"Rift Passage is a very curious phenomenon. Some exist for hundreds of years, while others die after a few days. A, despite all of that, their age means nothing in the face of the dangers we faside.

  Whether young or old, every Rift Passage bee your tomb. You might think, 'If they're newly created, that has to mean that the monsters inside are weak.'

  Wrong! Powerful Voidlings be born in a matter of seds ihe Void. So please, don't ighe System's warnings and trol your arroga just might save your life one day."

  ~5th Lecture in Tariem's Military Camp

  Despite their number advahe two Hounds didn't tear the Ruo shreds with their first attack. The humanoid monster was quicker, its cwed feet kig up some dirt as it avoided the ragis.

  Saliva dripped down the jaws of the es as they growled and rounded on the single Cursed Voidling. The Runner snarled in respoaking a step back.

  For a moment, Leo thought it would back off pletely and run away with its life. But then, its head again soward the fallen Hound, and Leo uood that even in the face of death, the Runner had no iion of giving up. And so, with a powerful screech, the creature lunged forward, ready to fight for its meal.

  Good luck, mate. Hope you take at least one of them out. It would make my job much easier, that's for sure. Leo thought as the monsters cshed. Although you guys have already given me an iing idea... Using a Voidling's corpse as bait. Why did I hink of it before?

  Probably because Leo had ayed in one pce long enough to find out what would happen to Voidlings he didn't e. And even then, Leo rarely left any bodies behind. No reason to waste resources that were just lying around…

  Still, it could make ambushes much easier. bined with the newly acquired Decoy, Leo would be able to create perfect assassination sarios even in densely poputed areas. He had to find a way to transport a dead body without physically dragging it around first, but the potential was there.

  They will probably ighe body once I show myself, but I'm still an assassin, after all. Leo nodded as howls of pain filled the street. And the Traveler mentioned something about creating ste inside my soul. Doubt it will be easy to figure out, though... Whatever, I worry about it once I get to Nick's. For now, I still have work to do.

  Leo's refleight have taken only a moment, yet even in this short period of time, the battle below tio escate.

  There were still only three Voidlings fighting as, for some reason, the rest of the group refused to aowledge the brawl dowreet. However, at this point, the two Hounds and Runner barely separated.

  They id in a heap, scratg, biting, and hissing at each other. Blood flowed freely while flesh was ripped from their bodies with each attack. The Runner was the most vocal, its mauled skin almost unreizable at this point.

  Yet, even as the beast id almost defeated, it didn't give the Hounds the satisfa of victory. The Runner's crimson orbs burned with fiery determination, its instincts refusing to give up. And then it let out a guttural growl that sent shivers down Leo's spihe Runner may have been outnumbered, but it wasn't going down without leaving a goodbye gift.

  With whatever strength it had left, the beast's cws desded upon the Hound that was making a meal out of its torso. The e squealed, trying to back off, but the Runner's cws held tight, digging into the dog's head.

  In this single moment, Leo almost cheered for the Cursed creature. A one-for-orade was better than nothing. However, it was not meant to be, and just as the Runner was about to finish off its adversary, the sed Hound ged tactics from standard biting.

  With a rage-filled growl, the e stomped on the Runner's head. Only to do it again and again, slowly denting the Cursed monster's skull and freeing its kin.

  The newly freed Hound whined pitifully, hobbling away from the Runner as its snout rained blood upon the earth. A sed ter, the beast colpsed, its chest heaving up and down.

  Almost dead, Leo noted before his gaze went to the fallen Runner. Not bad for a two versus one.

  At this point, the Runner's body barely twitched. Its remaining crimsazed up at the Hound above it, but the eye was lifeless and unfocused, gzed over with death.

  Evehe healthy Hound showed no mercy, and after a victorious howl, it dug into the Runner's neck, ripping it apart with each bite. The Cursed monster let out o wailing cry before the remaining fire in its eye was doused, o e back.

  And that's my cue.

  Out of sight, Leo slid dowree, letting the crimson grass e him as he touched the ground. In an instant, the military and bowie knives jumped into his hands, the bck glow of the Kiss g them shortly after.

  More than ready, Leo glided through the tall grass, shadows almost stirring underh as Essenswered his call. It spread everywhere, and Leo grinned slightly when he felt his muscles warm up and e alive, ready for whatever y ahead.

  Reinfort. Valron Ce.

  Like an arrow, Leo shot toward the ter of the street. The power of the soul fueled his every move, and in a matter of seds, he pushed past the grass and flew into the battlefield. In the er of his vision, Leo noticed the injured Hound stirring, but he paid it no mind as the other beast grew closer.

  The healthy e only had eyes for the fallen Runner as it feasted upon the monster's flesh. It stood no ce when Leo pounced on the beast's bad slid his knives right into the Hound's brain with unmatched speed.

  Such a short-lived victory. Leo almost snorted as the e colpsed. Within a blink of an eye, he was on the move again, g the life of the st Hound.

  The notifications came just as expected, and Leo quickly dismissed them all as he disappeared into the grass again. While he doubted that the other Voidlings even noticed the disappearance of their kin, it didn't mean Leo could sck off. He had a pn, or rather something akin to a pn.

  Shadows stirred again, this time directly answering Leo's call as he sheathed one knife. A familiar three-bded on formed on his cursed palm, posed to strike.

  Cursed Crawler might have e from a pletely different evolution lihan its Inferior cousin, but it didn't mean Leo couldn't use the same on to take the monster down. After all, it worked quite well previously.

  Armed and ready, Leo stopped some distance away from the final semi-detached house, his target. Even though the group of three Voidlings didn't notice him yet, Leo uood that stealth wouldn't be an option as soon as the on of shadows left his hand. A fact he erfectly fih if the Cursed Crawler died quickly.

  Leo took a deep breath and lowered the supply of Esseo Reinfort. Let's do it.

  Within a blink of an eye, Leo's ons switched hands. The triple bde left them just as fast again, ripping through the air, right towards the Cursed Crawler, who still hadn't given up on the barely standirance door.

  Leo was already on the move even as a screech left the Crawler's lips when the on embedded itself in its back. He tugged sharply on the shadowy rope as Essence surged through it, ready to exact the same fate on the Crawler as it did to its Inferior kin.

  Yet, before the energy could finish the trip, the Crawler turned and sshed at the rope with its cws.

  Leo's eyes widened as the shadow structs faded, along with the Essence he had just sacrificed for the attack.

  What?!

  As much as Leo wao ponder what had just happehere was no time for that. The Crawler quickly closed the remaining distaween them, cws desding.

  The long bowie knife in Leo's hands met the assault in a shower of sparks. A grunt escaped his mouth as the cws pushed harder, digging slightly into the steel bde.

  How... Leo trailed off as he caught sight of the faint violet glow emanating from ihe Crawler's cws. He had missed it before, but now, standing so close, it was impossible to dismiss the unnerving light. Especially when none of the monsters Leo had fought in the past possessed a feature like this.

  Growling, Leo deflected another ssh to the side and backed off as two notifications snapped ien the er of his vision. Evidently, the System knew something and just had to reveal it at the worst moment possible.

  Fuot now! I kill it even if it is slightly strohan I initially thought. Of course, just to prove Le, two screeches came from his left. I hate my life…

  Even as Leo sidestepped atack from the Crawler — who, at this point, was using the Vetilim vines and other obstacles to move around quicker — his gaze darted to the side for a moment. And ihe two Cursed Humans were approag, fast.

  Shit!

  Barely a few seds passed before the Voidlings desded upon Leo like a swarm. Their sharp fingernails and cws s him as soon as they got close, but Leo dived out of the way each time, starting a dahat had bee quite familiar to him during the st few days.

  Alright, normies first, Crawler after. Leo pushed even more Esseo Reinfort, finally feeling the burning in his muscles. And System, Limit Break to…

  Whatever pns of activating Limit Break Leo had a moment ago, they were thrown away like trash when the brokerao the house snapped open with a bang. Not even a sed ter, two people emerged from the building, their appearances as different as night and day. Well, except for their clothing, the apocalypse had spared no one from tattered and dirty garments.

  As much as Leo wao get a better look at the duo, the Voidlings were as relentless as any other day. He quickly rolled away as the beasts tried to tackle him again, but before he could stand up again, a gruff voice reached his ears.

  "Stay down a bit longer!"

  Leo, against his better judgment, dived towards the ground again, ready to send Limit Break into overdrive at a moment's notice. After the mad woman, he would rather be prepared for anything.

  Obviously, Leo hadn't o worry as, almost instantly, the three monsters were knocked away from him by a wave of invisible force. The beasts tumbled on the ground, and Leo pounced, Essence bringing his body past its limits.

  With one bde of shadows and the other of steel, Leo sliced through the trio without mercy. The Crawler was the first to perish, its demise brought on by a deep cut across its hat almost severed the head. The two Cursed Humans fell just as quickly, a quick stab into their eyes extinguishing their ruby gre.

  Cutting off Reinfort, Leo withheld a groan threatening to escape his lips, and without rising from a crouch, he turo the human duo.

  On one end stood a tall man, probably in his mid-thirties. His brown skin was matted by dirt and dried blood, and the less said about the state of his long bck hair, the better. Although Leo's probably wasn't aer, so there was that.

  However, despite all this, it seemed the man didn't have an ounce of fat or muscle on his frame, making him appear more frail than powerful. Still, he held himself well enough, or he would have been if not for the wooden staff that the mao support his shaking legs.

  So this is the mage. That Essence push must have taken a shit ton out of him if he is barely standing now... Leo thought as his gaze shifted to the sed person.

  Maybe a head or so shorter thaher, this man was younger, probably around Leo's age. Just like his panion, the man's pale skin wasn't spared from the wonders of a post-apocalyptic world, only here Leo easily spotted a few wounds that still hadn't closed.

  So a mage and a warrior. Not a bad bination. Leo noted as he silently watched the short sword held tightly in the younger man's hand. He was clearly prepared to act if Leo became hostile, or perhaps they were just ed about his cursed arm. Which, based on their wandering eyes, was most likely the case...

  Of course it is, Leo scoffed internally. Whatever, let's see what I'm getting into.

  Awakened Human | LVL: 5

  Awakened Human | LVL: 6

  Huh, that's not much. Only rad level. Shit must work differently on survivors. Pity I never used Identify oraveler... Leo sighed lightly before putting an easy-going smile on his face. His hands slowly rose into the air, aepped forward.

  Time to make introdus.