Weeks of relentless, bloody work had transformed Leo from a desperate survivor into a predator. The forest around Oakhaven had become his personal grinding zone. Each snared wolf, each cleverly ambushed goblin scout, each meticulously completed village errand—finding a lost heirloom, settling a petty dispute with cold, irrefutable logic—had steadily filled his coffers.
The number glowed with a satisfying intensity in his vision: [Nexus Points: 312,750.]
It was time to stop saving and start spending.
He stood in the center of his shack, the door barred, as the Omni-Bazaar interface flickered before him. This wasn't a time for browsing; it was a military procurement.
First, the foundation. He needed to stop being a clever weakling and become a force.
[Enhanced Strength (Mid-Tier) - 15,000 NP. Purchase?]
[Enhanced Speed (Mid-Tier) - 15,000 NP. Purchase?]
"Confirm," he muttered.
A wave of fire and ice washed through his muscles and sinews. It felt like every fiber was being torn apart and rewoven stronger, tighter. He gasped, dropping to one knee as his body crackled with newfound power. When it subsided, he felt… dense. Lethal. He flexed a hand, marveling at the coiled energy waiting to be unleashed.
Next, the engine. He needed the fuel for the real fireworks.
[Universal Energy Core (Basic) - 50,000 NP]
[Grants the user a foundational well of life-force energy, adaptable as Ki, Chakra, Mana, Cursed Energy, etc. Required for advanced techniques.]
It was expensive, but it was the key to everything. He bought it. A warmth ignited in his core, a serene, powerful sun that began to radiate through his limbs. He could feel it, a reservoir of potential that had been locked away his entire life.
Now, for the main event.
[Kamehameha Wave (Adept) - 80,000 NP. Purchase?]
A grin spread beneath his black mask. "Oh, hell yes."
A torrent of knowledge flooded his mind—the stance, the breathing, the specific flow of energy from his new core down his arms, the gathering of power. It was complex, instinctual, and utterly iconic.
He didn't have time to stop there. He needed a reliable weapon. Something that didn't rely on his still-novice energy control.
[Lightsaber (Silver) - 75,000 NP. Purchase?]
A sleek, metallic hilt appeared in his hand. It was cool and perfectly balanced. His thumb found the activation switch. With a resonant snap-hiss, a blade of pure, shimmering silver energy erupted, casting the room in a stark, clean light. The hum was a promise of destruction. It felt right.
Lastly, insurance.
[Senzu Bean (x5) - 25,000 NP. Purchase?]
[High-Grade Healing Potion (x3) - 9,000 NP. Purchase?]
He'd looked at the Wolverine healing factor. It was a cool ten million. A pipe dream for now. This would have to do.
His points plummeted, but he was no longer poor. He was armed. He was enhanced. He was, for the first time, truly dangerous.
---
The change in him was now physical, undeniable. The easy grace was now a predator's fluidity. The masked figure that moved through the village no longer drew curious stares, but wary, respectful silence. He'd become the chief's favored problem-solver, the ghost who got things done. They didn't understand him, but they'd come to rely on him in a strange, unspoken way.
Elara, the blacksmith's daughter, was the only one who refused to be cowed. She'd seen past the mask, or thought she had. She approached him as he was checking the village's south palisade, a determined set to her jaw.
"Kaelen," she said, her voice softer than he expected. "The raid… people are scared. It would mean a lot if you stood with the militia at the main gate. Your… cleverness could save lives."
Leo didn't even turn, his enhanced senses already mapping the weak points in the wooden wall. "I work better alone," he said, his voice flat and final through the mask.
"Please. We could—"
"I'm not staying, Elara," he interrupted, finally looking at her. His eyes, the only part of his face visible, held no warmth, only a distant, analytical coldness. "After this is over, I'm gone. Don't waste your time on a ghost."
He saw the hurt flash in her eyes, quickly replaced by anger. Good. Anger was easier to leave behind than hope. He turned and walked away, the silver lightsaber hilt a comfortable weight on his hip. He felt a twinge of something—not guilt, but a faint echo of the person he might have been in another life. He crushed it. Attachments were anchors, and he was destined for deeper waters.
---
The warning horn blew at dawn, a long, mournful sound that tore the sky open.
It was time.
Leo stood on the roof of his shack, the highest point in the village's rear, giving him a panoramic view. The air was thick with the smell of fear and sharpened steel. Men and women scrambled to the palisade walls, their faces pale, gripping spears and bows with white-knuckled hands. He saw Chief Borin bellowing orders at the main gate, a great axe in his hand. He saw Rolf and his cronies, looking less like bullies and more like scared boys.
Then, he saw the tide.
It began as a distant rumble, a vibration in the earth. Then the tree line at the edge of the fields shattered. Not a trickle, but a flood. Goblins, hundreds of them, green-skinned and shrieking, wielding crude clubs and rusted knives. Behind them came larger, uglier things—hulking, grey-skinned Trolls that lumbered forward, shaking the ground with each step. The sky darkened with the shapes of large, bat-like creatures with stingers on their tails.
It was chaos. It was beautiful. It was a gold mine.
A new quest blazed across his vision, the letters burning with promise.
[CATASTROPHIC EVENT: OAKHAVEN'S LAST STAND]
[Objective: Repel the Monster Horde. Survive. Bonus NP for Elite Kills and overall contribution.]
[Reward: Scaling with performance. Minimum: 1,000,000 NP.]
A million points. Minimum.
A slow, predatory smile stretched beneath his mask. His hand fell to the lightsaber at his hip.
The villagers saw a wave of death. Leo Croft saw a field of walking Nexus Points.
The storm had arrived. And he was ready to reap the whirlwind.