Just as before, it felt like my entire body was being propelled forward by an invisible force. Extreme nausea churned through my stomach—the same sickening feeling as every time before; but I forced myself to push through it.
Flash Step!
A moment later, I reappeared several meters away from where I had initially stood.
I wasn’t sure if leaning forward before activating Flash Step had made the difference, but I felt like I had covered slightly more distance than usual.
The leg I’d extended beforehand also seemed to help me maintain my balance whenever I reappeared in a new location.
It was only a speculation, though, so I couldn’t be certain. I activated Flash Step again, vanishing from where I stood and reappearing farther down the slope.
’I think I’m right, but...’
I glanced from side to side, suppressing the nausea twisting in my stomach as I studied my surroundings, even as the skill remained active.
Flash Step!
Then again.
The more I Flash Stepped, the more I began to notice a pattern.
Every time I activated the skill, the world seemed to freeze for the briefest instant before an invisible force propelled me forward, almost like a car in a racing game hitting a nitro boost.
’If Flash Step really works like that, then wouldn’t greater momentum mean greater distance?’
The problem was that I was already moving.
I couldn’t exactly stop, run forward, and activate Flash Step again to test my theory.
Not only would I risk slipping and tumbling down the slope, but doing so would defeat the entire purpose of figuring out how the ability actually worked.
So I kept Flash Stepping.
Once... twice...
Ten times.
Then eleven.
Throughout it all, I didn’t break a sweat or lose my focus. With every activation, I experimented with different ways to increase my distance.
On one attempt, I pushed harder against the ground with the tips of my toes when I landed, trying to generate more force without disrupting my momentum.
On another, I leaned my body forward as far as I could. I even tried using mana to propel myself forward once.
Yet after multiple attempts, I came to the same conclusion...
Impossible!
The results of each attempt were either negligible or, in some cases, even worse than before.
[Host, are you alright?]
’Yeah,’ I answered absentmindedly. ’Just thinking.’
Just as I was about to give up and focus fully on what I could already do, a sudden thought struck me, one that nearly made me stop dead in my tracks if I weren’t so high up.
’Wait... why am I trying to use Flash Step alone?’
The entire purpose of this training and experiment was to find a way to increase my efficiency in combat. After all, a one-second lag in movement in battle was enough time for an enemy to end your life.
If that was the case, then wasn’t it only natural that I used every weapon in my arsenal to accomplish it?
’System, is it possible to activate my skills on different parts of my body at the same time?’
[Yes, it is possible, but it would take a massive toll on you since your two main skills come from different classes. One is from the Fighter class, while the other is from the Mage class.]
’Yeah, but I can still do it, right?’
[Affirmative. All you need to do is concentrate on which parts of your body you want to apply each skill to.]
My eyes narrowed, lips curling into a slow, triumphant grin.
’Yes, this is it!’
I closed my eyes for a second, visualizing my entire body in my mind.
First, I had to apply Telekinesis to just my palms while reinforcing them with mana to prevent my skin from tearing under the force of Flash Step.
Next, I’d circulate mana heavily through my veins while tensing every nerve in my body as if I were preparing to take a leap.
My eyes snapped open and I Flash Stepped once more.
The world, which had seemed so fast moments earlier, slowed for an instant as my outstretched leg approached the ground.
But this time, I wasn’t going to let it touch the ground.
If I landed with the amount of force I was building in my legs, I was either going to lose my balance or waste most of the momentum as the ground absorbed it.
So I did what any sane person would do.
I used the blue energy of Telekinesis, visible only to me, to gather the air around my foot and compress it at the exact spot where my sole was about to land.
My heart pounded in my chest.
I had no idea whether my idea would work. I didn’t even know if Telekinesis could manipulate and hold air like this.
But I had to try.
As my foot came within inches of the ground, I felt the air beneath it compress.
It was almost as though a solid surface had risen beneath my foot.
’It’s working!’
I was about to celebrate my victory and my new ability combination when...
Whoosh!
My entire body suddenly pitched forward. My balance vanished as my center of gravity shifted violently ahead of me.
The compressed air beneath my foot gave out, leaving me suspended in midair for a brief moment.
’Shit, shit, shit!’
A heartbeat later, I crashed into the hard ground and began tumbling down the slope like a rag doll.
Every impact sent searing pain through my body. Whenever my head struck the ground hard enough to snap it backward, an aching throb shot through my skull, making me feel as though I were about to black out.
Only then did I truly understand just how far the drop from the hilltop to the ground really was.
Boom!
I slammed into the base of the hill, a sharp pain tearing through my upper thigh and left kneecap.
My head throbbed as though I’d been hit by a truck.
"Argh!" The screech that tore from my throat was raw and guttural, more animal than human.
I bit down on my lower lip hard enough to draw blood. ’Damn it! It hurts so much.’
[Host?]
The System’s voice cut through the pain, and instead of offering relief, it needled at my already battered body.
[Are you alright?]
I wanted to open my mouth and give it the most sarcastic remark I could think of, but I found myself unable to.
[Hehehe, is this your way of avoiding admitting that you lost? If so, you failed miserably.]
My pupils widened.
Here I was, lying in agony, and the System thought I was faking it?
I clenched my jaw. ’I guess it really is just a robot.’
[Come on, Host. Get back up and do your thing. If you wanted to make an excuse, you should at least make it believable.]
[Isn’t it common knowledge that falling from that height wouldn’t cause any major injuries to an F-rank? Besides, this is a low-ranked simulation. You can’t exactly get hurt.]
My clenched jaw slowly relaxed as the System’s words registered in my mind.
I tilted my head slightly and stared up at the distance I’d fallen.
Yes, it was definitely a considerable distance. Far enough that it could probably break a few bones.
But that was only true for ordinary humans, not Awakened hunters.
A sudden feeling of dread crept up my spine.
Then... why did it hurt so much?
And why was I even feeling pain inside the simulation?
For a moment, I thought realizing the truth would make the pain disappear. Maybe it was just some prank or a glitch in my brain.
But even after reaching that conclusion, nothing changed.
The pain still tore through my limbs, and my head continued throbbing as though a thousand men were hammering away at my skull.
[Host, isn’t that enough for now? You know time is wasting, right? So let’s...]
The System’s words were cut short as the bright sky above us began darkening, as though a storm were about to descend.
[Well, I guess today’s your lucky day.]
The System floated there in silence for a moment before asking in confusion.
[What’s that red thing on your—]
It suddenly went silent.
A beat later, its voice rang out in pure horror. [It’s blood! Host, why are you bleeding?!]
Only after the System’s voice reached me did I lower my head and notice the redness spreading across my trousers.
[Kai!] The System shouted my name frantically as I tried to suppress the pain as much as possible. [How is this possible? It doesn’t make sense for you to be bleeding! This is just a...]
Its words were interrupted once again.
Even I, who had been biting down on my lip to endure the pain, froze and raised my head.
Whoosh!
A sharp gust of wind swept past us.
[What the hell...?]
In the far distance, the sky above the plains had turned black, glowing red beneath a thick veil of smoke.
And beneath that terrifying sky came horde upon horde of monsters, all marching toward us.
Each step they took transformed the once-beautiful paradise into a rotting hell.
’This... this isn’t a regular simulation anymore, is it?’
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『... Zzzrrrr! 』
『Welcome, my dear Prodigy of Mind, to my little talent show.』
『Please do well to show us ’that’ gift bestowed by the heavens themselves, and survive until the timer ends.』
『As a reward, you shall earn three Z-rank skill draws and another massive reward.』
『As for the punishment... well, you can already guess for yourself.』
『Now, without further ado, let the show begin!』
『Good luck.』
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