There it is, Isaac thought as he hovered just a couple feet away from the crimson fog engulfing all of Mid and Downtown. He had arrived here unnoticed, and judging by the hordes of Wretched even outside the Quarantine, the survivors hadn't reached this place just yet.

Well then, let's go.

He shifted his raven body and flew forward slowly. This wasn't a race, he just wanted to test the corruption here and get the standard notification from the Interface. Which he did the moment he touched the mist. His Virus Integrity, though, didn't even budge. Hell, he barely felt the weight of this place.

Means I will need to go deeper. Later…

For now, he landed on the edge of a half-collapsed roof and focused on the message floating right before him. It was a bit longer than the ones from the schools back in Galt.

Warning! You're approaching a regulated Double-layered Quarantine Site. The monsters in this area have been enhanced and possibly mutated. Enter at your own risk. The deeper you go, the worse the corruption will become. To unlock more information on how to destroy this Site, please reach the Core layer.

Ah, so that's what Williams meant by reaching the core… Isaac mused, looking up from the notification and into the crimson mist surrounding him. At the very least, it didn't obscure his vision as much as some of the fogs he had experienced during his short life. Though that might be thanks to his Darksight…

Deeper we go then…

He jumped off the roof and soared above the streets and the Wretched wandering there. Every now and then, he activated Analyze, but just like with the monsters outside the Quarantine, the skill still registered them as a 'Very Low' threat. That said, the phantom weight pressing down on his body grew slightly heavier the farther he flew. The corruption still didn't take away even a single percent of his Virus Integrity, but the point stood.

Is this what I think it is?

Isaac fluttered down onto a lamppost, his gaze locking on a particular creature that growled at every Wretched that dared to come close. It was massive, almost twice as tall as his human form, and the muscles on this thing could crush stone—literally. Other than that, it looked like a human, a very angry human.

Analyze.

Potential Threat: Low

Isaac's eyes opened a bit wider. He had expected at least a moderate threat from this thing, especially after what Williams told them. Then again, he was a level ten Host with Legacy unlocked. This brick of muscles couldn't reach him even if it tried.

Still, I'm curious now…

He had a few things to try out, and the mutated Wretched made for a perfect test subject. After all, it still ranked higher than anything else in this city.

First then. Hybrid mode.

Just like that, floodgates he hadn't even known existed inside him burst open, releasing brand-new energy into every cell of his body. While he still remembered how wild Viron was when he first gained it, that was nothing compared to the Immortal Mana now coursing through his veins. It was like an inferno without a direction, simply focused on consuming everything in its path.

It didn't hurt him, though. No, what he felt was more like a faint pricking beneath his feathers. A bit uncomfortable, but nothing he couldn't handle for a few minutes. He wasn't planning to remain in this mode for long anyway.

Now for the next part.

He pulled onto the Viron still left in his body, and to his surprise, Mana followed without his input. The two energies combined into one and rushed toward his Origin. Yet before they could start forming a skill, Isaac interfered and pulled onto some fuel from his Bloodbank. If he was doing tests, he might as well go all out.

Sacrificial Blood Dagger.

Crimson miasma erupted around him, and the first thing he noticed as the skill took shape was that 'dagger' didn't really fit it anymore. Instead of the long blades dripping with blood that he was used to, five javelins materialized next to him—each half as long as the polearm he had wielded during the Pioneer trial and as thick as his human forearm.

Isaac stifled a caw. Ah… I guess that's why those things show up only as low threat.

At this point, the monsters below had finally realized something was wrong. However, it was still far too late for the mutated Wretched to save itself. With a single mental command, the five javelins shot forward, going faster than any Blood Dagger before.

The creature's bulging muscles parted like water before the projectiles. Within a second, the massive Wretched lay dead, its body nailed to the wall behind it.

[Mutated Wretched (LVL. 5) slain.]

Blood Dagger and Viron: Regeneration have advanced a tier. Sacrifice and Viron: Potency have reached their maximum tier.

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You have leveled up! You are now level 11. Distribution of Ascension Power in progress. Agility and Insight have advanced a tier. Toughness has ascended to the next grade (Developed).

Even as chaos claimed the street below, sending the Wretched running for their lives, Isaac had eyes only for the notifications before him. Who knew that combining a few different abilities could bring so many wonderful benefits? Not him!

Before that, though, Clean mode.

In an instant, the Immortal Mana shot out of his body, leaving only Viron behind. The light stinging underneath his skin remained, but he could already feel his regeneration taking care of it.

Let's see, then.

The advancements alone didn't interest him that much. The maximum tiers, though? Now those he had to check. Which he did, but to his disappointment, neither of the two skills mentioned any possibility to evolve. Hell, their description didn't even have any new words in it.

Well… that's two less skills to train, I guess.

Not exactly something to celebrate, but he still had a couple of other skills waiting to advance, so he couldn't complain. Besides, maybe in a level or two, his Origin would awaken something new. Either way, progress was progress.

All right, let's see if I can find this core layer…

Warning! You're approaching the core layer of this Quarantine Site. Find the Corrupted Heart, disable its protection, and destroy it to neutralize this instance. Once done, all Wretched within the affected area will be severely weakened.

Yeah… looks like Williams was almost right, Isaac mused as he circled above a small park attached to the ruins of what should have been the Capitol Museum.

There weren't many Wretched in the area, but every single one was mutated. He finally had the displeasure of witnessing the existence of the human-spider hybrid with six legs that the Colonel mentioned. They reminded him a bit of the crawler from the school, only the things here were much larger and more horrifying.

Really, where did all that hair come from…

And there is the heart.

Above what had once probably been a nice fountain floated a black beating organ. It looked nothing like a human heart, but that didn't change the fact that it constantly produced some sort of dark liquid. A liquid that, as soon as it touched the ground, turned into a familiar crimson fog.

Analyze.

Nothing. And there could be at least a couple of reasons why the skill didn't work.

One, the heart was beyond its scope. Two, the Interface didn't want him to know too much too fast. Or three, the yellow barrier around the heart was stopping the ability from activating.

Isaac was betting on the third option.

That's the protection the notification mentioned. But how to disable it?

He did another slow circle around the park, pushing his enhanced vision to the limit. Yet, neither the museum ruins nor any other remnants of the old world held an answer to his question. Which left only the Wretched in the area or brute force…

It could be like the trial… Kill the monsters to either disable the barrier right away or gain a key to do it manually.

That said, there were easily three or four dozen mutated Wretched here. And even if they still showed as a low threat, it could get messy if he made even a single mistake. Besides, he had promised the others that this was only a scouting mission, nothing more.

So, as much as his blood begged him to activate the Freedom mode of his transformation and summon the Crimson Flock, he forced himself to hold back for now. Instead, he landed on one of the many trees in the area and pulled onto his Viron and Bloodbank.

Five long, glowing daggers manifested around him. With a thought, he sent them toward one of the ugly hybrids.

The Wretched screeched as the blades buried themselves deep into its back. Yet, it didn't die right away. It stumbled around for a couple seconds, its dying wails alerting more mutants in the area before it finally collapsed on the ground, dead.

[Wretched Spiderling (LVL. 6) slain.]

Hmm…

Isaac shot back into the sky, leaving the core layer before the other beasts could spot him. He had all he wanted from this trip. Now, it was time to regroup and plan the final day and a half of the Second Phase.

The ultimate can wait a bit longer…

"And so, the little raven returns!" James called out.

Isaac cawed in response before landing near their makeshift camp, which pretty much amounted to their truck and a large tent. After transforming back into human form, he dusted off his clothes and approached the waiting trio.

"So, how is it looking, lad?" Tyler asked, throwing him a bottle of water. "Think we can handle it?"

Isaac took a large gulp and nodded. "The outer layer? Definitely. The core? I might have to deal with that alone."

Tyler frowned. "Explain."

And so he did, quickly going over everything he had found in the Quarantine Site. By the time he finished, the frown on the older man's face had vanished.

"I see," Tyler muttered. "And you're sure you can handle all the mutants in the core?"

"If I play my cards right," Isaac stated. "And if things go south, I can always escape."

"Hmmm. Maybe, maybe…" Tyler muttered as he paced around the camp. "If only we knew for sure whether your theory about the barrier is correct. Planning ahead would be much easier then."

"I don't know, T," James cut in. "Why complicate things? Isaac can just go in and see what happens. If it works, it works. If it doesn't, we adjust. Or hell, we can even join up with the old man's group. No bad choices, really."

"Wait, wait, wait. Time out!" Elaine shouted, stepping between them all. "Are we seriously discussing sending a single person into the literal nest of enhanced monsters?"

Tyler and James looked at each other and nodded.

"Yes?" the latter answered as if it were obvious. "Princess, you haven't been with us for long, so you might not understand it yet, but the boss isn't like us. That sword of his alone makes him more dangerous than any of us. Now throw in that bird form?" He shrugged. "He can do it."

"It doesn't matter." Elaine dragged a hand down her face. "It's still too risky. Mr. Thomson, how can you even agree to this?"

"Listen, lass." Tyler smiled. "I'm not here to hold anyone's hand. I lead this group in name only. Or when we have to deal with other groups. Other than that, I'm happy to listen to any of you. If Isaac thinks he can do this, then I trust him."

"I can't with you…" she muttered, pinching the bridge of her nose. "Whatever. Do what you want."

Tyler chuckled. "Oh, we will. But before that, we all agreed to check your aunt's apartment first, didn't we?"

That did a one-eighty to Elaine's mood. She brightened up and looked ready to march out right away.

Isaac stifled a snort.

Priorities, I guess.

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