The forest didn’t change.
It didn’t grow quieter after a fight, didn’t grow louder either.
It simply remained—calm, indifferent, unmoving in a way that made everything that happened inside it feel small.
Like survival meant nothing here.
I leaned back against the tree, breathing steady but heavy, the ache in my body settling into something dull and constant instead of sharp and distracting.
My side still hurt.
My shoulder still burned.
But my mind?
Clear.
Focused.
And far more interested in something else.
“…Alright,” I murmured, lifting my hand slightly.
The branch resting across my palm vanished.
No sound.
No delay.
Just gone.
Then it reappeared just as easily.
I watched it for a moment before exhaling quietly.
“…That’s not enough.”
Moving objects was easy now.
Too easy.
Useful—but not enough to change everything.
Not yet.
My fingers tightened slightly around the branch as my gaze lifted, focusing somewhere past it.
“If it’s really Space…” I muttered, thinking it through, “then it shouldn’t just be about things.”
That was the limitation.
Or at least—the one I was putting on it.
And I didn’t like limits.
A faint grin tugged at my lips.
“…So what happens if I stop playing safe?”
I pushed myself off the tree slowly, ignoring the way my body protested.
Standing still wasn’t going to help.
I needed to test it.
Properly.
My eyes scanned the ground before settling on a spot a few steps ahead.
Not far.
Close enough that I could reach it if I wanted to.
That was intentional.
“…Start small,” I said under my breath—not because I was cautious, but because I wasn’t stupid.
I focused on the space in front of me.
Not the ground.
Not the distance.
Just the idea of being there instead of here.
For a moment, nothing happened.
I frowned slightly.
“…Not like that.”
That wasn’t how it worked.
Space didn’t respond to vague thoughts.
It responded to decisions.
Clear ones.
I exhaled slowly, resetting my focus.
This time, I didn’t think about moving.
Didn’t think about distance.
I simply chose.
Here.
And there.
And which one I belonged to.
For a split second, something shifted—not outside, but inside.
A strange, weightless sensation flickered through me, then snapped back.
I blinked.
“…Oh.”
That was new.
That wasn’t failure.
That was close.
A sharper grin spread across my face.
“Again.”
I tried again.
Same spot.
Same distance.
But clearer.
More precise.
Not reaching.
Not forcing.
Just deciding.
The world twisted—not visibly, not dramatically, but enough.
And suddenly, I wasn’t where I had been.
I stood a few steps forward.
Exactly where I had been looking.
No transition.
No movement.
Just—there.
I went completely still.
“…No way.”
My heart kicked once—hard.
Not from fear.
From excitement.
I turned slowly, staring at the spot I had just been standing.
Same tree.
Same ground.
Different position.
A low laugh slipped out.
“…Okay.
Yeah.
That’s broken.”
Not potential.
Not later.
Now.
Even this—even just a few steps—changed everything.
I looked forward again, then back—and shifted instantly.
Clean.
Effortless.
“Again.”
Forward.
Back.
Forward.
Back.
Each jump smoother than the last, faster, more natural.
Like my body was starting to accept it.
Like it belonged.
“This is insane,” I muttered, unable to stop the grin spreading across my face.
“I don’t even need to walk anymore.”
And the thought of that—of how far this could go—only made it better.
So I pushed it.
Of course I did.
A few steps became more.
Five.
Then ten.
Each time I paused, locked onto a position, and chose it.
The world didn’t stretch.
Didn’t blur.
It just switched.
Here.
There.
Like distance didn’t exist.
Or maybe—like I could ignore it.
“…So that’s how you work,” I murmured.
Not movement.
Not speed.
Replacement.
Position overwritten.
That was the difference.
That was why it felt so clean.
And that—
That made it terrifying.
The strain came later.
Not immediately, but gradually—a faint pressure building behind my eyes again.
“…Yeah,” I exhaled.
“There it is.”
Cost confirmed.
Still worth it.
Easily.
The mana drain wasn’t too much… or maybe it was because I had [A] rank mana.
Either way, this was fun.
I slowed down, letting my breathing settle as I leaned slightly against another tree.
“…Alright.”
Space was clear.
Teleportation worked.
Short range—for now.
But scalable.
That was obvious.
And that alone was enough to completely change how I fought.
A quiet laugh slipped out.
“…This is going to be fun.”
I closed my eyes briefly.
“…Star.”
The shift was immediate.
Space felt sharp.
Responsive.
Star felt… steady.
Not distant this time.
Not unreachable.
Just quiet.
Like something vast that didn’t need to prove it existed.
I focused inward.
Upward—but not too far.
Not forcing it.
Just enough.
A faint glow formed in my palm again.
Softer than before, but clearer.
More stable.
“…There you are.”
It didn’t flicker this time.
Didn’t disappear immediately.
It simply remained—calm, contained.
I studied it for a moment.
“You’re not like Space…”
There was warmth in it.
A contained intensity.
Not explosive—but it could be.
There was weight in it.
Presence.
Something that felt… reliable.
I closed my hand slowly, and the light faded.
“…Yeah.”
A small smile formed.
“You’ll come in later.”
A sound broke the quiet.
A rustle.
Closer this time.
My eyes opened immediately, posture shifting without hesitation.
“…Perfect.”
This time, I didn’t stay still.
I stepped forward—
Then disappeared.
And reappeared several steps ahead without breaking stride.
Seamless.
Natural.
A grin spread across my face.
“…Yeah.
We’re using this.”
The creature stepped into view.
A wolf.
Lean.
Controlled.
Watching.
And instinctively, I knew.
[F+ Rank]
Stronger than before.
Faster.
Better.
“…Good.”
That made this worth it.
The wolf circled slowly, testing.
I didn’t rush.
Didn’t charge.
Instead—
I vanished.
Reappeared at its side.
The wolf reacted instantly—fast—but not fast enough.
The branch was already moving.
Impact.
It staggered, snapping toward me—
But I was gone again.
Behind it this time.
Strike.
Not clean.
But effective.
My grin widened.
“…Oh, this is unfair.”
Not speed.
Not strength.
Position.
I controlled where the fight happened.
And the wolf didn’t.
It lunged again.
I vanished, reappeared just outside its reach, then stepped in again from a different angle.
Each movement broke its rhythm further, each shift forcing it to adjust.
Too slow.
Not enough.
I could feel it—the gap.
The difference.
And it excited me.
Not just winning—
But figuring it out mid-fight.
“Come on,” I muttered under my breath, eyes sharp.
“Keep up.”
It couldn’t.
Another lunge.
I stepped through space, reappearing inside its guard.
Strike.
The impact landed clean.
The wolf staggered—
Then collapsed.
Silence returned.
I stood there, breathing steady, the faint pressure in my head still present—but manageable.
“…Yeah.”
That wasn’t survival.
That was control.
I looked back at where I had been standing moments ago.
Then forward.
Then shifted again.
Instantly.
A short teleport.
Clean.
Effortless.
A quiet laugh escaped me.
“…I’m definitely abusing this.”
Not later.
Now.
The forest moved again around me, something deeper within it shifting, watching, waiting.
More fights.
More chances.
More growth.
And instead of caution—
I felt anticipation.
Excitement.
[Your understanding of Space has increased]
And as if agreeing with me the status screen responded.
Because now, I wasn’t just reacting to this place.
I was adapting faster than it expected.
I rolled my shoulder once, tightening my grip on the branch as I looked ahead.
“…Alright.”
A grin settled on my face.
“Let’s see who breaks first.”
And this time—
when I moved—
it wasn’t a step.
It was a choice.
See you next chapter
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