I stood alone, away from our campsite, lightly bumping my head against a tree trunk.
"Stupid, stupid, stupid."
I had acted like an idiot.
North probably thought I was the dumbest guy alive for not even being able to hold a proper conversation.
I could feel it there was something between us. And I was sure even North felt it. The tension, the shift. But instead of pushing forward, I panicked, made some lame excuse about practicing my skill, and ran off.
"Real smart," I muttered, sighing.
I took a deep breath and decided to test my new skill first then go practice 'how to have a conversation with a girl' with Steve.
That was the plan, anyway.
I pulled up my Status to have a look.
[Status]
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Name : Billion Ironhart
Race : Human
Class : N/A
Laws : N/A
Level : 14
Talent :
- Generator 2
- Essence : 10/10
Attributes :
- Strength: 38
- Constitution: 30
- Dexterity: 26
- Psynapse : 36
Unused Stats: 0
Skills:
- Essence Manipulation (Innate) Level 2
- Psynapse Boost (Innate) Level 2
- Seismic Fist Level 1
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My new skill sat there at the bottom of my status screen, waiting to be tested.
Rolling my shoulders, I stretched a little, did a couple of squats, and loosened up. Once I felt ready, I stepped up to a tree and started throwing punches.
I didn't go all out, just a warm-up.
My fists pounded against the bark, steady and controlled. Fifteen minutes later, the tree was covered in deep dents, its surface rough and battered.
Taking a deep breath, I adjusted my stance and threw a full-powered punch.
Boom!
My fist tore straight through, splitting the trunk in half. The upper section creaked before crashing down.
I exhaled, watching the dust settle.
I moved to another tree and squared my stance.
"Now, let's see how the skill compares to my full-powered punch."
Planting my feet, I dug in deep, took a steady breath, and drew my right fist back. Then, I activated the skill.
[Seismic Fist]
A strange sensation ran up my arm, like a coil winding tighter and tighter, storing force within my muscles. It was different from a normal punch this wasn't just strength, it was concentrated power, gathered in a single point, waiting to be unleashed.
Then I punched.
The moment my fist connected with the tree, the stored force detonated outward.
A deep, resonating impact rippled through the trunk, not just breaking it but shattering it.
The tree didn't just crack and fall it burst apart, splinters flying in all directions as if something had exploded inside it.
I took a step back, shaking out my hand. My knuckles stung, but I grinned.
"That… was awesome."
I glanced at my hand, flexing my fingers. The power behind that punch was at more than a quarter stronger than my full-strength hit. And that was just at level one.
But more importantly…
I could already think of ways to improve it.
What if I could control where that force spread? What if, instead of just releasing it all at once, I could direct it? Maybe even send shockwaves into my target instead of just outward?
The possibilities excited me.
I glanced around at the countless trees surrounding me.
I felt a little sorry for them but only a little. That didn't stop me from going on a rampage, punching every tree in sight with Seismic Fist, watching them split and shatter one after another.
I spent about three hours experimenting with Seismic Fist, figuring out its ins and outs.
The skill relied heavily on my Strength attribute, but I noticed Constitution played a role as well.
I could fire off six Seismic Fists back to back, but after that, exhaustion hit me not the kind that came from running or physical strain, but a deeper fatigue, like I had drained my inner reserves.
I needed time to recover before I could use the skill again.
It wasn't just about swinging my arm and punching hard, it required proper buildup.
If I rushed it, the impact wasn't as strong.
But if I took a moment to plant my feet, breathe, and channel everything into that one strike, the difference was massive.
The force behind it didn't just explode outward; it rippled through whatever I hit, sending deep cracks into the trees even if I didn't break them entirely.
I experimented with different stances. A straight punch had power, but if I twisted my waist at the last moment, the force seemed to travel deeper.
There was also the matter of control. If I focused, I could adjust how much force I released.
My first attempts had been all or nothing either I went full power, or I didn't use the skill at all.
But now, I managed to release a half-powered Seismic Fist, still stronger than a normal punch but not enough to completely wreck my target.
That was good. If I wanted to use this in real combat, I couldn't afford to waste all my energy in a single blow.
I exhaled and stretched my arms, shaking off the fatigue.
"Alright," I muttered to myself. "That's enough destruction for today."
Now, I just had one more thing to do figure out how to talk to North without embarrassing myself.
I sighed.
"Maybe Seismic Fist was the easier challenge."
I took a deep breath and rolled my shoulders before breaking into a sprint.
Weaving between the trees, I pushed my speed, feeling the wind rush past me. My body was still a little drained from testing Seismic Fist, but running like this helped shake off the stiffness.
The forest blurred around me as I jumped over roots and ducked under low branches.
It didn't take long before I spotted Steve.
He was sitting on a fallen log, slumped forward, elbows resting on his knees. His chest was rising and falling heavily, and he looked like he'd just finished a long workout.
I slowed down as I approached.
"You look like a dead man."
Steve groaned without looking up.
"I feel like one. Burst Flash is brutal. I think my legs are actually crying."
I smirked.
"That bad?"
He finally lifted his head, glaring at me.
"I've been launching myself around non-stop. My legs feel like jelly. You try flashing forward ten times in a row and tell me how your knees feel afterward."
"Pass. I like my knees." I sat down across from him, resting my arms on my thighs. I hesitated for a second before exhaling and saying.
"I need your help with something."
Steve narrowed his eyes.
"If it involves punching me, I refuse."
I rolled my eyes.
"It's not that."
"Then what is it?"
I looked away for a moment, scratching my head. This was already starting to feel stupid, but I had to do it.
"I need you to pretend you're North."
Steve blinked. He wiped a hand down his face and blinked again.
"Sorry, I think the exhaustion made me hear something insane. Did you just say—"
"I need to practice talking to her," I interrupted quickly. "I totally froze earlier when it was just the two of us. It was awkward as hell."
Steve just stared at me for a second, then burst out laughing.
"Oh, this is great. Billion Ironhart, completely wrecked by a conversation with a girl."
I scowled.
"Do you want to help or not?"
He wiped at his eyes, still grinning. Then spoke in a weird girly voice.
"Oh, I'm helping. This is too good to pass up. Alright, let's do this. I'm North now."
I immediately regretted my decision.
Steve straightened his posture, flipped his hair dramatically, and in an absolutely ridiculous high-pitched voice, said.
"Oh, Billion, it's so nice of you to come find me! Whatever could you want?"
I buried my face in my hands.
"I take it back. This was a mistake."
Steve ignored me and fluttered his eyelashes.
"Oh no, are you blushing? How cute! What's wrong, Billion? Can't handle my beauty?"
I groaned loudly.
"I'm going to punch you."
"But Billion," he gasped, clutching his chest. "Violence isn't the answer! Whatever happened to your undying love for me?"
That was it.
I lunged at him, and Steve yelped, rolling off the log to escape. His laughter echoed through the trees as I chased him down.
We sprinted through the forest, Steve whining the entire time about his legs feeling like they were about to fall off.
Before long, we reached our campsite and I immediately slowed down, surprised by what I saw.
North was standing there, but she wasn't alone. A girl and two boys were with her. One of the boys was standing way too close to her for my liking.
I did not like that at all.
I blinked, my jaw tightening slightly, then started walking toward them.