Zane staggered back, his mind still reeling from the unexpected turn of events. The Thornhide Beast was dead, and he hadn't even landed a blow. But the system... it had awarded him credit. Full credit. The thought gnawed at him. There was something off about it.
The armored hunters were busy checking the Thornhide's carcass, talking in low, authoritative voices. Zane didn't stick around to listen. He knew he needed to get out of there before anyone noticed him. With a quick glance at the now-distant battle, he started to back away.
That's when the system spoke again.
> [You have leveled up!]
Zane froze mid-step. Leveled up? He hadn't done anything to deserve that.
Before he could even react, another message popped up.
> [New Skill Unlocked: Voidwalk]
[Skill Description: Allows the user to teleport within a radius of 50 meters. The skill can be leveled up. Use carefully.]
He stared at the words, his confusion deepening. Teleportation? That sounded... impossible. The Void had already proven it could do things beyond his understanding, but teleportation? That felt like a whole new level of power.
Zane closed his eyes, focusing on the information. He instinctively tried to picture a destination—a safe place to escape to. The ruins around him felt too exposed. His mind's eye landed on a familiar spot: an alley near where he'd entered the battlefield. The place was empty, hidden from prying eyes.
He took a deep breath, concentrating.
And then... he vanished.
The world around him flickered, and for a brief moment, everything seemed to warp and distort. When he opened his eyes, he was standing in the alley, just like he'd imagined.
"What the hell..." Zane muttered, stumbling forward as the rush of the teleportation hit him. He'd done it. He'd actually teleported. And it had felt... easy.
The system chimed in again.
> [Voidwalk: Level 1]
[Cooldown: 5 minutes]
[Current Radius: 50 meters]
[Energy Consumption: Moderate]
Zane looked around, breathing heavily. The thrill of the teleportation faded into something else—something more dangerous. What else could the Void do to him? How far could it push him?
He looked back toward the battlefield. The hunters were still out there. And now, he had a way to get away from them if things went south. But there was a cost to all of this. Zane wasn't sure what the Void wanted from him, but he couldn't shake the feeling that whatever it was... it was just the beginning.