“That’s a big doggo,” Leo muttered, pulling shadows from across the battlefield to reinforce his Manifestation. Yet even with all that additional mass, the Dreadhunt still towered over him, easily twice his size.

  ‘Any ideas?’ Nyx asked. Her massive form now seemed small—a kitten compared to the monstrous Void wolf. ‘I’m not sure how much of a help I will be here.’

  Just assist where you can. I will take care of the rest, he ordered and reignited Spectral Fury along with Reinforcement. Covered in shadows, his blades extended, and he rushed toward the Voidling.

  Bestiary, quick!

  Race: Voidling | Subspecies: Dreadhunt

  Expected Potential: D to C+

  Arsenal: Fear, Illusions

  Known Weaknesses: Defense

  Coming from the fairly unique Dread evolution line, Dreadhunts are even more special. They are the pinnacle of their species, often called Alphas, who lead packs of their lesser kin. Their power lies in illusions and the aura of fear, and they usually don’t join any fights personally. They act more as a support and commander for the pack. This species does not possess an Apex variant.

  So it shouldn’t be too hard, Leo summed up internally, dismissing the entry. Thanks System.

  As Leo charged forward, the Dreadhunt’s aura of fear intensified, trying to worm its way into his mind. Even his wild, unrestrained bloodlust couldn’t completely suppress it. Still, compared to how it might cripple others, he could manage.

  Let’s begin.

  Just a second or two before they could clash, Leo disappeared in a burst of Essence, only to appear at the Voidling’s flank. His blades sliced through the air, sinking deep into its skin and marking it with multiple Spectral Tears.

  The beast howled, stumbling as it spun around to face him. It instantly swiped at him, but another series of Blinks left the Dreadhunt with more cuts than it had a moment ago.

  And then everything changed.

  Just as specters dived out of the tears, ready to skewer the Voidling, the battlefield shifted. Whatever light there was in this Sealed Realm faded, and not even Leo’s enhanced vision could pierce through the surrounding darkness.

  Illusion, he realized just before something slammed into his chest and sent him flying through the air.

  He hit the ground hard, grunting as he skidded to a stop. Yet he heard nothing—no sound of impact nor the continuous howling.

  It seemed like the illusion blocked more than just sight.

  Nyx! Are you affected, too?

  ‘Unfortunately. Not even my smoke form is resistant. I will try to get far enough to see if it has range. Stay safe.’

  I will try to. Leo winced when another hit sent him tumbling across the ground. His Manifestation could withstand a lot of damage, but even it had a limit, or rather, he had a limit of how much Essence he could supply.

  Come on, Resonance, don’t fail me now.

  He pumped more and more energy into the shadows spreading over the area. If he couldn’t see with his eyes and other senses, he would let his affinity guide him through the darkness.

  It worked—to an extent, at least.

  When the next attack came his way, Leo Blinked away in a random direction. The problem with that? He couldn’t see where he was going and thus once more lost his footing when the skill ended.

  I am way too dependent on my sight. He growled, jumping to his feet and blindly running away. Through his shadows, he tracked the Dreadhunt’s movement, always trying to stay a few steps ahead of the beast.

  Sometimes it worked, sometimes it didn’t, but at least now the Voidling couldn’t use him as a chew toy.

  Nyx!? How is it going? I could use some help.

  ‘I’m afraid you’re not getting any,’ Nyx said, frustration clear in her voice. ‘I must be close to the edge of this realm, and I still can’t see anything. I even tried disrupting the illusion with my Essence, but nothing is working.’

  Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.

  That’s… great…

  Leo would have sighed if he had the time for that. Instead, he mentally scratched his head, searching for a way out of this mess.

  Just follow our link for now and join me. Maybe we can figu—

  Suddenly, he froze, both on the outside and inside, as a quite obvious thought struck him with the subtlety of a freight train. How he did not realize this sooner was a wonder.

  Damn, I am stupid…

  He jumped out of the way of the Dreadhunt coming his way, but instead of escaping again, he gathered an orb of Essence in his hand. A second was all he needed to fill it with proper intent and information about the target.

  Hunter’s Pulse.

  Even without his normal senses, the skill had no trouble finding the massive Voidling. Leo grabbed the trail leading to the beast and infused it with his power. The mark struggled to form, but as there was no reason for discretion, he just brute-forced it till the end.

  There we go. He grinned when a crimson silhouette of the Dreadhunt flared to life in his sight. Darkness still surrounded it from every side, but with his shadows on the ground, he should be fine. Game on. Nyx! Use my sight and Resonance, and hit it with whatever you can.

  ‘On it!’

  This time, when the Voidling charged at him, Leo dove between its legs and dragged his blades along its exposed stomach. The beast roared soundlessly and tried to crush him with its weight.

  No, you don’t!

  Even though the skill still didn’t work properly, he Blinked away and unleashed a barrage of Eruptions all around the Voidling. A blast of pure fear escaped out of the beast in answer, freezing him in place.

  However, before the Dreadhunt could capitalize on the momentary advantage, Nyx rejoined the battle.

  Massive shadow tendrils, each as thick as his torso, erupted from the ground and coiled around the Voidling. Recognizing the strategy, Leo channeled Essence into his blades and leaped high into the air.

  Now!

  The floaters upon his back erupted in lightning as he swung down, releasing a concentrated mass of sparkling shadows. The crimson silhouette of the Dreadhunt wiggled, struggling against the ropes. It managed to move a bit, but it was far from enough.

  Leo’s technique hit it head-on, splitting its skull in two. The illusion shattered as a result, and once he landed back on the ground, it was to the sight of bloodied Dreadhunt, laying still, half of its body turned to pulp.

  “There goes that.”

  Dreadhunt (LVL: 99) slain | Experience awarded | 5487 Ether gained

  Congratulations! You have reached level 94. Class and Racial attributes have been distributed.

  Stage 4 cleared. Sealed Dimension cleared. You have thirty minutes until this place collapses. Good luck in your future endeavors, survivor.

  Close… Leo sighed, approaching the fallen beast. Maybe…

  His claws, still covered in Manifestation, surged out, slipping into the corpse. Devour activated without his input, turning the Dreadhunt into dust in a matter of seconds.

  Devour consumed: +7 Might, +6 Grace, +20 Mind.

  Leo’s eyebrows jumped up a bit. That’s honestly more than I expected. Now, the moment of truth…

  Class: Nightblade | LVL. 94

  Job: Hunter

  Rank: C-

  “Fuck yes!” he shouted, startling Nyx as she approached. She threw him a look. “What? Objective complete, Nyx. I’m a C rank. Hunting godlings is a go.”

  The feline snorted. “Don’t get too excited. You’re barely scraping the bottom of that rank. ”

  “Ruin my fun, why don’t you?” he grumbled before a grin crept back onto his face. “Still, no evolution needed. Who knows what I’m gonna be after it.”

  “You will be a stage four survivor.”

  Leo’s head snapped toward the feline as he gave her a blank look. “Really, Nyx? That was bad.”

  “Shut up.”

  “C- at level ninety-four…” Naz’Tor chuckled. “Got to say, kid. I’m kinda impressed. Such a pity that the cube didn’t give you another level. I would have loved to see what kind of monster you would become at stage four.”

  Leo leaned into the chair he liberated from the surface and smiled. “Say, normally I wouldn’t ask, but—“

  “No, kid,” the merchant instantly cut him off. “I’m not giving you another cube. Not yet, at least. You got to work with what you have.”

  “Oh well, never hurts to ask.”

  “Indeed… Now, do you wish to take care of some other stuff, or can the hunt commence? I have a little something for you that will help with finding the exact location of the Divine Realm.”

  Leo shared a look with Nyx, who was sitting before him, and nodded. “I’m down to go there even tomorrow, but first, I need you to sell me some stuff.”

  “Oh?” Naz’Tor hummed, sounding intrigued. “I’m all ears.”

  Do you even have those? He ignored this sudden thought and proceeded with his request. “A few hearts from two different subspecies of Nightmares. Can you get me that?”

  “Ah! I see now! You’re going for the Nightmare Heart mutation. Good choice, kid. I will send them along with my little gift. You’re lucky it doesn’t require the hearts to be fresh or high-leveled. Otherwise, you would have to wait a day or two.”

  “Thanks, Naz’Tor.”

  The merchant laughed. “Again, don’t mention it. Sending the offer… now.”

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