NOVEL NEXT Chapter 13. Limits broken
Leo's body erupted with energy the instant his instruction was recognized by the System. The rush of power devoured his entire being while his skin developed an almost imperceptible golden sheen. It was odd, so very different from Limit Break's passive effect or even the boost provided by Reinforcement. Hell, even Leo's almost empty reserves filed up ever so slightly.
Not every change was positive, though, as Leo could feel a phantom weight hanging over his soul. Nonetheless, it wasn't the time to worry about the consequences. Leo had prey to hunt.
Come on…
As if guided by Leo's thoughts, the bushes in the distance almost parted as two figures charged through them on all fours. One was half as large as Leo, and the other barely reached the top of its companion's legs.
They possessed a boar's traditional build, yet their appearance was anything but natural. Dark as night was their fur, spikey like a hedgehog's spine, and Leo had no doubt in his mind that touching it would hurt like hell. Even worse were their snouts, where two sharp teeth stuck out of their mouths, ready to cut down anything in their way.
Duskboar (Voidling) | Rank: F | LVL: 3
Mutated boars, of course, Leo grimaced, the rifle's sight right in front of his right eye. Steady your breath, hold the gun tight, and never let the target leave your sight. Leo's foster father's words rang in his head as his finger inched towards the trigger.
And shoot, son.
The first bullet left the chamber with a bang, and the larger Duskboar squealed as the projectile hit it right beneath its snout. Yet, the beast didn't stop, so Leo immediately flipped the bolt of his rifle; another bullet ready as he took aim.
Again. The bullet shot forward again, earning a growl from the monster as it finally neared Leo's position. Fuck! He shouted internally, throwing his body to the side as the two boars charged past him.
Even with the newfound power from Limit Break, Leo hissed as the wounds on his back reminded him of their presence. It wasn't as bad as before the boost, and Leo understood perfectly what would happen once he disabled Limit Break.
Focus!
Leo scrambled to his feet and retook aim, the boars only now managing to stop after kicking up a cloud of dust. They dashed forward again, and at that moment, a third shot left the rifle's barrel.
The bulkier boar squealed loudly as the beast lost its footing, sending its body rolling on the ground. Leo fired again, never one to waste an opportunity, even if the secondary monster was just a few meters away.
And now!
Dropping the rifle, Leo snatched the dagger from his belt and dashed toward the monsters. He jumped a few steps away from the smaller one, sailing above the beast. Blood flowed freely down his back as he landed next to the fallen boar. Leo paid the pain no mind as his weapons of death descended on the boar.
His claws instantly began to siphon Essence from the beast while Leo stabbed the monster's head over and over again. The Duskboar stood no chance against its assailant and stilled a moment later, a notification popping up in the corner of Leo's vision.
Later! He growled, ripping his claws out of the monster and turning to face the remaining Voidling that glared at him with an intensity Leo didn't expect from an almost mindless beast. Need to end this quickly; I can't have much time left on Limit Break. The golden sheen is practically gone at this point.
Leo's eyes darted to the discarded rifle for a moment, a plan forming within his mind. I still have one bullet left, just in case.
Suddenly, the spikey fur on the boar's body stood up, straightening even more. The beast growled and charged again. Revenge seemed like a popular motivation for Voidlings that worked in groups.
At least some of their instincts remain natural... Leo retreated a short distance, drawing closer to a large tree behind him as his eyes narrowed.
The boar grew closer and closer, and when it was no farther than a meter, Leo rolled to the side, getting away without a scratch, or at least he should have. Instead, when Leo dodged, dozens of fur needles shot from the boar's body, piercing his skin in just as many places.
"Argh!" Leo screamed, collapsing to the ground along with the boar that hit the trunk of the tree head-on.
Gritting his teeth, Leo crawled towards the fallen monster and stabbed it right in the eyes, his claws sinking into the soft flesh behind them. The beast's screech probably echoed through the entire forest, but Leo didn't care. He tightened his hold, almost ripping the top of the monster's skull off its body.
And then, without warning, the golden sheen disappeared, cutting off the constant flow of power. Leo gasped, collapsing next to the almost-dead Voidling. White-hot blades stabbed his muscles as the anguish ripped through his body, making everything around him hazy. Even his soul wasn't spared; the invisible weight vanished, replaced with a void Leo had never experienced before.
And yet, as he laid there, squirming on the ground, Leo still somehow noticed a few lines in the corner of his vision.
Duskboar (LVL: 3) slain | Experience awarded | 2 Ether gained
Passive Limit Break disabled. It will activate automatically once you recover enough.
Duskboar (LVL: 2) slain | Experience awarded | 1 Ether gained
Level 4 reached. Class attributes distributed. Please assign your 2 free attributes.
Might and Soul, now! Leo screamed, ignoring the part about Limit Break.
The System listened immediately. Every inch of Leo's being shuddered as the mysterious entity completed its job. It didn't help much, but the strain on his body lessened ever so slightly. Even some of the hollowness inside his soul was eaten away by a small surge of Essence.
Leo inhaled deeply and climbed to all fours, his gaze fixed on the backpack and rifle a few meters away.
Come on, body. Don't fail me now. Leo clenched his teeth as he practically crawled towards his equipment and then dragged himself back towards the shack. The fur needles still pricked his skin, and his back burned, but Leo didn't stop until the door was shut and blocked by one of the chairs.
How the fuck am I still alive? I probably spilled more blood than a donor could give during an entire year. Leo chuckled, coughing out blood as he removed the last of the annoying needles. Now to cover my back. Hopefully, it won't take too long to heal. He winced as he mummified the upper part of his back and chest, the entire roll of bandage gone in one go.
Dropping his head against the wall, Leo closed his eyes.
Even injured, the fight played out pretty well, primarily thanks to the rifle. Hell, Leo could have ended it without getting littered with holes if he had known about the Duskboar's ability to shoot its own fur.
No matter. What happened, happened. I can only learn from this experience to be more careful in the future. Well, that and maybe stop fighting when I'm almost dead on my feet. Leo grunted; his eyes opened and landed on the rifle in his lap.
"If it weren't for you, I would probably be dead." He murmured and released the empty magazine. "Let's fill you up. I have to rest for a bit anyway..."
An hour, maybe two had passed since Leo locked himself inside the shack. He didn't move once from his place on the floor, giving his body and soul a fair chance to recover. Passive Limit Break had also activated a while ago, bolstering the healing quite a bit.
Not that Leo stopped bleeding altogether. The entirely soaked bandage that covered his upper body proved that much. Nonetheless, the hollowness finally disappeared from his soul. And even though his body still ached everywhere, it didn't send him screaming after every move anymore.
Overall, I should be ready to go, Leo groaned as he stretched his body and threw a simple black shirt over his head. After taking the Essence from those damned boars and birds. He added as an afterthought.
Leaving the shack, Leo trudged towards the mutilated bird first. The beast quickly lost its Essence, barely giving him another hour of satiated status. Leo looked around the forest floor, scowling, searching for the first Seeker he killed.
"What the…" The scowl turned into a frown when Leo noticed Seeker's dead body. The head remained crushed with the insides spilling out, but now, the corpse gave out an almost unnoticeable ruby glow.
Crouching next to the body, Leo scanned it from head to tail, flipping it over with his claws. The glow it released didn't make sense. The other Seekers didn't have it before or after death. So why are you so different? Even Identify isn't saying anything...
"Guess one way to find out," Leo shrugged and let his claws do the dirty work.
The frown on his face deepened as the body collapsed into dust when his claws pierced the skin. The small pile still glowed from within, and Leo quickly dug into the dust. His hand almost instantly touched something hard.
"Huh?" Leo had no words as he uncovered a small ruby crystal. It pulsed with life, and Leo snapped his hand away, not sure what he had discovered.
Alright, Identify, be helpful for once.
Unattuned Crystalized Essence (Common):
When a creature dies in the Universe, their residual Essence can try to withdraw back into the soul in a final desperate attempt to survive. This process never works; instead, the overflow of energy forms a sturdy crystal, storing the last of Essence inside. This particular Essence was never attuned to any specific affinity. It can be used as a vital ingredient in a large number of crafts.
Warning: When filled with too much foreign Essence, the crystal will destabilize and, shortly after, create an explosion more prominent than its size suggests.
Leo frowned as he rolled the crystal between his fingers. That's… a lot of information. The surface didn't feel different from a typical rock lying on the ground; just as rough, unpolished, and cold to the touch.
So it can act as a small grenade and an ingredient... A lot of uses for a standard item. A useful, if a dangerous object from what Identify had just told Leo.
Not that he knew how to channel Essence into another object, and he didn't fancy trying it out on a crystal that could explode in his face. Maybe after I gain a bit more control...
Leo slipped the crystal into his pocket and moved to drain the two Duskboars. Although he didn't gain any more crystals, the bulkier boar left behind a part of its sharp tooth that Leo immediately placed within his backpack.
Alright, back on the move. Leo sighed and used his right hand to heft his backpack. There is no need to aggravate the back injury any further.
Time passed as Leo traversed along the same path he used before the events near the shed. And even after all that had happened, Leo allowed a small smile to form on his face. He might have suffered, but in the end, he came out of it stronger, much stronger, and with some knowledge he didn't possess before.
Leo hid behind one of the many bushes as he scanned the long asphalt road and the empty farmlands in the distance. He might have made a slight miscalculation when he had chosen this path. In particular, Leo forgot about all of the cars driving down this road when the Outbreak happened.
Every dozen or so meters, a car stood at the side of the road. Some managed to drive into a tree, while others fell into a ditch on the other side.
A few cars even had the misfortune of colliding head-on with vehicles approaching from the other line. Those always ended up half-crushed or blackened from a fire that might have started after the crash.
Even if this sight was particularly hard on Leo's memory, it didn't make him hide behind a bush. No, this honor fell to the few Voidlings trapped inside the cars and the numerous other Cursed Humans that walked along the road. Their familiar screeches once again filled the silence as they went from car to car, probably hoping to find another meal.
Leo gulped. This can either end very well or in a total disaster.