Though he had only opened eleven Major Acupoints from the Cultivation Art given to him, the total number he'd opened—including those outside the Art—should've made his Wilder Force skyrocket.
But it didn't.
His stats, though improved, didn't reflect the power he knew was coursing through him. What should have been a triumphant moment felt hollow. The brief joy he had gotten from the stat boost quickly dimmed and his thoughts became clouded by the unanswered questions.
He even momentarily forgot about the new [Hunter] skill.
Taking a breath to steady himself, Marcus opened the skill tab.
[Hunter]— A predator is a natural hunter. Once a prey has been found, a hunter never lets go of his prey. There are no merciful kills, only life and death. A hunter's senses are keen and sharp, and his steps are traceless and fast.
His eyes widened as he noticed not one, but two unlocked variants of the skill:
[Hunter: Veilstep]— A hunter of borders, a stalker though planes. This one walks where others fear to tread.
Effects: Gain the ability to pass through solid objects for 4 seconds.
While phased, cannot attack but is undetectable.
Exiting phase grants +20% critical chance for 6 seconds.
+5% speed per second spent in stealth mode (up to +30%)
Skill cannot be stacked onto another [Hunter] variation.
Cooldown: 10 hours.
[Hunter: Apex Variant]—The apex predator does not chase. It waits, tracks, and corners its prey. Once the hunt begins, the ecosystem bends to its will.
Effects: +20% Damage against targets marked as [Prey]
Automatically marks the weakest target in a group as [Prey]
While near [Prey], gain 15% perception and 10% speed.
Special Trait: Prey mark lasts until death or 10 minutes out of sight.
Skill cannot be stacked onto another [Hunter] variation.
Cooldown: 8 hours.
"What the…?" Marcus muttered. "A skill with two variants."
He read the descriptions, and his mind raced to envision combat scenarios. Each variant brought immense value, but the fact that he could only use one at a time dulled his enthusiasm. The strategic flexibility was undeniable, yet the limitation felt like a leash.
Still, it wasn't a bad problem to have.
Just as curiosity stirred a desire to test one of the skills, he froze.
He was nearly naked.
Only now realizing the state he was in, Marcus scrambled across the room and found a dusty box in the corner. Inside were folded, aged clothes—likely Logan's spares. He shook off the dust and threw them on without ceremony.
Only after he'd gotten dressed did Marcus realize the clothes he wore weren't typical patrol uniform—they were scholarly robes. Simple, but elegant, with a faint embroidery at the cuffs. At the top-left corner sat a small badge stitched into the fabric, its symbol faded with age.
He looked at it, uninterested, and dismissed it without a second thought.
"Marcus,"
He heard Logan call out his name.
Marcus paused. There was a strange tone in it—was it cheer? Relief? Or was he just projecting?
He stepped out and made his way toward Logan's desk. The older man had his back turned, rummaging through a drawer.
"Yeah," he responded.
"Captain's looking for you,"
"Again?" Marcus muttered, then he recalled that he still had a second reward to collect from Nexus. What are the chances that he's trying to send me to do something crazy again? He wondered.
"Yeah, he's in his office wait—" Logan suddenly stopped mid-sentence. He turned and his eyes narrowed as he took in Marcus more fully.
"You were able to open some Major Acupoints," Logan said, not as a question, but a fact.
Marcus nodded.
Logan blinked, and his expression shifted. That easily? It didn't make sense. Unless Marcus ha prior cultivation experience—which he didn't—there was no way he should have succeeded, much less to this extent.
But the Wilder Force flowing through the young man's body told a different story.
Then Logan's eyes widened.
"…Did you use the fish blood essence?" His voice dropped, laced with disbelief.
Marcus hesitated. "…Yeah"
Before the word had fully left his lips, a pulse of energy surged from Logan. Marcus felt himself being yanked forward. His body dragged through the air by invisible force until he came to a sharp stop directly in front of the older man.
Logan seized his wrist and pressed two fingers to Marcus's pulse. A wave of energy entered his body, subtle but thorough, scanning his body.
Logan's eyes darkened. Seconds passed. Then he pulled away and his face twisted in confusion.
How is he still standing? Logan thought. That blood essence came from a level 70 beast. No monster at Marcus's stage should've survived ingesting even a drop. It should've have burned him alive from the inside out.
But not only had Marcus survived—he'd grown.
The flow of Wilder Force in his body was undeniable, as was the signature of newly opened Acupoints. Not just one or two, but many.
Too many.
What in the world is this guy!? He's at least opened fifty Major Acupoints. Does that mean…
Logan figured out that apart from the acupoints on the cultivation arts Nexus gave him, the boy had found a few others, but only sold eight to him.
Damn it! I need to buy the rest off him.
Before he could say anything about buying the positions of these acupoints from Marcus, Keeyah stepped into the building.
Damn this bitch! Why is she always coming into my library uninvited!
Logan crashed out internally, however, none of his annoyance showed on his face. Except for the trembling shelves. He wouldn't tell other people about the acupoints he found… right?
"Marcus, Captain is looking for you…" Keeyah immediately sensed the shelves trembling and noticed that it was coming from Logan.
A smile appeared on her face, she thought that she knew why Logan was fuming. Keeyah was a serial offender, always invading his personal space.
Then she looked at Marcus, and once again, she was left speechless.
What did Logan do to him again? How is he growing this fast, and how is he still a level 0 with this aura? She wondered.
Don't expose yourself, he wouldn't expose this easily. Logan calmed himself down and handed Marcus four talisman.
"Take this, you might need it," the talisman flew towards Marcus.
And it was at this moment Logan noticed what he was wearing, but he said nothing about it. He waved his hand and sent Marcus alongside Keeyah out of the library, just like the first time.
Marcus felt a rush of déjà vu.
Looking at the talisman, a foreboding feeling settled in. "What does the Captain want me for this time?" he asked.
Keeyah chuckled. "Come on, he'll tell you himself. He said something about a reward for you."
Despite her words, Marcus still couldn't but feel like he wasn't going to like what Nexus had for him. With indignation, he followed after Keeyah.