For a minute, perhaps longer, Isaac stood in the middle of the meadow, his breathing slowly calming. The Blood Moon above had long since faded, leaving him alone in the dark. With how tired he was, even his night vision felt weaker, failing to get rid of all the darkness in his sight.

He let out a weak chuckle.

As exhausted as he was, it was nothing compared to the void inside him. If he had any Viron left, he couldn't feel it. His muscles weren't any better, burning and aching in equal measure. At the very least, his regeneration had already healed all the bruises, cuts, and other injuries he had received during the fight.

Overall, could have been worse, Isaac thought, smiling. What he felt now was nothing a few hours of rest couldn't fix. Sure, he still had to get back to the village, but with the spark powering his Legacy still active, that shouldn't be a problem.

Or so he hoped.

One thing was certain, he couldn't wait to be chewed out by Elaine and Marie, and then get called insane. That would be fun. Very fun. At least James wouldn't be there to laugh at him. Small mercies.

Maybe I can just take a nap here and skip all that? He mused, looking around. Yeah, better not.

With a snort, Isaac dropped to the ground, allowing his legs to rest for the time being. Even if the others thought he was reckless, he didn't regret any of this. Killing cannon fodder could only feed his growing bloodlust for so long before he went mad. Fighting was now a part of him, a part that he didn't want to deny or suppress. Not when it made him feel more alive than anything else.

Even now, exhausted, drained of Viron, and with his body aching, all he felt was a deep-rooted satisfaction.

Just gotta make sure I don't get overconfident. That's all, he thought, lying down on the grass. Taking a short breather couldn't hurt. Besides, he had to check his notifications. Let's see then.

Most of what first appeared before him was the standard kill notifications. There were dozens, if not hundreds, of them. With a wave of his hand, he dismissed all but two of them.

[Guardian of the Valley (LVL. 24) slain]

[Guardian of the Valley (LVL. 23) slain]

So that's why they were almost a Moderate-high threat. Add to that their abilities and well…

Humming, Isaac banished those two notifications and tried to call up the next ones. Yet, instead of a standard string of messages after each big fight, something a bit different appeared before him.

A line of text followed by a familiar semi-transparent window.

You have received a recorded transmission from your Patron. Play now?

"Rakin," Isaac muttered, his eyes on the screen. "Been a while…"

Play.

Just like that, a familiar image appeared in the window. Like the last time, Rakin was lounging in his massive, stupid chair. Then, the recording began, and a slow clapping noise filled Isaac's ears.

"My, my, my," Rakin drawled, a grin on his face. "I always knew you blood-bearers were insane bastards, but I didn't expect you to go off the deep end this fast. And just a few hours before the Virus Wars begin, no less. Not gonna lie, kid—I'm impressed. Not a lot, but impressed nonetheless. And let me tell you, that ain't an easy thing to accomplish. Be proud!"

Just then, a short snort came from someone who definitely wasn't Rakin. The alien turned, his eyes narrowed at something—or rather someone—beyond the screen.

"Is there anything you wish to add, Narin?"

"Not at all, sir," a familiar, amused voice answered him.

Rakin huffed and returned his attention to the camera. "Ignoring my annoying assistant… I gotta say, I'm glad your name was on the list I gave Fisk. If all those hyenas out there saw this little show of yours…" He gave a low whistle. "Let's just say you would be one popular guy. Fortunately, or unfortunately—depends on how you see it—you're mine, kid. They can try, they can fight, b—"

"Sir," Narin cut in again. "He probably has no idea what you're talking about."

Rakin blinked, closed his mouth, and then blinked again. "Huh…" He clicked his tongue. "You just might be right, my dear… Ah, whatever, doesn't matter! Now, Isaac, you're probably wondering why I sent you this message. After all, it can't be just to tell you that I'm impressed, right?"

Isaac's eye twitched as the Overlord paused for the cliche dramatic effect. Did someone drop this guy on his head as a child?

Almost as if reading his thoughts, Rakin's grin stretched even wider. "Well, I could have done that. You wouldn't believe what's possible with decent multitasking and a few clones. But no, this is more than just a social call." He turned to the person off-camera. "Narin?"

This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.

"Everything is in order, sir. The reward should arrive right about… now."

Right on cue, light erupted a few feet from Isaac. When it faded, a small wooden chest was left in its place. His mouth opened in surprise. This was supposed to be a recording, not a live transmission. How the hell did they time this so perfectly?

Right… He grimaced. They are still watching.

"There you go!" Rakin exclaimed. "This little chest contains your rewards from the Overseer for defeating the swarm, plus a little bonus from me on top. Use it well." The Overlord clapped once. "That's another thing taken care of. On to the next!"

The image on the screen shifted a little. The alien was still there, but now, just below him, at the edge of the window, a timer appeared—one Isaac recognized well.

"As you see, the Virus Wars begin in just a few hours," Rakin continued. "Broadcast will fill you in on the details, and then the fun begins! Ah, I love these moments. The first round is always the most exciting."

"Sir. The point."

The Overlord rolled his eyes. "The point is, after the timer runs out and you stop panicking, I need you to take a nap, Isaac. Whatever Fisk tells you is good and all, but now that I'm invested in you, I might as well share a thing or two too. And besides, I gotta give you a new Patron mission, right? Can't have you slacking."

Don't punch the invisible screen. Don't punch the invisible screen, Isaac repeated in his head as he took a deep breath. He also relaxed his clenched fists. This wasn't the time to get angry. The Overlord wasn't even here.

"And that's pretty much it," Rakin said as the recording continued. "Again, good job, kid. See you soon. Ciao!"

Just like that, the screen blinked out of existence. Isaac sighed, closing his eyes for a brief moment. With how long it had been since his last contact with the alien, he had forgotten just how unique Rakin's personality was.

He snorted. Unique. Right…

Isaac's eyes opened once more, just in time to see a list of notifications invading his sight. Just like he had expected, there were a lot of them.

Let's get this over with.

His good mood took quite a hit thanks to Rakin's message.

Congratulations, Host! You have defeated the Swarm. The Shades of the Valleys fear you. You may now enter the Ruins of Whispers and travel this territory uninterrupted. Rewards and level progression will be distributed soon.

Rewards… Isaac mused, his gaze going to the small chest for a moment. Later.

You have leveled up twice! You are now level 23. Distribution of Ascension Power has advanced the tier or grade of the following attributes: Power (I->II), Toughness (II->III), Regeneration (Refined V->Unbound I), Insight (IV->V)

Before Isaac could even read the notification, he gasped as something inside his body shattered. Energy—not Viron—flooded him in a way similar to Marie's support skill. The exhaustion and aching were still there, but they felt less intense, almost distant.

"Unbound, huh?" he muttered, smiling. "Nice."

The following skills have advanced tiers: Obliteration (II->III) Cursed Draw (III->IV) Harden (II->IV) Basic Filtering (VII->VIII)

Decent progress. He was only a little bit surprised that Pain Resistance didn't advance despite Harden getting two tiers. Then again, even with how many times he got hit today, he barely felt anything.

Shaking his head, he dismissed the notification and stood up, quietly approaching the chest with his rewards. Though calling it a chest might have been a bit of a stretch. If he had to take a guess, his boots probably wouldn't even fit inside.

Still, he unlatched the clasps and popped the lid open.

Interesting…

While most of the contents of the chest were hidden beneath a dark violet—almost black—ghost-like piece of cloth, atop it lay a letter, or maybe a pamphlet would be a better word for it. Isaac was kind of reminded of the single page he had received at the beginning of the apocalypse.

He grabbed it first and started reading.

To my current favorite blood-bearer! May this short guide help you on the way toward the second Origin milestone.

Origin Fusion, a necessary step if you want to matter in this Universe. Unlike Reawakening, it ain't something you can just brute-force with enough artifacts. Sure, they help, but this is where hard work matters the most.

To achieve Fusion, you need two skills, specifically two different Origin Manipulation skills. You already have one, so all that's left is to get the other. Nothing too hard, right?

Wrong! This is the most difficult part of Fusion.

There's no Origin connection to guide you this time. No shortcuts. That's why your job here is to forge this connection, to create it from nothing. How?

Easy! By using your sheer fucking willpower… and an artifact or two, so it doesn't take you a decade. Also, depending on what second Origin you want, you can try the equivalent of jumping off a cliff to feel the wind. Personally, though, I don't recommend that one. Just grab an artifact, feel for its power, and try to transform your pure Viron into your chosen element.

It will suck, it will take some time, but that's the method that usually works best.

Good luck, kid.

With that, the guide ended. Isaac hummed, his brow furrowed.

That's… helpful.

When Rakin mentioned a bonus reward, he had thought it would be another item. But no, the alien gave him a guide. On Origin Fusion, no less. Was this how all Patrons helped their chosen?

For some reason, Isaac doubted that. Rakin was anything but normal. And for all the talk about throwing Hosts into death games instead of simply training them, the Overlord sure liked to give him a tip here and there. First, about the reawakening and now this.

Just what is your angle?

He had some ideas, but they were all so simple, so obvious. He refused to accept any of them as the truth. Besides, the fool's act wasn't convincing anyone. There had to be more to this than just entertainment and the possible power harvest he had discussed with James. There just had to…

One day… Isaac vowed. One day, I will figure this out.

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