That night, Leo could not sleep. His recent meeting with Cassandra Hearth had sent his mind spiraling into a world of never-ending questions, each one clawing at the next. A long stretch of time passed before he finally allowed himself to rest, the darkness pressing in from all sides. Right now, he was too weak to make a difference-- too weak to be of any real use to her.
As intriguing as her proposition was, Leo understood his priorities clearly. And those priorities were simple: get stronger. Only then would he be able to help anyone other than himself. Only then would his existence carry weight.
He did not have much time to sleep, as dawn was only a few hours away, but he was grateful to rest with a somewhat filled belly, warmth settling uneasily in his gut.
The next morning, he woke early to the soft chime of a bell echoing faintly in his head. Floating right before his eyes was a strange set of words, blinking every few seconds like a living thing.
It was a message from the sphere-- one he had never received before.
[Daily Objectives]
1. Resist the urge to consume flesh.
Reward: 1 Lunar Point.
2. Resist "Xavax".
Reward: 1 Lunar Point.
3. Awaken an exclusive skill.
Reward: 1 Lucky Roulette Coupon.
"Now what is this nonsense?" His question was directed at the floating text itself, so he wasn't surprised when no answer came.
That did nothing to ease his irritation.
He had never heard of anyone's sphere issuing missions. Never. Not even the veterans with decades of experience mentioned anything like this. He considered, briefly, that it might be because he had obtained a legacy but even that explanation made little sense.
"This is ridiculous. It has to be a joke, right?" he muttered sarcastically. "Why would I need to consume flesh every day? What am I, some kind of animal? And what the hell is this Xavax thing?"
He resisted the urge to claw at his own eyes just to avoid looking at the infernal display. "And these rewards…" He scoffed. "There's even a coupon. My god. This thing needs a manual."
Leo dismissed the notifications entirely and focused on his actual objectives for the day.
There were only two things that mattered right now: getting stronger, and covering up the claw marks littering his room before anyone discovered them. Even if he rarely had visitors, leaving evidence behind was reckless. He eventually decided he would deal with it after his hunt assuming he managed to kill something.
His gaze drifted to the corner of the room where a small bag rested, containing his rations and basic hunting tools. The only weapon he owned which was a small knife had been lost during the red-eyed hyena attack.
"Curses," he muttered. "What do I do without a weapon?"
Then a thought slithered into his mind.
His eyes flicked to the claw marks carved into the walls… then down to his own hands.
"If I can make this work," he murmured, "then that would be great."
He changed into his last decent set of clothes, ones that hadn't been shredded by whatever he had become the night before. A simple dark shirt, sturdy trousers, and a pair of worn dark boots he favored.
Compared to most hunters in Hellscape, he looked utterly unprepared-- more like a tourist than someone venturing into danger. But did it really matter? He had no armor, no gear, no protection. The thought alone made his chest tighten.
The one thing he did not forget, however, was the ring given to him by the old man, the same one who had bitten him. He didn't know how important it was, nor had he had time to study it, but leaving it behind felt… wrong. Deeply wrong. Leo had learned long ago not to ignore instincts like that.
As he turned to leave, something stopped him.
"Wait a minute," he said quietly, confusion creeping into his voice as he reached up and touched his nose.
He distinctly remembered Clint Larring breaking it the day before.
Yet now it felt fine.
No pain. No swelling. No fracture.
Even the shallow cut from Cassandra's blade was gone.
"Did it heal already?" he muttered. Or had it healed earlier and he simply hadn't noticed?
"I'll test it when I'm out of the base," he told himself.
He left the room and shut the door behind him, locking it carefully. He wanted to pass through the gates before most people woke up.
Hellscape functioned in many complex ways, but one truth was painfully clear: the stronger you were, the more visible and respected you became. The weaker you were, the more invisible you became, until you were nothing more than a toy for others.
Leo wasn't entirely sure what he was doing. But if he wanted to test whatever had changed within him safely, the wild forest outside Glory Base was his best option.
And the sooner, the better.
The moment he stepped outside the base, something strange happened.
His senses exploded outward.
A tsunami of smells-- sweet fragrances, rot, metal, damp earth, blood crashed into his nostrils all at once. He recoiled instinctively, breath hitching, and quickened his pace toward the gate.
But the changes didn't stop there.
His ear twitched.
Then came sound-- too much sound. Snoring, murmurs, distant footsteps, breathing. All at once. Overlapping. Suffocating.
As he walked forward, a familiar voice surfaced from the chaos.
Nick. The gatekeeper.
But the gate was still several meters away.
"There's no way…" Leo muttered.
"Am I going senile?" he questioned himself. After a moment's hesitation, he slowed his steps and focused—really listened.
At first, everything remained a blur.
Then he tilted his head slightly, imagining his ear like an antenna searching for signal.
Something shifted.
The noise filtered.
Suddenly, Nick's voice was crystal clear and close, as if the man stood right beside him.
"Man, I barely slept," Nick muttered. "To think they found nothing about the beast in Glory Base."
Nick continued, "Some say someone smuggled a beast in to sell it in the real world… but I'm not convinced."
A pause.
"I don't even know what it was," Nick added. "A wolf, you say? I don't even know what wolves sound like. Don't think they live near here."
Leo sped up.
"Who the hell is he talking to?"
When the gate came into view, his confusion deepened. Nick stood alone. No one else was there.
Leo passed by casually and greeted him. Nick barely spared him a glance.
"I knew it," Leo muttered. "I'm losing my mind."
Then—
Nick spoke again.
"The Hands of War think it was a prank. Someone with sound imitation abilities, maybe. I'll find out more."
Leo stopped.
He turned slowly.
Nick stood several feet away, murmuring to empty air.
Leo's vision sharpened unnaturally but he didn't need to read lips to know what he was saying.
He could hear every word.
"I'm not crazy?" Leo whispered, disappointment creeping into his voice. "Then who was he talking to… and why was it about me?"
Nick stopped speaking as his partner arrived for watch duty.
Leo turned away, questions piling atop each other like a suffocating weight.
Did someone know what he was? Did this have something to do with the old man?
He hissed through clenched teeth.
"There are too many damn questions," he growled. "And I don't like this."