Editable trade offer detected. Do you wish to display the details?

  Leo quirked an eyebrow. “Editable?” That was a first. Beforehand, every offer from Naz’Tor was straight up and simple. He just had to check the contents, read the price, and accept. So why did it change now?

  “Great, you got it!” the merchant exclaimed. “As you have noticed, this one’s a bit different than usual. Once you display it, you should be able to edit the price. What I want you to do is to put in the Ether you gained inside the cube—as per our deal—plus twenty thousand for what you asked.”

  Ah. Now, it makes sense. Leo nodded. “Will do. Give me a moment.”

  “Take your time, kid.”

  Displaying contracted trade offer.

  Offered: Ownership of TEK update chip, 10x Scorcher heart, 10x Fallen Collector heart (System Verified)

  Price: - - -

  Trade cannot be accepted yet. Please set a price.

  Fallen Collector… Now I’m a bit curious.

  Yet, Leo didn’t ask the obvious question—he could always find out in the future. Instead, he pulled up the System notification log and tried to sum up the Ether he owed Naz’Tor. Unfortunately, math was never his strong side…

  What I wouldn’t give for a calculator right about now…

  He scratched his head, hoping he didn’t make a mistake in the calculations in his mind. Hell, at this point, even a piece of paper would have been godsend so he could write everything down.

  Still, after some fumbling, he landed on a final number. This looks right, he decided, adjusting the total to include the twenty thousand Ether for the extra items.

  Price: 125389

  Do you wish to finalize the details of this trade?

  Yes.

  “I have it and… Oho! Over a hundred thousand? That must have been some high-quality cube I gave you,” Naz’Tor said, clearly surprised. “What in the Void did you fight inside there?”

  “Nothing special, really. Bunch of Dreadrunners and a single Dreadhunt at the end.”

  “A Dreadhunt… yes, yes, that would explain it,” the merchant mumbled. “Any issues with its aura of fear or illusions? I’ve known plenty who’ve struggled against those beasts.”

  Leo shrugged. “That aura? A bit annoying, but definitely not an issue. As for the illusions? Yeah… It took me some time to figure out a way to kill it after the lights and sound went out.”

  “Good, good… If I had remembered what was inside that cube, I would have given you a different one. Fighting Dreadwolves is just an unnecessary risk you shouldn’t be taking, kid.”

  “Worked out in the end,” Leo pointed out.

  “That it did,” Naz’Tor agreed. “I would love to hear how exactly you countered its blackout, though. Disrupting illusions is usually impossible at your power level.”

  That got his attention. “Wait, really? Why?”

  The merchant chuckled at the instant question. “Long story short, illusions are woven into the environment. To cancel them you need to have good enough control to manipulate the Essence around you. That’s not something a stage three user can do. Even some stage fours struggle with it.”

  Huh… so that’s how it works.

  Curious, Leo closed his eyes and tried to reach out for the Essence in the air. He could feel it—that wasn’t an issue—he had been doing this for a while now. However, when he wanted to grab onto some of this drifting energy, nothing happened.

  It was as if he was grasping at the air—which wasn’t exactly untrue—but it always slipped between his fingers.

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  “Kid, you still there?” Naz’Tor’s voice broke through his bubble of concentration.

  Leo coughed awkwardly. “Yeah, sorry. Wanted to try something out.”

  The merchant chuckled again. “Don’t worry about it. Pure illusion affinities are quite rare. By the time you encounter another Voidling with it, you will know how to counter them.”

  “You sound awfully sure,” he remarked

  Naz’Tor scoffed loudly. “Bah! I’m your contracted merchant, after all. I wouldn’t be doing my job right if I let you fall to some pesky illusions. Once you get to stage four, I have plenty of stuff I can sell you.”

  “Got it,” Leo said, glancing back at the trade offer. “Do I need to do anything else with the trade, or is it all set?”

  “Nope, all taken care of, kid. Let me just accept it and… now. Here you go. Confirm it, and we’re done.”

  Trade offer finalized. Do you accept it?

  Yes again.

  Ownership transfer completed. Item protections disabled. Goods have been transferred into your Soulscape.

  “So what’s that chip for?” Leo asked once the weight settled inside his soul.

  “Simple. To help you locate the Divine Realm,” Naz’Tor answered. “Just take it, put it against your transmitter, and accept the prompt.”

  Leo did just that and placed the tiny metallic plate on top of his transmitter. The chip instantly lit up.

  TEK Function update (Focused Compass) detected. Do you wish to proceed now?

  The prompt was similar to the System ones, but it definitely came from the small device in his palm. Another thing, it didn’t react to his thoughts and required him to tap the ‘yes’ button below the notification.

  Acknowledged. Please stand by… 25%… 50%… 75%… 100% Update completed. Thank you for using Technology-Essence Kompany as your provider.

  With that, the tiny chip crumbled to dust while the notification disappeared. Leo quickly checked his transmitter and found that, indeed, something had changed. There, in the menu, a new function was waiting for him.

  Focused Compass, he read. Let’s see.

  Please provide coordinates to track…

  “Huh… I take it, you have the coordinates for me?” Leo asked just to make sure.

  “Right in one,” Naz’Tor said. “I will send them to you in a message. You can just copy them and follow the compass. The dagger I gave you will do the rest of the job.”

  “Understood,” he muttered, closing the menu. “So that’s it, right? Now, all that’s left is to kill the godling.”

  “Pretty much. I leave that part of the job in your capable hands. Just one last piece of advice, kid… Don’t listen to whatever the godlings try to tell you. Most of them are scum worse than the creatures living deep inside the Void. If they beg for mercy, ignore them and take what you came for.”

  Leo gulped. “That’s the plan.”

  “Then there you have it!” Naz’Tor exclaimed, his tone shifting back to his usual cheeriness. “Good luck, Leo. Call me as soon as you are done.”

  “Will do. Thanks again, and till then.”

  The call disconnected, leaving him in the silence of his room. Nyx had already walked away and settled for sleep in the corner. The night was fast approaching, and tomorrow, they had a big day—assuming they could reach the Divine Realm within twenty-four hours.

  First things first, though. Mutations.

  The large menu opened before him, and Leo quickly navigated to the lowest tier. There, he found the final Gamma mutation he needed.

  Finally…

  Mutation: Nightmare Heart (Gamma Tier)

  The monsters that wander the night, the beasts who prey on the weak. You are not them, but by stealing their hearts, you have obtained a piece of their power. Use it well.

  Effects:

  Nightmares are less likely to detect you. You now feel the presence of non-special Nightmares in a limited area. Night Storms no longer affect you, regardless of their threat ranking.

  Requirements: 25000 Ether, 10 hearts of 5 different Nightmare subspecies.

  Required components detected within the User’s Soulscape. Do you wish to proceed with this mutation? Estimated time to complete: 10 minutes.

  To some, this mutation might not seem like much, but in the long run, it had massive value. Maybe not on Earth, but on other, more dangerous planets? Definitely. Even if he had no idea what a Night Storm was.

  Go on System.

  Choice acknowledged. Beginning Mutation. Please remain still and refrain from using your Essence during this process.

  Pain erupted through his body as the process began, radiating from the shard replacing his heart. It stung like the bite of a thousand bees—sharp, relentless, overwhelming. And yet, Leo couldn’t help but note that it could have been worse.

  I guess that’s the advantage of not having a normal heart, he thought through gritted teeth.

  Thankfully, just as the System said, the entire process lasted only for ten minutes. Soon, the pain faded into a dull ache before fading completely.

  Leo sighed and rose from the ground, taking a few experimental steps. It had become a tradition at this point to test out his body after each mutation to see if the System didn’t mess something up.

  Surprise, surprise, it didn’t. Despite the warning before each mutation, he even doubted that anything could go wrong. It probably just meant more pain during the process.

  Something to try out in the future… or not. He grimaced. Too many of his recent ideas involved him willingly putting himself in pain. Yeah… better not to mention this to Lily, or Nyx.

  Leo shrugged. “Sleep it is, then.”

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