The sun was just beginning to rise, its faint orange glow stretching across the twisted horizon like a gentle warning. The wastelands were no less cruel in daylight, but the dawn brought with it a fragile sense of hope.
Leo walked at the front of the small group, his gaze steady and unwavering.
Behind him, the survivors followed—tired, wary, but strangely more collected than before. Their bodies had been given a chance to recuperate, and now, although fatigue lingered, there was renewed energy in their steps. For the first time in a while, they were not dragging their feet.
Leo felt different too. Stronger. More… aware. Though his face betrayed no emotion, he was in a rare, faintly uplifted mood.
He had leveled up. And not just any ordinary progression—he was now a Transcendent Tier 1.
The feeling of strength coursing through his limbs was exhilarating, intoxicating.
He didn't smile, but there was a hunger in his eyes, a craving that came with newfound power. Once someone tasted it, they couldn't help but desire more. Power was a drug that only sharpened ambition.
The terrain had changed with their journey. What once had been crumbling asphalt roads and the ruins of buildings now gave way to more grotesque landscapes.
Mutated terrain stretched endlessly around them, bizarre and nightmarish. The ground was cracked and covered with moss-like growths that pulsed faintly, as if breathing. Strange spores drifted lazily in the air, shimmering in hues that defied explanation.
Bones—scattered everywhere—jutted out from the ground, some too large to be human, others too twisted to identify. The scent of blood hung low and heavy, as though the earth itself had bled in ages past.
Leo could feel it in his veins. This place was seething with danger. Bloodlust saturated the air like a storm on the verge of breaking. His instincts, now honed sharper than ever before, picked up movement far off in the distance.
Several Level 3 peak mutants, a few strange humanoid forms—mutants—and what appeared to be Level 4 aberrants lurked nearby. Most people would be terrified at such proximity.
But Leo?
Leo was thrilled.
He no longer intended to avoid combat. Before, he had made the decision to conserve energy and get the survivors to safety as quickly as possible. But now, he had changed.
The road to Level 5—the Sovereign—would not be easy. He needed experience. Blood. Cores. And now, he was ready to fight for it.
He turned back to the group, issuing his command with calm authority. "Stay on this path. Keep moving. I'll handle the front."
No one dared question him.
In the next instant, Leo vanished, his body flickering like a mirage as he blinked forward, reappearing nearly three kilometers ahead. Dust spiraled where he once stood.
There, among a nest of charred stone and red sand, four Level 3 mutants were feasting on the remains of what appeared to be a Level 2 feral beast. Their elongated limbs and distorted jaws twisted in unnatural ways, and their growls echoed like broken machinery.
They noticed Leo immediately.
They charged.
The first met his fist head-on. The resulting impact sent it careening backward through a jagged stone wall. Its body crumpled like wet clay, and blood splattered in a messy arc across the ground.
Leo didn't wait.
With a flick of his wrist, crimson energy formed in the air. Blood Swipe.
A razor-thin arc of blood slashed through the others. Their bodies fell before their minds even registered death. It was too easy. Leo's strength felt boundless here. This was the power of a Transcendent.
But he was not satisfied.
This victory was just a drop in the ocean. He needed more. Much more.
And so began his hunt.
He swept across the wastelands like a phantom, moving faster than any beast could react to. Within hours, he had covered nearly ten miles, carving a path through the death-strewn landscape.
Every mutant he encountered was torn apart. Level 2s fell instantly. Level 3s offered mild resistance, enough to keep his reflexes sharp. Each core he extracted was crushed in his hand, its energy flowing into him in warm waves.
Still, he had only advanced to Tier 2 within Transcendent.
He needed a challenge. Something that would push him further.
And as if summoned by his desire, Lady Luck smiled.
Far ahead, perched atop a hill of crushed bones, was a creature unlike any Leo had faced before.
It resembled a tiger, but its form was massive—nearly eight feet long and six feet tall at the shoulder. Dark, bristled fur clung tightly to its muscular frame. Black eyes gleamed with intelligence and malice. Sharp, glistening teeth poked out beneath curled lips.
This was no ordinary monster. This was a Level 4 aberrant. And not just any—it was at the peak.
Leo narrowed his eyes. A worthy foe at last.
He moved silently, slipping through the wind with steps so quiet even the earth didn't hear. He neared the beast, aiming for a silent assassination—one clean strike to the neck.
But the tiger wasn't so easily fooled.
In the blink of an eye, it disappeared.
Leo's eyes widened. The beast reappeared above him, its massive paw descending like a meteor. He barely raised his arm in time to block, but the force behind the blow was monstrous.
He was thrown back, sliding through the dirt, his right arm twisted at an unnatural angle. The pain flared briefly, then vanished as his regenerative ability activated, knitting the broken bones and torn flesh.
The fight had begun.
Leo unleashed a barrage of Blood Swipes, each one sharp enough to tear stone. The tiger darted between them with alarming grace.
Leo then summoned Blood Wipers to bind it, thick tendrils of coagulated blood wrapping around the beast's limbs. But the tiger roared, flexing its limbs, and shattered them with brute strength.
Leo's brow furrowed. Even at Transcendent Tier 2, this wasn't a normal challenge.
This creature was special. A guardian. A boss-level monster in these cursed lands.
The tiger came again, faster now. In one fluid leap, it was upon him, its jaws aimed for Leo's throat. He countered with an upward kick, but the beast twisted midair—something Leo hadn't expected—and evaded cleanly.
Then something stranger happened.
The air began to hum.
Rocks and dust lifted off the ground, suspended by invisible force. The tiger's body shimmered with psychic energy. Telekinesis. Leo hadn't even considered that it had such an ability.
Suddenly, a storm of boulders and shards flew toward him. Leo weaved through the chaos, dodging deftly. But one massive rock caught him square on the side of the head.
Blood streamed down his temple, obscuring his vision. Before he could recover, the tiger was on him, sinking its teeth into his thigh and flinging him aside.
He hit the ground hard.
Pain rippled through him, but the regenerative ability dulled it. The beast approached, preparing to rip his chest open.
But Leo had a surprise. In the instant before impact, he drove his sword backward into the beast's spine. It didn't pierce far—its hide was absurdly thick—but it was enough. The tiger howled, giving Leo the moment he needed to escape.
He fled.
Not out of cowardice, but strategy.
He darted behind withered trees, leapt over ridges of sand and stone, using the terrain as cover. The tiger pursued relentlessly, eyes burning with fury.
Leo attacked from the shadows. Blood Swipes. Sudden strikes. He stayed elusive, targeting blind spots. Slowly, he began to understand the beast's movement, its habits.
After nearly half an hour of this deadly dance, Leo condensed a sphere of blood—part his own, part the beast's. It pulsed with volatile energy.
He planted it.
When the tiger rushed at him again, he welcomed it. They clashed—claw and fist, blood and fury. The beast roared, striking wildly.
And then, as planned, the blood sphere vanished from its hidden perch, reappearing directly behind the tiger.
It struck its eye with brutal precision.
The creature shrieked.
Leo seized the moment. He drove his blade into the tiger's heart.
The beast shuddered… then fell.
Silence.
Leo collapsed to one knee, panting. He removed the core—dark red and throbbing with energy.
[Core of Level 4 Peak Aberrant acquired.]
He crushed it.
Energy exploded within him, flooding every cell. Power surged, overwhelming. He screamed—but it was a scream of triumph.
He had advanced two tiers.
Now, he stood at Transcendent Tier 3.
He laughed quietly. "Ah… power. So good. I can't stop now."
For the next four hours, Leo hunted without pause. Across the wastelands, he became a storm of death. When he returned to the group, he was drenched in blood—none of it his own.
The survivors stepped back instinctively.
No one spoke.
They could see it in his eyes. He had been killing… and enjoying it.
Finally, after hours of grueling travel, they reached the edge of the wastelands. Sixty miles conquered.
Curiously, the group hadn't faced any resistance. No mutant attacks. No beast ambushes.
Stacey broke the silence. "Leo… how is that possible?"
Leo just shrugged, the corner of his mouth twitching.
"I hunted them. It was fun."
Stacey blinked, unsure whether to laugh or be horrified.
And so, they moved on.
Into whatever nightmare waited next.