Zane couldn't contain his excitement. Voidwalk—the skill he'd just unlocked—was everything he needed right now. The ability to teleport? That was a game-changer.
He paced back and forth, the cool air of the alley doing little to calm his racing heart. The teleportation wasn't just a cool trick; it was a weapon, a way to get out of sticky situations, to escape.
Taking a deep breath, he decided to test it.
50 meters, he thought. I can handle that.
He pictured a distant tree near the ruins—the one that was far enough away to be a challenge, but close enough that he wouldn't end up somewhere crazy. With his mind focused on the image of the tree, Zane clenched his fists, preparing to Voidwalk.
He vanished in a blink.
The weightlessness of teleportation hit him, but something felt wrong. The world blurred for a moment before CRASH—Zane found himself smack in the middle of a tree. Branches exploded in every direction, and he could barely catch himself as he tumbled to the ground.
"Ugh!" Zane groaned, rubbing his head. "Well, that was... not ideal."
As he scrambled to his feet, Zane heard voices in the distance—gruff and low. The hunters. They must've heard the crash.
"Did you hear that?" one of them said.
"Probably just some low level creatures. Let's focus, we've got the Thornhide to process," another voice replied, sounding disinterested.
Zane quickly ducked behind the tree, hoping they wouldn't get any closer. Great, he thought, now I'm messing up in front of hunters. Can't catch a break.
The system chimed in.
[Cooldown: 5 minutes]
[Energy Consumption: High]
Zane stared at the notification. Seriously? He'd barely lasted a second before running headfirst into a tree.
Shaking his head, he decided to give it another shot. Focus. I've got this.
Determined, he stood tall, brushed off the dirt, and visualized the forest's edge. He shut his eyes, picturing the open ground, and tried again.
This time, he was gone—but it was even worse.
Instead of landing near the forest's edge, he collided with another tree. The impact knocked him off balance, sending him careening through branches, and this time, the sound was loud enough to make the hunters pause again.
"That sounded close," one of them remarked.
Zane winced, his face burning with embarrassment. They were probably wondering if something was stalking them. "Not now," he muttered, struggling to untangle himself from the tree.
[Cooldown: 5 minutes]
[Energy Consumption: Extreme]
The system was relentless with its notifications. Zane was starting to feel like the system had a cruel sense of humor.
With a frustrated sigh, Zane tried to get up. One more time, he thought. He didn't want to give up yet. But as he focused on a distant rock outcrop, the teleportation failed once again.
This time, Zane didn't even make it to the destination he'd envisioned. Instead, he appeared right in the middle of a small cluster of rocks, smashing into them with a loud clang and a painful grunt.
"Voidwalk, huh?" Zane groaned, propped up on his elbows. "This isn't as easy as it looks."
[Cooldown: 5 minutes]