"People like to think that the Outbreak is the worst part of joining the bigger Universe. In many cases, they are right. You lose your family, home, and other vital parts of your life. Everything you ever worked for is gohe problem is that people tend tet that the Outbreak is just the beginning, a stepping stone for ges that will sometimes make you wish that the Curse of the Void ed you."

  ~ Survivor of the 24th Outbreak

  Leo pced the backpack over his shoulders more cautiously than ever, wing as the weight rubbed against the exposed flesh. There was no other way to do this; Leo didn't fancy his ces without both hands avaible. He couldn't leave his bag in the woods either. Too many things could g in the few minutes, aing cut off from his supplies seemed like a fantastic idea.

  Leo g the shovel in his hand and sighed. He already had thten it twice, and just like Identify said, the tool wasn't taking the Outbreak too well. After every blow, more cracks formed along the shovel's shaft, while a small part of its bde had broken off during Leo's fight against the Seekers.

  Sooner or ter, it had to break entirely and fall apart into a pile of scrap. Leo khat it could put him in danger when the moment came. For now, though, the tool gave him a weird sense of security that no other on gave him — except the hunting rifle.

  Besides, if he ted his cws, he still had two or three ons that could be utilized if the initial line of defense failed. Although I would prefer not to use the gun if I didn't have to.

  Whatever... Leo shook his head, reached into his almost full Essence reserves, and forced the barrier to form around his body. He pursed his lips as his newfound uanding of Essence agai Leo know how inplete the ability was. I really o fix this.

  Rolling his shoulders, Leo crouched low, his body bent forward as he weaved betwee few bushes and trees. Every single move sent a fre of pain through his body.

  Leo gritted his teeth so hard that he was worried they might break in the sed.

  As he passed the st tree, Leo gnced in every dire to ehat nothing would be able to detect him once he walked out into the open. Only a dozen or so steps separated him from a truck that somehow mao overturn even without a dit this side of the road.

  Most Voidlings just stuck to their previous routine. Walking from one vehicle to another or screeg at each other when o bumped into another. Occasionally, Leo hoped that a fight would break out, giving him a ce to kill the stragglers and run away. Only it never happehe Voidlings always separated after throwing a gre and growling at each other.

  Nothing be that easy, eh? Leo grumbled and sowards the truck, instantly hiding behind the roof of the lengthy trailer. The rge vehicle blocked the sight of almost the entire road, and Leo po use it to his advahat was why he chose this spot to begin his pn after all.

  Approag the edge of the trailer, Leo leaned out and searched for his first target.

  There you are. Leo smirked, spotting a Cursed Human standing on the edge of the opposite he monster remained almost motionless, loomihe back of a red sedan that fell halfway into the dit the other side of the road.

  Another look to Leht firmed that the Voidlings he crash site of an SUV and a minivan didn't even care to look in Leo's dire. They kept g at one of the doors of a smaller car where another Voidling was trapped. The otion they created was enough of a boon to Leo that, for now, he decided tet how those creatures ahemselves to help their kin.

  Now to quickly deal with you. Leo thought as his gaze tered on his target. The shovel fell into his cws as his hand grabbed the dagger from his waist.

  Like lightning, Leo bolted out of his hiding spot straight towards the Voidling. His steps were measured, almost carried by the wind, and the monster only reized something was wrong when Leo was no more than a few feet away.

  The Voidling turned, opening its mouth to release another screech, but Leo was faster. He jumped forward and closed the distan a sed.

  The shaft of the shovel nded on the monster's neck. At the same time, the dagger sailed straight for its skull, the additional momentum and another point in Might helping to pierce the boer a minimal struggle.

  Cursed Human (LVL: 2) sin | Experience awarded | 1 Ether gained

  Almost soundlessly, the duo fell in a heap just at the edge of the asphalt. Leo bit back the curse that threateo leave his throat when the impace again pushed his bag into his injured back.

  Don't stop now. Leo yelled internally as he dragged the dead Voidling down the deep ditch with his cws. The body barreled to the bottom, and Leo sighed as he leaned against the sedan's side. This went a lot better than he expected.

  Just to ruin Leo's celebration, a muffled hiss reached his ears. Body tense, he pulled the dagger out of the monster's head and held his breath. Inch by inch, Leo peeked over the car's crushed hood, only to duck behind his cover just a millised ter.

  Of course, there has to be one ihe car as well.

  Leo crawled around the front of the car. A brief glimpse iold him that if he dealt his cards correctly, the Voidling would perish as quickly as the one before him. The monster had no hope of esg with the steering wheel practically spearing it into the seat.

  Leo came to a stop he driver's door and took a deep breath. He rose on the t of three, the dagger flying through the broken window at the unsuspeg monster wiggling inside. Like its predecessor, the Voidling had no time to react as the bde ehrough one of its eyes and pierced the brain hiding in the back.

  Cursed Human (LVL: 1) sin | Experience awarded | 1 Ether gained

  Leo threw his left arm through the window, the cws digging into the dead Voidling, draining the remaining Essence. Whe sip of energy entered Leo's body, he crawled back toward his first victim aed his as. The veins of his taint lit up brighter than ever as the timer was, for the first time, pushed over fifteen hours.

  The first part of the p better than expected. Now, if only the one could work.

  Leo climbed the ditd cast a brief gnce over the edge. The sight on his left was blocked by the back of the red sedan, but Leo wasn't pnning to go after a group of five Voidlings w on freeing their kin. The situation on his right seemed much more wele.

  A single blue two-seater stood in the middle of the road with two Cursed Humans g through the steel of the trunk. The monsters worked almost as hard as the group to the left. At this point, they mao scratch away nearly all of the paint and create enough dents to make a tinsmith lose their hair. Leo had to wonder what the hell was in that trunk to elicit such a rea from them.

  No way someone is hiding inside, right?

  No matter the answer, Leo moved closer to the car's location, using the ditch as a cover. Ohere, he grabbed a rock from the ground and took aim.

  Previously, this tactic didn't work, and that was fine. Leo's goal this time was simply to lure them into the ditch. With no more Voidlings in the viity for at least a hundred feet, he felt fident that the monsters would be dead before aiced.

  The small stone sailed through the air, and the Cursed Human flinched when the rock hit it right in the head. The beast turned, growling in Leo's dire while the other Voidli mauling the trunk.

  The fuck? Leo had no time to think about this weird turn of events as his primary target was already headed towards the ditch.

  Leo moved slightly to the right, shovel in hand and dagger in the dirt before him, as the earth vibrated with the Voidling's steps. A sed ter, the creature appeared, its form looming over the ditch, teeth barred for all to see.

  Leo snorted and swung his ohe Voidling took aep. The monster swayed as the shovel met its backside. Just a little bit more. Leo yahe tool back, and the additional force was enough to push the Voidlings towards the ditch.

  The Cursed Human screeched as its body tumbled down, its head meeting the dirt at the bottom.

  Leo followed his target, sliding down with the dagger in hand. He kicked the monster, elig another hiss as the Voidling tried to rise to its feet. Leo fell on the creature's bad stabbed the back of its skull, cutting its life short.

  Cursed Human (LVL: 2) sin | Experience awarded | 1 Ether gained

  That was... easy? The use of the enviro and the element of surprise really made it look simple. Although Leo expected to fight both of the Voidlings, not one. Speaking of...

  Leo quickly dealt with the body and took another look at the road. Nothing ged. The Voidlings in the distance kept on w on freeing their kin or walking mindlessly. And the Cursed Human in front of Leo never ceased attag the car's trunk, not even notig its partner's disappearance.

  What the hell is wrong with you? Leo frowhe dagger once again falling into his hand.

  He left the ditch without the shovel and crept towards the Voidling. Not even a note of noise came from Leo's steps as he used every bit of grace granted by the System.

  Wholly ed by its task, the monster had no time to react when Leo grabbed its head. The dagger followed, its rusty tip spearing through the remains of the monster's ear.

  Cursed Human (LVL: 1) sin | Experience awarded | 1 Ether gained

  Level ohat expins it a bit. Leo mused, l the body to the ground as his cws already went to work. He quickly surveyed the area as the corpse turo dust and sighed when the Voidlings behind him still couldn't be bothered to look in his dire.

  Leo remained crouched as the body faded away a his fingers roam the bottom of the trunk, searg for the button. There! He squeezed hard ahe lid pull up on its own.

  Almost instantly, Leo turned away, shielding his nose and mouth with his elbow. The odor of shit and piss and the stench of death filled the air around him. He coughed, trying to eradicate the smell that was trying to invade his body. Leo acted without thinking and yahe lid, snapping it shut with a bang.

  'Scree!'

  Leo's body froze, the images of a dead teenage girl ihe trunk vanishing from his mind as growls and screeches louder than before pierced the air.

  "Shit."

  Voidlings from every dire reacted to the loud bang, their previous tasks left fotten as a new meal just stepped into their territory unnoticed.

  Like one unit, all of the monsters broke into a sprint. Not even a sed ter, Leo joihem, dashing towards the edge of the ditch, where he snatched his shovel and jumped.

  He sailed above the hole, wing as his entire body burhe wounds on his back letting Leo know that they were still there. He nded on all fritting his teeth as he kicked the dirt and bolted into the mowed wheat field.

  In this situation, Leo had no choice but to run. And that recisely what he did, the screeches following him but being fainter by the sed. Leo risked a single peek over his shoulders and cursed.

  You've got to be kidding me! Where did you even e from?!

  At this point, the rge group of Voidlings was almost unnoticeable from this distaill, life just couldn't be that easy, and one of the monsters was somehow catg up to Leo with every sed. Its appearance alone had put the other Voidlings to shame.

  It might have been a human once, but not anymore. It shared many simirities with Cursed Humans, but in this monster's case, the tainted features were tuned up by one hundred pert.

  The monster's head had lost all of its hair, and the skin at the top had bee something resembling small thorns. It cked lips to ceal its bloodied teeth, while the glow from its cracked skin was more potent than on any other cursed human.

  Still, the worst part came when the monster raised its foot as it sprioward Leo. There he saw cws instead of toes and deformed skin simir to Leo's arm. This thing just wasn't normal.

  Cursed Runner (Voidling) | Rank: F | LVL: 3

  Of course, it is another variant. Should have expected that...

  The fact that the Voidling was the same rank as Leo gave him a sed wind. He had maybe awenty seds, perhaps a few more, before the Runner caught up to him, and during that time, he had to lose the rest of the horde.

  For a moment, Leo thought of taking out his rifle and just finishing the fight before it started, but he decided against it. The firearm was only to be used in emergencies, and as bleak as this situation looked, Leo had enough fuel in his tank to deal with a Voidling one-on-one. Especially with ohat had a lower level than he did.

  I just have to get that guaranteed one-on-one. Leo grimaced and sped up, the remains of uncut wheat whipping his hands with every step.