"Leo? That you, mate? You've gotten smaller," a familiar voice called out as Leo approached the bustling training grounds. "I swear the last time I saw you, you couldn't even fit through a door."

  He chuckled. "It's just a little trick of mine. I can tell you about it later," he added, glancing at some of the survivors who stopped their training to watch him, their curiosity evident.

  Dylan quickly caught on and nodded. "Got ya, lad. So, what brings you here? Want to practice with us lowly peasants, or are you just visiting?"

  Leo hummed as his gaze wandered again. He had been away from London for so long that quite a few people here had already hit level thirty or were at least very close to it. Still training with them? No, he didn't think so.

  Last time, he helped Frank with his squad only because they needed it. Now, there was no real threat coming their way. Everyone could progress at their own pace without having to face a monster like him.

  And so, Leo shook his head. "Just looking around this time. How is it going? Everyone got an affinity?"

  "Minor ones, but aye," Dylan said, raising his hand as sparks of blue lightning danced across his palm. "We've pretty much nailed the process. Takes about a week of hard work to unlock them now."

  His eyebrows jumped up a bit. "That's with the crystal from the Supercluster, right?"

  The mage nodded again. "Useful little things they are. Without them, it would take at least twice as long."

  Yeah, about what I expected. Maybe they can help me too. I just need another small push in the right direction.

  "So, how's Laura and Tyler?" he asked, shifting the conversation. "I haven't seen them for a while."

  Dylan quirked an eyebrow. "You really want to know? Considering how things ended up between you and Tyler, I didn't think you would care."

  Leo shrugged. "What can I say? I am curious. And aside from you and the leaders, those two are the only people I really know around here."

  "I guess so…" the older man muttered. "Well… Tyler often joins raiding groups nowadays. Like most of us, he is chasing the next evolution. As for Laura? She is mostly focused on her job. Life on the front lines is not for her."

  Reasonable, she never came across as a fighter. Yet, a question lingered in his mind. "What about levels? You guys ain't letting her fall behind too much, right?"

  "Nay," Dylan waved him off. "We wouldn't even if we could."

  "If you could?"

  "You don't know?" the man asked, and Leo shook his head. "Oh… You see, lad, your sister, and the others made a rule. Everyone has to reach a certain level before they can stop hunting Voidlings. Right now, the cap is twenty, but they plan to raise it over time."

  He blinked. "Huh, that's smart."

  I wonder whose idea it was… Probably Frank's.

  "That it is. Not everyone was happy, though." Dylan chuckled. "You should have seen Tony when some people came to him to complain. That bloke's mastered the art of being passive-aggressive."

  He snorted. "I can imagine that."

  The two fell into a companionable silence, their gazes drifting to the survivors training nearby. Leo focused on those using their affinities, hoping to pick up something useful.

  No such luck.

  He clicked his tongue and turned to Dylan. "Hey, do you know where I can get some harvested shards from the Supercluster?"

  The older man studied him for a moment before nodding. "Sure, follow me."

  "It's never easy with you, Leo, is it?" Lily grumbled once he explained to her the mess with god slayers. "At least it is a few weeks, not a few days. I swear, if not for the System, I would already have a head full of gray hairs, thanks to you."

  Leo chuckled, leaning against the wall of his room. "It's not that bad."

  A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

  Lily simply shot him a dry, unamused look.

  He threw his hands up. "Just kidding, just kidding. Everything's gonna be alright, though. Naz'Tor sent me some more info about those slayers, and apparently, most of them are high C rank or low B. With System's help, it shouldn't take me too long to match them."

  "That's very optimistic of you. I'm surprised."

  It's either that or make you worry again. Leo held back a grimace. "Yeah, me too…"

  "So three to five weeks," Lily said after a moment of silence. "At least you will be here when the gates on Earth open again. That's gonna be a mess."

  Right, I completely forgot about those, he thought. On his way to Warsaw and then back to London, he had only seen a couple of Void Gates. As Lily mentioned, they all were still inactive, but he didn't care to check when that would change.

  A mistake on my part. He glanced at his sister. "How much time do we have?"

  "A week. That's when the gate in Wolford will open again. Others that we have found have a day or two more on the timer."

  Leo hummed. "Terlasfor. Have you guys decided what to do with the centaurs yet?"

  His sister waved her hand in a so-so motion. "Depends. A lot could have happened on their side since the gates closed. Maybe they found different allies…"

  "Or they are dead," he added as Lily shot him a glare. "What? I'm just saying what we are both thinking. They were already struggling against that other gate."

  "Yes, well… still no reason to jinx it. I, for one, would like us to have more allies. A planet where the weaker of us could hunt would be nice, too."

  He shrugged. "If they couldn't handle a single gate full of Voidlings, they wouldn't be good allies anyway. Their forest magic can only get them so far. Besides, Terlasfor isn't the only planet that will open to us soon."

  Lily's face scrunched into a grimace. "That's cold, Leo."

  "But am I wrong?"

  She held his gaze for a moment before sighing. "No. I guess you're not."

  "Exactly." Leo squeezed her shoulder. "Those centaurs are the least of our worries. If they are alive, good for them. If not? Well, we can try somewhere else."

  "I hate it when you make sense."

  He grinned. "Right back at ya."

  Lily punched him in the side. "Prat." She glanced around the mostly empty chamber. "Where's Nyx, anyway?"

  "She went out to catch a meal. Why?"

  "Just something I want to talk with her about," Lily explained. "Can you tell her to find me tomorrow or whenever she is free?"

  "Sure."

  "Thanks." She smiled, standing up. "I will be heading out then."

  "More work?" he teased.

  "Like you wouldn't believe," Lily grumbled. "You made the right call staying out of leadership. It's a pain most of the time. Thank god I don't have to do it alone…"

  "Here, here." Leo patted her head, only to jump away when she tried to punch him again. "Whoa! Stop the violence!"

  Lily narrowed her eyes. "I will show you violence."

  Multiple enemies slain | Experience awarded | 48312 Ether gained

  Congratulations! You have reached level 92. Class and Racial attributes have been distributed.

  Stage 3 cleared. Do you wish to release the lock on the final cage?

  In a moment, Leo answered as he scanned the battlefield that once more was drenched in blood and covered in corpses. The Voidlings had been stronger this time, but in the end, they still didn't stand a chance against his and Nyx's combined might.

  Still the same rank though… He clicked his tongue, glancing at his status window.

  Name: Leonardo Brown

  Title: Void's Heir

  Evolution Stage: III - Prime Indomitus Venax

  Class: Nightblade | LVL. 92

  Job: Hunter

  Rank: D+

  He had been stuck at D+ rank since level eighty, and despite feeling much stronger than back then, the letter didn't change. Sure, he still had three levels before the Evolution Menu unlocked again, but somehow, he doubted he could punch through to C rank until then.

  The difference between every full rank is apparently huge, so that makes some sense, but still… With all my attribute bonuses I should be at least close, if not there already.

  Leo sighed and glanced at Nyx. "Did you at least get it?"

  Apex Indomitus Nargon | LVL: 88

  The feline nodded. "Two levels ago. We are both D+ rank now."

  "Good. Ready for the final stage, or want a break?"

  Nyx offered him a bloodthirsty grin. "Like you even need to ask. Release them."

  Very well… Go on System.

  Instantly, the ground shook as a powerful howl shot through the area. A blast of wind followed right after, almost knocking Leo off his feet.

  Uh oh.

  There, on the horizon, he spotted their new enemy, and no, it wasn't another horde. Instead, an enormous, three-tailed wolf was running toward them, sending tremors through the ground with each step. Fear once more assaulted Leo's mind, but this time, not even his bloodlust could get rid of it completely.

  Dreadhunt (Voidling) | Rank: D+ | LVL: 99 | Type: Surface, Fear, Illusion

  Yo! Sorry, I forgot to post the chapter yesterday... So, I know I already asked a lot about this, but I would really appreciate it if you could check out my new story. It got kicked off Top 3 Rising Star, and I would like to reclaim that place. Thanks in advance

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