Nexus Information:

Owner: Public (Cannot be claimed) | Status: Online (Permanent) | Strength: Overseer-powered

You can own these things? Isaac's eyebrows lifted a bit. Even though this particular Nexus was marked as unclaimable, it had to be possible for others. Otherwise, why would the Interface even list 'Owner' in the status? No, there was definitely more to it than just that.

Maybe the guides will explain.

That said, before he could select the next option on the menu, his gaze strayed to his three… acquaintances? Teammates? Friends, maybe? Whatever they were, they all stood together in the dark, staring into nothing. If anyone else saw them like this, they would probably think they had lost their minds.

Isaac sighed. Just this once, he would be the voice of reason.

"Listen up," he called out, drawing everyone's attention. "Let's return to our tents and try to get some rest. We can't stay out here all night if we want to move out tomorrow or, well, later today. We can discuss whatever the Nexus offers then."

James and Elaine nodded right away. Marie, on the other hand, lingered for a moment, frowning as she glanced between them. Isaac had no idea what was going through her head, but it had to be something important for her to be looking at them like this.

Still, after a gentle nudge from Elaine, the two women wished them goodnight and returned to their tent. Which just left Isaac and James in the dark.

They shared a shrug and turned around, heading back to their own temporary residence. And if they got lost on the way once or twice? Well, nobody needed to know.

"Gonna turn in now?" the older man asked once they stepped inside their tent.

Isaac shook his head. "Not yet. Still have some stuff left to check in the Nexus. Afterward though? Definitely going to sleep. Unlike you three, I didn't get a caffeine boost."

"That's your own fault, man," James said with a light grin. "Coffee is a gift from the gods."

Isaac snorted. "Yeah… I don't think so. Good luck sleeping, by the way."

The older man opened his mouth to retort, but he just ignored that and dropped onto his mattress. With another mental command, he again summoned the Support Nexus menu. This time, though, he selected the one option that intrigued him most.

Fast-travel.

Fast travel is currently unavailable for you. Discover more Allied or Public Nexuses to unlock this function. Warning! You can only use Fast-travel once per six days. Interplanetary transportation is currently impossible.

That's… fair, I guess. Isaac hummed, still looking at the notification. While it would have been nice to get more information on how this Fast-travel even functioned, this was more than enough for now. It could be a while before he could use this thing anyway.

And to be honest, if it worked like he expected, then even a single instant transportation every six days was pretty neat. It definitely should make communication and organization a bit easier. Not that he cared much about the latter. Running or leading a small team? That he could do. Anything bigger?

Yeah, no thank you.

Isaac shook his head and returned to the main menu of the Nexus. He considered selecting 'Guides' next, but instead decided to save that for the last. The shop sounded like a much more interesting option right now.

Let's see.

Upon selecting the final option on the menu, a window opened before him. It was quite similar to the one from the transmission. Only instead of a timer or live-feed, here the Interface presented him with quite a few item choices. Each was accompanied by a small image, a listed price, and a grade rating.

The first thing Isaac noticed was that nearly everything displayed in the shop was a Normal-grade weapon or tool. Swords, spears, shields, hammers, knives, and so much more. Then, upon taking a closer look, he spotted a few other items, or well, four of them, to be precise.

The first looked like a literal bag full of different kinds of foods. He selected it, hoping to get more information about it.

[Emergency Provisions | Grade: Normal] A supply bag full of provisions fit for human consumption. Does not expire. Should last approximately 3 days if portioned correctly. Not recommended for long-term use due to mild toxicity in some ingredients.

Attention! As your first purchase, you may claim this item for free. Do you wish to proceed?

No! Isaac called out right away. As nice as it was to know that the Interface wanted to give him a freebie, he wasn't planning to waste this first purchase bonus on food. Or at least not yet.

As such, he returned to the main window of the shop and glanced at the three other items that stood out—Virus Blueprints. While he couldn't use any of them, as they taught all the basic filtering skills, it was good to know that other people could buy those without a problem.

Although, ten Inferior Virality Gems—or one Normal-grade as it apparently translated—for one Blueprint was quite a lot, especially for a beginner. Still, the option was there, so that was all that mattered.

I wonder if there is an alternative to Virality Gems, he mused. Using items that can make you stronger as currency is kind of weird.

In the end, though, rules were rules, and if the Interface decided that the gems should be a currency, then that was it. The Hosts, like always, had to adapt and balance their needs for power and stuff from the shop. Not that Isaac would have such a problem. For now, the sold goods were useless to him.

If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

We will see if that will change, he thought, once more returning to the main menu. There, he chose the final unchecked option, 'Guides.' Oh wow…

His eyes widened as a literal list of different topics appeared before him. He already understood most of the stuff before him—like Origin and Legacy—but some things definitely caught his attention. First, though, he decided to check the familiar entries, just in case the Interface had changed or added anything.

It hadn't.

Isaac let out a sigh of relief. That made his job much easier and faster.

All right then, let's start with this.

[Ascension Power Distribution - Ascension Power is allocated across the Host's attributes. This process is based on the six Distribution-Ranks, three basic (Low, Normal, Peak) and three advanced (Enhanced Peak, Overcharge, Transcendence).

Basic ranks distribute a fixed percentage of Ascension Power gained at each level. The advanced ranks, however, use the Origin to multiply the power they receive to speed up the growth of an attribute.]

Isaac blinked once he finished reading the entire thing. Now that was informative. He finally understood—mostly—how his attribute growth worked. Sure, it would have been nice to get the precise percentages and multipliers, but this was still more than what he knew before.

Okay, what else do you have for me?

[Level Progression Distribution - In a situation where two or more Hosts contribute to defeating an enemy, level progression is divided evenly among those who dealt significant damage. Additionally, any support or healing abilities used during combat will grant bonus progression to the caster even if they didn't harm the enemy themselves.]

While most of this Isaac and the others had already discovered during their stay in Sacramento or even before that, the part about supports was new. That said, it made sense. Supports and healers were meant to stay out of the fighting for the most part, which should make leveling harder for them. This was a good way to fix that.

Good to know for the future.

With that in mind, he moved on to the next guide entry. Or tried to. The moment he selected it, the option grayed out. Frowning, he backed off to the main menu and tried again, only to get the same result.

A pity, as he really would have liked to learn more about advancing his Origin and Legacy. So far, he only achieved the latter with the use of an item, while the former was just a possibility.

Maybe another time, then.

Finally, his gaze settled on one of the final entries on the list. After this, Isaac was done. It was time to go to sleep anyway.

[Support Nexus - An Overseer-made construct created to assist Hosts in their daily struggles. Upon meeting certain conditions, a Private Nexus can be spawned in the wild to claim a limited territory. Note: Spawned Nexuses do not create Safe Zones. However, they repel some types of monsters and can be upgraded to unlock various bonuses.]

Ah, so this is where the owner comes in. Wonder what those certain conditions are, though…

Not that Isaac was interested in owning one of those things. It sounded like a nightmare for someone who didn't want to be part of leading larger groups. Still… having a place to return to? That did sound nice. Especially now that none of them had homes anymore.

A thought for another day.

Before settling in for the night, he called out to the Interface one more time. After all, with the beginning of the Integration Stage, he might as well do a full check on his status, or well, a partial one at least.

Name: Isaac Walker Origin: Blood | LVL. 13 Legacy: Crimson Raven (Adult)

Virus Stage: II - Replication (Matured) Virus Integrity: 100%

Power: Developed - Tier IV Agility: Developed - Tier III Toughness: Developed - Tier I Regeneration: Refined - Tier II Insight: Developed - Tier III

Inheritances: Darksight, Rootveins

Not much had changed since last time, Isaac admitted, scanning the list from top to bottom. He also checked the list of his skills, but similar to his status, it barely looked any different. That said, he really needed to find a way to evolve the skills that didn't have such a possibility listed in their description.

If he didn't, he would only be left with Blood Dagger and Harden to advance. He didn't like that one bit. Unfortunately, the Support Nexus guides had nothing useful on the topic. As such, his only hope was the Essence of Blood sitting inside his Storage Brand.

As soon as we find something decent to fight, I'm using it.

Stifling a yawn, Isaac lay down on his mattress and dismissed the Interface. He rolled onto his side and glanced at James. To his surprise, the older man already had his eyes closed, and the rise and fall of his chest was much slower than it should have been if he had been awake.

No way… His eyes twitched. How?! You just drank a full cup of coffee. And you fell asleep faster than I? No comment…

With a grumble, he turned away and shut his own eyes. He couldn't lose any more sleep. Tomorrow was going to be a long and potentially tiring day.

Isaac and James awoke the moment the sun managed to pierce through the thin fabric of their tent and hit them right in the face. After some grumbling, they took care of whatever morning rituals they could with the stuff they found around the tent and then made their way outside.

After a short conversation about the stuff they found inside the Support Nexus, they both decided to find Daryl next. After all, if they planned to head toward Los Angeles, they needed supplies, a lot of them.

With a car, a trip like this wouldn't take longer than a few hours. Unfortunately, that was no longer an option. With roads gone and the world now filled with monsters from the Broken Realm, going on foot was their only choice.

How long would that take, neither of them knew. They just hoped they could make it to LA before the next stage began.

I could probably fly—

"James, Isaac!" a familiar voice called out, pulling him from his thoughts. "Wait for us."

And so they did, waiting for Elaine and Marie to join them. How the two women looked so well put together during an apocalypse morning, Isaac had no idea. Still, he learned it was best not to ask.

"Ari. Princess," James greeted with a lazy grin. "Slept well?"

Marie nodded. "You could say that… But listen, I have been talking with Elaine after we split, and I have something to say to you two."

Isaac furrowed his brow and shot a questioning glance at Elaine. She met his eyes with a raised brow but gave nothing away. He turned back to Marie.

"What is it?" he asked.

She cleared her throat, looking more than a little bit nervous. "Okay, so I know it might come as a surprise, considering what I have told you before, but I… I want to rejoin the team and go with you to LA."

Isaac blinked, while next to him, James wasn't doing any better.

Huh… Didn't see that coming.

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