“That’s… That’s certainly interesting,” Naz’Tor hummed, his voice crackling through the transmitter in Leo’s palm. “I expected a call soon, but not this soon. A wounded red dragon that wanted to die… Give me a minute, kid. I gotta check something.”

  With that, the line went silent. Leo glanced at Nyx, but the feline only shrugged and closed her eyes again. For all her talk about taking a nap, she couldn’t seem to resist eavesdropping on his call with the merchant.

  Curiosity killed the cat, you know that, right?

  Nyx popped one eye open, the bored look in it saying more than a thousand words. ‘But satisfaction brought it back. Now, leave me alone. I’m trying to sleep.’

  He snorted. Sure you are.

  “Okay, I have it!” Naz’Tor exclaimed. “Y Ddraig Goch, the Welsh dragon. This would be the third time since the first Outbreak that it had been found and killed. According to the records I have here, it was sandbagging during those hunts too. Additional notes: suicidal, underused fire mastery, non-threat. Sounds about right, hmm?”

  Leo’s eyebrows climbed higher with every word that came out of the transmitter. “Yeah…” he muttered. “No idea about the non-threat note, though. But other than that, well… Where did you get this?”

  The merchant chuckled. “From the God Slayers. Where else?”

  “Another contact of yours?”

  “You could say that,” Naz’Tor answered, amusement lacing his words. “I will tell you more in the future. For now, let’s focus on what’s important. Did you already absorb the Seed?”

  Leo nodded even if the merchant couldn’t see him. “Yep. Pillars strengthened and all that. A bit painful, though.”

  Naz’Tor let out a bark of laughter. “That it is. But don’t worry—this won’t happen again. Your pillars just had to get used to the divine energy. Now, another thing—you don’t need to answer this. Attributes. Did the System give you any?”

  “Yes? Shouldn’t it?”

  “No, no, no, that’s not what I mean! It’s just pretty random. Depends on the Seed really. I was just curious, that’s all.”

  “Got it,” Leo mumbled. A thought struck him. “Speaking of, what’s that about getting a random reward for a Seed? Is it any good?”

  “Ah… that,” Naz’Tor’s tone grew serious. “Kid, let me tell you one thing. When it comes to the System, never, and I repeat, never, gamble with it. Nobody’s sure what’s really going on, but for an all-powerful entity that’s mostly helping survivors, it sure loves to mess with us through random gambling mechanics.”

  What? He blinked, his brow furrowing. “You mean the System fucks around with people by… getting them addicted to gambling?”

  Leo knew he was pretty much repeating what the merchant said, but he just couldn’t believe it. None of this made any sense considering what he already knew about the System. Was this some sort of a joke?

  “That’s exactly what I mean,” Naz’Tor grumbled. “It’s diabolical.”

  Wait… A grin made its way to his face. “Don’t tell me… You gambled, and you lost.”

  The silence that followed was deafening. Leo couldn’t help it; he laughed. The all-powerful merchant, the alien that had answers for almost every question, defeated by a System gacha mechanic.

  “Oi, kid! Is this how you treat your elders? Stop it! I never said I lost anything gambling! That’s preposterous! I’m an upstanding member of the Merchant faction; gambling is beneath me.”

  Yeah, like I’m gonna believe you, Leo thought, still chuckling. “Oh, this is priceless. Now you just need to tell me that the Seeds I’ll be getting for you are for gambling, too.”

  “W-why?! I would never!” Naz’Tor shouted, but the slight stutter was telling. “Bah! Why am I even arguing with you about it? You have no proof!”

  Yet, Leo added inside his mind as his laughter died down. He had his fun; he could always annoy the merchant another day. “Fine, fine. I totally believe you.”

  Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator.

  “You better,” Naz’Tor grunted. “Remember who’s helping you find more godlings, after all.”

  Perfect. He jumped at the opportunity to switch the subject. “About that… Have you found more for me to hunt? The job is far from done.”

  “Not yet. It takes time with how limited I am. I need at least a few more days.”

  Leo nodded. “That’s fine by me. I got a new affinity to test out anyway.”

  “Oh?” Naz’Tor perked up. “What is it called? Maybe I can help.”

  “Stormveil.”

  “Hmm, decent enough. Though a bit underwhelming compared to its higher, more complete form.”

  Now, it was Leo’s turn to snap to attention. “Higher form?”

  “Ah, ah! No telling. You will find out on your own. Who am I to take away the fun of discovery from you?” Naz’Tor said.

  As if… He rolled his eyes. “You’re just mad about the gambling. Admit it.”

  Once again, silence met his words. He only heard Nyx snort, who was still pretending to sleep.

  “Anyway!” Naz’Tor exclaimed. “I gotta go, kid! I will call you once I locate the next target. Till then!”

  Just like that, the call disconnected.

  “Coward,” Leo muttered, returning the transmitter to his soul. He stretched his arms, shaking off lingering tension. “Well then, let’s get on with it.”

  He walked away from his sleeping companion, reached for the new element slumbering inside him, and pulled.

  Jagged, vein-like tendrils slithered over his palm, their deep violet surface filled with black lightning crackling within. Unlike his shadows, Stormveil wasn’t cold. Quite the opposite—it felt like holding a miniature sun that didn’t burn.

  Interesting… Leo hummed, forcing the energy to gather in the middle of his palm and form a ball. It struggled at first, the different veins refusing to connect, but after another tug, the orb formed.

  Harder to control but Creation still works, I can feel it assisting me… What about…

  He took more Essence, and this time, he directed it all toward the ground. From his legs, the violet veins spread outward, crawling across the barren terrain and even the nearby Vetilim. Unlike his shadows, though, Stormveil was far from invisible, and it activated far slower. Still, these were issues that practice could resolve.

  Resonance… Next one then…

  Again, more Essence surged into the active Resonance. Leo even invited bloodlust to help, allowing it to fuel its hunger and anger into the next technique. Once more, the formation wasn’t instantaneous like shadows; it felt like his mastery had gone from Master back to Novice again.

  This might take more work than I expected. He clicked his tongue and allowed his next technique to explode out of Resonance. Eruption.

  Instead of the usual spikes or even tendrils, Stormveil Eruption manifested in the form of countless jagged, violet sparks that filled the entire area. A clap of thunder followed the explosion.

  Leo rubbed his eyes, wincing as the bright light assaulted his vision. This will take some getting used to. The lingering dark spots in his sight were proof enough.

  All right, one more left. Manifestation

  The Stormveil across the ground faded with a wave of his hand, and Leo again reached deep into his soul. This time, he took a part of it with him, forcing the wild affinity to follow.

  It didn’t.

  The wave of Stormveil barely moved before stopping at the edges of his soul. He tugged again, only to be rewarded with more of nothing. Bloodlust rushed to help, yet not even its rage could make his Essence move.

  Okay, now that’s weird. I’m pretty sure I had you active during the fight with Ddraig.

  He frowned—this shouldn’t be happening. Hell, he even checked with the System, and yes, Manifestation was still listed as his only technique. Sure, it went down to Novice, but it was there. That had to count for something.

  System? A little help?

  No response.

  Undeterred, Leo still tried again, this time immersing himself in the sensation of his new affinity as he pulled on his soul. The Essence moved—just barely—advancing an inch or two farther than before.

  Progress, I guess. He sighed. Oh well, just another thing to practice during downtime. Maybe that’s for the best…

  His Essence faded, returning to rest. What he had learned about his new affinity wasn’t quite what he had hoped for, but it aligned with his expectations. The only question that remained now: Could he use his old element?

  Leo raised his hand and focused on his good old affinity, on the smoky shadows that had assisted him for so long. At first, nothing happened, but then, the familiar darkness enveloped his claws like an old friend.

  Still with me, hmm? Good.

  Smiling, he returned to Nyx. To no one’s surprise, she wasn’t even sleeping.

  “Had a nice nap?” he asked.

  The feline shot him a glare. “Very… Especially when you decided to blind everything in the area.”

  Leo shrugged. “Sorry, not sorry. Had to test some stuff. Ready to go?”

  Nyx stood up and stretched. “Lead the way. I already forgot where we came from.”

  He stiffened, looking left and right, his enhanced vision piercing through the darkness. He tried to find anything that could show him the path back home, but there was nothing he could recognize.

  Shit… I knew we should have written down London’s coordinates…

  Read the end of book 4 now:

  Discord: