The level 37 groaned, staggered to its feet, and growled as it limped toward the other two. My heart thrummed in anticipation.
Just a little closer.
The moment it reached the exact spot I needed it to—I moved.
I crouched low.
Then, leaped.
I soared high above the battlefield, reaching my peak. My right hand slid to the very end of my staff. My gaze locked onto the three wounded Abominations below: one standing, two barely alive.
I exhaled.
"Blitz Hakai."
Strength flooded my body, surging into my right arm.
I twisted midair, my torso coiling like a spring. My back arched, my shoulders pulling back as my right hand gripped the staff's very end.
Then with a roar I swung.
My entire body whipped forward, momentum flowing from my core down to my arm. My spine snapped straight, muscles contracting in perfect sequence as the staff tore downward.
Like a whip cracking through the sky.
The strike hit nothing but air, right above the Level 37's head.
But that was all it needed.
The sheer speed of the swing compressed the air, turning it into a focused explosion.
BOOM!
The entire street erupted.
A pillar of compressed air detonated on impact, obliterating everything beneath it. Dust and debris shot outward in a violent storm.
The Level 37 never even screamed, its body was annihilated on impact.
The other two Abominations, already broken, were crushed under the pressure, their bones snapping like twigs before their bodies caved in.
When the dust settled, a massive crater remained.
Silence followed.
I landed at the edge of the destruction, resting my staff on my shoulder.
Notifications rang again and I checked.
[Level Up!]
[Level Up!]
[Level Up!]
[Level Up!]
[Level Up!]
[Level 27 -> Level 32]
I smiled and turned around, lifting my head to stare at the flickering dome above me. Beyond it, the night sky stretched wide, stars shimmering in the darkness.
"What a perfect time to smash and explode."
Heat pulsed through my chest as my generator core worked to absorb the energy around me, its rhythm steady but growing stronger.
I extended my perception further, focusing on the Essence swirling in the air. It flowed in chaotic patterns, tangled with different elements. Fire flared in some areas, burning hot and wild, while in others, the earth element weighed heavy, pressing down like a force.
I tracked the shifting currents of Essence as I walked, taking in the silence for a few brief moments.
Soon, I arrived in an open area.
There were no buildings standing, only debris, almost crushed debris were scattered around. The ground stretched out for almost 500 meters, completely clear of any structures.
I came to a sudden halt.
Something was wrong.
I could feel it.
I extended my perception, trying to understand why my senses were firing. My grip tightened around my staff as I scanned the surroundings, the hairs on the back of my neck standing up.
Essence flowed through the area with a strange calmness.
The elements felt still, almost too still.
There was no wind, no dust, no debris floating in the air, nothing that suggested life or movement.
What was even stranger was that I couldn't sense a single Abomination in sight, despite the fact that I was standing at the start of an open area. Five hundred meters of emptiness. That alone felt wrong to me.
I stood there for another ten minutes, trying to figure out what was off.
I strained my senses, but nothing came to me. No movement. No change in the flow of energy. Just the eerie stillness surrounding me.
Frustrated and growing more cautious, I stepped back a little, grabbed a cracked slab of stone from the debris, and tossed it into the open space. It flew through the air and crashed into the ground with a dull thud.
Still, there was no reaction.
I stared ahead, feeling the weight of the silence pressing down on me.
Shrugging, I muttered under my breath.
"Fine. Let me see what you've got."
With that, I activated [Psynapse Boost], channeling Essence into my staff to increase its weight.
A sharp focus settled over me, and I could feel the change in my muscles, the heightened awareness that came with the boost.
Taking a deep breath, I stepped forward again, but this time, more purposefully.
I crossed into the area, my steps were slow and focused.
My perception was wide open, every inch of the environment under scrutiny. I watched the real world around me while simultaneously observing the flow of Essence, searching for anything that might be hidden or distorted.
Two minutes passed as I moved deeper into the area, my eyes flicking from side to side, scanning the emptiness.
'Did I get it wrong?' I thought, doubts creeping into my mind.
Maybe there was nothing here after all. Maybe it was just a trick of the senses.
And that's when I realized I had made a huge mistake by even thinking things were calm.
It was a red flag.
In my vision, the Essence around me suddenly went wild, its once calm flow now in chaos.
It was as if the tranquil ocean of Essence had been disturbed by some massive creature rising from the depths, its power surging and twisting everything in its wake.
Before I could even comprehend what was happening, a force slammed into me.
I didn't have time to react. The impact hit like a sledgehammer, and my body was sent crashing straight into the ground with a deafening boom.
The debris around me scattered, further crushed under the weight of the impact.
I hit the earth face-first, feeling as if I had been magnetized to the ground, unable to move or push back.
My body felt heavy, pressed down by an invisible force. My back and bones groaned under the immense pressure, the strain almost unbearable. My mind raced, trying to process what was happening.
Then it hit me.
Gravity.
"Fucking gravity," I muttered to myself, the realization sinking in.
It was a force I had never encountered in such an intense form before, an overwhelming force pulling me into the earth like a magnet.
The energy around me wasn't just chaotic; it was bending the very fabric of space, warping the natural flow of Essence.
I could feel the weight of it all, pushing me deeper into the ground, as if the earth itself was trying to swallow me whole. I gritted my teeth, focusing all my energy on staying intact.
I wasn't trying to get up—not yet. My main priority was preventing myself from getting crushed. I dragged my hands along the ground, pressing them down to hold my body from being flattened like a squashed mosquito.
Each movement felt sluggish, as if my muscles were moving through thick molasses.
Every breath I took was a struggle, the air thick and dense, making it harder to inhale. The pressure was unbearable, but I fought against it, clinging to whatever strength I had left.
My body remained pinned to the ground, each second feeling like an eternity as gravity relentlessly pressed down on me.
I fought against the crushing weight, my mind racing to find a way out of this situation. Every muscle and bone in my body was screaming from the pressure, but I couldn't afford to panic. I had to think.
I started by channeling some Essence through my body, focusing on strengthening my muscles and bones, just enough to resist the force weighing me down.
Just as I was desperately trying to think of a solution, the crushing force suddenly vanished.
I exhaled in relief and tried to push myself up but that was a mistake. The gravity began to weaken gradually, and my eyes widened in surprise.
I reached out for my staff, but I was too slow. It floated away from me, and I felt my body lift into the air, rising along with the debris around me.
"Are you fucking kidding me?"