Isaac transformed back into his Legacy and approached the feather that had fallen to the forest floor. Just like after the fight with the Minotaur, he tapped it with his beak and watched as it shattered into countless crimson motes.

  Yet, instead of working as intended, they just floated there, lazily circling his form.

  Wha—

  He didn’t have time to finish that thought, as in that moment, the motes moved and slammed into his body all at once. He gasped and staggered back, his talons digging into the earth. It wasn’t the end, though, and soon, pain followed.

  It spread from his Core and Legacy Spark before making its way into his veins and flesh. But unlike in the past, he didn’t collapse. Unbreakable Will—his somewhat new skill—activated, keeping him upright despite his bones breaking and muscles tearing. Only when the change reached his feet did he nearly drop to the ground.

  Not too bad, Isaac thought, his attention fully on suppressing the pain. Maybe one day I can become completely numb? …No. That’s probably not healthy either.

  One thing he was grateful for was that the growth process no longer felt like being burned alive from the inside out. Well, this, and that it ended in a matter of not even five minutes. He counted.

  All right. Let’s see what I have become.

  Isaac rose to his full height and looked around. Obviously, he became taller and bigger. By how much, he wasn’t sure, though. Maybe a head or two? Either way, he would figure it out once he returned to his human form or met with other people.

  Anything else?

  He craned his neck to take a glimpse at his back, but found nothing worth mentioning there. He still had two pairs of wings, and his feathers still looked like freshly spilled blood. A little bit disappointing, but maybe he was expecting too much from a growth stage advancement.

  At least there's this, he mused, his gaze on the notifications flashing before him.

  Congratulations! Your Legacy has advanced to its final growth stage (Elder). Permanent Immortal Mana flow has been reinforced. Prolonged stay in Hybrid mode will no longer harm the Host as quickly.

  Note: To further improve your Legacy, it must evolve. You have not yet met the necessary evolution requirements. Good luck, Host.

  There was another message waiting for him, but before that, Isaac ordered the Interface to show him the new requirements. To his relief, they weren’t anything he didn’t already expect.

  Second Legacy Evolution Requirements:

  - Reach Level 50 (Completed)

  - Achieve Origin Fusion

  Guess that only reinforces my decision to work on Fusion during the break.

  Dismissing this notification, Isaac turned to the one that interested him the most. It was the reason why he had bought the feather after all.

  New Inheritance unlocked, Carrion Sense.

  [Inheritance: Carrion Sense]

  A powerful sense unique to creatures of blood. Mass bloodshed, wounded creatures, and violence now leave faint echoes you can perceive. The greater the blood loss, the clearer the traces. Note: It’s not impossible to hide from this sense.

  Isaac gasped as his body forcefully shifted. He dropped to his knees, clutching his head.

  The blood… He could feel it. Hear it. Smell it. Even see it, despite his eyes being shut.

  A rabbit that had been here not that long ago, snatched and torn apart by a small monster. A human, fighting and killing the same beasts while also losing blood in the process.

  There was more, but those two echoes were the loudest, the most recent.

  Dammit. Isaac grimaced, doing his best to push away the feedback from his new sense. It fought back, dragging more faint echoes to the forefront of his mind. Some help?

  He wasn’t sure who he was asking, yet an answer still came. Both the Root and his Core pulsed. Symphony of Blood ignited, and bit by bit, his new Carrion Sense weakened. The echoes almost vanished, now no more than a whisper in his ear.

  He exhaled slowly.

  Thanks.

  The Core and Root pulsed again before withdrawing.

  Isaac climbed back to his feet and took a careful look around. The echoes tried to snap into focus, but now that the initial shock had passed, he managed to keep them suppressed. Mostly, at least. Carrion Sense was still there, constantly poking at his mind.

  “Could get annoying,” he muttered to himself.

  This was a random forest where barely any fighting ever happened. What if he walked into one of his recent battlefields where hundreds had died? Just thinking about it gave him a headache.

  Right… Not fighting anything until I get this under control. At least it should be useful.

  The author's narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

  Aside from being a powerful tool for tracking and gathering information, Carrion Sense could also serve as another early warning system when exploring new areas. He simply had to learn how to control it first. Being assaulted with every possible echo at once was far from pleasant.

  Isaac spared the forest clearing another glance and transformed. In the blink of an eye, he was back in the sky, soaring toward Silent Oasis. Instead of heading straight for the house, he landed by the gate. No point in making a scene when probably over ninety percent of the village was hungover.

  Poor sods, he thought, watching two men drag someone out of a shattered wooden crate. Nearby, an older woman tried—and failed—to shake awake a trio sprawled in the middle of the street.

  With a quiet chuckle, Isaac passed them, sharing a few nods with those already awake. He couldn’t wait to see how Marie would deal with this mess.

  Assuming she’s even awake.

  Soon enough, he reached the door of the shared house. Almost without any noise, he slipped inside, his eyebrows rising at the sight that greeted him.

  James was awake, elbows planted on the table, head buried in his hands. He didn’t even notice Isaac coming in.

  On the other hand, Elaine was still sprawled on her bed. She, however, instantly noticed his arrival even if only one of her eyes was open.

  As for Marie?

  She was soundly asleep, clutching a pillow to her chest, her back turned to the rest of the room.

  Isaac hummed. That was… unexpected. He hid his surprise behind a grin, though.

  “Rough night?” he asked.

  Right away, Elaine flipped him off and buried her face in a pillow with a groan. James’ reaction, however, only fueled his amusement.

  “Fuck off, man,” James grumbled. “You and your overpowered regeneration. Let us suffer.”

  Isaac chuckled, raising his hands in surrender. “That’s the plan. You gonna have to wait for Marie if you want any help.”

  James snorted. “Doubt Ari’s waking up anytime soon. Don’t know if you remember, but she drank half the village under the table. Not sure if I should be horrified or proud.”

  What? Isaac blinked at the news. Before he could utter a word, though, his mind helpfully supplied him with a few flashes from the last night. Oh… right. That did happen.

  Who would have guessed she had it in her?

  Clearing his throat, he glanced at the older man. “Remind me again, where the hell did we get so much alcohol?”

  James shrugged, letting his head drop onto the table with a dull thump. “Beats me, man. But I swear, if I ever find the one responsible, I will—“

  “Can you two shut the hell up?!” Elaine interrupted with a yell muffled by her pillow. “I’m dying here. Let me do it in peace.”

  For a moment, Isaac just stared at her, his amusement rising. He turned back to James, opening his mouth to speak again, only to stop. Somehow, in the span of those few seconds, the older man had managed to fall asleep on the chair, his head still resting against the table.

  Honestly? Impressive.

  He continued to watch, his gaze drifting between his three friends. In the end, though, he shook his head and returned to his bed. There, he sat down and summoned the Flameborn Core to his lap and got to work.

  Origin Fusion wouldn’t achieve itself.

  “You sure you don’t want me to come?” Isaac asked as he and James walked toward the Safe Zone’s gate. The sun was already going down, but at this point, it hardly mattered.

  “Nah, I’m good,” the older man replied. “Already got a group that wants to join. Should be enough.”

  “Hope you’re right.”

  “I know I am. Besides, my sisters can pull their weight too.”

  Isaac nodded. “We will see you in a few days, then. Message me if anything happens.”

  James clapped him on the back. “Will do, boss. Have fun training that sense of yours.”

  Just like that, Isaac’s face twisted into a scowl. Even if he should have been safe from the echoes inside the village, last night’s celebrations had made sure that wasn’t the case. He had lost count of how many faint crimson outlines of two people punching each other he had passed in the last few hours.

  “Whatever,” he grumbled, crossing his arms. “Go already.”

  James laughed and stepped through the gate. He threw one last salute over his shoulder before transforming into a massive rhino clad in dark gray armor plates. With a deep, rumbling roar, the beast charged toward the nearby woods, moving far faster than its size suggested.

  Soon, it was gone.

  “Back to work, then,” Isaac muttered as he turned and headed back into the village.

  Right now, the place was a mess, but with the week-long break, Marie would probably transform it into something else. That the Reward Shop had plenty of materials and tools they needed to upgrade the Safe Zone was a nice plus.

  Now… where the hell is Elaine?

  Three days into the break, Isaac was back in his usual forest clearing. He sat cross-legged, the Flameborn Core lying in his lap. That said, he barely felt it at this point. Rather, his focus was only on the energy coursing through his body.

  The warmth. The rising heat. The burning beneath his skin. Viron transformed into fire.

  Come on. Come on. Don’t fail me now.

  He drew more Viron from his Core, letting his boiling blood refine it into something more. To a degree, it worked, yet no matter how hard he tried to force the flames to come out, he always hit some kind of a wall.

  With blood, it was easy. He just had to call on his Origin, and his Viron would transform into the familiar crimson liquid. Here, however, he had to complete the process all on his own.

  More!

  His palm touched the Flameborn Core, and with one final push, he ripped out whatever energy remained inside the artifact. Before it could dissipate, he threw it all at the barrier stopping him from progressing. More Viron followed.

  For a heartbeat, nothing happened.

  Then, Isaac felt something shatter inside him. His Origin flared, but it wasn’t alone this time. A much smaller and weaker link sprouted out of the bond that connected him to Blood, going somewhere he couldn’t reach.

  Its warmth, though… that he couldn’t miss.

  Isaac opened his eyes and grinned.

  There, upon his raised palm, sat a crimson flame. It was barely the size of his smallest finger, but none of that mattered. With a flick of Viron, the dancing flame moved, becoming two, and then three.

  It worked.

  Fusion Breakthrough achieved. You have obtained a new skill, Fire Manipulation.

  [Fire Manipulation | Grade: Mystic | Tier I]

  A passive breakthrough skill. Acts as a measure of your current mastery of unassisted fire control. Also acts as the Host’s first link to the Origin of Fire. Due to its instability, this ability will fade with time if not cultivated.

  So that’s how it is, Isaac mused, his gaze on the last line of the description. He really should have expected such a thing. Otherwise, what was stopping Hosts from learning every single Manipulation skill there was?

  Nothing.

  Gotta get it to max tier. Then… it’s time for the final step.

  Fusion.

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