The Second Stage: A LitRPG Adventure (A Universe of Bloody Evolution Book 2), page 5
I’m going to regret this, but to hell with it.
Leo grunted, pulled himself up, and swung his leg.
Limit Break to one hundred!
Power surged through his veins, and his boot met the Apex Runner’s head with a sickening crack.
The beast’s grip on the rooftop slackened, and a haunting howl tore from its maw as it plummeted toward the ground. However, to his disbelief, the Runner twitched and snapped its neck back into place. A moment later, it rose to its feet, ready to climb again.
All right, that didn’t work. Plan B.
Leo, still fueled by Limit Break, pulled his bowie knife as a Tainted normie reached the top, baring its teeth. Undeterred, he dashed forward and stomped hard on the hand that clung to the edge, shattering its bones.
The Voidling immediately tried to answer with its other hand, but he was faster. His claws seized the incoming limb, twisted it, and drove the bowie knife straight through the roof of the creature’s mouth.
Leo had no time to celebrate. A shattering roar split the air.
The Juggernaut had finally decided to join the fight.
Oh shit!
The colossal Voidling raised its four arms and thundered forward, straight at the row of buildings Leo stood on. With each step, the ground beneath its mass and not even its own kind were spared from its rampage. A few unlucky Voidlings were sent flying, their bodies reduced to pulp on impact.
Leo’s mind finally caught up with the danger.
Despite the fire coursing through his battered body, and the Voidlings closing in from behind, he ran. Or rather, he limped.
With Limit Break still holding him together, he hobbled across the many interconnected roofs, begging his body to go faster. He was close, so very close, with only two roofs left to reach the Vetilim webs that could lead him to safety.
But then, the Juggernaut struck.
Leo didn’t see it, but he sure felt it.
The entire roof shuddered beneath his feet. He barely managed to stay upright, and going by the screeches behind him, the Voidlings on his tail weren’t faring much better.
Just a bit more!
The roof trembled once more, a muffled roar coming from somewhere underneath him. The Juggernaut raged, and he couldn’t help but curse whoever claimed that Tainted Voidlings never left their Wasteland.
Such bullshi—Fuck!
With a burst of adrenaline, Leo threw himself over a chasm that split the roof before him. Cracks spread over the building, and even Vetilim and Corcera couldn’t hold it together. The living Void matter simply withered and withdrew in front of his eyes.
Groaning, he ignored the sound of terror and pushed onward. First crawling, and then once again hobbling toward the last roof as everything around him began to break. Vetilim, Corcera, concrete. Nothing was spared from the Juggernaut that raged inside those buildings.
I hope this place will become your tomb.
Limit Break flared to full power, barely giving him a spark of strength. Still, he took it and turned his hobble into a broken sprint as parts of the roof collapsed on each side. He could only imagine how everything behind him looked, and considering the lack of screeching from the Voidlings on his tail, he had a good guess.
Obviously, the Juggernaut wanted the same to happen to him.
The building shook for the last time, but even then, Leo, with all his remaining strength, launched himself toward the withering web of Vetilim a mere meter away from him.
His fingers clenched tightly around the fragile strand, his grip unwavering even as dust and debris swallowed the world around him.
Then, he fell.
A scream tore from his lips as his body crashed through something solid. A sickening crack echoed in his ears. Thankfully, the rest of the fall didn’t last long, and soon, he slammed into something firm yet soft. Maybe grass.
At least I made it down… Leo thought through the haze of pain, his eyes shut tight. Every inch of his body hurt, bruises and broken bones screaming in protest. He could even feel the slow trickle of blood seeping from his countless wounds.
I need to get out of here.
Yet as he tried to rise, hoping to put his cursed arm to some good use, something struck him in the side. He screamed, eyes snapping open to the sight of normies surrounding him from each side.
Bloody hyenas… You won’t take me out, you wankers.
Even as another Voidling lunged, Leo just reached into himself, grasping for whatever scraps of Essence remained within his soul. Then, he gave it everything he had.
Rage. Anger. Pain. Hate.
He poured it all into the energy bubbling within him before letting shadows consume it. Still, he didn’t let them out just yet and waited. Until…
The Voidlings stepped closer.
Leo let go.
Boom.
At once, darkness erupted from his body. A thousand tendrils of writhing shadows shot outward, spearing through every living creature in the vicinity. Nothing was spared from his wrath, and the united howl of the Voidlings only added fuel to his technique.
Yet, as quickly as the shadows lashed out, they retreated just as fast, sinking back into his body. One by one, the monsters collapsed, lifeless. Leo joined them a second later.
Silence fell over the street.
It would have been so easy to close his eyes now and sleep. But he couldn’t. This was no fairy tale; no one would rescue him from the monsters lurking nearby. He had to get to safety.
Come on, body! You survived this much. What are a few more minutes?
His battered form quivered as he crawled, his flesh marred by countless cuts and bruises. The nearest open building on the other side of the street wasn’t far. He could make it. He would make it.
At least it wasn’t for nothing.
Leo grimaced as he felt the familiar weight in his pockets. The hearts were still there—probably squashed—but he didn’t care as long as they gave him the last evolution.
If I even survive this, that is.
He chuckled, only to stop as pain flared in his ribs.
Hopefully, I can heal. Your shard better get to work, Nikra, or your newest legacy will be dead before we can even meet. If you even care about that…
“You are not a normal human anymore, Leo Hale. You will live. Just get to safety and rest. And please, next time don’t let your emotions dictate your actions.”
Despite everything, Leo snorted as he pushed himself into the building.
I will do just that. Thanks…
7
NOW OR NEVER
“Hound is the go-to evolution for most weak canine creatures around the Multiverse when an Outbreak hits. It might not be the strongest, but becoming a Hound still offers most of the things that normal canines are already used to.
Their possible future evolutions are also nothing to scoff at. Although, Hounds usually need more time to advance than other basic Voidling subspecies. It is the price they pay for a well-developed pack mentality that gives them an edge over other creatures in this new reality.”
~Creatures of the Void, 42nd Edition
Even if Nikra was right about him not being a normal human any longer, Leo definitely still felt the same amount of pain as he did before the Outbreak. The last fumes of adrenaline might have pushed his body far enough to crawl into a small bathroom inside the nearest building, but the moment he collapsed face-first on the floor, he was done.
The full force of his injuries surged forth, engulfing him in a symphony of torment.
Agony tore through every single scrape and cut on his body, ripping yet another silent scream from his throat. His muscles—hell, his entire being—abused from the overuse of Reinforcement and Limit Break, gave out almost completely at this point.
He couldn’t even move a finger.
Sweat poured down his face, mixing with the crimson rivulets of blood that trickled down his battered form. Even each breath he took felt like inhaling shards of glass that stabbed at his lungs.
Yet despite all of that, Leo just clenched his jaw and instead listened to the rampant pulsing of Nikra’s shard inside his chest. Even though his Essence reserves were empty, his newfound heart refused to yield, supplying him with the much-needed strength to persevere.
The healing factor granted by the mutation also worked overtime, slowly knitting together the torn tissues and closing the deep wounds that adorned his body. It would probably take days to fix everything, but at this point, he didn’t care how long it took. Only survival mattered now, and for that, he needed the ability to move his limbs back.
It took longer for that to happen than he would have liked. Or so he thought, as without any precise means of measuring time, he had to rely on his poor ability to count seconds and the scarce rays of sunlight that filtered into the corridor next to the bathroom.
At least the sun is still up.
Leo grimaced as he crawled toward the wall and leaned against it. While the pain had barely let up since he arrived in this room, he could at least do something productive.
All right, System, hit me with it. Anything to focus my mind on.
Like any other time, over a dozen kill notifications greeted him first, mainly from the Cursed Humans lying on the street. However, there was one message that caught his interest.
Apex Cursed Runner slain | No Experience awarded | 18 Ether gained
Bonus Ether received: 9
What? Why would you reward me for this? It died thanks to the Juggernaut…
Yet, the longer Leo thought about this, the more sense it made. He was the last one to hurt the Apex beast, and even though it died due to the Juggernaut’s rage, the colossal monster never touched the Runner directly.
Huh, this might be something to abuse in the future… If I’m even right, that is. Shit might just be a happy coincidence.
Letting the kill notification drop, he summoned the latest one. He really wanted to know what the System tried to tell him after he killed all those beasts on the street.
Technique Shadow: Eruption obtained.
So that’s how I managed to slaughter them. Sounds about right, cuz I can’t remember much more than funneling all my Essence and emotions into a single attack and then releasing it… The System must have done the rest.
Shadow: Eruption (Novice)
A technique born out of the user’s hatred and pain. This simple ability can give birth to hundreds of tiny shadow tendrils capable of spearing through even the strongest armor if provided with enough power. Please note that this technique can be made stronger by negative emotions and usually takes a few seconds to form when used by beginners.
So, I wasn’t imagining things… I really became a tentacle monster for a moment there. Leo shuddered slightly, biting on his lip as the pain in his back intensified. Right, no sudden movements.
Once the discomfort faded, he reread the description.
To put it simply, he doubted that Eruption could be used in a typical fight. Sure, it was powerful, but the time and Essence it took to prepare just didn’t fit the bill for a small brawl.
Now, against multiple enemies? That was a completely different case. All he needed was a bit of time to prepare, and this technique could slaughter everything that stood in his way. He just had to get the hang of it, and then he could probably challenge the Tainted Wasteland once more.
Yeah, no. Leo grimaced at the thought. I ain’t challenging anything before I recover and evolve… Speaking of. Can I at least see if my close encounter with death was even worth it?
There were still a few more notifications waiting, and he summoned them right away. They had to be hiding the answer to his question.
Apex evolution requirements met. Apex Night Stalker unlocked.
He sighed.
Thank God. It would be embarrassing if I almost killed myself for nothing. Not that I’m doing shit like that again without more preparations… Now to see what it do—
Before Leo could even access the evolution menu, the System reacted, throwing another notification straight into his face.
All second-stage evolutions unlocked. Please evolve, User. The System guarantees protection for anyone going through their first evolution if their connection to the System is greater than Average.
You’ve got to be kidding me.
Eyes wide, he gaped at the text hanging in front of his vision.
And here I was, worried about finding a safe place. I could have used this information earlier, you bloody wanker!
Without the traditional outlet for his anger—his hand definitely couldn’t handle punching another wall right now—Leo just closed his eyes and took a few deep breaths. It never really worked too well for him, but anything was better than nothing at this point.
All right, Leo, there’s no need to get too angry at shit you didn’t even know about. He tried to reason with his own mind. I was planning on evolving today anyway. Now, I can do it here! Might even be for the best.
His new friends—acquaintances—might be nice, but there was no real reason to complain if he could evolve safely without their involvement. Besides, it wasn’t like he could return to them in his current state.
Hopefully, they will let me talk before attacking. That could get messy.
With a nod, Leo took the last step and summoned the description of his new evolution, a myriad of notifications instantly assaulting his vision.
What the hell?
Apex Night Stalker (Stage II)
Creatures of the Void, rejoice. A new king is born, ready to take his first step toward greatness. Go forth, young Voidling. Bring death to your enemies, and let nothing stop you from consuming their flesh.
Effects:
Tainted evolves into Void-borne. Heavy physical evolution involved. All Effectiveness: +10%. +3 Might, +3 Grace, +1 Soul, +2 free attribute points per level. Natural Mutations: Unlocked
Attention User! Fusion evolution is now available for this stage. Displaying necessary information now.
The what no—
Fusion evolutions usually combine the power of your Job with one or two possible evolution paths. While relatively rare in the first stage, they become a common occurrence later on if a User possesses the right Job. Please note that going through Fusion evolution will forever block the ability to switch your Job.
Can you stop for a da—
Fusion available: Prime Night Hunter, thanks to Hunter, Prime Void Walker, and Apex Night Stalker. Displaying description.
I give up… Do whatever the fu—
Prime Night Hunter (Stage II)
Hunt. Kill. Consume. Never stop, little Akirian. Hunt. Kill. Consume.
Effects:
Tainted evolves into Void-borne. Heavy physical evolution involved. All Effectiveness: +15%. +1 Might, +3 Grace, +1 Vision, +1 Soul, +1 Mind, +3 free attribute points per level. Natural Mutations: Unlocked
Oh…
Leo blinked.
Never mind, I forgive you everything, System. Let’s do it straight away. I’ve wasted enough time and would have to be bloody stupid not to take an additional 5 percent and one more attribute point. Switching jobs be damned!
Proceeding with evolution. System Protection: Available. Estimated time to complete: 30 minutes. Please note that while your current injuries won’t affect the process, you also won’t be healed. Do you really wish to proceed?
Leo gulped, clenching his fists as his mind completely tuned out the constant pain. This was it. No turning back now.
Proceed.
Choice Acknowledged. Beginning Stage II Evolution.
Three.
Two.
One…
Good luck.
8
MY SOUL
“How do you repent for betraying your family, your world? How do you continue living when everything you have ever known is gone? How do you continue fighting for a cause that is almost as lost as your own soul?
I don’t know the answer to those questions, yet I still try. After all, what is the point of giving up after all those cycles?”
~ Unknown
Good Luck. Let the Prime Night Hunter be born.
For the first time since the System appeared, those words weren’t thrown in Leo’s face, and instead, a booming voice spoke them right into his mind. Chills went down his spine in an instant, freezing him in place. Yet, before the bone-chilling fire could settle, the System acted again.
An ominous, dark mist began to ooze from his every pore, slowly filling the room with swirling shadows. The density of the darkness forced him to narrow his eyes to maintain focus. Yet, just as the mist settled, a black and red miasma slipped out of his body, pooling at his feet and forming a living and breathing cocoon around him.
His breath grew rapid and shallow as the dark matter crept higher and higher, consuming more and more of his body. Panic welled up inside, but his limbs remained unresponsive, rendering him a helpless spectator. And so, he could only watch wide-eyed, as the dark matter continued its conquest.
Calm down. Leo took a deep breath. The System won’t harm me. It is only starting my evolution.
However, despite the truth being obvious, his heart continued to race. It was an instinctual response; the natural impulse of a human trapped in a confined space. Only in this instance, the enclosure was a cocoon of an alien substance, devouring his body, slowly burying him alive.
I swear, you never warn me about the important shit…
He wanted to chuckle. Instead, he closed his eyes as the sticky miasma swallowed his neck. Inch by inch, the living matter finally reached his eyelids, gluing them to his face, trapping him completely.
Despite all of that, Leo had no trouble breathing, and when the dark substance claimed his entire body, even the pressure on his skin disappeared. It was as if the cocoon had dissolved into thin air. Only it didn’t, as no matter how hard he tried, he still couldn’t move.
Am I gonna just stay like that, unable to see until the evolution ends? He questioned internally as even the constant pain faded away, leaving him numb.
