Rex touches his forehead feeling something hit his forehead,
It happened so fast that even with his enhanced senses, he can't see or even react to something that hit him on the forehead.
'Did that Supernatural did this?', Rex thought.
He can't think of anything else besides the Northern Black Heads' doings.
Their brief exchange completely shocked Rex as it can flee under Rex's nose, it completely baffled him knowing that such a creature exists.
Rex scans the surrounding area, he then thought, 'That Northern Black Head is taking the black leaves, what are they going to do with it?'
After thinking for a while, Rex suddenly remembered.
'Oh yeah! I think the quest reward gave me black leaves', Rex thought.
He then takes the black leaves he got from the inventory, two black leaves appeared on his hand that look completely the same as normal leaves.
Aside from its color, pure black.
Rex then scans the black leaves with the system,
<Lightless Leaf>
A leaf that grows from a Dark Pixy Tree that can only be found in an environment devoid of sunlight, it is also known as the Water Poison. Upon touching a water surface, it will turn into a black substance that can kill a rank four creature easily and hurt a higher rank creature. Continous exposal to this black leaf will kill any creature if enough lightless leaves are used.
Reading this, Rex frowns.
The explanation of the Lightless Leaves makes him even more confused, 'What do they want with poisonous leaves? Is that their food or something?', Rex thought.
After shaking his head, Rex then went back to Liliya.
Liliya is currently tending to her wounds, she's using a green elixir to rub the wound on her stomach from the Dark Monkey before.
She then heard someone approaching before Rex pops from the darkness.
"I cleared out the area, there should be no more disturbance this night", Rex said as an excuse, he only left Liliya to catch that snitching Dark Monkey before.
Hearing this, Liliya nodded her head before she lies on the tree trunk.
Although she's injured, the thing that makes her weak is the skill she used before that put her in this state.
"What's that skill you use before? It's like a barrier of red mark", Rex asks.
Liliya close her eyes before she replied, "I develop the skill a while ago, it's a defensive skill that can spawn invisible red marks that will detonate upon touching it"
"That's convenient, it will be useful for fighting a group of creatures", Rex nodded his head in affirmation.
He then sits on the tree trunks beside Liliya before he checks the system,
Rex looks at the skill tree and taps the Alpha Intimidation skill, his eyes then widened in the realization of his blunder.
'Wait, I thought the Alpha Bearing skill need 30 Skill Upgrade. Turns out it only needs 20 Skill Upgrade', Rex thought.
He currently has enough Skill Upgrade added with the quest reward he got from before.
Rex already upgrades his Force Manipulation skill to level two for 15 Skill Upgrade, with the remaining Skill Upgrade he can also upgrade his Alpha Intimidation skill.
He clicks on the upgrade button before the Alpha Intimidation skill turned into Alpha Bearing.
It is a more powerful version of Alpha Intimidation that will reduce anyone's stats that looks at him, anyone with a lower mental stat of course.
This will make him more efficient in fighting groups of enemies.
With the barrier created by Liliya and his Alpha Bearing skill, Rex can't wait to use it to fight a group of creatures.
Rex then closes his eyes intending to meditate but then,
RAWR!!
Growls of creatures can be heard from the darkness,
From the sound of it, Rex can tell that there are many of them, just like the Dark Monkey from before that lives in a group.
Rex opened his eyes with a smile,
He saw many white eyes looking at him from the darkness, they are cat-like creatures the size of lions.
They have a brown muscular body with a spotted pattern on it, two sharp fangs from their upper mouth, and hunchback bodies like hyenas.
Rex nudge Liliya's body to wake her up,
Feeling the nudge, Liliya open her eyes with a frown, "What are you-", her words stopped when she saw they're surrounded again.
It's even worse now because this is the second time they got to attack,
"I think we're not going to get much sleep in this place", Rex said, but his mouth quirk up to a smile as if it's a good thing.
Liliya looks around with a sigh, her body is still strained by the fight before, "They're weaker than the Dark Monkey, you handle it I want to sleep"
After saying that, Liliya mark Rex with her Enhancing Mark and go back to sleep.
This makes Rex's smile even wider, 'I'm not going to deny this running exp, sleep tight Liliya', he thought before he activates his new skill.
"Alpha Bearing"
SWOSH!!
A red shockwave exploded subtly from Rex's body,
It doesn't bring that much effect but the fierce look of the cat-like creatures turns into shock, they can feel their power leaving them as Rex's bearing becomes unimaginably oppressing.
They can see Rex's dark red aura that take a shape of a big red Werewolf,
All of the cat-like creatures that got hit by the subtle red shockwave got weaker by 30%, all of them becomes scared by Rex's aura.
Added with Rex's superior bloodline, these creatures don't stand a chance.
But Rex will not let them get away, "DON'T YOU RUN NOW LITTLE KITTIES!"
~
Somewhere outside of Ratmawati City, there is a level four city that is surrounded by lakes.
The streets in this city are all crowded with people,
Merchants that sold many things, families bonding together while playing street games and even guards that kept the laws in the city can be seen walking around idly.
No crime has occurred in this city for quite a while, it can be seen through the guard's faces.
They are more like friendly city guards than actual guards, the weapons on their hands are even of an old model.
Aside from the lively city, there're people with black crow tattoos roaming the street.
If Rex was to see their tattoos, he will instantly recognize it as the tattoo of a member of the Stygian Crow Organization.
Or also known as, the Black Hand.
This city is one of the banded level four cities that felt abandoned by Ratmawati City, and they are currently under the protection of the SCO.
These Black Hands are beloved by the city, all of the people here are dependant on them.
Out of all of the people in the city, there is one person that just arrive at the city by car.
If Rex was here then he will immediately recognize this person, the person that accompany him during his time at Ochyra University, Rosie.
Rosie is wearing layered clothes because of the coldness of this place, she's dragging a suitcase while tidying the scarf on her neck.
She's looking around a place before her eyes lit up, "Abby!", she shouted.
A woman with expressive blue eyes and her medium-long, luscious, dark brown hair glance at Rosie from afar, her expression lit up when she saw Rosie coming towards her.
"Rosie!", she shouted before she runs and hugs Rosie.
The two of them are close friends, and it seems it's been a while since they saw each other.
"How have you been! It's been a year since I last saw your thick ass!", Abby said before slapping Rosie's ass in public.
Rosie blushed before she hugs her arm in embarrassment, "Let's get out of here first, I'm cold"
They both then went to a house that is not far from the entrance of the city, it's inside a residence that looks homey and comfortable.
While walking there, "Qrila City seems different, the last time I'm here the city looks devoid of people and is about to crumble", Rosie said.
"Everything changed after the Black Hand, they offer us protection and resources making the city thrives like this", Abby said with a prideful look.
It is her hometown, and seeing her hometown like this certainly makes her proud.
Hearing this, Rosie looks around in amazement.
She read the news about the banded level four cities called Abandoned by Light, and she can't believe that Qrila City is also a part of it and it looks so lively.
'Are the Black Hand really that great? How come they can protect people without being an Awakened', Rosie thought.
After reaching Abby's home, Rosie unpacked her things.
She will be staying here for a couple of days or even a week before she went back, she came here to clear her mind from things.
"Are you done?", Abby said after entering Rosie's room.
Rosie puts her hands on her waist before she said, "Yup, I know what you're thinking so let's go right now!"
Abby look at Rosie weirdly,
It is a custom for them that every time they meet in a long time, they will go to a bar to tell each other their life stories and catch up.
But Rosie didn't like drinking, so seeing her this fired up makes Abby frowns.
"Stop looking at me like that, let's just talk in the bar", Rosie said before she pulls Abby outside of her home heading towards the nearest bar.
In the bar, Rosie poured out of her frustrations.
The alcohol she consumed this time is way past her limits, her face is already bright red.
She already told her stories with Rex from start to finish, and of course, she filters the part of him being a Werewolf.
"I told him I will do anything for him, but he declined. He said that I didn't have the same ambition like him. So he left me, haaahh what should I do", Rosie said while drinking.
It's not even an hour yet, and she's already drunk.
Abby plays with her glass hearing Rosie's story, she then said, "What is this ambition he's so crazy about?"
pan,da n<0,>v,el Hearing this, Rosie shakes her head, "What do you mean?"
"The ambition you're talking about, What is it?", Abby asks patiently.
Rosie is already drunk as hell, and her mind is probably not smarter than a walnut.
"I can't tell you that, he will hate me if I said it to anyone", Rosie said, she's drunk but she still remembers to keep all of her secrets a secret.
Abby message her forehead before she finally said, "All I'm saying is if you don't have the same ambition as him, rather than forcing it, why don't you just become his ambition"
"If he's crazy about power, then become a powerful person that will make him stick with you"
"If he's crazy about money, then get rich so he will stick with you"
Rosie stopped as she widened her eyes, what Abby said completely baffles her.
"Do you get it? Hello? Rosie are you there?", Abby said while waving her hands in front of Rosie who is suddenly daydreaming.
She then snaps out of her daze before she said, "Yeah, yeah I get it"
After answering Abby,
Abby started to tell Rosie to not go crazy because of some guy, but Rosie didn't hear all of the things she said after her last sentences.
'Become his ambition, Do I really have to do that?'
~
Back at the Lightless Marsh,
Liliya opened her eyes after some time, she woke up to the smell of something delicious.
She looks down from the tree and finds Rex roasting something, he manages to create a fire despite the moist environment.
"What are you doing?", Liliya said after jumping down.
Rex looks to her before he gives Liliya a piece of meat on a stick, "Eat this, I found that the meat from the creatures before is tasty"
Hearing this, Liliya hesitates but when she bites the meat her eyes lit up.
What Rex said turns out to be true, the meat of the Dark Monkey or even the cat-like creature from before is tasty.
But then, Liliya shakes her head and said, "We're on a mission, we haven't even find the Northern Black Heads"
"I found their location while you're sleeping, so just eat and we'll go search for them", Rex said nonchalantly as he bites the meat in delight.
Liliya was stunned before she nodded her head,
They both started eating the roasted meat until they're satisfied, Liliya didn't complain anymore because Rex already located their whereabouts.
After eating, Rex and Liliya stand up,
"I meet one of them before, but I got hit by something before that Northern Black Head disappear from my sight", Rex said.
He then continues, "All I know is that it's definitely one of their abilities, so we must keep our guard when we meet them"
Liliya nodded her head, "Lead the way, I will create an invisible barrier around us"
Rex nodded his head before both of them dashes into a direction, they left the place just like a ghost in the darkness of the Lightless Marsh.
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