[Dark Crescent Slash (Ancient Level 3): Charge your power into your sword before slashing forward, releasing a powerful dark crescent of energy, the better your darkness sub-talent is, the stronger and wider the crescent will be.]
Leon took a mont to read the description carefully, his mind already analyzing the implications.
Not only had the skill’s rank increased from Epic to Ancient, but it had also retained its level, which was sothing he knew wasn’t easy to achieve under normal circumstances.
That alone made it extrely valuable.
And on top of that...
"It scales with my darkness sub-talent," he noted, his eyes narrowing slightly as he thought about it.
Right now, that sub-talent was already at S-Level. Which ant the skill was already powerful.
But if he managed to evolve it even further... Then the potential it held would grow exponentially.
"I should have upgraded it more before fusing," Leon admitted with a small sigh, though there wasn’t much regret in his voice.
He knew he had already gotten a very good outco.
He simply didn’t have more skill stones, which is why he had even bothered to level it up in the first place.
Upgrading an Ancient-rank skill would cost far more after all.
Still, even as it was now, the skill was a massive upgrade to his arsenal.
Finally, there was only one item left: the [Forsaken General Head (Trophy)].
Leon examined it without much interest, because unlike the others, it didn’t provide any direct benefit.
It was simply proof. Proof that he had killed one of the three guardians of the [Forsaken King].
"Another one," he said quietly, rembering the other trophies he had collected before.
The [Elental Dragon Head] and the [Undead Scourge Head]. And now this.
They didn’t seem useful at first glance, but Leon knew better than to dismiss them entirely.
"Once I find the [Hunter]... this’ll matter," he thought with a faint grin, already considering the possibilities.
With that done, Leon finally let out a slow breath, his body relaxing slightly as the tension from the fight faded, though the pain in his torso was still very much present.
The wound hadn’t disappeared. But at least... he was alive. And that alone ant everything.
He had survived an encounter that should have killed him. He had defeated a boss far stronger than himself.
And he had co out of it with power that would push him even further.
As for the [Fire Silk Spider] items...
"They’re gone," Leon muttered as he glanced back briefly in the direction of the battle, already knowing the answer before even checking.
Probably crushed by the rubble, and out of reach.
And honestly...
"I don’t care," he added after a second, turning away completely, because staying there any longer would only increase the risk.
He was injured. And in this place, that was more than enough reason to leave.
Leon started moving, his pace steady but controlled, making sure not to push his body too far in its current state.
The city around him remained as dangerous as ever, the silence between the distant sounds of monsters making it clear that he wasn’t safe yet.
But even so, he kept moving. Away from that battlefield.
And after a while... He stopped. The base was in sight.
The familiar structure stood ahead, with Oasis’ [Annihilation Turret] still positioned at the entrance, firing at anything that ca too close without hesitation.
Leon dropped down from the rooftop, landing on the ground as he approached, and almost instantly, the turret turned toward him.
His eyes sharpened slightly, his body instinctively tensing as he prepared to react if necessary.
But after a brief pause... The turret turned away. Recognizing him.
"Good," Leon exhaled softly, the tension leaving his body as he stepped inside and closed the door behind him.
The interior felt almost... calm in comparison to everything outside.
For the first ti since the fight began, Leon allowed himself to relax slightly as he walked over to one of the chairs and sat down.
"...Damn," he muttered under his breath, staring at the ground as everything replayed in his mind, from the mont he left this place to everything that followed after.
If he had stayed here... None of that would have happened.
But he didn’t. And now... Everything had changed.
Still, even with all that, Leon slowly closed his eyes, letting out a quiet breath as he leaned back slightly.
"I’ll wait," he said to himself, his voice low and steady despite the fatigue creeping in.
A few hours passed in silence, Leon remained seated in the sa chair the entire ti, his posture barely changing.
He didn’t sleep. Not even for a second.
Even though his body was exhausted and still recovering from the injuries he had sustained, Leon simply couldn’t close his eyes.
His mind... wasn’t tired.
Eventually, the silence was broken. A door opened.
Alicar stepped out of his chamber, stretching slightly before his gaze landed on Leon, who was still sitting in the exact sa spot, unmoving.
The elf paused for a second, clearly surprised by the sight.
"...Hello," Alicar said after a mont, giving a small nod as he walked closer, his tone casual but carrying a hint of curiosity, "You know you could’ve just taken one of the empty rooms, right, there’s plenty of them."
Leon shook his head lightly without even looking up.
"It’s fine," he replied simply, his voice calm and steady, "I prefer it here."
Alicar raised an eyebrow slightly at that answer, but didn’t push further, instead letting out a quiet sigh as he leaned against a nearby wall.
"Well, I guess you’re ready for today then," he said after a mont, his tone shifting slightly as he thought about what was coming, "It’s gonna be a big day... honestly, you arrived at possibly the worst timing."
Leon didn’t respond imdiately, though he already understood what Alicar ant.
The "big day" he was referring to was the expedition, the one Violet had ntioned before, where they would head into one of the zones of the [Forsaken City] to search for chests and resources, risking their lives for the chance to grow stronger.
If Leon had arrived just a few days later, he might have avoided it entirely.
"...Though I guess having more people is useful," Alicar added with a small shrug, though his tone didn’t sound entirely convinced.
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