"Still want to go down there?" Nyx asked once they landed a fair distance away from the city of darkness. "I'm not saying we shouldn't, but we don't know these people. Who knows how long it will take to find them."

  Leo turned his gaze away from Athens and shrugged. "Does it really matter? Maybe if not for Naz'Tor's message yesterday, I'd worry too. But as it is, we've got plenty of time. More than enough to find the survivors trapped here, kill the godlings, and return to London."

  The feline rolled her eyes. "I wouldn't call a week and a half plenty of time."

  "Then let's agree to disagree. Besides, it's seventy thousand Ether for a quick search and rescue. That's almost enough for another Mutation."

  "When you put it like this…" she muttered, trailing off.

  "Exactly!" Leo smiled, ruffling Nyx's head. "Come on, it's not like anything inside will be able to hurt us. It ain't a divine realm."

  She swiped at him with her tail, forcing him to jump away. "You say things like that and then complain when I jinx us," she grumbled. "So annoying."

  "So easy to annoy," he shot back and dodged out of the way of another tail slash. "All right, all right, I will stop. Calm down now."

  Nyx just huffed and turned her head away. Leo stifled a laugh before turning his attention to their next task. After all, the ever-useful System had finally given him something new to work with.

  Let's see, then… Mutation Index.

  Tainted Corruption:

  A mutation of Essence origin directly connected to the existence of Tainted Wastelands. It affects the three main pillars, boosting their overall capabilities by a small margin. Additionally, depending on the aspect of Tainted Corruption, the affected will gain more unique benefits. While creatures with this mutation rarely leave their Tainted Wastelands to not lose their connection to its aspect, it is essential to note that an encounter with Tainted Voidlings outside those areas is still possible. This occurrence is attributed to the presence of Tainted Survivors who cannot halt the spread of their curse.

  Discovered Subcategories:

  Void: The most popular Tainted Corruption. It doesn't grant any additional abilities except for increased strength, durability, and speed.

  Ice: One of many elemental Tainted Corruptions. Grants increased durability, as well as ice armor plating to those affected. Some Voidlings might also display limited manipulation of said element.

  Darkness: One of the more dangerous Tainted Corruptions. Allows all Voidlings to join the domain of darkness, and thus share its nullification power.

  Leo frowned. The short description didn't offer much, but it still left him slightly concerned. Nullification of what? Affinities? Essence overall? Physical strength? It could really be anything.

  Guess we will find out soon, he thought, dismissing the Mutation Index and summoning his only active task.

  Emergency Task: Search and Rescue

  To anyone out there. My two teammates and I are trapped inside the Parthenon, the heart of the Athenian Tainted Wasteland. Voidlings surround us from every direction. Please hurry. We won't last here forever. Commissioned by: Viktor Markis.

  Rewards:

  70000 Ether

  "Now, if I only remembered where the hell this Parthenon is…" Leo muttered, scanning the dome of darkness in the distance. He knew it was some kind of ancient temple, but beyond that, he was going in blind.

  Hopefully, Hunter's Pulse will be enough, he thought, turning to the scowling Nyx. "Come on. Let's go. Can't let them die, or we will lose our paycheck."

  The feline huffed, spreading her wings. "And you say I don't care about human lives."

  Lightning erupted from Leo's back as he shouted back, "Semantics!"

  With that, they both jumped into the air and dived toward the land of darkness.

  They both felt it the moment they hit the barrier of darkness and slipped inside. A sudden wave of weakness washed over them, and if not for their experience and control over their abilities, they would have fallen to the ground like a sack of bricks. Still, with their Essence somewhat disrupted, they landed shortly after, taking in the surrounding scenery.

  In Leo's honest opinion, the entire city inside the dome resembled Nyx's home dimension before he took over the Apex Shadow Claw. Everything around them was either made of or covered in a liquid-like darkness that solidified when touched.

  Another important aspect of this entire place was the lack of any Voidification. There was no Vetilim or Corcera anywhere in sight. Hell, when they were still in the air, Leo couldn't even spot a single Voidling in the area. The entire city felt like a ghost town, shrouded in a thin mist.

  There is no way they all went after those three survivors, so where are they? Leo wondered, already summoning Essence for the first Hunter's Pulse. However, something went wrong when he tried to form the skill.

  The energy still answered his call without issue, but that was about all that went right. Afterward, when he wanted to fuel the Pulse with intent, his Essence became erratic, and some even slipped between his phantom fingers and returned to his soul.

  Still, Leo didn't give up and wrestled the energy back under control. The skill formed—if barely—and erupted from his body like a sonar.

  For a moment, he thought he had succeeded—that he had won against this nullification power. That was until his skill hit the surrounding darkness and vanished without providing any information.

  "Okay…" he whispered. "This might be harder than I expected."

  Next to him, Nyx snorted. "And who's the one jinxing us now? Not me!"

  Leo rolled his eyes. "Yeah, yeah. You were right… Now, focus and test your abilities. If we can't use any of our skills, then we might retreat anyway. Taking a short detour to earn some Ether is one thing. Wandering in circles while being depowered is another."

  The feline nodded to that, and they both settled behind a random building to test their skills.

  At first, they had little success. Pure Essence abilities still worked—just like Hunter's Pulse did—but their efficiency left much to be desired. Leo felt a bit like he had been thrown back to Wolford during the early days of the Outbreak, struggling to improve Stealth and Kiss of Death. It was frustrating, to say the least.

  He almost called for a retreat after testing Spectral Fury—not even bloodlust could keep the skill stable. Only the sight of Nyx manipulating shadows without any struggle made him close his mouth and move onto his own affinities.

  Shadow-attuned Essence answered his call instantly, slithering up his frame and covering him in a thin layer of armor. It wasn't Manifestation, but he was just happy to have one of his abilities working as it should—well, almost as it should. He still had to put a bit more pressure than usual on the affinity to keep it in one form.

  Must be because the shadow is just a lesser version of darkness, Leo concluded, moving on to Stormveil.

  The violet plasma ignited in his open palm and spread outward, adding another layer to the shadow armor. It moved slower than usual, almost sluggishly, but it was still more than usable. He just had to give it a bit more Essence.

  And what about you?

  For the first time in a few days, Leo reached toward the sleeping giant inside his soul. The surrounding darkness did nothing to stop its awakening.

  Red and black Essence erupted from his body and formed a tiny glowing orb above his hand. There was no struggle, no delays. Ruination completely ignored the nullification power of the darkness.

  Leo shook his head, dismissing the affinity. Why am I not surprised…

  Maybe if the darkness was stronger, maybe if he wasn't over twice the level of an average Voidling on Earth, Ruination might have met some resistance. But as things stood, his power combined with that of the Void just didn't give a damn.

  All right, so all that's left is to find this Parthenon. It can't be that hard, right?

  As it turned out, it could be that hard.

  They had been walking the empty streets of Athens for almost half an hour now and found nothing leading toward their target. Perhaps if everything wasn't covered in darkness, they could have searched for some signs among the ruins, but as it was, they had no idea where to go.

  'Flying might be the only choice,' Nyx suggested again.

  Leo grimaced at the idea. Even if his affinities worked without any bigger issues, the same couldn't be said about his wings. Sure, he could still fly, but it was far from graceful or efficient. Not for the first time, he envied Nyx for having her wings, which were a natural extension of her body.

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  Still, she was right. Staying on the ground would lead them nowhere. Now, if only the mist weren't growing thicker with every passing moment. At this point, even his enhanced vision struggled to cut through it.

  "Up we go th—"

  The words died in his mouth when the faintest flicker of movement caught his attention in the corner of his vision. At once, Essence erupted from his body, forming a lance of Stormveil that shot toward the disturbance.

  A loud, piercing wail filled the empty streets.

  Omen of Darkness (LVL: 34) slain | Experience awarded | 14 Ether gained.

  Leo would have commented on the Voidling's name if the darkness covering the entire area hadn't suddenly moved.

  Figures of all shapes and sizes emerged from the ground and the surrounding walls, their glowing silver eyes fixed on him. Most were humanoid blobs of darkness, lacking any distinctive features. Others, however, were more defined—monsters he recognized from previous battles.

  Cursed Juggernauts, Collectors, Seekers, and many more. The entire horde was here, and it was clear they had no intention of letting him and Nyx pass.

  Oho?

  Omen of Darkness (Voidling) | Rank: E | LVL: 31 | Type: Darkness

  The result of Identify didn't change regardless of which Voidling it was used on. Even those resembling other monsters still returned the same message.

  Race: Voidling | Subspecies: Omen of Darkness

  Expected Potential: F- to S

  Arsenal: Darkness

  Known weaknesses: Core

  A unique species of Voidlings that doesn't evolve. Instead, the cores hidden deep within their shells of darkness grow stronger, slowly adapting to their surroundings. Omens of Darkness can be found only on certain worlds and Tainted Wastelands. They attack in hordes. Do not engage without an affinity related to darkness or powerful physical attributes.

  Leo smiled, his freshly healed blades snapping out.

  Finally some entertainment.

  Thalia Arseni had a rough day, or hell, make it a rough week.

  It had all started last Monday when her teammate, Viktor, suggested exploring the Tainted Wasteland that had taken over a part of Athens. At the time, it had seemed like a good idea. The normal Voidlings inside the city had been getting too weak for all of them, and just maybe, they could find a way to get rid of the expanding darkness once and for all.

  And so, with their group leader's blessing, she, Viktor, and Ajax had left the small Safe Zone in the nearby village and returned to Athens. To think that everything had been going so well in the beginning.

  Thalia and Ajax had no trouble handling a few Omens at once. Their shadow affinities and advanced warrior class made sure of that. Viktor's healing and enhancing skills sure helped, too, as his affinity made him somewhat resistant to the effects of the darkness.

  Thanks to all that, within three days, they had managed to kill a bunch of Omens, explore a bit more of the Tainted Wasteland, and even set up a base camp at its border. Really, everything had been going so well, too well.

  Then came their decision to push deeper, all the way to the Acropolis at the heart of the Wasteland. For the most part, the trip was a success. Aside from some injuries and a few close calls when they got overconfident, the Omens could do nothing to stop their advance.

  Though now that Thalia thought about it, maybe it was their plan all along.

  The Acropolis, like the rest of the area, was covered in darkness from top to bottom. Nothing special, nothing that could help them stop the advance of the Wasteland. Or so they thought until they stepped inside the Parthenon.

  Right in the middle of the ancient temple, hovering a bit above the ground, was a massive dark gem, full of swirling darkness. Dark Bloodstone, Thalia's Identify had called it, a stone created by the Omens to prepare the Wasteland for its next stage.

  It hadn't taken long for her team to make the fateful decision to destroy it—probably the biggest mistake of their life.

  Thalia and Ajax took positions on the opposite sides of the gem, activated whatever abilities were still usable this deep in the Wasteland, and summoned as many shadows as their souls allowed. From the side, Viktor helped, too, infusing their bodies with his unique powers.

  This should have been it. Their attacks would destroy the gem, the System would reward them, and they would go home.

  Only none of that happened.

  The moment their shadow-enhanced swords hit the gem, it swallowed all the incoming energy. A few cracks spread over its surface, which then healed when a deep red glow erupted from within it.

  And that wasn't the worst of it.

  After a few seconds of charging, a crimson beam shot out of the gem and went all the way up to the top of the dome covering the entire Wasteland. What happened next was one of the most horrifying things Thalia had ever witnessed—and she had a front-row seat to experience it.

  The Wasteland began to expand right in front of their eyes, drowning more and more of Athens in darkness with each second. What had once been a small neighborhood-sized issue became a city-wide disaster in less than a minute.

  That had been almost two days ago.

  Since then, Thalia and her team had been trapped inside the Parthenon, with the Dark Bloodstone still floating close to them, stronger than ever. The idea of attacking it again never even crossed their minds. They had already messed up enough.

  To be honest, the whole trio had thought that this was it for them. The Omens had surrounded the Parthenon before the Wasteland even finished expanding, and their numbers only grew with each hour.

  There was no way out, no escape, so they stayed put and decided to use the ruined building to their advantage when the Omens finally swarmed them.

  But they never did.

  Sure, every now and then, a single Omen would venture inside, but beyond that, the horde seemed content to camp outside. Ajax thought they were playing with them, waiting until the trio gave up and faced them head-on.

  Thalia disagreed, even if she didn't voice her opinion.

  After all, her team had helped the Omens to expand their territory once before. What if the monsters trapped them here, hoping it would happen again? Or maybe, their presence alone helped the Bloodstone grow stronger.

  She always shivered at that thought. Thankfully, Viktor's shout stopped her from further brooding.

  "Guys! Someone accepted my task!"

  Thalia and Ajax instantly jumped to their feet, approaching their third teammate. "Who is it?" she asked. "Anyone from our safe zone?"

  "No." Viktor frowned, his fingers moving across an interface they couldn't see. "It's a guy called Leonardo Brown. Sounds familiar to any of you?"

  Thalia shared a look with her other teammate and shook her head. "Nah. Doesn't sound local either… Hopefully, they brought a big party."

  Ajax squeezed her shoulder, offering her a weak smile. "Everything will be fine, Lia," he muttered.

  She wanted to believe him. She really did. But after two days of little to no sleep and constant fear, she couldn't bring herself to feel optimistic. The horde was still right at their doorstep, and it would take a literal army to break through it.

  Still, she didn't voice her doubts. Instead, she gave her friends a broken smile. She didn't believe, but she could hope.

  A clap of thunder jolted Thalia out of her half-sleep. Her eyes snapped wide open and instantly found the gaze of her two teammates. Without a word shared between them, they left the tiny chamber they found within the Parthenon and searched for the source of the storm.

  No clouds, but those could be hidden by the dome. Shit, a storm is the last thing we nee—

  A sudden flash of violet in the distance cut through the ever-present mist, cutting off her thoughts. Another thunder split the air, echoing from the same direction as the flash.

  Never mind. It doesn't look like the usual storms we had after the Outbreak, Thalia concluded as she followed her teammates to the exit of the Parthenon. Even if the building had no ceiling, the visibility was still bad.

  Distant roars and pained wails soon joined the raging thunder, and by the time the trio reached the exit, there was an entire light show going on somewhere in the city. Of course, they weren't the only ones to notice that.

  "Guys, look," she whispered, pointing to the Omens of Darkness scattered around the Acropolis. "They are leaving."

  Viktor snorted. "You really surprised? Whatever is happening out there must be more interesting than babysitting us. This is our chance."

  Thalia nodded and turned to Ajax, whose gaze was still glued to the explosions of light in the distance. "We can't just leave," he said firmly.

  "What? Are you mad?!" Viktor hissed a little too loudly. "You want to stay here or what? Come on, don't be stubborn now of all times."

  Ajax shook his head. "We're not staying, but we're also not running away. Those lights… odds are that's our rescue party. If we just leave… No, I won't have somebody else risking their lives for mine when I run. This is all our fault, after all."

  "God damn it, Ajax! It's not the time to be noble," Viktor cried out, grabbing the other man by the shoulders. "Yes, we screwed up, but whoever took the job knew the risk. We can try to find them afterward, or I will just mark the job as completed once we leave this hell. Come on… Thalia, back me up here."

  Put on the spotlight, she swallowed. This should have been an easy decision to make; they had been trapped here for two days, after all. And yet…

  "We should at least check out what's going on," she suggested. "If this is really our rescue party, we have to help. I agree with Ajax. This is our mess."

  Viktor groaned, running a hand down his face. "I can't believe you two. Why do I have to be friends with two noble idiots… But fine, let's go then. No way I'm leaving you two. Just remember, if we die, I’m haunting your asses forever."

  Thalia smiled widely for the first time in a while. "Sure you will. Ajax, lead the way."

  The largest among them nodded and vaulted over the small fence they had been using as a cover. Not that they needed to hide anymore, all the Omens had already left.

  Maybe it's time to believe again…

  Even with their high attributes, it still took a few minutes to reach the source of the light show. After all, the city had changed again since they were last here, and with the Omens running everywhere like ants, they had to be careful.

  Still, before long they finally arrived close to the battlefield and took cover on the roof of a building near it. From there, they looked down, expecting to see dozens of survivors on the streets, struggling against the sheer numbers the Omens possessed.

  Only the truth was much, much different.

  Instead of an army, there were two monsters slaughtering other monsters. A massive feline wielding shadows as naturally as it breathed, and a beast larger and more horrifying than any Nightmare, throwing around violet, plasma-like lightning.

  The Omens could do nothing even as they swarmed the duo. Lightning, shadows, or just sheer physical power destroyed them in dozens. Their darkness could not protect their cores from a strength so overwhelming.

  Thalia gulped and activated Identify.

  ?

  A question mark was all the System gave her. No species, no level—just a goddamn question mark. Not even Nightmares had such protection from Identify.

  "Ajax, Viktor?" she whispered. "You're seeing this too, right? This isn't just my System glitching, right?"

  Viktor glanced at her, his face paler than ever. "We have to go. Now."

  This time, even Ajax didn't protest. Miracle or not, if those two monsters were here to help, it wasn't worth the risk of sticking around to find out. Viktor would just mark the task finished once they got out, and that was it. They tried; that was all that mattered.

  And so, Thalia slowly retreated from the edge of the roof and made her way down to the street level. They were waiting for Ajax to jump down when a low, almost demonic voice sounded next to them.

  "Come on, now. Is this how you greet the guy you hired to rescue you? Or I at least hope it's you…" The giant monster spoke, its violet eyes fixed on them. "Name's Leo Hale. Any chance one of you is Viktor?"

  At the mention of his name, Thalia's teammate unfroze and screamed.

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