The new staff skill I gained was called [Blitz Hakai].
The technique relied on both speed and power. When the staff was swung at high velocity, it rapidly compressed the air, creating an explosive shockwave upon release.
The stronger the swing, the more devastating the impact.
I dedicated hours to practicing it alongside the staff's basic movements, focusing on refining my control.
By the end of my training, I managed to push it to level 2. The improvement was noticeable, smoother execution, faster activation, and a sharper, more precise explosion.
[Seismic Burst] leveled up twice as well.
Now, I could generate rapid bursts from my legs, allowing me to propel myself forward in a straight line at incredible speed.
However, I was still far from mastering the maneuverability I had seen in the vision, side lunges, sudden directional shifts, and seamless mid-air corrections were still beyond me.
Throughout my training, after hitting 150 in Psynapse, I started working on bringing all my other stats up to 150 as well.
My plan depended on it. I took a deep breath and stepped through the flickering dome, its glow lighting up the dark night.
The air inside was heavy, pressing down on me like a force. It wasn't just heat or pressure, it felt like the memory of a battlefield, as if the land itself remembered the destruction.
The ground was cracked and burned, covered in deep craters.
Broken buildings stood in the distance, their walls crumbling, their frames twisted. Some leaned dangerously, ready to fall at any moment. Others had already collapsed, leaving only piles of rubble and blackened scars on the earth.
This had once been a city.
But the destruction wasn't the only thing I noticed. The air was thick with Essence, strong and untamed. Every element was here, mixed together, but one stood out the most to me.
Fire.
I could feel it without even trying. It swirled around me, wild and angry, crackling in the wind like an unseen blaze, ready to ignite at any moment.
The air itself felt dense, almost resisting every breath I took.
I grinned.
This was my first battle since returning from the forest.
I pulled out my staff and channeled Essence into it. The weapon responded instantly, extending to its full seven-foot length before settling firmly in my right hand.
The familiar weight sent a thrill through me. My grip tightened around the staff.
It felt solid. Reliable. Like an extension of myself.
My heartbeat quickened. My muscles tensed.
I had been training nonstop. Pushing my body. Pushing my mind. Now, it was time to see the results.
A low, eager chuckle slipped past my lips.
"Let's go."
I bent low, then launched myself forward.
I wanted to smash.
I wanted to roar.
I wanted to let loose.
My feet pounded against the scorched ground, kicking up dust and debris as I tore through the ruins.
I didn't move silently. I didn't try to hide. I wanted the Abominations to hear me, to feel my presence, to come to me.
It only took thirty seconds of sprinting before I skidded to a stop.
I had found one.
Perched atop a broken slab of concrete, the creature turned toward me, its head twitching in quick, unnatural movements.
It was roughly the height of a human, but that was where the similarities ended. Its hunched frame was covered in dark green, leathery skin that looked sickly and rough, stretched too tightly over its wiry muscles.
Two elongated ears jutted out from its skull, thin and sharp. They twitched as it tracked my presence.
Its wings, if they could be called that, were a strange mix of flesh and bone.
They weren't large enough for full flight, but they dragged along the ground behind the creature, tattered and unnatural, shifting slightly as if waiting to unfurl.
Then it shrieked.
A piercing, grating sound tore through the air, stabbing straight into my skull.
As it screamed, those massive ears flared open, expanding wide like some grotesque sound amplifiers. The force of the cry sent a ripple through the air, making the dust and debris around it tremble.
The stench hit me next, rancid, putrid, like rotting flesh left out in the sun.
I scanned it.
[Barbasteele Bat - Level 30]
'This thing is a fucking bat.'
The creature slammed its hand against the concrete, then lunged at me. Its tattered wings flared out, allowing it to glide just above the ground, closing the distance fast.
I spun the staff in my hand, feeling its weight settle, then stepped forward to meet it.
It screeched again, the sound sharp and grating, and swiped at me with its claws.
But to me, it was slow, too slow. Planting my feet, I gripped the staff with both hands and swung.
The lower end of the staff smashed into its jaw with a thunderous crack. The impact sent it flying backward, slamming into the very slab of concrete it had perched on.
I rolled my shoulder, exhaling through my nose.
I had held back, I wanted this one to last long enough to help me warm up.
The bat-like creature twitched, its elongated ears flaring as it pushed itself up from the cracked concrete.
It shook its head violently, then let out another ear-piercing shriek before lunging at me again.
I grinned.
This was fun.
I sidestepped easily, letting its claws swipe past me.
Before it could recover, I spun my staff and brought the tip crashing into its ribs. The impact sent it skidding across the ground, its wings flapping wildly in an attempt to stabilize.
It managed to regain its footing, but I was already on the move.
Stepping in, I jabbed the staff forward, striking its stomach with a quick thrust. The creature wheezed, doubling over, but I didn't stop.
With a flick of my wrist, I brought the staff down onto its back, slamming it into the dirt. The moment it hit the ground and its body bounced, I swung upward, cracking the staff against its chin and sending it airborne.
Before it could land, I pivoted and struck again, smacking it midair like a ball. The creature crashed into a crumbling pillar, the structure shaking from the impact.
I tapped the staff against my shoulder.
"Still alive?"
A wet gurgle escaped its throat, but before it could move, another screech split the air.
I turned my head.
A second one.
I scanned and it was another Level 28.
It soared low, gliding toward me with its claws stretched wide. I planted my feet, watching it close the distance, waiting for the right moment.
At the last second, I stepped to the side and swung my staff in a wide arc. The strike smashed into its ribs, twisting its body midair before it crashed into the first bat.
They tumbled across the ground in a tangled mess of limbs and wings, screeching in pain.
I spun the staff in my hand.
"Two's better than one."
I waited for them to gather their thoughts, if they had any.
The first bat staggered to its feet, while the second launched itself from the ground, both coming at me together.
I moved.
Ducking under a swipe, I slammed the staff into the first one's knee. It buckled with a crack, but I had already shifted, thrusting the other end into the second bat's throat before it could screech.
Both creatures recoiled, but I gave them no time to recover.
Pivoting, I swung in a full-circle motion, the staff carving through the air like a whip. It struck the first one across the face, sending it reeling, then snapped into the second one's chest, knocking it back.
I leapt forward, driving the tip of the staff into the ground, then used it to propel myself into a spinning kick.
My foot connected with the first bat's temple, snapping its head to the side. It stumbled, dazed, but still standing.
The second one flared its ears and inhaled sharply.
"No."
I wasn't letting it screech.
I lunged, flipping the staff into a reverse grip, then slammed the top end straight down onto its skull. The creature's head exploded with a wet pop, dark green blood spraying across the scorched ground.
The first bat barely had time to react before I stepped in and drove the staff through its mouth, shattering its skull with a single, brutal strike.
Silence.
I exhaled.
"Not bad."
And I heard the notification.
[Level Up!]
[Level 25 -> Level 26]
I gave the staff a quick spin before resting it against my shoulder.
"Give me more bats," I said to absolutely no one, then took off sprinting.