The first thing he saw when he arrived was Sylvia's excited grin. Then he noticed the blue crystal gleaming beneath her bangs. He immediately sensed the change in her energy signature, which had risen to match his own.

"Boss! I'm at the Third-Level already!" She squealed, looking innocent. Then, she stepped forward, her purple eyes gleaming. "Boss, can I fight you? I want to test myself."

Behind Leon, the Red Valkyries tensed slightly. They were surprised by her challenge, though it seemed she still respected him.

"You should trust him." Rebecca calmly remarked, then proceeded to carry the other items into the vehicles. She had spent a few moments with Leon to understand his basic principles. As long as Sylvia turned against him, he'd kill her without hesitation.

Even as they were both on the same level now, Rebecca had confidence in Leon. The attribute he had gained from advancing to the third-level was seared in her mind.

Standing opposite the excited Sylvia, Leon rolled his shoulders, then nodded.

"You can. However, if you lose, you'd have to eat only human food for the next two weeks."

Sylvia's expression hardened. Although she could eat human food just fine, she preferred eating her prey raw.

Leon's eyes crinkled in amusement as he watched her determination instantly soar. That penalty had been intentional, and for two reasons. Firstly, he normally wouldn't tolerate anyone casually challenging him. Secondly, since he was curious about her combat prowess, he accepted the challenge.

"I'll be serious now, boss."

A growl came from her throat as her claws lengthened, gleaming sharp and dangerous. Leon didn't hesitate. He also transformed.

A wild aura burst from him, releasing an oppressive might over everyone around. Ghostly gray smoke seeped from his claws as he activated the [Death Claws].

Since she was determined to fight him seriously, he would reciprocate her determination.

The moment his transformation ended, Sylvia activated her phantom technique and blurred. Leon's eyes sharpened instantly as he forced them to follow her movement. It was hard, especially now that she was also a third-level undead creature like him.

Even then, he managed to pull it off. He sidestepped, dodging a swipe that was aimed at his ribs. Sylvia was surprised, but quickly made a follow-up attack. Her leg moved swiftly, sweeping towards Leon's head.

He didn't take the attack head-on, but instead ducked under her kick. Before she could stabilize herself, he counterattacked. His claw moved at blinding speed, straight at her neck. Knowing the unique danger of his claws, Sylvia crossed her arms in defense. The attack landed.

Bang!

She staggered backwards, forcefully rooting herself to the ground. Her arms shook, numb from the impact. Cautious, she hastily retreated.

Leon didn't allow that and pressed his advantage. He lashed out with a kick which she barely dodged. His attacks alternated between punches and claw swipes, forcing her into defensive.

"Is that all you've got?" Leon taunted flatly. He believed she could do better and was waiting. Waiting for her to surprise him.

Sylvia's face was calm, something similar to Leon's detached calm during his transformation. Hearing his words, she understood that she needed to step up her game.

She used the phantom skill to retreat, pausing the fight briefly. Leon didn't pursue, waiting for her to take action.

Under his intense gaze, she coldly picked a strand of hair from her boots. Leon's eyes sharpened, realizing that was his hair.

'How…? I see. She must have gotten it when I dodged her kick. How clever~'

He patiently waited to see what she would do with it. Sylvia took the hair, then swallowed it. The expressions of the Red Valkyries turned weird, puzzled by her action. Eating human hair was a bit… much. Still, it couldn't compare to eating raw meat. So, they weren't fazed.

As soon as she swallowed the hair, Leon felt his strength reduce by almost half. His senses dulled, and he instantly became disoriented.

Although surprised, his mind quickly analyzed the situation.

'A negative effect or status. Impressive.'

Her new ability was insidious, capable of making a strong foe severely weakened. Even then, Leon was undeterred. His eyes shone, embers of purple flames seeping from them.

Under Sylvia's astonished gaze, he vanished. She immediately raised her guard and looked around. Unfortunately, she couldn't find him.

'Could he be hiding?'

Her question was answered as he reappeared before her, his fist coated in faint purple energy. She instantly crossed her arms to block the attack.

Bang!

The attack hit, numbing her arms slightly. Even with his strength almost halved, he still made her arms numb. However, she quickly recovered. That wasn't enough to beat her.

Before she could think of retaliating—

Bang!

An intangible force hit the exact same spot Leon had hit, jarring her arms. Her bones groaned, almost cracking.

'What was that?'

Her calm mind tried to analyze the move, but couldn't. She was lacking information. The attack was strange, clearly doubling the force of the strike after a moment of delay.

'As expected, I can't beat the Boss.'

She sighed inwardly, then raised her hands in surrender.

Leon also paused, then tilted his head. His silent gaze made Sylvia aware that the curse she had cast on him had not been deactivated. Immediately, she stopped using the attribute.

Leon felt strength surging back into his body, then hummed. He wiped his tracksuit clean, then walked towards her.

"Show me your system interface."

Knowing that he'd be curious, she allowed him to check her status.

[Name: Sylvia Wilson]

[Race: Undead Devourer]

[Class: None]

[Attributes: |Undead Transformation| |Phantom Phasing| |Doll Curse|]

[Level: Third-Level]

Leon's eyes narrowed as he read the description of the new attribute:

[Doll Curse - Once a biological substance from the target is consumed, random negative statuses are assigned]

'I understand. This is a simple but terrifying ability.'

If used well, it could make Sylvia to be a formidable foe to anyone. The girl cancelled her transformation, then pouted.

"Really? No raw meat for two weeks?"

She adopted an innocent and cute expression, batting her eyelids carefully. After a few months of living around the others at the shelter again, she had learnt a bit of cunningness.

Unfortunately, Leon was not moved. He waved his hand, signalling the end of the matter. Dissatisfied but helpless, the girl reluctantly followed him back to their vehicles. In a jiffy, everyone was ready to leave.

Closing his eyes at the back of the car, Leon wondered about a few things. Apart from raw strength and power, politics was also an undeniable pillar in the apocalypse.

'Soon, we'll be approached by a neighboring faction.'

He wasn't sure when, but he was quietly anticipating it.

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