“Evolution is sothing truly fascinating. There are thousands of different races in the vast multiverse, and even more variants and mutations. The System offers us plenty of choices; we just need to take them, use them to survive, and beco sothing more. With ti, you will understand what I an, and then you will be ready to create your own path. A path that no one ever walked.”
–An old warrior to his grandson, 25th Outbreak
A rustle echoed through the empty attic as Leo hid the leftovers of his al. Nothing could go to waste when the apocalypse surrounded him from every side. While finding more food wasn’t too much of a problem now, all could change in another week or two. Who knew how much of the world would even be standing anymore?
He once again leaned against the brick wall, sighing, as his mind was still going through different scenarios regarding evolution. It was way too important to just forget about it in a few minutes, especially when it could change his entire being.
His cursed arm rose, the clawed hand flexing and turning as he took in the mass of deford flesh and glowing veins. Scars upon scars still covered the entire skin. Only now, he saw the few new additions he gained during his journey. They were different, more noticeable, bathing in the inhuman veins’ eternal crimson light.
Maybe I can get rid of you. Leo thought, his gaze falling upon the long claws. But is it the right choice?
The first ti he saw the cursed arm, he wanted to rip it off, to get rid of sothing so hideous. Then the limb quickly proved its usefulness against Edward’s husk. His new abilities might have been the ones to guide him, but without the claws, he could have died anyway.
After that fight, he tried not to think too much about the transformation. Instead, he used the limb as a tool to survive, be it as a weapon to kill Voidlings or a glorified lamp in this world without any electricity.
And now that he realized that the option of evolution was coming, he didn’t know what his choice should be. If it allowed him to get rid of the arm and beco more human again, should he take it?
Leo shook his head. Once again, worrying about sothing that might not even be an option. First, I need to et the requirents, and then… then I can worry about my humanity.
Taking a peek through the small window, he frowned as he noticed the sun was already on its way toward the west. Still have a few hours before the night, he thought, returning to his previous position.
He wanted to give his back a bit more ti to rest before moving again, but lying here for the next five or four hours, waiting for the night, just didn’t sit right with him. Especially not when with every hour, the monsters outside were becoming stronger.
Kill so stragglers, scout the area and then co back. Leo nodded, moving to stand up, only to stop as another thought crossed his mind. Hold up. There was one more nu for to check. Job?
Catching the command, the System answered, lines of notifications flashing into existence in front of him.
Welco to the Job nu. Please select your first job. This list is made up of any profession that you have seen, experienced, or heard about. With ti, this list might beco longer, and you will be able to change your job at the price of Ether and progress in your previous job.
Jobs available:
- Cook
- Builder
- Alchemist
- Smith
- Hunter
- …
The list went on and on. It ntioned almost every mundane job of the old world, with a few additions that existed only in fiction. From soldier and guard to leader and butcher, the System had it all.
Ninety percent or more of them had no place in the new world, so Leo concentrated on the ones that might provide him with so benefits.
When he used Identify on any of those jobs, the System answered, giving him a short description and the advantages gained. In most cases, it was a unique skill or two. Still, a few others also provided the users with access to particular functions of the System related to the profession.
He checked almost every crafting job that could prove helpful in his journey. While so of them had potential, they all ca with one critical problem specified by the job’s description.
The lack of tools required for it.
Guess I won’t be crafting potions or weapons anyti soon. He sighed and gave the list another look. Without tools and a place to settle down, he didn’t know how anyone could ever use most of the valuable jobs.
Minutes passed as he identified job after job, searching for anything supporting his survival style. It wasn’t until he returned to the top of the list and reread the description of a profession he had previously dismissed that he found sothing useful.
Hunter:
In old tis, those hard-working people were the ones to provide food and materials for their families to survive another year. In the world infested by the Void, Hunters rise once more—both to supply the new world with rare materials and to hunt monsters that refuse to die.
Benefits:
Skill: Hunter’s Pulse and access to the Bestiary.
Bestiary. A function like that could be useful depending on how it worked. And Hunter’s Pulse sounds good. I wonder…
A scowl settled on his face when Identify refused to give more information about either of the benefits.
I guess I can take it and change it later. So Ether shouldn’t hurt too much. Hunter it is.
Your job has been set to Hunter. Access to Bestiary and tasks granted. Guided access to Hunter’s Pulse granted.
Hunter’s Pulse (Rare):
The first skill any respectable Hunter has to learn. Guided by intent and Essence, the Pulse helps them through the hunt in search of their targets or anything valuable.
Effects:
Send a pulse of Essence through the surrounding area in search of anything alive or valuable. The pulse range depends on the amount of Essence used, while its effectiveness is guided by your Vision. Warning: Any being with sharp senses might be able to feel the Pulse.
The knowledge once again crashed into his mind. Only this ti, he was sowhat ready, grinding his teeth as he processed the information. Unlike with any skill before, he now understood perfectly how to utilize the ability even if its inner workings evaded him.
Useful, very useful. It will be nice to know what is inside before I barge into a building.
Although, during the information transfer, Leo caught one very curious detail that he just had to check out.
He closed his eyes and placed a hand on the floor, reaching into his Essence reserves. The energy, guided by his will, ford a tiny ball inside his hand and waited for his final command.
A command he gave imdiately as he released the energy into the floor.
As his eyes snapped open, he watched and felt as the crimson Essence traveled through the entire attic, touching everything in the room. Then his gaze went to the backpack, which started to glow faintly. So that was what it ant by “guided by intent.”
When it ca to items, the Pulse apparently required directions from the user. The more precise the command, the easier it would be for the skill to find the requested objects. Quite advanced, but very, very nice. And what about the Bestiary?
Welco to your Bestiary. Currently, it is empty, but after every identified creature, you will be able to access the System’s information about your target.
Expected. Even if I already identified plenty of Voidlings.
With a sigh, Leo stood up, slinging his bag over his back. He grimaced slightly as his wounds flared, but another hour or so of rest at least allowed the injuries to heal even more. His back should be almost healed after the night with this speed of recovery.
Leo rolled his shoulders a few tis to get used to the pain again and moved toward the stairs. In the anti, his mind called out one final part of the System he had to investigate.
Job nu:
- Start a task
- Pay for a task
- Change your job
Eyebrows raised, he selected the first option, his eyes widening as another list appeared.
- Hunt: Cursed Humans
- Find the lair of Collectors
- Kill a Pri and harvest its heart
- Gather 2x Crystallized Essence
All commissioned by the System.
Leo returned to the main job nu without selecting any tasks and chose the second option. His eyebrows climbed even higher when he noticed the extensive nu.
He could request pretty much anything he wanted. Of course, he had to provide a reward for the task—be it Ether or items—but then the System would register it for the users with the proper job.
It seed nice and valuable for the future, but as he looked at the job request again, he frowned.
Range: Current planet. Sohow, I doubt anyone is doing much better than … There is no way people out there have ti to finish a task I created. It would also explain why all available ones are commissioned by the System.
Shrugging, he returned to his tasks and selected the only one he could complete as of this mont.
Hunt: Cursed Humans
Slay at least 10 Cursed Humans of Level 3 and above. Commissioned by: System. Ti Limit: 2 Earth days.
Rewards:
20 Ether
Do you wish to accept?
Yes.
The window disappeared, leaving him standing before the closed backdoor. His claws pushed the door ajar and he slipped out, going back into the world painted in red.
He went around the corner of the house and hid behind one of the bushes, giving him the perfect view of the empty street. True Stealth ford around his body, and he sprinted along the plants near the sidewalk, jumping into the yard of another house a mont later.
Like almost every building in the neighborhood, the house was barely standing. Pieces of glass glinted in the sunlight, while parts of bricks lay scattered across the yard. If he didn’t know any better, he would have thought that the previous night had caused all of that.
He crouched in front of a boarded entrance door and reached into himself, already touching the building with his hand. A much larger ball of Essence seeped into the wall. Leo montarily closed his eyes as he processed the feedback.
No weapons, no food, and no one alive.
As he left the yard, he visited almost every house on the street, his pulse scanning for anything useful or any signs of life. He didn’t find even a single Voidling and had to accept that it was ti to move to the next street that led to another road with the massive block of flats.
Leo jumped over another fence and sneaked toward the backdoor. Hunter’s Pulse thrumd through the entire building, and his eyes widened just a bit when the skill gave him a positive for the first ti.
Sowhere on the ground floor, he thought, yanking the wooden board placed across the door.
The plank didn’t even fight against his inhuman strength, and the long, rusty nails slid out in just a second. The door followed without any help, opening wide open, groaning after years of unuse.
A familiar screech answered from sowhere in the house, and Leo grinned. He knocked on the door’s fra for good asure, waiting for the Voidling to co out.
The Cursed Human almost crashed into the hallway’s wall as it dashed toward the entrance door. In response, he backed a few steps, identified the monster, and gripped the nailed plank in his hands, ready to deal with the Voidling as fast as he could.
Cursed Human (Voidling) | Rank: F- | LVL: 1
The mont the Voidling ca into range, Leo swung his makeshift weapon, the plank eting the creature’s head. The wood snapped, splinters raining down upon the ground as the beast screeched, the tal nails digging into its head.
Snorting, he grabbed his dagger and finished the monster. His claws sank into its body, and he frowned when a deep violet sheen once again covered the blood on his limb.
So it wasn’t a one-ti thing. I really need to figure out what that Passive does. He shook his head. Later, now let’s see… Bestiary.
Race: Voidling | Subspecies: Cursed Human
Expected Potential: F- to F
Arsenal: Sharpened fingernails, jaw
Known Weaknesses: Head
Cursed Humans are the main variants of Voidlings created due to the Outbreak. Their complete lack of intelligence makes them easy prey as solo targets. When in fear of a stronger predator, Cursed Humans tend to form groups that can overwhelm even experienced warriors. Any cursed variant can be instinctively commanded by a stronger variant.
Not bad…
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