana said what she said, she disappeared.


    Leo sighed after Tatiana left. He knew that things were about to get messy very soon and he must start preparations. But he decided to postpone his hunt for day, as he called back the wolves and started heading back to base.


    *****


    In the residential building complex, Ves sat silently in a corner of the upper floor, staring at the translucent notification screen hovering before her.


    Her eyes scanned the words repeatedly, as if trying to decipher a hidden meaning. Her hand trembled slightly as she dismissed the pop-up asking for her registration.


    She leaned back against the wall, her thoughts a whirlwind of emotions.


    "The strongest¡­ the most adaptable," Ves whispered to herself, her gaze distant.


    The weight of her recent transformation pressed on her. She couldn''t deny the opportunity the tournament presented¡ªbecoming stronger wasn''t just a desire anymore, it was a necessity.


    But the thought of participating in a multiversal event where only one could emerge victorious made her stomach twist, and she clenched her fists.


    "If I have to fight for survival, then I''ll fight. Even if I have to become a monster to protect those I care about¡­ so be it." she murmured.


    Her thoughts shifted to Leo. She knew he would register, and she had no intention of letting him face this alone.


    .....


    Mia, seated in a dusty corner of the ground floor, froze when the announcement rang in her head.


    She had been quietly going through everything that has happened today when the words struck her like a bolt of lightning.


    Her first reaction was disbelief. She stared blankly at the message, rereading the same lines over and over.


    "A tournament? Multiversal? What does that even mean?" she muttered, her voice tinged with panic.


    She thought of the chaos they had already endured¡ªthe zombies, the mutants, Ryan''s betrayal. And now this? A battle royale on a planetary scale, with aliens and beings from other dimensions?


    Her chest tightened as fear took hold. But then she remembered Leo. She has no idea but she felt that if anyone could find a way to survive this madness, it was him.


    "I¡­ I have to do something," she whispered, determination slowly replacing her fear.


    ...


    Miguel was on the rooftop of the building, his gaze fixed on the horizon when the system''s voice rang out. The wind whipped around him as he listened, his face a mask of grim focus.


    When the message ended, he sighed heavily, running a hand through his hair. The enormity of what was coming settled over him like a crushing weight.


    "A tournament for survival¡­ only one winner," he muttered. "What kind of sick game is this?"


    He clenched his fists, his mind racing. He thought of Leo, Ves, and Mia. They were strong, yes, but was it enough? And what about himself? What could he contribute in a battle against the strongest beings from across the Multiverse? S~ea??h the n?vel_Fire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "I can''t just stand by and watch," he said quietly. "If I have to fight, I''ll fight. If I have to die, I''ll make sure it''s for something."


    ...


    Across the globe, chaos erupted.


    In small survivor enclaves, people huddled together, their faces pale with fear. Many couldn''t comprehend the idea of a multiversal tournament. The word "Multiverse" itself was alien to them.


    Some survivors reacted with panic, packing whatever supplies they had and fleeing deeper into isolation, as if distance could shield them from the impending chaos.


    In cities overrun by zombies and mutants, the announcement brought a strange pause. Even amidst the ruins, those who still clung to life stopped in their tracks, trying to make sense of what they''d just heard.


    For others, the announcement sparked hope.


    While there was those that were scared, there was also others that saw the tournament as an opportunity to rise above the despair of their ruined world. They envisioned themselves as the champion, the one to stand above all.


    The announcement brought with it tension and fear that coiled around the world like a snake, tightening its grip with every passing hour.

 Chapter 83 - 83: Mictlan

    Leo walked down the desolate streets, with Fiona and the wolves trailing behind him.


    The announcement replayed in his mind, Tatiana''s words echoing alongside it.


    He glanced at his status interface, where the registration window still hovered. He hadn''t selected "yes" yet, but the decision was already made in his heart.


    "The strongest¡­ the most adaptable," Leo muttered, his eyes scanning the empty street ahead. "Sounds about right."


    His thoughts shifted to Ves. He wondered how she was processing the announcement. He had no doubt she would choose to register, despite the risks.


    But what about the others? He couldn''t help but think of the survivors who had betrayed him¡ªtheir faces pale with fear as they fled.


    Were they scrambling to join the tournament, hoping it would save them? Or were they cowering, waiting for the apocalypse to swallow them whole?


    Leo shook his head, focusing on the path ahead. He knew he shouldn''t be worrying about other people, especially a group of people that betrayed him and especially not now that there''s a multiversal level free for all battle about to take place on earth in two weeks time.


    "I shouldn''t focus on unnecessary things. What matters now is surviving, evolving, and protecting those who matters to me," he thought.


    As he neared the residential building complex, he could already feel the tension in the air. It was as if the announcement itself had left a physical mark on the world, a heavy presence that couldn''t be ignored.


    Not like it hasn''t. Leo was aware that a lot of changes are to start taking place very soon. And as Tatiana said, there will be chaos.


    "Two weeks, huh?" Leo murmured. "Two weeks to evolve. Two weeks to prepare for the chaos."


    He clenched his fists, his gaze hardening as his lips spread thin into a smile.


    "Don''t worry, I''ll be ready."


    Arriving at the front of the residential building, Leo greeted by the sight of Ves standing at the entrance.


    Even though he was done distance away, he could see the worry on her face and how she was fidgeting slightly.


    He couldn''t help but sigh when he saw this. He knew that the reason why Ves was the way she is is because of the announcement and because she''s worried about him.


    He couldn''t help but remember what Tatiana said before she left: "I also have a gift for your lover."


    A small smile bloomed on his face when he remembered this. The truth is that he has never really thought of Ves in that... manner.


    Ves is beautiful, with her perfect figure, long legs, thighs, beautiful pale face and skin that was supposed to be ruined by the paleness of her zombie side, but rather it enhanced it. Also, her ocean blue eyes and silky black hair that falls over her shoulder.


    The fact is that Ves us beautiful, pretty, gorgeous.... But to Leo, she was more like family. Family that has cared and taken care of him.


    Yes, Leo remembers catching her in just her panties and seeing that beautiful sight but it was just a honest mistake.


    "What sort of stupid thoughts are running around in my head right now?," Leo scolded himself.


    "Now''s not the time for this, Leo. You have far more important things to worry about," he said, as he closed his eyes briefly.


    He picked up the pace, walking faster to the building, with Fiona and the wolves following behind him.


    .....


    "Leo," Ves said, letting out a deep breath of relief when she saw Leo.


    Immediately after the announcement, she came outside to wait for him as she was worried. She felt that things were going to get rough¡ªrougher than it already is¡ªvery soon.


    She forced a smile to her face as sge watch Leo walk towards her. So many thoughts were running riots in her head but she wasn''t ready to pay any attention to them. As all she wants to do right now is to take care of Leo.


    The day has been a rollercoaster of event, from the betrayal, battle against the endless horde, and the appearance of the giant lizard-like monster. And now, the announcement of a "Multiversal level" tournament has been added to the list.


    She couldn''t help sigh when she thought about all this.


    "We really are in the apocalypse," she muttered to herself.


    *****


    Tatiana appeared in the penthouse suite she was staying at.


    "Princess," Elda greeted when she saw her. S~ea??h the ¦ÇovelFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "Elda, it''s time. We have to start making the final arrangements to the plan. First, we will going there to get that," Tatiana said with a sense of urgency in her voice.


    "Princess, are you really sure you want to do this? I understand how much this tournament is worth to you and how much you want to prove to your father, to everyone that you''re good enough to lead the Realm but do we really have to do things this way?


    We are going into a territory that we hold no sway or any power whatsoever. If anything is to go wrong, there''s no way that I will be able to protect you, princess," Elda asked with a worried expression on her face.


    She saw the stubborn expression on Tatiana''s face and she sighed helplessly.


    "Princess, you do know that we aren''t going to another mortal realm but instead a divine realm. You know what else they call divine realms? A larger and more complex domain. It''s a place that any other person''s power becomes useless when they step into it. Our strength will be sealed as soon as we step into it.


    And to make things worst, this divine realm has two two different domains that had combined to make it even stronger," Elda said, expressing her feelings on the irrationality of Tatiana''s decision.


    "Come on, Elda. Why are you so scared? You make it sound like we are going there to cause trouble or something. We are just going there to ask for a favour," Tatiana said, as she put on the most reassuring smile she could. But it did very little to ease Elda''s worry.


    Elda could only smile and sigh helplessly once more as she knew that there was nothing else she can do.


    "Good. Let''s go to Mictlan," Tatiana said, as she disappeared, followed by Elda.

 Chapter 84 - 84: Mictlan (II), The Trial Of The Black Water

    The air shifted the moment Tatiana and Elda stepped into Mictlan. The temperature dropped sharply, and a biting cold seeped into their bones.


    The Black River stretched before them, winding through the dark, barren landscape like an obsidian serpent. Its surface was unnaturally still, reflecting faint ripples of silvery light that seemed to originate from nowhere and everywhere at once.


    The sky above was a vast expanse of muted grays, swirling with wisps of shadow and faint glimmers of light, like dying stars struggling against the void.


    The faint sound of whispers carried on the wind, soft and unintelligible, as if the air itself held the echoes of the souls that once roamed here.


    Tatiana took a cautious step forward, her heels crunching against the dry, cracked ground.


    The land surrounding the river was barren, devoid of vegetation or life. Jagged rocks jutted out like the bones of some ancient, long-dead creature.


    In the distance, faint, ghostly outlines of massive, crumbling structures loomed, shrouded in an eternal fog that seems to beat with an eerie life of its own.


    Elda walked close behind her, her stance rigid, her eyes scanning the surroundings carefulky for any signs of danger.


    Though her power had been sealed the moment they stepped into Mictlan, it doesn''t mean that she won''t do what she can to protect Tatiana if the need arises.


    "Stay close, Princess. This place is the domain of two people that have authority over death. It''s not a place to be taken lightly¡ªfor us to take lightly," Elda murmured, as she continued looking around.


    Tatiana glanced back at her Elda, offering a small, reassuring smile.


    "I have no intention of wandering off. But I appreciate your vigilance."


    Even though Tatiana said that, the two of them knew that things weren''t exactly as simple as it is.


    Their gaze were fixed on the Black River. It wasn''t the physical chill of the place that unnerved them, it was the oppressive weight of something far greater.


    The moment they had stepped into Mictlan, the both of them had felt it: the overwhelming presence of a realm that was alive, watching, and utterly indifferent.


    Elda''s suspicions were also confirmed when she felt her power leave her, drained away the instant her feet touched the cracked earth.


    It wasn''t painful¡ªmore like a heavy door slamming shut, cutting her¡ªthem¡ªoff from their strength, rendering them powerless and making them feel like a "mortal".


    "It''s just as I thought. Our powers are sealed," Elda muttered to herself.


    "It''s just as you said. We are in their domain," Tatiana muttered in reply.


    Even so, the vulnerability felt alien and unsettling. For beings as powerful as they were, to suddenly feel like mortals was a stark reminder of the forces they were dealing with.


    The next moment, a low, resonating hum filled the air, growing louder with each passing second. S~ea??h the n??el Fire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Both women turned their attention toward the Black River, their gazes snapping toward its surface. From the depths of its inky blackness, a figure began to rise.


    The emissary.


    Its form was ethereal and yet solid, a shifting amalgamation of black smoke and silver light. Its face was featureless, save for two glowing orbs that burned like miniature suns where its eyes should have been.


    It towered over them, its presence suffocating, as if the air around it bowed under the weight of its existence.


    "Mortals," the emissary intoned, its voice resonating like a choir of echoes. "You stand upon the threshold of Mictlan. State your purpose."


    Elda stepped forward before Tatiana could respond, her gaze burning burning into the Emissary.


    "We are no ordinary mortals. We come with purpose and with respect for your rulers. Choose your words carefully, emissary," she said with her voice, calm.


    The emissary''s glowing eyes shifted toward Elda, and the weight of its gaze pressed down on her like a tidal wave, almost causing her to fall to her knees.


    "Mortal, your arrogance is misplaced. Power and status matters not here. You stand in the domain of gods."


    Before Elda could say anything else, Tatiana stepped forward, placing a gentle hand on her arm.


    "Enough, Elda," she said softly. "We are guests here, and we must behave accordingly


    Elda hesitated but nodded, her jaw tightening slightly as she decided to back down a little. But she didn''t step back, as she stood protectively beside Tatiana.


    Tatiana met the emissary''s glowing gaze. Even though she''s in the domain of a god, that doesn''t mean that she''s to scared to speak.


    "We seek an audience with the rulers of this realm," she said. "We come prepared to offer something of great value in exchange for a favor."


    The emissary tilted its head slightly, the gesture almost curious. "Few dare to tread this path. Fewer still survive it. Why should your request be granted?"


    Elda stepped forward, unable to contain herself. "We came prepared¡ª"


    Tatiana raised a hand, silencing her companion with a glance. She met the emissary''s gaze¡ªif it could be called that¡ªwith unwavering resolve.


    "Because what we offer will strengthen their domain. And what we seek will only enhance the balance they maintain," Tatiana said with an unwavering voice.


    The emissary''s glowing eyes narrowed, and the air seemed to grow heavier. It leaned closer, its towering form seemingly casting a long shadow over them.


    "And why should the Lords of Mictlan entertain the whims of mortals?" it asked, the edge of mockery in its tone cutting through the stillness.


    Tatiana''s hands remained at her sides, but her fingers twitched slightly, betraying the tension she kept hidden.


    "Because what I seek will only enhance their domain. And what I offer in return will strengthen their claim in the Multiverse."


    The emissary straightened, its form shifting like smoke caught in a breeze. It regarded her in silence for a long moment, the weight of its gaze pressing down on her.


    Finally, it spoke again, its voice tinged with something akin to amusement.


    "You speak with conviction. But words alone are insufficient."


    It extended a hand, its elongated fingers pointing toward the Black River.


    "To meet the rulers of Mictlan, you must first prove your worth. The Black River Trail awaits you."


    Tatiana''s heart skipped a beat. She had heard of the trail¡ªa gauntlet that tested not strength or skill, but the very essence of a soul. No one who had walked it came out unchanged.


    "And what of me?" Elda asked sharply, motioning to herself.


    The emissary turned its glowing gaze on her, and Elda felt a cold chill seep into her very core.


    "You will remain. The trail is not for you."


    Elda clenched her fists, her expression darkening.


    "And what if I refuse?"


    The emissary''s form seemed to grow larger, its presence more oppressive.


    "Refusal is not an option. Interference will lead to annihilation."


    Elda hesitated, her worry plain, but she nodded reluctantly.


    "Be careful," she whispered.


    Tatiana nodded and stepped toward the river, the jagged rocks beneath her feet crunching with each step.


    The emissary raised its hand, and the waters of the Black River began to shift and churn.


    The surface, once still, rippled with an unnatural energy, glowing faintly as if it held the secrets of the universe within its depths.


    As Tatiana approached, the emissary''s voice rang out once more.


    "The Black River Trail will strip away all pretense. It will show you what lies at the core of your being. Only by facing the truth within yourself can you hope to proceed."


    Tatiana didn''t falter. She stepped into the river, the icy water biting into her skin like shards of glass.


    The current was deceptively strong, pulling at her legs, but she pushed forward, her gaze fixed ahead.


    The emissary watched silently as she disappeared into the fog that now swirled over the river''s surface.


    Elda stood at the edge, her fists clenched tightly, her gaze filled with worry and defiance.


    And then, the trail began.

 Chapter 85 - 85: The Trail Of The Black Water (II)

    As Tatiana waded through the icy black water, it bit into her skin like shards of glass.


    The fog around her thickened, swirling with an unnatural life of its own, obscuring everything beyond an arm''s reach. The air was heavy, carrying a faint metallic scent that clung to the back of her throat.


    The current strongly tugged at her legs, pulling her deeper into the river.


    Tatiana''s breath came in steady, measured exhales. She made sure not to lose her resolve despite the oppressive atmosphere.


    She could feel the eyes of the emissary watching her from the riverbank. The steady reassuring sound of Elda''s voice had already faded into the silence.


    She pressed forward, the black water rising past her knees, as she went deeper, then her waist.


    The chill seeped into her very bones, but Tatiana kept moving. Each step felt heavier than the last. She felt that things would had been easier if her strength wasn''t sealed but still, she was also aware that it would had made almost no difference as she was in a divine realm, and divine realms have rules of their own.


    The fog around her thickened, curling around her like tendrils, causing her to lose sense of her surroundings, with the riverbank vanished from sight.


    Tatiana stopped for a moment, straining to see ahead, but there was nothing. Except for the swirling mist and the faint sound of water lapping against her legs, there was nothing else.


    "Keep moving," she whispered to herself, her voice barely audible above the oppressive stillness.


    And then¡­ the next moment, the ground beneath her feet disappeared suddenly.


    Tatiana gasped as she sank into the icy depths, the water swallowing her whole. Her arms thrashed instinctively, but there was no bottom, no sense of up or down.


    The current pulled her deeper, spinning her in a disorienting spiral. Her lungs burned as she fought to hold her breath, her vision darkening.


    Just as she felt the last threads of air slipping away, the cold was replaced by warmth. The water disappeared entirely, and Tatiana found herself standing on solid ground. She stumbled forward, coughing and gasping, her knees hitting the floor.


    When she looked at the ground and she saw that her surroundings had changed and she was no longer in the river, no longer surrounded by the fog of Mictlan. S~ea??h the N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    She felt warm air hit her body. Air that felt both foreign and achingly familiar. Her knees buckled as she stumbled forward, gasping for breath, her arms trembling.


    Her fingers brushed against the ground, and she froze. The terrain beneath her was soft, cool, and alive.


    She glanced down, her breath hitching as she took in the bioluminescent grasses glowing faintly beneath her fingertips.


    Their hues shifted between deep crimson, silvery whites, and purples, casting a soft glow that illuminated her surroundings.


    The scent of blooming jasmine wafted through the air, mingling with a faint metallic tang from the Black Water that she could still almost taste on the back of her tongue.


    The gentle rustle of leaves in the distance added a rhythm to the surreal quiet, broken only by her own ragged breaths.


    Her heart skipped as she slowly lifted her gaze to the horizon.


    Two moons... One blood-red and the other a silvery white hung low in the sky, bathing the landscape in their otherworldly glow.


    Shadows of tall trees stretched like reaching arms across the shimmering grass. Her eyes widened as recognition dawned, the realization hitting her like a physical blow.


    "No¡­ it can''t be," she whispered, her voice trembling.


    Her breaths quickened as she stumbled to her feet. The air grew heavier with every step forward, her body trembling as the realization set in.


    The Crimson Fall Realm. Not just anywhere in it... this was home. Her home.


    Tatiana''s pulse thundered in her ears as she broke into a run, her feet pounding against the soft ground.


    The bioluminescent grasses glowed brighter with every step, guiding her like a trail of stars. She knew where she was going, knew it with the clarity that only years of memory could carve into someone.


    And then she saw it.


    The garden.


    The sight stole the air from her lungs. She slowed, her steps faltering as she approached the edge of the moonlit sanctuary.


    The flowers were as vibrant as she remembered¡ªcrimson roses entwined with silvery vines, towering trees with leaves that shimmered like polished gemstones, and delicate blossoms that glowed faintly in the moonlight. The air was sweet, heavy with the scent of honey and jasmine.


    It was just as it had been.


    Her legs trembled beneath her, and she clutched at a nearby tree for support, her gaze scanning the garden with frantic desperation.


    Her chest tightened as her eyes locked onto the figure seated beneath the massive Bloodwood Tree at the garden''s center.


    There she was as always.


    Her mother.


    The woman''s dark, cascading hair spilled over her shoulders, shimmering faintly in the moonlight like strands of polished obsidian.


    Her pale skin seemed to glow against the deep crimson of the Bloodwood Tree''s bark. She sat with perfect poise, her long, elegant fingers delicately tracing patterns in the dirt at her feet.


    Her mother''s profile was turned away, but that profile alone was enough to send a tidal wave of emotions crashing over Tatiana.


    "Mom¡­" The word escaped her lips in a broken whisper, barely audible, but it carried the weight of everything she hadn''t said... everything she had wanted to say for years.


    The woman turned slowly, her movements graceful, her expression soft and familiar.


    Her eyes, deep pools of warmth and love, met Tatiana''s. And then she smiled.


    That smile shattered her.


    Tatiana''s legs gave out beneath her, and she fell to her knees, her hands trembling as they clenched the grasses beneath her. Tears welled in her eyes, spilling over before she could even think to hold them back.


    "Mom!" she cried, her voice breaking, the floodgates of her emotions bursting wide open.


    Her mother''s brows furrowed in concern as she rose gracefully to her feet, closing the distance between them.


    "Tia, baby," she said, her voice soft and melodic, wrapping around Tatiana like the embrace she so desperately craved. "What is it? Why are you crying, my darling? Did you get hurt?"


    The sound of her voice struck something deep within Tatiana, and the tears fell faster. Her mother crouched before her, reaching out with gentle hands to brush away her tears, her touch featherlight and achingly familiar.


    But Tatiana shook her head, her lips trembling. "No, it''s not that. I¡­ I missed you. I''ve missed you so much¡­"


    Her mother''s expression softened, a mixture of love and concern etched into her features. "Oh, my sweet Tia. I''ve always been here, haven''t I?"


    Tatiana shook her head again, the words stuck in her throat. She wanted to scream, to tell her mother that she hadn''t been here, that she had been ripped away too soon. But she couldn''t.


    Her mother''s hands cupped her face, tilting it upward to meet her gaze. "Tia, what''s wrong? Why are you looking at me like that?"


    "I¡ª" Tatiana''s voice broke, her tears choking her. She forced herself to take a shaky breath. "I¡­ I can''t do this. I can''t lose you again."


    Her mother''s expression shifted, a flicker of sadness passing through her eyes. "Again? What are you talking about, baby?"


    Tatiana shook her head repeatedly in response but the tears refused to stop. She did everything she can to stop it but she couldn''t.


    It was when her mother knelt down that she understood what was actually going on. She was back to the past, back to when she was still little. She was back to that day. That dreadful day that she never wants to relive again.


    Her mother rose slowly, her concern deepening as she took a step closer.


    "Tia, what''s wrong? You''re scaring me."


    The realization caused the tears to increase and made her unable to stop. She slowly took a step back, and another, and another, and more, until she was out of her mother''s reach.


    The next moment, she had no idea what happened but all she knew was that she saw herself running with tears in her eyes, surrounded by the flames that was consuming everything in its reach, blood pooling on the floor and the air around choked by the smoke from the fire.


    She forced herself to stop to look around but the next thing she heard was a familiar voice telling her to run away to safety.


    She traced the direction of the voice and there she saw it. She saw her mother doing her best to fight off three men in dark robe and five hounds with shadow spilling from their bodies.


    Tatiana frozed up immediately at the sight but the next moment she heard her mother''s voice again.


    "Tia! I said run!"


    Then, suddenly, soft arms wrapped around her waist from behind. Before she could react, she was lifted off the ground.


    "No! Let me go!" Tatiana screamed, kicking and thrashing. Her tiny fists pounded against the chest of the person carrying her, but their grip didn''t loosen.


    "We have to go!" a familiar voice yelled.


    She craned her neck and caught a glimpse of the one holding her¡ªElda.


    Tears streamed down Tatiana''s face, blurring her vision as she caught one last glimpse of her mother through the haze of smoke and flames.


    Her mother stood tall, her body glowing faintly as she fought with everything she had. The hounds lunged at her, their jaws snapping.


    And then, she saw it. She saw one of the dark robed person driving a sword through her mother, where the heart is.


    "No!!!!!" She screamed, her voice breaking as her heart shattered.


    "Mom!" she whimpered one last time, her voice breaking into a sob.


    The world blurred into a haze of flames and tears, and Tatiana''s consciousness faded, swallowed by the darkness of her grief.

 Chapter 86 - 86: The Trail Of Black Water (III)

    Tatiana''s surroundings shifted suddenly, the fiery chaos of her mother''s final moments dissolving into a blur of colors and sensations.


    Her body felt heavy, as though the weight of her grief had seeped into her very bones.


    The next moment, she stood in a vast, opulent hallway bathed in muted crimson light.


    She immediately recognized the place. The intricate black and gold walls, the towering windows that stretched from floor to ceiling, casting faint moonlight over the marble floors¡ªthis was the royal palace.


    This was her home. Or at least, what used to feel like home.


    Tatiana''s heart sank as familiar voices echoed from the far end of the corridor. The voices were filled with scorn.


    "Well, well, look who''s here. The little orphaned princess."


    The taunting voice belonged to Lucien, her eldest half-brother. Beside her was his sister, her half-sister, Liliana, who has her face twisted in mocking smirks.


    Tatiana stiffened, her fists clenching at her sides as she turned to face them. Her chest still burned with the fresh memory of her mother''s death, and the sight of her half-siblings only stoked the flames of her turmoil.


    "What do you want?" she asked coldly, doing her best to keep her voice calm despite the storm raging within her.


    Liliana stepped forward, twirling a lock of her silver hair around her finger. Her expression was deceptively sweet, but her eyes gleamed with malice.


    ""Still crying about your mother, Tatiana?" Lucien sneered, leaning casually against the doorway to her chambers. His voice dripped with mockery. "She''s not coming back, you know. Maybe if she hadn''t been so eager to¡ª"


    "Don''t," Tatiana said, her voice low and trembling.


    "Why not?" Liliana chimed in, her tone falsely sweet. "She was just a whore who got lucky, wasn''t she? Honestly, it''s embarrassing. The great Lord of Crimson Fall, falling for someone like¡ª"


    The crack of Tatiana''s fist across Liliana''s cheek silenced her. She stumbled backward, clutching his face in shock.


    "You will not speak about her like that!" Tatiana shouted, her voice trembling with rage.


    Liliana lunged at her, but Tatiana was ready. The pent-up grief, anger, and frustration surged through her, fueling her movements.


    She fought them with a ferocity she hadn''t known she possessed, her strikes unrelenting and deadly.


    When the dust settled, her siblings lay sprawled on the floor, groaning in pain. Tatiana stood over them, her chest heaving as she glared down at their defeated forms.


    But the victory was short-lived.


    "You''ll regret this," Lucien hissed, his voice filled with venom. S§×ar?h the ¦Çov§×lFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    They scrambled to their feet and stormed off, leaving Tatiana standing alone in the hallway. She knew exactly where they were going¡ªto their father. More exactly, their mother, her step-mother.


    Her stepmother, Queen Althea, made her move as Tatiana''s life became a living nightmare.


    Althea''s influence over the palace staff ensured that Tatiana was isolated, treated like an outcast. Servants avoided her, whispering behind her back.


    Her once-grand chambers were stripped of their comforts, leaving her in a cold, barren room.


    If it wasn''t did to how much her father loves her, her stepmother would had succeeded in sending her out of the palace. Through it all, the one constant in Tatiana''s life was Elda.


    She remained steadfast by her side, offering support and companionship when no one else would. She would attend to her injuries and help her out in any way she can, and Tatiana was very grateful.


    One night, after yet another humiliating encounter with her stepmother, Tatiana sat alone in her chamber, her heart heavy with despair.


    "Why are you still here, Elda?" she asked quietly, her voice barely above a whisper.


    Elda knelt beside her, placing a reassuring hand on her shoulder.


    "Because I was told by your mother to protect you. I can''t leave and you can''t push me away."


    Tatiana''s eyes glistened with unshed tears as she nodded, the weight of Elda''s words sinking into her heart.


    From that moment on, Tatiana resolved to take back control of her life. She confronted her stepmother and half-siblings, standing her ground with unwavering determination. Though the conflict left scars, it also changed her into a stronger, more resilient person.


    ...


    Tatiana''s surroundings shifted once more, the mists of the Black River retreating to reveal an alien and oppressive landscape.


    The air was suffocating, charged with a foreboding energy that prickled her skin.


    The sky above was an unrelenting black void, broken only by faint, pulsating lights that seemed to flicker like dying stars.


    The terrain beneath her boots felt uneven, alive¡ªlike something ancient and hostile was watching her every move.


    Beside her, Elda drew her weapon instinctively, her body tense and alert.


    "This isn''t real," Elda murmured, her eyes scanning the darkened surroundings.


    Before Tatiana could respond, the shadows shifted. Shapes materialized from the void, grotesque figures cloaked in writhing tendrils of darkness.


    Their forms were warped, barely humanoid, and their glowing eyes burned with a sickly green and red light.


    Tatiana''s stomach tightened as the familiarity and recognition dawned.


    "This is a trap," Tatiana hissed.


    "Not just a trap. This is a cage. They have locked us in." Elda said grimly, positioning herself in front of Tatiana.


    The figures finally made their move. Their leader¡ªa towering figure draped in jagged armor made of shadow¡ªstepped forward, the ground trembling beneath his feet.


    His voice was a guttural rasp, echoing like a thousand screams layered atop one another.


    "Your soul reeks of potential, princess," he said, his gaze fixed on Tatiana. "Our master has use for it."


    Elda didn''t wait for him to finish. She surged forward with a battle cry, her blade slashing through the air. Two of them fell back, their forms dissolving into inky black mist, but more swarmed in to take their place.


    Tatiana joined the fray, moving with the grace of a warrior despite the lack of her usual power.


    For every one they struck down, more seemed to take its place, their laughter and whispers growing louder with every blow.


    Minutes passed like hours, and exhaustion began to creep in. Tatiana''s breathing grew labored, her arms trembling as she parried strike after strike.


    Elda fought like a hurricane, her blade flashing with desperate fury, but even she was slowing down.


    "They''re wearing us down," Elda muttered, her voice strained.


    Tatiana gritted her teeth, her heart pounding as she realized the truth. Their opponents weren''t just attacking¡ªthey were toying with them, drawing the fight out.


    The towering leader of the dark, inky figure raised his hand, and the air thickened further, pressing down on them like a weight. Shadows began to coil around their feet, rooting them in place.


    Elda''s eyes widened as she realized the trap was closing in. She slashed at the shadows, but they reformed instantly, binding her movements further.


    Tatiana struggled against the tendrils, her heart racing as the whispers grew deafening.


    Elda''s voice broke through her spiraling thoughts.


    "Tatiana! Listen to me!"


    Tatiana turned to her, and her heart sank at the sight. Elda''s body was covered in deep gashes, her movements sluggish. But her eyes burned with determination.


    "I''ll create an opening," Elda said firmly, slashing at the cultists that drew closer. "When I do, you need to escape. Do you understand?"


    For a moment, she saw flashes of her mother''s face in the darkness, her voice echoing in her mind:


    "Tia! I said! Run!"


    "No!" Tatiana snapped, her voice rising with desperation. "We''re not doing this! I''m not leaving you behind!"


    Elda''s expression softened, a rare moment of tenderness breaking through the chaos.


    "You have to, princess. You''re the one who matters. You have to survive."


    Tears blurred Tatiana''s vision as she shook her head violently.


    "I can''t lose you too. Please! No!"


    But Elda wasn''t listening. With a roar, she unleashed the last of her strength, breaking free from the shadows and charging toward the dark figures. Her blade flashed as she cut down several in her path, carving a way through.


    "Go!" Elda shouted, her voice cracking with the weight of her sacrifice. "Now!"


    Tatiana hesitated for a fraction of a second, torn between her instinct to stay and the weight of Elda''s words. Then, with a cry of anguish, she turned and ran toward the glowing portal Elda had forced open with the last of her strength.


    The whispers rose into a cacophony as Tatiana crossed the threshold, the portal snapping shut behind her. The last thing she saw was Elda standing tall, her blade raised defiantly against the cultists.


    And then she was alone.


    .....


    Escaping from the trap, Tatiana saw herself in a dark, empty space.


    Her chest heaved as sobs wracked her body, the weight of Elda''s sacrifice crushing her.


    Her mind replayed the moment over and over, merging with the memory of her mother''s death until she could no longer tell them apart.


    "Why¡­ why does it always end like this?" she whispered, her voice broken.


    The shadows of grief clawed at her, threatening to drag her into a dark abyss. She clenched her fists, her nails digging into her palms, but it wasn''t enough to ground her. She was falling, spiraling into despair.


    And then¡­ a voice.


    It was soft, barely a whisper, but it cut through the darkness like a blade with its familiarity.


    "Yeah. Friends with benefits but I''m not exactly getting any benefits."


    She froze, her tears halting as she looked up. The voice and words were familiar but she had no idea where she has heard it before.


    She noticed that the darkness around her began to part, revealing a something she couldn''t make out completely.


    The voice spoke again.


    "What a shame. I was actually ready to get down to work."


    Tatiana''s breath hitched as she finally remembered.


    "That shameless bastard," she said with a small smile.


    The memories of her mother and Elda remained, but they no longer suffocated her. Instead, they burned within her like a flame¡ªa source of strength, not sorrow.


    She rose to her feet, her body trembling. The darkness around her has already cleared and she found herself back at the edge of the Black River. The emissary stood waiting, its glowing gaze unreadable.


    And beside it¡­ Elda.


    Tatiana''s breath caught in her throat as she stared at her protector, whole and unscathed. Elda offered her a small, knowing smile, and Tatiana felt her heart swell with gratitude.


    "You passed," the emissary intoned, its voice echoing through the silence. "The trial is complete. The Lords will meet with you."


    Tatiana nodded with a smile on her face.

 Chapter 87 - 87: Meeting The Rulers Of Mictlan

    The Palace of Bones was unlike anything Tatiana had ever seen before in her life.


    The air inside the grand hall was dense, carrying a faint chill that seeped into her skin. Every breath she took seemed to echo, the sound reverberating off the towering walls.


    The walls themselves were made entirely of bones¡ªpolished and intricately arranged into patterns that seemed to tell an ancient, haunting story. Skulls lined the archways, their hollow eyes gazing out into the space with a quiet, eternal vigilance.


    The floor beneath Tatiana''s feet was smooth and cold, made of obsidian that shimmered faintly with an otherworldly light. It was as though the very ground pulsed with life, carrying silent whispers that only the dead could hear.


    Above her, the ceiling was vast and cavernous, disappearing into a black void. The faint glimmers of starlight seemed to peek through the darkness, though Tatiana knew they weren''t stars. They felt like more eyes watching and waiting.


    At the far end of the hall stood two thrones, both carved from the same pale bones that made up the walls.


    One was adorned with intricate carvings of serpents and skulls, and the other was draped in faintly glowing silks of deep crimson and black.


    Seated upon the thrones were Mictlantecuhtli and Mictecacihuatl.


    Mictlantecuhtli''s form was towering and skeletal, yet there was an undeniable elegance to him. His bony frame was draped in a robe of black smoke that seemed to shift and writhe as though alive.


    His skull-like face bore intricate carvings, glowing faintly with golden light. His eyes burned like twin suns¡ªpiercing and impossible to look away from.


    Beside him sat Mictecacihuatl, her form both regal and haunting. Her skin was smooth and pale, a stark contrast to the dark, flowing gown she wore. sea??h th§× Novel?ire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Her hair cascaded like a waterfall of black ink, and her eyes gleamed with a deep, knowing red that seemed to pierce through Tatiana''s very soul.


    Her fingers, adorned with rings of obsidian and bone, drummed softly against the armrest of her throne.


    Between the two gods, the atmosphere was suffocating. It was not the weight of malice or hostility but the sheer presence of beings so far beyond mortality that their existence felt like a force of nature.


    The air thrummed with power, each beat a reminder of how insignificant Tatiana was in their domain.


    Tatiana and Elda stood at the center of the vast hall, their figures dwarfed by the grandeur around them.


    Elda''s posture was tense, her hands twitching slightly as if itching for her weapon, though she knew it was futile. This was the first time she has ever stood in the presence of a god, a divine entity, and she finally understands why they are called gods.


    Tatiana, however, kept her head high, her expression calm and composed, though her heart pounded against her ribs.


    Mictlantecuhtli leaned forward slightly, his burning eyes fixed on Tatiana. When he spoke, his voice was a deep, resonant echo that seemed to come from everywhere and nowhere at once.


    "Child of Crimson Fall," he said, his tone carrying both curiosity and indifference.


    "You have walked the Black River. You have faced its trials and emerged... intact. Now, tell me¡ªwhat is it that you seek?"


    Tatiana''s throat tightened as the full weight of his gaze bore down on her. She took a steadying breath, her hands clasped tightly in front of her to keep them from trembling.


    "I seek a favor," she said, her voice firm despite the oppressive atmosphere.


    "A boon that only the Lords of Mictlan can grant."


    Mictecacihuatl tilted her head slightly, her red eyes gleaming with faint amusement. She didn''t expect the mortal to ask for something like this but nonetheless, she was interested in what type of boon Tatiana wants.


    "And what makes you believe you are worthy of such a boon?" she asked, her tone almost teasing.


    Her voice, when she spoke, was softer than Mictlantecuhtli''s, yet it carried an undeniable edge of danger.


    Tatiana met her gaze, the flicker of fear in her heart replaced with resolve.


    "I am willing to pay whatever price you demand."


    Mictecacihuatl''s lips curved into a faint smile, but there was no warmth in it.


    "The price is not yours to decide, child. We shall determine what is fair."


    Mictlantecuhtli leaned back in his throne, his glowing eyes narrowing.


    "Speak your desire, then. Let us hear what it is that has brought you to the heart of death''s domain."


    Tatiana hesitated for only a moment before stepping forward, her voice steady and clear as she spoke.


    "I seek a skill¡ªone tied to necromancy and control over the undead. A power that will strengthen ones connection to the undead and allow them to freely control them as they wish."


    The hall fell silent, the air growing heavier as her words hung in the space between them.


    The gods exchanged a glance, their expressions unreadable.


    "And why do you seek such power?" Mictlantecuhtli asked, his voice laced with curiosity.


    "What purpose will it serve?"


    "I want to give the skill to an ally of mine. The tournament will be starting very soon and I plan to win it. With this skill, this strength of this ally of mine will increase and will give my alliance a fighting chance," Tatiana replied.


    Her words amused the two divine entities as they looked at her with what could be called surprise on their faces.


    They didn''t expect that the princess of the Crimson Fall will be looking for a skill for an ally. When did Vampires start caring about other people and another race for that matter.


    To make things even more amusing, the princess seems to actually care for this mortal...


    Mictlantecuhtli smiled mischievously when she saw this. She felt that she might finally have the opportunity to kill her boredom after what can be called an eternity. But that doesn''t mean that she or her husband is going to give the skill to Tatiana that easily.


    Also, she was very curious as to why this mortal that the princess of Crimson Fall is interested in is so special. From what she saw in Tatiana''s memories, he''s a weak human. Nothing special about that but the princess seems to be very interested in her. Why?


    "Say we are to agree to give you this boon but ask for servitude after death in return, will you still ask for the boon?" Mictlantecuhtli asked curiously, wanting to confirm something.


    "Yes," Tatiana replied simply.

 Chapter 88 - 88: The Price To Acquire Power

    The atmosphere in the Palace of Bones grew heavier as Tatiana''s words hung in the air, the weight of her conviction filling the grand hall.


    Mictlantecuhtli and Mictecacihuatl exchanged glances, their expressions unreadable save for a flicker of something¡ªamusement, curiosity, or perhaps even disbelief.


    Mictecacihuatl leaned forward slightly, her crimson eyes narrowing with faint amusement.


    "The princess of Crimson Fall seeks a boon not for herself, but for a mortal? How peculiar. Vampires do not often concern themselves with the affairs of others, especially those of another race."


    Mictlantecuhtli chuckled softly, his voice a low rumble that reverberated through the chamber.


    "Indeed, it is rare. Tell me, Princess, why does this mortal matter to you?"


    Tatiana straightened, her gaze unwavering despite the suffocating aura of the two gods.


    "The tournament is upon us, and I intend to win it. To do so, I need allies who are strong¡ªstronger than they are now. This skill will elevate my ally and give my alliance the fighting chance it needs."


    Mictecacihuatl tilted her head, a faint smile playing on her lips.


    "Is that all? A tactical decision? Or is there more to it than you care to admit?"


    Tatiana''s lips parted to respond, but no words came out. She hesitated, the question cutting deeper than she had expected.


    Was this truly just about the tournament? Or was there something more¡ªa connection she wasn''t ready to admit, even to herself?


    Elda watched the exchange quietly, her sharp eyes catching the flicker of uncertainty in Tatiana''s gaze. She took a small step forward, her voice cutting through the tension.


    "The boy has connections to both a known and an unknown divine entities," Elda said, her tone measured but firm.


    Mictecacihuatl''s smile faltered, her crimson eyes narrowing slightly as she turned her attention to Elda.


    Mictlantecuhtli straightened in his throne, his glowing eyes burning brighter.


    "Explain," Mictlantecuhtli said, his voice a deep, commanding echo that sent a chill down Elda''s spine.


    Elda continued without hesitation, meeting the piercing gaze of the gods.


    "The known divine entity is Ereshkigal. She gifted him a weapon crafted from shadowsteel. As you are both aware, shadowsteel can only be obtained from a single source in whole Multiverse¡ªthe Underworld of Ereshkigal herself."


    Mictecacihuatl''s brows lifted slightly, a spark of intrigue lighting her expression. Mictlantecuhtli, however, remained silent, though the air around him grew heavier, colder.


    "But that is not all," Elda added, her voice dropping slightly.


    "The unknown divine entity¡­ not much is known about it. But its brief presence was significant enough for a Messenger of the Council to pay a visit."


    At this, both Mictlantecuhtli and Mictecacihuatl froze. The light in their eyes dimmed momentarily, replaced with a flicker of something rarely seen on divine faces¡ªconcern.


    "A Messenger of the Council?" Mictecacihuatl repeated, her tone sharp. "For a mortal boy?"


    Elda nodded. "Yes. The details remain unclear, but the visit alone speaks volumes."


    The gods exchanged another glance, their expressions darkening. The weight of Elda''s revelation settled over the room like a suffocating fog, amplifying the already oppressive atmosphere.


    Mictecacihuatl leaned back in her throne, her fingers drumming against the armrest.


    "It seems this mortal is far more interesting than he appears."


    Mictlantecuhtli''s gaze returned to Tatiana, his burning eyes boring into her.


    "You are willing to risk much for him, Princess. But such power does not come without a price."


    Mictecacihuatl''s smile returned, though it was colder now, more calculating.


    "Servitude after death. That is the price we ask. Will you pay it?"


    Tatiana felt her heart drop at the words. The weight of their demand pressed down on her, suffocating her thoughts. Her chest tightened as a storm of emotions raged within her¡ªfear, sadness, doubt.


    "Servitude after death¡­" she repeated softly, her voice barely audible.


    Elda turned to her sharply, her expression a mixture of shock and anger. "Princess, you can''t¡ª"


    Tatiana raised a hand, silencing Elda. Her eyes were downcast, her mind racing. She thought of the boy she was doing this for, the journey they had ahead of them, and the tournament that loomed ever closer.


    But more than that, she thought of the strange warmth she felt when she was with him¡ªthe connection she couldn''t quite explain.


    Was she truly willing to pay such a price? To bind her soul to Mictlan for eternity?


    Tatiana clenched her fists, her nails digging into her palms. She thought of her mother, of Elda, of everything she had already endured.


    And then she looked up, meeting the gazes of the gods with a resolve that burned brighter than her fear.


    "I accept," she said firmly, her voice steady despite the turmoil in her heart.


    Elda''s eyes widened, her hand shooting out to grab Tatiana''s arm.


    "No! You can''t do this! There has to be another way!"


    Tatiana turned to her, tears glistening in her eyes, but her expression was unyielding.


    "This is my choice, Elda. Please¡­ don''t stop me." S§×arch* The Novel?ire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Elda''s grip loosened, her hand trembling as she released Tatiana''s arm. Her shoulders slumped, and she looked away, her expression filled with sorrow and frustration.


    Mictecacihuatl rose gracefully from her throne, her crimson gown flowing like liquid shadows.


    "Very well, Princess. The boon shall be granted, and the price shall be paid when your time comes."


    Mictlantecuhtli raised a skeletal hand, a dark orb of energy forming within his palm. The orb pulsed with a strange, otherworldly light, its power radiating through the hall.


    The orb floated toward Tatiana, stopping just before her. "Take it. The skill will bind to the one you choose."


    Tatiana reached out, her hand trembling as she touched the orb. The energy surged into her, filling her with a sensation that was both warm and cold, light and dark.


    "It is done," Mictlantecuhtli said, his voice final.


    Tatiana bowed deeply, her movements slow and deliberate. "Thank you."


    Without another word, she turned and began to walk away, her steps heavy with the weight of her decision. Elda followed silently, her expression clouded with a mix of emotions she couldn''t voice.


    The two of them left the Palace of Bones, the air growing lighter with each step. But the burden in Tatiana''s heart remained, a constant reminder of the price she had agreed to pay.


    As they stepped back into the desolate expanse of Mictlan, Tatiana paused, her gaze fixed on the horizon.


    "Elda," she said softly, her voice trembling slightly. "I''m sorry."


    Elda placed a hand on her shoulder, her grip firm yet gentle.


    "Just promise me it will be worth it, Princess."


    Tatiana nodded, though her heart was heavy with doubt. The path ahead was unclear, but there was no turning back now.

 Chapter 89 - 89: They Are Here

    Leo was looking out the window of the apartment he shares with Ves, watching the beautiful night sky that was littered with stars.


    He has just had dinner and wanted to rest a bit before going to bed, but his mind was far too occupied with a lot of things to allow him the rest he wants.


    Naturally, his thoughts were mostly on the upcoming tournament and the implications it holds.


    He had tried to push the thoughts out of his head but not matter how hard he tried, he couldn''t. The fact that in two weeks time, a massive one-man-standing tournament is going to hold on Earth doesn''t help matters.


    Also, the warning that Tatiana gave him before she left, made him even more uncomfortable.


    Chaos.


    He knew that with people that are as strong as Tatiana and even stronger, joining the competition, things are going to be very difficult for everyone on Earth.


    He doesn''t know how strong other people are, but no matter which angle he looks at it from, things aren''t looking up for them.


    Even before the tournament, everyone already has a lot on their plates with the zombies and mutant creatures.


    Leo knew that one way or the other, they are fucked. The only way to change their current circumstances is to increase their strength but that also isn''t exactly easy.


    To increase their strength, they will have to continue killings zombies and mutant creatures, and the two groups aren''t ones to go down without a fight. In fact, Leo felt that with the upcoming tournament, killing them will become very difficult.


    From what he was able to deduce from the announcement, came to what he feels to be a wild conjecture.


    The conjecture was that since every race in the Multiverse will be participating in the tournament, then that means that the mutant creatures on Earth will also be participating. Maybe even the zombies too....


    The reason why Leo feels this way is because the mutant creatures are natural inhabitants of Earth before its awakening. This means that they are also inhabitants of the tournament host world.


    Leo sighed helplessly when he thought of this. He felt that he was just complicating things for himself by overthinking. He knew that no amount of thoughts can change anything. He can make peace with everything and do the only he knows he can do; get stronger.


    "You''re still up?"


    A familiar voice came from behind, slightly startling Leo. He turned to look and he saw Ves standing behind him, with a small smile on her face.


    He sighed and turned back, with his gaze directed back at the night sky.


    "Yes, Ms Ves. I couldn''t sleep. Had a lot on my mind," he replied, as he turned back to watch her walk and stand beside him.


    "You?" He asked, even though he knew the reason she was still awake.


    "Same as you. My head was too occupied for me to fall asleep." Ves sighed.


    "You''re thinking about it?" She asked, as she also started looking at the night sky, mirroring Leo''s action.


    "Yes." Leo sighed.


    "Yeah. I thought as much. I wonder if it''s possible not to participate. Like... You know? Just stand aside in a corner and watch everything unfold?" Ves asked, but the question was more to herself than it was directed to Leo.


    "That''s impossible. The announcement said that Earth is hosting the tournament, which means that everything will be held here," Leo replied.


    "True. We can''t be bystanders," Ves said in acknowledgement of Leo''s words.


    "Yeah but even without the tournament, things are already hard enough. We had the zombies and mutant creatures to worry about. Now... Now, we also have to worry about the other races that will also be participating." Leo said, causing Ves to frown.


    "I''m actually curious about that these races that will also be participating in the tournament. Who are they? Where are they from?" Ves asked curiously.


    Leo heard Ves'' questions and someone''s face popped up in his head, followed with a thought.


    ''Should I tell her about Tatiana?'' he thought to himself.


    Leo felt that it was the right thing to do. With the amount of care and trust he and Ves has for each other, Leo felt and knew that he could tell her anything.


    Also, with how things are looking, he felt that he should start letting out more information to Ms Ves. Not that he has much anyway, but the little he has is enough.


    And he feels that Ms Ves might feel disappointed or sad if she finds it out herself about it later.


    ''What if she thinks I kept this from her because I don''t trust her? What if she feels betrayed? But¡­ it''s better she hears it from me now than discovers it later. She deserves the truth.'' sea??h th§× N?vel(F)ire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    With that, he came to a conclusion and decided to tell Ves about Tatiana.


    "Ms Ves, there''s something I need to tell you," Leo said.


    "What is it, Leo," Ves asked curiously, as she turned to look at Leo with a warm expression on her face.


    "It''s about the people from other races that will be participating in the tournament. I know one of them," Leo said, and started telling Ves about Tatiana and everything he knows about the tournament.


    He started from the first time they met on the day the apocalypse began, till their last encounter.


    Ves was no doubt shocked when she heard everything from Leo. She had no idea that someone like that had been among them and she didn''t even notice at all.


    Tatiana''s unnoticed presence wasn''t what shocked Ves. What actually shocked her was her strength. Exalted Rank.


    From what Leo said, everyone begins at the Awakened Rank, then grow and evolve, entering the Evolved Rank, then the next is the Exalted Rank.


    This information made her to remember their encounter with that massive monstrosity, earlier in the morning.


    Ves felt that there''s no way that that, that monster will be stronger than Tatiana. If this is so.... Then it means that everyone on Earth is cooked.


    She felt that there''s no way that people like Tatiana, from other races will be weaker than her. In fact, she felt that they will even be stronger.


    Ves frowned deeply when she thought of this.


    "Leo, where is she now?" She asked.


    "She said that she''s going to get something for you. I don''t know what it is or when she''s coming back. She just told me to increase my strength and that of those around me," Leo replied.


    Immediately after he said that, the night sky fractured like glass, cracks of blinding light spreading across the stars. A wave of pressure rolled over the apartment, making the glass in the windows tremble.


    Ves clutched the windowsill, her breath hitching as a figure emerged from the light, their silhouette radiating an aura of overwhelming power.


    "Is this the tournament''s host world? What a backwater world indeed. Home to nothing but pests." A loud and powerful voice said, booming across the night sky and sending a chill down the spine of those that heard it.


    The following moment, more lights exploded in the sky and more figures stepped out.


    Leo, who was looking at the night sky, realised what was happening.


    "They are here."

 Chapter 90 - 90: Participants From Other Ewlana

    In a random part of the Earth, an explosion of light pierced the night sky, slightly illuminating the sky around it.


    At its center of the light, a small pinprick of darkness appeared, a stark contrast to the radiance surrounding it.


    Slowly, the dark spot grew, expanding outward in jagged ripples until it became a perfectly circular void. The air around it crackled faintly as if the very fabric of reality was being torn apart.


    The void grew larger, its diameter stretching until it was tall and large enough to allow two people walk through it side by side.


    The air around the portal grew heavy, thick with an unnatural presence and the atmosphere seemed to distort, bending under the weight of an immense and unfamiliar power.


    The following moment, two figures stepped through the void, with slow movements that carried a lot for flair qnd exuded an air of supreme confidence.


    The beauty of the two of them could only be described as otherworldly, their very presence commanding attention.


    Both were dressed in elegant outfits that practically screamed royalty, their garments shimmering under the pale moonlight with an ethereal glow.


    The first figure was a man, tall and lean, with sharp, angular features that seemed chiseled from marble. His silver hair flowed down to his shoulders, catching the faint light and reflecting it like liquid moonlight. His eyes were a piercing crimson, glowing faintly as if they held an eternal fire within them.


    He wore a long, fitted coat of deep black adorned with intricate silver embroidery resembling vines and thorns, the fabric shimmering faintly with enchantments. A high collar framed his face, emphasizing his cold, regal demeanor.


    The second figure was a woman, her beauty both delicate and fierce. Her long, raven-black hair cascaded in silky waves down her back, contrasting starkly against her pale, flawless skin. Her eyes, a deep, haunting violet, seemed to peer into the souls of anyone who dared meet her gaze.


    She wore a flowing gown of deep crimson and black, the fabric encrusted with dark gems that sparkled faintly like the stars above.


    Her movements were graceful, almost predatory, as though she was stalking unseen prey with every step.


    The air around them was charged with their power, a suffocating aura that weighed heavily on everything nearby. The ground beneath their feet seemed to hum faintly, as if the earth itself acknowledged their presence.


    The tall man swept his crimson gaze across the surroundings, his expression a mask of cool indifference and disgust. When he spoke, his voice was smooth yet cold, carrying the weight of authority.


    "So, this is the host world," he said, his tone laced with disdain. "It''s just as pathetic we expected. It reeks of decay and weakness."


    The woman chuckled softly, her laughter light and melodic, but with an undercurrent of malice.


    "Lucien, dear brother, what did you expect? A grand paradise?" she said, her violet eyes glinting with amusement.


    "This is merely a backwater realm, after all. Hardly worth our attention¡­ were it not for the tournament."


    Lucien tilted his head slightly, his silver hair catching the faint light as he regarded his sister with a faint smirk.


    "True, Liliana. Yet even in such filth, one may find¡­ entertainment." His gaze turned to the darkened streets below, as if searching for something¡ªor someone¡ªworthy of his interest.


    Liliana took a step forward in the air, her gown flowing around her like liquid shadows. She glanced at her brother, her expression playful yet calculating.


    "I wonder, brother" she mused, her voice a soft purr.


    "Will we find anyone here who can offer us a challenge? Or will this be nothing more than a tedious slaughter?"


    Lucien chuckled, the sound low and chilling.


    "Perhaps we will find both. Either way, it will be... enlightening."


    The two of them didn''t bother to be discreet and so, their words were loud and clear for those around them and the humans on the ground to hear them.


    The others didn''t pay any attention to the two of them as they went on their own way. But this wasn''t the same for the humans, as they were scared out of their wits. S§×arch* The N?velFire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    They couldn''t even react as they currently found it very hard to breath due to the massive pressure of the terrifying presences in the sky.


    It was at this moment that they finally understood what the tournament announcement meant when by "to identify the fittest, the strongest, and the most adaptable."


    They previously had no idea what they are up against but now, they do. Right on that spot, as they continued to struggle to breath due to crushing pressure, they vow to do anything in their power to become as strong as the figures in the sky.


    Above, in the sky, Lucien and Lilliana left Flyin away and the portal shimmered faintly before collapsing in on itself.


    The explosion of light dimming and leaving the surroundings in darkness, fear and quite anticipation of what''s to come.


    *****


    Around the world, so many of this portal opened in the sky, bringing with it people from other mortal realms.


    Even though the tournament was still two weeks away, the atmosphere has already been charged with a lot of people vowing to increase their strength by all means.


    As for the visitors from other realms, unlike what the natives of Earth thought and expected, they took no action. Instead, they were quite.


    This was supposed to make everyone, including Leo and Ves, feel relieved. But it only serverd to increase their worries.


    The silence of that night felt even more disturbing than the apocalypse itself.


    *****


    Tatiana and Elda stepped out of a portal and a frown creased their faces.


    "They are here. That was fast," Elda said, as she spread her senses, covering a large area.


    "It''s to be expected. They have only two weeks to create and build their alliance. Something that isn''t exactly enough. To make things worst, they can only use what is available on Earth.


    For children from royalty and nobility that has practically been pampered from young, that''s a huge handicap," Tatiana said, as the frown on her face faded and was replaced with a smile.


    "Are they here?" She asked, as her smile turned sinister.


    "Yes, princess," Elda replied.


    "Good. This is going to be fun," Tatiana giggled lightly.

 Chapter 91 - 91: Group Meets Tatiana

    The night was unusually long and uncomfortable for the poor natives of Earth. Most tried to force themselves to sleep but the sleep kept eluding them, and they could stay awake till morning.


    As for Leo, he slept quite well. Surprisingly. Maybe it was because of how extremely hectic the previous day was. But after he got into bed, he fell asleep almost immediately.


    ....


    In the lobby of the ground floor of the residential building, Leo, Ves, Miguel, Mia and the zombified Ryan were gathered to discuss their plans moving forward, and of course, also about the tournament.


    "The announcement said that the tournament is in two weeks but those people are already here. It seems like things are going to get quite complicated very soon," Miguel said, as his eyes moved between Leo and Ves.


    He was studying their faces for a reaction that will give him even an idea of what''s going on. He has no idea why but he couldn''t help but feel like the two of them knew more about the tournament.


    But he was aware that he won''t be able to get anything out of them if they don''t want to tell him and Mia. And he feels that the reason for this is because they don''t trust the both of them enough.


    He sighed internally as his gaze moved to the zombie Ryan who was standing beside Ves, and he shivered slightly.


    Every time he sets his eyes on Ryan, he can''t help but feel a chill creeping down his spine. Ryan''s situation made him realise that they are things worst than death; and being turned into a zombie is one of them.


    Miguel made a vow to himself to never cross Leo or Ves, as he doesn''t want to become a second Ryan.


    Miguel was suddenly jolted out of his thoughts when he saw two individuals walked through the entrance door of the residential building.


    "It''s them. Everyone, take your position," he said, as he took a defensive stance, with his axe raised in front of him.


    He wasn''t the only one as this was the same with Mia. She gripped her daggers tightly, waiting for the perfect moment to attack.


    The both of them were aware that they don''t start a chance against the two individuals but no matter what they want, Miguel and Mia were prepared to face it, and not go down without putting up a fight.


    The atmosphere in the lobby was immediately filled with tension.


    "Hey, Leo. Missed me?" Tatiana called out, as she walked towards Leo and Ves, with Elda following behind her.


    "Tatiana," Leo replied, rolling his eyes.


    He turned to Miguel and Mia who looks they are ready to fight to death, and smiled.


    "It''s okay, guys. Tatiana is a friend."


    Miguel and Mia looked at each in shock, and confusion at Leo''s and Tatiana''s words.


    Friends? How''s even that possible?


    They couldn''t believe it. They felt that they heard it wrong but the familiarity between the two, the playfulness in Tatiana''s voice and Leo''s reaction proved that this was actually true.


    Miguel has no idea on what to make of the situation. It was just yesterday that he saw the other participants from other realms come from the portals that opened up in the sky, but now, Leo is already familiar with one of them.


    And it wasn''t a simple familiarity but one that looks like there''s something going on between the two of them.


    Mia also noticed this and she squeezed the hilt of her daggers, causing her knuckles to whiten, as she something like a stabbing pain in her chest.


    She doesn''t understand why Leo is familiar with the two ladies that just walked in, but she hates it.


    Mia hates the fact the younger looking lady is extremely beautiful with her pale skin. She hates the fact that the lady''s beauty was complemented by her simple outfit that gave off a regal, and elegant feel.


    Ves was also surprised at Tatiana''s and Elda''s entrance. Even though Leo has told her everything about Tatiana yesterday, it was completely different from meeting her in person.


    Ves was very curious to know more about Tatiana but she was also very cautious. Even though, from what Leo told her, she''s very friendly, Ves still felt still felt that she still has to put her guard as she has no idea what she''s planning.


    .....


    Tatiana walked towards Leo and stood in front of the group.


    "I know that my appearance here is shocking to all of you... except Leo, but it shouldn''t be," she said, and turned to looked at Miguel, causing him to gulp nervously, and squeezing his axe tightly.


    Tatiana smiled when she Miguel''s reaction but she didn''t pay any attention to it, as she continued what she was saying.


    "I heard what you said about us being here already even though the announcement stayed that the tournament is in two weeks. Well, that''s the reason why I''m here today "


    "But first, I will introduce myself. I''m Tatiana von Carstein and I''m a vampire from Crimson Fall Realm," Tatiana said, and she saw Miguel''s and Mia''s eyes widen in fear. S§×arch* The N?vel(F)ire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Miguel, who was ready to fight to the death felt his body go limp and freeze up in fear when he heard the word vampire.


    He had no idea that the other participants the announcement was talking was creatures like vampire.


    He suddenly felt a very dangerous chill creep down his spine as a thought occurred to him. He has no idea why he suddenly had the thought but he felt that it was more likely true.


    Mia wasn''t faring better than Miguel as her emotions and reactions were the same. She looked at Tatiana with fear and curiousity in her eyes. She was very curious to know more about this vampire girl but she was scared as she doesn''t want her blood to be sucked dry.


    The next moment, a smile from Tatiana caused her and Miguel to instinctively squeezed their weapons with whatever strength they could muster in their current terrified state.


    "You all don''t have to worry. I don''t need blood to survive. I''ve grown strong to the point that I don''t need it anymore," Tatiana said, and paused before continuing.


    "Let''s move on to the reason why I''m here. I''m sure you all are curious as to the reason why we, the other participants, are here early.


    The reason for that is as you''re already aware of; the tournament. To be precise, it''s for each of us to create our alliance that will help us win the tournament."


    This time, everyone, including Leo, looked at her curiously and with a frown on their faces. The tension that has already dissipated, returned again.

 Chapter 92 - 92: Tatianas Offer

    Alliance? S~ea??h the novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    They all looked at Tatiana in confusion. They all heard the announcement clearly yesterday and it said that the tournament is in free-for-all mode.


    If so, then what''s Tatiana talking about? This was the question they all have in their mind.


    This was the same for Leo. He knew that there was something more to the tournament, something that wasn''t in the tournament and what Tatiana said about creating an alliance proved the conjecture he had to be correct.


    "What do you mean by alliance? The announcement clearly stated that the tournament can only be won by one person. How does an alliance work its way into this rule?"


    Surprisingly and unsurprisingly, it was Ves that spoke up.


    Tatiana smiled and nodded when she heard Ves'' question. It was actually what she was waiting for before she continued what she wanted to say. She could sense the tension in the air and she completely understood the reason why.


    "Yes, the tournament can only be won by one person as stated by the only rule it has. But off-worlders were given an addition rule, which is that we can''t kill natives of Earth," Tatiana said.


    Her words caused everyone''s eyes to widen slightly in shock and then, confusion,as they found it to be quite unbelievable.


    They can''t kill natives of Earth?


    It was quite surprising to say the least. The four of them had already made up their mind to make sure they don''t go down without a fight if they face off against the off-worlders.


    But what Tatiana just said, changes everything. This means that they don''t have to worry about the off-worlders and just focus on the mutant creatures and zombies.


    They felt that maybe, just maybe, they might actually one day fight against an off-worlder and win.


    But Leo knew that the last is like wishing for the impossible as using the giant monster''s strength and Tatiana''s, he knew just how terrifying strong the off-worlders are.


    He also felt that there was something more. Not allowing the off-worlders to kill natives of Earth is a big disadvantages. A crippling handicap if he''s to use the right word.


    Leo looked at Tatiana and when he saw the smile still on her face, he felt that he was right. And he decided to ask.


    "That''s kind of a huge disadvantage for you guys, don''t you think so? If you guys can''t kill the natives of Earth¡ªhumans, mutant creatures and the zombies¡ª, then how are you all going to continue increasing your strength?" Leo asked, with a curious and pondering expression on his face.


    "You''re right, Leo. The rule puts we, the off-worlders, at a huge disadvantage. A very crippling handicap even considering that an immediate disqualification from the competition is the punishment for breaking the rule.


    But though the rule states that we can''t kill natives of Earth, it doesn''t say we can''t attack or fight. We can attack or fight back if we are attacked, but making sure that no natives dies from our attack," Tatiana replied, with the smile still on her face.


    Leo nodded when he heard Tatiana''s response but he felt that it still hasn''t answered the question he asked.


    How will the off-worlders be able to continue to increase their strength?


    He felt that it''s something he shouldn''t bother with but he also felt that it''s a very valuable information for him to have. Of course, that''s if Tatiana actually tells him.


    "As for we can continue increasing our strength? That''s where the alliance comes in. To compensate for the restriction that was placed on us, we are allowed to create a group with natives as the members.


    The group can have as members as possible. The benefit we get from the members is that we get a certain percentage of the life force acquired when a member makes a kill. This way, we can continue to grow stronger," Tatiana explained.


    Leo''s nodded in understanding when he heard Tatiana''s explanation. He felt that the compensation that was given for the rule imposed on the off-worlders was good, if not too good.


    But Leo still has a lot of questions that he needs answers to. One of them being the exact percentage of life force that''s siphoned to the leader and what the reward for the tournament is.


    Tatiana had previously told him that the tournament''s reward is something that he will need if he wants to go continue growing stronger, and he''s very curious to know what it is.


    Also, he''s very curious to know how he''s going to get his hand on the reward if it can only be won by one person. Or is there something they aren''t being told?


    "Since all that have been explained, I will now ask. Do you all want to join my group? I will understand it if you refuse. But I will say this, and don''t take my words as a threat or anything, as it''s not. It''s fact.


    If you join my group, I will definitely give you a lot of benefits. Yes, with my strength, I can beat that huge monster that appeared yesterday, to a half dead state, and let you guys have the kill but I won''t do that as it''s more detrimental to you than it''s beneficial. Instead, I can give you skills, weapons, items and anything I have that will be benefit you. If it''s so something I don''t have and it''s important, I will do my best to get it," Tatiana said, making her offer.


    The eyes of everyone, except Leo, widened when they heard Tatiana say that she can beat the monstrous creature that appeared yesterday, to half dead state.


    Though, they had no idea how strong that creature is, the fact that it can suppress them with only its presence spoke volume. And now Tatiana claims that she can beat it. They can''t imagine how terrifying her strength must be.


    Ves wasn''t left out. She felt that if it wasn''t for the restriction put on the off-worlders, humans and every living creatures on Earth will be wiped out before the tournament even starts.


    Miguel was very terrified at the moment. He gulped nervously as he remembered his vow to not go down without a fight. He realised that he would be just be throwing eggs at a rock.


    Mia was also feeling terrified but another emotion overpowered her fear; bitterness. Hearing how strong Tatiana is made her feel like she might never have a chance at what she desires and hope for.


    "I have said all I have to say and I will ask again, do any of you want to join my group?" Tatiana asked again, with a smile on her face.

 Chapter 93 - 93: Tatianas Gifts

    The atmosphere in the lobby right now was very uncomfortable for Leo and his group, as Tatiana''s offer still hung above their head.


    No doubt, the offer was good. She has done her best to sweeten the deal for them. Leo aware of this. The same was for Ves, Miguel and Mia. But they were still very skeptical about accepting the deal.


    There was no need for it to be spelt out to them that they will also receive the same offer from other off-worlders.


    Who knows? They might not be lucky as they are with Tatiana, and instead of receiving an offer, they will be beaten to a near death state and forced to join the off-worlder''s group.


    It might sound far fetched but with what Tatiana said about beating the monster to half death state, who say that the same thing can''t happen to them.


    Leo couldn''t help but shiver when he thought of it. He knew that he and the others have no other choice than to accept the offer. Besides, he felt that this offer was related to him keeping his own end of the deal he made with Tatiana. He was sure of it.


    "I accept your offer, Tatiana," Leo said, nodding in agreement to Tatiana''s offer.


    "Same here," Ves said, also agreeing to Tatiana''s offer.


    "Same here," Miguel and Mia chorused, agreeing to the offer.


    Just like Leo, they knew that it would be beneficial for them to accept the offer, as they stand to gain significantly from it.


    Immediately after the four of them agreed to Tatiana''s offer, the familiar system window popped up in their eyes


    [Tatiana Von Carstein wish for you join her group. Do you accept?]


    Without hesitation, they chose to accept.


    Tatiana smiled in satisfaction as she read the system''s notifications popping in her eyes.


    "Thank you all for accepting my offer. I promise you won''t regret it," Tatiana said, expressing her appreciation.


    "So, what next? What do we do now?" Leo asked curiously.


    "Well, to welcome you all to my group, I have something for you all," Tatiana replied, with a smile.


    She waved her hand and the next moment, a set of black daggers appeared in her hands. She stretched out the daggers towards Mia.


    "Here. I saw that you''re quite comfortable with wielding dual daggers. You will like this," she said, as she gave the dagger to Mia.


    Mia was very surprised by Tatiana''s action. Even though Tatiana said that she will give them weapons, skills and almost anything they need, she didn''t expect it to be immediately after they joined her group.


    She slowly stretched out her hand, accepting the daggers from Tatiana. Immediately after accepting the daggers, its information popped up, causing her eyes to widen in shock.


    [Starlights] (Epic)


    Effect(s):


    +15 Agility when equipped.


    Veilstep: activation of skill allows the user to become completely invisible for 10 seconds. While invisible, the wielder can teleport to a shadow within 15 meters, remaining unseen. Cost: 70 Mana. Cooldown: 1 minute.


    Phantom Dash: activation of the skill allows the user to move at a blinding speed, becoming a blur to enemies for 3 seconds while darting up to 10 meters to a chosen location. Cost: 30 Mana. Cooldown: 20 seconds.


    .....


    Mia couldn''t believe what she just read. She initially thought that there wouldn''t be that much of a difference between the daggers she''s currently using and the one Tatiana gave to her, but she was wrong.


    The difference was huge. Just the [Veilstep] skill granted by the daggers is more than enough. For Mia who likes to hide her presence and catch her opponents by surprise, the skill was beyond perfect.


    "Thank you," She said, would a smile on her face.


    "It''s good you like it," Tatiana nodded, as she turned to look at Miguel.


    She waved her hand and a huge battle-axe, as tall a human, appeared in front of her. She grabbed the axe and swung it with ease, and flair.


    "Here, this is yours," she said, as she sent the axe floating slowly towards Miguel.


    "F-for me?" Miguel asked in shock as he slowly reached his hand to receive the axe from Tatiana.


    "Yes. For you," Tatiana nodded, as she gave him the axe.


    Miguel grabbed the axe from the air and he felt himself being pulled by it to the ground. The axe landed on the floor with a loud thud, causing a spiderweb crack to spread from the point of impact.


    "What the?" Miguel said in shock, as he looked at the axe stuck on the floor, with his eyes wide open.


    He couldn''t help but glance at Tatiana, and when he saw the knowing smile on her face, he understood what had just happened.


    Naturally with how tall and huge the battle-axe is, Miguel should had used all his strength when he gripped it initially. But seeing how easily Tatiana played with it, he felt that it only look huge but was actually light. Unfortunately for him, he was wrong.


    His attention was attracted by the battle-axe''s information being displayed in from of him.


    [Skyrend] (Epic)


    Effect(s): +20 Strength when equipped.


    Charged Strike: Builds energy and momentum with each swing. After 5 consecutive successful strikes, releases a lightning arc that chains to up to 3 enemies.


    Thunderclap: Slams the ground, creating a shockwave that knocks back enemies within 10 meters and stuns them for 2 seconds. Cost: 50 Mana Cooldown: 10 seconds


    Rage: Double user''s Strength for 10 seconds. Cost: 80 Mana Cooldown: 1 minute


    .....


    "Wow." He exclaimed in shock.


    It was now he understood how Mia probably felt after receiving her daggers.


    Unlike Mia who was using a graded weapon before she was given the daggers by Tatiana, Miguel''s axe is just an ordinary, everyday axe. S§×ar?h the nov§×lF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Just the fact that the axe boosts his Strength by an additional 20 points was enough. The other effects were more like additional boons for him. Additional boons that are greatly welcomed.


    Miguel let out a deep breath as he gripped the battle-axe tightly and lifted it up from the ground.


    With a smile on his face, he saw the battle-axe lift up from the floor and he swung, resting it on his shoulder.


    Even with the 20 Strength points he got from the battle-axe, it still felt quite heavy on the hand. He has no idea how much the battle-axe weighs, but if he''s to do a rough estimate of it, it will easily exceed 1000kg.


    "Thank you," he said to Tatiana in appreciation.


    "No problem," Tatiana smiled as she turned her attention to Ves.


    "I understand that your unique circumstances doesn''t allow you to gain skills or items like other, but it doesn''t mean you can''t use skills entirely or gain them," Tatiana said, and paused.


    Tatiana words surprised Ves slightly. She was aware that she can use skill but she felt that there was something more that Tatiana wanted to say.


    Tatiana saw that she has achieved the effect she wanted and she continued what she was saying.


    "You can only get through special circumstances," she said, and taking a quick glance at the zombified Ryan standing behind Ves.


    "Long story short, I also have something for you," she said, waving her hand and a black orb appeared in front of her.


    Tatiana waved her hand and the black orb floated towards Ves.


    "Just squeeze it to break it, and you will get the skill scroll inside. Then wish to learn it and the information about it will be transferred into your brain," Tatiana said.


    Ves nodded in response as she slowly reached out her hand and grabbed the black orb. She did as Tatiana said as she squeezed the black orb, shattering it and a black scroll with a ominous aura surrounding it, appeared in her hand.


    She gulped nervously as she looked at Tatiana and Leo, before wishing to learn the skill. Immediately, she felt a massive amount flow into her head, causing her to scream out in pain briefly, before collapsing to the ground as she lost consciousness.


    "Ms Ves!" Leo shouted, catching her body before it hit the floor.


    Tatiana knelt beside her, placing a hand on Ves''s forehead.


    "She''ll be fine," she said calmly.


    "The process of acquiring a skill is more intense for someone like her, but it''s nothing to worry about."


    Leo''s gaze flicked between Tatiana and Ves''s unconscious form, and he nodded reluctantly.


    The group remained silent, with an uncomfortable atmosphere between them as they waited for Ves to wake up.

 Chapter 94 - 94: Hunting Time

    "Ugh..." Ves groaned as she finally regained consciousness.


    Her eyes fluttered open to Leo and everyone standing around her with a smile of relief on their faces.


    "Hey," she smiled, and tried to push herself up, but was hit by a brief splitting headache, forcing her to hold her head as she collapsed back to the floor.


    "Don''t stress yourself too much, Ms Ves," Leo said, with a worried expression on her face.


    "Yes, Ms Ves. Just lay down and rest. You don''t have to move," Mia added, and Miguel also nodded in agreement.


    Ves couldn''t help but smile at their words. She could sense the worry in their voices and she felt warm inside. It felt good to have people caring and worrying about her.


    "Please, help me sit up," she said, and Mia quickly rushed towards her, pushing Leo who was kneeling beside her away.


    Leo was surprised by Mia''s actions but he decided to not say anything about it. He stood up and walked towards Tatiana, and Elda who were standing at a corner of the lobby.


    "Don''t worry. She will be fine. All she needs is a few minutes of rest," Tatiana said, with a smile on her face.


    "I know she will be fine and I trust you. If that wasn''t the case, I would had attacked you the moment she lost consciousness," Leo said, and turned to look at Ves.


    She was now in a sitting position and resting her back against a pillar.


    "Hehe... You say that like you will even be able to touch my shadow. You don''t really seem to understand something. Though you''re strong, that much I can''t deny but you can''t fight across rank. Especially fighting against someone two whole ranks above you. That''s beyond impossible," Tatiana said with a laugh.


    The reason why she was saying this is because she wants Leo to choose his battles wisely, as she doesn''t want him to just jump into any fight.


    But she was aware that considering Leo''s character and with how much be cares for Ves, if something is to happen to her, he would fight whoever is responsible, no matter how strong the culprit is.


    Leo nodded in understanding at Tatiana''s words. There was actually no way that he will go seeking a fight with someone two whole ranks above him. He doesn''t have to death wish.


    Besides, he remembered his how battered he was in his last major battle with an opponent that was two times his level.


    "I understand and will always keep that in mind. Though, I''m curious. Aren''t you going to give me something for joining your group," he looked at her with a knowing smile on his face.


    "You already got your benefits, you joining is you keeping your end of the deal we made," Tatiana said, with an equally knowing smile on her face.


    "You scammed me. You said that we are friends with benefits, but I didn''t get anything of benefit from you," Leo said, with a playful frown on his face. Sear?h the N??elFir§×.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Tatiana rolled her eyes at Leo''s words. At the moment, she wanted nothing more than to pin Leo to the ground and give him a good beating for continuously teasing her.


    But when she remembered how she teased when they first met, she knew that this was just him taking his revenge.


    "Enough playing around. You all have to start increasing your strength. Just like I told Leo, everyone of you have to strive to at least attain the Evolved Rank before the tournament begins. It''s the only way you guys can have a shot at survival," Tatiana said, walking to the middle of the lobby.


    "I know that for most of you, especially those of you that aren''t at level 10 yet, attaining the Evolved Rank will be very difficult but don''t worry.


    Though I can''t fight your battles for you as you fighting them yourselves is the only way you can grow and protect yourselves, but I will help by giving you the locations of the monsters around you. That should make things easier for all of us. The faster you all get to the Evolved Rank, the easier things will be for all of us moving forward," Tatiana said, and everyone nodded.


    Leo walked towards Ms Ves who was now standing on her feet and looking like she was about to go hunting with them.


    "Ms Ves..." Leo opened his mouth to speak, but paused when he saw the smile on Ves'' face.


    Even without word, he understood what she was trying to say through the smile. He knew that she was telling him not to stop her.


    "Be safe," he said with a smile, and Ves nodded, smiling.


    "Another thing. I remember that you stocked the meat of a monster and are yet to touch it. It''s time you all start eating it to increase your strength.


    Eating the meat of mutant creatures will give you stat points. Though it won''t be much but at your current level, you will need every bit of stat points you can get," Tatiana added, eliciting a nod of agreement from everyone.


    Tatiana''s words caused Leo to look at Fiona. He has no idea why but he felt that something in his evolution requirements will involve her.


    As someone who has always listened to his instincts, he decided to start actively increasing Fiona''s strength. He understands that it would be of more benefit to him if he increases her strength and that of the pack''s, than to leave them weak and have them become liabilities.


    With this thought in mind, Leo walked towards Tatiana and hold her to give him the location of monsters that moves in groups.


    The next moment, he got what he wanted and nodded at Tatiana, and Ves before leaving the building with Fiona, and the wolves following behind him.


    After Leo had left, Tatiana looked at Ves, Mia and Miguel, and they nodded at her. Words didn''t need to be said as they all knew what needs to be done.


    Tatiana smiled and gave them the location of a group of monsters, before disappearing with Elda.


    "Let''s go. We have some monsters to kill," Ves said, and started walking towards the door.


    Miguel and Mia nodded, and followed behind her. The zombified Ryan also followed, snarling silently as he walked behind them.

 Chapter 95 - 95: Level 20, Meeting First Evolution Required Level

    Leo followed the directions he was given by Tatiana and a couple of minutes later, he found himself standing in front of large dilapidated building.


    Tatiana told him a more than five different species of mutant creatures are occupying the the area. It''s like a beehive of monsters activities.


    Even without being told, using his [Predator''s Instincts] skill, he can already sense the presence of the monsters in the building and around the area.


    He can also hear the screeches and sound of movements coming from inside the building.


    Not only that, he also felt how the temperature kept rising as he got close to the building and the ground that was scorched in different places. He knew that the monsters responsible for this is the monsters occupying the building, the mutant fire ants.


    With a smile on his face, Leo gripped by Nightshade tightly.


    "Let''s do this, Fiona," he said, as he saw the first of the mutant creatures appear in line if sight. sea??h th§× ¦Çov§×lFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    In less than five normal heartbeat, the first of the fire ants was already upon Leo and the wolves.


    Leo made his move as he swung his blade, cutting the creature into two equal halves.


    [You have acquired Level 9 Mutant Fire Ant Life Force!]


    Yes, the mutant fire ants are way weaker than Leo but he still chose to come here. The reason for that is because of almost endless amount of fire ants occupying the building. According to what Tatiana said, they are thousands of them.


    Yes, he''s aware that what Tatiana said is correct, then he''s in for an endurance battle against the fire ants as they won''t let him until either they all are dead or he is.


    But that is exactly what Leo wants. He wants to push himself beyond his limits by fighting the mutant fire ants. Besides, he has skills that are made for endurance battles and be intends to make use of them.


    Also, thinking of being able to level up to the required level for evolving by clearing out the fire ant nest is extremely enticing.


    Leo braced himself as a large number of fire ants rushed out of the building towards him. He smirked, with adrenaline coursing through his veins.


    "Here they come."


    The first wave of fire ants rushed toward him and the wolves. Fiona growled sharply, leaping into action alongside Leo and the wolves followed suit.


    Leo swung Nightshade in wide arcs, each strike cleaving through the fire ants with ease.


    Their bodies fell in pieces around him, the ground beneath his feet becoming slick with their blood. The scent of burning burnt flesh and blood, and ash filled the air, stinging his nose and throat.


    Fiona lunged at an approaching ant, her powerful jaws snapping shut around its head. She shook it violently before tossing the lifeless body aside, already turning to face the next threat.


    The rest of the wolf pack moved like a well-oiled machine, savagely tearing through the waves of ants.


    Leo, Fiona and the wolves kept attacking and the fire ants kept coming.


    Wave after wave poured out of the building, their numbers seemingly endless. For every ant that fell, more emerged to take its place.


    The air grew hotter with each passing second, the oppressive heat sapping at Leo''s stamina but he wasn''t bothered.


    It has been a couple of minutes now and he has been fighting the mutant fire ants with nothing but just his sword, and his body.


    He hasn''t used any of his skill or that of Nightshade since the battle began, and now it was time to do so.


    He immediately activated [Seismic Stomp], as he slammed his foot into the ground, and sent a shockwave rippling outward.


    The front line of fire ants stumbled and fell, and they were crushed by their comrades that kept surging endlessly from the building.


    The brief reprieve allowed Leo to catch his breath, but it was short-lived. The fire ants were relentless, their screeches growing louder as they surged forward once more.


    Leo didn''t hesitate as he followed up by activating his [Berserker''s Roar] skill.


    A deafening roar erupted from him, the sheer force of it freezing the fire ants in their tracks.


    The wolves took advantage of the pause, lunging at the immobilized creatures and tearing them apart. Leo also didn''t let go of the opportunity the afereffects of using the skill presented, as he rushed into the fold.


    One of the afereffects of activating [Berserker''s Roar] is that his Strength and Agility increases by 15% for 10 seconds. A very significant boost for him.


    But despite the effectiveness of his skills, Leo could feel the strain beginning to set in. His arms ached from the constant swings of Nightshade, and his legs felt like lead.


    His stamina was being passively regenerated by his [Ravenous Regeneration] but the rate at which it''s being regenerated isn''t enough to keep with the speed at which he''s expending it.


    Leo was feeling very exhausted right now but he pushed through the exhaustion, his determination burning brighter as time went on.


    The battle raged on, the ground littered with the corpses of the mutant fire ants. The heat intensified, waves of it rolling off the building and washing over Leo like an oppressive tide. His clothes stuck to his skin, soaked with sweat and blood.


    Fiona let out a sharp bark, drawing Leo''s attention to a cluster of fire ants attempting to flank them.


    Without hesitation, he dashed toward them, cutting through their ranks with brutal efficiency. The wolves followed his lead, their movements swift and calculated.


    Time flew for Leo and the wolves as the battle between them and the fire ants raged on. Seconds turned into minutee. Minutes into hours, until they lost track of time and all they did was kill, kill, kill.


    The ground was littered with fire ants'' corpse that piled up on each other, forming a mountain that''s as tall as an adult male.


    The sun was already setting on the horizon and luckily for Leo, and the wolves, the fire ants numbers were already dwindling and there was only a few stragglers.


    Leo had no idea how many they have killed by now but he was sure that it was in the thousands.


    No doubt, at this point, Leo was beyond exhausted. He found it very difficult to move his body but he continued to force himself to do so.


    As the last fire ant fell, Leo also collapsed to the floor but instead of the expected exhausted expression, he had a happy smile on his face.


    The reason for it is this:


    [You have acquired Level 9 Mutant Fire Ant Life Force!]


    [You have reached Level 20. You have received three stat points.]


    [You have met the required level for your first evolution and class selection. You won''t be able to increase your level until you have completed your evolution and chosen your class. Life force gained during this period will be stored.]

 Chapter 96 - 96: Choosing Class And Evolution Requirements

    Leo lay sprawled on the ground, with Fiona and the wolves also on the ground beside him. His body aching in ways he hadn''t thought possible. S~ea??h the n?vel_Fire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    The air was thick with the scent of burnt flesh and scorched earth, a testament to the relentless battle he had just endured.


    Around him, the remains of the mutant fire ants littered the ground in grotesque piles, their charred exoskeletons cracked and shattered.


    His breaths came in slow, measured gasps as he fought to steady himself. His muscles burned, his stamina depleted, but despite it all, a sense of triumph coursed through him.


    He had done it. He had fought through an unending horde of mutant fire ants, pushing his body to its absolute limits. And in return, he had reached the threshold he had been working toward.


    The system''s notification still hovered in his vision.


    [You have reached Level 20. You have received three stat points.]


    [You have met the required level for your first evolution and class selection. You won''t be able to increase your level until you have completed your evolution and chosen your class. Life force gained during this period will be stored.]


    Leo exhaled deeply, his mind reeling from the weight of the words.


    He was aware that this wasn''t just another level-up. This was the next step in his journey. His evolution, his class selection¡ªeverything that would define his future and his survival in the tournament.


    Closing his eyes briefly, he allowed himself a moment of silence. He didn''t immediately move on to the next thing as he allowed himself to go down memory lane.


    He thought back to the beginning, to the day the world changed. The first time he had seen a zombie, the first time he had fought for his life, the battle with the mutant boar and the mutant ape that nearly killed him. Every of those battle, every decision, every sacrifice had led him to this moment.


    Then there were the people he had met along the way¡ªVes, Miguel, Mia, Tatiana, and his beast companion, Fiona.


    Each of them had played a role in his journey, some more than others. He was very much aware that he was no longer the same person he had been at the start.


    He had grown, adapted, survived. But was it enough? Could he keep going? Could he continue to carry the weight of responsibility that seemed to increase with every passing day?


    With the tournament looming over everything like a storm on the horizon, its presence an ever-present reminder of the battles yet to come.


    The off-worlders were already here, preparing, gathering strength. And here he was, lying on the ground, exhausted beyond belief.


    But he wasn''t done yet.


    With a groan, Leo pushed himself up to a sitting position. His body protested, every movement sending jolts of pain through his limbs, but he ignored it. He had no time to rest. He needed to move forward.


    Bringing up his system window, a new prompt appeared before him.


    [Choose Your Class.]


    A list of available classes materialized, each one tailored to the combat style he had developed so far. He scrolled through the options, reading each description carefully.


    [Warrior: A balanced melee fighter, focusing on swordplay, endurance, and defense. Warriors excel in close combat, relying on a mix of strength and technique to overpower their enemies.]


    [Berserker ¨C A relentless fighter who thrives in the heat of battle. Berserkers gain increased power the longer they fight, trading defense for sheer aggression. Their strength grows as their stamina depletes.]


    [Monk ¨C A disciplined martial artist who uses agility, reflexes, and precise strikes to disable opponents. Monks rely on hand-to-hand combat and specialized techniques that enhance their body''s natural abilities.]


    [Rogue¨C A swift and cunning combatant who relies on speed, stealth, and critical strikes. Rogues specialize in hit-and-run tactics, making them deadly in one-on-one fights but vulnerable in prolonged battles.]


    [Paladin ¨C A warrior of resilience, wielding both physical might and protective abilities. Paladins can reinforce their bodies, heal wounds, and bolster their allies in combat.]


    [Beast Tamer¨C A warrior bound by an innate connection to the creatures of the world, the Beastmaster is a hybrid combatant who fights alongside summoned or tamed beasts.]


    ....


    ....


    ....


    ....


    Leo frowned slightly as he read through the almost never-ending options.


    Each class had its strengths, but they all carried limitations that he wasn''t sure he wanted to deal with.


    The Warrior class would lock him into a straightforward melee combat role, which was effective but too restrictive.


    The Berserker class was tempting, but its reliance on stamina drain and reckless aggression meant he would have trouble in prolonged fights without constant regeneration.


    Though he has skills that can help him to regenerate Stamina, their effects weren''t exactly perfect, as tested from his battle against the mutant fire ants.


    As for Monk and Rogue, both seemed intriguing, but they leaned too much into specialized combat styles that didn''t fully suit his current abilities.


    There was also Paladin, which offered defense and support capabilities, but it was too dependent on reinforcing others.


    And Leo had no intentions of becoming a shield for someone else¡ªhe needed to carve his own path. It''s also the same reason why he doesn''t want to go with the beast tamer class.


    Though he has the [Beasmaster''s Bond] skill and Fiona is bonded to him, Leo doesn''t exactly want to follow that path.


    To him, Fiona is more like a beast companion, like a dog to man, rather than a best used for fighting.


    Also, Leo wants to be the one to fight his own battles. Sure, he will need help along the way but it doesn''t mean that he has to be dependent on the strength of another party.


    Just as he was about to resign himself to picking the least restrictive class, he noticed something at the very bottom of the list.


    A single word.


    [Warden.]


    Unlike the other class names, this one was marked as [Unique], and next to it, a faint, glowing star.


    His instincts immediately latched onto it. Something about this class called to him.


    Focusing on it, he attempted to bring up more details, but the system remained silent. No descriptions, no abilities listed¡ªnothing.


    Leo narrowed his eyes. The fact that the system wasn''t providing him with any information was strange. Every other class had clear-cut paths, but this one? It was a complete mystery.


    But maybe that was exactly what he needed.


    He didn''t want to be tied to a single rigid combat style. He didn''t want to be forced down a path that limited his growth. The tournament was unpredictable, and if he was going to survive, he needed versatility.


    His mind was made up.


    "I choose Warden," Leo said, his voice steady.


    The system responded instantly.


    [You have selected the Warden class. Are you sure? This decision is irreversible.]


    Leo took a deep breath. He had no idea what he was stepping into, but he wasn''t backing down now.


    "Yes."


    The moment the word left his lips, the system reacted.


    [Class selection confirmed. Warden has been chosen.]


    A final system notification appeared.


    [Your evolution requirements have been revealed.]


    Leo steadied himself and opened the prompt.


    [Evolution Requirements for Warden]


    [Defeat enemies without using skill or weapon. (0/100)]


    [Defeat An Evolved Rank creature.]


    [Raise Your beast companion to the Evolved Rank.]


    [Defeat An Off-worlder.]


    Leo read the list carefully, his mind already working through the implications.


    "Without skills or weapons¡­ that means pure hand-to-hand combat. No Nightshade. No abilities. Just my fists, my instincts, and my body."


    He clenched his fingers into a fist, feeling the raw strain and soreness in his muscles from the fight with the fire ants.


    Now that he thought of it, he hasn''t trained his body. He felt that this was probably the reason for the first requirement.


    Instead of relying on the incredible sharpness of Nightshade''s blade, he has to come up with a way to take down a hundred enemies with nothing but brute force?


    "This is going to be painful."


    He knew that this wasn''t just about strength¡ªit was about endurance, about knowing how to move, how to dodge, how to break down an enemy without relying on power boosts or skill-based precision. This would push his adaptability to its absolute limits.


    The second requirement caused him to tighten his jaw.


    The second requirement was a clear-cut challenge. He was still in the Awakened Rank, meaning that anything in the Evolved Rank would completely overpower him in raw stats alone. And also with what Tatiana said about the impossibility of fighting across rank.


    "So I have to find a way to outthink, outmaneuver, or just outright survive long enough to kill something stronger than me."


    The fire ant nest had already drained him, and those were just low-level creatures.


    He would have to find an Evolved Rank enemy and win against something that, by all logic, should kill him the moment the fight starts. Or even before the fight starts.


    "I need to start preparing now. If I don''t¡­ I''m dead before I even get the chance to evolve," He muttered to himself.


    Leo''s gaze flicked toward Fiona, who was resting nearby, licking her wounds, as he thought of the third requirement.


    He was aware of the pack''s loyalty and their bond growing stronger with each battle. But he had neglected one thing: Fiona was still too weak to survive what was coming.


    "It''s not just about me getting stronger¡­ If she stays at this level, she''s going to die in the tournament. I won''t let that happen."


    His hand instinctively found Fiona''s fur, running through it. She let out a soft growl, nudging into his palm.


    This wasn''t just another requirement. This was about making sure that when the battlefield turned to hell, she wouldn''t be a liability¡ªshe would be a force of nature standing beside him.


    *"I have to push her¡­ make sure she reaches Evolved Rank, no matter what."


    Out of all the requirements, the last one was what scares Leo the most as he felt a chill run down his spine.


    "An Off-Worlder¡­ not just a monster, not just a mindless beast. A trained warrior. Someone from another realm, someone who''s already prepared to fight and win this tournament."


    His mind flashed to Tatiana, to her overwhelming presence, to the sheer aura of strength she carried.


    And she wasn''t even the strongest. There were others¡ªbeings from across the Multiverse, beings who had trained their entire lives for battle.


    "I have to defeat one of them."


    The reality of it sank in like a lead weight in his gut. This wasn''t just about monsters anymore. He had to fight against someone with intelligence, skills, and a will to survive just like his own.


    Not just that, but someone who is extremely privileged and way stronger than him. From what Tatiana said, he knew that the lowest rank of the off-worlders on Earth is at the Evolved Rank.


    Tatiana had warned him before. "You won''t just be fighting to win, Leo. You''ll be fighting to live."


    His fingers curled around Nightshade''s hilt, his grip tightening.


    "Then I better make damn sure I''m ready."


    Leo let out a slow breath, rolling his shoulders as he absorbed everything. The road ahead was brutal. There was no shortcut, no easy power-up.


    This was going to be the hardest two weeks of his life.


    But as he looked at Fiona, at his blade, at the path stretching before him, he couldn''t help but smile.


    "Fine then,"he thought. "Let''s get to work."

 Chapter 97 - 97: Late Night Discussion

    Leo trudged along the cracked pavement, his body aching with every step.


    The night air was cool against his sweat-slicked skin, a stark contrast to the overwhelming heat he had endured fighting the mutant fire ants.


    The breeze carried with it the faint scent of damp earth and distant burning smell, remnants of fires that still smoldered somewhere in the ruined city.


    Above him, the moon hung high, casting a pale glow over the landscape, illuminating the broken buildings and abandoned streets in an eerie silver light. Though beautiful.


    His mind, though heavy with exhaustion, was far too occupied to grant him the relief of simply embracing the quiet of the night.


    The evolution requirements weighed on him. Leo would be honest and say that be didn''t expect what he saw. He has no idea what to call the requirements. Impossible?


    Out of the four mission impossible level requirements, the first is the easy one. If not too easy, considering that he just finished taking down a mutant fire ants nest of more than 100 mutant fire ants.


    "Of only the requirements had came before I fought them or during the fight, I would had gotten some numbers in," he muttered to himself.


    Beside the first requirement and the third, the rest are things that he doesn''t want to think about.


    Imagine killing an Evolved Rank mutant creature. That''s just suicidal. The reason why Leo is said this is because he feels like the giant black lizard that appeared a couple of days ago is an Evolved Rank creature.


    Why does he think this? Because Tatiana said that she can beat it to a near death state. Yes, it''s also possible that the monster is also on the same level as Tatiana, but Leo felt that this was highly unlikely. Next to impossible even.


    As if that wasn''t enough, he also has to win against an off-worlder. Leo was happy that he doesn''t have to kill the off-worlders to meet the requirement. How did he come to this conclusion? It''s just a hunch he has.


    Thinking of how insanely strong the off-worlders are, Leo felt that his evolution requirements is more of a death sentence for him.


    He decided to stop thinking about everything as he let out a long breath, rolling his shoulders in an attempt to shake off some of the stiffness.


    His entire body protested the movement. His muscles burned, his legs felt like they were filled with lead, and the dull throbbing in his arms reminded him of every ant he had cut down, every strike he had delivered. But despite the overwhelming fatigue, he felt an odd sense of triumph.


    As he neared the entrance of the residential building, a familiar figure came into view, standing in the dim light cast by the flickering lamps of the lobby. Ves.


    She stood anxiously at the doorway, her posture rigid, fingers fidgeting slightly at her sides.


    Even from a distance, Leo could see the tension in her expression, the way her eyes constantly scanned the darkness, searching for something¡ªno, for him.


    The moment she spotted him, relief washed over her face, only to be quickly replaced with concern when she saw the way he was dragging his feet, his exhaustion evident in every movement.


    Without hesitation, she sprinted toward him, her boots barely making a sound against the concrete.


    "Leo!" she called, closing the distance between them in seconds.


    He barely had time to react before she was beside him, her hands gripping his arms, her sharp gaze running over his body, searching for any sign of injury.


    "You look like you''ve been through hell," she muttered, her voice filled with worry.


    "Are you hurt? What happened?"


    "I''m fine," he reassured her, though his voice came out hoarse.


    He offered her a tired smile, but it did little to ease the tension in her expression.


    Ves frowned, clearly not convinced. She moved to his side, slipping an arm around his waist to help support him.


    He wanted to protest, to tell her he could walk on his own, but the warmth of her presence, the quiet steadiness of her touch, made him swallow his pride. S§×ar?h the novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "Come on," she said softly. "Let''s get you inside."


    He leaned into her just enough to ease the strain on his legs as they made their way into the building.


    The warmth of the lobby was a stark contrast to the coolness of the night outside, the familiar scent of aged wood and faint dust greeting him as they walked out of the elevator and through the access hallway.


    By the time they reached their apartment, Leo felt his limbs grow heavier, his exhaustion settling deep into his bones.


    "I''ll run you a bath," Ves said as she helped him inside. "You stink."


    Leo chuckled, too tired to argue. "Thanks."


    She rolled her eyes but there was no real annoyance behind it.


    "Go on, I''ll get dinner ready."


    Leo didn''t waste any time. He made his way to the bathroom, shedding his filthy clothes and stepping into the warm water Ves had prepared for him.


    The heat seeped into his muscles, dulling the ache, and for a few blissful moments, he allowed himself to simply relax.


    By the time he emerged, his body felt marginally better, though the exhaustion remained.


    He changed into fresh clothes and made his way to the small dining area where Ves had already set the table.


    She looked up as he approached, nodding toward his plate. "Eat. You need it."


    Leo didn''t need to be told twice. He sank into his chair, picking up the piece of meat on his plate and taking a bite.


    The moment he did, a system notification flashed before his eyes.


    [You have consumed Mutant Boar Meat. Strength +2.]


    Leo blinked, momentarily caught off guard. His eyes widened slightly, realization dawning on him. He immediately brought up his status screen to confirm.


    [Name: Leo ****]


    [Level: 20]


    [Specie(s): Human, ****, ****]


    [Class: ¨C]


    [Title: None]


    ______


    [Strength: 31]


    [Agility: 21 (+30)]


    [Stamina: 28]


    [Intelligence: 23]


    [Mana: 125]


    ______


    [Stat Point(s): 12]


    ______


    [Skill(s): [Regeneration (Innate)], [Beastmaster''s Bond (Innate)], [Sesimic Stomp], [Berserker''s Roar], [Ravenous Regeneration], [Predator''s Instincts].


    ...


    "It really did increase," b


    Leo said slowly, with a bright smile on his face.


    He took another bite and he saw the notification again.


    [You have consumed Mutant Boar Meat. Strength +2.]


    He ate again and ihe saw it again.


    [You have consumed Mutant Boar Meat. Strength +1.]


    Leo''s movements became quicker, his hunger completely taking over as he started shoveling the food into his mouth.


    Ves watched him with a bemused expression.


    "Slow down, you''re going to choke."


    But Leo barely registered her words. He was too hungry to do anything but consume what was on the table.


    By the time he had finished his meal, he didn''t feel just satisfied, he also felt stronger.


    It wasn''t a massive leap, but the seven Strength points he got from eating the mutant boar meat was extremely valuable.


    Leo was aware this meant that if they could find more mutant creatures with beneficial effects from their meat, they could maximize their growth.


    Ves arched a brow at his expression.


    "You look like you just had an epiphany."


    Leo leaned back in his chair, exhaling deeply.


    "You could say that."


    "Glad to see the food helped." Ves smirked


    They sat in comfortable silence for a while before Ves spoke again. "So¡­ tell me about your day."


    Leo hesitated for a moment before nodding. He recounted everything¡ªhis battle with the fire ants, the sheer endurance it took, the brutal fight that left him nearly collapsing from exhaustion.


    Ves listened intently, her gaze never leaving his. When he mentioned reaching level 20, her eyes widened slightly, impressed.


    "You''re evolving soon, then?"


    "Yeah," he said, his voice quieter now. "But the requirements¡­ they''re tough."


    He gave her a brief summary, watching as her expression shifted. Concern, understanding, and something else¡ªsomething softer.


    Ves leaned forward, resting her arms on the table.


    "Leo¡­ you don''t have to do this alone, you know."


    He looked at her, meeting her eyes.


    "We''re all in this together," she continued. "You''re not the only one fighting to survive. And you''re not the only one who cares."


    There was something in her voice that made his chest tighten, an unspoken warmth that lingered between them.


    Leo chuckled, shaking his head.


    "You always know what to say, don''t you?"


    Ves smirked. "One of us has to."


    The conversation carried on for a while longer, the two of them talking about everything and nothing all at once.


    The atmosphere between the two of them was easy, comfortable, natural. The two of them could feel this there was something undeniably strong between them.


    It was something neither of them had fully acknowledged yet, but it was there¡ªgrowing, steady, unspoken.


    Eventually, exhaustion won out. Ves stifled a yawn, stretching her arms.


    "We should get some sleep."


    Leo nodded. "Yeah¡­ another big day tomorrow."


    They both got up from the table, making their way to their respective rooms. As Leo lay in bed, he let out a slow breath, staring at the ceiling fur w couple of moments, before drifting to sleep.


    .....


    Leo was jerked awake by the sudden, sharp jolt of fear coursing through his body.


    His instincts screamed at him, his mind snapping to full awareness.


    He bolted upright, his breath ragged. His heart pounded as his senses scanned the room.


    The next moment, a hearty laughter broke out in the room.


    "Pfff."

 Chapter 98 - 98: Wake-up Call

    Leo''s breath was still ragged from the abrupt awakening, his heart pounding against his ribs as he adjusted to reality.


    The cold sweat clinging to his back made his nightshirt stick to his skin, but the cool morning air in the room was already working to ease his frayed nerves.


    His instincts were still screaming, the remnants of the nightmare lingering in the back of his mind like a shadow he couldn''t quite shake.


    Then, his attention snapped toward the source of the laughter.


    There, standing near the foot of his bed with a bright smile on her face, was Tatiana.


    Her presence was as effortless as always, the sunlight streaming through the window illuminating her pale skin, making her crimson eyes gleam with something between amusement and curiosity.


    Her dark attire contrasted starkly with the soft glow around her, enhancing the regal, almost ethereal quality she exuded.


    Leo''s initial tension morphed into mild irritation as realization dawned on him.


    "Are you that easily scared?" Tatiana teased, stepping closer, the sound of her boots barely making a sound against the wooden floor.


    Leo frowned as he collapsed his head back into his pillow. He still felt the phantom weight of dread from his nightmare, but her words made him pause.


    "Was that your doing?" he asked, his voice hoarse from sleep.


    Tatiana chuckled, tilting her head slightly as she crossed her arms.


    "Not exactly," she admitted. "I merely let out a little bit of my presence, and your instincts did the rest. Whatever nightmare you had? That was just your danger sense kicking in, forcing you awake."


    Leo exhaled sharply, shaking his head as he swung his legs over the side of the bed. His body still ached from the previous day, but the residual tension from his nightmare made it impossible to sit still.


    "So, you were testing me," he said, rubbing his temples. It wasn''t a question¡ªit was an understanding.


    Tatiana offered a sly smile, moving beside the window opposite his bed. She placed her hands behind her back, gazing outside at the still, dark cityscape.


    "More like checking how quickly you react to danger when you''re vulnerable," she corrected, her tone light yet laced with underlying purpose.


    "There are beings who can strike without warning, Leo. If you can''t wake up in time, you won''t even know you''re dead."


    Leo let out a sigh, rolling his shoulders. "Right. Because what I really needed after an exhausting day was a lesson in paranoia."


    Tatiana chuckled but didn''t argue. She remained by the window, her expression unreadable as she studied the moonlit streets below.


    After a moment, she spoke again. "I''m guessing that you''re already at level 20. How many classes were you given to choose from, and what did you pick?"


    Leo, now stretching the last bit of stiffness from his limbs, paused at her question. He grabbed a fresh shirt from the chair beside his bed and pulled it over his head, glancing at her as he answered.


    "How many? I didn''t count, but there were¡­ a lot of them," he said honestly, recalling how the list had seemed almost endless.


    Silence filled the room.


    Leo looked up at Tatiana and was surprised to find a rare expression on her face¡ªshock.


    Tatiana, the ever-composed, ever-knowing vampire princess, was stunned.


    "What?" he asked, narrowing his eyes.


    Tatiana turned to face him fully, her lips parting slightly as if to say something, but no words came immediately. It took her a few moments before she finally spoke.


    "What do you mean by ''a lot''?" she asked, her tone slower, more measured.


    Leo frowned, rubbing the back of his neck.


    "I mean exactly what I said. The list was long, almost endless."


    Tatiana stared at him, her crimson eyes scrutinizing his every movement. "That shouldn''t be possible," she muttered under her breath, more to herself than to Leo.


    Leo''s curiosity was piqued. "Why not?" S§×ar?h the nov§×lF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Tatiana hesitated before responding.


    "Classes are supposed to be tailored based on compatibility and potential. Most people get four, maybe six options at most. Even the most gifted individuals get eight at most." She studied him closely, her expression unreadable.


    "But you got¡­ a lot?"


    Leo nodded, still unsure why this was so significant.


    Tatiana took a breath, composing herself. "Alright. What class did you choose?"


    Leo shrugged. "One called Warden."


    Tatiana''s frown deepened instantly.


    "Warden?" she echoed, her eyes narrowing. "I''ve never heard of that class before. Are you sure it wasn''t Warlock?"


    Leo arched a brow at her reaction.


    "Pretty sure. It had a unique tag on it, and there was a glowing star behind the name."


    That made Tatiana go completely still.


    Her expression darkened slightly, and her gaze became more calculating. The room felt heavier as she processed his words.


    Leo shifted uncomfortably. "Is that¡­ bad?"


    Tatiana exhaled through her nose, regaining her usual composed demeanor.


    "Not bad. Just¡­ strange," she admitted. "Unique classes are rare. Some are hidden. Some have unknown origins. And some¡­ well, some are granted to people who don''t fit into any existing mold."


    Leo mulled over her words, then sighed. "So basically, I''m on my own. No guide, no known strengths or weaknesses."


    Tatiana nodded.


    "Exactly. You''ll have to figure everything out yourself. But..." she smirked slightly, "at least you have me to help."


    Leo chuckled dryly. "Oh, great. That''s reassuring."


    Tatiana rolled her eyes. "Sarcasm aside, I''m serious. I''ll help however I can."


    Leo nodded, appreciating the offer. "Good. Because my evolution requirements are... brutal."


    Tatiana''s interest piqued again, and she motioned for him to continue. Leo didn''t hold back, listing out each requirement.


    As he spoke, Tatiana''s expression shifted from curiosity to concern, and then to a deep frown.


    "Those are quite some requirements," she muttered, arms crossing over her chest. "The first one is manageable. The second¡­ slightly surprising, but considering that you aren''t entirely human, not shocking."


    "What I don''t understand is the last requirement. How in the world do they expect you to defeat an off-worlder?" She muttered to herself.

 Chapter 99 - 99: Wake-up Call (contd)

    "Those are quite some requirements," she muttered, arms crossing over her chest. "The first one is manageable. The second¡­ slightly surprising, but considering that you aren''t entirely human, not shocking."


    "What I don''t understand is the last requirement. How in the world do they expect you to defeat an off-worlder?" She muttered to herself.


    Leo exhaled slowly, running a hand down his face. "Yeah. That''s been on my mind too."


    Tatiana''s frown deepened. "You might not realize this, but the lowest-ranked off-worlders here are at the Exalted Rank. That''s two whole ranks above you. Do they want you dead?"


    Leo grimaced. "Feels like it."


    Tatiana paced slightly, lost in thought. "Fighting across rank is nearly impossible, Leo. It''s not just a matter of skill¡ªit''s the sheer gap in stats, abilities, multipliers, everything." She paused, then turned to him. "Even I can''t defeat someone a rank above me, right?"


    That sent a chill down Leo''s spine.


    "So you''re saying I have to do the impossible," he muttered.


    Tatiana regarded him for a long moment before sighing. "Not exactly impossible. Just... very unlikely."


    Leo let out a humorless chuckle. "Oh, that''s so much better."


    Tatiana smirked. "You''ll just have to find a way to make the impossible possible."


    Leo shook his head, his exhaustion settling in again. "You really love saying ominous things, don''t you?"


    Tatiana shrugged, a small grin on her lips. "It''s part of my charm."


    Leo rolled his eyes, but a faint smirk tugged at his lips.


    Tatiana let out a soft chuckle, clearly pleased with herself. "Well, I suppose I''ve taken up enough of your time. You have a long day ahead of you, after all."


    Leo gave her a deadpan look. "You mean after you scared me awake for your own amusement?"


    Tatiana smirked. "That''s beside the point."


    She turned toward the window, gazing out at the pale sunlight creeping over the ruined skyline.


    "You should start working on your evolution requirements soon. You don''t have much time before the tournament begins."


    "I know." He ran a hand down his face, still processing everything. "I just need to figure out where to start." Leo sighed.


    Tatiana turned back to him, her crimson eyes gleaming with something unreadable.


    "You''re resourceful, Leo. You''ll figure it out. Just don''t die, ok?"


    Before he could respond, she disappeared, leaving behind a faint whisper of her presence and a lingering feeling of amusement.


    Leo sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. "Yeah. No pressure."


    He stretched, pushing aside the remaining exhaustion from his body. There was no point in lingering in bed any longer. He had work to do.


    ****


    Tatiana reappeared in the penthouse suite she had claimed as her temporary residence.


    The suite was as grand as expected, situated in one of the tallest surviving buildings in the city.


    Floor-to-ceiling windows overlooked the ruined streets below, providing an unparalleled view of the changing world.


    The furniture was pristine, untouched by the chaos outside¡ªluxurious chairs, velvet curtains, and a grand chandelier that still gleamed despite everything.


    Elda was already there, standing near the window, her sharp eyes fixed on the distant horizon.


    The faint glow of the portals from the previous night had long since faded, but the presence of off-worlders still lingered in the air, a suffocating reminder of the war brewing beneath the surface.


    "You took longer than expected," Elda noted without turning around.


    Tatiana shrugged, making her way toward the plush seating near the center of the room.


    "I was having fun."


    Elda turned to her, raising an eyebrow. "Fun?"


    Tatiana smirked, reclining into the chair with ease.


    "I gave Leo a little morning wake-up call."


    Elda sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose. "You truly enjoy messing with him, don''t you?"


    "He reacts well," Tatiana admitted, stretching her arms above her head. "And he''s entertaining. But that''s not all."


    Her expression shifted slightly, becoming more thoughtful.


    "I learned something interesting."


    Elda tilted her head.


    "Something about the boy?"


    Tatiana nodded. "His class. He chose something called Warden."


    Elda frowned. "Warden? I''ve never heard of it."


    "Neither have I," Tatiana admitted. "It was marked as unique, and there was a glowing star behind the name."


    Elda''s frown deepened. "That''s not normal."


    Tatiana chuckled. "That''s an understatement. And then there are his evolution requirements."


    She quickly recounted what Leo had told her, watching as Elda''s expression grew more serious with each detail.


    "Defeating an Evolved Rank monster is already difficult enough, but taking down an off-worlder?" Elda shook her head. "Even for a prodigy, that''s beyond absurd."


    Tatiana leaned forward, resting her chin on her hand.


    "It''s almost as if something¡ªor someone¡ªis guiding his growth. Shaping him into something more than just another contestant."


    Elda met Tatiana''s gaze. "Do you think the Council is involved?"


    Tatiana considered the question for a moment before shaking her head. "If it were the Council, I don''t they will be so subtle. No, this feels like something else."


    Elda crossed her arms. "Then what do you plan to do?"


    Tatiana smirked. "Isn''t it obvious? I plan to keep watching. Leo is proving to be far more interesting than I first thought. And¡­ I did give him my word that I would help him."


    Elda sighed. "You do realize this attachment you''re forming is dangerous, don''t you?"


    Tatiana''s smirk faltered slightly before she waved a dismissive hand. "It''s not an attachment. It''s an investment."


    Elda gave her a knowing look but chose not to press further. Instead, she turned back toward the window, watching the world beyond. S~ea??h the N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "Things are moving faster than we anticipated. More off-worlders are arriving each day. Alliances are already forming."


    Tatiana''s gaze sharpened. "And Lucien and Liliana?"


    "They''ve arrived," Elda confirmed. "And they''re already making moves."


    Tatiana''s expression darkened. "Of course, they are."


    Elda turned back to her. "What do you want to do?"


    Tatiana exhaled slowly, a wicked smile curling at the edges of her lips. "Nothing


    Elda nodded, her expression unreadable. "Then let''s get to work."


    As the morning sun climbed higher, the city below stirred with unseen tensions. The tournament had yet to begin, but things were already falling into place.

 Chapter 100 - 100: Making Progress

    The battle was fierce. Every breath Leo took felt like fire in his lungs, his body burning from exertion, but he refused to slow down.


    His fists were bloodied, his knuckles scraped raw against the hardened chitin of his opponent¡ªa towering mutant centipede, its segmented body writhing with unnatural speed, each movement accompanied by the sickening scrape of its legs against the cracked pavement.


    The centipede lunged, its mandibles snapping just inches from Leo''s face. He barely dodged in time, his body twisting with instinct honed by countless battles.


    Without a weapon, without his skills, it was pure, unrelenting brutality. It was his fists against the hardened shell of a creature evolved for killing.


    He ducked beneath another swipe of its venom-dripping mandibles, his muscles coiled tight.


    Then he struck, his fist slamming into the centipede''s side with every ounce of his strength. The impact sent a crack rippling through its armored plates, but it wasn''t enough.


    The beast screeched, lashing out with its tail, catching Leo across the ribs and sending him skidding backward.


    Leo coughed, tasting blood in his mouth. His vision blurred for a second, but he remained steady. He couldn''t fall now.


    Around him, the battlefield was littered with the corpses of mutant creatures¡ªjagged husks of armored beetles, twisted remains of zombie abominations, and the smoldering bodies of creatures he barely had names for.


    Not far from him, Fiona and the wolves were locked in their own battles. A monstrous, mutated boar, nearly twice Fiona''s size, slammed its hooves into the ground, creating deep cracks in the pavement.


    Fiona snarled, her body bleeding in several places, but her eyes remained focused, unwavering. The rest of the pack circled the beast, waiting for the moment to strike.


    Leo didn''t have the time to admire them as he turned his attention back to his own battle.


    The centipede coiled, its many legs scuttling as it prepared to strike again.


    Leo could feel the exhaustion weighing on him, the strain in his muscles from fighting without pause. But he was aware that he can''t afford to stop.


    With a sharp exhale, he rushed forward. The centipede lunged, but this time, Leo was ready.


    He sidestepped, bringing his entire weight into a devastating elbow strike against the already cracked portion of its shell.


    The impact sent a shockwave through his arm, but he felt the exoskeleton splintering under his force.


    The centipede reeled, its movements erratic as a high-pitched screech tore from its mandibles.


    Leo didn''t hesitate as he immediately leapt onto its back, and started raining punches on the back of the centipede.


    Leo was aware that ordinary punches won''t do any damage to the centipede and this is why he put his full strength into each punch and made sure to keep targeting the same spot with every time.


    Each punch created a loud bang every time, his fist made contact with the chitinous exoskeleton on the creature''s back as they struck with the force of a battering ram.


    The punches continued to fall without fail and after an unknown amount of them, Leo gave one final punch and jumped down from the back of the centipede.


    He made sure he didn''t give the centipede any time to recover and make its own attack, as he followed up with more attacks.


    A right hook to its mandibles.


    A left jab to its exposed underbelly.


    A final, devastating uppercut to its head.


    The mutant creature let out a high-pitched wail as its exoskeleton finally gave way, its skull cracking beneath the sheer force of Leo''s blow.


    It collapsed to the ground, its massive body convulsing before finally going still.


    Leo panted, his breath coming in shallow and ragged, his body screaming for rest as he staggered back, letting the corpse collapse at his feet.


    As he tried to catch his breath, he turned his attention to the system notifications floating in his retina.


    [You have acquired Level 12 Mutant Centipede Life Force!]


    [Your acquired Life Force has been stored and will be allocated after you have completed your evolution.]


    ¡­.


    The notification first popped up after he made his first kill for the day and has continued ever since.


    Leo barely acknowledged the notification as his attention was more on his exhausted body.


    He looked at his hands that were trembling slightly, not from fear, but from the sheer amount of strain it had experienced for him pushing his body beyond its limits.


    "I really miss Nightshade," Leo sighed, as he sat down on the carcass of the centipede he just killed.


    It was during his fight against the mutant centipede that Leo finally realised just how much dependent he has been on Nightshade and its abilities.


    Though, he can''t really be blamed as Nightshade is his biggest asset. With its incredible sharpness that would have easily cut through the incredibly tough chitin exoskeleton of the mutant centipede, and its collection of amazing abilities, it would be impossible for him to not be dependent on it.


    "Let''s see my progress," he said as he called up his status screen.


    [Name: Leo ****]


    [Level: 20]


    [Specie(s): Human, ****, ****]


    [Class: ¨C]


    [Title: None]


    ______


    [Strength: 34]


    [Agility: 21 (+30)]


    [Stamina: 33]


    [Intelligence: 25] S§×ar?h the nov§×lF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    [Mana: 135]


    ______


    [Stat Point(s): 0]


    ______


    [Skill(s): [Regeneration (Innate)], [Beastmaster''s Bond (Innate)], [Seismic Stomp], [Berserker''s Roar], [Ravenous Regeneration], [Predator''s Instincts].


    ...


    [Evolution Requirements for Warden]


    [Defeat enemies without using skill or weapon. (15/100)]


    [Defeat An Evolved Rank creature.]


    [Raise Your beast companion to the Evolved Rank.]


    [Defeat An Off-worlder.]


    ...


    "Fifteen down..." he muttered to himself, wiping the sweat from his brow. He still has a long way to go.


    His gaze shifted toward Fiona. She was still locked in battle, her massive frame darting around the boar as it attempted to trample her.


    Leo narrowed his eyes, pulling up the [Beastmaster''s Bond] panel.


    [Bonded Beasts]


    [Name:Fiona]


    [Species: Mutant Wolf]


    [Level: 15]


    [Abilities: Enhanced Agility, Enhanced Senses, Bone Claw, Regeneration.]


    Not bad. She was growing, but it wasn''t enough.


    Leo clenched his fists. He had to get stronger, and so did she. His evolution requirements weren''t just about himself, they were about Fiona.


    He has to make sure she''s strong enough to contribute to what''s coming and so that she can be able to stand beside him as something more than a simple beast companion.


    He exhaled deeply, shaking out his tired limbs.


    No time to waste.


    Without hesitation, he moved to rejoin the hunt.


    The coming days would be brutal. He needed to complete the first requirement as fast as possible, and at the same time, find ways to push Fiona toward her own evolution.


    He didn''t know what awaited him after evolution, but he had no choice but to press forward.


    Leo turned his gaze back toward the ruined streets ahead.


    There were still plenty of creatures lurking in the shadows, waiting.


    He could feel them.


    And he was going to hunt every last one of them.


    ¡­..


    The hunt was relentless.


    Hours passed with the sun creeping higher in the sky as Leo tore through enemy after enemy.


    His fists were raw, his knuckles split open from repeatedly striking through thick hides and hard exoskeletons.


    He had fought every mutant creature he found, in the bid to meet the first requirement. Each battle pushed him further, testing his endurance, his resilience.


    And with each fight, the number of his kills grew.


    [Defeat enemies without using skill or weapon. (27/100)]


    It wasn''t enough.


    Not yet.


    Leo wiped the sweat from his brow, his body screaming for rest. But he ignored it.


    He couldn''t stop.


    Not until he had reached his goal.


    One might be thinking why Leo didn''t just look for a nest containing a colony of insects, just like the fire ants, but that was exactly what he did.


    He found a nest filled with a colony of mutant ants but after he made the first kill, and killed a couple more, he saw that his kills didn''t count, he knew that he shouldn''t bother himself any longer.


    Leo has no idea why the kills didn''t count towards his requirements but he felt that he might be able to take a guess. And his guess is that it''s because the mutant ants is a hive mind.


    He doesn''t know if this is true but he felt that it could be likely, and it was the only explanation he could come up with, as his kill number started going up after he killed a zombie and two mutant rats.


    Leo decided to stop thinking about his earlier inconveniences as he turned his attention to Fiona.


    He saw that they were still engaged in their own battles, fighting tirelessly against their opponents. He had no doubt that they were exhausted too, but like him, they refused to falter.


    Their survival depended on their strength. On their ability to fight. To endure.


    There was no room for hesitation, no space for weakness. In this new world, hesitation meant death. The creatures they faced did not know mercy, did not understand fear. They existed to hunt, to kill, to consume.


    "The hunt continues."

 Chapter 101 - 101: Battling The Praying Mantis

    The battlefield was a wasteland of destruction.


    Leo''s breath was ragged, his body battered, but his stance remained firm. His knuckles were torn and bruised, and his arms, screaming from the strain of the continuous, brutal combat.


    Blood seeped from a fresh wound on his side where the mutant praying mantis had previously caught him off guard with its skill, [Wind Blade], leaving a deep tear in his flesh.


    Across from him, the mutant praying mantis stood tall, its insectoid form eerily poised, shifting ever so slightly on its thin, bladed legs.


    Its emerald-green exoskeleton gleamed under the faint light filtering through the ruined buildings, the segmented plates reflecting like polished steel.


    Its most terrifying feature, however, were its forearms¡ªtwo massive, scythe-like appendages that curved ominously, each one long enough to cleave through a tree in a single swipe.


    A gust of wind rushed between them as the creature hissed, its elongated head tilting slightly, the eerie glow of its compound eyes narrowing in focus.


    Its body emitted a faint hum, the sound of air vibrating and building up within its limbs.


    Leo narrowed his eyes.


    Here it comes.


    The mantis suddenly lunged, with its skill, [Wind Blade], activating in an instant. A crescent arc of razor-sharp wind sliced through the air toward him.


    Leo moved with his body reacting purely on instinct.


    He twisted, barely slipping past the slicing force, the wind pressure grazing his shoulder.


    A second [Wind Blade] followed almost immediately. Leo ducked, feeling the air shift just above his head as the attack carved through the cracked pavement behind him.


    It''s fast.


    He had already taken one of those hits earlier in the fight, and the pain from the wound at his side reminded him just how deadly even a single mistake could be.


    But now, he had adapted. The battle had dragged on long enough for him to be able to read the mantis'' movements, to understand the rhythm of its strikes.


    Still, even with all his improvements, he wasn''t winning.


    The mutant mantis was a force of nature. Every movement it made were precise, seemingly calculated.


    It didn''t waste energy with any unnecessary attacks and it didn''t flinch under pressure. Its attacks came in relentless waves, each faster than the last, each more precise.


    Leo gritted his teeth. Even now, he couldn''t believe that despite the damages he had inflicted on it, it was still standing.


    He knew it. The praying mantis is completely different and stronger than the others.


    He had fought countless mutant creatures by now, but this one was on an entirely different level. Leo clenched his fists tighter, ignoring the burning in his muscles.


    No, he wasn''t just keeping up. He had grown.


    Just weeks ago, he wouldn''t have lasted a second in a battle like this. He would have been overwhelmed, torn apart.


    But now¡ªnow, he was standing against a monster that should have been beyond his level, holding his ground, trading blows.


    He could do this.


    The battlefield around them had become a graveyard of shattered bodies. The corpses of various mutant creatures and zombies lay scattered, broken and forgotten, testaments to the sheer destruction their battle had wrought.


    Even the lesser creatures that had initially swarmed the area had long since retreated, driven away by the overwhelming pressure of the duel.


    Only two remained.


    Leo inhaled deeply, ignoring the pain in his ribs.


    .....


    Unseen to both combatants, high above the battlefield, floating amongst the clouds, a lone figure watched.


    She was draped in flowing white and green robes, the fabric shimmering softly as it fluttered in the wind.


    Her long, silken hair cascaded down her back, and her pointed ears twitched slightly as she observed the battle below.


    Her violet eyes gleamed with curiosity.


    Interesting¡­ she thought, resting her chin on her delicate fingers.


    She had come to this world expecting to find nothing but fragile low-level mortals scrambling for survival. And yet, below her, a native was holding his own against a creature that''s about to complete its evolution, and attain the Evolved Rank.


    How rare¡­


    She watched the battle and she saw that there was no hesitation in Leo''s movements, no trace of fear in his strikes. She also saw how he was adapting, evolving in the middle of combat.


    That makes him useful¡­


    A small smile graced her lips.


    She had no interest in the weak. But strength¡­ strength was worth watching. Strength was worth investing in.


    Her gaze lingered on Leo for a moment longer before she turned, vanishing into the mist.


    She had seen enough.


    ...


    Back on the battlefield, the wind howled between the ruined structures as both Leo and the mantis remained locked in place.


    The battle had reached its breaking point.


    Leo''s body screamed in protest, every muscle burning from exhaustion. His breaths came in ragged gasps, his vision blurring at the edges.


    The constant, brutal exchange of blows had drained him beyond what he had anticipated. His stamina regeneration skills, which had carried him through previous battles, could no longer keep up. His reserves were nearly empty, and every movement felt like wading through thick mud.


    But he wasn''t alone, across from him, the mutant praying mantis was just as battered as he is.


    Its once-gleaming emerald exoskeleton was cracked in several places, green ichor leaking from the wounds Leo had managed to inflict.


    Its movements, once fluid and precise, had begun to slow, betraying the exhaustion creeping into its body.


    The constant use of its abilities had taken its toll as well¡ªits last [Wind Blade] had been noticeably weaker, the cutting force no longer as sharp or deadly as before, but still carrying with a blunt force enough to knock Leo off his feet.


    Leo panted, sweat dripping from his brow, mixing with the blood seeping from the gash at his side. He hadn''t expected the fight to last this long.


    In the previous battles he had fought before he met the praying mantis, he had always relied on overwhelming his enemies quickly, relying on his sheer adaptability and Nightshade''s lethality.


    But now, without his weapon, without his skills, it was just him¡ªhis fists, his endurance, his instincts.


    And it wasn''t enough.


    The mantis was faster than him, stronger than him, and despite all the damage it had taken, it was still standing.


    Leo forced himself to think, to analyze.


    ''This thing isn''t normal. It''s too damn strong.''


    He had faced dozens of mutant creatures in the past few days, some even larger than this one, but none had fought like this. None had lasted this long.


    ''Its intelligence, its endurance¡­''


    Leo''s eyes narrowed.


    ''Is this thing close to evolving?''


    If so, then that would explain everything.


    It wasn''t just another mutant¡ªit was on the verge of reaching the Evolved Rank. And there''s also the fact that mutant creatures are naturally stronger physically than their human counterpart.


    Leo gritted his teeth. If that was the case, then he was in more danger than he had realized. A creature fighting for its life so that it can meet its evolution requirements and attain the Evolved Rank isn''t an ordinary opponent.


    The thought sent a fresh jolt of adrenaline through him.


    ''I have to finish this now.''


    But there was a problem. He could barely move.


    His legs felt heavy, his muscles sluggish. His body had reached its limit, and no amount of sheer willpower could change that.


    If he made a mistake, if he faltered for even a second, the mantis would cut him down.


    The battlefield around them was eerily silent, the ruined streets littered with broken bodies. Even the lesser creatures that were previously lurking in the shadows had retreated, recognizing that they were nothing but collateral damage in this brutal fight.


    Leo and the mantis were locked in a deadly stalemate.


    Neither of them dared to move.


    They both knew the truth.


    The first to make a mistake¡­ would die...


    Then¡ªit happened.


    A single misstep.


    The mutant mantis shifted its weight, preparing for another strike, but in its exhaustion, it hesitated.


    It was brief¡ªbarely a fraction of a second¡ªbut Leo saw it.


    And he reacted.


    With a roar, he surged forward. His hand lashed out, gripping the mantis'' raised arm¡ªits deadly, scythe-like limb.


    Then, with every ounce of strength he had left, he twisted.


    A sickening CRACK echoed across the battlefield as the mantis'' arm was torn from its body.


    The creature let out a piercing shriek, its body convulsing as dark, greenish fluid sprayed from the wound. Its remaining arm flailed wildly, but it was too slow, and Leo was too desperate.


    Leo didn''t give it a chance.


    Still gripping the severed limb, he turned the creature''s own weapon against it.


    He swung the severed limb in his grip, its jagged, scythe-like edge still glinting menacingly in the dim light.


    The mantis barely had time to react before Leo drove its own weapon straight into its neck.


    The blade sliced through its thick exoskeleton like butter, severing its head in one clean, brutal motion. sea??h th§× Novel?ire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    The mantis'' body twitched violently, its legs spasming as its severed head tumbled to the ground with a dull *thud*.


    Then, silence.


    Leo staggered back, his chest heaving, his vision blurring as the world swayed around him.


    The mutant praying mantis, the relentless predator that had pushed him to his absolute limit, collapsed lifelessly at his feet.


    It was over.


    [You have acquired Level 20 Mutant Praying Mantis Life Force!]


    [¡­..]


    Leo exhaled slowly, his knees buckling as he dropped to the ground beside the corpse.


    His entire body ached, his hands still trembling from the sheer force he had exerted. His breaths came in short, ragged gasps, but a smile painted his face.

 Chapter 102 - 102: Meeting The First Requirement

    Leo pushed himself off the ground, his muscles aching with every movement. His body was covered in dirt, dried blood, and bruises, an undeniable evidence to the countless battles he had fought throughout the day.


    His knuckles were raw, the skin torn from repeatedly striking against hardened exoskeletons and thick hides. His breathing was labored, his stamina drained to its limit, but beneath the exhaustion, a quiet satisfaction coursed through his veins.


    The setting sun bathed the ruined cityscape in hues of deep orange and crimson. The jagged remains of buildings cast long, eerie shadows across the cracked pavement, and the air was thick with the scent of blood, sweat, and the faint stench of decay.


    The wind carried a whisper of dust, swirling around the scattered remains of the monsters he had slain.


    The ground was littered with corpses¡ªmutant creatures, some with shattered exoskeletons, others with gaping wounds where Leo''s fists had struck with unrelenting force. The earth itself bore the scars of his battle, cracked and broken from the sheer intensity of his and the mutant praying mantis strikes.


    Despite his battered state, a smile tugged at Leo''s lips. He had made significant progress. He was more than halfway to completing his first requirement, and at this pace, in just a few more days, he would have it done.


    His legs felt like lead as he trudged toward Fiona and the wolves. His entire body protested each step, but he ignored the pain.


    As he neared them, he saw Fiona standing tall, her silver fur streaked with dirt and blood. The rest of the pack lingered nearby, standing on alert despite their exhaustion.


    Leo crouched beside Fiona, running his fingers through her fur, checking for any injuries.


    She huffed softly, nudging his hand as if to assure him that she was fine. He did the same for the other wolves, his fingers brushing over their thick coats, ensuring they hadn''t sustained any serious wounds.


    "Good job, all of you," he muttered, his voice tinged with fatigue. The wolves let out soft whines, their tails wagging slightly at his praise.


    He let out a slow breath and glanced toward the distant skyline, where the sun dipped lower, casting a golden glow over the ruined city. It was time to head back.


    With slow, heavy steps, he and the wolves made their way home.


    .....


    Later That Night


    Leo sat at the small dining table across from Ves, his bandaged knuckles resting against the wooden surface. The plates before them were empty, the remnants of their meal scattered across them.


    Ves leaned back in her chair, arms crossed, watching him with an amused expression before she reached across the table, tapping his hand lightly over the bandages.


    "It looks like I''m going to be patching you up every day from now on because I know you''re going to go and break your body again tomorrow."


    Leo chuckled. "You already did a great job today. I''d probably be worse off if you didn''t force me to sit still long enough to wrap these up."


    Ves rolled her eyes. "You''re terrible at taking care of yourself."


    He gave her a lopsided grin. "I know that. I''m glad I have you."


    She scoffed but didn''t deny it.


    A comfortable silence settled between them, broken only by the occasional sound of the wind outside.


    After a moment, Ves tilted her head slightly.


    "So? How was it?"


    Leo leaned back in his chair, rubbing the back of his neck.


    "Brutal, but good. I made a lot more progress than I expected. I''m already past halfway on my first requirement."


    Ves raised an eyebrow, clearly impressed.


    "Not bad. At this rate, you''ll have it done in no time."


    "That''s the plan," Leo said, exhaling deeply. "What about you? How''d things go on your end?"


    Ves shrugged. "Mia and Miguel are getting stronger. We ran into some tougher creatures today, but we handled it. Nothing too crazy."


    Leo nodded. "Good. We need to be ready."


    Ves''s expression grew serious for a moment. "Yeah¡­ we do."


    Another silence fell between them, this one heavier with unspoken thoughts. The tournament loomed over them, a storm waiting on the horizon.


    But for now, they had this¡ªthese quiet moments, this fragile normalcy.


    Eventually, Ves stretched her arms above her head, yawning. "We should get some sleep. Big day tomorrow, right?"


    Leo smirked. "Always."


    ...


    The routine became a cycle.


    Each morning, Leo set out into the ruins, tracking down and fighting every mutant creature he could find.


    His body adjusted to the relentless battles, his movements becoming sharper, his instincts keener.


    His strikes hit harder, his reactions grew faster. The pain became something familiar, a constant companion rather than a hindrance.


    The creatures he faced varied¡ªmutant wolves, hulking boars, insectoids, and even a few stray zombies.


    Each fight pushed him further, forcing him to adapt, to refine his technique without the aid of his weapons or skills.


    He was getting stronger.


    At night, he returned to the apartment, greeted by Ves, who made sure he ate, tended to his wounds, and listened as he recounted his progress.


    Their conversations remained light, but beneath the surface, there was an unspoken understanding between the both of them.


    They were both pushing themselves, preparing for what was coming. sea??h th§× Novel?ire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Leo''s fights became more efficient, his understanding of raw hand-to-hand combat deepening. He no longer relied on brute force alone.


    He learned to anticipate movements, to read the subtle shifts in his opponent''s stance, to counter before they could strike.


    He wasn''t just fighting anymore¡ªhe was refining his craft.


    He had long since abandoned the hesitation that came with battle. Now, he struck without thought, without pause. Every move was calculated, every strike meant to disable or kill.


    It was astonishing the amount of progress he made in just three days. If Tatiana saw him right now, she would be shocked no doubt.


    On the third night, as Leo sat on the couch, the faint glow of the system screen illuminated his face. He pulled up his status window and looked at his progress.


    [Evolution Requirements for Warden]


    [Defeat enemies without using skill or weapon. (100/100)]


    Leo exhaled, a small smile playing on his lips.


    This is it. Finally did it.


    For the first time in days, he allowed himself to relax, leaning back against the couch as the exhaustion settled over him.


    The hardest part of his evolution requirement was complete.


    Now, only three tasks remained.

 Chapter 103 - 103: Fiona Is Missing?

    The apartment was silent. Ves had already gone to bed after tending to his injuries, making sure he ate, and scolding him (as usual) for pushing himself too hard.


    He had assured her that he was fine, that he was used to this by now. She hadn''t looked convinced.


    He tilted his head back against the couch, staring at the ceiling. There was still so much left to do.


    The first requirement was complete, but the others¡­ raising Fiona to the Evolved Rank and, worst of all, defeating an off-worlder.


    He sighed.


    A faint gust of wind stirred the air.


    Leo''s eyes snapped open.


    Before he could fully process what was happening, a familiar presence filled the room.


    The air turned thick, charged with an almost imperceptible power, and a faint floral scent reached his nose.


    He knew that scent.


    Leo didn''t even need to turn his head.


    "You''re getting better at sensing me," Tatiana''s voice came from the shadows, smooth and amused.


    Leo exhaled, rubbing his temple. "Or maybe you''re just getting lazy."


    A chuckle. Then, with her usual fluid grace, Tatiana stepped forward from where she had been standing near the window, her crimson eyes gleaming faintly in the dim room.


    She wore something far more casual than usual¡ªa loose dark blouse with fitted black pants¡ªbut even dressed down, she still exuded that regal air of untouchable confidence.


    She crossed her arms, tilting her head slightly as she studied him. "You look terrible."


    Leo snorted. "Thanks. I haven''t exactly been playing around these past three days."


    She leaned against the edge of the table, one boot tapping lightly against the wooden floor.


    "I mean it. You look like you got chewed up and spat out."


    Leo shrugged. "I know."


    She regarded him for a long moment before letting out a sigh. "So? How is your progress?"


    Leo gestured toward the system screen still floating before him. "First requirement, done."


    Tatiana raised an eyebrow. "Already?"


    "Yeah," he said, stretching his sore limbs. "Three straight days of fighting. No weapons, no skills. Just me and my fists."


    Tatiana let out a low whistle. "Color me impressed. I half expected you to be crawling back here begging for a shortcut."


    Leo shot her a glare. "Yeah, no thanks. Besides, we both know there aren''t any shortcuts in this."


    "True," she admitted, nodding. "But I have to say, I''m surprised. But really, that''s a brutal requirement. Even for someone like you."


    Leo huffed. "Tell me about it. I didn''t realize just how much I relied on Nightshade until I had to fight without it. Every battle felt like I was walking a tightrope over a pit of knives."


    Tatiana smirked. "And yet, here you are. Alive and stronger than before."


    Leo exhaled. "Yeah. But there''s still more to do."


    Tatiana''s expression shifted, something thoughtful flickering in her gaze. "Fiona."


    Leo stiffened slightly before nodding. "She needs to evolve. I have to push her to the next level."


    Tatiana crossed her arms again, her tone measured. "Easier said than done. Raising a beast companion to the next rank isn''t the same as leveling up on your own. I don''t know how it''s done but I do know that it''s not going to be easy."


    "I know," Leo murmured. "But she''s strong. She can do this."


    Tatiana studied him carefully before speaking again. "And the last requirement?"


    Leo clenched his fists. "Still working on that one."


    "Defeating an off-worlder¡­" Tatiana''s voice trailed off. "That one''s the real problem, isn''t it?"


    Leo didn''t answer immediately. He didn''t need to. The weight of that requirement was enough to make his chest tighten.


    He had fought monsters, survived ambushes, pushed his body to its breaking point¡ªbut an off-worlder?


    That was something else entirely.


    Tatiana exhaled through her nose. "Just focus on the first three requirements first. I think I have an idea on how to go about the last."


    Leo smirked, but there was no humor in his expression. "Yeah, well¡­ I don''t have much of a choice, do I? And thanks."


    Tatiana was silent for a long time before shaking her head.


    "You''re reckless."


    "Comes with the territory."


    She let out an exasperated sigh but didn''t push further. Instead, she unfolded her arms and turned toward the window. S§×ar?h the Novel?ire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "You should rest. You''ve done enough for today."


    Leo watched as she moved toward the shadows, her form blending almost seamlessly with the dim lighting.


    "You leaving already?" he asked.


    Tatiana glanced over her shoulder, a small, knowing smile playing on her lips. "Don''t miss me too much."


    With that, she vanished, leaving not even the faintest whisper of her presence behind.


    Leo exhaled, running a hand through his hair. He didn''t know what it was, but there was always something about Tatiana''s visits that left him feeling both amused and on edge.


    Shaking his head, he pushed himself off the couch and made his way to his room.


    .....


    The next morning, Leo woke to the sound of silence.


    That wasn''t unusual¡ªmornings were usually quiet before everyone stirred. But something felt¡­ off.


    The air felt still. Too still.


    Pushing off the covers, he sat up and rubbed his face, his body still sore from the previous days of fighting. His thoughts drifted to the requirements again, to what he still had to do¡ª


    Then, he noticed it.


    A gnawing feeling in his chest.


    It was faint, but there¡ªsomething missing.


    Something wrong.


    Frowning, he got to his feet and moved toward the window. His eyes scanned the ruined cityscape, searching for something he couldn''t quite place.


    Then, his gaze shifted downward.


    The wolves were still there, resting in the shade of the building.


    But Fiona¡ª


    Fiona wasn''t.


    His chest tightened.


    She wasn''t in the building.


    She wasn''t in the surroundings.


    She was gone.


    Leo''s stomach dropped. His mind immediately raced through possibilities.


    Had she wandered off? No¡ªFiona was smarter than that. She never left without him.


    Had something taken her?


    His pulse quickened.


    Something wasn''t right.


    Without another thought, Leo grabbed his gear and bolted for the door.


    This wasn''t normal.


    And he wasn''t about to sit around and wait to find out why.

 Chapter 104 - 104: Level 20 Fiona

    Leo bolted out of the building, his heart pounding with every frantic step he took.


    The morning air was crisp, but he barely noticed as his eyes scanned the surroundings in desperation. His chest tightened when he saw the wolves gathered near their usual resting spot¡ªbut Fiona was nowhere in sight.


    His pulse quickened. He turned sharply, eyes darting across every shadowed corner, every ruined structure surrounding their home.


    "Fiona!" he called out, his voice hoarse with urgency.


    Nothing.


    Not even a distant howl or any familiar sound from her.


    A cold dread settled in his stomach.


    He focused his skill, [Predator''s Instincts], his senses sharpening as he reached out with everything he had, sensing the area covered by the skill, but....


    Nothing.


    "She''s out of the skill''s range. Where could she had possibly gone?"


    Leo''s asked himself, with his hands clenched into fists, his breathing growing uneven. He had never felt this before¡ªthis gnawing, uncontrollable fear.


    The wolves, sensing his distress, whined softly, their ears flattened as they looked up at him. Even they seemed restless, sniffing around as if trying to locate their missing packmate.


    Leo seeing this, walked up to them, to the previous pack leader specifically and asked if it knew where Fiona was.


    Leo was aware that his action would had qualified him for a patient position in an psychiatric hospital, but he had no idea on what to do.


    Just as he expected, he didn''t get anything from the wolf. Not even it using his snot to point him in the direction that Fiona might had gone.


    Leo felt that something wasn''t right as Fiona never wandered far. And even if she did, he should be able to sense her through their bond.


    So why¡­?


    His thoughts spiraled, dark scenarios flooding his mind.


    Did something take her? Was she hurt? Was she¡ª


    A sharp creak from the building behind him snapped him out of his panic.


    "Leo?!"


    Ves''s voice rang out, thick with worry.


    He turned to see her standing in the doorway, her brows knitted in concern. She was still in her sleepwear, her hair slightly tousled as if she had just woken up.


    The moment she saw his face, her expression darkened further.


    "What happened?" she asked, walking toward him quickly.


    Leo forced himself to take a breath. "It''s Fiona. She''s gone."


    Ves froze for half a second before her expression shifted.


    "What do you mean gone?"


    "I mean exactly that," Leo snapped, his frustration leaking through.


    He quickly took another deep breath, trying to calm himself.


    "I''m sorry Ms Ves. What I mean is that she''s not here. I can''t sense her. Even [Predator''s Instincts] isn''t picking anything up."


    Ves''s face paled slightly, and she didn''t waste another second.


    "I''ll look for her," she said quickly, focusing her skill, [Life Force Detection] to search for Fiona.


    Leo watched anxiously as Ves used her skill to scan the area, with heightened perception.


    A tense moment passed. Then another.


    Ves frowned.


    "I don''t¡­ see anything," she admitted, her voice barely above a whisper. She tried again, this time activating [Predator Insight], but her frown only deepened.


    "There''s no trace of her anywhere," she said, a slight tremble in her voice.


    Leo''s heart sank further.


    If Ves''s skills¡ªones designed to detect and track¡ªcouldn''t find Fiona, then this was worse than he had feared.


    Ves bit her lip, the worry in her eyes unmistakable.


    "Leo, what if¡ª"


    "I don''t want to think about ''what ifs''," he interrupted sharply.


    She flinched at the edge in his voice, but she nodded and smiled warmly, understanding his fear.


    By now, Miguel and Mia had come downstairs, drawn by the tension in the air.


    "What''s going on?" Miguel asked, looking between them.


    Ves quickly explained everything to them.


    Mia''s face darkened when he heard Ves'' explanation.


    "Then we need to go out and find her."


    Miguel nodded.


    "Yeah, we can split up and¡ª"


    "No," Leo said firmly.


    They blinked at him in confusion.


    "What do you mean no?" Ves demanded.


    "I mean you guys should keep training. You can''t afford to waste time on this," Leo said, his tone unwavering.


    Mia stepped forward, her brows furrowed.


    "Leo, this isn''t something small. She could be in danger."


    "I know," he admitted, voice low.


    "Then why won''t you let us help?!" Ves snapped, her worry boiling over into frustration.


    "Because you guys need to increase your strength. We don''t know what happened and why she left. But if anything happens later, you''re going to need all the strength you can get. Don''t let this slow you down," Leo said.


    The three of them stared at him, clearly not happy with his decision, but they knew that he wasn''t going to budge.


    Finally, after a long moment, Miguel sighed. "Alright. But if you don''t find anything by tomorrow, we''re helping, no arguments."


    Leo nodded. That was the best compromise he could get.


    Ves hesitated but finally stepped back. "Just¡­ be careful, okay?"


    Leo gave her a small nod before turning away.


    ...


    Leo spent the next hour combing the area.


    He searched the entire residential complex, every shadowed alley, every ruined structure, every possible place she could have gone.


    But he got nothing.


    He extended his search two miles out.


    But still nothing.


    By the time he stopped to catch his breath, his frustration had turned into something heavier¡ªdread.


    Then, out of desperation, he opened the [Beastmaster''s Bond] panel, and his eyes widened when he saw the information displayed on it.


    [Name: Fiona]


    [Species: Mutant Wolf]


    [Level: 20]


    [Abilities: Enhanced Agility, Enhanced Senses, Bone Claw, Regeneration.]


    .....


    "Level 20." Leo exhaled sharply.


    And just like that, he understood.


    She was probably trying to meet her evolution requirements.


    He felt that this was probably the reason the reason why he couldn''t find her. That''s why even [Predator''s Instincts] couldn''t detect her.


    Because she had gone off on her own to complete her evolution requirements.


    Relief washed over him¡ªbut it was fleeting.


    Even if this explained why she was gone, it didn''t tell him where she was.


    What if something happened to her during the process?


    What if she was hurt? What if she was trapped somewhere, struggling alone?


    His fists clenched.


    He hated this. The not knowing. The helplessness.


    He knew there was nothing he could do but wait¡ªbut that didn''t make it any easier.


    His eyes remained locked on her status for a long moment before he let out a slow breath, forcing himself to calm down.


    If Fiona is out there, trying to meet her evolution requirements, then she needed time.


    She had always been strong. He just had to trust that she could handle this on her own.


    But it didn''t stop the nagging feeling in his chest.


    And there was still his own evolution to think about.


    The thought of his own evolution requirements, brought to mind the third requirement.


    [Raise Your beast companion to the Evolved Rank.]


    He wonders if it will still count if Fiona does everything on her own. He hopes it does. Because if it doesn''t, then it means that he won''t be able to meet all of his evolution requirements, which equally means that he will be stuck at level 20 for a very long time. If not forever.


    But at the moment, Leo doesn''t care if it will help him or not, as all he wants is for Fiona to be safe.


    Leo sighed as he turned his attention back to the most pressing matter at hand. His eyes darkened as he closed the status panel.


    He needed to kill an Evolved Rank creature.


    And for that, he needed help.


    And only one person came to mind.


    Tatiana.


    If there was anyone who could help him track down something that powerful, it was her.


    With renewed determination, Leo turned back toward the building.


    First, he needed to rest and recover from the three days of nonstop battle. He would have to be at his best, both physically and mentally, for what he''s about to do next.


    After he has rested and he''s ready, then, he would find Tatiana.


    *****


    Deep in an unknown part of the now ruined city, Fiona stood atop a pile of broken concrete.


    Her silver fur stained with blood¡ªboth hers and that of the countless creatures she had torn apart.


    Her deep, piercing gaze scanned the battlefield, ears flicking as she listened to the guttural growls and screeches of the enemies that encircled her.


    The area she had wandered into was nothing short of a graveyard. Shattered buildings surrounded her, their skeletal remains casting jagged shadows beneath the faint glow of the moon.


    The scent of decay and blood filled the air, mingling with the oppressive heat radiating from the mass of mutant creatures closing in around her.


    She had fought for hours, driven by instinct, by the growing hunger for strength.


    And now, she was surrounded.


    The creatures were varied¡ªmutant hounds, centipedes with razor-sharp mandibles clicking hungrily, spiders, rats, even mutated wild animals.


    Fiona exhaled through her nose, lowering her body slightly. Her claws dug into the cracked earth beneath her as her tail flicked behind her. She wasn''t afraid. No, she welcomed the challenge.


    Her instincts screamed at her to do one thing: to fight. And that, she would do.


    The first creature, a monstrous hound, lunged at her, with its elongated jaws snapping toward her throat.


    Fiona moved with a blur of silver.


    She twisted her body, sidestepping the attack and countering with a vicious swipe of her claws. The hound barely had time to yelp before its throat was torn open, and its blood spraying across the ground.


    Another enemy took its place almost instantly.


    A mutant centipede launched itself at her, its serrated mandibles aimed for her hind legs.


    Fiona jumped, and with shocking flexibility, twisting midair as she lashed out with her claws, and shockingly severing its head from its writhing body in one fluid motion.


    The moment her paws touched the ground, three more monsters rushed her.


    Her muscles burned. She had been fighting nonstop for hours now, her stamina waning. But she knew that can''t afford to stop. S§×arch* The N??eFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    With a fierce snarl, she surged forward, meeting the onslaught head-on. But they just kept coming.

 Chapter 105 - 105: A Monster Right In His Backyard

    Leo lay on his bed, his body heavy with exhaustion, but his mind far too restless to allow him any peace.


    The past few days had been brutal¡ªfighting, killing, and pushing himself beyond his limits to complete the first requirement for his evolution.


    His knuckles still ached, the bandages wrapped tightly around his hands a stark reminder of the relentless battles he had endured.


    Yet, despite the pain, there was satisfaction. He had grown stronger. The progress he had made was undeniable. His hand-to-hand combat had improved, his instincts had sharpened, and he could feel himself... moving closer to something greater.


    He was very curious as to the sheer amount of life force he had stored. He knew that once it''s allocated after his evolution, he would skyrocket in strength.


    But even as he thought of his own growth, his mind drifted to Fiona.


    She was out there. Somewhere.


    Leo knew she was strong. Perhaps, one of the strongest creatures he had ever seen, but that didn''t ease the unease gnawing at him.


    He hated not knowing.


    If he had no clue where she was, how could he be sure she was safe?


    If it weren''t for the fact that he had seen her level reach 20, confirming that she was trying to meet her own evolution requirements, he would still be searching for her.


    And he would have gone to any length to find her.


    But he couldn''t.


    Whatever she was going through, he knew she had to do it alone.


    "I hope I don''t lose her¡­" Leo muttered to himself, his voice barely above a whisper and his fingers clenched into fists.


    "She should escape and come back home if she finds herself in a difficult situation."


    The thought of losing another companion brought old memories bubbling to the surface¡ªmemories he had buried deep.


    The orphanage.


    For the first time since the apocalypse began, Leo remembered.


    The faces of the other children, the warm voices of the caretakers. The laughter, the games, the rare moments of peace in a world that had never given him much.


    Had he really forgotten all of that?


    He hated that it had taken him so long to remember.


    The moment the apocalypse began, his world had shifted entirely. He had fought, struggled, and survived so relentlessly that he hadn''t even spared a thought for the place he once called home.


    His stomach twisted.


    Were they still alive?


    He knew the chances were slim¡ªno, almost impossible.


    The first day of the apocalypse had been hell on earth. If he, a fully capable and incapable fighter, had struggled to make it through the chaos, how could an orphanage full of children have survived?


    Still¡­


    He had to go back.


    After he evolved¡ªafter he gained the strength he needed¡ªhe would go and see for himself.


    Even if it was just to confirm what he already feared.


    A long sigh escaped his lips, and he rubbed his face, trying to push the heavy thoughts away.


    Then¡ª


    "Hey. What''s making you sigh so much?"


    Tatiana''s familiar voice rang out through the quiet room.


    Leo''s heart nearly jumped out of his chest as he sat up abruptly. He hadn''t even noticed her arrival.


    Standing near his window, as if she had been there the entire time, was Tatiana.


    She was dressed in a more casual outfit than usual¡ªa dark, flowing blouse tucked into form-fitting black pants.


    Her crimson eyes gleamed with mild amusement as she watched him.


    Leo exhaled sharply, placing a hand over his chest.


    "You need to stop doing that."


    Tatiana smirked. "Doing what?"


    "Appearing out of nowhere like a damn ghost."


    She laughed, walking towards the sofa in the corner of his room before sinking into it gracefully.


    "I sensed something was wrong and decided to check up on you," she said, crossing her legs.


    Leo chuckled, shaking his head. "The great Tatiana von Carstein is worried about me? That''s a first."


    Tatiana rolled her eyes, but there was a faint smile on her lips.


    "I have to worry about you. We''re allies now, remember? And you guys are important to me."


    Then, her gaze softened slightly.


    "You especially."


    Leo blinked, caught off guard by the sincerity in her voice.


    But before he could think too much about it, Tatiana''s expression changed, her usual playful smirk returning.


    "Anyway, what''s got you so deep in thought?" she asked, tilting her head.


    Leo hesitated for a moment before sighing.


    "I need your help with something."


    Tatiana raised an eyebrow, intrigued. "Oh?"


    "Can you help me locate an Evolved Rank mutant? I need to tackle my second evolution requirement."


    Tatiana''s lips curved into a sly grin.


    "Is that all? No heartfelt confessions? No deep questions about the meaning of life?"


    Leo rolled his eyes. "Just the location of an Evolved Rank monster."


    Tatiana pretended to look disappointed. "How boring."


    Then, she leaned forward, resting her elbow on her knee, her chin on her palm.


    "You''re sure that''s all?" Sear?h the N??eFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "Yeah. Unless you''ve got something else for me?"


    Tatiana was silent for a beat before she smirked.


    "No. Just curious."


    In truth, she had expected him to ask about Fiona. She had information about her. She knew exactly where the wolf had gone.


    But since he didn''t ask, she won''t tell him. At least, not yet.


    She was aware that if he knew what Fiona was going through, he would drop everything and go after her, and that wasn''t an option.


    He needed to focus on his own evolution, because in the grand scheme of things, his strength was more important right now.


    "Well," Tatiana finally said, stretching. "You''re in luck. I know exactly where two Evolved Rank monsters are."


    Leo''s eyes narrowed. "Two?"


    Tatiana nodded. "One is the giant black lizard that appeared during your fight with that rat a while ago. The other is..."


    She paused for dramatic effect.


    "A tree."


    Leo blinked. "A¡­ tree?"


    Tatiana smirked. "Not just any tree. A very territorial one."


    A sense of dread settled in Leo''s stomach as he realized what she was talking about.


    "The giant, lush green tree¡­ the one surrounded by dead land?"


    Tatiana nodded. "That''s the one."

 Chapter 106 - 106: Fionas Situation

    Leo frowned deeply. He had noticed that tree before but hadn''t thought much of it at the time.


    "You''re telling me that thing is an Evolved Rank monster?"


    Tatiana''s expression darkened slightly. "Yes. And if you don''t handle it soon, it''ll become a bigger problem than you can deal with."


    Leo''s eyes narrowed. "How bad?"


    Tatiana exhaled.


    "Bad enough that if it grows any stronger, you''ll have to abandon this base. Because at that point, only an off-worlder will be able to take it down."


    Leo tensed.


    That was not what he wanted to hear.


    His home¡ªtheir base¡ªwas dangerously close to that tree.


    If it was becoming a threat, then that meant he had no choice.


    "I guess that means I know what I''m fighting next," Leo muttered.


    Tatiana smiled. "Good choice. You kill it now, you won''t have to deal with it later."


    Leo clenched his fists. The next step in his evolution had been decided.


    Tomorrow, he would face the Evolved Rank monster living in his backyard.


    The battlefield was drenched in blood and Fiona stood in the center of it all.


    Her silver fur now matted with crimson streaks and her sides heaved with each ragged breath. Her muscles were screaming in protest but she still stood strong.


    Around her, the bodies of fallen beasts lay in twisted heaps¡ªmutant hounds with their throats torn out, monstrous centipedes split in half, grotesque rats whose flesh had been ripped away. But despite the carnage, more creatures still surrounded her.


    Their hunger hadn''t waned and her fight wasn''t over.


    Fiona''s body ached. Blood seeped from multiple gashes along her legs and torso, her once-flawless coat now marred by deep wounds.


    Her vision blurred slightly, exhaustion creeping in like a slow poison, but she forced herself to remain focused.


    She had fought for what felt like hours, tearing through the seemingly endless horde of monsters that had converged upon her the moment she stepped into their territory.


    Now, she was trapped.


    Her instincts told her that she was being pushed to the very edge of her limits, but she refused to fall.


    The pack of creatures before her had learned.


    They no longer lunged mindlessly, no longer charged into her claws like the beasts before them. They had begun coordinating, waiting for her to make a mistake .


    Fiona growled lowly, her ears flicking as she calculated her next move. She couldn''t allow them to overwhelm her completely.


    The ground beneath her was cracked and filled with blood, filling the air with the thick smell of the crimson matter.


    The once-standing buildings around her had been reduced to rubble, shattered by the sheer force of her battle.


    The devastation was massive to say the least, as it was caused by dozens of monsters level 15 and above. S~ea??h the N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Chunks of concrete and debris lay scattered, some stained with the remains of creatures that had been slammed into them with bone-shattering force.


    The soil beneath her paws was torn up, uneven from where her claws had ripped through flesh and stone alike.


    And yet, her enemies kept coming.


    A massive mutant boar, easily twice her size, pawed at the ground a few feet away. Its thick, reddish-black hide looks like armor plating, its eyes glowing with primal rage.


    To her right, a serpentine beast, its elongated body covered in spiny protrusions, coiled in anticipation, waiting for the perfect opportunity to strike.


    Behind her, several mutant hounds prowled, their jagged teeth bared, their bodies twitching as they prepared to lunge at her throat the moment she faltered.


    Fiona lowered her body, her claws digging into the dirt. Her limbs shook, her stamina drained beyond anything she had ever experienced before.


    The fight had gone on for too long.


    She had reached her limit but there was no retreat.


    The boar charged first, with the ground trembling beneath its massive weight as it surged forward with terrifying speed.


    Fiona reacted on instinct, dodging at the last possible second, her claws swiping across its exposed flank. A deep gash opened, but the creature didn''t even slow down, its sheer bulk barreling into a nearby structure, collapsing it into rubble.


    But she didn''t have time to react as the serpentine beast struck next.


    Its long body lashed toward her like a whip, the razor-sharp spines along its back grazing her side, leaving behind a trail of fresh crimson wounds.


    Fiona snarled in pain, retaliating immediately with a powerful bite to its throat.


    Her fangs sank deep, but before she could tear it apart, the hounds lunged.


    Pain flared through her hind leg as one of them sank its fangs into her flesh, dragging her down.


    Another latched onto her shoulder, its powerful jaws clamping down, trying to pin her in place.


    A third leapt for her exposed throat¡ª


    With a furious snarl, Fiona jerked her entire body, slamming the hound on her shoulder into the serpentine beast''s spiny back.


    The creature let out an agonized screech, its sharp protrusions tearing through the hound''s hide.


    She then spun midair, twisting her body in a way that allowed her to crush the hound on her leg with a forceful stomp.


    The sound of bones shattering echoed through the battlefield.


    But the remaining enemies didn''t hesitate.


    The boar had regained its balance, its wounds only fueling its rage as it roared.


    The mutant hounds, despite their fallen brethren, showed no fear .


    The serpentine beast, though injured, coiled itself once more, preparing another strike.


    Fiona''s chest heaved and her vision swam.


    Her limbs felt like lead and she could barely move.


    Her breath came out in slow, ragged gasps, her body refusing to keep up with her will to fight.


    Her instincts screamed at her, telling her that she had reached her breaking point .


    She couldn''t go on. And for the first time in this battle, doubt crept into her mind .


    Was this it?


    Was this where she fell?


    Her ears flicked at the distant sound of the creatures growling, advancing toward her.


    The fight wasn''t over but she was at her limit, and for the first time, she couldn''t see a way forward.


    The monsters moved in and Fiona couldn''t stop them.

 Chapter 107 - 107: Fiona Begins Her Evolution

    Fiona''s breaths came in ragged bursts, with her vision swimming as she struggled to stay up on her feet.


    The battlefield was a graveyard of broken bodies and shattered bones, and yet despite the carnage she had caused, the fight was far from over.


    Her silver fur that once sleek and pristine, was now drenched in blood with some of it hers, but most of it belonged to the countless creatures she had torn apart in this relentless battle.


    Her muscles screamed with every step she took, and every little movement sent sharp jolts of pain through her body.


    Deep gashes lined her legs, her shoulders bore deep bite wounds, and her left ear had a fresh tear from where a hound had nearly ripped it off, while trying to bite off her neck.


    But despite the injuries, despite the exhaustion, she still stood strong. Even with how she was surrounded.


    The enemy forces had thinned out significantly, but what remained were the most dangerous ones.


    The massive mutant boar with its thick hide that formed an armor-like plating over its body, snorted thick clouds of hot air from its flared nostrils.


    The serpentine beast with its spiny ridges and piercing, calculating eyes, coiled like a noose waiting to strike.


    The mutant hounds, snarling as they paced in perfect unison, their eyes gleaming with the hunger of creatures who knew their prey was on the verge of collapse.


    Fiona exhaled through her nose, lowering her body into a defensive stance, claws digging deep into the dirt.


    Her mind was racing. She knew that she was at her limit and if she tried to take them all on at once, she would fall.


    She needed a way out.


    From the looks of it, the mutant boar was the biggest threat. It had already taken multiple deep slashes, yet it still stood strong. Every time she tried to wound it, its thick hide absorbed most of the damage.


    She knew she needed to take it out first.


    Fiona''s ears flicked as she assessed her surroundings. The ruins around her were crumbling, debris littering the battlefield. Large chunks of collapsed buildings, jagged metal rods protruding from the ground.


    She could use this.


    The boar pawed the ground, its massive hooves cracking the pavement beneath it. It was preparing to charge.


    Perfect.


    Fiona lowered her stance further, letting her body tremble slightly¡ªan intentional feint, making herself appear weaker than she actually was.


    The boar took the bait.


    With an enraged snort, it surged forward, its massive bulk shaking the ground as it barreled straight for her.


    Fiona held her position, forcing her legs to stay steady even as every instinct screamed at her to move.


    Wait. She thought to herself.


    The boar closed the distance, tusks gleaming as it aimed for her torso, ready to gore her completely.


    Wait.


    The moment the beast lunged, Fiona shifted at the last second.


    She twisted her body sideways, narrowly avoiding the deadly tusks as the wind pressure from the charge whipped past her.


    Instead of retreating, she turned toward the nearest ruined structure¡ªan unstable, half-collapsed building.


    The boar, unable to stop its momentum, slammed into the crumbling foundation at full speed.


    The impact sent a deafening crack through the air.


    The weakened structure couldn''t hold and with a low, earth-shaking groan, the entire section of the building came crashing down.


    The mutant boar let out a shocked grunt before being buried beneath tons of falling debris. It tried to escape but it was too slow.


    Dust and rubble exploded into the air, filling the battlefield with a thick, blinding cloud.


    Fiona staggered backward, panting hard.


    One down.


    But there was no time to celebrate.


    The moment she turned, the serpentine beast struck. Its long, spiny body lashed toward her with terrifying speed.


    She tried to dodge, but her exhaustion slowed her just enough for its tail to slam into her side.


    The impact sent her flying, her body crashing against the remains of an overturned vehicle.


    White-hot searing pain flared across her ribs.


    She barely had time to recover before the creature lunged again, its fanged jaws snapping inches from her throat.


    Fiona twisted midair, slashing out with her claws. She caught the beast across the eye, and it let out a shriek, recoiling in pain.


    She hit the ground hard, her legs shaking as she forced herself up.


    Her lungs burned and her vision swam. She couldn''t take much more of this.


    The mutant hounds saw their opportunity. S~ea??h the NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    They closed in, their snarls low and hungry.


    Fiona knew if they surrounded her and pinned her, it was over. She had to act now.


    Gritting her teeth, she lunged toward the injured serpentine beast. Instead of attacking it, she used it as a weapon.


    With a burst of speed she didn''t know she had left, she clamped her jaws around its already-injured neck and twisted.


    The creature screeched, thrashing wildly.


    Then, with a sudden jerk of her body, Fiona flung the wounded serpent toward the incoming hounds.


    The massive body crashed into them, sending them tumbling in a heap of tangled limbs and screeches.


    Two of them were crushed instantly under the weight.


    The others scrambled to recover, but Fiona didn''t wait as she made her move.


    Her claws found the throat of the nearest hound before it could rise.


    A swift, precise and powerful bone crushing bite ended its struggle.


    Another hound lunged at her side.


    Fiona twisted, using the remaining debris as cover.


    She feinted left, then sprang right, her claws ripping into its exposed flank before it could react.


    The beast let out a strangled cry before collapsing.


    Only one remained.


    The last hound hesitated, its body tense, uncertain.


    Fiona stood before it, her entire body trembling from exertion, her fur matted with blood.


    But her golden eyes still burned with fury.


    She let out a low, rumbling growl.


    A warning.


    The hound¡ªinjured, winded, and now alone¡ªrecognized what the others had failed to see.


    It immediately turned and fled, disappearing into the ruins.


    The battlefield fell silent.


    Fiona remained still, her chest rising and falling in slow, heavy gasps.


    She had done it. She had survived but at a significant cost.


    Her legs buckled as the moment the adrenaline left her body, the exhaustion hit her all at once.


    She collapsed onto the cold, bloodstained ground, barely able to keep her eyes open.


    Her body refused to move. She had been fighting from the early hours of the morning and the moon was already high up in the sky.


    She wanted to immediately make her way back home to Leo and her pack mates, but she had not even a trickle of stamina left.


    Her vision blurred and she felt herself slowly losing consciousness. But just as she closed her eyes, a massive amount of energy erupted from her body, enveloping her.


    She had met her evolution requirements, and her evolution into the Evolved Rank had begun.

 Chapter 108 - 108: The Ordinary-looking Tree

    Early the next morning, after he was done with what he had to do and has made his preparations, Leo went downstairs to check if Fiona was back.


    Unfortunately, when he got to the ground floor, Fiona wasn''t in sight and there was no sigh that she came back the previous night as he stayed up late, waiting for her.


    He decided to use the [Beasmaster''s Bond] panel to check up on her.


    The next moment, Leo''s eyes widened in shock and his jaw dropped, as he read what was being displayed on the panel.


    [Name: Fiona]


    [Species: Mutant Wolf]


    [Level: 24 (Evolved Rank)]


    [Abilities: Enhanced Agility, Enhanced Senses, Bone Claw, Regeneration.]


    ....


    "Wow..." Leo laughed in disbelief.


    This was all Leo could say. He couldn''t believe what he was seeing. He didn''t even know how to begin to process it but he felt something bubbling up from within him.


    Pride. Yes, he felt very proud of Fiona and of her achievement.


    When he realised that she left because she was probably trying to complete her evolution requirements, he was confident that she would be able to survive whatever it is she has to go through.


    But what he didn''t expect was that she would actually complete her evolution requirements in just a single day. He was completely at a lose of words but he was equally proud.


    Realising something, he brought up his evolution requirements to check something. sea??h th§× NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    [Evolution Requirements for Warden]


    [Defeat enemies without using skill or weapon. (100/100)]


    [Defeat An Evolved Rank creature.]


    [Raise Your beast companion to the Evolved Rank. (Completed)]


    [Defeat An Off-worlder.]


    .....


    "Yes! It counted!" Leo exclaimed in excitement.


    Who knew that he would be able to complete his second evolution requirement without even doing anything.


    Leo was extremely happy. If Fiona was right in front of him, he would had hugged her tightly.


    "Now, I only have two more evolution requirements to complete," Leo smiled, nodding in satisfaction.


    He turned to leave for the location of the tree but before that, he looked into the distance, wanting to see if he will catch a glimpse of Fiona. But as far as his eyes could see, there was no sign of her.


    "Come home soon and safe, Fiona. You have done more than enough." Leo smiled, as he started making his way to the tree.


    .....


    Leo stood at a distance, observing a lush green, ordinary-looking tree at the distance.


    Who would had thought that such a inconspicuous tree was an Evolved Rank entity and quite a high ranked one at that.


    Naturally one would had taken the dead land around it as a clue that something was off but it still wasn''t enough to tell one how strong the tree is. It wasn''t enough to tell one that it''s an extremely dangerous entity.


    Leo observed the tree a bit more before deciding to take action. He had been standing just outside of the dead area surrounding the tree, which means that he''s out of its attack.


    He believes this is the reason why he hasn''t been attacked yet. Or maybe it''s because the tree can''t attack him. He remembered that the last time he was here, he got very close to the tree and touched it''s bark, and yet, nothing happened.


    Then again, he felt that the reason fur that was probably because the tree was weak then. But who knows?


    All he knew was that it the tree hasn''t noticed him yet, it will when he steps into the dead area.


    With a smile, he raised one of his leg and slowly placed it in the dead zone he waited for a while but nothing happened. He decided to put his other leg in when he saw this and yet, nothing happened.


    He was surprised when he saw this but he knew that he can''t never put his guard down. He gripped Nightshade tightly as he slowly approached the tree.


    He would had loved to go hand-to-hand combat with the tree but with how much stronger than him it is, he can''t risk his life unnecessarily.


    Leo had walked a couple of steps and was now halfway to the tree. He took a couple more steps and the next moment, he heard a whooshing sound, followed by another and another.


    He felt the ground under him crack and give way, with multiple roots shooting out of it, towards him.


    Leo''s instincts screamed at him the moment the ground beneath him trembled. His grip on Nightshade tightened as massive roots shot up from the cracked earth like spears, lunging for him with terrifying speed.


    He barely had time to react before the first tendril-like root slammed toward him. He twisted his body, dodging just in time as it cracked the earth where he had stood mere moments ago.


    More followed¡ªfive, six, ten¡ªeach moving with eerie precision, seeking to impale or ensnare him.


    He leaped back, narrowly avoiding a thick root that attempted to coil around his ankle.


    "It knows I''m here now."


    Leo had suspected the tree wouldn''t stay dormant forever, but the sheer aggression of its response was more than he had anticipated.


    He had no doubt now¡ªthis thing wasn''t just a mindless plant. It was aware. And it was actively trying to kill him.


    Another root lashed out, coming at him from the side. He brought Nightshade up in a swift arc, slicing clean through it. A sickly, dark green liquid sprayed from the severed end, hissing as it hit the ground like acid.


    Leo didn''t have time to celebrate the successful strike. The tree retaliated instantly, three more roots shooting toward him.


    He ducked, rolling to the side as one of them grazed his shoulder, tearing through the fabric of his sleeve. A stinging sensation flared where the tip had nicked his skin, and he quickly realized these roots weren''t just blunt instruments¡ªthey were covered in tiny barbs, designed to tear flesh apart.


    He couldn''t afford to get caught.


    Pushing himself to his feet, he dashed forward, weaving between the assaulting roots as he closed the distance toward the tree''s massive trunk. He could already see the thick bark shifting, pulsating almost like it was breathing.


    The entire thing felt unnatural, an abomination of nature itself.


    Another barrage of thorn-covered vines shot toward him. He swung Nightshade in rapid succession, cutting through them, but more took their place almost instantly.


    Then the air around him suddenly became heavy.


    Leo barely had time to react before a fine golden mist seeped out from the tree''s branches. The moment he inhaled, his vision blurred, the edges of the world became distorted.

 Chapter 109 - 109: Evolved Rank Devourer Tree

    Spores.


    Leo had read about plants that use airborne toxins to weaken their prey, but experiencing it firsthand was another matter entirely¡ªespecially from an Evolved Rank plant.


    His movements became sluggish, his thoughts slower. His grip on Nightshade faltered for just a second.


    And that second nearly cost him.


    A massive root, thicker than his own torso, surged toward him. In his dazed state, he barely managed to twist his body, but it still clipped his side, sending him flying through the air.


    Leo crashed into the ground hard, the impact forcing the breath from his lungs. He rolled, gritting his teeth as pain radiated from his ribs.


    He forced himself up, shaking his head, trying to clear the fogginess from his mind. His vision was still blurry, but he couldn''t afford to stay down. He had to move.


    He reached into his pocket, pulling out a small cloth he had prepared earlier. He tied it around his nose and mouth, hoping it would filter out some of the spores.


    "Alright. Change of approach."


    He was aware that rushing in blindly won''t work. The tree''s defenses, its roots, were too fast, too adaptive. He needed to find a weakness.


    His eyes darted toward the massive trunk, noting the thicker, darker knots in the bark. That had to be its core, its weak point.


    If he could land a solid hit there, he might be able to deal serious damage.


    Leo was thinking of how to proceed with his plan when he felt a deep rumble vibrate through the ground as the tree shifted, its very presence becoming more oppressive.


    Then, without warning, the entire area beneath him sank.


    Leo''s eyes widened as the ground turned into a swirling pit of loose dirt¡ªquicksand.


    The tree was actively manipulating its terrain, trying to drag him down and immobilize him.


    He kicked off the ground, launching himself forward just as the earth below him collapsed into a pit.


    That was too close.


    He had no choice but to go on the offensive.


    Leo''s instincts screamed at him as he barely escaped the sinking ground beneath his feet.


    The earth had turned to a roiling pit of loose dirt, threatening to drag him under. He had fought countless monsters by now, but none of them had ever been able to control the terrain.


    He landed hard, his boots skidding against the cracked, lifeless earth just beyond the pit.


    Sweat dripped down his brow, his lungs burning from the residual spores still clinging to the air.


    Then, the tree shifted again.


    A deep, guttural creaking sound echoed through the dead zone, reverberating in his bones.


    The golden mist thickened, as it began to swirl in hypnotic patterns as new roots burst from the ground, faster than before.


    Leo barely had time to react before one of the thickest roots yet shot toward him like a battering ram.


    He twisted, throwing himself to the side, but it still clipped his shoulder, sending him tumbling across the cracked soil.


    Pain flared through his body as he hit the ground, rolling to a stop near the edge of another pitfall.


    He groaned, pushing himself to his feet. His vision swam for a second, the neurotoxin still lingering in his system. His limbs felt sluggish and his breaths came in shallow.


    He was running out of time.


    "This thing¡­ isn''t just strong. It''s intelligent," he muttered, tightening his grip on Nightshade.


    He knew that this wasn''t going to be a battle of brute force as he initially thought. He could see that the tree was adapting, reacting to his every move. He knew that he couldn''t rely on sheer strength alone. He had to think. And fast. S§×ar?h the N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Unfortunately for him, another wave of twisting vines lashed out from all directions, towards him.


    Leo dodged left, cutting through one tendril midair. The severed limb exploded into a spray of acidic sap, sizzling as it hit the ground.


    His heart pounded. If that had landed on him¡­


    Another root came from below, trying to wrap around his leg. He stomped down, breaking free just before it could fully tighten.


    A dozen more vines shot toward him, and Leo knew he couldn''t avoid them all.


    So he didn''t try.


    Instead, he activated [Seismic Stomp].


    With a sharp exhale, he slammed his foot into the ground, sending a shockwave rippling outward.


    The sheer force shattered the encroaching roots, breaking them apart before they could fully reach him.


    The ground trembled, cracks spreading outward. Dust and debris flew into the air as several of the tree''s limbs recoiled.


    But the attack didn''t stop the monster.


    If anything, it seems to have made it even angrier.


    A deep, groaning sound resonated from the tree''s core, and suddenly, a massive trunk-like limb shot toward him from above.


    Leo''s eyes widened.


    It was too big to dodge.


    With no other option, he raised Nightshade and swung with all his might.


    The moment his blade connected with the massive root, a deafening crack split the air.


    The force of the impact sent a powerful shockwave through Leo''s arms, nearly rattling the sword from his grip.


    The root split¡­ but didn''t sever completely.


    Instead, it pulsed, the gash leaking a thick, golden sap that reeked of rot.


    Then, to his horror, the wounded limb regenerated almost instantly.


    Leo''s stomach dropped.


    "Of course it has regeneration," he muttered under his breath.


    The tree let out another groan, and before he could react, the root he had just cut slammed into him with full force.


    The world blurred as he was sent flying backward.


    He crashed hard into the ground, rolling several times before coming to a stop. His ribs ached. His arms felt like they were on fire.


    Blood dripped from the corner of his mouth.


    He had barely gotten back to his feet when the ground beneath him caved in again.


    This time, he couldn''t escape.


    The earth swallowed his legs up to his knees, locking him in place.


    His heart pounded as he struggled, but the more he moved, the deeper he sank. The soil hardened around him, trapping him completely.

 Chapter 110 - 110: Evolved Rank Devourer Tree (II)

    Above, the tree began gathering energy.


    Golden veins pulsed through its trunk, the same light gathering in its uppermost branches.


    Then, dozens of razor-sharp roots began twisting together, forming something massive.


    Leo''s eyes widened as he realized what was happening.


    It was about to launch its strongest attack.


    If he didn''t get out now, he was dead.


    Desperation surged through his veins. He gritted his teeth, reaching deep within himself, forcing his body to move despite the exhaustion.


    If strength alone wasn''t enough¡­ then maybe he needed to fight fire with fire.


    Leo immediately activated [Berserker''s Roar].


    A powerful shockwave of raw energy erupted from his body as he let out a deafening battle cry.


    The surrounding air shook. The very ground trembled beneath him.


    For a split second, the golden mist around him wavered, thinning out.


    The sudden burst of force loosened the soil around his legs, giving him just enough room to push off with everything he had.


    With a fierce yank, he broke free.


    The moment his feet hit the ground, he sprinted forward, straight toward the core of the tree.


    The monster reacted instantly, hurling its massive, condensed root attack straight at him.


    Leo didn''t stop.


    He raised Nightshade and charged.


    He knew that this was his last chance.


    It was all or nothing.


    And as the monstrous attack barreled toward him, he swung with every ounce of strength he had left.


    Nightshade met the incoming attack with a force that sent a shockwave through the air.


    The impact was deafening.


    For a fraction of a second, the world seemed to freeze.


    Then, the collision erupted.


    A violent burst of energy exploded outward, tearing through the surrounding ground, sending shards of bark and debris flying in all directions.


    Leo felt the force of it tear through his arms, the sheer power behind the attack rattling his bones.


    But he didn''t let go.


    He couldn''t.


    The tree pressed forward, its massive root attack still pushing against him, trying to overwhelm him completely.


    His feet dug into the earth, his muscles screaming in protest.


    He gritted his teeth, his grip tightening around Nightshade.


    He wasn''t going to lose. Not here. Not now.


    With a roar, he shifted his stance and pushed back.


    The root trembled¡ªcracks splintering across its massive surface.


    Then, with one final, desperate surge of strength, Leo drove his blade deeper.


    A sickening crack split through the battlefield as the massive root snapped in half.


    Leo barely had a second to breathe before the ground beneath him quaked violently.


    The tree screeched¡ªan unnatural, horrifying sound.


    The golden veins pulsing along its trunk flared like dying embers, flickering wildly.


    Leo knew what was happening.


    He had wounded it¡ªbadly.


    But it wasn''t dead yet.


    And it was about to retaliate with everything it had.


    The tree''s entire structure shifted, its branches contorting unnaturally.


    The golden mist thickened once more, forming dense clouds of toxin that rapidly spread across the battlefield.


    Leo staggered back, already feeling the numbing effect trying to creep into his body.


    His breath came in sharp gasps. His limbs felt heavier than before.


    The tree seems to have realised that it can''t win against Leo, so it was now preparing to take him down with it.


    Roots erupted from all sides¡ªjagged, spear-like limbs shooting toward him with terrifying speed.


    Leo dodged, weaving through the attacks with whatever little strength and stamina he had left. But he was slowing down.


    His movements weren''t as sharp as before. Same with his reflexes weren''t as fast.


    A root grazed his leg, slicing deep enough to tear through flesh.


    Another clipped his shoulder, sending fresh pain lancing through him.


    His vision swam. He knew that if he didn''t finish this now, he wouldn''t get another chance.


    Through the haze of battle, his gaze locked onto the tree''s pulsing core at the base of its trunk.


    That was it. That was the weak spot.


    It was flickering, the golden glow dimming. The tree was weakening¡ªbut it wouldn''t die easily.


    Leo tightened his grip on Nightshade.


    One final attack.That was all he had left in him.


    Leo forced himself forward, dodging through the onslaught of roots.


    One barely missed impaling his side.


    Another wrapped around his arm for a split second before he slashed it away, burning his flesh with its acidic sap.


    His breaths were ragged and his body was screaming, but he kept going.


    Closer.


    The core pulsed, sensing his approach and the tree reacted violently.


    A massive root slammed into the ground in front of him, blocking his path.


    But Leo didn''t slow down.


    Instead, he planted his foot on the thick root and used it as a springboard, launching himself into the air.


    He raised Nightshade high above his head.


    The tree''s branches screeched as they twisted toward him, trying to intercept him.


    But it was too late.


    With every ounce of power left in his body, Leo brought Nightshade down in a devastating arc.


    The blade struck the core.


    The moment it connected, the world seemed to implode.


    A deafening shockwave rippled through the battlefield, sending out a pulse of raw force that shattered nearby debris and sent dust flying into the air.


    The golden veins running through the tree''s trunk flared¡ªthen violently shattered.


    For a brief moment, everything went still.


    Then¡ª


    The tree let out a final screech¡ªa dying wail.


    Its massive form convulsed, its roots flailing wildly before collapsing in on themselves.


    The once-majestic branches withered in mere seconds, their vibrant golden hue fading into a sickly brown.


    The massive trunk split apart, cracking from the inside out.


    The ground beneath it trembled one last time¡ª


    And then it fell.


    With a thunderous crash, the entire tree collapsed into a heap of decayed wood, its lifeforce drained.


    Silence followed.


    Leo stood among the wreckage, his breath coming in slow, uneven gasps. S~ea??h the n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    His entire body trembled. His vision was swimming, but he was alive.


    And he had won.


    The system notification flared before his eyes but he didn''t have the strength to read its content.


    His body refused to move. The wreckage of the battlefield stretched before him, but all he could think about was¡­ sleep. He let out a slow, shuddering breath¡­ and everything faded to black.

 Chapter 111 - 111: Tatianas & Ves Worrys

    Boom! Boom! Boom!


    A deep, thunderous sound rumbled through the ruined city streets, shaking the very air around them. The echoes bounced off the shattered buildings, sending tremors through the cracked pavement.


    Ves, Mia, and Miguel came to an abrupt halt. The sound had come out of nowhere, and it was close. Too close.


    Mia was the first to break the silence, her voice laced with unease.


    "What the hell was that?"


    Miguel shifted uncomfortably, his fingers tightening around his axe. His eyes scanned the ruins ahead.


    "That¡­ didn''t sound normal. Could be a fight, maybe."


    Ves''s expression darkened. She turned her gaze toward the direction of the sound. It was coming from close to their base.


    "That''s¡­ coming from where we live," she muttered, her gut twisting.


    Mia''s eyes widened in realization.


    "Wait¡­ didn''t Leo go out today?"


    She turned to Ves, her voice rising slightly.


    "Is it possible that he''s¡ª?"


    Ves didn''t let her finish. The mere suggestion was enough to make her tense.


    Her mind raced. If it was Leo, was he in danger? Had something happened? Had he gone and picked another fight with something beyond his strength?


    She clenched her fists. If he did, she was going to kill him herself.


    "You guys go on ahead. I''ll check it out," Ves said abruptly, already stepping forward.


    Miguel frowned. "Alone? Isn''t it better if we all go together?"


    Mia nodded. "Yeah, Ves. What if something happens? We should go with you."


    Ves shook her head. "No. If it''s Leo, I''ll handle it. If it''s something else, I don''t want to risk all of us running into trouble."


    Mia looked unconvinced. "You sure?"


    "Yes." Ves turned toward the source of the sound, her body tense, ready to move. "I¡ª"


    She stopped as she noticed something strange.


    A presence had suddenly appeared.


    Not walking up to them. Not stepping out of the ruins.


    Just¡­ appearing.


    The air around them shifted, as if reality itself had warped for a split second. Then, standing right in front of them, as if she had been there all along, was a woman.


    Tall. Pale. Beautiful¡ªbut unnerving.


    Long, silver hair cascaded down her back, and her sharp crimson eyes gleamed with an unnatural light.


    She was clad in a form-fitting, dark military-style coat, embroidered with intricate patterns that seemed to shift under the dim light.


    And she was watching them.


    Mia took a sharp step back, her hands already gripping her daggers. Miguel''s axe was half-raised.


    Ves, however, stared directly at the woman¡ªher entire body tensed, ready to move if needed. S§×arch* The NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "Who the hell are you?" Ves demanded.


    Elda tilted her head slightly, amused.


    "That''s quite the hostile greeting."


    "That''s because you appeared out of nowhere," Mia shot back, her voice edged with suspicion.


    Miguel tightened his grip on his weapon.


    "If you''re looking for trouble¡ª"


    "I''m not," Elda cut in smoothly. She folded her arms behind her back, regarding them with mild curiosity.


    She wanted to tell them of her identity but decided not to when she saw their reaction.


    "I was merely observing the battlefield. And you three happened to be in the way."


    Ves narrowed her eyes. "Battlefield?"


    Elda''s smirk widened ever so slightly. She was finding the situation very interesting.


    "Yes," she said.


    "The cause of that loud noise you just heard? That was Leo."


    Ves felt her stomach drop.


    Mia gasped.


    "Leo?! What¡ª"


    "He''s alive," Elda interrupted before Mia could finish, though her tone turned almost¡­ amused.


    "Barely."


    Ves stepped forward immediately.


    "Take me to him."


    Elda''s gaze flickered toward her, and for a second, there was something unreadable in those crimson eyes.


    Then she smiled.


    "No."


    Ves''s patience snapped. "Listen, lady¡ª"


    "He''s unconscious," Elda said, her tone unbothered.


    "Taking you to him right now wouldn''t change that."


    Ves didn''t care. "You don''t understand," she snapped, her voice sharp. "I need to see him."


    Elda studied her for a moment before letting out a soft chuckle.


    "You care about him," she mused, tilting her head. "Interesting."


    Ves''s jaw clenched. "That''s not the point¡ª"


    Elda sighed dramatically. "Fine. If it means that much to you."


    Before Ves could say another word, the woman, Elda, vanished¡ªjust like that, as if she had never been there.


    But her voice lingered.


    "Follow me if you must."


    And with that, Ves moved.


    Mia and Miguel, still shocked by the encounter, had no choice but to follow her.


    .....


    The battlefield was eerily silent like a graveyard. Smoke and golden mist still lingered in the air, mixing with the scent of burnt wood, decay, and blood.


    The once towering behemoth, which had fought so viciously, now lay in lifeless fragments across the deadened land, its pulsing golden veins now nothing but dull, crumbling remains.


    Tatiana stepped forward, her boots pressing into the ashen ground, the remnants of the monstrous entity crunching beneath her.


    The entire battlefield bore the marks of a struggle beyond anything ordinary¡ªcracked earth, massive craters, and jagged gashes where roots had torn through stone and soil in their desperate last efforts to consume their enemy.


    And amidst it all, lying motionless at the base of the fallen tree, was him.


    Tatiana''s crimson eyes flickered toward Leo''s unconscious form, sprawled across the ruined battlefield.


    His body was battered¡ªcuts and bruises lined his arms, his torn shirt revealing deep gashes along his side.


    Blood stained the ground beneath him, soaking into the dirt. His sword, Nightshade, lay loosely at his side, its once gleaming blade now caked in sap and grime. His breath was shallow, barely noticeable.


    A strange tightness curled in Tatiana''s chest as she took in the sight of him.


    For a long moment, she simply stood there, staring.


    He had won. Alone. Against an enemy that should have been beyond him.


    A small, humorless chuckle escaped her lips. Of course, he did.


    He was reckless. Stubborn. A fool.


    And yet, despite herself, she felt proud.


    She has no idea why Leo keeps surprising her at every turn.


    Letting out a slow breath, she finally moved, kneeling beside him.


    Her gloved fingers hovered over his forehead, brushing against the sweat-matted strands of his hair.


    She hesitated for a fraction of a second before gently sweeping them aside, revealing his face.


    His jaw was bruised, a fresh cut running along his cheekbone. His expression, even in unconsciousness, was one of determination¡ªeven as he lay there, utterly spent, there was something unbreakable about him.


    Tatiana swallowed. What is this feeling?


    She had seen men on the brink of death before.


    But this¡­


    This was different.


    Her fingers brushed along his cheek for a fleeting second before she pulled back sharply, scowling at herself.


    With a soft sigh, she slipped her arms under him and lifted him effortlessly. He was heavier than he looked, his body solid with muscle, but to her, it was nothing.


    "Let''s get you cleaned up," she murmured, her voice softer than she intended.


    And then, in the blink of an eye, she vanished into the thin air, carrying him away.

 Chapter 112 - 112: Tatianas & Ves Worrys (II)

    Tatiana appeared in Leo''s and Ves'' apartment, with Leo still cradled in her arms.


    The air inside was warm, familiar, a stark contrast to the cold, lifeless battlefield she had just left behind.


    She moved swiftly, her movements graceful despite the weight of the man in her arms. She set him down carefully onto the couch, adjusting him so he wouldn''t put pressure on any of his deeper wounds.


    Then, for the first time, she allowed herself to pause as she stood there, watching him, her arms still faintly tingling where his warmth had been.


    He looked... different like this. Vulnerable, for once.


    No witty remarks. No stubborn bravado.


    Just Leo, unconscious and still.


    Tatiana clicked her tongue, shaking her head before kneeling beside him.


    "I don''t even know how or what to feel about you," she muttered under her breath.


    She immediately set to work, peeling off the ruined, bloodied remains of his shirt with careful hands, mindful of his injuries.


    The sight of his bruised, battered torso made something unpleasant twist in her stomach.


    She wasn''t used to this.


    She wasn''t used to caring.


    But for some reason, seeing him like this¡­ it didn''t sit well with her.


    Tatiana retrieved a clean cloth and a bowl of water from the kitchen. The moment the cool cloth pressed against his wounds, Leo stirred slightly, his body tensing.


    Tatiana froze.


    His lips parted, a small, barely audible sound escaping¡ªher name.


    "...Tatiana¡­?"


    She exhaled sharply, forcing herself to focus. She didn''t want him to wake up and find her like this, to find her taking care of him. She knew Leo and she knew that he would use it to tease for eternity if he wakes up.


    "Still causing trouble, even when you''re unconscious," she muttered, shaking her head as she continued tending to his wounds.


    She worked in silence, her movements careful and precise. Cleaning the dried blood, wiping away the grime, making sure each wound was properly bandaged.


    As she worked, she found herself watching him.


    The way his chest rose and fell steadily. The way his expression flickered slightly, as if lost in some dream or memory.


    And the way her own fingers lingered just a second too long against his skin before she realized what she was doing.


    Tatiana scowled, pushing herself back onto her feet.


    What is wrong with me?


    She had never felt like this before. This strange, tight sensation in her chest. This¡­ concern.


    It was annoying.


    With a soft sigh, she leaned against the wall, crossing her arms as she looked at him once more.


    "Just what are you doing to me, Leo?" she whispered.


    She stayed there for a long while, watching over him. And then, as silently as she had arrived, she disappeared into the night.


    .....


    The evening air carried a quiet stillness, interrupted only by the slow, steady rhythm of Leo''s breathing.


    Ves sat beside him, her fingers curled tightly in her lap.


    She had been there for hours, waiting¡ªwatching.


    Her heart had only just begun to slow, but the fear still lingered in the pit of her stomach. The moment she had found him, battered (bandaged), unconscious, and barely breathing (soundly asleep), something inside her had clenched so painfully, she had felt suffocated.


    She wanted to take the situation calmly after hearing what happened from Tatiana but deep down, she knew that no amount of warning would have prepared her for seeing him like that.


    Now, as she sat by his bedside, her breath hitched the moment he finally stirred.


    His fingers twitched, his brow furrowing slightly. A groggy exhale left his lips before his eyes fluttered open, hazy and unfocused.


    "...Ves?" His voice was hoarse, as if he had been asleep for years.


    Ves let out a breath she hadn''t realized she was holding. Thank god.


    Then¡ª


    Whack.


    She smacked him lightly on the arm.


    "You reckless idiot," she hissed, her voice sharp but shaking at the edges.


    "What the hell were you thinking?!"


    Leo blinked at her, still sluggish, as if his brain hadn''t caught up yet.


    "...What?"


    "You fought an Evolved Rank monster alone?! Do you have a death wish?!"


    Leo let out a weak chuckle, running a hand through his hair.


    "I won, didn''t I?"


    Ves smacked him again, harder this time.


    "That''s not the point!"


    Leo winced, rubbing his arm. "Ow¡ªokay, okay, I get it¡ª"


    "You don''t get it," Ves cut him off, her arms crossing tightly over her chest.


    "Do you have any idea how close you were to dying?!"


    Leo hesitated. He had been close. Too close. He knew that.


    But what caught him off guard wasn''t her words¡ªit was her expression.


    She looked... shaken.


    Not in the way someone was when they were simply upset. No, this was different.


    She had been scared.


    "You scared me, you know?" she muttered, looking away for a moment, as if she hated admitting it out loud.


    Leo''s teasing smirk faded as he took her in¡ªher stiff posture, her clenched hands, the way her lips pressed together tightly, as if she was trying to hold back something she didn''t want to say.


    The room was quiet for a long moment.


    Then¡ª


    "I didn''t mean to worry you," he said softly.


    Ves sighed, shaking her head.


    "...Just don''t do it again."


    Leo smirked. "No promises." S~ea??h the ¦Çov§×lFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    She glared, but the relief in her eyes betrayed her.


    "You''re impossible," she muttered under her breath, shaking her head.


    Leo grinned slightly, shifting in bed. "You still stuck around, though."


    "Yeah, because someone had to make sure you weren''t dead," she shot back.


    Silence stretched between them¡ªa different kind of silence now.


    Ves was still tense, but softer than before.


    And Leo?


    For the first time, he noticed the way the light from the lamp behind her caught the soft waves of her dark hair.


    The way her expression, even when irritated, was gentler than before.


    The way her eyes¡ªsharp, fierce, and endlessly blue¡ªheld something unspoken when she looked at him.


    It made something inside him twist.


    He opened his mouth to say something¡ªanything¡ªbut just then, his body protested.


    A sharp pain shot through his ribs, and he groaned, shifting slightly.


    Ves immediately leaned forward.


    "Hey, don''t move so much!"


    She reached out on instinct, grabbing his arm to steady him¡ª


    Only for Leo to move at the same time, causing her palm to press directly against his bare chest.


    Silence.


    A very awkward silence.


    Leo''s eyes flicked to her hand.


    Ves froze.


    Her fingers were pressed against the heat of his skin, right over where his heart was beating way too fast.


    Her eyes widened, her cheeks tinging a very faint shade of pink.


    Leo, still groggy and not quite sure how this had happened, let out the most awkward cough known to mankind.


    "...Uh¡ª"


    Ves snatched her hand back so fast it was like she had touched fire.


    "I¡ªyou¡ª" she started, words failing her.


    Leo, to save both of them from dying of embarrassment, cleared his throat loudly and looked away.


    "Right. Uh. Yeah. Let''s, uh¡­ pretend that didn''t happen?"


    Ves, still looking very much like she wanted to bury herself six feet under, quickly stood up.


    "Good idea," she muttered. "Great idea. Never happened."


    "Yep. Absolutely," Leo agreed way too quickly.


    Another long, painfully awkward silence.


    Then¡ª


    A low, familiar growl echoed from outside.


    Ves turned sharply toward the door, her brows furrowing. "Wait¡­ is that¡ª?"


    Before Leo could even react, he heard a familiar howl.


    "Fiona¡­"

 Chapter 113 - 113: Fionas Return

    Fiona''s paws pressed softly against the cracked pavement as she walked toward the residential building. The familiar scent of home filled her senses, mixing with the distant traces of the city''s decay. But she wasn''t alone.


    The moment she stepped into the vicinity, she felt the weight of familiar gazes locking onto her.


    The wolves.


    She kept moving, her steps unhurried. She had expected this.


    And just as she predicted, the door to the building creaked open. One by one, the pack stepped out, their eyes gleaming under the dim evening light.


    They didn''t rush to her.


    Instead, they walked toward her in a slow, measured pace, their bodies tense with curiosity.


    Fiona came to a halt, her golden eyes steady as the pack encircled her. Their noses twitched, their ears flicked as they took in her scent¡ªassessing, questioning, wondering.


    They knew she had left for something important.


    They knew she had refused their silent offer to follow.


    Now, they wanted answers.


    Fiona didn''t move. She let them do as they pleased, allowing them to take in everything they needed to.


    She understood their worry.


    And she would ease it.


    The moment passed, and then, one by one, the wolves took a step back. Their heads lowered slightly¡ªnot in submission, but in acknowledgment.


    She had changed. She had grown.


    And they knew it.


    Fiona lifted her head toward the sky and let out a long, deep howl.


    It was a sound of return, of completion, of strength.


    ¡­.


    He didn''t hesitate. The moment he heard the howl, he pushed himself up from the couch, ignoring the protests from his aching body. His heart pounded, his mind already racing.


    Fiona.


    He staggered slightly, but Ves was already beside him, steadying him with a firm grip. sea??h th§× NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "Leo, wait¡ª" she was startled.


    Since after the mutant ape, it has been a while since Leo has been injured to this extent. Unlike last time, during the fight with the mutant ape, where his consciousness was taken into that dark space and after coming to,he found himself fully healed from the life threatening injuries, this is the first time that he''s facing the full brunt of a life threatening injury.


    But still, he''s holding strong as his innate skill, [Regeneration], has already taken care of most of the injuries.


    If it was someone else that suffered the amount of injuries he suffered in his fight against the Evolved Rank tree, they would still be unconscious. And that is if they somehow miraculously survive the fight.


    Leo slowly walked towards the window, with Ves supporting him. When he got to the window, he looked out the window of his room, catching a view of Fiona as she stood in the middle of a circle made by the wolf pack.


    He saw how their heads were lowered in respect, and he couldn''t help but smile.


    "She''s back," he said with a laugh.


    Ves glanced at him, her worry still evident, but she said nothing. She knew that she wouldn''t be able to stop him from going down to see Fiona in his condition.


    She helped him move, guiding him out of the room and toward the elevator, her grip steady even as he leaned heavily on her.


    Step by step, they made their way down to the ground floor of the building.


    ¡­..


    The elevator doors slid open, revealing the open space of the ground floor.


    Fiona was already there, standing with the wolves lined up behind her.


    Leo''s breath was caught in his throat when he saw her standing there. He has lived the past two days worried about her and how she was doing.


    Even after he woke up this morning and saw through the [Beasmaster''s Bond] panel that she was already at the Evolved Rank, he was still worried.


    His thoughts couldn''t help but go back to the day he tamed her. Who knew that they would grow so close in such a short amount of time, and he would start worrying about her.


    Leo continued to stare at her and for a moment, the entire world slowed to a stop.


    Everything else faded¡ªthe faint sound of the city, even Ves''s presence beside him.


    It was just the two of them.


    Leo and Fiona.


    Their eyes met, and in that moment, no words were needed, as their eyes alone told each other everything.


    In Fiona''s golden gaze, Leo saw everything¡ªher struggles, her triumphs, the battles she had fought to stand where she was now.


    And in his own, she saw what he wouldn''t say out loud¡ªthe worry, the pride, the deep, unspoken relief that she had returned.


    A thousand words passed between them, yet neither of them spoke.


    Then¡ª


    Fiona moved.


    Slowly, deliberately, she stepped forward, closing the distance between them with measured grace.


    Leo bent down slowly and spread open his arms.


    Fiona reached him, her eyes never leaving his.


    And then, with a soft huff, she snuggled her body into his waiting arms.


    Leo''s breath left him in a shaky exhale as he wrapped his arms around her, burying his fingers into the thick fur along her neck.


    She was warm. Solid. Real.


    A soft, contented growl rumbled in her chest, and he felt it against his ribs, steady and reassuring.


    "You''re back," he whispered, his voice barely audible.


    Fiona didn''t respond, but she didn''t need to. The weight of her presence was enough.


    For a long time, they just stood there.


    The wolves remained silent, watching their leader embrace the one she had chosen.


    Even Ves, Mia, and Miguel¡ªwho had followed behind them¡ªstayed quiet, sensing the moment wasn''t theirs to interrupt.


    Leo finally pulled back slightly, just enough to look at her properly.


    His hands moved over her, checking for injuries, searching for anything different.


    No physical changes. No unnatural shifts in form.


    She was still Fiona.


    And yet¡ªshe wasn''t.


    He could feel it. The strength beneath her skin, the raw power just beneath the surface of her skin, coursing through her body like an ocean current.


    She had evolved and grown stronger.


    Leo let out a small, breathless laugh, shaking his head.


    "You''ve really outdone yourself, haven''t you?" he murmured.


    Fiona flicked her ear, nudging his side in response.


    Leo grinned, running a hand through her fur.


    "I''m proud of you," he said, his voice filled with nothing but sincerity.


    Fiona let out a soft exhale, her tail flickering behind her, slightly, as she snuggled into his arms.


    She understood what he had said.


    Leo exhaled deeply, his exhaustion finally settling in now that his emotions weren''t running high.


    But despite everything¡ªthe pain, the fatigue¡ªhe felt lighter.


    She was home.


    Leo let out a small chuckle, rubbing behind her ears.


    Ves stepped forward, her sharp eyes scanning Fiona for any changes.


    "She didn''t change much physically," she observed.


    Leo nodded.


    "Yeah, I noticed that too."


    Ves tilted her head slightly.


    "You expected her to?"


    "Not really, but I wasn''t sure." Leo shrugged.


    "I actually did expected some sort of physical changes but it seems there will be no physical changes."


    Ves nodded, turning to look at Fiona again.


    "Still¡­ it''s impressive."


    Mia grinned. "She really looks like a queen with the way the other wolves treat her."


    Miguel chuckled. "She kinda is."


    Leo smirked. "Yeah. And she knows it."


    Fiona flicked her ear in amusement, lifting her head slightly, as if embracing the title.


    Leo shook his head.


    "Alright. I think we''ve had enough dramatics for one day."


    Ves shot him a look.


    "Says the guy who nearly got himself killed."


    Leo raised a finger.


    "Hey, I did kill that thing. It just took a little extra effort."


    "A little?" Ves scoffed. "You were out for hours."


    Leo grinned. "And yet, I''m still alive."


    Mia shook her head with a laugh.


    "You two should get a room."


    Leo and Ves both shot her a glare at the same time.


    Mia smirked. "See? Perfect match."


    Miguel sighed. "Mia, now''s not the time."


    Leo groaned, rubbing his temple.


    "Let''s focus on what matters. Fiona is back and her strength is going to be an asset to us."


    Ves nodded in agreement.


    Leo gave her a knowing look.


    "See? You do care."


    Ves rolled her eyes. "Shut up."


    Leo laughed.


    The tension had finally eased.

 Chapter 114 - 114: An Unexpected Visitor

    Leo and his team slept soundly through the night, the tension that had gripped him for days finally lifting. With Fiona back and the wolves keeping watch as always, there was nothing to fear.


    For the first time in days, he didn''t wake up in the middle of the night, his mind restless and full of worry. The gnawing unease that had accompanied Fiona''s absence had finally disappeared.


    Now, he could breathe.


    As the first light of morning filtered through the broken blinds, Leo stirred. He shifted slightly, groaning softly at the lingering aches in his body.


    The fight with the tree had left him battered, and even though his [Regeneration] skill had done most of the work, he still felt sore all over.


    It was the kind of exhaustion that clung to his bones.


    He was just about to stretch when he noticed something.


    Someone was watching him.


    His instincts kicked in, and his muscles tensed as his eyes shot open.


    And there she was.


    Tatiana.


    Standing beside his bed with a smirk on her lips.


    Leo let out a long, suffering sigh and ran a hand down his face.


    "Tatiana¡­ on this world, we have something called privacy. You can just knock on my door, and if I''m awake, I''ll let you in."


    Tatiana''s smirk only widened. "Privacy?" she echoed, as if the concept itself was laughable.


    She took a step closer, tilting her head.


    "You lost your privacy the moment the Off-worlders started arriving."


    Leo frowned. "What''s that supposed to mean?"


    Tatiana chuckled. "It means you can be seen right now through these walls. You can be heard from miles away. Even if you whisper, there''s an Off-worlder out there who will hear every word."


    She crossed her arms, eyes glinting with amusement.


    "So, do you really think you still have privacy?"


    Leo exhaled through his nose, the weight of her words settling in.


    The Off-worlders weren''t just stronger. They had abilities beyond what he could comprehend. If they could track him that easily, then¡­


    His mind immediately went to his final evolution requirement.


    His stomach twisted.


    "Now, I''m really worried about how I''m going to complete the last requirement," he muttered. "With all these advantages, beating an Off-worlder is going to be near impossible."


    Tatiana''s smirk didn''t fade. In fact, it widened.


    "Indeed, it''s going to be," she said. "But no need to worry. That''s why I''m here."


    Leo narrowed his eyes. "You''re planning something."


    Tatiana gave a mock gasp. "Me? Planning something? Perish the thought."


    Leo''s expression remained flat. "Tatiana."


    She chuckled. "Fine, fine. I have an idea on how you''re going to defeat an Off-worlder, but first, you need training. And for that¡ª"


    Her eyes gleamed with something almost sinister.


    "Elda will be your trainer."


    Leo tensed slightly at the name.


    Elda. Her bodyguard?


    Leo felt that this was going to be worst than fighting the Evolved Rank tree.


    Tatiana continued, "But before you ask¡ªnot now. First, you need to heal completely. That fight with the tree left you closer to death than you think. You wouldn''t last an hour in real training."


    Leo didn''t argue. His body still ached like hell. He wasn''t about to rush into another fight when he could barely stand without wincing.


    Tatiana seemed satisfied with his silence.


    "Well then, that''s all I came for," she said, brushing imaginary dust off her sleeve. "See you later, Leo."


    With that, she vanished, leaving Leo alone in his room once more.


    He stared at the spot where she had been.


    She was up to something. He knew it.


    But for now, he had to focus on recovering.


    Leo pushed himself up and stretched, wincing slightly at the stiffness in his muscles. Even if he wasn''t going anywhere today, he refused to just lie in bed like some fragile invalid.


    An hour passed.


    Everyone else had left the building to continue training, and even Fiona was gone again, out leveling up with the wolves.


    The apartment was quiet.


    Leo sat near the window, enjoying the silence.


    And the next moment, he felt a chill ran down his spine.


    A presence.


    Not Tatiana''s. Not anyone that he was familiar with.


    Something else.


    His instincts screamed at him.


    Leo didn''t move. He didn''t turn. But he knew.


    He wasn''t alone in the room anymore.


    He inhaled slowly. "Are you going to introduce yourself, or are you just going to keep standing there?"


    A voice¡ªsmooth, lilting, amused.


    "Clever."


    Leo turned his head slightly¡ªand his breath caught.


    A woman stood near the far side of the room, near the door.


    Tall. Elegant. Ethereal.


    She had long, silvery-white hair that cascaded like flowing silk, and piercing violet eyes that seemed to glow faintly in the dim light.


    She was dressed in a long, flowing white and green dress, its delicate fabric shifting slightly despite the lack of wind.


    But the most prominent part of her was her long, pointy ears and green eyes.


    Elf?


    Leo thought to himself.


    She smiled slightly. "I was wondering when you''d notice me."


    Leo''s fingers twitched. He didn''t reach for Nightshade¡ªnot yet¡ªbut he was on edge.


    "Who are you?" he asked.


    The woman tilted her head, the movement eerily smooth.


    "An admirer," she said.


    Leo frowned.


    "Not an answer."


    She chuckled softly. "I suppose not." sea??h th§× nov§×lF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    She took a step closer, moving with a grace that didn''t seem natural. It was almost like she glided.


    Leo forced himself to stay still.


    "I''ve been watching you," she admitted, her gaze sharp. "Since your battle with the mantis."


    Leo''s jaw tightened. "Why?"


    Her eyes gleamed. "Because you are different."


    She let the words settle before continuing.


    "You are not like the others on this world. You stand against creatures far beyond your level, and yet, you win. You adapt. You survive."


    She smiled.


    "And that makes you¡­ interesting."


    Leo inhaled slowly. "What do you want?"


    She clasped her hands behind her back. "An alliance."


    Leo blinked.


    She watched him carefully. "You and I¡­ we could help each other."


    Leo narrowed his eyes. "And how exactly would that work?"


    The woman''s expression didn''t change.


    "You have potential," she said. "I can make sure you survive the tournament. I can make sure you thrive."


    Leo''s fists clenched. "And in return?"


    "You serve me."


    The words were smooth. Effortless. Dangerous.


    Leo let out a sharp breath.


    "Yeah, that''s gonna be a no."


    She smiled, but there was something cold behind it. "I expected as much."


    Still, she didn''t look disappointed. If anything, she looked amused.


    "You are stubborn," she mused. "But that will only take you so far."


    She turned slightly, as if preparing to leave.


    "Think carefully, Leo," she said. "The tournament is unlike anything you can imagine. You will face beings beyond your understanding."


    Her violet eyes locked onto his.


    "And if you aren''t ready, you will die."


    With that, she vanished¡ªjust like that.


    Leo exhaled sharply.


    His entire body was tense.


    He didn''t know who she was. He didn''t know what she wanted.


    But one thing was clear.


    The tournament was going to be an avenue for a tides of blood to flow and he must prepare himself, and other if he wants to survive.


    "Sigh... Why can''t someone just have some moments of peace without thinking about this tournament."

 Chapter 115 - 115: A One-Day Training

    Leo spent the next few days doing what he hated most¡ªresting.


    His body screamed at him to move, to fight, to keep pushing forward, but he knew better. His injuries from the battle with the Evolved Rank tree had been extensive, worse than any he had sustained before. Even with [Regeneration] working tirelessly to mend his wounds, he needed time.


    And so, begrudgingly, he listened to reason.


    The first day was the hardest. He barely slept, his body aching in a way that was impossible to ignore. Every movement reminded him of the sheer brutality of that fight, of how close he had come to being torn apart.


    By the second day, he could move without feeling like his bones were grinding together. He spent the time stretching, walking around, keeping his body loose so that once he was fully healed, he wouldn''t feel sluggish.


    The third day was better. His strength had returned, and he could feel his body adjusting once again, preparing itself for what was to come.


    And then, the fourth day arrived.


    Leo stood by the window of his room, his gaze fixed on the ruined cityscape beyond. The air was heavy with tension, as if the world itself knew what was coming.


    Three days left until the tournament.


    Three days to complete his final evolution requirement.


    If he failed¡ªif he wasn''t ready¡ªthen surviving the tournament would be a miracle.


    He exhaled, running a hand through his hair before calling Tatiana in his mind, just as she told him to.


    She answered immediately.


    "Finally!" Tatiana''s voice was brimming with excitement. "I was starting to think you''d never call."


    Leo sighed. "I needed time to heal."


    Tatiana let out a dramatic huff. "You and your excuses."


    Leo rolled his eyes. "So? What''s the plan?"


    There was a beat of silence, then a slow, mischievous chuckle.


    Leo instantly regretted everything.


    "Leo," Tatiana purred. "Are you ready?"


    Something about the way she said it made his stomach twist.


    "Yeah?" he answered hesitantly.


    Her grin was practically audible.


    "Good."


    The next thing he knew, the air around him shifted. Tatiana appeared in front of him in an instant, grabbed him by the collar of his shirt, and lifted him effortlessly off the ground.


    "Wait¡ªwhat¡ªTatiana!" Leo yelped, his legs dangling as she floated effortlessly out of his room and into the sky.


    "Too late to back out now!" she chirped, holding him tightly as they soared above the city.


    Leo groaned, trying not to focus on the fact that he was now miles above the ground. "You do know there are other ways to travel, right?"


    Tatiana smirked, her crimson eyes gleaming. "Where''s the fun in that?"


    Leo muttered a string of curses under his breath as he looked down. Their destination was already in sight¡ªthe battlefield where he had fought the Evolved Rank tree.


    Or rather, what was left of it.


    The once-massive tree was nothing more than charred remains, its massive roots curled in on themselves. The ground was still scarred, deep craters littering the landscape from their battle.


    And standing in the center of it all was Elda.


    The moment Leo spotted her, his stomach dropped.


    She stood motionless, her posture perfect, her hands tucked neatly behind her back. Her sharp, predatory gaze was locked onto him the moment Tatiana started descending.


    Leo swallowed thickly.


    This was going to be hell.


    Tatiana landed gracefully, dropping Leo onto his feet before dusting off her hands.


    "Well, here we are," she said cheerfully. "Have fun!"


    Leo barely had time to turn and glare at her before she vanished, leaving him alone with Elda.


    The silver-haired warrior studied him with an unreadable expression.


    "You''ve recovered," she stated.


    Leo forced himself to stand straighter. "Yeah."


    Elda tilted her head slightly. "Good. Then we begin immediately." S§×arch* The NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Leo barely had time to react before she moved.


    One second, she was standing several feet away.


    The next, she was right in front of him.


    Leo''s instincts screamed, and he barely dodged as her fist shot toward his stomach. The sheer force behind the strike sent a shockwave through the air, cracking the ground where he had been standing.


    His eyes widened. That would have killed him if it landed.


    He didn''t have time to think. Elda was already moving again.


    A knee came for his ribs. He twisted away, but she adjusted mid-motion, slamming her elbow toward his shoulder.


    Leo raised his arm just in time to block, but the impact sent him skidding back several feet, his bones rattling from the force.


    "You''re slow," Elda observed, her voice as calm as ever.


    Leo gritted his teeth.


    "Maybe because you''re trying to kill me," he shot back.


    Elda didn''t react. She simply stepped forward again, her movements precise, calculated.


    Leo exhaled sharply, his mind racing. She was faster, stronger¡ªhe couldn''t match her in raw power. He needed to think.


    She attacked again. This time, he saw it¡ªher stance, the slight shift in her balance.


    She was aiming for his ribs.


    Leo moved at the last second, sidestepping just enough to avoid the full force of the blow.


    Elda''s eyes flickered with interest.


    "Better," she mused.


    Leo didn''t waste the opening. He lashed out with a kick, aiming for her knee.


    It barely connected.


    Elda shifted, absorbing the impact like it was nothing. And it was really nothingf to her.


    Then she retaliated.


    Her palm struck his chest with the force of a cannon.


    Leo gasped as he was launched backward, his body crashing against the ground.


    He groaned, rolling onto his hands and knees. Every inch of him ached.


    This wasn''t training.


    This was survival.


    Elda slowly walked toward him, her movements eerily fluid.


    "Do you understand now?" she asked.


    Leo coughed, pushing himself up. "That you''re insane? Yeah, loud and clear."


    Elda didn''t smile. "No. That you''re still weak."


    Leo clenched his fists.


    He knew that. He didn''t need her to tell him.


    But he wasn''t going to stay weak.


    Not anymore.


    He got back on his feet, his breath coming in heavy. His body screamed in protest, but he ignored it.


    Elda nodded slightly. "Again."


    And the fight continued.


    For hours, Elda pushed him to his absolute limit. She didn''t let up, didn''t give him a second to breathe. Every mistake he made, she punished. Every opening he left, she exploited.


    Leo lost count of how many times he hit the ground.


    But something changed.


    Slowly, gradually, he started to see.


    The way she moved. The tells before she struck. The slight weight shift before a kick. The tiny pause before she countered.


    She was forcing him to adapt.


    By the time the sun began to set, Leo was barely standing. His entire body ached, his muscles screaming from exertion.


    But he had learned what he needed to. The training was only for a day and it was the reason why Elda seem to have went all out on him. Even though she was actually holding back her strength a lot.


    If she had attacked him with even ten percent of her full strength, he would had died no doubt.


    Elda finally stopped, watching him as he swayed on his feet.


    "Good," she said simply. "You''re learning."


    Leo let out a breathless laugh. "Great¡­ now I just need a hospital."


    Even though he said that, he was happy inwardly. He has gotten a taste of just how strong an Exalted Rank individual is, by training with an Overlord Rank individual.


    If this isn''t enough for him to complete his last evolution requirement, them he should just forget everything.


    Tatiana reappeared just as Leo collapsed onto the ground.


    "Well?" she asked, grinning.


    Elda glanced at Leo before nodding. "He''ll survive."


    Tatiana smirked. "Barely."


    Leo glared weakly at both of them. "I hate you both."


    Tatiana just laughed.


    "I hope you''re ready for what''s to come. Even though we aren''t allowed to kill, this person you''re going to fight has no reservations about beating you into a pulp and throwing you to her dogs to finish you off."

 Chapter 116 - 116: Fighting An Off-worlder

    Leo spent the entire day resting, as Tatiana had advised. His body had mostly healed from the brutal training session with Elda, but his mind wasn''t at ease.


    The lingering question gnawed at him: Who was the Off-worlder he would have to fight?


    Tatiana hadn''t told him, which only added to his frustration. Knowing her, if she wanted him to know, she would have told him already. Still, he couldn''t shake the curiosity¡ªand the anxiety.


    The day passed uneventfully. Ves, Miguel, and Mia were out training and leveling again, and Fiona had taken the wolves to continue hunting and leveling. The base felt empty. The silence left Leo alone with his thoughts.


    Ves had told him the day before that all three of them¡ªherself, Miguel, and Mia¡ªhad reached level 20. He was genuinely happy for them, but when Ves shared her evolution requirements, Leo had sighed heavily.


    Her requirements were just as difficult as his. Though she had three requirements¡ªthe standard amount according to Tatiana¡ªit didn''t make things easier. The challenges they all faced were monstrous, and time was running out.


    Just a day and half left until the tournament.


    The rest of the day went by uneventfully and it was finally D-day.


    Leo woke up the next morning, stretching with a groan as he opened his eyes¡ªonly to find Tatiana standing beside his bed with her usual infuriating smile.


    He sighed deeply, dragging a hand down his face. "Tatiana¡­ seriously?"


    "Good morning to you too," she said, her voice dripping with amusement. "I figured I''d drop by early. Today''s a big day, after all."


    Leo sat up slowly, his body still stiff from the previous days of brutal training.


    "So, are you ready for your first fight against an Off-worlder?" Tatiana asked, her crimson eyes gleaming with excitement.


    Leo raised an eyebrow. "You know, you still haven''t told me who I''m fighting."


    Tatiana''s smile widened. She stepped closer to him, bending down until her lips were near his ear.


    "My stepsister," she whispered.


    Leo''s eyes widened in shock. His entire body went still.


    "...What?" His voice cracked slightly.


    Tatiana stepped back, grinning from ear to ear.


    "You heard me. My stepsister."


    Fear crept into Leo''s expression. "Your stepsister?! Are you trying to get me killed?! You want me to fight your stepsister?"


    Tatiana nodded, her grin never faltering.


    "Why?! I mean¡­ there are other Off-worlders, right? Must it be her?"


    "Yes," Tatiana said firmly, crossing her arms.


    "Why?!" Leo almost yelled.


    Tatiana sighed as if explaining something obvious to a child.


    "Look, Leo. You can''t just waltz up to any Off-worlder and expect them to fight you. Even if they agree, they''ll send their minions first. The natives they gathered, the ones they use as shields. You wouldn''t get a chance to fight them directly."


    Leo opened his mouth but said nothing.


    Tatiana continued. "But if you challenge my stepsister, Lilliana, will have no choice but to step in. She hates me. Despises me, actually. If she thinks you''re my chosen fighter, she''ll come after you without hesitation. Her pride won''t allow her to step back."


    Leo stared at her, realization dawning.


    "For the first time, you''re actually telling me something about yourself," he said, studying her carefully. "You don''t have a good relationship with your stepsister, do you?"


    Tatiana''s smile dimmed, but only for a second. "Let''s just say¡­ family is complicated."


    Leo sighed. "So, what''s the plan? Are we just going to show up and challenge her? Just like that?"


    Tatiana grinned. "Exactly like that."


    Leo groaned. "I was afraid you''d say that."


    "Trust me, Leo. If you challenge her, she won''t give you time to prepare. She''ll want to crush you immediately, in front of everyone. For her, it''s about saving face. You''ll have one shot."


    Leo shivered. He could tell from Tatiana''s tone that Lilliana wasn''t the type to hold back. sea??h th§× ¦ÇovelFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "Get ready," Tatiana said, her grin sharp. "We''re leaving now."


    Before Leo could object, Tatiana grabbed him by the arm.


    "Wait¡ª"


    But Tatiana didn''t wait.


    With a surge of power, she launched them both into the sky.


    The wind roared in Leo''s ears as they soared above the ruined city. He looked down, taking in the cityscape stretched beneath them¡ªruined buildings, crumbling streets, and distant figures scavenging through what remained.


    The entire city was a graveyard, a stark reminder of the apocalypse that had brought the world to its knees.


    As they flew, Leo caught glimpses of other survivors, struggling to stay alive. Some groups huddled together, others hunted alone.


    The world had become cruel.


    But none of that mattered now.


    Tatiana''s grip tightened.


    "There," she said, pointing ahead.


    Leo looked.


    A large building complex came into view¡ªtall, sleek, untouched by the decay that surrounded it. Unlike the ruined city, this place seemed¡­ pristine. Powerful.


    And Leo could feel it.


    A pressure. A presence.


    This was Lilliana''s base.


    Tatiana landed gracefully at the edge of the complex, dropping Leo onto his feet.


    "Welcome," she said, "to Lilliana''s playground."


    Leo barely had time to take in the sight when movement caught his eye.


    Several figures emerged from the building.


    Lilliana''s group.


    They looked strong¡ªtoo strong. Each one radiated power, their gazes cold and dismissive. But that was only on the surface, as Tatiana could feel how scared they all are.


    The moment they saw Tatiana, their expressions twisted into sneers.


    "You''re not welcome here," one of them said, stepping forward.


    Leo instinctively reached for Nightshade, but Tatiana raised a hand.


    "Don''t bother," she said.


    And then¡ª


    With a flick of her wrist, a burst of crimson energy exploded from her hand.


    The shockwave sent the group flying backward, crashing into the walls of the building with bone-shattering force.


    Leo stared in shock.


    "Was that really necessary?" he asked.


    Tatiana smirked. "Of course."


    The ground trembled.


    A door slammed open.


    And she appeared.


    Lilliana.


    Tall. Regal. Dressed in flowing white robes lined with gold. Her silver hair cascaded down her back, and her sharp emerald eyes blazed with fury.


    Her presence was suffocating.


    Leo immediately understood¡ªthis woman was dangerous.


    Lilliana''s gaze locked onto Tatiana.


    "You," she hissed. "What are you doing here?"


    Tatiana smiled sweetly. "Visiting family, of course."


    Lilliana''s eyes narrowed.


    Then, she saw Leo.


    Her lips curled into a cold smile.


    "And who is this?"


    Tatiana stepped forward, placing a hand on Leo''s shoulder.


    "My champion," she said.


    Lilliana stared at Leo for a long moment.


    Then, she laughed.


    "A native?" Her voice dripped with disdain. "You send this*m to challenge me?"


    Her smile faded, replaced by something darker.


    "Fine. I''ll humor you. I''ll crush your little champion and prove, once again, that you are nothing."


    Her gaze locked onto Leo.


    "And you¡­ I''ll break you."


    Leo felt the weight of her words. The sheer pressure of her aura pressed down on him.


    But he didn''t back down.


    He met her gaze head-on.


    Tatiana stepped back with a grin.


    "Let''s see what you''ve got, Leo."


    Lilliana raised her hand. Energy crackled around her fingers.


    The fight was about to begin.


    The air itself seemed to freeze.


    Leo tightened his grip on Nightshade.


    This was it.


    No more running.


    His battle against an Off-worlder was about to start.

 Chapter 117 - 117: Liliana von Carstein

    Leo stood still, his grip tightening around Nightshade as he faced Lilliana. The air between them felt heavier than before, charged with tension that pressed against his chest.


    He had heard everything Tatiana told him about her stepsister, yet seeing Lilliana in person stirred something deeper¡ªan instinctual warning for him to turn around and run for his life.


    No matter what Tatiana said, Leo wasn''t fooled.


    According to Tatiana, Lilliana was "weak trash." But Leo had quickly learned that Tatiana''s definition of weak wasn''t something he could take lightly and he should never even dare to make such a costly mistake.


    To someone like her, who had awakened her racial traits at birth¡ªa feat that instantly marked her as a prodigy¡ªcalling Lilliana weak was relative. Tatiana''s standards were impossibly high. She had told him as much with that ever-present smirk of hers.


    "She''s trash. But don''t get it twisted¡ªtrash at my level can still crush you like an ant."


    That sentence replayed continuously in Leo''s mind.


    Lilliana, despite her "weakness," was still at the Exalted Rank.


    An Exalted Rank vampire that could erase him from existence with a flick of her finger. He knew that. Tatiana knew that.


    Yet here he was, standing face-to-face with her, about to fight.


    No running now.


    He focused his gaze on her.


    Lilliana had a regal air about her. She wore a flowing crimson dress, the fabric shimmering like fresh blood under the pale sunlight.


    Her silver hair, a stark contrast to her piercing green eyes, cascaded down her back in smooth waves. She looked every bit like royalty.


    But Leo knew the truth¡ªat least, the version of it that Tatiana had shared.


    Lilliana, the first daughter of the Blood Emperor, had been branded a disappointment. The one with the purest bloodline, the one expected to surpass all, had failed to awaken her racial traits.


    Blood manipulation, transformation, and every vampire abilities innate to her kind¡ªshe had awakened none until very late.


    For a vampire of her lineage, this wasn''t just a minor flaw. It was unforgivable.


    Among vampires and every major races in the Multiverse, racial traits defined everything. S~ea??h the n??el Fire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    For vampires, the ability to manipulate blood wasn''t just a power; it was a status symbol. It represented dominance, superiority, and worthiness. Those who awakened early were seen as destined for greatness.


    Tatiana had awakened her racial traits at birth.


    Her half-brother had awakened his by the age of three.


    But Lilliana?


    Nothing.


    Not a flicker of power. Not a single trait emerged during the years when it mattered most. And therefore, she was labeled trash.


    A disgrace to the Blood Emperor''s name.


    And what made it worse¡ªwhat truly cemented her shame¡ªwas how she finally gained her power.


    External help.


    Tatiana had practically spat those words when she explained it.


    "She wasn''t strong enough to awaken her own powers. She had to rely on others. That alone makes her unworthy."


    For vampires, power wasn''t just about strength¡ªit was about inheritance. Power earned through bloodlines and instinct. External help was a stain that could never be washed away.


    Leo studied Lilliana closely.


    Even though Tatiana told him that her strength won''t be as refined as hers, he made sure to not to relax. But in fact, made sure to up his guard.


    He could feel how her aura and how oppressive, and undeniably strong it is. That Exalted Rank presence pressed down on him, making it hard to breathe.


    Gifted or not, Lilliana was far beyond his current level.


    He remembered the stat rankings Tatiana had explained to him.


    Awakened Rank: Levels 1¨C20. The rank where most young mortals dwelled, struggling as they increase their strength.


    Evolved Rank: Levels 21¨C40. A stage of slight transformation in strength, where few reached without immense hardship and the rank where most commoner, and average adult are at. People here also called mortals as they are still weak.


    Exalted Rank: Levels 31¨C60. A realm where strength actually starts. With significant physical transformation and also in strength, coupled with insane multipliers, each level here represented a power gap that could swallow dozens of lower-ranked fighters whole.


    And Lilliana stood comfortably within that Exalted Rank.


    Her stats alone were terrifying. If he had to guess¡ª


    Strength easily above 400. Agility that could turn her into a blur faster than his eyes could track. Endurance capable of shrugging off wounds that would kill anyone else.


    Leo''s own stats, even after all his battles, weren''t even close. Not even up to 10% of her strength.


    But Tatiana believed he had a chance. Or maybe she just enjoys seeing me get beaten up.


    "Are you done staring?"


    Lilliana''s voice snapped him out of his thoughts. It was cold, dripping with disdain.


    "You should feel honored," she continued, stepping forward. The air seemed to ripple around her.


    "You''re about to be crushed by someone far above you. Not many natives get that chance."


    Her gaze flickered briefly toward Tatiana, venom flashing in her eyes.


    "And you," she hissed. "Still hiding behind others, I see."


    Tatiana smiled lazily. "Oh, Lilliana. I''m not hiding behind anyone. You''re just too easy to provoke."


    Lilliana''s face twisted into a sneer.


    Leo could see it now¡ªhow much she hated Tatiana. The grudge ran deep.


    And he was the unfortunate target caught in the middle.


    But Leo wasn''t planning to back down.


    He wasn''t here to protect Tatiana''s pride.


    He was here to survive. And to complete his evolution.


    "You really think you stand a chance?" Lilliana said, her voice dripping with superiority.


    Leo didn''t respond. He simply raised Nightshade, shifting into a stance. His muscles tensed, his mind sharpening.


    Lilliana scoffed.


    "Pathetic."


    Energy flared around her¡ªa deep crimson aura that seemed to drink the very light from the surroundings. The air grew colder, sharper.


    Leo''s instincts screamed at him to move.


    The fight hadn''t even started, but his body already knew of what it''s going to experience.


    This would be a battle unlike any he had faced before.


    Tatiana stepped back, her arms crossed, watching intently.


    "You wanted a challenge, Leo," she murmured. "Let''s see if you survive this."


    The tension in the air thickened.


    Lilliana raised her hand.


    Leo gripped Nightshade tighter.


    This is it.


    The battle against an Off-worlder¡ªan Exalted Rank vampire¡ªwas about to begin.

 Chapter 118 - 118: Fighting Liliana

    The air stilled.


    A suffocating silence fell across the battlefield.


    Then¡ª


    It came.


    A wave of sheer, suffocating pressure erupted from Lilliana.


    The ground shattered beneath her feet, spiderweb cracks splintering outward in every direction. The atmosphere distorted, warping like a mirage under a blazing sun.


    The decaying ruins surrounding the battlefield groaned under the weight of the energy, ancient stone walls crumbling as if crushed by invisible hands.


    Leo''s breath caught in his throat. He tried to force himself to breath but all her could was gasp for breath. It felt like he was drowning in an ocean with no one to save him.


    It felt like the sky itself had fallen.


    His knees buckled instantly.


    "What¡­ is this?"


    The force bore down on him from all sides, a crushing weight threatening to flatten him into the earth. His legs trembled. His bones creaked under the unbearable pressure. His vision blurred.


    "I¡­ can''t¡­ breathe."


    Every cell in his body screamed. S§×arch* The N?velFire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    He had known there would be a gap. But this¡ª


    This was something else entirely.


    Exalted Rank.


    The gap wasn''t just a difference in levels. It was a chasm. A canyon so wide it felt insurmountable.


    Lilliana hadn''t moved. She hadn''t attacked.


    All she had done was just stand there¡ªand the battlefield had begun to collapse under her mere presence.


    "Do you understand now?"


    Her voice echoed like a whisper in his mind, dripping with disdain.


    "This is what separates you from me."


    Her violet eyes gleamed with cruel satisfaction as she stepped forward. The simple movement caused another shockwave, sending dust and debris flying. The ground cracked further, jagged fissures tearing through the earth.


    Leo fell to one knee.


    "Move. Get up."


    But his body refused to listen. His arms felt like lead, his chest crushed by an invisible force.


    This was just her pressure.


    And yet, it felt like death itself loomed over him.


    "You''re trembling. Good."


    Lilliana''s voice was soft, almost gentle, but every word pierced him like a blade.


    "You will now understand how pathetically weak a mortal Awakened is compared to an Exalted."


    She raised her hand lazily and the wind howled wildly.


    The ground beneath Leo''s feet shattered entirely, and he plummeted a few feet before landing hard on jagged rock.


    The gap between Awakened Rank and Exalted Rank wasn''t just power. It wasn''t just speed.


    It was dominion.


    Lilliana wasn''t just stronger.


    She owned the battlefield.


    Her mere presence bent reality around her, forcing it to heed her will.


    Leo tried to push himself up, gasping.


    "No. Not yet."


    But the pressure only intensified.


    Then¡ª


    A faint glow.


    Golden-purple light flickered faintly around Leo''s form.


    Lilliana''s eyes narrowed.


    "What is this?"


    The pressure on Leo lessened¡ªonly slightly¡ªbut enough for him to lift his head.


    He blinked.


    "The sun? No."


    A purple-golden sun hovered faintly above him, its light washing over his battered form. It wasn''t fully formed¡ªtranslucent, almost like a memory not real¡ªbut its mere presence was enough to keep Lilliana''s pressure at bay.


    The light coiled around Leo like a protective barrier, shielding him from the crushing force.


    Lilliana stepped back, her eyes narrowing further.


    "This¡­ shouldn''t be possible."


    Her voice held a rare note of disbelief.


    Tatiana, watching from the distance with folded arms, allowed a small smile to curl her lips.


    "So," she whispered, "it showed itself after all."


    Back on the battlefield, Leo''s breathing steadied.


    The sun''s glow faded as quickly as it appeared, but the relief it provided remained.


    He staggered back to his feet.


    "That¡­ was close," he muttered.


    Lilliana''s gaze sharpened.


    "What was that?" She asked curiously, with a feeling of uneasiness.


    Leo didn''t answer as he wasn''t sure himself. He had no idea as to the reason why the enigmatic sun would want to protect him.


    But whatever it was¡ªit gave him a chance.


    Just a chance.


    The pressure returned¡ªthis time focused. Sharper.


    Lilliana''s smile returned, cold and cruel.


    "Let''s see if that thing can protect you from this."


    She vanished.


    Leo''s eyes widened.


    "So fast¡ª"


    A fist slammed into his side.


    He barely registered the movement.


    Pain exploded through his ribs, sending him skidding across the ground. The impact carved a deep trench through the earth before he crashed into a broken wall.


    Too fast. Too strong.


    The damage wasn''t superficial. He could feel that his ribs had shattered and turned to dust with that blow. And even with [Regeneration] dulling the worst of it the impact, it was still very serious.


    Lilliana stood where he had been a moment ago, dusting off her hands as if brushing away dirt.


    "Disappointing."


    Leo coughed, spitting blood.


    "Get up."


    His fingers tightened around Nightshade.


    "Move."


    "One opening. I just need one opening."


    Lilliana blurred forward again.


    Leo raised Nightshade instinctively¡ª


    Her foot slammed into his raised sword, sending him flying once more.


    The impact rattled his bones.


    His vision blurred at the edges.


    I can''t keep up¡­


    Lilliana didn''t chase immediately. She stood tall, expression cold.


    "Do you realize it yet?"


    Her voice echoed across the broken battlefield.


    "The difference between us."


    Leo gasped for breath, forcing his trembling legs to hold his weight.


    "Not yet. I''m not done yet."


    Nightshade''s blade gleamed faintly as he tightened his grip.


    Just one chance.


    Lilliana raised her hand slowly.


    The air shattered.


    Leo''s instincts screamed¡ª


    Move or die.


    A sphere of condensed blood formed above her palm, swirling violently.


    Blood compression attack.


    Tatiana''s eyes narrowed in the distance.


    "She''s serious now."


    Leo pushed everything into his legs¡ª


    The sphere launched.


    Too fast¡ª


    He ducked¡ªbarely¡ªfeeling the heat sear past his face. The sphere detonated behind him with a deafening explosion.


    The shockwave obliterated the ruins behind him.


    Debris rained down as Leo coughed, stumbling forward.


    Lilliana appeared in front of him instantly, her hand glowing with crimson energy.


    "Goodbye."


    Her palm shot forward.


    Leo swung Nightshade with everything he had.


    The blade and palm met¡ª


    BOOM!


    The resulting shockwave shattered the earth beneath them.


    Leo felt his arms shatter under the impact.


    The world blurred¡ª


    "No. I can''t. Not now."


    Nightshade''s blade gleamed with the sunlight hitting it.


    Leo''s eyes burned with determination. He wasn''t going to lose the opportunity that Tatiana has given him.


    Today is the last day before the tournament begins and if he doesn''t win this fight, then he''s going to be in for a world of hurts.


    It''s only with sufficient strength can he be confident about being able to protect himself and those around him.

 Chapter 119 - 119: Fighting Liliana (2)

    The shockwave from the collision of Nightshade and Lilliana''s attack echoed across the battlefield, a deafening boom that cracked the earth and shattered distant ruins.


    Dust and debris flew into the air, blocking out the fading sunlight. The force of the collision sent ripples through the ground, splitting it apart as though the earth itself recoiled from the impact.


    Leo was thrown back. His body felt weightless for a moment before crashing hard against jagged stone.


    He gasped, spitting out blood. His arms hung uselessly at his sides; he could feel the fractures in his bones, the burning ache of muscles pushed beyond their limits.


    Even with [Regeneration] working overtime, his body was on the verge of collapse.


    Nightshade remained in his grip, though barely. His fingers were finding it very hard to grip it. The blade''s gleam had dulled, stained with his blood and dust. His vision blurred. His chest rose and fell in shallow, ragged breaths.


    Lilliana stood tall, unharmed, her crimson-glowing hand resting at her side. The cold smirk on her face deepened as she took a step forward.


    The ground creaked beneath her, unable to withstand the pressure radiating from her mere presence.


    "You''re still standing?" Her voice was smooth, almost amused. "Impressive, I must say."


    Leo pushed himself to his knees, coughing violently. His ribs protested with sharp pain. His legs trembled, barely able to support him. Yet, despite everything, his eyes burned with determination.


    Lilliana''s smile widened. "Ah, I see. You''re still clinging to hope. How adorable."


    With a blur, she vanished.


    Leo barely had time to react.


    A fist slammed into his stomach. The impact drove the air from his lungs, sending him flying once more.


    He skidded across the broken ground, coughing and gasping for breath. His vision dimmed, stars dancing before his eyes.


    But Lilliana wasn''t done.


    She appeared above him, her leg descending like a guillotine.


    Leo raised Nightshade in desperation. The blade blocked the strike, but the sheer force drove him deep into the ground, like a nail being hit by a hammer, creating a crater beneath him. His arms screamed in agony, and he could feel the fractures worsening.


    "You''re nothing," Lilliana whispered, standing over him. "Tatiana must really think poorly of me to send you. To send an insect like to fight me and the both of you will pay. And you will be the first."


    Leo gritted his teeth, forcing himself to stand. He didn''t bother to listen to what Lilliana was saying as he had far more important things to do than to listen to her rants.


    His whole body shook, every movement bringing searing pain. His grip on Nightshade tightened. He couldn''t afford to give up. Not with everything was at stake.


    Lilliana tilted her head. "Still fighting? Very well. Let''s see how long that lasts."


    With a flick of her wrist, dozens of crimson blades materialized around her, floating in the air like deadly petals. They brimmed with energy, sharp enough to cut through steel.


    "Let''s break you," she whispered. sea??h th§× ¦Çov§×lFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    The blades shot forward.


    Leo moved. He had no choice.


    He dodged left, the first blade slicing the air where he had stood. He ducked, another blade grazing his cheek, drawing a thin line of blood which turned into mist and floated towards Liliana.


    He parried one of the crimson blades with Nightshade, and the impact sent vibrations through his already broken arms.


    Leo continuously tried to dodge but there were too many.


    One blade cut across his thigh. Another slashed his side. His blood sprayed across the battlefield.


    Leo staggered, barely able to keep his footing. His vision blurred further. His breathing grew ragged.


    Lilliana appeared beside him again.


    Her hand gripped his face.


    Before he could react, she drove him into the ground with enough force to create another crater. The earth groaned under the impact, cracks spreading out in all directions.


    Leo lay there, gasping for breath, his body refusing to move as a never-seen-before headache enveloped his head. His grip on Nightshade weakened.


    "Pathetic," Lilliana whispered. "You thought you could fight me? You''re barely more than an insect. You don''t even qualify to be called an insect. You''re nothing more than a speck of dust."


    She raised her foot, placing it against his chest. Slowly, she began to press down.


    Pain exploded in Leo''s chest as his ribs cracked under the pressure.


    "How does it feel?" she asked softly, her eyes gleaming with cruelty. "To know that you''re utterly powerless? To know that you can do nothing but stay put and accept your miserable death."


    Leo gasped. He could feel his bones breaking. The world dimmed at the edges. His thoughts grew sluggish.


    But then the faintest glimmer of the purple-golden sun appeared again.


    It flickered in the corner of his mind. A distant warmth. Faint, yet undeniable.


    The faint, ethereal purple-golden light from the sun enveloped him again.


    Lilliana paused, sensing it too. Her eyes narrowed. "What¡­?"


    The warmth grew stronger.


    Leo''s mind cleared. It was only for a moment but it was enough.


    His fingers twitched and with the last of his strength, Leo gripped Nightshade once more.


    Lilliana''s eyes widened slightly as Leo raised the blade, the sun''s faint glow reflecting off its surface.


    He swung.


    The blade connected with Lilliana''s leg.


    For the first time, a thin line of blood appeared.


    Lilliana stepped back, her expression shifting from amusement to irritation.


    "Interesting," she whispered. "So you have something left after all."


    Leo fell forward, supporting himself with Nightshade. He was barely hanging on to his consciousness.


    Lilliana''s smile returned, colder than before. "I''m very curious to know how many times that thing of yours can save you from your inevitable death."


    She vanished again.


    A punch to his side sent him crashing into a wall.


    Before he could recover, a kick to his back that almost broke his spine, drove him to the ground.


    Another punch to his stomach left him gasping.


    She was faster now. Stronger.


    But Leo kept hanging on the last thread of his consciousness, never wanting to let go, no matter how many times she knocked him down.


    Lilliana''s smirk faded. Her strikes grew more aggressive. More desperate.


    Why isn''t he staying down?


    Leo''s vision blurred. His body screamed. But he remembered Tatiana''s words.


    If you don''t win this fight, you''re going to be in for a world of hurt in the tournament.


    He had to survive. He had to win.


    Even if it meant pushing himself beyond the limit.


    The sun''s glow flickered once more, lessening the pain he was feeling.


    Lilliana appeared in front of him for what she intended to be the final time.


    "Enough."


    She gathered her energy, crimson light swirling around her.


    Leo shakingly raised Nightshade one last time.


    The blade glinted with the crimson color of Liliana''s forming attack.


    And they clashed.


    The explosion rocked the battlefield.


    Dust and debris clouded the air.


    As the dust settled, Leo stood there, barely conscious, barely breathing, swaying like a small plant in a hurricane.

 Chapter 120 - 120: Fighting Liliana (3)

    Leo stood barely upright, his body broken and battered, held together only by his sheer will.


    His breathing came in shallow, ragged gasps. His vision blurred, with Nightshade slipping from his hand, due to his weak trembling fingers being unable to hold it anymore.


    Lilliana stood across from him, her expression unreadable. The faint cut Leo had managed to inflict on her leg was the only mark on her flawless appearance.


    Her violet eyes glimmered with cold amusement, but beneath that was extremely annoyance at Leo refusing to accept defeat after all the trashing she has given to him.


    But she was infuriated by the fact that a mere Awakened, an insect from a backwater world, managed to inflict an injury on her.


    She felt that the reason why he was able to injure her was because of the weapon in his hands. A weapon that Tatiana gave him as there was no way that he would have gotten such a weapon by himself in a backwater world.


    "Still standing?" she murmured, her voice carrying across the ruined field. "You''re more persistent than I expected. But I''m curious to know if it''s worth it?"


    By now, if she hasn''t guessed that there was more to Leo fighting her, then she''s truly foolish.


    She thought about it and felt that it was impossible that Tatiana put him up to it or that she''s forcing him to fight her. S§×ar?h the N?vel(F)ire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    The reason for this is because her knowledge of Tatiana doesn''t portray her as someone like that. Even as a vampire, Tatiana is considered a goody two shoes.


    She looked at Leo, the way he stood and the way he did his best to block her attacks. With this and the fact that he''s a very strong Awakened, she felt that she finally understood why he was fighting her to death.


    "But that shouldn''t be possible...," she murmured as she narrowed her eyes.


    Realising this, she decided to finish Leo once and for all. She doesn''t know if her guess is correct but she isn''t going to take her chances. There''s no way that she will allow Tatiana to keep someone so powerful.


    She raised her hand, causing the air to shift, and rimson energy to surge around her, condensing into sharp tendrils of blood that twisted and writhed as if alive.


    The pressure from her power deepened, heavier than before, suffocating and oppressive.


    The ground beneath Leo cracked further under its weight.


    Leo''s knees threatened to give in, but he forced them to hold, and keep him standing.


    He gritted his teeth, ignoring the searing pain coursing through his body, nearly causing him to scream out with every breath.


    His ribs were broken, shattered even. His arms were barely functioning at this point, and blood seeped from countless wounds on his body.


    Even though he can''t move, the most important thing was he was still breathing.


    Lilliana stepped forward and the earth quaked with her movement, though her feet barely touched the ground.


    "Let''s finish this."


    With a flick of her wrist, the blood tendrils snapped forward.


    Leo pushed his exhausted body, forcing it to move.


    The tendrils struck.


    One grazed his shoulder, tearing off his flesh and exposing his white bone. Another sliced across his thigh, nearly bringing him to the ground.


    The pain was blinding, but he forced himself to grip Nightshade tighter, and forced himself to push forward, even though he could only take half a step.


    "Closer. I need to get closer."


    But Lilliana didn''t stop.


    More tendrils lashed out, faster, sharper this time.


    Leo ducked one, used whatever little strength he had to pary another with Nightshade, but each strike drained him further. The muscles in his arms burned and his breath was so shallow that it felt like he was no longer breathing.


    Then, a tendril struck true.


    It drove through his side.


    Leo gasped, blood spraying from his lips.


    The impact sent him flying and he crashed into the remnants of a stone wall, the impact collapsing the structure around him.


    Silence.


    Dust settled.


    Lilliana lowered her hand, turning away.


    "It''s over."


    But then¡ª


    A cough.


    Lilliana froze, glancing over her shoulder.


    Leo was still standing.


    His legs trembled. Blood poured from the gaping wound in his side. His face was pale, and if someone was close to him, they would notice that he was really finding it hard to breathe.


    Lilliana''s eyes narrowed when she saw this.


    "You should be dead."


    Leo didn''t respond.


    He couldn''t.


    But his body moved.


    One step.


    Another.


    He moved like a zombie but each step was extremely slow and painful.


    Lilliana turned fully toward him.


    "You don''t know when to quit, do you?"


    Her expression hardened.


    "Fine."


    The crimson glow around her intensified.


    The tendrils returned, but this time they merged, forming a massive spear of condensed blood. It brimmed with power, radiating pure death.


    Leo could barely stand, let alone dodge an attack like that.


    He knew it.


    Lilliana knew it.


    "This is your end," she whispered.


    The spear launched.


    The world seemed to slow.


    Leo''s vision dimmed.


    Move. Now.


    But his legs refused.


    Move.


    The spear drew closer.


    Move!


    Then, a faint warmth enveloped him.


    The purple-golden sun appeared again.


    It flickered in the corner of his vision again, brighter than before.


    For a heartbeat, time stopped.


    Leo felt his body surge with warmth, his mind sharpening.


    The spear was inches away.


    With no idea where the strength came from, he raised Nightshade with everything he had left.


    The blade caught the spear.


    The impact was catastrophic.


    A shockwave erupted from the collision, obliterating the ruins around them. The ground shattered, sending debris flying in every direction.


    If any Awakened was caught in the collision right now, there''s no doubt he would have obliterated into oblivion, without being able to put up a fight.


    Leo screamed, pushing Nightshade forward, fighting against the unstoppable force. Even with the strengthening of the light from the purple-golden sun, his arms nearly went limp under the pressure. His body was torn further apart.


    But he didn''t let go.


    The purple-golden sun blazed brighter and became more visible.


    Finally, the blood spear cracked.


    Lilliana''s eyes widened.


    "No¡­"


    With a final roar, Leo pushed everything into one last strike.


    Nightshade cleaved through the spear.


    The explosion that followed consumed the battlefield.


    Flames. Wind. Stone.


    All swallowed by the blast.


    When the dust finally settled, Leo was still standing there.


    His entire body was broken. His arms hung uselessly. He stood there like a corpse.


    Lilliana stood opposite him, her expression unreadable.


    The gap between them remained.


    But for the first time, Lilliana no longer looked amused.


    "You¡­" she whispered.


    Leo had no idea what came over him, maybe due to the light of the purple-golden sun still enveloping him, he raised Nightshade one last time.


    "I''m not done yet."

 Chapter 121 - 121: Defeating An Exalted Rank Off-Worlder

    Smoke and dust choked the air, swirling around the shattered ruins and deep craters that marred the ground.


    The earth itself seemed to groan from the sheer destruction wrought by the battle.


    Leo stood, swaying like a leaf in the wind. His chest heaved and his entire body screaming in agony. Blood dripped from countless wounds.


    His right arm holding Nightshade, trembled continuously. And his legs felt like they could give out at any second. But all this was only possible because of the purple-golden light still enveloping, or he would had already been deader than dead on the floor.


    Lilliana stood opposite him, her silver hair slightly disheveled, her violet eyes gleaming with cold fury.


    The air around her shimmered with power, blood-red spears and swords forming and dissolving in the air around her as her rage boiled over.


    "You''re still standing?" Lilliana''s voice was sharp, unsteady. "You should be dead!"


    Leo didn''t answer. He was only hanging on by a thread¡ªa thin, fragile thread that could snap at any moment.


    His [Regeneration] skill coupled by the purple-golden light were the only reason he was still alive, but even it couldn''t keep up.


    His vision blurred at the edges, and every breath sent a fresh wave of pain through his ribs.


    Lilliana lifted her hand, and the air distorted again.


    Dozens of crimson spears materialized around her, their tips gleaming wickedly.


    "You should have stayed down. Now, I will make you regret it."


    Leo laughed weakly when he heard what she said.


    "You know for someone who is royalty of a major race in the Multiverse, you talk too much."


    Her voice trembled¡ªnot with fear, but with rage.


    She hadn''t expected this.


    A mere Awakened Rank mortal pushing her this far.


    Lilliana''s pride burned. She had toyed with him for too long.


    Now, she would end it.


    With a scream of fury, the spears shot forward.


    They came from every direction, each one carrying enough power to turn Leo into a human sieve.


    Leo''s mind raced.


    Move.


    Move!


    He couldn''t block them all. He couldn''t dodge them all. His body was too slow, too broken.


    But he could move forward.


    Straight at her.


    With a roar, Leo forced his legs to move. He used the strength the purple-golden light was giving him, taking advantage of it to oust himself forward.


    The spears closed in.


    One grazed his shoulder, tearing flesh. Another slashed across his side.


    Blood sprayed, but he kept moving.


    Closer.


    A spear aimed for his throat. He ducked, nearly missing it, and feeling the wind of its passing.


    Closer!


    Two more came from above¡ªhe rolled forward, pain flaring in every limb.


    He was almost there.


    Now!


    Lilliana''s eyes widened.


    He was too close.


    Panicking, she formed a sword of condensed blood in her hand and slashed downward.


    Leo raised Nightshade with both hands.


    The blades met.


    The impact sent another shockwave across the field.


    But this time, Leo held his ground.


    Out of nowhere, the purple-golden light enveloped Nightshade, and it intensified, allowing the blade cutting through the crimson energy.


    Lilliana snarled, raising her other hand to summon more weapons¡ª


    Now!


    Leo shifted his grip, ducked low, and surged forward.


    His knee struck her stomach.


    The breath left Lilliana''s lungs in a harsh gasp.


    Her concentration broke. The crimson weapons dissolved into mist.


    Leo didn''t stop.


    With a final, desperate cry, he pushed forward, slamming Lilliana to the ground.


    Dust exploded around them.


    When it settled¡ª


    Leo was on top of her, his knees pinning her arms to the ground.


    Nightshade''s blade pressed firmly against her chest, its tip resting just above her heart.


    Lilliana stared up at him, her eyes wide with disbelief.


    Her own crimson blades hovered in the air around them, poised to strike¡ªready to tear him apart. S§×ar?h the N??eFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    One wrong move, and they would both die. Or so they both thought.


    The battlefield fell silent.


    They stared at each other¡ªneither moving, neither blinking.


    The slightest twitch would mean death.


    Leo''s grip on Nightshade tightened.


    "This is it," he whispered, his voice hoarse. "Drop your weapons."


    Lilliana''s eyes narrowed. "You wouldn''t dare."


    "Try me," Leo growled.


    The crimson blades inched closer, shimmering dangerously.


    Lilliana''s lips curled into a cold smile.


    "Let''s see who''s faster then."


    Leo didn''t flinch.


    "You sure about that?" His voice was low but steady. "You really want to gamble with your life? Because I promise you¡ª"


    He pressed the blade, still covered with the light, down and just enough, shockingly, draw a thin line of blood.


    Lilliana''s breath caught.


    "¡ªI''ll win." Leo completed his sentence.


    She glared up at him, her pride screaming at her to fight back.


    But Leo wasn''t finished.


    "You think I''m bluffing? Let me paint a picture for you."


    He leaned in closer, his eyes cold and hard.


    "If I die here, Tatiana will tear you and your little group apart. She''ll crush every single one of you without breaking a sweat. And she''ll enjoy it."


    Lilliana''s eyes flickered. She didn''t believe it but she also didn''t want to take her chances. Also, she knew that she can''t kill Leo or she will be disqualified, and that is enough for her to even attempt suicide.


    "You know I''m right," Leo continued. "And if by some miracle she doesn''t destroy them? My team will be right behind her. They''ll hunt down the rest of your group. Injured. Weakened. Easy targets."


    He smirked, blood dripping from his lip.


    "Tell me, Lilliana. How does that sound?"


    Lilliana''s hands twitched beneath him.


    Frustration burned in her eyes.


    She had power. She had rank.


    But in this moment¡ª


    She had lost.


    Leo pressed the blade down further.


    "Drop. Your. Weapons."


    The crimson blades trembled.


    Lilliana''s breath came in ragged gasps.


    For a long, agonizing moment, the battlefield remained still.


    Then¡ª


    With a soft hiss, the crimson blades dissolved into mist.


    Lilliana turned her head away, her teeth gritted.


    "I concede."


    Leo exhaled.


    His arms gave out.


    But before either of them could move¡ª


    A blur of motion.


    Tatiana appeared in an instant, and without a word, she grabbed Leo by the arm.


    Lilliana''s eyes widened.


    "Wait¡ª"


    But before she could react¡ª


    Tatiana vanished with Leo, disappearing from the battlefield.


    Silence returned.


    Lilliana remained on the ground, staring at the empty space where they had been.


    Her fists clenched.


    "I¡­ lost?"


    The wind blew softly across the ruined battlefield, carrying away the last remnants of the fight.


    And far away¡ª


    Leo collapsed into unconsciousness in Tatiana''s arms, the faint glow of the purple-golden sun flickering briefly before fading.

 Chapter 122 - 122: Because Hes Leo

    Tatiana flew through the sky, the wind whipping past her as she cradled Leo''s limp body in her arms.


    The ruined city stretched below, a maze of crumbled buildings and lifeless streets.


    Her grip on him was firm but gentle, as though afraid he might disappear if she loosened it.


    She glanced down at him. His face was pale, his breathing ragged, and shallow. Bloody bruises and deep gashes with blood flowing out of them, could be seen all over his body, staining his clothes and giving it a sticky feel.


    He looked fragile¡ªtoo fragile for someone who had just fought an Exalted Rank opponent and survived.


    Tatiana''s crimson eyes softened.


    If it was anyone else, she wouldn''t had paid any attention to them but something about Leo strikes a chord with her.


    During Leo''s fight against Liliana, she saw him have multiple close shaves with death, and each time, and each time she wanted to step in.


    She was barely holding herself back from grabbing Liliana and trashing her, but when she remembered that this was for Leo and it was the only he could complete his evolution requirements, she held back.


    She was very happy for the mysterious and enigmatic purple-golden light that kept saving Leo''s life each time he was at the brink of death.


    Immediately after Liliana unleashed the full pressure of an Exalted Rank, Tatiana thought that Leo would die but he didn''t.


    He had stood his ground against Lilliana. Despite the overwhelming difference in power, he kept getting back up. He didn''t quit.


    And that terrified her without a doubt.


    Why did you push yourself this far? she wondered. Was it worth nearly dying for?


    Of course she knew the answers to these questions but at some point, she expected him to just give up but he didn''t.


    She had no idea but she felt very proud.


    Her thought went to the purple-golden sun had appeared again. That mysterious power that seemed to awaken only when Leo was on the brink of death. It was the only reason he survived.


    And Tatiana felt that using it might had taken quite a toll on him.


    ''You won,'' she thought, tightening her grip on him.


    The base came into view¡ªa tall residential building standing stubbornly against the skyline and other ruined buildings around it.


    As she landed softly on the balcony, Tatiana pushed open the door with a flick of her wrist, walking through the empty living area before making her way to Leo''s room.


    She laid him gently on the bed, her crimson eyes scanning his body. The bruises, deep cuts, and burns covered him from head to toe.


    His shirt was barely hanging on, torn and soaked in blood. The sight stirred something unfamiliar in her chest¡ªworry, frustration, relief.


    For a moment, she just stood there, watching him. His face looked so different now¡ªno defiance, no stubborn grin. Just a battered, unremarkable, young human male.


    She stared at his bloodied body for a while and sighed.


    "Guess I have no choice."


    With deliberate movements, she reached for the hem of his ruined shirt. Her fingers hovered there for a moment, hesitation flickering in her gaze.


    "This¡­ is necessary, I''m only doing this because I have to." she muttered under her breath.


    Still, a faint blush crept up her cheeks as she peeled the tattered fabric away, revealing the damage underneath. She had done this before, she has no idea why she''s blushing now.


    Actually, now that she thought of it. She did blush the first time.


    "Oh Tatiana, what has come over you? Are you really falling for him?" She muttered in a very low voice.


    Her voice was so low that would had been difficult for anyone standing right beside her to hear her.


    She shook her head, chasing the unwanted thoughts away as she turned her attention back to Leo''s injuries.


    Deep gashes marred his torso, some still oozing blood. Bruises bloomed across his ribs, dark and angry. And the sight caused her fingers twitched.


    "Tsk. Lucky you." She smiled.


    Carefully, Tatiana retrieved a clean cloth and a bowl of warm water she had prepared earlier. She dipped the cloth into the water, wrung it out, and began wiping away the blood and dirt.


    Her touch was gentle, more so than she expected. Each time Leo stirred or winced in his unconscious state, she paused, watching his face for any sign of pain.


    Her hand brushed against a particularly deep wound on his side. The cut had barely started to close, despite his regeneration ability.


    Tatiana frowned, pressing the cloth a little firmer against it. Blood stained the water in the bowl a deep crimson.


    The room was quiet except for Leo''s ragged breathing and the soft sound of water being wrung from the cloth.


    Tatiana continued cleaning his injuries, working slowly and carefully. Every now and then, her fingers would brush against his skin, sending a strange warmth through her that she quickly pushed aside.


    "Focus," she scolded herself. "This isn''t the time for¡­ whatever this is."


    Once his wounds were clean, she reached for a roll of bandages. As she began wrapping his torso, Tatiana leaned in closer, her face inches from his.


    The scent of blood was still strong, but it wasn''t as strong as before.


    Leo stirred again, letting out a faint groan. Tatiana froze, watching him carefully. But he didn''t wake. His breathing slowed once more, falling back into that deep, exhausted rhythm.


    Tatiana sighed in relief and continued her work.


    By the time she finished, Leo was fully bandaged¡ªhis chest, arms, and legs wrapped neatly, the worst of his wounds cleaned and covered. He looked less fragile now, though the exhaustion still clung to his features.


    Tatiana sat back, brushing a stray strand of hair from her face.


    "There. All done," she whispered.


    But she didn''t move. For a long time, she simply sat there, watching him.


    The sun had dipped below the horizon, casting the room in a soft, golden twilight. Shadows lengthened across the walls, and the quiet sound of the city''s ruins filtered through the window.


    Tatiana leaned back in the chair beside the bed, crossing her arms.


    "What am I even doing?" she whispered to the empty room.


    Her gaze drifted back to Leo''s face and she remained there, her crimson eyes never leaving him.


    She stayed through the silence, watching over him until sleep finally claimed her as well.


    Tatiana sat beside him, her expression unreadable. She watched the slow rise and fall of his chest, listening to the faint, raspy breaths that echoed in the silent room.


    Minutes passed.


    Then hours. S§×ar?h the ¦ÇovelFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    She didn''t move.


    Her fingers brushed the edge of the blanket covering him, as if reassuring herself that he was still there.


    ''Why do I care so much? You''re just a mortal¡­ right?'' she wondered.


    The door creaked open.


    Tatiana didn''t turn her head.


    Ves stood in the doorway.


    Her face drained of color the moment she saw Leo.


    He lay motionless, bandaged from head to toe, his face pale and bruised.


    "Leo¡­?" Ves whispered, stepping inside. Her voice trembled.


    Then her eyes shifted.


    Tatiana.


    Sitting there.


    Calm.


    Watching.


    "You. What did you do to him?" Ves hissed, her voice rising with each word.


    Tatiana finally looked up, her crimson eyes meeting Ves''s furious gaze.


    "Don''t jump to conclusions. He''s alive," Tatiana said smoothly.


    Ves stormed across the room, her fists clenched.


    "Alive? This¡ª" she gestured to Leo''s broken form¡ª


    "this is alive to you?"


    Tatiana didn''t flinch. "Barely. But yes."


    "You¡­!"


    Ves lunged forward, grabbing Tatiana by the collar of her dark blouse.


    Tatiana remained still, her expression calm even with Ves inches from her face.


    "How did this happen? Why did you allow it to happen?" She said in a slow, hissing voice.


    Tatiana sighed, brushing Ves''s hands off her.


    "Sit down. Let me explain."


    Ves didn''t move.


    Her breathing was ragged, her eyes locked on Leo''s still form.


    Tatiana''s gaze softened. "He fought Lilliana."


    Ves'' eyes narrowed in confusion. "Lilliana? Who''s Lilliana?"


    "My stepsister. An Exalted Rank Off-worlder," Tatiana replied.


    Ves took a step back, disbelief clouding her face.


    "You made him fight an Exalted Rank vampire?! Are you insane?! We''re you trying to kill him?!"


    "I didn''t make him do anything. He chose to fight her," Tatiana said, her tone cool.


    Ves clenched her fists. "Why?"


    "Because he needed to." Tatiana crossed her legs, settling back into the chair beside Leo''s bed.


    "It was the only way for him to complete his final evolution requirement."


    Ves stared at her.


    "You knew he wasn''t ready," Ves whispered, her voice trembling with rage. "This was the reason why you put him through that hellish training yesterday. You knew this would happen."


    Tatiana closed her eyes briefly. "I knew the risk. But I also knew he could survive."


    "Survive? Survive?!" Ves''s voice broke. "Look at him! He''s barely breathing!"


    Tatiana opened her eyes again, sharp and cold.


    "Keyword: he is breathing."


    Ves froze.


    Tatiana''s gaze softened, just a fraction. "Because he won."


    The room fell silent.


    Ves looked back at Leo. His face was peaceful despite his injuries, like he was finally resting after a long, exhausting journey.


    "He won¡­?" Ves whispered.


    Tatiana nodded. "It''s shocking but be actually won. He defeated an Exalted Rank Off-worlder."


    Ves collapsed into the chair beside the bed, burying her face in her hands.


    "I don''t understand. How did he¡­?" she whispered.


    Tatiana glanced at Leo, a faint smile tugging at her lips.


    "I guess the only thing I can say is because he''s Leo."


    Ves exhaled, looking at Leo''s face again. She reached out, brushing her fingers lightly across his hand.


    Tatiana stood, brushing her coat down.


    "He''ll wake up soon. His injuries are healing faster than I expected."


    Ves looked up at her.


    "And if he doesn''t?"


    Tatiana paused at the door, glancing back.


    "He will," she said, before disappearing.


    Ves stared after her for a long moment before turning her attention back to Leo.


    Minutes passed.


    The room was silent again.


    The only sound was the slow, steady rhythm of Leo''s breathing.

 Chapter 123 - 123: Tournament Begins, Leaderboard Ranking

    The soft sound of silence filled the dimly lit apartment. The air hung still, heavy with a strange tension that seemed to seep through the very walls.


    The night outside was eerily calm, almost as if the entire world was holding its breath, waiting.


    Ves stood beside Leo''s bed, her gaze fixed on his unmoving form. His chest rose and fell steadily, but the deep bruises and freshly wrapped bandages that covered him from head to toe served as a constant reminder of how close he had been to death. Again.


    After Tatiana left, Ves had watched over Leo for a while. But with no sign that he would wake anytime soon, she had reluctantly stepped away.


    He needed rest, and while she wished she could do more, the least she could do was ensure there would be food waiting for him when he woke.


    The kitchen felt too quiet as Ves moved around, gathering ingredients. She glanced out the cracked window, watching the city''s ruined skyline bathed in silver moonlight.


    Shadows stretched across broken streets, silent and foreboding. The city had grown quieter these past days. Too quiet. As if it too was waiting.


    Her fingers worked automatically, slicing the last of the mutant boar meat they had been rationing. The thick cuts glistened under the pale kitchen lights.


    The aroma of roasting meat soon filled the air¡ªa smell that had become familiar, comforting even.


    The mutant boar''s meat no longer granted stat boosts, but its rich flavor and nutritional value made it a staple they couldn''t afford to waste.


    Ves stirred the pot absentmindedly, her thoughts drifting.


    Tomorrow. The tournament. The event that would throw them all into chaos.


    She shivered at the thought, her hand tightening around the spoon.


    Leo¡ªwho had thrown himself into one impossible battle after another. Who had taken beatings that would have killed anyone else. Who, despite it all, kept moving forward. Reckless. Stubborn. Determined.


    And it terrified her.


    Her thoughts trailed off as she glanced toward Leo''s room. He hadn''t stirred since Tatiana had brought him back.


    Seeing him unconscious, covered in wounds, barely breathing¡ªher heart had nearly stopped.


    She hated how helpless it made her feel. How all she could do was stand there and watch.


    And tomorrow, it begins again. The thought gnawed at her. The tournament would be worse. More brutal. No rules. No mercy. If Leo wasn''t careful¡­


    Ves shook her head, forcing the thoughts away. She finished preparing the meal and plated it carefully.


    The rich scent of the cooked boar''s meat filled the air, thick and savory. She picked up a plate and walked back to Leo''s room.


    The door creaked softly as she entered. The faint moonlight filtering through the window bathed Leo''s pale face in silver. His expression was peaceful, despite the bruises and cuts.


    Ves sat beside him, balancing the plate on her lap. As she ate, she kept stealing glances at him. His breathing remained steady, but the tension in her chest refused to ease.


    "You''re so close," she whispered. "You just need to wake up."


    Hours passed.


    The night deepened, and the world outside grew impossibly still.


    Ves remained at Leo''s side. The plate was empty now, resting on a small table nearby.


    She pulled her knees to her chest, resting her chin atop them as she continued to watch over him.


    The dim glow of the city outside did little to chase away the heaviness in the air.


    A faint sound began to creep through the silence.


    Ves frowned, lifting her head.


    The sound grew louder.


    She stood abruptly, her eyes narrowing as a faint pulse ran through the floor. The air thickened. The shadows deepened. The entire world seemed to be holding its breath.


    Her heart started to pound.


    "No... It''s too soon."


    Then, outside the window¡ª


    A brilliant, blinding flash of light exploded across the sky.


    Ves rushed to the window, throwing it open.


    The city skyline was bathed in a crimson glow. High above, stretching across the heavens like a banner of war, a massive leaderboard appeared.


    Golden text shimmered against a blood-red backdrop. The letters glowed, casting their eerie light down upon the ruined city. S§×arch* The Nov§×l?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    The world seemed to freeze.


    A cold, mechanical voice echoed everywhere. It wasn''t heard through the ears but in the mind¡ªdeep, resonant, and absolute.


    [The Convergence Tournament Begins Now.]


    Ves stepped back from the window, her breath caught in her throat.


    The voice continued, cold and unfeeling.


    [All Participants Will Now Be Ranked.]


    [Ranking Leaderboard.]


    [#1: Rargan.


    Origin: Infernal Realm.


    Race: Demon.


    Rank: Exalted.]


    .....


    ....


    The leaderboard shimmered, lines of text shifting and rearranging.


    Ves stared in shock as the names began to appear.


    The top contenders from other realms she didn''t recognize. More than half of the ranking was occupied by Demon race, and it sent a very unpleasant chill down her spine.


    As the list continued, she finally some familiar names., recognising two of them due to some similarities with a certain someone name.


    [#67: Lucian von Carstein.


    Origin: First prince of Crimson Fall Realm.


    Race: Vampire.


    Rank: Exalted.]


    She recognised this person as he has the same last name as Tatiana.


    The ranking continued and the second familiar name appeared.


    [#72: Tatiana von Carstein.


    Origin: First princess of Crimson Fall Realm.


    Race: Vampire.


    Rank: Exalted.]


    [#85: Liliana von Carstein.


    Origin: Second princess of Crimson Fall Realm.


    Race: Vampire.


    Rank: Exalted.]


    .....


    "85th position... She''s strong but just how strong?" Ves asked herself with her eyes narrowed.


    She continued watching the ranking and there¡ªglowing faintly at the bottom of the list¡ª


    [#100: Leo Astranox


    Origin: &#@&#@#&@#


    Race: &#@&#@#&@#


    Rank: Evolved.]


    ...


    Ves'' blood ran cold when she saw Leo''s information on the leaderboard ranking.


    Immediately after the ranking appeared, she felt a huge wave of energy enveloping Leo and the entirely.


    At first a faint image of a purple-golden sun appeared in the room, filling it with its light.


    Seeing the image of the sun, Ves felt like she was standing in from of a insurmountable monster. A monster that could erase her out of existence with a glance.


    Her body tensed up and when she tried to breath, she found herself unable to. Her 3lga were also shaking and on the brink of giving out. But just as the last moment, the sun disappeared and the massive pressure along with it.


    Ves took a deep breath and steadied herself. After the sun disappeared, she had no idea why but she felt something telling her to look back at the Leo''s ranking on the leaderboard again.


    [#100: Leo Astranox


    Origin: Earth''s native. Son of Astragar, the third dragon prince, and Elunara, the caretaker goddess of the world tree, Yggdrasill.


    Race: Human, Dragon, God.


    Rank: Evolved.]


    ...


    "Holy..."

 Chapter 124 - 124: Leos Shocking Background

    The appearance of the leaderboard ranking caused a very heavy and loud silence to envelop the world.


    It felt like the world had stopped rotating and was now on a standstill.


    Slowly, everyone¡ªthe humans¡ªstarted to feel some tension in the air. The tension grew and became very palpable.


    It was just tension alone that was in the air, but also fear.


    Yes, fear.


    For the humans, it could be said that this is the first time that they are seeing the races.


    Demons, vampires, werewolves, elves, dwarves, beastkin and the rest. It''s the first time that they are hearing of them.


    Yes, someone of them have met some of these .... aliens directly, interacted with them and seer that they are actually real. And they are now surbodinates and some of them, forced slaves to these entities.


    But it wasn''t the same for everyone around the world.


    Earth is a planet with a population of more than 8.2 billion humans. Even with the apocalypse and the dangers that comes with it claiming immeasurable numbers of lives, the remaining Earth''s population is still in the hundreds of millions.


    And naturally, it''s impossible for the hundreds of millions of people to be able to meet a small number of people.


    For those who had haven''t met the Off-worlders, they were naturally scared when they saw the names on the ranking. And seeing that no human among them is on the ranking, made feel even more scared.


    But the appearance of Leo on the leaderboard ranking changed everything. They didn''t understand how someone like him could be a native of Earth as stated by his information on the leaderboard. But they hoped that the fact he''s a native would gave them hope. No matter how useless it might seem at the moment.


    Father, Dragon prince. Mother, caretaker goddess of the world tree.


    These were the words that was continuously repeated in almost everyone''s head when they read Leo''s information.


    ...


    As for the Off-worlders, the appearance of the leaderboard ranking marked the beginning of the chaotic and bloody battle that''s going to happen in the coming days.


    The leaderboard''s appearance wasn''t the beginning of the tournament. It was the beginning of something massive, something that would change their lives forever. sea??h th§× N??eFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    As they continued to view the leaderboard and its occupants, some of them saw some very familiar names.


    This was especially so for Tatiana. She saw the names on the ranking and she suddenly felt that she might had been underplaying the value the tournament holds in everyone''s heart.


    Seeing her step siblings on the ranking was no surprise. It would have been quite a slap to the face of the Blood Emperor, and an insult to his status, if his children didn''t make the ranking.


    What actually surprised her, shocking her even, was the appearance of so many demons and their domination over half of the ranking.


    Tatiana felt that there was more to the appearance of these demons and everything was exactly as it seems. This was especially so with how they are.


    Yes, weak. The demons on the ranking are weak. The Infernal Realm Tatiana knows is a ruthless places populated by the different Infernal races occupying it.


    It''s ruled by an entity called Lucifer, a being on the same level as gods. The Infernal Realm is also ruled by numerous Apocalyptic Rank and multiple Celestial Rank entities.


    Another thing to note is that demons can''t leave the Infernal Realm without the permission of an Archdemon, who in turns seeks permissions from the ruler of the circle of their dwelling.


    The reason for this is because of a treaty that was signed between Lucifer and the Council of gods ages ago, bringing to an end the long raging war between demons and the entire Multiverse.


    Yes, there was a time when the Infernal Realm was at war with the whole Multiverse but that was before the appearance of the dwellers of the Abyssal Realm.


    All these are things that Tatiana read from the library when she was still in the Palace.


    She also remember reading that the minimum rank of demons that are allowed to freely exit the Infernal Realm starts from Overlord Rank.


    "It seems like things are going to get dangerous very soon," Tatiana said to herself.


    She continued to view the ranking and she saw some other familiar names like the Elf princesses, scions of some very popular Dwarves, the princes and princesses of the Werewolf race, and lots of royalty and scions from some well-known noble families in the Multiverse.


    Tatiana nearly burst into laughter when she saw Liliana''s ranking. She knew that compared to her, Liliana is weak, but she had no idea that would actually be topped by the scion from a noble family from Crimson Fall Realm. Her own subject.


    Her attention was quickly drawn away from Liliana''s position as she went back up the ranking again to confirm something.


    "As expected, the dragon race isn''t participating. They have never wanted anything to do with the divine and they won''t start now," she said to herself, smiling in relief.


    Her eyes continued going down the ranking and right at the very bottom of the ranking, she saw something that shocked her to her very core.


    "Leo Astranox. Son of Astragar, the third dragon prince, and Elunara, the caretaker goddess of the world tree, Yggdrasill. What in the bloody sanguine moon?!"


    She couldn''t believe what she was seeing.


    "Astragar, the third dragon prince? Isn''t that the only dragon that was born with the ability to control chaos and was blessed by one of the members of the Council, the primordial goddess, Nyx?" She asked herself, swallowing hard.


    "Elunara, the caretaker goddess of the world tree, Yggdrasill? No, this can''t be possible, right?" Tatiana asked herself in shock.


    From what Tatiana read from the books in the Palace library, the feud between the dragon race and the god race has been on for as long as one could remember.


    It goes way back to even before the war between the Infernal Realm and the Multiverse.


    The gods¡ªeven though the Council of Primordial are the ones that are at the backbone of the Multiverse¡ªhas always see themselves as the ruler of the Multiverse, asking every mortal race to bow them.


    As for the dragon race, they are a very prideful race that has never submitted to anyone. They are the only mortal race that have the backing of a primordial, though vaguely, and this was long before the birth of Leo''s father.


    With the dragon''s pride, one could imagine how they felt when the gods asked the mortal races to bow to them.


    The god race were naturally enraged when the dragon race refused to listen but they couldn''t do anything as they didn''t want to incur the wrath of the primordial backing them.


    This was how their feud began and has continued to this day. But if that is so, then how is it possible that Leo is the son of two very powerful entities from different two races that hates each other with passion?


    Tatiana was very curious and so was every Off-worlders that saw Leo''s information.


    Tatiana chose Leo because he has a lot of potential but with this new revealed information about him, she felt that she has bitten off more than she can chew.


    The question is if she will throw it out of her mouth or force herself to chew it no matter what.


    Tatiana didn''t even need to consider her choices as she disappeared from her position, and blitzed towards Leo''s location.


    She got to balcony of his apartment and walked into his room. There, she saw him sitting on his bed, with a smile on his face. And Ves who has a peculiar expression on her face, seated beside him.


    "I know you would come. Took you long enough," Leo said with a smile when he saw Tatiana.

 Chapter 125 - 125: Fucked In More Ways Than One

    Leo watched Tatiana as she slowly walked towards him.


    "How do you know that I would be coming?" Tatiana asked curiously, and with a little bit of caution.


    She was still very confused by everything concerning Leo''s identity, and this was why she came to see him. And now, hearing him saying that he knew she would come, she felt something she has never felt in a very long time: vulnerable.


    It was vulnerability due to weakness but from the fact that she no had any idea what was going on. And she feels like she''s losing control of the whole situation.


    Leo sighed when he heard Tatiana''s question. His head was currently filled with so many thoughts that he couldn''t follow all of them at once, and it left feeling very confused. With the only one that can clear his confusion right now being Tatiana


    "I figured that when you saw the information on the leaderboard, you will likely come here. Besides we are friends with benefits, right?" Leo replied.


    "Friends with benefits, your ass," Tatiana said, glaring at Leo.


    "Tell me, did you know?" She asked curiously.


    Leo smiled wryly when he heard Tatiana''s questions. How could he have known anything? Before today, his identity has been the most confusing thing about his life.


    He has no idea who or what he is. His last name had always been concealed and his race, except for the human being displayed, the other three were concealed just as his name.


    And also the fact that all his parents, who apparently are big shots, left him was a letter didn''t help his case.


    But strangely, Leo didn''t blame them one single bit for anything. He couldn''t bring himself to do it.


    From their letter, he understood that they were into something dangerous, and having him around them would kill him, and make things difficult for them.


    Leo sighed when he thought of this. He turned, reaching out to the drawer beside his bed. He slid a compartment and the white-as-snow envelope that the matron of the orphanage home, could be seen.


    He picked up the envelope and gave it to Tatiana.


    "What is this?" Tatiana asked curiously, as she collected the envelope.


    "I think it would help you to understand." Leo replied.


    While Tatiana took out the letter in the envelope and started reading it, Leo turned his attention to Ves.


    He saw the expression on her face and he knew that there''s a lot of things going through her mind.


    But he was happy because she''s someone who has been there with him from the beginning. She has been the one taking care of him since he was in orphanage home, so she understands everything about him and even some that he doesn''t understand about himself.


    He smiled as he stretched his hand and held Ves'' hand that was resting beside him.


    His action startled her but he saw her quickly recover herself, and sighing afterwards.


    "I''m sorry for losing myself like that, Leo," Ves smiled wryly.


    "I just... I''m just... The past month have been very chaotic, with the apocalypse happening, the monsters, zombies, and even me almost turning into a zombie, and trying to kill you. Everything has been a big mess from the start."


    "And when I saw the announcement for the tournament, I thought, ''yeah, things might get worse in the future but things will still always remain the same between us.''


    I will still continue to be the big sister who has been taking care of you and you will be the sweet little boy that I''ve always known. But now... It seems like the sweet little boy I''ve always known had always been more from the beginning. He''s the son of a dragon prince. Royalty. And the son of a goddess who takes care of the world tree," Ves said with a wry smile, as her eyes started to become moist.


    "And now, I don''t know why but I can''t help but feel like I''m holding you back when you can be so much more. I know it''s selfish but I don''t want to lose you. You''re the only person I have left. But if I keep you by my side, how can you reach your full potential?" Ves said with a shaky voice, as tears streamed down her cheek.


    Leo felt like a couple of needles were being passed through his heart when he saw the tears streaming down Ves'' cheek.


    He had no idea when his body moved and he held Ves'' face, and kissed the tears.


    "Is that enough to answer your question?" He asked with a smile.


    There was a moment of loud silence as everyone in the room was completely frozen. This was the same for Tatiana who had just finished reading the Leo''s parent letter.


    Leo himself was equally shocked by his own actions, as he looked at Ves, who was also looking at him in shock.


    "Um... I''m sorry, Ms Ves. I didn''t mean to. I had no idea what came over me," he said, trying to explain himself. sea??h th§× ¦ÇovelFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    He hopes that Ves would believe him as he truly had no idea how what he just did.


    As he observed Ves, he couldn''t help but notice that her face was now beet red, something that shouldn''t be possible due to her half-human, half-zombie nature.


    He also noticed that she was doing her best to avoid looking him in the eyes.


    "Thank you, Leo," she said in a very small, sweet voice before standing up and bolting out of the room.


    Leo was surprised by Ves'' action and so was Tatiana, but she understood what had just happened and what it means.


    ''She likes him too but she doesn''t want to acknowledge it yet.''


    Tatiana smiled when she saw this, but her smile faded the next moment and turned into a frown.


    She looked at Leo who was still looking at the door, surprised and with a smile on her face, and she smacked him on the head.


    Leo was shocked by Tatiana''s action and he turned to look at her with an expression that says, ''what the hell?''


    "What was that all about?" Tatiana asked, glaring daggers at him.


    "Um... I don''t know? Like I said before, I had no idea what came over me," Leo replied, sighing at the end.


    "Tsk. Tsk. Tsk." Tatiana clicked her tongue, shaking her head, seemingly in disappointment.


    Leo rolled his head at her antics, and smiled. But the smile faded and was replaced with a very solemn expression.


    "So, what do you think?" He asked, with his eyes pointing towards the letter in Tatiana''s hand.


    "Well, from what I got from this letter. For starters, your life is in danger. Secondly, your life is in danger and lastly, your life is in danger," Tatiana replied with a smile, that was so much of a smile.


    "So, I''m fucked in more ways than one. Good. Very good," Leo said, nodding his head in satisfaction.

 Chapter 126 - 126: Answers, More Questions [Golden Tickets Bonus Chapter]

    To explain Leo''s situation to him, Tatiana started by telling him about the the feud between the dragon race and the gods. And she explained how it started.


    After that, she told him everything she knew about his father, Astragar, the third dragon prince. And everything she has read about the dragon race royal family from the books in the Palace library.


    "So, what you''re telling me right now is that my dad is someone who is favoured by a Primordial goddess, who is a member of the Multiverse ruling Council?" Leo asked in confirmation.


    "Yes," Tatiana said, nodding.


    "I see... Then, what about my mother?" Leo asked.


    He was trying to wrap his head around what Tatiana just said about his father, and the feud between his father''s race and his father''s race.


    But he was more interested in his mother, who is caretaker goddess of the world tree. Of course, this doesn''t mean that he isn''t interested in his father.


    Heck, he''s interested in the both of them. Growing up, Leo had watched movies about dragon and gods. He has also read books about them and even some of them featured the world tree, Yggdrasill. So, one can understand his increased curiosity towards his mother.


    Tatiana sighed when she heard Leo asking about his mother. The truth is that apart from the gods and the Council, not many among the mortal races of the Multiverse knows much about the world tree, Yggdrasill, and everything about it. This is especially so for her caretaker goddess, Leo''s mother, Elunara.


    If Leo wants to know more about his mother and the world tree, then he would have to meet the royals of the Elf race, or the leading members of the ruling clans of the Dwarf race, as both races share the same mortal realm.


    Seeing that she had nothing much to tell him, Tatiana decided to tell Leo the little she knows.


    "Leo, there''s not much information recorded about the world tree or you mother. I had no idea she even existed until today. Everything about the world tree has always been kept under lock and wrap by the Elf race. If you want any information on your mother or the world tree, you will have to meet someone from the Elf race royal family," Tatiana explained.


    "I see... There are two of them here, participating in the tournament. I will meet up with them later and ask them," Leo said, nodding to himself.


    "I will advise against that, Leo," Tatiana said, with a solemn voice.


    "Why? I want to know more about my mother. If the two Elf princesses are the ones that can give me the information I need, why shouldn''t I meet them?" Leo asked curiously.


    He wasn''t offended by what Tatiana said. He knew that she probably has a reason for it but he was still curious to know why she doesn''t want him to meet the Elf princesses.


    "You can''t meet up with the Elf princesses. At least not now. Just like the Dragon race, the Elf race is also a proud one. And just like the Dragon race, it isn''t just about their race alone. They are very proud about their bloodlines, its purity and their connection to the world tree.


    They have done everything within their power to make sure that nothing taints the world tree, and they will continue to do so. They are not the only one as this is the same for the Feys," Tatiana said, and continued.


    "To summarise everything, the Elf race worships the world tree and your mother being its caretaker goddess, is like a holy temple priestess to them.


    I once heard a story that there was once a half-blood born between an Elf noble and a Beastkin. The Elf court didn''t just reject him. They burned an entire forest to ''cleanse the stain.''


    So, imagine what their reaction would be when they discover that their holy priestess had a child with a dragon. To them, your mixed bloodlines is like an aberration. And they don''t take too lightly to aberrations. This is the same for the Dragon race," she explained.


    Leo sighed when he heard what Tatiana said. He had no idea that things in the Multiverse were this complicated. But it''s understandable.


    In a universe filled with entities that were previously things of myth and fantasy, and with them wielding unimaginable power, it''s understandable that things are definitely bound to be complicated.


    He sighed once more and looked at Tatiana, who was seated beside him.


    As it stands right now, she''s the only Off-worlder he can trust right now. Even before the complications of his identity, she has always seen something special in him.


    Leo kept thinking about how complicated his identity is and one particular question kept bothering him: how is he human?


    His father is a Dragon prince and according to what Tatiana said about the Dragon race taking pride in the purity of their bloodline, there''s no way that his father is a half dragon.


    As for his mother, she literally called a goddess and one linked with the world tree. So, it''s impossible that the human side of him came from her.


    If that is so, then where did it come from? How is he part human?


    He knew that he won''t be able to get the answer, if he keeps asking himself the question. He would only be tormenting himself.


    With that realisation, he decided to ask Tatiana. Though he had very little hope that she would have the answer to his question.


    "Tatiana, do you know why I''m partly human?" He asked.


    "I''m not sure but if my guess is correct, it''s from the world tree," Tatiana replied, and she saw a look on confusion on Leo''s face.


    "Let me explain. I must remind you that I''m not sure if I''m entirely or even actually correct. But it''s recorded in the books in the Palace library, that the world tree has everything about every mortal races in the universe. Everything about them, from how and when they were created, and their bloodline too.


    If my guess is correct, I think your mother was able to extract a human bloodline from the world tree and infuse into you when you were born. The reason for that? So that you can be able to live on Earth without worries of being expelled," Tatiana explained.


    She thought that she has explained everything but she saw that Leo was still confused, and even more than before.


    "Ughhh... To explain the last part, before Earth''s awakening, Earth was sealed off to all of the Multiverse. No one can go in or out."


    Hearing what Tatiana said, Leo laughed mischievously. Sear?h the N?velFire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "Hehehe. I was just teasing you. Though, thanks for explaining the last part. But I must say that your theory about the human part of me makes sense in a way."


    "If what you said about about the world tree having the information on every mortal races in the Multiverse is correct, then I feel that this is the most likely source of my human bloodline. What does it mean for me? If I''m the son of beings this powerful¡­ what kind of future is waiting for me?..." Leo thought to himself, out loud.


    "I guess that''s something you will have to figure out on your own, Dragon God," Tatiana said, with a teasing smile.

 Chapter 127 - 127:

    Leo sat in silence long after Tatiana had finished speaking. The weight of his lineage and his identity pressed down on him, weighing heavily on his mind.


    He had spent his whole life thinking he was just another human struggling to survive in a world gone mad. But now? A dragon prince. A goddess''s son. The child of two races that would rather see each other erased from existence.


    All those times at the orphanage¡­ every moments he spent there, he had felt like he didn''t belong. He was starting to realise that it wasn''t just his imagination. Maybe he was always meant to be an outsider.


    Leo''s fingers curled into the bedsheet as he exhaled sharply.


    Tatiana watched him with a solemn look on her face. She knew that he has a lot going through his mind and that even with her explanation, he was still confused.


    She was also aware that it would take him a long time before he finally comes to term with everything. It''s not everyday that someone wakes up and find out that he or she was born in the middle of an eon long feud between two very powerful race.


    And she''s also still trying to wrap her around everything. She was very curious to know how Leo''s parents met. How they got together and why they decided to have a child?


    Everything surrounding Leo is still very confusing and each questions she has, keeps leading to more questions.


    But even with all the confusion and the shock surrounding Leo''s identity, Tatiana didn''t lose sight of the most important thing: increasing their strength.


    "Leo, you won''t get anything solved by overthinking. And neither will you be able to change anything. The best thing you can do right now is to try to increase your strength as fast as possible," she said.


    "You don''t have to worry about the dragon race. They are not participating in the tournament. Though they might be paying attention to it and might had already known about the leaderboard, it doesn''t mean that they know where you are.


    And besides, your face isn''t on the ranking. Just your name. It would take them a long time before they can finally track you down, and by then, you would had already been strong enough.


    And if who knows? If you show them your strength and they find you worthy, they might not actually do anything to you," Tatiana said, and continued.


    "And as for the gods, I''m pretty sure they already know about you and they can hear us talking now, but they won''t be able to do anything. They can''t descend directly to Earth and they will only be able to send a Champion Herald after you. And I''m sure that a Champion Herald will be no problem for the future you.


    Also, before they can send one of those after you, they will still have to consider the world tree and that Primordial stance. Both of them aren''t entities that they can afford to slight easily. The world tree holds the power over the mana and life force channel of the Multiverse, and the Primordial, she''s freakishly strong."


    Leo nodded in agreement to Tatiana''s words. She was right. He won''t be able to solve anything by overthinking it and the only thing that can give a shot at surviving what''s to come, is absolute strength.


    Also, he still has the tournament to worry about. Which means he has to start increasing his strength and he has to do it fast.


    "So, what''s the fastest way for me to increase my strength?" Leo asked curiously.


    "I thought you would never ask," Tatiana smiled.


    "The fastest way to increase your strength is by killing the Abyssal Dwellers from the Abyssal Realm." Tatiana replied.


    Leo blinked his eyes at her in confusion. He has no idea what she was talking about. Abyssal Dwellers? Abyssal Realm? What are those?


    Tatiana saw the confusion on Leo''s face and smiled in understanding, and started explaining.


    "The Abyssal Realm is like the opposite of the Multiverse and it''s filled with creatures we call the Dwellers. They are very powerful creatures and those with the weakest strength there are as strong as those of us that are at the Evolved Rank. The Dwellers are plague of the Multiverse and I''m very sure that the hidden agenda of the tournament is for us to go there and hunt them down."


    Leo nodded in understanding at Tatiana''s explanation. From what she said, the Abyssal Realm is a good place to grind unlimitedly. And he was sure there''s a ''but'' to it.


    "But?"


    "But you can''t stay there for too long as the abyssal energy will cause you to go mad and lose yourself, also becoming one of the Dwellers," Tatiana replied.


    "I see... So, when do we start?" Leo asked.


    "When you have recovered fully. So, get some rest," Tatiana replied.


    "I''ve recovered fully. If I haven''t, I wouldn''t had woken up. And my body is brimming with so much energy that I''m looking for an outlet for it," Leo smiled.


    Tatiana couldn''t help but look at Leo in shock when she heard what he said.


    "You have recovered fully?" She asked again in confirmation.


    Leo nodded and to prove it, he started taking off his bandage.


    Tatiana tried to stop him but when she saw the first bandage come off and she saw there was no sign of any injury, she believed him.


    Tatiana wanted to be shocked by how fast Leo recovered but when she remembered his identity, she could only shake her head at how unfair the Multiverse is.


    She knew that if she was the one with all the injuries Leo had and with his level of strength, even with her top tier talent in blood manipulation and healing, it would still take her at least a week.


    Leo smiled when he saw the shocked look on Tatiana''s face. He understood her shock but this wasn''t the time for them to lose their composure.


    "So, when do we go into the Abyssal Realm?" Leo asked again.


    "Later. First, you need to get some rest. Even if you have recovered completely, I advised you get some rest. Your body and mind are two different entities. Your body has recovered from the injuries you received in the battle but the same can''t be said about your mind. Don''t worry though, I will contact you when the sun comes up and it''s time to go," Tatiana said, and stood up.


    "I will be waiting for you, then," Leo said.


    Tatiana nodded and left, just the way she came: disappearing into the night.


    After Tatiana had left, Leo snuggled into his bed, wanting to get some sleep. Tatiana was right. His body has recovered from the injuries he got from the battle with Liliana but his mind hasn''t.


    Leo closed his eyes and slowly drifted off to sleep.


    ...


    Meanwhile in a different part of the Multiverse.


    In a realm filled with pure chaos energy, an otherworldly beautiful woman, with dark purple hair, could be seen seated on a dark throne.


    In front of her was something that looked like a portal or a mirror, and in its reflection, was showing Leo sleeping. S§×arch* The N?vel(F)ire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "And so it begins."

 Chapter 128 - 128: Abyssal Realm

    Leo and Tatiana stood before the gaping maw of the Abyssal Rift, a massive tear in the fabric of reality.


    It shimmered like a living wound, its surface an unsettling mixture of deep black and bleeding crimson, swirling in a chaotic dance that pulsated with unnatural energy.


    Even from a distance, Leo could feel the oppressive force rolling off it, an almost tangible wave that sent a shiver down his spine. The energy clawed at his skin, a creeping, corrosive sensation that made his instincts scream at him to turn back.


    His gaze drifted to the landscape surrounding the rift. The land was dead¡ªno, beyond dead. It was erased.


    The ground was cracked and barren, drained of any essence of life. No grass, no trees, not even the stubborn weeds that usually managed to thrive in the most desolate places. Even the air felt suffocating, as though the very concept of existence had been stripped away.


    "I think you can now understand why I didn''t want you to bring Ves and the others with you," Tatiana said, with a calm yet firm voice.


    Leo nodded, his grip tightening on Nightshade. The sheer intensity of the energy leaking from the rift told him everything he needed to know.


    The Abyssal Realm was not a place for the weak. It wasn''t just dangerous. It was like a predator, one that consumes those who weren''t strong enough to fight back.


    Tatiana tilted her head slightly, her sharp eyes studying him.


    "Can you hear it? The voices?"


    Leo frowned. He strained his ears, but all he could hear was the faint, eerie sound of the swirling energy crackling at the edges of the rift.


    "No," he admitted.


    Tatiana nodded with a solemn expression.


    "Good. You just need to know that it''s time to leave when you start hearing them. That means the corruption is settling in."


    She crossed her arms, her gaze flickering toward the rift.


    "That''s why most people don''t survive here. It''s not just the Dwellers. It''s the Abyss itself. The longer you stay, the more it seeps into you. And once it takes hold, there''s no coming back."


    Leo exhaled slowly, letting the information settle. He had already made his decision. He couldn''t afford hesitation, not now.


    "I''m curious, Leo. Have you unlocked your draconic traits?" Tatiana asked, as she looked at Leo.


    Leo shook his head in response. He seem to remember Tatiana talking about racial traits before but he he''s yet to get one.


    Leo decided to check his status screen as he hasn''t checked it since he completed his evolution requirements, and evolved.


    [Name: Leo Astranox]


    [Level: 24 (Evolved Rank)]


    [Specie(s): Human, ****, ****]


    [Class: Warden]


    [Title: None]


    ______


    [Strength: 35.5]


    [Agility: 22.5 (+30)]


    [Stamina: 34.5]


    [Intelligence: 26.5]


    [Mana: 150]


    ______


    [Stat Point(s): 16]


    ______


    [Skill(s): [Regeneration (Innate)], [Beastmaster''s Bond (Innate)], [Sesimic Stomp], [Berserker''s Roar], [Ravenous Regeneration], [Predator''s Instincts].


    .....


    Leo was slightly surprised when he saw his stat information. He noticed that his last name that was previously hidden was now being displayed. But his race was still hidden and he has no idea why that is still so, as the information on the leaderboard ranking has told him all that he needs to know.


    He also noticed that he was now at level 24 and all his stats has been increased by 1.5 stat points, except his Mana which has increased by 15 points.


    He has no idea the reason for the increase but it felt it was somehow related to his evolution. And to him, the increase was a welcomed development


    He also noticed that he now have 16 free stat points.


    ''Four level ups and 16 free stat points. It seem like the free stat points per level up for those in the Evolved Rank is four.'' Leo thought to himself.


    He didn''t waste time as he quickly distributed all of his free stat points. He distributed the equally by allocating 4 stat points each to each of stats.


    Immediately after adding the stat, Leo felt some changes in his body. He felt stronger, faster, lighter and he could feel his body brimming with energy.


    .....


    Tatiana frowned when she saw Leo shake his head in response to her question.


    "That''s strange. Every race has their own unique traits. It''s a compilation of skills and abilities. It''s far superior to regular skills," Tatiana said, explaining.


    Hearing Tatiana''s explanation, Leo realised something as the memory of the first notification he got the day the apocalypse started, telling him that the first seal has been broken.


    ''I guess that''s why they are hidden. There''s a seal on the both of them,'' He thought to himself.


    "It seems you already know the reason why you don''t have it yet," she said, when she saw the look of realisation on his face.


    "I think so but I''m not sure," Leo said, nodding.


    "I hope you awaken it soon. Considering that you''re royalty, the awakening should come early. And I''m curious to know if you have god traits too," Tatiana smiled, and turned to look at the rift.


    Leo smiled and also turned to look at the rift.


    "So," he said, flexing his fingers around Nightshade''s hilt. "Do we go in?"


    Tatiana nodded and, without another word, grabbed Leo by the arm. The next thing he knew, the world around them blurred as she propelled them forward at breakneck speed.


    The moment they crossed the threshold of the rift, reality shifted.


    Everything vanished.


    Leo felt like he had plunged into a bottomless void. His vision was gone, replaced by an all-consuming darkness so complete that he wasn''t sure if his eyes were still open.


    His hearing followed next¡ªsilence, absolute and suffocating, as if all sound had been swallowed whole. Even his sense of touch disappeared. He couldn''t feel Tatiana''s grip, couldn''t feel his own body, as though he had been stripped of all existence.


    Panic began to claw at his mind, but then¡ªjust as abruptly as it started¡ªthe sensation lifted.


    For a brief moment, he thought he saw something in the void¡ªsomething staring back at him. But when his senses returned, it was gone.


    His vision returned in a flash, and with it, the crushing silence shattered.


    Leo inhaled sharply, his lungs burning as if he had been drowning moments ago. He stumbled slightly, his legs sinking into the cracked, colorless earth beneath him.


    The stench of decay and something far worse assaulted his senses. He looked up, and his breath caught in his throat.


    The Abyssal Realm stretched endlessly in all directions, a landscape of death and ruin. The sky was a churning mass of gray and black, devoid of any sun, moon, or stars.


    The air was thick with ashen flakes, swirling like dying embers in a world that had long since been abandoned by life. Each flake that touched his skin left a faint, cold sting before disintegrating into dust. It wasn''t just ash. It was like the remnants of things that had once lived.


    And then, in the distance, he saw them. sea??h th§× n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Dark, twisted figures lurking at the edges of the horizon, their bodies shifting unnaturally, their forms barely distinguishable from the oppressive shadows surrounding them. The sound of their low, guttural screeches sent a chill through Leo''s spine.


    "We can''t go deeper than this," Tatiana, who was beside him, said, scanning the moving figures.


    "We will fight them here."


    Leo tightened his grip on Nightshade and nodded.


    The Dwellers moved.


    It wasn''t a charge. It was something far worse. They flowed like liquid shadows, their bodies bending and twisting in ways that defied logic.


    The closer they got, the more their forms became visible. They had elongated limbs, their hands ending in razor-sharp claws.


    Their faces were grotesque mockeries of humanoid features, with hollow, glowing eyes that flickered with something malevolent, something that didn''t belong in any sane reality.


    And they were fast.


    Too fast.


    One of them was already upon him before he could react.


    A clawed hand lashed out. Leo barely managed to bring Nightshade up in time to block, but the force behind the attack sent him skidding backward, his legs grinding against the cracked ground. The impact rattled his bones.


    Strong.


    Leo didn''t have time to recover before another was on him. He ducked as a second Dweller swiped at his head, its claws slicing through the air where his skull had been a fraction of a second ago.


    He spun, bringing Nightshade in a horizontal slash aimed at its midsection. The blade cut through its flesh, but instead of blood, a dark, viscous substance oozed from the wound.


    The creature didn''t even flinch.


    It lunged, mouth stretching unnaturally wide, revealing a row of jagged, interlocking teeth.


    Leo barely managed to leap back, but his heart was pounding.


    Tatiana was already moving. Unlike him, she wasn''t caught off guard. With a swift motion, she extended her hand, and the air around her vibrated.


    A thin, crimson spear formed from her fingertips, and with a flick of her wrist, she launched it at an approaching Dweller.


    The spear pierced straight through its skull, and the creature let out an unearthly screech before collapsing.


    Leo exhaled, forcing himself to focus. He needed to be faster. Stronger.


    The Dwellers kept coming.


    They didn''t move like ordinary creatures. They didn''t hesitate, didn''t flinch, didn''t retreat. Even when struck, they only faltered for a moment before continuing their relentless assault. They weren''t fighting to survive. They were fighting to consume.


    Leo adjusted his stance. He couldn''t afford to make mistakes.


    The next Dweller lunged at him, and this time, he was ready. He sidestepped the attack, twisting his body to avoid the claws.


    As he turned, he swung Nightshade in a brutal downward arc, cleaving straight through its arm. The severed limb hit the ground, writhing for a few seconds before turning into black dust.


    But the Dweller didn''t stop. It snarled, lunging again, and Leo drove Nightshade straight through its chest. The blade cut deep, and the creature let out a piercing shriek before dissolving into the same black dust.


    Immediately, Leo got a notification.


    [You have acquired an Abyssal Spawn Refined Death Force!]


    .....


    Leo didn''t have the luxury of paying attention to the notification as he noticed more of the Dwellers coming.


    Leo wiped the sweat from his brow, breathing heavily.


    "We might have a problem."


    Tatiana grinned, twirling another blood spear between her fingers.


    "Good. That just means more to kill."


    As the next wave of Dwellers surged toward them, Leo pushed aside his doubts.


    This was his first battle in the Abyss. And he was going to survive it.

 Chapter 129 - 129: Fighting Dwellers

    The ground beneath Leo''s legs felt brittle, like it would crumble away if he stood still for too long.


    Every time his feet shifted, the earth beneath him seem to groan, as if protesting his weight.


    Leo could feel it in his bones, the sickening sense that everything around him was slowly being undone.


    It wasn''t just the land; it was the very fabric of reality that seemed to be disintegrating in this place. But there was no time to think about that as more of the Dwellers were coming.


    The first wave had tested him. It had thrown him into the chaos, forced him to adjust and sharpen his instincts. But now? Now they were coming in droves. And they were faster. Deadlier. Relentless.


    Leo tightened his grip on Nightshade, feeling the smoothness of the hilt in his hand.


    He rolled his shoulders, his muscles sore but slowly getting accustomed to the rhythm of the battle. The fight was becoming more familiar, but the Dwellers were far from predictable.


    One of them lunged at him, its limbs stretching unnaturally long, the claws slashing down toward his neck.


    Leo saw it coming in the corner of his eye and leapt to the side just in time. The creature''s talons carved deep gashes into the ground where he had been standing, leaving behind jagged trenches of blackened earth.


    Without hesitation, Leo swung Nightshade in a vicious arc. The blade cut through the Dweller''s midsection, meeting resistance but slicing cleanly.


    The dark viscous blood splattered across his arms, a sticky substance that clung to his skin like tar.


    The creature screeched¡ªa horrid, guttural sound that set his teeth on edge. It twisted violently, its body writhing in a grotesque parody of life, before disintegrating into a cloud of black dust.


    Leo didn''t have time to catch his breath. Another Dweller came at him from behind, the movement so fast it was almost a blur.


    His instincts kicked in, and he dropped low, twisting his body as a clawed hand swiped just above his head.


    As the creature''s claws carved through the air like a blade, the wind from the strike was sharp, a searing chill that left a sting on his skin.


    He spun, bringing Nightshade up in a swift upward slash. The Dweller reacted unnaturally fast, its body twisting mid-air, twisting like liquid shadows to avoid the blow.


    But Leo wasn''t done. As his feet landed, he surged forward, throwing his shoulder into the creature''s torso. The impact was brutal, sending both of them skidding across the cracked earth.


    Without a moment''s hesitation, Leo drove his knee into the Dweller''s chest to pin it down, his muscles straining with the force.


    He took a sharp exhale, his breath coming in heavy gasps, and plunged Nightshade straight through its skull. The creature convulsed once, then disintegrated into dust.


    Leo pushed himself up, his breath ragged, sweat dripping down his forehead. He barely had time to steady himself before the next one came. And then another. And another.


    The battle had been going on for what felt like an eternity. Leo had started out hesitant, unsure of his footing. But now? Now his body was reacting faster, each movement more fluid, more instinctive. S§×arch* The nov§×lF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    He wasn''t just swinging blindly anymore. His strikes were calculated, and his footing was more stable, more secure. The unpredictability of the Dwellers still threw him off, but he was adjusting. Adapting.


    Tatiana fought not far from him, her form a blur of motion. Blood spears rained from her hands, skewering multiple Dwellers in quick succession. Each strike was calculated, each movement precise.


    Leo couldn''t help but admire her efficiency, the way she made it look so effortless. But he didn''t have the luxury of watching her. He had his own battle to fight.


    A low growl sent a jolt of tension through Leo''s spine. He turned just as a Dweller leaped from the side. It was fast¡ªtoo fast¡ªand Leo barely had time to react.


    He threw himself backward, narrowly dodging the strike. The creature''s claws slashed down where he had been just a moment ago, the wind from its attack a biting chill against his skin.


    As soon as his feet hit the ground, Leo twisted his body, raising Nightshade just in time to block an incoming strike from another Dweller.


    The force of the blow sent vibrations up his arms, nearly making him drop his weapon. The creature snarled as it pressed down against his blade, its glowing eyes burning with a malice that made Leo''s stomach twist.


    Leo gritted his teeth, his muscles straining as he pushed back with all his strength. He planted his foot against the creature''s abdomen and kicked with everything he had.


    The Dweller staggered back, but before it could recover, Leo lunged forward, driving his blade deep into its chest.


    The moment it dissolved, another took its place.


    Relentless. They just kept coming.


    Leo ducked instinctively as a Dweller''s claws sliced through the air above his head. He rolled to the side, coming up just in time to see two more closing in on him from both sides. He had no time to think. His body moved on instinct.


    He surged forward toward the Dweller on his right, catching it off guard. He slammed the hilt of Nightshade into its head, dazing it for a brief moment before spinning on his heel and slashing at the other.


    The blade connected, severing its arm at the elbow. The Dweller screeched, but it didn''t fall. It didn''t retreat.


    Leo didn''t have time to waste. He twisted his body again, driving his blade into the first Dweller''s throat before yanking it free in one swift motion. The creature dissolved into black dust before it could make another sound.


    Leo''s breath was coming in sharp bursts now. His muscles burned, and sweat trickled down his face, mixing with the grime and dark ichor splattered across his skin. His body was starting to feel the strain, but he couldn''t stop.


    The Dwellers also weren''t slowing down.


    More of them emerged from the horizon, their grotesque forms shifting and writhing in the distance.


    Leo clenched his jaw, his grip tightening around Nightshade. He was holding his ground, but he needed to be faster. He needed to be stronger. He needed to push past the limits of his body.


    A heavy presence settled over the battlefield. The air seemed to vibrate, the oppressive weight of something powerful pressing down on his shoulders.


    Tatiana stopped mid-movement, her gaze snapping upward.


    Leo followed her gaze.


    His breath hitched.


    A shadow loomed overhead, growing larger by the second. Something was descending from above.


    A streak of darkness tore through the sky, heading straight for them. It moved with an unnatural speed, faster than anything Leo had ever seen. The air around it warped, bending under the pressure.


    Leo tightened his grip on Nightshade, his mind racing. The Dwellers were one thing. They were relentless, sure. But this? This felt like something else entirely. Something even more dangerous.


    The Dwellers paused, as if sensing the new arrival. The battlefield fell into an eerie silence, the air thick with tension. Leo''s heart hammered in his chest as he took in the sight of the shadow.


    It was enormous. Dark wings spread wide, casting a vast shadow over the battlefield. The creature''s silhouette was a blend of claws, fangs, and wings.


    The shape of its body shifted as it came closer, flowing like liquid darkness. The moment it hit the ground, the earth trembled beneath its weight.


    And then, its eyes locked onto him and Tatiana.


    A chill ran down his spine.


    This was no ordinary monster.


    The ground beneath him seemed to tremble as the creature''s wings unfurled, their span enough to block out the sky. And as it hovered in the air, Leo knew this battle was far from over.


    "Leo, that''s an Abyssal Fiend. Get ready for the battle of your life," Tatiana said, and Leo nodded.

 Chapter 130 - 130: Abyssal Fiend

    The air around Leo felt heavier, as if it were pressing down on him with an unseen force.


    The Abyssal Fiend had yet to move, yet its presence alone made it feel as if the world itself was recoiling in fear.


    Leo''s grip on Nightshade tightened, his breath slow and controlled, but his pulse betrayed him, pounding in his ears like a war drum.


    Tatiana stood beside him, her crimson eyes locked onto the monstrous figure before them, her body tense with anticipation.


    The creature''s form was fluid, shifting between solid and shadow, its body composed of writhing darkness that stretched and shrank as if reality itself struggled to contain it.


    Massive wings, jagged and unnatural, spread wide, blotting out the dim light of the Abyssal Realm. Its claws, each the size of a longsword, twitched at its sides.


    Two piercing, hollow dark eyes burned through the darkness, settling onto Leo with an unnatural focus.


    Then, it moved.


    Leo barely had time to register the motion before a force like a tidal wave slammed into him.


    One moment, he was standing, and the next, his body was airborne, the world spinning violently as he crashed into the brittle ground. The impact rattled his bones, sending a sharp spike of pain up his spine.


    He gasped, rolling onto his side just as Tatiana shot forward. Her hands wove intricate patterns in the air, and crimson spears materialized, streaking toward the Fiend like bolts of lightning. The Abyssal Fiend didn''t dodge. It didn''t need to.


    The spears struck its form, piercing through its body¡ªonly for the wounds to close almost instantly, the darkness knitting itself back together as if nothing had happened. The creature let out a deep, rumbling growl, but it wasn''t out of pain.


    Tatiana clicked her tongue, her expression hardening. She barely had a second to react before the Fiend retaliated.


    With a flick of its clawed hand, a wave of pure abyssal energy exploded outward.


    Tatiana dodged just in time, vanishing into a blur of motion as the energy slammed into the ground behind her. The impact sent shockwaves through the land, splitting the brittle earth and sending debris flying.


    Leo forced himself to his feet, pushing past the ache in his ribs. He couldn''t afford to hesitate.


    He lunged forward, Nightshade flashing as he slashed at the Fiend''s midsection. The blade met resistance, as if cutting through something half-solid, half-liquid. For a split second, he thought he had done some damage.


    Then the Fiend''s body shifted, twisting unnaturally as its dark flesh wrapped around the blade.


    Before Leo could react, an overwhelming force sent him flying again, this time skidding across the ground in a shower of dust and broken stone.


    The Fiend moved like a phantom, its body flowing seamlessly through space, defying all laws of motion. It was toying with them. Testing them.


    Tatiana reappeared above the creature, her body suspended in the air as a massive crimson spear formed in her grip. The air crackled with raw energy as she launched it downward, aiming for the Fiend''s head.


    The spear struck with the force of a meteor, exploding into a violent burst of blood energy. The shockwave rippled through the battlefield, shattering the ground beneath them.


    For a moment, everything was still.


    Then, the darkness swirled, shifting as the Fiend emerged from the attack unscathed. It also seems to be laughing. The sound of its laugh was hollow, echoing unnaturally, as if reality itself was mocking them.


    Leo pushed himself up, wiping the dirt and sweat from his brow. His breathing was labored and they hadn''t even scratched the Fiend.


    Tatiana landed beside him, her face grim.


    "That should have at least injured it," she muttered.


    The Fiend didn''t give them time to strategize as it made its move again.


    Leo barely saw it coming. A clawed hand shot toward him, the air screaming as it sliced through space.


    He managed to dodge at the last second, but the sheer force of the attack sent him stumbling. Sear?h the nov§×lF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Tatiana wasn''t as lucky.


    The Fiend''s second strike caught her mid-dodge, raking across her side with brutal precision.


    She cried out as she was flung backward, hitting the ground hard. Blood splattered onto the cracked earth, staining it deep red.


    Leo felt something snap inside him. He bolted towards the Fiend and swung Nightshade with all his strength, aiming for the Fiend''s neck.


    The blade struck true, but the creature didn''t even flinch. Instead, it reached out, grabbing Leo by the throat in an instant.


    A sickening cold seeped into his skin, spreading through his veins like liquid ice.


    His vision blurred, and for a moment, he felt as though his very existence was being pulled apart, unraveled by the abyss.


    He struggled, his grip tightening around Nightshade''s hilt, but his strength was fading fast.


    Then, an explosion of crimson energy erupted from behind the Fiend. Tatiana, bloodied but standing, unleashed another barrage of blood spears.


    This time, instead of trying to pierce the Fiend''s body, she targeted its grip on Leo.


    The attack was enough to force the creature to release him. Leo hit the ground hard, gasping for breath. His skin burned from the lingering abyssal energy.


    Tatiana was breathing heavily, blood dripping from the gash on her side.


    "We can''t beat this thing head-on," she panted.


    Leo''s mind raced. She was right. They were outmatched. The Fiend wasn''t just stronger than them; it was something entirely beyond their current limits.


    But they had to do something.


    Leo gritted his teeth, forcing his body to move despite the pain. If they couldn''t overpower it, they had to outthink it.


    He glanced at Tatiana. "We need to force it into a disadvantage. It''s too fast, too strong. We need to pin it down."


    Tatiana''s eyes flickered with understanding.


    "You have a plan?"


    Leo nodded, gripping Nightshade tighter. "Buy me a few seconds."


    Tatiana didn''t hesitate. She dashed forward, sending another volley of crimson spikes toward the Fiend.


    This time, she didn''t aim for the body¡ªshe aimed for the ground around it.


    The blood spears struck, hardening into jagged pillars of crimson crystal, locking the Fiend''s movement momentarily.


    Leo moved, pushing past his exhaustion. He focused, channeling every ounce of strength into a single, decisive attack.


    He sprinted forward, Nightshade glowing faintly as he poured his remaining energy into it.


    The Fiend, sensing the danger, let out a guttural snarl and began to move, but the blood pillars held it for just long enough.


    Leo leaped, bringing his blade down with everything he had.


    Nightshade struck the Fiend''s head.


    For the first time, the creature recoiled.


    A sharp, ear-piercing shriek split the air. The darkness around it wavered, its form distorting violently.


    Leo landed, stumbling from the force of the blow. He didn''t have time to celebrate.


    The Fiend wasn''t dead.


    It was angry.


    Its body trembled, the shadows surrounding it twisting chaotically. The abyss itself seemed to respond, the air thickening with raw energy.


    Tatiana''s voice was tense. "Leo, we need to run."


    Leo wiped the blood from his lips, gripping his sword tightly.


    "No," he said, breathless but resolute. "We need to finish this."


    "We can''t. An Abyssal Fiend is twice as strong as an Exalted. There''s no way the both of us can beat it. And we have stayed too long. In a short while, we will start experiencing the effects of the corruption," Tatiana said.


    Leo heard what Tatiana said but he didn''t want to leave. He wants to fight this monster and kill it. But he knew he couldn''t.


    The Fiend is too strong. Just as Tatiana said, the both of them can''t beat it. And they also have to worry about the corruption.


    Understanding this, Leo knew that it was time to leave.


    "Ok, let''s go," he said, and immediately Tatiana grabbed him and turned into blur, heading for the rift through which they came through.


    The Abyssal Fiend seeing that its preys were running away, roared and smashed its body against the blood pillars.


    After smashing into it a few times, it finally shattered the pillars and its bolted towards Leo''s and Tatiana''s direction, trying to catch up to them.


    But it was too late as Tatiana and Leo had already passed through the rift. Seeing this, it raised its head to the sky and screeched loudly.

 Chapter 131 - 131: True Strength Starts At Exalted Rank

    Tatiana finally stopped flying after she was sure they had gotten far enough from the rift. The weight of their encounter with the Abyssal Fiend still lingered in the air like an unseen force pressing down on them.


    She loosened her grip and let go of Leo, dropping him onto the solid ground below.


    Leo landed with a soft grunt, rolling his shoulders as he stretched his limbs. His body was still aching from the battle, his muscles stiff from exertion.


    The cool air felt sharp against his skin, carrying the scent of damp earth and distant fires. He exhaled, turning back toward the rift they had just fled from, his gaze narrowing.


    Tatiana stepped beside him, her crimson eyes flickering in the low light. She was watching him carefully, gauging his reaction.


    "So, what now?" Leo finally asked, his voice steady despite the storm brewing inside him.


    Tatiana crossed her arms. "We get stronger," she said simply. "Fiends aren''t one to give up easily. The next time we enter the Abyssal Realm, it''ll be waiting for us, and it won''t be toying with us like it did today."


    Leo nodded, his fingers curling into fists at his sides. "Then we''ll need to prepare. But how long before we can go back in?"


    Tatiana glanced back toward the rift. Its glow pulsed, casting eerie shadows across the broken landscape.


    "The Abyssal Realm only has one rift per realm. Unless we find another one, which is highly unlikely, we''ll have to wait," she explained. "The only other way to return would be to travel to another realm and use their rift."


    Leo absorbed the information in silence, his thoughts racing. The Fiend wasn''t just some monster. It was one of the apex predator of the Abyss, something that existed outside the boundaries of normal strength. Facing it again would be a death sentence if he wasn''t strong enough.


    "I see..." He ran a hand through his hair, his mind already working through scenarios. "Then the only real option is to increase my strength as fast as possible."


    Tatiana smirked slightly. "That''s the only option you ever had. The Abyss isn''t going anywhere, and neither is the Fiend. But your real problem isn''t just the Abyss anymore."


    Leo frowned. "What do you mean?"


    Tatiana''s expression turned serious. "The demons," she said simply. "They make up half the leaderboard. And something tells me they didn''t come here by chance."


    Leo''s jaw tightened. He hadn''t forgotten about the leaderboard, but now that she brought it up again, he realized how convenient¡ªhow deliberate¡ªit all felt. The demons being here¡­ it was too much of a coincidence.


    "You think they''re here because of me?" he asked.


    Tatiana nodded. "It''s a feeling more than anything. But if I''m right, then you need to prepare. And I must tell you, demons are very strong."


    Leo let out a slow breath, staring into the distance. If she was right, then his problems were only just beginning.


    The silence stretched between them for a moment before Leo spoke again.


    "Tatiana, I noticed something about the tournament," he said, his tone shifting slightly. "It seems¡­ stacked in favor of the Off-worlders. And I can''t help but wonder¡ªwhat''s the actual reward for winning?"


    Tatiana''s lips curled into a knowing smile. "You caught on," she mused.


    Leo tilted his head. "So? What is it?"


    Tatiana let out a small breath before answering. "The winner gets the opportunity to become a god."


    Leo blinked. Of all the answers he had expected, that hadn''t been one of them.


    Tatiana continued, watching his reaction carefully. "The tournament was designed to see who can reach the Celestial Rank the fastest. And whoever does gets the chance to ascend."


    Leo frowned. There was something about it that didn''t sit right with him. The whole setup¡ªthis grand event that conveniently gathered the strongest fighters, pushing them to their limits¡ªit felt like a game with hidden rules. But he wasn''t at the level where he could challenge the system itself.


    At least not yet.


    "I see¡­" He exhaled. "I guess that''s not something I should be worrying about right now."


    Tatiana nodded. "Exactly. You need to focus on the immediate future. The tournament. And your own survival."


    Leo clenched his fists. The path ahead of him was clearer now. He needed to get stronger. No matter what it took.


    .....


    Tatiana didn''t waste any more time. She grabbed Leo by the arm again, her wings unfurling as she took off into the sky, carrying him with her.


    The wind howled past his ears as they soared through the night. The city lights below were dim and sparse, remnants of a world that had once been filled with life. Now, it was a battlefield, and he was just another fighter trying to carve out his place.


    Leo glanced at Tatiana as they flew. "So¡­ when do I get to fly?" he asked, half-joking, half-serious.


    Tatiana smirked. "Exalted Rank."


    Leo raised a brow. "That late?"


    "That''s when true strength starts," she said. "Anything before that is just a warm-up."


    Leo absorbed that information. Exalted Rank. That was the milestone he needed to reach. The real beginning of power.


    They flew in silence the rest of the way, the wind carrying them effortlessly through the sky.


    When they finally arrived, Tatiana didn''t waste time. She dropped Leo off at the balcony of his bedroom and, without another word, turned and vanished into the night.


    Leo watched her disappear before stepping inside.


    .....


    The moment he entered his room, the tension in the air shifted.


    Ves was there.


    The second their eyes met, the weight of their last conversation and the incident of the previous night hit them both like a crashing wave. The room suddenly felt too small, and the silence too loud.


    Ves sat on the couch, her hands clasped together, her gaze flickering away the moment he stepped in. There was something unreadable in her expression.


    Leo stood in the doorway, unsure of what to say. He had fought an Abyssal Fiend today, had barely escaped with his life, but this? This felt just as daunting.


    Ves finally broke the silence.


    "You''re back," she said quietly.


    Leo nodded. "Yeah."


    Another pause. The tension remained, thick and suffocating.


    Ves exhaled, her fingers tightening around each other. "You should rest."


    "I will," Leo said, but neither of them moved.


    For a moment, it felt like they were standing on the edge of something neither of them knew how to cross. And maybe they weren''t ready to.


    Leo finally took a step forward, heading toward his bed. sea??h th§× ¦Çov§×lFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "Goodnight, Ves," he said.


    Ves hesitated before responding. "Goodnight, Leo."

 Chapter 132 - 132: Lucian von Carstein

    Leo lay on his bed, looking at the ceiling deep in thought. His mind couldn''t help but go back to the incident of the previous night and the fact that they are yet to address it, and thus, the cause of the awkward atmosphere between the both of them.


    As for addressing the situation, Leo has no idea what to do. He would actually be honest and say that he finds the situation very confusing.


    He had also been scolding himself and asking himself why he did what he did last night. Why did he kiss her tears?!


    But no matter how many times he asked himself that question, he couldn''t find an answer to it.


    He couldn''t help but sigh as he snuggled into his bed. He really hopes that the situation between him and Ves could be resolved quickly.


    But he was also scared. He was scared that if he doesn''t resolve it in the right way, then he''s going to lose Ves. And just the thought of losing her scares him very much.


    Ves has been with him since the time when he was in the orphanage home and till now. They have gone through so much together, experienced so many things together, fought battles together, and laughed together. It can be said that she has become something like family to him as they have cared for each other since the apocalypse began.


    And it was actually the truth because in this ruined world, Ves is the only one Leo has, and Leo was also the only that Ves has.


    "Why does things have to be so complicated?" Leo asked himself.


    Leo just wants to forget about everything and go to sleep, hoping that things would resolve themselves by the time he wakes up. But he was very much aware that this was just his wishful thinking.


    Leo sighed once more as he finally decided to close his eyes and get some sleep. He was about to close start drifting off to sleep when he noticed a very strong presence approaching the base.


    As if to confirm it, he heard one of the wolves'' howl. And in addition to that, he could also sense multiple presence approaching.


    Leo quickly got our of bed and grabbed Nightshade, before running out of his room. Outside, he met Ves, who had already sense the presence with her skills, and now has a solemn expression on her face.


    "We need to move fast and get the others," she said, and Leo nodded.


    Quickly, they two of them left the apartment and made their way to the elevator.


    Just as they were about to reach the elevator, they heard shocking explosion which rocked the foundation of the whole building.


    They felt the ground under shake as the whole building trembled.


    They looked at each and they realised that the elevator won''t be the best option anymore. And, so immediately, they rushed to the stairs.


    Getting to the stairs, the blockades that they placed on the door was still there, but having no time to waste, all Leo did was slash Nightshade in wide arc, and everything was cut into two. The door included.


    The blockades was split into two by Leo''s slash, and they all started falling apart. But Leo didn''t have the time to waste, and so, he rushed in and smashed his body into the crumbling blockades, sending them all flying. Including the door of course.


    With the blockades now gone, the two of them rushed down the stairs from the eight floor, making their way down to the ground floor.


    Leo and Ves were running at full speed, not caring to reserve their strength or stamina. Their base was under attack and if they reserve their strength and get there any slower, and the building is destroyed or taken from them, then what use would be the strength they are reserving?


    Leo was moving as fast ws he could, jumping a couple steps and even a whole fight. But even with that, he still found it to be very slow.


    It was at times like this that he really wish he could fly just like Tatiana, but he knew that it was impossible until he achieves the Exalted Rank.


    Leo finally arrived at the ground floor and the first thing he saw chaos. Outside the building, the wolf pack was fighting against a huge number of people. With a rough headcount from Leo, putting them at at least 50.


    With such huge disadvantage in numbers, it was natural that the wolves would be losing. And not only that, some of them were already on the floor, injured, and some... some may still on the floor, with Leo fearing the worst.


    Leo was about to lose his composure and fall into rage when he saw this, but he quickly controlled himself. He walked towards the battlefield, while scanning it for any sign of Fiona. But no matter how he looked, he couldn''t find her.


    He was disheartened when he saw this but he also felt relieved. Since Fiona wasn''t fighting with the rest of her pack on the battlefield, and she isn''t one of the wolves lying still on the floor, then it means that she''s fighting her own battle somewhere else.


    With his thought, Leo gripped Nightshade tightly and started walking towards one of the group ganging up on one of the wolves.


    He was forced the next moment, when he felt a strong presence behind his back. It was the same presence he felt previously.


    He quickly turned and he saw dressed in attires he had only seen on Tatiana and Liliana¡ªregal, elegant, but even more refined than theirs.


    The fabric shimmered under the dim light, deep shades of crimson and black woven with silver embroidery. It was exactly the same as Tatiana''s and Lilliana''s. S§×arch* The N??eFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    The young man also bore all the features of a vampire. Pale, flawless skin that seemed untouched by time. Sharp, angular features with a beauty both mesmerizing and unnerving.


    His hair was the same deep shade as Tatiana''s and Liliana''s, cascading down his back, but neatly tied with a silver clasp.


    And his eyes¡ªthose piercing, predatory crimson eyes¡ªheld an eerie resemblance to Tatiana''s.


    Leo didn''t need to ask.


    This was another von Carstein.


    But that was the shocking thing right now. The thing that caused Leo to clench his fist tightly and gripped Nightshade''s hilt tightly, like he was going to break it is because Fiona is being held tightly by the neck by him.


    He could hear her whimper as she tries to fight him off but with every struggle of hers, the young man increased the strength of her grip on Fiona''s neck, causing her to struggle even more.


    Leo nearly flew into rage when he saw this but when he remembered that the young man in front of him is an Exalted, and a very dangerous one at that, he knew that anger won''t help him in his current situation.


    Lucian slowly descended to the ground with a bland expression on his face, while gripping the neck of the wolf in his hand tightly.


    He had come here with a single purpose: Leo. But what he didn''t expect was that it was someone so young. Now, he''s very curious as to how he was able to achieve the feat he did.


    "So, you''re the Leo? The one who defeated my sister and that bastard child, Tatiana''s dog?" He asked, as he scanned Leo from head to toe, before looking away dismissively.


    "I actually thought you would be more. But you''re only a child. And now, I''m very disappointed in my sister. How could she allow someone like you, an ant like you, a scrap, a nobody from a backwater, forsaken planet that doesn''t amount to much in the grand scheme of things of the Multiverse to defeat her? It''s something I don''t understand. But I guess I will find out soon enough, won''t I?" He said with a mocking smile, as he tightened his grip on the wolf''s neck, causing to her to let out strangled groans.


    Leo saw this and he was about to rush forward, but he saw Lucian look at him and he found himself unable to move his body.


    "You as so much take a single step, it dies," Lucian said, smiling coldly.


    Every fiber of Leo''s being screamed at him to move, to rip the vampire apart. But he knew... He could see it in Lucian''s eyes that the moment he acted on that impulse, Fiona would die.


    And the thought of losing her, of watching her small frame go limp in that monster''s grip, made his blood run cold.

 Chapter 133 - 133: Lucian von Carstein (2)

    Leo''s fingers twitched, but his body remained locked in place, an invisible force holding him prisoner. His breaths came sharp and shallow, his chest burning with frustration.


    He tried to push every single muscle in his body to move, to rush towards Fiona and save her from Lucian''s hand but his body refused to listen to him.


    He was also aware that he couldn''t dare move as if he does, then Lucian will kill her. With that, he was left between a rock and a hard with no idea on what to do or how to go about it with his body fixed to a spot.


    ''Is this the true strength of an Exalted? Tatiana said that she''s almost on the same level as him, but there seem to be a difference between the two of them. Or maybe it''s because she hasn''t bothered to use her true due to our relationship,'' Leo thought to himself.


    He has fought Liliana, an Exalted, and this started to make him look down on Exalted, thinking of them as just another rank. But Lucian has actually made him understand what Tatiana meant by true strength starts at Exalted Rank.


    Leo''s eyes turned towards Fiona, and she whimpered, her small frame trembling in Lucian''s iron grip.


    He could see the panic in her blue eyes, the silent plea for help¡ªand he could do nothing. Nothing.


    And to make it worse, he could feel Fiona''s emotions from their bond. He could feel her telling him not worry, that she will be fine. But how could he not worry when she''s barely hanging on to her life in Lucian''s hand?


    Fiona had been with him since the beginning. Through the blood, the battles, the endless fights for survival¡ªshe had never left his side. And now, she was dangling helplessly, dying right in front of him. And he could do nothing."


    His mind screamed at him to move, to attack, to do something¡ªbut his limbs remained frozen, paralyzed under the weight of Lucian''s mere presence.


    "Why are you doing this? What do you have against me?," Leo asked through gritted teeth, with his eyes burning with rage.


    "Yes, I defeated your sister but it was just by dumb luck," he added.


    The reason he said this is because Tatiana has told him not to boost about defeating Liliana to any Off-worlder, especially to Lucian as it might expose his identity.


    So, it was better to attribute his win to dumb luck, rather than saying something about him being strong enough to defeat her.


    There''s naturally no Off-worlder that would believe something like that. A native from a backwater world, who is still an Awakened, defeated a Vampire princess.


    Indeed, it was enough to raise eyebrows and attract a lot of attention.


    Lucian sighed, shaking his head in disappointment at Leo''s words.


    "Was that really all there was to it?" he mused, tightening his grip on Fiona''s throat.


    The little wolf let out a strangled whimper, her paws weakly pushing against his hand, but he didn''t loosen his hold. If anything, he squeezed harder. S§×ar?h the n?vel_Fire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    His crimson eyes flicked back to Leo, who remained frozen, his face twisted in barely restrained rage.


    "''Just dumb luck?'' You know, I expected more than ''just dumb luck'' from someone who humiliated my dear sister," Lucian continued, his tone almost bored.


    "But look at you¡ªpathetic. A caged beast, watching helplessly as I take away something precious from you."


    He took a single step and the next moment, he was already in Leo''s front, covering the distance between them instantaneously.


    He leaned closer to Leo, his voice turning into a venomous whisper.


    "But there''s something you''re gravely mistaken about. My sister can''t be defeated by ''just dumb luck''. She might be weaker than the average Exalted of royal lineage, but not so much that an ant like you can defeat her. And not only that, you forced her to a corner, forcing her to accept defeat.


    You can''t tell me that that is your definition of dumb luck. Can you? What are the odds that a native like you, who looks like he just achieved his initial evolution and chose his first class can defeat my sister?" Lucian said.


    Immediately, Leo felt the temperature drop drastically, and very cold chills creeping into his body, and causing him to breath out cold air.


    It was like he was plunged into an ice cellar that has been working on overdrive for a very long time.


    Leo wanted to say something but he found that he was unable to open his mouth. It was like his lips were sealed shut and every single attempt of his to open it was futile.


    Lucian looked at Leo struggling, and sighed again. He looked towards his men attacking the wolves and he saw that they had already taken care of all of them, and the wolves were all now lying dead on the floor.


    Seeing this, he simply waved his hand and blood started draining from the wolves, and floating upward, and forming a ball of blood.


    Fiona''s lungs burned. Her paws weakly scratched at the iron grip around her throat, but it was useless.


    The more she struggled, the tighter it became, like an unbreakable vice crushing her windpipe.


    She could barely hear anything past the ringing in her ears, past the pounding of her own heartbeat struggling to keep going.


    Her vision swam, but she caught sight of Leo¡ªhis eyes wide with rage, with desperation. He was fighting against something, struggling to move, but he couldn''t.


    She wanted to tell him it was okay. That she wasn''t afraid. That she still believed in him.


    But no words came. Because Lucian''s grip kept tightening.


    She was about to give up and stop struggling, but when she saw Lucian draining the blood from her dead pack, she flew into rage.


    Leo was shocked when he heard what could be called a roar from Fiona and he felt a huge wave of anger, and bloodlust coming from their connection.


    And the next moment, he saw her enlarge to more than three times her size, escaping Lucian''s grip.


    Immediately after Fiona escaped Lucian''s grip, she faced him but a casual slap from Lucian sent her flying into residential building.


    "Stupid dog. She thinks enlarging herself will suddenly make her stronger. Hmph. No matter how big or small an ant is, it will still be nothing more than an ant," Lucian said, with a cold voice, before turning to face Leo.


    "And as for you, I''m curious. Are you the same Leo on the leaderboard? Leo Astranox?" He asked, with a very sinister voice.

 Chapter 134 - 134: Von Carstein Clash

    Leo found himself in a very difficult situation without an idea on what to do. Hearing Lucian asking him if he''s the same Leo as the one on the leaderboard, he knew that things were about to get worse.


    If Lucian is to actually link him to the Leo on the leaderboard, then his death is certain. With how weak he is, being unable to move due to just Lucian''s presence, there was no way the he would be able to do anything if Lucian wants to kill him.


    Leo tried to think of something. Anything that can help him in the very helples situation he finds him, but nothing came to mind.


    This made him to understand what it truly mean for every type of scheming to be useless in the presence of absolute strength.


    Leo clenched his fist, gritting his teeth at his helpless.


    The next moment, Leo''s knees buckled as an overwhelming force crashed down on him, sending him collapsing onto the blood-soaked ground.


    It felt like a ton of concrete was suddenly dropped on him, forcing him to the ground and crushing his bones.


    Leo tried to raise his head up but he couldn''t, and he felt like if he forced it, he would only be killing himself as his neck would snap.


    He also felt his his vision darkening, and he feels like he''s suffocating under a great pressure¡ªLucian''s pressure.


    "Now, I will ask again and this time, I want you to give me an answer. And you must give me something good as your life and that of everyone in that building, and your little dog pet, depends on it," Lucian asked, as he used his feet to raise Leo''s head to look at him.


    "Now, answer me. Are you the same Leo on the leaderboard? Leo Astranox?"


    Leo gritted his teeth as Lucian used his feet to raise his head. He has experienced a lot of things in the past couple of days, and month since the apocalypse started, but this is the first time he''s experiencing something like this.


    This is the first time he''s experiencing such an humiliation and it made his blood boil. It caused something inside of him to roar in rage.


    Whatever it was just wants nothing more than to rip Lucian into a million shred. It wants to rip Lucian apart bit by bit and burn his shreds in an everlasting flame.


    Sensing this, Leo wanted nothing more than whatever it is that''s inside of him to come out, but it couldn''t.


    Leo was defeated and the only best to do right now is to give up his identity to Lucian, so that he can save Ves, Mia, Miguel and Fiona''s life.


    Even if he does in the end, as he''s sure that is what would happen. He wants to make sure that they are okay.


    But he was aware that Lucian might not spare them. And this is especially if he gives up his identity. He might use it an excuse to kill them.


    Realising this, Leo had no idea what else to do. He can''t give up his identity but he can''t also let everyone die.


    It was then he heard Fiona''s cough. He looked towards her and he saw blood dripping from her mouth as she struggled to rise, her massive form trembling under Lucian''s gaze.


    After being slapped into a building, Fiona forces herself back up, her rage and survival instinct pushing her past her limits.


    Leo heard Lucian sigh, muttering something to himself and the next moment, vanishing and appearing in front of Fiona before she could react.


    Leo watched as he stomps her back into the ground, causing her to let out a loud whimper filled pain.


    Lucian stomped Fiona''s massive form again and again, causing her to cry out even more. And the next moment, he kicked her, and sent her flying into wall of the residential building.


    Fiona smashed into the building, with the impact causing a huge webs of cracks and her blood flowing down the cracks.


    "I won''t be so merciful next time, you wey dog. Know your place," Lucian said, before appearing in Leo''s front again.


    Leo watches, completely unable to move, as Fiona''s who was now stuck in the wall of the building, whimpered and slowly, her whimpers turn to silence.


    Lucian looks at Leo with mocking disappointment.


    "She fought harder than you did. Perhaps I should''ve been dealing with her instead of wasting my time with you, don''t you think?"


    "I will kill you! I. Will. Kill. You! Be you the son of a god, the son of the devil himself, I will hunt you down and I will make you feel every single pain I feel today," Leo bellowed at the top of his voice in rage. But a casual slap from Lucian plastered him to the ground.


    "Tsk. Tsk. Tsk. That wasn''t the answer i.eas looking for. And how do you intend to kill me when you will be dead? Even if you reincarnate, you will be back to being a weak Awakened, and I will be the one to hunt you down and kill you. You should really be careful of what you say," Lucian said, shaking his head tiredly.


    The next moment, Lucian''s neck snapped upward towards a direction.


    "Ah! Here she comes. The prodigal child herself. The disgrace of the Carstein lineage," he smirked.


    The following moment, the air trembled suddenly as massive gust of wind blew, and Tatiana appeared, standing in the air with wings made of blood on her back.


    "I was wondering when you''re going to show up, dear sister?" Lucian asked, with a mocking smile.


    "Lucian, do you still take pleasure from tormenting the weak? Is your ego so little that you have bully those weaker than you to make you feel strong? If you really want to show off your strength, why don''t you go find one of the demons on the leaderboard and fight them? You can even find the last ranked among them," Tatiana said, with a cold voice as she slowly descended to the ground.


    "I see that you''re still as sharp tongued as ever and like always, you''re always blind and unable to see when someone is stronger than you," Lucian said, with a smirk.


    "Funny. Is that what you call you this? Recognising someone stronger than you?" Tatiana laughed, and continued, "If that is so, then why don''t you fight me?"


    Immediately, the atmosphere changed, growing heavier as Tatiana released her pressure.


    Her pressure was stronger than Lucian''s, as it enveloped the whole battlefield, dwarfing Lucian''s and relieving Leo of the presure that was pressing him down.


    "Tell me, Lucian. Who is stronger? You? How many exchange do you think you can last against me?" sea??h th§× ¦Çov§×lFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

 Chapter 135 - 135: Need For Strength—Absolute Strength

    The battlefield was steeped in tension, a suffocating weight pressing down on everything as Tatiana and Lucian faced off.


    The air itself felt thick, heavy with an unspoken challenge, as if the world had paused to witness this moment between two predators circling each other.


    Tatiana stood with an eerie stillness, and with the massive wings of blood unfurled behind her, she was like a reaper made flesh, an angel of death ready to claim her due.


    The crimson light from her wings cast long, jagged shadows across the broken ground, making the battlefield look like the entrance to some dark abyss.


    Lucian, in contrast, remained utterly relaxed. His posture was loose, his smirk never faltering, but his eyes, those predatory crimson eyes, were sharp, filled with something colder.


    He studied Tatiana the way a nobleman might study a wild animal in a cage, not out of fear, but curiosity.


    "You always did have a way of ruining my fun, dear sister," Lucian said, exhaling softly, his smirk deepening.


    "And you always did have a way of overstaying your welcome, dear brother," Tatiana replied, her voice colder than the night air.


    Their exchange felt almost casual, but the battlefield itself responded differently. The very ground seemed to tighten beneath them, as if it, too, recognized the power woven into their words. Sear?h the N?velFire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Lucian let out a short chuckle, rolling his shoulders as though loosening up before a performance.


    "I know you''re here to save your little dog, but I find myself curious, Tatiana." His voice was smooth, measured, yet it carried an edge of malice beneath its silkiness.


    "How much is he really worth to you? I wonder how you''ll react when I kill him."


    The words hung in the air like poison, sinking deep, infecting everything.


    Tatiana''s expression remained unchanged, but something beneath the surface of her gaze sharpened, a glint of something far colder than hatred.


    "You kill him, I repay the blood debt by killing Liliana." Her voice was devoid of hesitation. "An eye for an eye. Isn''t that what you taught me, brother?"


    Lucian''s smile flickered, his amusement deepening. "Hmm¡­ I see. You really did learn well. That''s how it''s going to be, then. I won''t kill him."


    His gaze flickered briefly to Leo, still crumpled on the ground, still paralyzed.


    "It''s not as if his death benefits me in any way."


    Leo, trapped under Lucian''s suffocating aura, clenched his teeth as those words reached him. His body, heavy and battered, refused to move.


    Every word from Lucian felt like a blade dragging through his pride, cutting deep. He wanted to rise, to stand, to at least hold himself up with dignity¡ªbut his limbs trembled at just the thought.


    He couldn''t help but laugh mockingly at his own situation, at his own weakness. The son of a dragon prince and goddess my ass. Right now, he was nothing more than a animal at the mercy of a butcher.


    Lucian''s attention returned to Tatiana.


    "But I do have another question. Why did you choose him?" His smirk faded, his gaze turning sharper. "Is he the same Leo from the leaderboard?"


    There was a pause.


    Tatiana held his gaze, unyielding.


    "Why do you care why I chose him? Did I ask why you chose yours? Why meddle in my business?"


    She took a step forward, her presence pressing back against his, the battlefield crackling between them like a storm about to break.


    "And besides," she continued, her voice as frigid as ice. "I''m no longer part of the von Carstein family. Stop poking your nose into my affairs."


    Lucian regarded her for a moment, his head tilting slightly, as if considering something.


    "You''re not going to talk, I see." A soft sigh left his lips, but there was no disappointment in it¡ªonly patience.


    "Well, I know I can''t force you now, but things can change very quickly and very drastically in the future."


    Tatiana said nothing.


    Lucian''s smile returned, but this time it was razor-sharp.


    "So be careful, dear sister. Always watch your back. Since you''re no longer part of the Royal family, don''t blame me for killing you when the time comes."


    With a simple flick of his wrist, the remaining humans that had fought the wolves rose into the air, their bodies suspended like puppets awaiting their master''s command.


    The blood that had been drained from the wolves floated beside him, forming a sphere of deep crimson.


    Lucian''s gaze lingered on Tatiana.


    "And remember, no matter how confident you are in your strength, I still rank higher than you on the leaderboard. And there''s a reason for that."


    Tatiana held his gaze, her expression unreadable. Then, with slow deliberation, she spoke.


    "And just like you said, things can change very quickly and drastically in the future."


    Lucian''s smirk widened. "Good."


    And with that, he vanished into the night, his presence disappearing along with his men and the floating sphere of blood.


    For a long moment, silence swallowed the battlefield. The heavy weight Lucian had left behind still lingered, pressing into every shattered stone, every breath of wind that whispered through the ruins.


    Then, as if the world itself exhaled, the tension shattered.


    Leo gasped, his body finally free from the crushing force that had pinned him down. His limbs trembled violently as he tried to push himself up, but his strength was nearly gone. His arms buckled, and he collapsed back onto the cold, bloodstained earth.


    Tatiana was there in an instant, kneeling beside him.


    Her crimson eyes studied him, her expression calm, yet there was something unreadable in the way she looked at him.


    Leo took in slow, shallow breaths, still trying to gather himself. Every inch of his body ached.


    The humiliation, the powerlessness, the sheer difference in strength between him and Lucian¡ªit all burned deep into his core.


    Tatiana finally spoke.


    "How does it feel, Leo?" her voice was quiet, but it carried weight.


    Leo didn''t answer.


    She tilted her head slightly, her gaze never leaving him. "Knowing that, right now, you are nothing?"


    His hands curled into fists against the dirt. His breathing came rougher, his heart pounding in his chest.


    Tatiana watched, but she did not soften. "That''s why you need to get stronger."


    And get stronger he must!

 Chapter 136 - 136: Leaving Earth

    Leo pushed himself up from the ground, his body screaming in protest with every movement.


    His muscles felt like they were tearing apart, his bones still aching from the relentless weight of Lucian''s presence.


    His breath came in short gasps, ragged and unsteady, but he forced himself to remain standing. His legs wobbled, barely able to hold his weight, yet he refused to fall.


    He raised his head, his vision blurred with exhaustion, but his eyes found Fiona''s unmoving form, still embedded in the cracked stone wall.


    His chest clenched at the sight. Her body, usually so full of energy and life, hung limply against the shattered surface.


    His fingers curled into fists, nails digging into his palms. A hot, simmering rage burned beneath his skin, an anger unlike anything he had ever felt before. It wasn''t just fury at Lucian¡ªit was at himself. His powerlessness. His insignificance.


    The realization that despite everything he had done, despite all the battles he had fought, he was still nothing compared to monsters like Lucian.


    The truth was undeniable.


    He was weak.


    His father''s name, his mother''s divine bloodline¡ªnone of it mattered. Not if he couldn''t protect those he cared about. Not if he couldn''t even lift a finger to stop someone like Lucian from taking everything away from him.


    "I need strength," he whispered, the words slipping past his lips like a vow, a desperate prayer to something, anything, that would listen.


    Tatiana stood beside him, her blood-forged wings folding behind her as she regarded him with a knowing look. She heard the words he had spoken to himself, understood the weight behind them.


    "Yes, you do," she agreed, her voice steady. "But first, you and your friends have to leave. It''s no longer safe here. Lucian can come back at any time."


    Leo''s grip on his fists tightened. He knew she was right. This place was no longer their home. If they stayed, Lucian would find them again, and next time, there might not be anyone to save them.


    Tatiana moved toward Fiona, her gaze momentarily softening as she reached out and carefully pulled the massive wolf from the wall. She carried her gently, as if she were handling something fragile, and laid her down in front of Leo.


    "She suffered internal injuries and several broken bones, but she will survive," Tatiana said, her tone quieter now, almost... reassuring.


    Leo knelt down, his hands trembling as he reached out to Fiona''s fur. He ran his fingers gently along her side, brushing over her wounds.


    Her body spasmed lightly at his touch, a faint whimper escaping her throat. His heart clenched at the sound.


    He swallowed the lump in his throat, biting back the overwhelming emotions threatening to consume him.


    He wanted to scream, to break something, to lash out at the universe itself¡ªbut there was nothing he could do except swallow the bitter pill of humiliation and defeat.


    "Where do we go from here?" he asked, his voice hollow.


    "Earth is no longer an option for you," Tatiana answered. "Lucian will be able to trace you, no matter where you hide. The best option is to leave this world entirely."


    Leo turned to her, his eyes filled with quiet determination. "What realm?"


    "Yllandor," Tatiana replied. "It''s the realm shared by the elves, dwarves, and beastkin. If you go there, you''ll have access to another rift. One that will take you back to the Abyssal Realm."


    Leo frowned. "The elves¡­ will they allow us in?"


    "They don''t control the realm itself," Tatiana explained. "Their authority is limited to their continent. I won''t be sending you there. You''ll arrive in the beastkin territories. They won''t care who you are, as long as you don''t bring trouble."


    Leo absorbed her words, then nodded. "Fine. We''ll leave immediately. But first..." He turned his gaze toward the lifeless remains of the wolves, their bodies nothing more than dried husks after Lucian had drained them.


    "I need to bury them."


    A heavy silence followed.


    Just then, footsteps echoed from the building behind them.


    Ves was the first to appear, her eyes wide as she took in the scene. Her gaze landed on Leo, battered and kneeling before Fiona''s unconscious form. Her breath hitched, her fists clenching.


    Mia and Miguel arrived seconds later, their expressions quickly shifting from confusion to horror.


    Mia covered her mouth with her hands, tears welling in her eyes as she took a shaky step forward.


    "What... what happened?"


    Miguel, normally composed, looked as though he had been struck in the gut. His fists trembled at his sides as he scanned the battlefield, his eyes finally settling on the remains of the wolves.


    The silence stretched, thick with grief and anger. Sear?h the N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Ves was the first to move. She rushed forward, kneeling beside Leo and Fiona. Her hands hovered over Fiona''s fur, her lips parting as if to say something, but no words came. Instead, she looked up at Leo, her eyes searching his.


    Leo held her gaze, seeing everything she wanted to ask, everything she wanted to say, reflected back at him.


    "Lucian," he muttered, his voice barely above a whisper. That single word carried all the explanation needed.


    Miguel exhaled sharply, his rage barely contained.


    "He did this?" His voice was dark, dangerous.


    The group knew of Lucian as Ves has already told them about Tatiana''s half siblings.


    Mia let out a shaky breath, her hands dropping to her sides.


    "We... we need to bury them," she said, her voice barely steady.


    No one argued.


    Together, they began moving the wolves'' remains. Their hands were steady but their hearts were heavy.


    Each body they lifted felt like another piece of their home being taken away. The wolves had been more than just animals¡ªthey had been part of their family, their protectors.


    The process took time. The dried husks were brittle, crumbling at the edges as they carefully carried them to a quiet clearing near the ruins of their base.


    A massive grave had been dug, large enough to hold the fallen wolves.


    Leo stood at the edge, his body still aching, but he refused to show weakness now. His gaze swept over the lifeless forms one last time before he spoke.


    "You fought for us," he said, his voice raw. "You stood against monsters you couldn''t win against, just because you wanted to protect us. I swear... I won''t let your sacrifice be in vain."


    Ves wiped at her eyes, Mia sniffled, Miguel bowed his head, and Tatiana stood silent, watching.


    A faint rustling sound broke the moment.


    Leo turned, his breath catching as Fiona stirred.


    Her body trembled as she struggled to move, her ears twitching. Slowly, painfully, her eyes opened.


    Leo fell to his knees beside her. "Fiona..."


    She let out a weak huff, her nose nudging his hand. She was still alive.


    Leo felt something inside him loosen, a knot of pain and anger easing just a little.


    After a long silence, Tatiana finally spoke. "It''s time."


    The portal shimmered before them, a swirling vortex of deep blues and greens.


    Leo took a slow breath, glancing at his friends.


    Ves met his gaze with quiet determination. Mia and Miguel nodded.


    He turned back toward the grave one last time.


    "Goodbye," he whispered.


    Then, without another word, they stepped into the portal

 Chapter 137 - 137: Yllandor

    The portal''s energy rippled as Leo and his group stepped through, their bodies weightless for a brief moment before gravity took hold once more.


    The sensation of stepping from one world to another was jarring. The chill of Earth''s battlefield was replaced by a warmth that sunk into their skin, the crisp scent of fresh grass and damp earth filling their lungs.


    Leo''s boots met solid ground, and he staggered slightly as the light from the portal behind them flickered and then faded, sealing their passage.


    Silence settled over them.


    The first thing he noticed was the sheer vibrancy of the world around them.


    Unlike the ruined cities and lifeless wastelands of Earth, Yllandor breathed. The land was alive, untouched by the horrors of the apocalypse. Lush, sprawling forests stretched endlessly, their ancient trunks towering so high that their emerald canopies blocked out most of the sky. The leaves shimmered under the light of the twin moons hanging overhead, casting an ethereal glow upon the land. Fireflies, or something similar, flickered in the distance, dancing between the thick undergrowth.


    A massive river cut through the landscape, its waters clear as crystal, reflecting the starlit sky like a mirror. The faint sounds of rushing water mixed with the chirps and calls of unseen creatures, filling the air with life.


    Leo turned his gaze upward, his breath catching at the impossibly vast mountain ranges in the distance, their peaks stretching so high that they pierced through thick layers of rolling clouds. It was a sight straight out of myth, something that belonged in old fantasy stories, not reality.


    This was Yllandor.


    A world that had never known the devastation of Earth''s collapse. A world still untouched by ruin.


    Mia was the first to break the silence.


    "This¡­ this is unreal," she whispered, her voice filled with awe.


    Miguel stepped forward, his gaze scanning the surroundings with quiet astonishment. "I never thought I''d see a place like this outside of a dream¡­"


    Ves remained silent, her arms crossed, but Leo noticed the way her fingers curled slightly, her eyes flickering across the endless horizon, as if struggling to accept that this world was real.


    Fiona, still weakened from her injuries, managed to stand beside Leo, her large form pressing against him for support. Her ears twitched, her nose lifted as she took in the scents of this strange new land. A low, rumbling sound vibrated from her throat¡ªnot a growl, but something closer to curiosity.


    Leo swallowed hard, his mind still adjusting.


    They had spent so long in a world consumed by death that stepping into a land overflowing with life felt¡­ wrong.


    Like they didn''t belong here.


    Like the dirt and blood that clung to them would somehow taint this place.


    Tatiana was the last to step forward, her blood-red eyes surveying their surroundings with calm scrutiny.


    "The beastkin capital should be further northeast," she said, nodding toward a break in the dense forest where a well-worn dirt path stretched into the distance. "That''s where we''ll find a rift to the Abyssal Realm."


    Leo exhaled slowly. "And how long will it take to get there?"


    Tatiana glanced at the moons above, then back toward the trees. "Two, maybe three days on foot, if we keep a steady pace."


    Leo clenched his fists. Three days. That was too long.


    He needed to get stronger now. He needed to be in the Abyss now.


    He turned to Tatiana, ready to demand a faster way, but before he could speak, a low, guttural growl rumbled from the treeline.


    The group stiffened.


    Fiona''s ears flattened, her muscles tensing as she bared her teeth toward the darkness beyond the trees.


    Something was watching them.


    Leo''s grip on Nightshade tightened. He could feel it¡ªa presence. Heavy. Predatory.


    Then, a shape emerged from the shadows.


    A massive beast, unlike anything they had encountered before.


    It was twice the size of a direwolf, with thick, dark fur that shimmered with hues of deep green under the moonlight. Its golden eyes glowed with sharp intelligence, scanning the group with measured curiosity, not immediate hostility.


    But what caught Leo''s attention the most was the figure standing beside the beast.


    A humanoid shape, draped in deep brown leathers, a hood partially obscuring their face. Wolf-like ears twitched atop their head, and a long, furred tail swayed behind them.


    A beastkin.


    The figure stepped forward, their posture relaxed, but their sharp gaze held an unspoken warning.


    "You''re trespassing on beastkin land," the voice was smooth, carrying a natural authority. "State your purpose."


    Leo exhaled through his nose. So much for a quiet arrival.


    His body still ached, his energy was spent, and they had just arrived in this world¡ªand yet, they were already in danger.


    Tatiana stepped forward before Leo could respond.


    "We are travelers seeking passage to the beastkin capital," she stated plainly, her expression unreadable.


    The beastkin tilted their head slightly, studying her for a long moment before shifting their focus to Leo.


    The beastkin''s golden eyes remained locked on Leo, sharp and calculating. The massive wolf beside them let out a low huff, its ears twitching as if listening to something unseen. The air between them felt heavy, the tension of an unspoken challenge lingering in the stillness of the night.


    "Travelers, you say?" the beastkin murmured, voice smooth but edged with suspicion.


    "Strange, considering this is a realm rarely visited by outsiders. And even stranger, given the scent that lingers around you." Its gaze flickered to Leo, their nose subtly twitching as if catching something familiar.


    Leo''s body was still recovering from the overwhelming encounter with Lucian, but he forced himself to stand straighter, to meet the beastkin''s gaze without faltering. He knew that in a place like this, weakness was easily exploited.


    "You want to know who we are?" Leo said, his voice steady despite the weight pressing against his chest.


    "Fine. My name is Leo. These are my companions¡ªVes, Mia, and Miguel." He gestured toward them, his fingers tightening slightly.


    "And this is Tatiana, the one who brought us here."


    The beastkin''s gaze remained unreadable as they studied each person in turn. Their sharp eyes lingered on Fiona''s injured form, their expression tightening slightly before returning to Leo.


    "And your purpose in Yllandor?" the beastkin asked, their voice devoid of hostility but firm.


    "We need access to the Abyssal Rift," Tatiana said without hesitation. "The one near the beastkin capital." S~ea??h the N?vel(F)ire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    A flicker of multiple expressions crossed the beastkin''s face, surprise, intrigue, and even wariness.


    "The Abyssal Rift is not something we take lightly," it replied.


    "Few seek it out willingly, and even fewer survive its corruption. Why should I believe you have business there?"


    Leo exhaled slowly, his jaw clenching. He wasn''t sure how much to reveal. But at this moment, keeping secrets wouldn''t help them.


    "I need strength," he admitted, his voice raw. "And the Abyss is the fastest way to get it."


    The beastkin regarded him in silence, its golden eyes narrowing slightly.


    "Strength alone is not enough to survive the Abyss," it said. "But I see that you''ve already learned that lesson the hard way."


    Leo said nothing. There was no need to. The wounds, the exhaustion, the quiet, seething rage in his posture¡ªit was proof enough.


    The beastkin nodded slowly.


    "Very well. I will take you to the capital," it said, before turning it head slightly and releasing a low, almost melodic whistle.


    The wolf beside them lifted its head, ears perking forward. A moment later, the forest around them stirred.


    More wolves emerged from the treeline, their massive forms padding silently across the earth, their golden eyes reflecting the twin moons'' light. Each of them was as large as a horse, their fur thick and wild, their presence commanding.


    Leo''s group tensed, instinctively shifting their stances, but the wolves made no hostile moves.


    The beastkin gestured to the pack. "We will move faster this way. You will ride."

 Chapter 138 - 138: Going To The Beastkins Capital

    Leo couldn''t hide his surprise when he heard that they would be riding the massive wolves to the beastkin capital.


    His gaze drifted toward the creatures, their hulking forms standing silently beside the beastkin.


    Their presence alone was enough to send a shiver down his spine. Their huge size gave them an aura of quiet dominance over their surroundings.


    And he couldn''t help but eyed them warily.


    "Are you guys not going to get on?" the beastkin asked, already mounting one of the massive creatures with ease.


    Leo turned his attention toward them. Now that he was looking closer, he could take in more details. The beastkin was young, perhaps in his early twenties, but he was sure.


    The beastkin also has wolf-like ears atop his head that twitched at every sound. His dark brown hair was long and wild, tied back loosely to keep it out of his sharp, golden eyes.


    His tail, thick and covered in fur, swayed lazily behind him as he settled into position on his mount.


    "You can stand there all you want," the beastkin continued, "but know that where you are is very dangerous. This forest is not kind to those who hesitate."


    Leo glanced at Tatiana, who had been watching quietly from the side. She met his gaze and nodded.


    "He''s right. This forest is dangerous. Most especially at night. We have to get out of here fast, and the fastest way for all of you is on those wolves."


    That was all Leo needed to hear. If Tatiana, who had never been the type to show unnecessary concern said they needed to move fast, then they needed to move fast.


    He turned to Ves, Mia, and Miguel, gauging their reactions. As expected, their faces were laced with hesitation and caution. He understood.


    They were in a new world, a world that, before the apocalypse, they would have dismissed as pure fantasy. And yet, here they were, standing in the middle of a mystical realm, surrounded by towering trees, grass that reached up to their shins, and wolves the size of horses.


    It was a lot to take in.


    Leo exhaled sharply. "We don''t have a choice," he said firmly. "Let''s move."


    The others hesitated, but one by one, they nodded.


    The beastkin watched them with mild amusement. "You''ll get used to it," he said. "Now hurry up."


    Leo approached one of the wolves, with Fiona following behind him. Up close, the creature''s sheer size became even more apparent.


    Its body was muscular, built for endurance and power. Its ears flicked in his direction, and for a moment, its golden eyes locked onto his.


    It was assessing him. S§×arch* The N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Leo reached out cautiously, placing a hand against the wolf''s side. Its fur was thick and coarse, warm under his fingers. The beast let out a low huff, its breath ruffling Leo''s hair, but it didn''t shy away.


    Taking that as permission, Leo carried Fiona and placed gently on the wolf''s back, before he also climbed up.


    Ves followed, mounting her own wolf with slow, deliberate movements, her grip tightening around its thick fur.


    Miguel and Mia hesitated the longest, exchanging nervous glances before finally climbing onto theirs.


    Tatiana, who had been watching them struggle with barely concealed amusement, simply flew up and landed smoothly on her chosen mount, looking completely at ease.


    "Show off," Leo muttered under his breath.


    The beastkin chuckled. "Ready?" he asked, looking around at them.


    "As ready as we''ll ever be," Leo replied.


    With a sharp whistle, the beastkin signaled the wolves. And then, without warning, they surged forward.


    Leo barely had time to brace himself as his wolf lunged into motion. The sudden burst of speed sent his stomach lurching, and for a moment, he thought he might fall off.


    His fingers dug into the wolf''s fur instinctively as the world around him became a blur of green and gold.


    The sensation of riding was unlike anything he''d experienced before. The wolves moved with such fluidity and power that it felt almost unnatural.


    The ground sped beneath them, the towering trees of the forest whipping past in streaks of dark emerald and deep brown.


    Overhead, the twin moons cast their glow through the dense canopy, illuminating patches of the winding path.


    The air was crisp, carrying scents that were foreign yet strangely invigorating. The scent of damp earth, of fresh water, of vegetation untouched by pollution or destruction.


    The rhythmic sound of paws striking the ground, the wind rushing past his ears, and the distant call of unseen creatures created a melody of pure wilderness.


    "This is... incredible," Mia murmured, her voice carrying over the wind.


    Miguel, who had been gripping his wolf''s fur for dear life, managed a shaky nod.


    "Terrifying, but incredible."


    Leo agreed. There was something freeing about it, despite the lingering exhaustion in his bones.


    As they rode, he turned to the beastkin riding beside him. "You never told us your name."


    The beastkin glanced at him. "Rhun."


    Leo nodded. "Rhun. Thanks for helping us."


    Rhun shrugged.


    "You haven''t seen the capital yet. Let''s hope you still feel grateful when we get there."


    Leo frowned slightly. "What do you mean?"


    "The beastkin capital isn''t like the cities you know. And outsiders are not always welcome."


    Leo absorbed that information carefully.


    "Are we going to have trouble?"


    "That depends," Rhun said. "The beastkin respect strength. If you prove you''re worth something, they might leave you alone. If not..." He trailed off, the implication clear.


    Leo exhaled slowly. "And what about the Abyssal Rift?"


    Rhun''s expression darkened slightly. "That''s another matter entirely."


    Leo''s grip on his wolf''s fur tightened. "What do you know?"


    Rhun was silent for a moment, then said, "The Rift is dangerous, even for those who think they''re prepared. It changes people. Some return stronger. Others... don''t return at all."


    Leo didn''t flinch. He already knew the risks.


    "I''m going in," he said simply.


    Rhun studied him with a smile. Then he smirked. "Then try not to die before we get there."


    Leo let out a dry chuckle, but the weight of Rhun''s words lingered.


    They rode through the night, the capital growing closer with every passing second.

 Chapter 139 - 139: The Capital

    Leo and his group finally arrived at the outskirts of the beastkin capital, the towering gates of wood and reinforced metal coming into view.


    The walls stretched high, their construction blending natural elements with sturdy fortifications.


    Vines coiled around massive wooden beams, and carvings of ancient beasts and tribal symbols adorned the gate.


    Torches burned with a soft blue glow, their enchanted flames flickering under the twin moons overhead.


    As the massive wolves slowed their pace, Leo exhaled, his muscles finally relaxing.


    The ride had been unlike anything he had ever experienced¡ªfluid, yet untamed. The way the wolves navigated the terrain with effortless grace made it clear why the beastkin favored them as mounts.


    Rhaun, their guide, dismounted first, his movements swift and practiced. His golden eyes flickered toward Leo and his group as they climbed off their respective mounts.


    "You''re lucky you made it here before sunrise," Rhaun said, running a hand through his wild, dark brown hair. His wolf-like ears twitched.


    "The deeper parts of the forest aren''t kind to outsiders. If you had arrived any later, well... let''s just say the local wildlife wouldn''t have been as welcoming as us."


    Leo nodded, steadying himself after the long ride. "Thanks for the ride... and for not leaving us to fend for ourselves out there."


    Rhaun smirked, crossing his arms. "Don''t thank me yet. You''ll find that the capital isn''t exactly welcoming to strangers.


    The beastkin respect strength, and outsiders? They''ll have to prove they belong."


    Leo noted the warning but chose not to respond. He was used to being an outsider. That wasn''t going to change any time soon.


    Rhaun turned toward his pack and let out a low whistle. The wolves that had carried them flicked their ears before vanishing into the night, their silent departure making Leo wonder just how intelligent they truly were.


    "Be careful," Rhaun said, taking a step back. "You might have made it here, but that doesn''t mean you''re safe."


    Without waiting for a reply, he vanished into the shadows of the forest, leaving them standing just outside the capital gates.


    Tatiana let out a small sigh. "Well, that was dramatic."


    Leo smirked. "Yeah, but he''s not wrong. We need to be careful."


    Tatiana nodded, then gestured toward the city. "First things first¡ªwe need a place to stay."


    They turned their attention to the structures beyond the gate. Unlike the cities Leo had known, the beastkin capital had a unique blend of nature and civilization. S§×arch* The n??el Fire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    The buildings were constructed from wood, stone, and thick vines, merging seamlessly with the landscape. Streets were lined with torches emitting soft glows of blue and green, powered by some unknown energy. The air was rich with the scent of earth and wildflowers, tinged with a hint of something distinctly primal.


    Tatiana scanned their surroundings before pointing toward a wooden building with a sign hanging above the entrance.


    "That looks like an inn."


    Leo followed her gaze and read the inscription. The sign was carved with symbols that shifted before forming words he could strangely understand: The Burrow''s Rest.


    As they entered, they were greeted by a warm, rustic atmosphere. The inn''s interior was cozy yet spacious, with wooden beams arching overhead and soft pelts covering the seats.


    A fire burned in the stone hearth, casting flickering shadows across the walls. The scent of freshly cooked meat and spiced tea filled the air.


    Behind the counter stood the innkeeper¡ªa rabbit beastkin with large ears that twitched at their arrival. Her fur was a soft brown, and she had sharp, perceptive eyes.


    "Outsiders," she murmured, her tone neither welcoming nor hostile. "Don''t see many of your kind around here."


    Tatiana stepped forward. "We need rooms for the night."


    The rabbit beastkin studied them carefully before nodding. "We have space, but you''ll need to pay in advance. No offense, but I don''t make exceptions for newcomers."


    Tatiana nodded and waved her hand on the table, and a couple of silver coins appeared on it.


    The innkeeper examined them before nodding. "Alright. You''ll get four rooms."


    Tatiana made the room arrangements. "I''ll take one for myself," she said.


    Ves glanced at Mia before deciding. "We''ll share one."


    Leo turned to Fiona, who was still recovering from the journey. "She''s staying with me."


    Miguel shrugged. "Guess that leaves me with my own."


    The innkeeper nodded. "Follow me."


    She led them down a wooden hallway lined with woven rugs and lanterns that emitted soft golden light. The scent of lavender and chamomile lingered in the air.


    One by one, she pointed them to their rooms before stopping at Leo''s.


    "Your companion looks exhausted," she said, glancing at Fiona. "Make sure she rests."


    Leo nodded. "I will."


    With that, she left them.


    Leo stepped inside, guiding Fiona toward the bed. The room was small but comfortable, with a thick fur rug on the floor and a small window overlooking the city. A basin of water sat on the nightstand, along with fresh cloth for cleaning.


    Fiona let out a tired huff before collapsing onto the bed. Leo sat beside her, running a hand through her fur.


    "We made it," he murmured. "Now, we rest."


    He leaned back, his body finally relaxing against the mattress. But even as exhaustion threatened to drag him into sleep, his mind was already racing toward what came next.


    ...


    The night passed in silence, save for the occasional rustling of the wind outside the inn.


    Yllandor''s nights were different from Earth''s¡ªthere was no lingering scent of smoke, no distant howls of starving creatures, no oppressive weight of an impending attack.


    Instead, the air carried the earthy scent of wet grass, the chirping of unseen nocturnal animals, and a sky so vast and clear that Leo could see the countless stars hanging above.


    Yet, despite the peaceful setting, his mind refused to rest.


    Leo lay on his back, staring at the wooden ceiling, his fingers absentmindedly tracing the coarse fur of Fiona, who slept beside him.


    Her breathing was slow, steady, but her occasional twitch suggested she was still recovering from her injuries. He glanced at her massive frame, her powerful muscles now resting after the brutality she had endured at Lucian''s hands. The memory of it sent a bitter taste into his mouth.


    Lucian.


    The thought of that name alone sent a slow, simmering rage burning inside him.


    Leo clenched his fist, feeling his nails bite into his palm. That encounter had exposed just how weak he truly was.


    He had spent days, weeks, pushing himself beyond his limits, surviving in a world that wanted nothing more than to kill him, and yet, none of it mattered in front of Lucian.


    He had been completely powerless.


    He had watched as his wolves, the creatures that had followed and protected him and fought alongside him, were drained of their blood like discarded husks. He had been forced to his knees, humiliated, mocked, and he could do nothing.


    That was the worst part.


    Not the pain, not the injuries¡ªbut the powerlessness.


    His fingers curled tighter. He would never feel that way again.


    He had no illusions about his situation. Yllandor was nothing like Earth, and Lucian was proof that the realms beyond his home contained creatures and beings that he could barely comprehend. If Lucian was what an Exalted Rank could do, then what of those beyond him?


    He wasn''t just behind. He was insignificant.


    But he would change that.


    He had no choice.


    Leo exhaled sharply, closing his eyes. The Abyssal Realm. That was his path to power. If the others could evolve and become stronger from it, so would he. And he wouldn''t stop until he reached the Exalted Rank and beyond.

 Chapter 140 - 140: The Capital (2)

    Morning arrived with the warmth of golden sunlight filtering through the small window.


    The air smelled fresh, carrying a crispness that made the fatigue in Leo''s body slightly more bearable.


    He sat up slowly, stretching the stiffness out of his limbs before glancing at Fiona. Her ears twitched as she opened one eye, groaning softly.


    "Yeah," he muttered. "I feel the same way."


    Pushing himself off the bed, Leo ran a hand through his messy hair before splashing cold water on his face from the basin.


    The chill jolted him awake, washing away the remnants of exhaustion clinging to his mind.


    It felt strange. If it was before, back on Earth, he would had gone to the bathroom to freshen up. But he no longer such luxury now.


    A knock at the door followed, breaking Leo out of his thought, and Ves''s voice came through.


    "Leo, you up?"


    "Yeah," he called back, walking over and pulling the door open.


    Ves stood outside, arms crossed, looking as awake as ever. Beside her, Mia leaned against the wall, her usual energy somewhat subdued from the long journey. Miguel joined them a moment later, rubbing the back of his neck with a half-yawn.


    "We should head downstairs," Ves said. "Tatiana wants to talk before we start anything."


    Leo nodded and stepped out, Fiona following closely behind, her wounds still limiting her movement, but her spirit remained strong.


    They gathered in the main hall of the inn, where Tatiana was already seated at a table, sipping from a wooden cup filled with steaming herbal tea.


    The rabbit beastkin innkeeper was moving about, setting out plates of food for other patrons¡ªmost of whom were beastkin of varying appearances.


    Some had feline features, others had scaled skin and slitted eyes, and a few bore the unmistakable traits of wolves, their sharp golden gazes occasionally shifting toward the outsiders.


    Leo could feel their curiosity and wariness, but no one approached.


    "Sit," Tatiana said without looking up.


    They all took their seats, the wooden chairs creaking slightly under them.


    "Before anything else," she began, placing her cup down, "our goal remains the same. We need to hunt, train, and prepare for the Abyssal Rift. This city may be our resting place, but it''s not our home. We won''t be here for long."


    Leo nodded.


    "How are we going to handle hunting? We don''t know the creatures here."


    Tatiana smirked.


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    "That''s why we''ll be asking around. The beastkin are hunters by nature. They respect the strong. If we prove we can hold our own, they might offer some information."


    Miguel frowned. "And if they don''t?"


    "Then we take what we need through experience," she replied simply.


    Leo exhaled. That was fine with him.


    "What about the Rift?" Mia asked, stirring her drink absentmindedly. "Do we even know where it is?"


    Tatiana leaned back. "We''ll get there when we get there. The Rift isn''t going anywhere. But if we''re walking in without preparation, then we might as well walk in to die."


    Leo tapped his fingers against the table, deep in thought.


    "We''ll need to test ourselves against something strong," he said, more to himself than the others.


    Tatiana tilted her head slightly. "What are you thinking?"


    Leo met her gaze. "We don''t just train. We find something dangerous and we fight it."


    Mia looked alarmed. "Wait¡ª"


    "It makes sense," Ves interrupted. "If we want to get stronger before the Rift, we need real fights."


    Tatiana smirked. "Finally, you''re talking like someone with ambition."


    Leo didn''t return the smirk. His mind was already set. Whatever it took, he would never feel powerless again.


    "Good. Now that all of us have agreed on this, we can begin immediately," Tatiana said, nodding in satisfaction.


    "Leo, I understand that Fiona is yet to fully recover and as such, can''t fight. But I don''t advise you leave her behind here," Tatiana said. She''s a beast, yes. But she''s not a native of this realm," she added.


    Leo nodded when he heard this. He understood what Tatiana was saying, but there was no need for worry as Fiona has no plan of staying behind.


    "Don''t worry, she will be coming with us," Leo said, smiling.


    Through the [Empathic Link], Fiona "told" him that she also wants to go with them.


    Leo understood that the fight with Lucian must have devastated her too and she also wants to increase her strength as fast as possible.


    "Ok, then. Let''s move out," Tatiana said, standing up from her seat.


    The group left the inn, with Tatiana leading the way. S§×ar?h the N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Outside the inn, they saw a very beautiful scene. Due to the fact that they arrived in Yllandor at night, they weren''t able to see much. But with the sun up, the whole realm came alive with colours and activities.


    Leo and his group couldn''t believe the scene in front of them.


    The beastkin capital, now fully illuminated under the warm golden light of the sun, was unlike anything they had ever seen before.


    The city thrived with life, a harmony between nature and civilization that felt entirely surreal. Unlike the ruined, decayed cities of Earth or the artificial metal jungles of humanity''s past, this place breathed.


    Massive trees lined the streets, their trunks so thick that entire buildings had been constructed into their bark, forming homes and shops seamlessly merged with the natural environment.


    Bridges of woven vines stretched between branches, connecting structures in mid-air, creating layers upon layers of walkways.


    Some buildings stood alone, carved from stone and reinforced with wood, their rooftops adorned with symbols and carvings depicting legendary beasts and ancient battles.


    The streets themselves weren''t paved with stone but instead covered with soft moss and compacted dirt, giving the ground a natural but sturdy feel.


    Streams of clear, shimmering water ran through designated channels, some flowing alongside the roads while others cascaded into small waterfalls, forming natural fountains.


    The people¡ªbeastkin of every imaginable type¡ªmoved through the city with ease, going about their daily lives.


    Feline beastkin leaped effortlessly across rooftops, their tails flicking in the air. Canine beastkin walked in groups, their deep voices carrying over the hum of the city.


    Even reptilian beastkin, with their scaled features and forked tongues, could be seen bartering at open market stalls, their sharp claws tapping against wooden counters as they negotiated.


    The marketplace was particularly vibrant. Stalls made of sturdy wood and covered with colorful fabrics displayed a vast array of goods.


    Fruits that seemed to glowed faintly sat beside bundles of dried herbs and vials of liquid that shimmered unnaturally.


    Weapons, crafted with both steel and organic materials, hung from racks¡ªblades with bones fused into their hilts, spears with vines still growing from their shafts.


    There were even fabrics that seemed to shift in color depending on the angle they were viewed from.


    Mia''s jaw had practically dropped open.


    "This is¡­ insane," she whispered, her wide eyes scanning everything in disbelief.


    Miguel crossed his arms with an unreadable expression as he observed the beastkin interacting.


    "They''re more organized than I expected. It''s not just wild survival. They have a fully developed system."


    Ves, for once, was silent. She stood still, taking in everything, her eyes flickering from sight to sight, absorbing it all.


    Leo found himself unable to look away either. The sheer contrast between Yllandor and Earth was staggering.


    Earth had become a graveyard¡ªa place where survivors clung to life, where every day was spent fighting for survival. But here? Here, life thrived.


    The people didn''t look over their shoulders in fear of monsters lurking around every corner. They lived freely and peacefully.


    Fiona, still recovering but determined, sniffed the air, her ears twitching as she took in the new scents.


    A group of wolf beastkin, their golden eyes strikingly similar to Fiona''s, paused nearby and exchanged curious glances before continuing on their way.


    Tatiana watched them all with an amused smirk.


    "You''re all acting like it''s the first time you''ve ever seen civilization."


    "In a way, it is," Leo muttered, still in awe. "At least, a civilization that isn''t crumbling."


    Tatiana hummed in agreement before nodding toward the street ahead.


    "We can admire the view later. We have things to do."

 Chapter 141 - 141: Shardhorn Monkeys

    The group moved forward, stepping into the busy marketplace. As they walked, more beastkin took notice of them.


    Conversations paused for brief moments as golden eyes, slit pupils, and sharp ears turned in their direction. Some looked wary. Others merely curious.


    Leo could feel it¡ªthey were being assessed. Judged even.


    A few beastkin whispered among themselves, their voices too low to catch, but their glances toward Fiona and Leo didn''t go unnoticed.


    Tatiana leaned in slightly, her voice low. "Don''t react to them. They''re testing you. If you show weakness, they''ll treat you like an easy target."


    Leo resisted the urge to glare at anyone staring too long. He wasn''t here to make enemies¡ªnot yet, at least.


    They stopped near a food stall where a fox beastkin, his orange fur sleek and well-groomed, was grilling skewers of some kind of meat.


    The scent was rich, spiced with something that made Leo''s stomach growl.


    Tatiana stepped forward.


    "We need information on the creatures in the surrounding forests. We''re looking for strong prey."


    The fox beastkin''s ears twitched as he glanced at them, his sharp amber eyes taking them in.


    "Strong prey, huh?" He flipped a skewer before speaking again.


    "Depends on how strong you think you are."


    "Strong enough to ask," Leo replied evenly.


    The fox beastkin grinned, with his sharp canines on display.


    "Confident. I like that." He nodded toward the outskirts of the market. "If you''re looking for something to test yourselves against, the Ghorvak Packs roam the eastern hunting grounds.


    Big, nasty things. Twice the size of normal wolves, but they hunt in groups. If you''re weak, they''ll tear you apart before you know what hit you."


    Leo absorbed the information. Packs. That meant coordination, unpredictability.


    Tatiana tilted her head. "Anything stronger?"


    The fox beastkin let out a low chuckle. "If you want something real dangerous, there''s the Stalker¡ªa beast that moves like a shadow in the treetops.


    It hunts alone, and it''s fast. A single strike from its claws can tear straight through bone."


    Leo exchanged a glance with Ves and Miguel.


    "We''ll keep that in mind," Tatiana said smoothly before tossing a silver coin onto the stall. "Thanks."


    The fox beastkin caught the coin effortlessly and grinned.


    "Try not to die too fast, foreigners."


    Leo and his group moved through the winding streets of the beastkin capital, leaving behind the bustle and hustle of the market and the watchful eyes of the city''s inhabitants.


    The air was cooler here, the shade from massive trees casting long shadows along the ground.


    As they neared the outskirts of the forest, the well-worn dirt path turned into thick underbrush, signaling their return to the untamed wilderness of Yllandor.


    The forest stretched before them, with vast towering trees swaying gently in the morning breeze.


    Sunlight filtered through the thick canopy, casting dappled patterns on the forest floor. Despite the tranquility, Leo remained on edge.


    The memory of Lucian''s overwhelming power still lingered in his mind, fueling his resolve to grow stronger.


    Fiona padded beside him, her injuries still healing but her senses as sharp as ever. Ves walked a few paces ahead, her gaze flicking between the shadows in the trees, while Miguel and Mia followed close behind, their weapons ready.


    Tatiana, as always, moved with the ease of someone who had done this countless times before.


    The moment they stepped past the tree line, the atmosphere shifted.


    The vibrant life of the beastkin city was left behind, replaced by an eerie stillness. The chirping of birds faded, and the rustling of leaves became the only sound.


    Even the wind seemed to hesitate, as if reluctant to pass through this part of the forest.


    "They weren''t exaggerating about the dangers out here," Miguel muttered, his grip tightening on his weapon.


    Leo scanned the trees, while keeping his instincts sharp. They hadn''t gone far when Fiona suddenly stopped, her ears perking up, her fur bristling. A low growl rumbled in her throat.


    Something was watching them.


    Then, the forest erupted.


    A blur of motion came from the branches above as creatures dropped down, landing with bone-rattling force.


    They resembled oversized monkeys, but their bodies were unlike anything Leo had ever seen. Their fur was a dark slate gray, rough and stone-like, almost as if it were armor.


    Two curved horns jutted out from their foreheads, their edges jagged like broken rock.


    But the most striking feature was the crystalline growths protruding from their backs¡ªdark, jagged structures that shimmered like diamonds, reflecting the light.


    The creatures let out guttural, clicking shrieks, their eyes burning with a hungry intelligence.


    Tatiana narrowed her eyes as the creatures encircled them, their sharp, clawed hands flexing as if testing the air.


    "They''re studying us," Ves murmured, taking a slow step back, her hands tightening into fists.


    Leo nodded. "Yeah. They''re not attacking yet, but they''re not scared either."


    One of the creatures tilted its head, its crystalline spikes shimmering faintly in the light filtering through the trees. Then, without warning, it lunged.


    The Shardhorn Apes, as Leo decided to call them, moved like lightning.


    The first one shot forward, its long arms propelling it toward Tatiana with inhuman speed. Its claws gleamed, swiping toward her in a blur.


    Tatiana barely shifted. She sidestepped with very fluid movements, and in the same motion, her hand shot out, catching the beast''s wrist mid-strike.


    A sickening crack rang through the air as she twisted, her strength sending the creature hurling into a tree, its back slamming against the trunk with a deep thud. sea??h th§× novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    But the moment it landed, its crystalline spikes pulsed¡ªand then, like a shattered mirror, shards of diamond-like fragments exploded outward, shooting in every direction.


    "Move!" Tatiana snapped, leaping away just in time.


    Leo barely had time to react as the shards ripped through the air, their razor-sharp edges slicing through leaves and branches like paper.


    He ducked, rolling to the side as a few of the shards whizzed past his face, embedding into the bark of a nearby tree.


    "Great," Miguel grunted, narrowly dodging a fragment. "They explode when they take damage."


    "Noted," Leo muttered, pushing himself up just as another Shardhorn Ape lunged straight at him.


    Leo met it head-on.


    As the beast swiped, he twisted his body, dodging the initial strike before bringing Nightshade up in a brutal arc. The black blade slashed across the creature''s side, cutting deep into its hardened skin.


    The ape screeched, stumbling back¡ªbut as expected, its crystalline spikes pulsed violently, and another wave of sharp shards exploded outward.


    This time, Leo was ready.


    He kicked off the ground, using his momentum to leap backward, just narrowly avoiding the deadly explosion.


    "These bastards are gonna be annoying," Ves growled.


    She wasn''t wrong.


    The apes were fast, and their explosive crystal shards made close combat risky. Every attack against them triggered a defensive counterattack, making them just as dangerous in death as they were alive.


    Leo''s mind raced. They couldn''t just hack at them mindlessly as doing so would only get them injured.


    "We need a different approach!" he called out, dodging another swipe.


    Tatiana, who had already taken down two without a scratch, smirked.


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    "Then figure it out. Quickly."


    Leo gritted his teeth. Think.


    Then, an idea struck him.


    "Their spikes only explode when they take damage!" he shouted. "But they''re still apes. That means they have weak points!"


    Ves''s eyes flickered with understanding. "You''re saying we aim for the joints?"


    "Exactly! If we take out their mobility, we limit their ability to attack!"


    Miguel cracked his knuckles. "Alright, let''s try it."


    The apes, sensing their prey was adapting, let out another chorus of screeches before rushing forward in unison.


    Leo saw the first one coming. Instead of slashing at its torso, he waited¡ªbaiting the attack.


    The creature leapt, its claws raised¡ªbut at the last second, Leo ducked low and swung Nightshade in a sharp, precise motion¡ªslicing straight across the beast''s knee joint.


    A guttural shriek tore from its throat as its leg buckled, sending it crashing to the ground.


    And just as he predicted¡ªno explosion.


    Ves wasted no time. She lunged at another ape, sweeping her leg out and catching its ankle, sending it toppling over.


    Before it could recover, she stomped on its elbow, a sickening snap filling the air as the joint twisted at an unnatural angle.


    Miguel, using his brute strength, grabbed another ape mid-lunge and hurled it into the ground, pinning it before twisting its wrist and snapping it cleanly.


    One by one, they disabled the apes, rendering them unable to retaliate.


    The last creature, realizing its pack was crippled, let out an ear-piercing shriek before turning tail and scrambling up a tree, disappearing into the thick canopy.


    For a long moment, only the sound of heavy breathing filled the forest.


    Leo exhaled sharply, straightening. "Well¡­ that was something."


    Mia, who had barely able to keep up with the battle, let out a shaky breath.


    "Is it going to be like this every time?"


    Tatiana smirked. "If you''re lucky."


    Leo glanced at the fallen apes. Their bodies twitched slightly, their wounds oozing a faintly glowing liquid. The crystalline spikes on their backs dimmed, their glow flickering weakly.


    "They''re still alive," Ves noted.


    "Good," Tatiana said, walking over and crouching beside one of them. "That means they''re worth something."


    Leo raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"


    Tatiana pressed her palm against the ape''s chest, and a faint red mist began to rise from its body, absorbing into her own.


    A shudder passed through her as she exhaled. "They have strong life energy. Good for those trying to evolve faster."


    Leo narrowed his eyes. "So¡­ we kill them and absorb whatever''s left?"


    Tatiana nodded. "Exactly."


    Leo stared down at the struggling ape beneath him and he knew what he had to do, as his grip tightened on Nightshade.

 Chapter 142 - 142: Hunting In The Forest

    [You have acquired Level 16 Shardmonkey Life Force!]


    This was the notification that Leo got when immediately the Shardmonkey died due to the bleeding hole in its head, caused by Leo with Nightshade.


    He looked at the dead Shardmonkey one more time, before walking to one that was still alive.


    He didn''t hesitate as he drove Nightshade into its head, killing it. He got the same system notification again and he nodded in satisfaction.


    Leo turned and saw that Ves and the others had already made their moves, killing off the rest of the Shardmonkies, and he nodded in satisfaction.


    "Good. Let''s start moving in deeper. We should get ourselves accustomed to this place, then the three of you can continue with your evolution requirements," Leo said, after they have killed off all the Shardmonkies.


    ....


    Leo and his group pushed forward, venturing deeper into the dense forest. As they moved deeper, the towering trees stretched higher, their canopies thickening until they nearly blocked out the sunlight, casting deep shadows down below.


    The air was rich with the scent of damp earth and the distant musk of unseen creatures. The deeper they went, the more unnatural the silence became¡ªno birds, no insects, only the occasional rustle of foliage in the distance.


    Tatiana took the lead, her crimson eyes scanning the shadows with practiced focus. Ves and Miguel flanked the group, while Mia kept to the rear, her energy poised and ready. Fiona, though still recovering, moved with a quiet grace, her fur bristling at every shift in the wind.


    It wasn''t long before the tranquility shattered.


    From the underbrush, a monstrous creature erupted. It stood on four thick legs, its body covered in overlapping plates of hardened bark-like armor. Sear?h the novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Jagged vines twisted along its spine, pulsating and glowing with a strange, greenish energy. Its face was elongated, insectoid in structure, with mandibles that dripped a thick, glowing sap.


    Leo barely had time to react before the beast lunged.


    He dodged to the side as one of its vine-covered limbs crashed down, splitting the earth where he had stood. The sheer weight of the impact sent tremors through the ground.


    Tatiana moved fast, summoning a spear of blood and hurling it at the creature''s exposed underbelly.


    The weapon struck true, piercing the softer flesh between its armored plates, but instead of recoiling, the beast let out a gurgling growl and absorbed the weapon. The vines along its spine pulsed, glowing brighter.


    "It''s using the energy from attacks to strengthen itself," Tatiana muttered, stepping back.


    Miguel cracked his knuckles. "Then we go for raw power."


    He charged, his muscles hardening as he slammed both fists into the beast''s side. The impact sent a deep tremor through its body, forcing it to stagger, but its armor absorbed much of the force.


    Ves took the opportunity to leap forward, her enhanced speed allowing her to slash at the creature''s exposed joints with her [Bone Claw].


    Unlike Tatiana''s blood spear, her weapons dug deep, severing some of the vines. The beast let out a strangled, unnatural screech and reared back, its mandibles snapping wildly.


    Leo saw the opening. Moving with the precision of instinct, he activated Shadow Step, blinking behind the beast before it could recover.


    Nightshade gleamed as he slashed at the creature''s exposed back. The blade cut deep, severing a section of its pulsating vines.


    The reaction was immediate.


    The beast thrashed violently, its entire body pulsing with an unstable glow. Without warning, the vines detached from its back and shot outward, lashing at everything in reach.


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    Mia reacted fast, raising her hands and sending out a force wave, pushing everyone back before the vines could strike them.


    Leo landed in a crouch, eyes narrowing. "We need to kill it now."


    Tatiana nodded, raising both hands. Blood coiled around her arms before she sent out two razor-thin whips of condensed energy. They wrapped around the creature''s neck, cutting deep as she pulled.


    Miguel took the opening, charging in with a massive, full-force punch. The impact caved in the creature''s lower body, forcing it to collapse.


    Leo didn''t hesitate. He dashed forward and drove Nightshade straight through its skull. The beast let out one last rattling breath before going still, the glow in its vines fading.


    A moment passed in silence before Tatiana exhaled. "That was... interesting."


    "Pain in the ass is what it was," Ves muttered, wiping sap from her blades.


    Leo stood, breathing heavily. He could feel his muscles aching, but there was no time to rest.


    "Let''s keep moving," he said.


    They advanced further into the forest, the air growing heavier. The deeper they went, the more they felt an unnatural pressure weighing on them.


    The trees changed as well. Their trunks grew darker, twisted as if they were sculpted by hands. The foliage above turned a deep crimson, filtering the light into a strange glow.


    Then, without warning, the shadows moved.


    At first, it seemed like a trick of the light, but then Leo saw them. The figures shifted through the darkness, using it as a cover and blending seamlessly with their surroundings.


    Their bodies were elongated, draped in tattered, flowing shapes that made them appear almost weightless. Where their faces should have been, there were only hollow voids.


    "Wraithborn," Tatiana whispered.


    The creatures didn''t wait as they struck as one unit.


    Leo barely had time to raise Nightshade before one of them phased through the space between them, with its clawed hands reaching out.


    The moment it touched his blade, a cold unlike anything he had ever felt surged through him. His limbs felt sluggish, his vision fading in and out.


    Ves intercepted another wraith, her claws cutting through its form, but instead of flesh, her blades met resistance like striking thick fog. The creature recoiled slightly, but it didn''t bleed. It didn''t even seem to feel pain.


    "They''re incorporeal," Ves hissed.


    Tatiana didn''t hesitate. She raised both hands and sent out a pulse of crimson energy, forcing the wraiths back.


    "Normal attacks won''t work well. You need either overwhelming force or energy-based strikes," she instructed.


    Miguel stepped forward, his entire body glowing faintly. "Then let''s see how they like this."


    He slammed his fists together, sending a shockwave of pure energy through the air. The impact sent several wraiths recoiling, their forms flickering like dying embers in a storm.


    This was a skill he learned recently during on of their hunts, and this is the first time he''s using it.


    [Aura]


    Leo, recovering from the earlier cold, focused. He activated Shadow Step and appeared behind one of the wraiths.


    Tatiana followed suit, her blood constructs morphing into glowing crimson stakes. She launched them, pinning several wraiths to the ground where they dissipated into mist.


    As the last wraithborn dissolved, the oppressive energy in the air lessened, and the forest seemed to return back to normal.


    Leo exhaled, sheathing Nightshade.


    "I really hate things that don''t die properly."


    Tatiana nodded. "This forest is more dangerous than we thought. We need to be careful."


    Leo glanced around, scanning the twisted trees. Whatever was lurking in these depths, it was only getting stronger.


    "We keep going," he said. "We''re not done yet.

 Chapter 143 - 143: Hunting In The Forest (2)

    Leo and his group moved deeper into the forest, with steady breath, while making sure to keep up their guard.


    The deeper they went, the more the trees seemed to twist and stretch in unnatural way, their bark darkening to a shade of deep crimson.


    The forest air had changed as well¡ªwhat once smelled of damp earth and foliage now carried a faint scent of blood.


    Fiona walked close to Leo, her ears perked, sniffing the air cautiously. Her wounds were still healing but she still chose to keep going.


    "We''re getting close to something," Ves muttered, her fingers twitching at her sides.


    Tatiana nodded, her eyes narrowing. "It''s too quiet. Something''s watching us."


    The tension in the air thickened.


    A rustling sound came from above.


    Leo looked up just as a massive shadow dropped from the treetops. sea??h th§× N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    The creature landed with a sickening crunch, sending dust and leaves flying in all directions.


    It was enormous¡ªeasily over twelve feet tall, with six elongated limbs ending in curved, serrated claws. Its body was covered in jagged chitin, the texture a mixture of bone and hardened carapace.


    Its head was elongated, eyeless, with a gaping maw lined with rows of needle-like teeth. Its movements were twitchy, like a puppet being yanked by unseen strings.


    A low, distorted clicking sound echoed from its throat.


    Then the clicking multiplied.


    From the canopy, several more dropped down, their bodies landing in perfect synchronization.


    Mia took a step back. "Oh, hell no."


    Tatiana''s lips curled into a smirk. "Now this looks interesting."


    Leo didn''t hesitate. He moved first.


    The nearest chitin beast lunged toward him, its bladed limbs swiping in a blur.


    Leo ducked, sliding beneath the strike before slashing Nightshade upward. The blade connected, carving through the creature''s exoskeleton, but the cut wasn''t deep enough to do much of a damage.


    The thing screeched, its wound sealing itself within seconds.


    "They regenerate fast," Leo said, through gritted teeth.


    He has no idea why almost everything he has fought so far has regeneration. Was the skill so cheap?


    Miguel roared as he threw himself into the fray, his fists glowing as he slammed a powerful punch into one of the creatures.


    The impact sent it flying into a tree, but just as fast as it fell, it twisted its body leapt back into the fight the next moment.


    "They''re durable," Miguel muttered, rolling his shoulders.


    Tatiana flicked her wrist, and crimson wires of blood shot from her fingertips, wrapping around one of the creatures.


    The wires tightened instantly, severing its limbs with a wet snap. It let out a high-pitched shriek before collapsing.


    "Not durable enough," Tatiana mused.


    Ves moved next, blinking forward with unnatural speed. She dodged a strike, spun around, and drove her hand through on of the creature''s chest, caving it inward.


    Two down.Three to go.


    Fiona pounced, her fangs sinking deep into the throat of another, shaking it violently before tossing it to the ground.


    Leo''s mind worked fast. Their regeneration was strong, but it had limits. And so, they weren''t invincible.


    "Mia!" he called out.


    Mia didn''t hesitate. She disappeared from her location and in the next moment, loud screeches filled the forest.


    Leo didn''t wait.


    He dashed forward, Nightshade gleaming in his hand, and severed their heads in one clean motion.


    What followed was silence as the monster''s corpses twitched once, then went completely still.


    Leo exhaled, relaxing his frame.


    Tatiana wiped a stray drop of blood from her wrist.


    "Hardly a challenge."


    Miguel huffed. "Speak for yourself."


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    Mia let out a breath. "Please tell me that was the worst thing we''ll run into."


    The moment she said it, the earth rumbled.


    A low, vibrating growl reverberated through the forest.


    Leo turned slowly.


    The trees ahead shook violently, splitting apart as something huge forced its way through.


    A massive serpentine creature slithered out of the darkness. Its body was covered in blackened scales, but along its spine were blazing, molten fissures, as if lava coursed beneath its skin.


    Its head was reptilian, its fangs dripping with a thick, bubbling substance that sizzled as it hit the ground.


    Twin yellow eyes locked onto them.


    It let out a sound¡ªa deep, guttural growl that shook the ground.


    "That," Tatiana murmured, "is definitely worse."


    The snake, Molten Wyrm, struck without warning, as its body whipped forward, its massive bulk smashing through trees like twigs.


    Leo barely dodged in time, the wind pressure alone sending him stumbling backward.


    Miguel lunged, his fists glowing white-hot as he delivered a full-force punch to the wyrm''s side.


    The impact landed¡ªbut instead of sending the creature reeling, its molten scales absorbed the force, the fiery cracks along its body flaring even brighter.


    Miguel cursed. "It''s using our attacks to strengthen itself!"


    "What the fuck?! Why?!"


    Tatiana made her move as her blood-weaving forming dozens of lances. She hurled them forward, aiming for the creature''s eyes.


    The wyrm''s body coiled, shifting surprisingly fast for something its size. The lances melted before they could hit.


    Leo gritted his teeth. They needed a different approach.


    "We can''t hit it directly!" he called out. "Find a weak spot!"


    Ves darted toward its underbelly, moving in a blur, and delivered a devastating strike to its lower body.


    For her, a half zombie, she was physically stronger than the rest of the group, why the exception of Leo and Tatiana.


    For a split second, the creature flinched.


    "There!" Ves shouted. "The underbelly is softer!"


    Leo didn''t hesitate. He activated Shadow Step, blinking beneath the beast, and he drove Nightshade deep into its underbelly.


    The wyrm screeched with its massive form thrashing wildly.


    Miguel arrived in front of his, and with all his strength gathered at a single point, and amplified by the skill that caused his hands to glow, he punched.


    The impact of the punch ruptured the molten core of the snake, and for a moment, the creature froze, its entire body pulsing violently.


    Then, with an earsplitting roar, the Molten Wyrm collapsed, steam rising from its massive corpse.


    Leo took a step back, resting his back on a tree, panting, as he tried to catch his breath.


    Tatiana smirked. "Now that," she said, "was fun."

 Chapter 144 - 144: Trouble At The Inn

    Leo and his group continued their hunt, pushing deeper into the vast forest as the day stretched on. The scent of blood and sweat clung to them, mixing with the damp, earthy air.


    Every battle helped them to sharpen their instincts, and every kill added to their growing strength. The creatures they encountered became more challenging, more vicious, yet they refused to turn back. There was never such option from the beginning.


    As their hunt continued, Leo felt it in his body. He felt the slow but undeniable growth.


    Tatiana led the way, her eyes always scanning ahead, watching for danger. Ves moved with her usual deadly grace, her strikes becoming more refined, more efficient.


    Miguel had become a wall of unshakable strength, taking heavy blows for the team. Mia, despite her usual complaints, had adapted to the pace, learning how to position herself better and using her stealth skills to strike when it mattered most.


    Fiona, though still recovering, refused to stay idle, fighting alongside them whenever she could. The fire in her eyes remained was a reflection of Leo''s own determination.


    The sun was beginning to dip below the trees, casting long shadows across the forest floor.


    "We should stop," Tatiana finally said, brushing some dried blood from her fingers. "It''s getting late."


    Leo exhaled, glancing up at the sky. He hadn''t realized how much time had passed. The exhaustion in his limbs became more noticeable as soon as they slowed down.


    "Agreed," Ves muttered, rolling her shoulders. "If we keep going now, we''ll be walking blind in the dark."


    Miguel stretched, cracking his knuckles. "And we''ll need food before tomorrow. Let''s head back."


    Leo nodded. "Let''s move."


    They turned back, retracing their steps toward the capital. The dense canopy above made it feel like night had already arrived, the quiet sound of the forest making their footsteps seem louder than before.


    The tension never left them as they continued on their way back to the capital. Yllandor''s wilderness was unpredictable, and they couldn''t afford to be careless.


    They had just passed through a clearing when voices echoed from the path ahead.


    Leo narrowed his eyes as he sensed trouble.


    Emerging from the shadows of the trees was a group of beastkin, blocking their way. They were taller, broader, their bodies covered in tribal markings, fur dyed with streaks of red and black.


    Their expressions were twisted in amusement and challenge, their postures loose yet predatory.


    Leo immediately sensed their intent. These weren''t random travelers and they weren''t friendly either.


    One of them, a wolf beastkin, stepped forward, a smirk tugging at the corner of his mouth.


    "Outsiders," he mused, his golden eyes scanning the group. "Didn''t think we''d see your kind walking around so easily."


    Leo''s fingers tightened around Nightshade''s hilt. He could already tell where this was going.


    Tatiana, unfazed, took a single step forward. "Move."


    The wolf beastkin chuckled, glancing at his companions. "Look at that. The little vampire thinks she''s in charge."


    A few others laughed, their teeth flashing in the dim light.


    Leo remained silent, but he could feel Ves tensing beside him. Miguel and Mia exchanged glances, their hands subtly shifting toward their weapons.


    Tatiana exhaled slowly. "You think just because you''re in numbers, you can intimidate us?"


    The wolf beastkin''s smirk grew. "Something like that."


    Tatiana''s expression didn''t change, but the air did as a suffocating weight dropped onto the clearing.


    The beastkin staggered, their eyes widening in shock as Tatiana released a sliver of her aura. A small glimpse of her true strength.


    The leader stumbled back, his confidence crumbling instantly. The others tensed, their previous amusement vanishing.


    Leo could see it in their faces. Fear.


    Tatiana tilted her head slightly, her crimson gaze boring into them. "Still feeling brave?"


    The wolf beastkin swallowed hard, the muscles in his jaw clenching. He was desperate to save face, but he knew¡ªthey all knew¡ªthat pushing any further would be a mistake.


    Without another word, they turned and disappeared into the forest.


    Leo let out a slow breath as the pressure eased.


    "They ran fast," Mia scoffed, as the watched their receding back.


    Tatiana rolled her shoulders, as if brushing off the interaction.


    "They weren''t worth my time."


    Leo looked at her, with questioning eyes. sea??h th§× N?vel(F)ire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Tatiana smirked. "We''re not in our territory, Leo. Killing them outright would only bring unnecessary trouble."


    Leo exhaled, nodding in understanding. They didn''t make things physical. That was the only reason they were left alive.


    "Let''s go," Tatiana said, already moving ahead.


    The rest of them followed.


    By the time they reached the capital, the city was alive with the sounds of night markets and taverns, the scent of grilled meats and sweet fruit filling the air. The streets were lit with soft glowing lanterns, giving everything a warm, golden hue.


    As they entered The Burrow''s Rest, the rabbit beastkin innkeeper glanced up from behind the counter. Her sharp eyes flickered over their bloodstained clothes and weary expressions.


    "Rough day?" she asked.


    Leo gave a small nod. "Something like that."


    She hummed. "Your rooms are still yours. Try not to track too much blood inside."


    With that, she went back to her work.


    Leo didn''t wait around. He climbed the stairs and entered his room, shutting the door behind him.


    Fiona padded over to the corner, letting out a tired sigh before curling up on the floor.


    Leo sat on the bed, rubbing his temples. His mind was too full and empty at the same time, with thoughts circling endlessly, yet none of them sticking.


    Lucian. His strength. The Abyss. The unknown threats that lay ahead.


    And the overwhelming feeling that he wasn''t strong enough.


    He exhaled, laying back against the mattress.


    His exhaustion caught up with him and sleep took him before he could think any further.


    ....


    Morning came too quickly.


    Leo sat up, rubbing his eyes as the first rays of sunlight filtered through the window. He could already hear movement downstairs. He could hear the distant chatter of beastkin, the occasional clatter of plates.


    Fiona stretched, yawning before standing.


    He washed up quickly and made his way downstairs.


    The rest of the group was already gathered in the main hall of the inn, seated at a table as plates of food were set before them. Freshly cooked meat, roasted roots, and warm, fragrant tea.


    Leo took a seat. He hadn''t realized how hungry he was until he saw the food. He quickly began wolfing down his food.


    The group ate in relative silence, too focused on their meals to talk.


    Then, shadows loomed over them.


    Leo felt the shift in the air before he looked up.


    A group of beastkin stood over them, with their sharp eyes and heavy presence.


    There was no mistaking the look in their eyes.


    They weren''t here for conversation.


    Leo exhaled, putting down his cup.


    "Here we go again."

 Chapter 145 - 145: Bounty On Leos Information

    Leo studied the group standing over them, his sharp gaze scanning their faces. He quickly recognized some of them.


    They were the same beastkin they had encountered the previous day. His fingers instinctively curled against the wooden table.


    This wasn''t just a random encounter.


    They had come here for something.


    Leo turned his head slightly, catching Tatiana''s expression. She was calm, unreadable, but the flicker in her crimson eyes told him she was thinking the same thing.


    He exhaled, pushing his chair back as he stood up. If these guys were here to pick a fight, he''d rather deal with it now than later.


    But before he could say anything, something unexpected happened.


    The leader of the beastkin group¡ªa broad-shouldered feline with dark stripes along his arms¡ªbowed his head deeply.


    Leo blinked, stunned into momentary silence.


    The others followed suit, lowering themselves into a respectful bow.


    Mia, who had been gripping her utensils tightly, looked just as shocked. "Uh¡­ what?"


    The beastkin leader straightened, his blue eyes filled with something unexpected¡ªgenuine remorse.


    "We came to apologize," he said, his voice steady but filled with regret. "For what happened yesterday."


    Leo narrowed his eyes. He hadn''t expected this.


    The leader turned slightly and yanked the wolfkin from the previous night''s encounter to the front. The wolfkin resisted at first but was quickly overpowered, forced to his knees.


    "You shamed us," the leader growled, his tone turning sharp. "Apologize. Now."


    The wolfkin''s ears flattened, his expression shifting between shame and frustration. But under the weight of his leader''s presence, he relented.


    "I¡­ I''m sorry," he muttered, barely above a whisper.


    "Louder," the leader demanded.


    The wolfkin gritted his teeth, then bowed his head lower.


    "I am sorry for our actions yesterday," he said, this time his voice clear, carrying over the quiet hum of the inn. "We should not have tried to intimidate you."


    Leo exchanged glances with Ves and Miguel, both of whom looked equally puzzled.


    The leader, satisfied, released his hold on the wolfkin before turning back to Leo. "I hope this will clear any hostility between us."


    Leo nodded slowly. "It does¡­ but why the sudden change?"


    The beastkin leader smiled and then turned his attention toward Tatiana.


    Leo immediately noticed the shift in his expression.


    There was reverence there.


    Tatiana raised an eyebrow. "You know me?"


    The beastkin nodded. "I returned to Yllandor recently, and naturally, but before that, I had learned about the tournament and those on the leaderboard."


    Leo stiffened slightly, sensing where this was going.


    To confirm, the beastkin waved his hand and a leather back book materialised in his hand, and he gave it to Tatiana.


    "This book contains detailed information on every contestant ranked on the leaderboard," he explained. "Their known strengths, weaknesses, and affiliations."


    Tatiana picked up the book, flipping through a few pages before pausing, her eyes narrowing slightly.


    "The demons aren''t listed," she noted.


    The beastkin nodded. "The demons'' identities are still unknown. No one has been able to gather information on them. Something I find natural as the Infernal Realm isn''t a place suitable for other races besides demons."


    Leo frowned. "And what about the last person on the ranking?"


    The beastkin hesitated.


    Then, with a serious expression, he looked at Leo.


    "There is no information on the one ranked last."


    Leo''s stomach twisted slightly. "None at all?"


    The beastkin shook his head. "None. Every single person on the leaderboard has a known history, except for the demons¡­ and Leo Astranox."


    Mia''s grip on her drink tightened. Miguel''s brows furrowed, and Ves remained silent, her expression unreadable.


    But before Leo could process the implications, the beastkin continued.


    "There''s a bounty of 100 million gold coins on any verified information about Leo Astranox."


    Silence fell over the table.


    Leo felt Tatiana''s gaze shift to him, and he knew she was trying to gauge his reaction. But he could also see the shock in he eyes and he knew that the amount was enough to make everyone move.


    Ves''s expression turned dark. "That''s not just a bounty. That''s an open invitation for the entire multiverse to start looking for him."


    Tatiana set the book down, tapping a finger against the wooden table. "And where did this bounty come from?"


    The beastkin shrugged. "No one knows. But if I had to guess¡­ someone wants to know who he really is. And they''re willing to pay a fortune to find out."


    Leo exhaled slowly.


    He had always known that his past was a mystery, but this? This was something else entirely.


    Tatiana leaned back, folding her arms. "And what about you? Are you here to claim that bounty?"


    The beastkin let out a short laugh. "If I were, I wouldn''t have brought this information to you."


    Tatiana tilted her head. "Then why tell us?"


    The beastkin''s expression grew serious again. "Because I''ve seen enough in my life to know when someone is being hunted. And whether you like it or not, Leo Astranox is being hunted."


    Leo felt a cold weight settle in his chest. sea??h th§× N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Tatiana studied the beastkin for a long moment before exhaling. "You said you just returned to Yllandor. Where were you before?"


    The beastkin smiled faintly. "Fighting in some minor pocket dimensions. My group traveled from world to world, taking contracts, learning new battle techniques. But when I heard about the tournament¡­ I knew I had to return."


    Tatiana narrowed her eyes. "To compete?"


    The beastkin nodded. "To prove myself. And to see if the names on the leaderboard are worthy of their ranks."


    Leo smirked slightly. "And what do you think so far?"


    The beastkin chuckled. "I think some of you are full of surprises."


    Leo leaned back, letting the conversation sink in.


    A bounty on his name. No records of his past.


    And now, even strangers were recognizing Tatiana from the leaderboard.


    Things were escalating faster than he expected.


    Tatiana stood up, stretching slightly. "Thank you for the information. I''ll take a look at this book later. But for now, we''ll eat."


    The beastkin leader nodded, stepping back. "Then I won''t take up any more of your time."


    He gave them one final respectful bow, then turned and left, his group following.


    Leo exhaled as they disappeared from sight.


    Mia let out a low whistle. "So. That was a thing."


    Miguel crossed his arms. "That bounty is going to be a problem."


    Tatiana picked up the book again, flipping through more pages. "Everything is a problem," she muttered.


    Leo sat back down, rubbing his temples.


    He had no answers. But one thing was certain.


    He had just become a target for something much bigger than he could have imagined.

 Chapter 146 - 146: The Orders Bounty

    Leo and his group continued eating their food, but the weight of the conversation from earlier pressed down on them.


    The atmosphere around the table had changed and the tension was now pressing down on them like an invisible force.


    The news about the bounty on Leo''s head wasn''t something any of them could ignore.


    As Leo ate, his thoughts spiraled. One hundred million gold coins.


    That wasn''t just a bounty. It was more like an open invitation for the entire Multiverse to start looking for him.


    But the real problem was who had placed it.


    Leo tried to think of possible culprits, but the sheer lack of knowledge about the politics of the Multiverse left him with nothing. He was still trying to piece together his own identity, let alone understand the motives of those who might be searching for him.


    He stabbed a piece of roasted meat with his fork, chewing slowly, with his mind lost in speculation.


    His eyes flicked to Tatiana, who was watching him carefully.


    Before he could say anything, he heard her voice in his head, her words filled with warning.


    "Don''t act differently. Eat your food like normal. Don''t attract unnecessary attention."


    Leo swallowed, gripping his fork tightly before nodding slightly.


    He knew she was right. The last thing they needed was prying eyes picking up on the fact that something was wrong.


    He forced himself to continue eating in silence, though his mind was anything but calm.


    The rest of the group followed suit, though the tension remained. And no one spoke.


    It wasn''t until they finished their meal and left the inn that Leo felt like he could breathe again.


    They made their way through the bustling streets of the beastkin capital, blending into the flow of foot traffic. Despite their silence, Leo could feel the weight of the group''s thoughts. They were all thinking the same thing.


    This wasn''t something they could ignore.


    When they finally passed through the city gates and reached the outskirts of the forest, Tatiana abruptly stopped.


    She scanned their surroundings, making sure there were no wandering ears or eyes.


    Satisfied that they were alone, she turned to Leo, crossing her arms.


    "Alright. What do you think?"


    Leo exhaled, rubbing the back of his neck.


    "I have no idea what to feel except that I''ve been caught in something that I both understand and don''t understand at the same time."


    Tatiana nodded. "That''s a fair way to put it."


    Leo looked at her.


    "Do you have any idea who could''ve put that bounty on me?"


    Tatiana sighed.


    "It''s hard to say. One hundred million gold coins is an enormous amount of money, but it''s not an amount that''s impossible for the right people to gather. Any noble family with enough wealth and influence could put out a bounty that high."


    Leo frowned.


    "So that means¡­ what? I have to start worrying about royals and noble houses looking for me?"


    Tatiana shrugged. "If we were to create a list of suspects, it would be extensive. It could be anyone¡ªfrom noble families, royal bloodlines, or secret organizations."


    Leo let out a slow breath. "That''s¡­ not exactly comforting."


    Tatiana smirked slightly, though there was no humor in her eyes. "It shouldn''t be. Though this isn''t a bounty on your life. This is a bounty for information about you. That means someone is looking for you, and they''re willing to pay an obscene amount just to know who you are."


    Ves, who had been quiet until now, finally spoke.


    "And if someone is willing to pay that much for information, they''re not looking to be your friend."


    Leo nodded. "Yeah. That much is obvious."


    Mia crossed her arms. "So what do we do? Just keep moving forward like normal? Act like we don''t know?"


    Tatiana tilted her head. "No. We use this."


    Leo raised an eyebrow. "How?"


    Tatiana''s expression darkened slightly. "We think like them."


    She glanced around the group before continuing. "Whoever placed this bounty wants information on you. That means they don''t have it¡ªthey''re searching. Which also means they don''t know where you are, but they''re trying to find out."


    Miguel nodded slowly. "Well, that much is already obvious. If they knew who Leo was, they wouldn''t need to offer that much money."


    Tatiana tapped her fingers against her arm. "So the smart thing to do would be to stay ahead of them. Keep moving. But more importantly¡­ we need to know who our biggest threat is."


    Leo frowned. "And you have a suspect?"


    Tatiana''s eyes flickered with something dangerous. "Yes."


    The group went silent.


    Leo held her gaze. "Who?"


    Tatiana exhaled. "There are many powerful families and organizations in the Multiverse, but one name comes to mind when I think about a bounty of this size."


    Leo tensed, waiting.


    Tatiana looked directly at him.


    "The Order."


    Leo''s brows furrowed. "The Order? Who are they?"


    Tatiana''s expression remained unreadable. "One of the most influential and potentially dangerous organizations in existence."


    Leo exchanged glances with the others before looking back at her. "And why would they be interested in me?"


    Tatiana''s lips curled into something that was half smirk, half grim warning. "Because it''s an organisation that deals with intelligence. Valuable intelligence. And when an organization like The Order takes an interest in someone¡­ it''s never good news because they always get what they want."


    Leo felt a knot tighten in his stomach.


    This was bigger than he had imagined. S§×arch* The n?vel_Fire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Tatiana folded her arms. "For now, we move forward as planned. But we keep an ear to the ground. If the The Order is involved, things could get¡­ complicated."


    Leo exhaled slowly and nodded in agreement.


    Miguel cracked his knuckles. "Good. I was getting tired of wandering around without knowing who our real enemy was."


    "At least now we have a direction." Mia smiled and Ves nodded.


    Tatiana smirked. "Let''s keep moving. The forest won''t wait for us."


    As they pressed forward, Leo''s mind raced.


    A hundred-million-gold bounty. An unknown past. And now, the The Order possibly searching for him.


    One thing was clear. Things are going to get crazier in the coming days.

 Chapter 147 - 147: Behemoth-Sized Monster

    Leo and his group pushed deeper into the forest, the dense canopy above blocking most of the sunlight, leaving the ground beneath them in a perpetual twilight.


    The air was thick with the scent of damp earth and foliage, but underneath that, there was the lingering stench of blood and beasts.


    Fiona''s ears twitched, her nose flaring slightly. She let out a low, guttural growl, signaling danger ahead.


    "We''ve got company," Ves muttered, her fingers already curling into fists.


    Leo exhaled, tightening his grip on Nightshade. They had been expecting this. The deeper they went into the wilderness, the stronger the creatures became. And now, the first challenge of the day had found them.


    From between the thick trees, the ground trembled as massive creatures emerged from the shadows.


    They were hulking brutes, standing at least ten feet tall, covered in thick, rock-like armor plating that made their bodies resemble moving boulders. Their eyes glowed a deep amber, their mouths filled with rows of jagged teeth, dripping with a dark, viscous liquid.


    Leo scanned them quickly, counting at least a dozen.


    "Cragbeasts. Tough hides. Slow but dangerous. Watch for their charge," Tatiana said from the front.


    Before she had finished speaking, one of the Cragbeasts let out a deafening roar and charged forward, its enormous frame barreling toward them with terrifying speed.


    "Um... That''s not slow!" Mia said, when she saw the beast''s charge.


    Miguel stepped up first, his entire body tensing, his muscles hardening like steel. As the Cragbeast swung a massive claw, Miguel didn''t dodge as he met it head-on.


    The impact shook the ground, but Miguel held firm, with his feet digging into the earth as he absorbed the force.


    "Hah! That all you got?" he grunted before slamming his battle-axe into the beast''s chest, sending cracks rippling across its thick armor.


    Leo didn''t waste time. He activated Shadow Step, his body blurring in and out of existence as he reappeared behind one of the creatures.


    Nightshade sliced cleanly into the exposed joint behind its knee, severing ligaments and tendons. The beast let out a howl of pain, staggering before falling to one knee.


    Mia moved next, lightning-fast, her daggers flashing as she struck at the exposed gaps in their armor. Each one of her strikes found its mark.


    Ves kept to the backline, supporting with well-timed attacks, targeting the eyes and joints of the Cragbeasts, forcing them into defensive positions.


    Tatiana was deadly as ever. She weaved through the battlefield, using her blood art to form razor-thin spears that shot through the air, piercing the soft flesh beneath the creatures'' armor.


    Despite their overwhelming numbers and brute strength, the Cragbeasts were not invincible.


    One by one, the creatures fell, their massive bodies crashing against the earth, shaking the very ground beneath them.


    The last one let out a final roar, its eyes blazing with defiance before Leo drove Nightshade through its skull, ending the battle.


    The clearing fell silent, with the only sound that could be heard being their heavy breathing.


    Miguel wiped blood from his face. "That was intense in a way."


    Tatiana smirked and looked away.


    Leo looked at the fallen creatures, his mind already racing. They were getting stronger, but was it fast enough? He pushed the thought aside.


    "We keep moving."


    ....m


    Hours passed as they pushed deeper and deeper into the forest. The creatures they encountered grew fiercer, and the battles more grueling.


    They fought packs of predatory beasts, with each one being more cunning than the last. They clashed with serpentine creatures that slithered through the shadows, their poison deadly enough to melt stone.


    Each fight pushed them harder, forced them to adapt, to improve.


    The group were moving through a part of the forest when they came to huge clearing and they saw a something on the floor.


    At first, it didn''t move.


    Leo thought it was part of the terrain as it looked like a massive boulder, resting beneath the thick shade of the trees.


    But as they drew closer, he realized it was breathing.


    And that''s when he felt it. The sheer pressure.


    Tatiana''s expression immediately darkened. "That thing¡­ it''s at the Evolved Rank."


    But that wasn''t the reason her expression darkened. The reason was because the creature was already close to the Exalted Rank.


    Leo''s heart pounded in his chest. Even without Tatiana''s confirmation, he could feel the difference. The raw power emanating from it was suffocating.


    The creature was colossal. A monstrous reptilian behemoth, easily the size of the giant lizard from Earth. Its body was covered in obsidian-black scales, jagged and sharp like blades, and its tail alone was as long as three men standing end-to-end.


    Its head was broad, crowned with two massive horns, and its mouth was lined with countless serrated teeth. Even though the mouth remained closed as it slept, its slow and deep breathing was loud, with the sound reverberating through the ground beneath them.


    Leo''s instincts screamed at him.


    This was not something they should fight.


    Tatiana took a slow step back. "We need to turn around. Now."


    Everyone began stepping back, their movements careful and controlled.


    For a moment, Leo thought they had avoided disaster.


    And then, Fiona stepped on a dry branch.


    The sharp snap echoed like a thunderclap in the heavy silence.


    The monster''s eyes snapped open.


    For a second, it didn''t move. Its slitted pupils locked onto them, its nostrils flaring.


    Then it growled.


    A deep, bone-rattling sound that sent a shiver down Leo''s spine.


    And then, it slowly stood up.


    Its full size became horrifyingly clear as it rose onto four massive legs, its head towering over the treetops.


    For a split second, no one moved.


    And the next moment, it lunged.


    "RUN!" Tatiana shouted.


    Leo and the others turned and bolted, trees shattering behind them as the massive reptilian beast barreled forward, tearing through the forest as if the massive trees were nothing but twigs.


    The ground shook violently, each thunderous footstep sending shockwaves through the dirt.


    Leo pushed himself harder, with his heartbeat becoming a frantic drum in his ears.


    The monster was was fast. Too fast!


    Despite its impossible size, the beast was closing the distance, its sheer mass crushing everything in its path.


    Miguel cursed. "It''s gaining on us!"


    Tatiana spun mid-run, her hands weaving crimson threads before launching them into the trees behind them. The trees collapsed, forming a makeshift barrier.


    But it barely slowed the monster down.


    Leo glanced back and he saw the creature''s eyes burning with hunger. S~ea??h the Novel?ire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Ves snarled. "We need a plan! Running isn''t going to work!"


    Tatiana gritted her teeth. "We have to split up! It can''t chase all of us at once!"


    Leo knew she was right. They wouldn''t last like this.


    But before they could act, the creature roared and the next moment, something terrifying happened.


    A shockwave of sheer force exploded outward from the beast''s mouth, sending Leo and the others flying.


    Leo hit the ground hard, the wind knocked from his lungs. As he struggled to get up, the massive shadow of the beast loomed over him.


    It was too late to run.


    Leo''s grip tightened around Nightshade.


    If they couldn''t escape¡­ then they''d have to fight. And he won''t go down without a fight.

 Chapter 148 - 148: Behemoth-Sized Monster (2)

    The massive reptilian beast loomed over them, its massive shadow swallowing the little light in the already dim forest and plunging it into complete darkness.


    The pressure coming off the monster''s body was suffocating and even without moving, its sheer presence weighed down on them heavily. It was like they were being slowly being crushed under something extremely heavy.


    The monster''s obsidian-black scales gleamed under the faint light that managed to slip through the thick forest canopy.


    The scales were jagged, like hardened volcanic rock, and the deep crimson veins running along its body seem to pulse with a slow but terrifying rhythm.


    Its horned head, adorned with multiple spines, tilted slightly as it sized them up.


    Then, in a single heartbeat, it made it move.


    The ground trembled violently as the beast lunged forward, its massive tail whipping through the air, cutting through thick trees as if they were nothing but twigs.


    Leo barely had time to shout before the chaos erupted.


    Ves darted to the left, extending her claws, with her eyes blazing with the ferociousness.


    Miguel swung his massive battle-axe, the weapon glowing faintly as he activated his skill, and poured every ounce of his strength into the swing. S§×arch* The n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Mia, despite the sheer terror she was feeling at the moment, moved like a shadow, her daggers flashing as she went for the monster''s joints.


    But the beast was too fast.


    It reared up, its massive claws crashing down, sending shockwaves rippling outward.


    Miguel took the brunt of the impact, as he used his axe to meet the claws mid-air, but the force behind the attack was too much.


    Miguel stood no chance. The moment the two clashed, he was was sent hurtling backward, smashing through three trees before finally skidding to a stop. And he lay down there, unable to stand up.


    "Shit! Miguel!" Mia shouted, her voice strained as she dove to the side, avoiding the massive jaws that snapped just inches from her face.


    Ves managed to get around the monster''s side, extending her claws and pouring all of her strength into the attack, she raked them against the beast''s scales.


    The impact between her claws and the beast''s scale caused sparks to fly, but it did nothing.


    The scales were too thick for attack to deal any damage.


    The beast whipped its tail toward her without even looking, and Ves barely managed to leap over it.


    But the sheer force of the shockwave and force from the attack sent her crashing into a nearby boulder, and nearly coughed up blood as the impact knocked the wind out of her.


    Tatiana, who had been standing at a distance, narrowed her eyes, watching the battle unfold. She had made a choice not to interfere, wanting to see how far they¡ªVes, Miguel, Mia¡ªhad come. But even she was beginning to see how outmatched they were.


    Leo gritted his teeth when he saw his teammates'' condition, and he rushed towards the monster.


    He was the only one who hadn''t been knocked back. But even he could feel the gap in power and he wasn''t going to back down.


    Activating Shadow Step, he blinked forward, appearing right beneath the monster''s chest.


    Nightshade flashed in the dim light as he drove it upward, aiming for the monster''s underbelly¡ªthe only possible weak spot.


    The blade made contact and for a moment, it felt like it would cut through. But it may resistance.


    A horrible, grating sound echoed as Nightshade barely pierced through the outer layer, but failed to drive deep enough to cause real damage.


    Leo''s eyes widened in that split second of realization.


    The beast''s head snapped downward toward him, when it felt his attack.


    A wall of sharp teeth and crushing force came crashing down towards Leo and barely managed to throw himself backward, rolling across the dirt as the jaws slammed shut where he had been standing.


    "Leo!" Ves shouted, already forcing herself back up despite her injuries.


    Mia was breathing hard, but she moved to attack again as she threw one of her daggers, precisely aiming for the beast''s eye.


    The dagger struck but rather than piercing through, the eyelid itself snapped shut, deflecting the blade completely.


    Mia''s face paled.


    Even its damn eyes were armored?!


    The beast roared, its massive lungs sending out a shockwave that rattled the trees.


    Then something shocking happened as the beast''s entire body began to glow, the crimson veins along its scales pulsing violently.


    Leo saw this and a strong sense of foreboding came over him.


    The next moment, a wave of destructive force exploded outward from the beast, sending everyone flying.


    Leo slammed into the dirt, the impact jarring every bone in his body.


    Ves hit the ground hard, coughing up blood. And Mia lay motionless for a moment before forcing herself to sit up, as she gripped her ribs.


    Miguel was the slowest to rise, groaning in pain, as he held his hands that were shaking badly.


    Tatiana''s gaze hardened when she saw what happened.


    "This is bad."


    Leo wiped the blood from his lip, as he breathed heavily.


    He knew that they weren''t winning the fight. Not with how things are going but they also couldn''t run.


    The beast lowered itself, with its muscles coiling as it prepared for a finishing attack.


    Leo gritted his teeth, forcing himself to his feet.


    The others were already struggling to move.


    Mia''s daggers wouldn''t work. Ves''s claws weren''t sharp and strong enough to pierce through. And Miguel''s strength wasn''t enough.


    And Nightshade¡­ It had failed to cut deep into the monster''s body.


    Damn it.


    Leo forced himself forward, stepping ahead of the others.


    If this thing was going to attack... Then he''d take the hit.


    Tatiana noticed the this immediately and her eyes narrowed.


    Then, for the first time, she made her move. She had watched enough and already assessed the group''s strength. It was time for her to step in.


    The pressure in the air changed.


    Tatiana''s eyes darkened, as her blood energy coiling violently around her body.


    Before the monster could attack, before Leo could make his move, before any of them could even blink¡ª


    Tatiana disappeared.


    A gust of wind exploded outward.... And suddenly, the beast was frozen in place.


    Leo''s breath caught in his throat when he saw Tatiana suddenly standing atop the monster''s massive head.


    And for the first time since the monster had awakened, it trembled.


    "You guys have struggled enough," Tatiana said, with a cold voice filled with trace of amusement.


    The next moment, she released her full presence and the forest shook.


    The monster roared wnd Leo felt it in his bones that this fight was over.

 Chapter 149 - 149: Behemoth-Sized Monster (3)

    A wave of raw power rippled through the forest, shaking the very ground beneath them.


    The colossal beast, which had been rampaging moments ago, froze mid-movement, its muscles locking under the weight of her overwhelming aura.


    Leo could feel it too. The suffocating, undeniable pressure of a predator above all others. It wasn''t just about strength. It was authority, the kind that came from standing at the top of the food chain.


    The monster, despite its size, despite it being at the Evolved Rank and on the brink of attaining Exalted Rank, hesitated.


    And for the first time, it felt fear.


    Tatiana stood atop its massive head, her crimson aura swirling around her, her blood energy forming razor-thin threads that wrapped around its horns and neck like a hunter controlling its prey.


    Leo could see it in her stance that she could end this monster right now.


    The battle was already won. And yet¡­ Tatiana let go.


    The energy around her dissipated as she stepped off the monster''s head, landing on the ground with effortless grace.


    The beast remained completely still, its entire body trembling, eyes wide with confusion and terror.


    Tatiana turned toward Leo and the others, and smiled.


    Leo let out a slow breath, as his heart still pounded from the battle.


    Ves coughed, pushing herself up from the ground, wiping blood from her lip.


    "You¡­ could have done that earlier, you know."


    Tatiana smirked, brushing some dirt off her sleeve.


    "And rob you all of the experience? Now you all understand just how strong an Evolved Rank entity is."


    Miguel, who had just managed to stand, gave her a half-exhausted, half-irritated look.


    "So you were just going let us almost die for a damn lesson?"


    Tatiana tilted her head. "If you died, you weren''t strong enough to survive anyway."


    Mia groaned. "I really, really hate you sometimes."


    Leo ignored their bickering, his focus still on the monster.


    Despite the immense strength it had displayed, despite how it had nearly crushed them underfoot, it was just staying still, refusing to move.


    He knew that Tatiana had broken its will to fight. And that was what true power looked like.


    Leo clenched his fist when he realised this. This¡­ this was the difference between him and Tatiana.


    Even though he had managed to hold his own better than the others, even though he had been the only one truly standing his ground. It still wasn''t enough.


    Against this level of strength, he still wasn''t enough.


    Tatiana turned back toward the massive creature.


    "You''re free to leave," she said casually. "Or you can stay and be food for the weak."


    The monster flinched at her words.


    Then, as if making a desperate decision, it let out a low, defeated growl and turned, disappearing into the shadows of the forest.


    Mia let out a breath she didn''t even realize she had been holding.


    "Good. I was not looking forward to another round of getting tossed around like a ragdoll."


    Miguel rolled his shoulders, still sore.


    "We weren''t ready for that fight."


    Ves exhaled, her claws retracting. "We were not."


    Leo looked down at his own hands, his body still buzzing from the fight.


    ''We are not. But we will soon be.''


    Tatiana turned back toward them, crossing her arms.


    "Well, what do you all think?." She asked.


    "We''ll do better next time," Leo replied, as he met her gaze.


    Tatiana smirked. "You''d better. Because next time, I won''t step in."


    Leo nodded. He didn''t want her help. He wanted to be strong enough to never need it.


    He turned to the rest of the group. "We''re done for today. Let''s head back."


    No one argued.


    They had all reached their limit. The fight against that massive monster had drained them, and going forward like this would be extremely difficult.


    They decided to return back to the capital. The journey back was quieter than usual.


    The capital gates were a welcome sight when they finally reached them. The city was just as lively as before, beastkin moving through the streets, the marketplace buzzing with activity. It was almost too normal especially after what they had just been through.


    As they entered The Burrow''s Rest, the familiar scent of roasted meat and warm tea filled the air. The rabbit beastkin innkeeper glanced up from behind the counter, her sharp eyes taking in their battered state.


    She sighed. "Another rough day, huh?"


    The group simply nodded in response.


    The innkeeper huffed, setting down the cloth she was using to clean a mug.


    "Your rooms are waiting. And again, don''t track too much blood inside."


    Leo didn''t bother responding. He just climbed the stairs, making his way to his room.


    The moment he shut the door, he collapsed onto the bed, staring at the ceiling, with a lot of thoughts occupying his head. S§×arch* The ¦ÇovelFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Tatiana''s overwhelming strength. Their failure against the beast. The bounty on his head. The Order possibly hunting him.


    And worst of all, the nagging feeling that no matter how much he trained, he still wasn''t getting strong fast enough.


    He exhaled, rubbing a hand down his face.


    Beside him, Fiona curled up on the floor, her breathing slow and steady.


    Leo let out a slow breath.


    Tomorrow.


    Tomorrow, he''d get stronger.


    And he wouldn''t stop until he never had to feel this weak again.


    Sleep claimed him before he could think any further.


    The next morning, Leo woke up early, his muscles still sore from the previous day''s battle.


    He washed up quickly and headed downstairs.


    The others were already there, gathered around their usual table in the main hall of the inn, their plates filled with warm food.


    Tatiana sat with her usual calm presence, sipping a cup of tea. Miguel was already halfway through his meal, while Mia picked at her food absently. Ves was quiet, sporting an unreadable expression on her face.


    Leo took his seat and they all ate their food, while discussing of what they were going to do afterwards.

 Chapter 150 - 150: Evolved Ves

    The days passed in a blur of battle and bloodshed.


    Leo and his group returned to the forest every day, encountering new monsters, new dangers, and new challenges. But with every fight, with every clash, they grew stronger.


    Ves, Mia, and Miguel were already on the brink of completing their evolution requirements, and would soon attain the Evolved Rank.


    Leo had been keeping track of their progress, watching them carefully. He knew it was only a matter of time before they crossed the threshold. And that was exactly what he had been waiting for.


    He didn''t want to enter the Abyssal Realm alone next time. He wanted to go on with all of them and he wants them to be strong enough to fight what lay beyond the Rif.


    He wants them to be strong enough to survive whatever lay waiting for them beyond the Rift.


    And now, that time was close.


    .....


    The routine had become relentless and slightly tedious.


    Wake up. Eat. Enter the forest. Hunt. Kill. Return.


    And then, do it again the next day.


    If it wasn''t that they were growing stronger, the group, especially Mia, would had gone mad. But even with that, everything was starting to feel too monotonous for them. And coupled with the fact that they were in a completely foreign world, didn''t help matters.


    But they were happy as each fight had sharpened their instincts, and helped pushed their limits further.


    The deeper they went into the forest, the higher the level of the monsters they met. And the stronger they are, the tougher the fight, the more benefits they get.


    Leo had also started to notice the changes in his teammates.


    Ves movements were now extremely deadly and precise. Her enhanced physical strength thanks to her half zombie nature made her attacks unpredictable and brutal. S§×ar?h the N?vel(F)ire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    She tears through her enemies with her claws, and with her body weaving through her enemies with ease.


    She hasn''t been actively using the skill she got from Tatiana as she said that she''s too weak for it, but the passive effects from it and the title gave her an incredible boost to her strength.


    Mia, who was once the least physically inclined of the group, had now become quicker and more refined.


    Everytime she swings her daggers, it flashes through the air, striking at critical points with inhuman accuracy. She had also learned to fight without hesitation, her movements had become graceful and very lethal.


    Miguel, who had always relied on brute strength, had gained a new level of control over his strength. His massive battle-axe carved through monsters like a blade through paper, but he no longer fought on pure instinct alone. His blows were calculated, efficient, and backed by raw power and amplified by his skill.


    Leo was happy that he wasn''t the only one getting stronger. Everyone was and very soon, they will be ready for the Abyssal Realm.


    ...


    Today was finally the day that Ves, Mia and Miguel completes their evolution requirements and attain the Evolved Rank.


    As they walked into the forest, Leo could feel how nervous they all were. And it was also evident from the tensed atmosphere.


    Leo couldn''t blame them. They all were individually going to fight and kill and Evolved Rank monster, so it was understandable that they were nervous.


    This was especially with the incident with the behemoth-sized reptilian monster that nearly tore them to shreds.


    Leo wanted to say something to them, to diffuse the atmosphere and make them feel better, but he was aware that nothing he say would change the situation.


    Naturally, Leo and Tatiana plan to stay behind and help them, saving them if they are stuck in a very dangerous situation.


    Leo will watch over Ves, while Tatiana will watch over Mia and Miguel.


    As they walked deeper into the forest, the atmosphere got even more tense but no one said anything.


    When they were sure that they had walked into the high level area of the forest, where the Evolved Rank monsters dwells, they decided to split up.


    Ves chose a random direction and started walking in it, and Leo followed behind her. Mia and Miguel each chose a random direction, and Tatiana flew higher into the sky to keep watch over them.


    Leo and Ves walked for a short while and finallyz they could see a slumbering Evolved Rank monster ahead of them.


    Ves clenched her fistsbahd slowly started walking towards it. She had walked a few distance when she turned back and looked at Leo, with a very determined expressions on her face.


    "Don''t step in now matter what. Even if I''m on the brink of death, don''t step in," she said, before turning back and started walking towards the monster.


    Leo was surprised by Ves'' words but he completely understood her reason. Though that doesn''t mean that he''s actually not going to step in. He will definitely step in if she gets into a life threatening situation.


    ''I hope it never comes to that.''


    Leo stood back, watching as Ves approached the slumbering monster. The weight of her words lingered in his mind.


    Even if I''m on the brink of death, don''t step in.


    She was determined to do this on her own.


    Leo understood why. For Ves, this was about proving her strength, about showing that she was capable of standing on her own, without relying on him, Tatiana, or anyone else.


    But that didn''t make it any easier to watch.


    The monster lay curled in the dense undergrowth, its massive frame blending with the foliage.


    From its sleeping position, Leo saw that the monster had the appearance of a goat¡ªa huge goat as it was still even taller than Leo even though it was lay down on the floor¡ªbut the odd things about it were the ridges on its back, its massive tail and it''s claw.


    The monster''s furs were a dark, earthy brown, its muscular body covered in spiked ridges that ran along its back and tail. Its claws were long and curved, sharp enough to cut through flesh and bone with ease.


    The monster looked like the fusion between a reptilian monster and a goat, and Leo could feel the raw power radiating from its body, even in sleep.


    This was an Evolved Rank predator, one that had likely ruled this part of the forest for years.


    Ves didn''t hesitate as she moved closer, her body tense, and her claws already extended. She also did her best to steady and control her breathing.


    And then, as if sensing her intent, the monster''s eyes snapped open.


    For a moment, there was silence and then, it made its move.


    The beast exploded into motion, its massive tail whipping around as it lunged at Ves, its claws slicing through the air.


    She barely managed to dodge, throwing herself to the side as the ground where she had been standing shattered beneath the weight of the attack.


    Leo clenched his fists as he watched.


    She knew she couldn''t take a direct hit, so she kept moving, her body weaving through the monster''s rapid strikes. She was faster, but the beast was relentless.


    It lunged again, its claws cutting through the air like blades.


    Ves twisted her body at the last second, avoiding a fatal hit, but one of the claws still managed to graze her side, drawing blood.


    Leo felt his pulse spike, but he quickly controlled himself. He saw that Ves didn''t stop and she continued to fight the monster.


    Ves used the momentum of her dodge to counterattack, her claws flashing as she raked them across the monster''s exposed flank.


    The sound of tearing flesh filled the air as Ves'' claws sank deep, ripping through its hide.


    The monster roared in pain, but instead of retreating, it lashed out even more aggressively.


    Leo watched as the fight became a brutal exchange of blows with Ves dodging, weaving, striking where she could. But the beast adapting, its attacks becoming faster, sharper, and more precise.


    She was pushing herself to the limit, but so was the monster.


    The next moment, something happened as the beast feinted a lunge, then suddenly twisted its body, bringing its tail around in a powerful arc.


    Ves realized this too late and before she knew, the attack was already on her.


    The impact sent her flying, her body crashing through the underbrush, slamming into a tree with a sickening crack.


    Leo took a step forward instinctively, his heart pounding, his body ready to intervene.


    But he stopped when he saw Ves move.


    Ves staggered back to her feet, blood dripping from the side of her mouth, her breathing ragged.


    But her eyes were burning with intense determination. She didn''t hesitate as the next moment, with a snarl, she launched herself forward again, closing the distance between her and the beast in an instant.


    This time, she was attacking ruthlessly as her claws tore into the monster''s throat, its side, its underbelly¡ªanywhere she could reach.


    She ignored the pain, the wounds, the exhaustion that was crashing down on her. The fight has gone on for long enough and she wants to end it immediately.


    And then, with one final, devastating strike, she drove her claws deep into its skull, piercing through bone.


    The monster let out one last guttural growl before its massive body collapsed, sending a final tremor through the ground.


    Leo stood frozen, with his breath caught in his chest as he watched this.


    He gazed at Ves standing over the fallen beast, her body trembling, and her claws dripping with blood.


    Then, slowly, she turned to look at him.


    And she smiled.


    Leo exhaled, with relief flooding through him.


    Ves won.


    The next moment, Ves slowly closed her eyes and started falling, as a wave of energy enveloped her.


    Leo rushed to her and caught her before she hit the ground. He slowly started caressing her hair, with a smile on his face.


    "You did it."

 Chapter 151 - 151: Evolved Miguel and Mia

    Tatiana hovered in the air, her blood-red eyes scanning the dense forest below.


    The wind rustled her cloak as she observed Mia and Miguel, each engaged in their own life-or-death battle against an Evolved Rank monster.


    This was the final step of their evolution, the last test they had to overcome before breaking through.


    Tatiana didn''t plan to interfere. Not unless they were on the verge of death.


    This was their fight. And if they couldn''t survive it, they had no place stepping into the Abyssal Realm.


    ...


    Mia''s breath was steady, her daggers poised, her body light on her feet.


    She faced a serpentine creature, its body coiling through the forest floor like a massive shadow slipping between the trees. Its glossy black scales reflected no light, making it blend seamlessly with the darkness around it.


    But its eyes¡ªtwo orbs of eerie silver¡ªnever stopped watching her. And so did Mia, as her eyes never left the monster.


    She has been fighting this monster for some time now, and it had made her to understand just how strong an Evolved Rank creature is.


    The monster made it move again.


    Mia saw this and her instincts screamed at her. She barely had time to react before the monster lunged at her, its needle-like fangs dripping with a thick, black venom.


    She twisted mid-air, narrowly dodging, feeling the air shift as the fangs sank into the trunk of a tree behind her.


    The wood immediately began to rot and dissolve, eaten away by the venom.


    Mia''s stomach twisted. One bite and she was dead.


    No second chances.


    The monster reared back, its massive body writhing between the shadows, slithering with a malevolent grace.


    The monster was watching her, waiting. It showed just how intelligent it was.


    Mia clenched her daggers when she saw this. She knew that she couldn''t afford to let it dictate the pace of the fight.


    And so, she moved first.


    Dashing forward, she feinted to the left, then cut to the right in a blur of movement, her daggers flashing as she aimed for the exposed flesh beneath its head.


    The monster reacted instantly.


    Its entire body twisted in an unnatural manner, its tail lashing out with explosive force.


    Mia barely saw it coming and she couldn''t barely block the attack.


    Pain erupted across her ribs as the impact sent her flying backward, her body crashing into the dirt, rolling before she could catch herself.


    She coughed up blood and she saw her vision blur for a moment, but she quickly forced herself to recover as she shook her head violently, shaking off the dizziness.


    The creature seeing that the human was still standing, coiled back, preparing to strike again.


    Mia forced herself up, her entire body screaming in protest. She knew wouldn''t last long if she allows things to continue like this. S§×ar?h the Nov§×l?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    She quickly thought of something. Then, she realized something.


    The monster was fast, but it had a pattern.


    It always coiled back before striking.


    Realising this, a plan formed in her mind.


    As soon as the beast coiled, she sprinted toward it, throwing one of her daggers toward its face.


    The monster flinched, instinctively snapping its head back, giving her the opening she needed.


    She rolled beneath it, grabbing her second dagger with both hands.


    Then, with all the strength she had left, she plunged the blade directly into the soft underside of its jaw.


    The dagger sank deep, severing the nerves controlling its mouth.


    The monster let out a terrible, shrieking hiss, its body thrashing wildly, knocking down trees in its death throes.


    Mia barely managed to leap away before it collapsed, its tail twitching once before going completely still.


    Her legs gave out beneath her, her chest rising and falling in exhausted gasps.


    The next moment, a wave of energy enveloped her as she slowly collapsed to the ground.


    .....


    Miguel stood before his opponent, his battle-axe gripped tightly in his hands.


    His foe was a massive, armored beast, resembling a mutated rhino, its body layered with thick plates of dark stone, its horns jagged and glowing faintly with ember-like energy.


    It was a living battering ram, built for destruction.


    And right now, it was staring him down, its massive hooves grinding against the dirt, preparing to charge.


    Miguel exhaled. He had to stop it.


    Then, with a snort of fury, the beast charged forward, the ground quaking beneath its weight.


    Miguel braced himself.


    At the last second, he sidestepped, bringing his battle-axe down in a brutal swing toward the beast''s exposed flank.


    The blade connected but instead of cutting deep, it bounced off the thick stone armor, sending vibrations up Miguel''s arms.


    He barely had time to register the failure of his attack before the monster whipped its head around, its jagged horn catching his side and sending him flying.


    Miguel hit the ground hard, rolling across the dirt.


    Pain exploded through his ribs. He knew that omething was broken but he didn''t have time to stop, and nurse his wound.


    The monster was already charging towards him again.


    Miguel forced himself up, gripping his axe, ignoring the pain.


    He couldn''t break through the armor.


    But he could use its own strength against it.


    As the beast barreled toward him again, he didn''t move.


    Tatiana, still watching from above, narrowed her eyes. What was he doing?


    The moment before impact, Miguel suddenly sidestepped, pivoting on his heel, and swung his entire body weight behind his axe, and struck the monster''s front leg at its joint.


    The angle was perfect.


    Instead of trying to cut through the stone armor, he had aimed for the weakest mechanical point¡ªwhere the plates overlapped at the joint.


    The monster''s own momentum worked against it.


    Its leg buckled violently, sending its massive form crashing forward, its own weight shattering the ground beneath it.


    Miguel didn''t hesitate.


    With a roar, he brought his axe down again, this time aiming for its exposed underbelly.


    The blade sank deep, cutting through flesh and vital organs.


    The beast let out a final, gurgling cry before it collapsed, the last of its life bleeding out onto the ground.


    Miguel staggered back, gripping his ribs, his breathing ragged.


    The next moment, Miguel felt a wave of energy rushbthrough his entire body, healing his wounds, strengthening him, reshaping him.


    He barely had time to process it before his legs gave out, sending him to the ground and his eyes closed, as he collapsed in exhaustion.


    Tatiana, still floating above, watched as both Mia and Miguel lay on the ground, surrounded by the glow of their evolution.


    She smirked in satisfaction. They had done it.

 Chapter 152 - 152: The Evolving Trio

    Leo looked at Ves who was unconscious in his hand. His body tense as he watched the energy envelop her.


    The battle against the Evolved Rank monster had pushed her to the very limit of her strength. But she had won, completed her evolution requirements and now, she was evolving.


    The soft glow from the energy surrounding her body radiated power, shifting and coiling around her as if it was reshaping her existence itself.


    Leo exhaled and took a step back from the monster''s corpse.


    The moment Ves had collapsed, he knew that staying wasn''t an option.


    The forest was far from silent and the noise and disturbance of Ves'' battle against the monster, had been carried through the trees, and Leo knew exactly what that meant.


    Other monsters would come.


    Some drawn by the scent of blood, others by the territory left unclaimed after Ves had slain its ruler.


    And the last thing Leo wanted was to be caught in the middle of a new territorial battle. He didn''t need to be told how dangerous it is. Especially when it''s between Evolved Rank monsters.


    Leo allowed himself to feel Ves'' body condition, as he placed his hand on her forehead. He noticed that her body was burning up and she was shuddering slightly as her muscles twitched.


    He felt that this was likely due to the energy surrounding her but there was nothing he can do about it.


    Leo tightened his grip on Ves'' body. He knew she would be fine. But he had to get them out of here.


    He moved quickly, his senses on high alert. He paid extreme attention to every rustling leaf, every snapped twig in the distance, as it could mean a new enemy approaching.


    The deeper parts of the forest were no longer safe. Not with the balance of power shifting due to their fight. Abd Leo knew exactly where to go.


    The outskirts.


    .....


    He traveled far, moving through the dense foliage, with Ves still held securely in his arms.


    The further they went, the quieter the forest became.


    This was the territory of low-level monsters. Weaklings. Beasts that would scatter the moment they sensed something more powerful than them.


    Finally, he found a small clearing, secluded enough to remain undisturbed.


    Leo gently laid Ves down against the base of a massive tree, making sure she was comfortable before stepping back.


    Then, he waited with his eyes never leaving her.


    She was still deep in the process of her evolution, with her body adjusting and growing stronger.


    Leo leaned against a nearby rock, arms crossed, letting himself breathe for a moment.


    But his mind wouldn''t rest. Even though Ves had won, it hadn''t been easy for her.


    The monster she had fought had nearly overpowered her, and if she had made even a single mistake¡­


    Leo clenched his jaw.


    He hated that feeling. That powerlessness, that inability to step in when it truly mattered.


    He knew he was stronger than Ves but was he strong enough?


    That question haunted him. And soon, it wouldn''t just be about them.


    Mia and Miguel were fighting their own battles right now. He could only hope that they would be safe.


    A sudden gust of wind rushed through the clearing.


    Leo didn''t have to look up to know who had arrived.


    .....


    Tatiana descended from the sky, her wings of blood fading as she landed gracefully on the ground.


    In each of her hands, she carried Mia and Miguel, both of whom were still wrapped in the glow of their evolution.


    Without much care, she dropped them onto the ground, dust rising as their bodies landed with a dull thud.


    Leo glanced at them briefly and he saw that they were alive, which meant they had succeeded in their battles.


    But his focus remained on Tatiana, who now stood beside him, with her usual smirk on her face.


    She glanced at him, then at Ves, then back at him again.


    Leo understood the look she was giving him before she even said anything.


    Tatiana let out a quiet chuckle, shaking her head slightly.


    "You''re thinking too much."


    Leo''s fingers twitched, but he didn''t answer right away.


    Tatiana folded her arms.


    "I don''t even have to guess. I know exactly what''s on your mind."


    Leo smiled ruefully as he turned to look at Ves, Miguel and Mia.


    Tatiana smirked when she saw his action.


    "Come on, let''s hear it."


    Leo was silent for a moment.


    "I''m wondering if this is enough," he admitted. "If we''re strong enough."


    Tatiana raised an eyebrow. "For what?"


    Leo''s eyes darkened slightly. "For what''s coming."


    Tatiana was quiet for a moment. Then, she laughed softly.


    "You''re worrying too much."


    Leo shot her a glance, his expression serious.


    "Am I?"


    Tatiana sighed, and looked at Leo with a tired expression on her face.


    "Look at them," she said, gesturing to the unconscious forms of Ves, Mia, and Miguel.


    "They fought their respective battles and they won. And now, they are evolving. What more do you want?"


    Leo''s jaw tightened.


    "I want to be sure they won''t die."


    Tatiana studied him for a long moment. Then, her smirk faded slightly.


    "You''re afraid of losing them," she murmured.


    Leo didn''t answer because she was right.


    Tatiana shook her head and sighed.


    "You can''t control everything, Leo."


    Leo exhaled. "I know that."


    "But you still want to try."


    He didn''t deny it.


    "I get it. You''re used to being the one holding everything together. You''re used to watching out for them, making sure they''re safe." Tatiana smiled. sea??h th§× N??elFir§×.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    She turned to face him fully.


    "But you''re forgetting one thing."


    Leo raised an eyebrow. "What?"


    Tatiana smiled.


    "They''re not weak anymore," she said, as she motioned to Ves, Mia, and Miguel, with their bodies glowing.


    "They can stand on their own now," she continued. "You''re not the only one who has to fight anymore. They''re strong. Maybe not as strong as you. But they will be."


    Leo looked at them again.


    Ves, who had torn her enemy apart with her own hands.


    Mia, who had used speed and her stealth skill to take down a serpentine terror.


    Miguel, who had stood face-to-face with an unstoppable force and broke it apart with sheer power.


    Yeah, they had changed.


    Leo sighed. "¡­I know."


    Tatiana smirked. "Then act like it."


    Leo nodded in understanding at Tatiana''s words as he raised his head to the sky.


    Tatiana also turned her gaze toward the sky.


    "They''ll wake up soon. And then, we move forward," she said, and Leo nodded.

 Chapter 153 - 153: Soon

    An unknown amount of time had passed.


    The glow surrounding Ves, Mia, and Miguel had long since faded, leaving only the faint traces of lingering energy in the air.


    Leo and Tatiana stood by the side, anxiously waiting for the three of them to wake up¡ªwith Leo being the anxious one.


    He was worried as the glow had dissipated for a while but they were yet to wake up. He was aware that there was nothing wrong with them, and they would soon wake up. But he couldn''t help but feel worried.


    Ves was the first to open her eyes.


    She blinked slowly, her vision adjusting as she saw Leo standing over them with a worried expression.


    He smiled in relief when she finally woke up. He slowly reached out offering a hand to her, and she took it without hesitation. He pulled her up gently, making sure she was standing and was alright.


    A second later, Mia and Miguel also woke up, groaning as they slowly sat up.


    For a brief moment, none of them spoke, still lost in the lingering haze of what they had gone through.


    Then, slowly, they began to move.


    Tatiana, who had been leaning against a nearby tree, watched silently, with an small smile on her face.


    Ves flexed her fingers, her claws extending instinctively before retracting. She felt¡­ the same.


    Mia did a light stretch, rolling her shoulders.


    "That was amazing. Now, I''m Evolved Rank," she said, with a smile on her face.


    Miguel cracked his knuckles, testing his grip.


    "I feel¡­ stronger but it doesn''t feel that different."


    The three of them glanced at each other, checking for any noticeable changes.


    Their bodies felt more refined, their movements smoother, but aside from a slight increase in strength and the confirmation of their evolution displayed on their status screens, nothing else seemed different.


    "After everything we had to go through. The result is very underwhelming," Mia said, with disappointment clearly written on her face.


    She was expecting her stats to double or triple but all she got was a measly 1.5 stat that was added to all her stats. Very disappointing to say the least.


    Leo understood Mia''s feeling but there was nothing any of them can do about it. He turned to Ves.


    "How do you feel?"


    Ves knew exactly what he meant.


    She was aware that he wasn''t just asking about her strength. He was asking about the half-zombie part of her.


    Was it still under control? Had the evolution awakened something in her that she couldn''t stop?


    She met his gaze, holding it for a long moment before shaking her head.


    "No changes," she said firmly. "I''m still me."


    Leo held her stare for a second longer before nodding.


    "Good."


    Tatiana pushed off the tree, stretching lazily. "Now that everyone''s done evolving, let''s get moving. It''s already late."


    Leo glanced at the darkening sky, realizing just how much time had passed.


    They needed to return to the inn to rest. They have a big day tomorrow.


    ....


    The walk back was quiet. The three newly Evolved kept clenching their fist, as they felt the increase in their strength.


    Though it wasn''t much and didn''t compare to what they were expecting, the fact that they are no longer ordinary Awakened was something to be happy about.


    But despite having grown stronger, none of them felt entirely at ease.


    The fights had been too close and the near-death experiences still fresh in their minds.


    Leo led the group as they moved through the outskirts of the forest


    Mia exhaled.


    "Feels weird, doesn''t it?"


    Miguel raised an eyebrow. "What does?"


    "Walking through the forest like this." She gestured vaguely around them.


    "Before, we had to be on guard constantly. Now, these things don''t even look at us."


    Miguel chuckled. "Guess they can sense real power."


    Ves smirked slightly. "Or maybe they remember how much blood we spilled."


    Leo remained silent, lost in thought, not wanting to say anything as he had nothing to say.


    Tatiana, walking slightly behind them. She looked at Leo and studied his expression before speaking.


    "Still thinking too much?"


    Leo sighed. "Maybe."


    She smiled faintly. "Good."


    Leo gave her a questioning glance.


    Tatiana shrugged. "Means you''re not comfortable yet. That''s a good thing. Comfort is dangerous."


    Leo nodded slowly. She was right.


    They weren''t done yet. Not even infinitely close up being done at all. They still have a lot of ground up cover and a lot to accomplish.


    ....


    By the time they reached the capital, the streets were still alive with the energy of the night.


    The soft glow of lanterns bathed the cobbled roads in gold, the scent of grilled meats and sweet wine drifting from the market stalls still open for business.


    Despite the liveliness, Leo''s group ignored it all, their focus solely on reaching the inn.


    The familiar wooden sign of The Burrow''s Rest swung gently in the night breeze as they stepped inside.


    The rabbit beastkin innkeeper looked up from behind the counter, her sharp ears twitching as she took in their battered clothes and exhausted expressions.


    She sighed. "Rough day?"


    Leo gave her a tired nod.


    She huffed. "Rooms are still yours."


    Inside his room, Leo lay down on the bed, staring at the night sky littered with stars, with his mind racing.


    Fiona, who had been resting near the corner of the room, stirred slightly before padding over to him.


    She let out a soft huff before curling up on the floor beside his bed. S§×ar?h the N?vel(F)ire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    He presence was like a quiet assurance to Leo. Heexhaled as he continued staring at the star filled night sky.


    He couldn''t help but wonder what was beyond those stars. We''re they even stars? He was very curious about a lot of things. Finding himself in a new world was something beautifulz except that this one is just as dangerous as his own.


    Leo thought of Earth and what was going on on it. Had the Off-worlders turned every humans into slaves? Is it safe for him to return? Had there been any changes to the leaderboard?


    His thoughts slowly drifted to Lucien and the Abyssal Realm, and he smiled. If it was before, he would scolding himself for being weak but not today.


    He knew that soon he will have the strength to put Lucien in his place and take revenge for what he did.