Chapter 35 - 35 - The Hunter

After a relatively short and silent trek back to the wooden cottage, Lucien walked back to the room he woke up in and closed the door behind him. Although the journey back was uneventful, he felt strange pulses, faint heartbeats all around him. It was strange, and honestly, quite disturbing, only once they left the forest did these noises seemed to calm down.

As if aware of his current troubled state, Sera didn't bother starting up any conversation and remained silent and smiling throughout their return, only reminding the boy briefly about her plans for the night before he closed the door to his room behind him.

As soon as he was finally alone, Lucien hurried towards the bed in the room and sat down on its edge.

Before testing out the system's hibernation feature and letting it do its due course, he had a couple of updates to check.

Focusing his mind, he willed for the system to bring up the Skill Description Screen for the first passive skill he gained, the 'Sense Prey'

A moment later, the dark screen appeared, with the familiar interface.

[…::: Skill Page - Sense Prey :::…

Category: Passive Skills - Rank 1 - Progress: 0 EP - Depth: 0

Description: Spread out your sharpened senses around your body creating a 10-meter radius aura around yourself. Life forms, that could be counted as prey could no longer remain hidden once they enter this aura of awareness.

Mechanics: Every animal and or critter creature that is below your power level will be automatically spotted, making you aware of their exact location. The skill is passive thus does not require energy to remain active.

Note: The skill is passive, thus it does not actively require any energy to remain in effect. However, keep in note that in case you enter the 'Weakened' state (The remaining energy goes to 0), all passive abilities will temporarily deactivate. :::…]

Reading through the skill's description, the realization hit Lucien, he now realized that the strange disturbances he saw and felt around him in the forest were most likely a result of this skill's being in effect.

However, unlike what the page said, this feeling, the noise wasn't clear, it was faint, barely audible. Also, he didn't exactly 'saw' the creatures, he only felt the beating of their hearts… Although they may have been the result of him not focusing on them at that point and was trying his best to ignore them, shut them off completely.

He would have to pay more attention to the effects of this skill in the future to understand how it worked exactly. Still, it will surely be a welcome addition to his repertoire, and could already imagine many possible future uses, especially if he could somehow alter the skill's range.

Also, the previously encrypted section seemed to have been made available. The 'Depth' was a new term, that he had no idea what it could have meant.

'System, what does 'Depth' mean? What does it represent?' He asked mentally in the next second.

Instantly, the screen changed, formulating an already prepared response.

[…::: Depth is the current maximum level of investment you made related to the skill in the Essence Pool. The level 0 means that the host has made no investment currently, the skill has not been enhanced, changed, or evolved. :::…]

'Doesn't progress essentially shows the same? I honestly thought that it served a similar purpose…' Confused by the system's answer, Lucien inquired further.

[…::: Progress is the total invested amount of Entropy Points the host spent in the skill's Entropy Tree in the Essence Pool. Reaching a certain amount is the base requirement to evolve the skill into its next rank and stage. :::…]

'This is too difficult…' Lucien sighed helplessly, clearly not understanding what the system was explaining.

Deciding to not bother with it for now and focus on it more once he got to check out this new feature, he focused on the other skill he received, his first active one, the Warg Rush.

[…::: Skill Page - Bestial Rush :::…

Category: Active Skills - Rank 1 - Progress: 0 EP - Depth: 0

Description: Guide your rage and ferocity towards driving your muscles into overdrive, causing a sudden surge in your speed. Charge forward with an increased speed and momentum!

Mechanics: Channeled Skill. Gain a 20% increase to your movement speed at the base cost 20% of your maximum energy and a continuous 1% every second as long as the skill is active.

Note: Active Skills can be activated and deactivated by the host's mental command. :::…]

A smile began to appear and curve higher and higher on Lucien's face as he continued reading through his first active skill's details.

He could barely sit still, he wanted to immediately stand up and run out to test the skill out! He wanted to play with it and understand how he could activate it and deactivate it. Eventually, he managed to reign in his childish elation and calm down. He would have the chance to do it later, for now, he needed to quickly finish up his remaining tasks, and begin assimilating the gains.

There were many dangers, his time here in this safe space was limited. He needed to gain strength and power as fast as possible and as much as possible in order to stay safe.

Also, besides gaining power, he also needed to solve the matter of how his enemies could track him. Somehow, they managed to find his trace and he brought harm and damage upon those that wanted nothing more than to help him.

He felt that this was something he could follow up with the blonde woman, Sera. She seemed to be quite experienced and knowledgeable, not to mention powerful. For a being such as her to remain hidden within the modern society, she had to have some means he could also rely on.

Thinking about the elderly pair that suffered so brutally just because he was in their house, caused Lucien to frown, and clench his fists with anger. He would not let such a thing happen again. He would protect those that are close to him and take just revenge on those that wished him and those that are close to him harm.

With the help of this system, he will continue to grow stronger, gain strength, evolve… and do whatever necessary!

—

The sound of splashes reverberated through the long, dark tunnel. A large, graceful figure walked forward, his dark, brown leather boot splashing into the thin layer of sewage water that streamed towards the darkness.

A pale brown fur coat covered most of his body, just barely kept above the ground level and relatively clean. Dark jeans and black kevlar chest laid underneath the furry outer layer, he was holding a pair of strange, archaic-looking pistols in each of his hands, raised up, ready to lay waste to any threat that would have the gall to ambush him.

He had short silver hair and a matching thick, full, scruffy white beard. He wore a stern look on his face looking deep into the darkness stretching out in front of him. A vertical cut ran across his left eye, a remembrance, a memento of past wars or conquests that left its gushing remark to remain forever etched into history. A couple of smaller scabs adorned this veteran soldier's battle-hardened, rough-looking visage.

His mouth that was constantly chewing on something stopped for a moment and he spat out something that was charcoal black and grimy.

Although it was silent, he felt the slight change in the air. He cocked back the metal pins on both of his guns with his thumbs, readying it to fire their deadly projectiles. The stern look morphed into a scowl, as his eyes focused on the void ahead of him.

"Come, you bastard… Don't make me get to you!" He muttered with his croaky, guttural voice.

As if answering his whisper, in the next moment, a screech rebounded in the tunnel, sending small ripples across the surface of the filthy water. A pair of almond-shaped blood red eyes appeared, the owner of the hideous war cry, its body remaining in the shroud of the shadows.

Immediately, a loud explosive sound rang out, followed by a blinding light. The pair of archaic-looking guns' triggers were pulled, they violently spewed out their round-shaped silver metallic ball-like projectiles towards the direction of the creature.

Before the owner of the strange, eerie pair of eyes had a chance to react, the metal bullets already made contact with its body, plunging deep into its skin. It shrieked in pain one last time before a loud thump signaled the premature end of its clash with this mysterious aged fellow.

"F*ck you to you too." The man spat out a response before he lowered his guns and grabbed the small leather pouch hanging from the left side of his belt. He pulled out two new silvery, round metal balls from it along with a strange small vial filled with something that looked incredibly similar to gunpowder.

He spat another dark grimy ball of saliva as he began reloading his weapons.

"F*cking garkains making me waste these precious bullets…" He grumbled with a frown on his bearded face.