Limited slots

After the monsters had been defeated, the group finally took a moment to observe their surroundings.

Originally, they had set out to investigate the changes happening in the world, but instead, they had been thrown into one brutal fight after another.

Now that the battle was over, they could sense and see the changes around them.

First, the air was denser and heavier than they remembered. For those attuned to mana, like Cynthia whose skill was deeply connected to nature, it was unmistakable: the density of mana had increased, something that hadn't been present immediately after the world began to fall apart.

The second was the sky. It was darker, but not in the usual way. It felt as if the sky had been pushed farther away. Looking around again, they noticed a subtle shadow hanging over the land, making even familiar buildings seem more distant than they should be.

The earth itself was transforming, growing larger and heavier than they remembered.

Jon recalled the moment the bear had stomped the ground during their battle. At the time, no one had realized it, but the vibrations from the impact had only affected a specific area, as if the land beneath them was more solid, more resistant.

And when chunks of earth had been ripped up during the fight, they were as hard as metal. Jon remembered deflecting them with his sword, feeling as though he were clashing with steel rather than simple stone.

The world was changing, and not in ways they understood. Their school, once a place of safety and learning, was becoming increasingly alien. They needed to leave fast before the expansion of the earth caused even more problems.

'The storm brought not just monsters but world-altering changes,' Jon thought grimly, taking in all the differences they had noticed.

He was beginning to realize that maybe the planet was no longer theirs. If they wanted to reclaim it, they would have to fight for it. But right now, survival was their only goal, and they were barely managing that.

'The only way forward is for more people to grow stronger, as fast as possible,' he mused, his thoughts drifting to Cynthia and the words she had spoken earlier.

She had hinted at a way for him to gain power quickly, but Jon couldn't shake the feeling of betrayal from his friend, Joe. If even someone he had trusted could turn on him, why should he bother helping anyone? Why should he even get close to anyone at all?

The thought of Joe still made his blood boil. Even in death, Joe's betrayal annoyed him. But this time, Jon willed himself to calm down, relying on his 'Composure' to keep his emotions in check.

"We need to move faster," Jon finally said, breaking the silence.

The rest of the group exchanged glances, tense but unable to argue with Jon's logic. They were moving too cautiously, and they all knew it. If they didn't pick up the pace, they would never get out in time.

"Yes," Jenny agreed, speaking for the group. Without another word, they quickened their pace, turning their cautious walk into a swift run. To an unawakened human, they would have looked like blurs, darting through the unfamiliar landscape.

Jon checked his stats again out of habit as they ran, focusing on one in particular.

[AGILITY: 99]

"Whoa," he muttered under his breath.

Without hesitation, he added a point to agility. The effect was instantaneous. A surge of energy hit him like a rush of adrenaline, more intense than any stat increase he had experienced before.

Now, with 100 agility, Jon was ten times faster than the best athlete before the fall. And he was itching to test his new speed.

They had only covered about 200 meters from the dead bear when Jon noticed movement in the distance.

Black blurs were darting around roughly 100 meters ahead, five in total. With his Moon Gaze skill active, Jon easily saw through their movements. The creatures were slower than him, much slower. Their bizarre motion made them appear as blurs no matter how slowly they moved.

"I'm going ahead," Jon said abruptly, and in the next instant, he vanished from their sight. His speed was already far beyond what even Jenny and Cynthia could match, and it felt exhilarating.

Within seconds, Jon reached the shadowy creatures. His sword flashed as he struck, decapitating them with precision.

[YOU HAVE OBTAINED LEVEL 18 'SHADOW CAT' REMAINS]

[YOU HAVE OBTAINED LEVEL 17 'SHADOW CAT' REMAINS]

[YOU...]

Jon sighed, wiping his blade clean. The shadow cats were large, twice the size of normal cats, and completely black. But despite killing them quickly, his level still hadn't reached 25.

'Damn,' he thought. He had hoped this fight would push him over the edge.

Then something caught his eye, a faint, dark glow among the corpses.

It was an orb, barely visible against the shadow cats' black fur. Jon had almost missed it if not for his Moon Gaze skill.

"An orb?" Jon murmured, surprised. The probability of finding one was incredibly low, and he had nearly forgotten they existed. Even after their many monstrous battles, the number they had gathered was pitiful.

He picked it up and channeled his mana into it. A scroll materialized in his hands, and a message flickered before him.

[SHADOW STEPS (FIRST REALM) LEVEL 5: USE 2 POINTS OF MANA TO ACTIVATE SHADOW STEPS FOR EVERY SECOND. SPECIAL ACTIVATION: USE 30 POINTS OF MANA TO MOVE THROUGH THE SHADOWS OF OTHERS.]

Jon's eyes widened. "Special activation?" he muttered, but before he could process it, the rest of the group caught up to him.

"What's that?" one of the female security agents asked, eyeing the shadowy remains of the cats.

"They're called shadow cats," Jon replied absentmindedly, still focused on the orb. He quickly learned the skill from the scroll, but then something unexpected happened.

[YOU HAVE OBTAINED THE SKILL 'SHADOW STEPS']

[YOU HAVE 2 SLOTS LEFT]

"What?!"

Jon's shout startled the others. They immediately went on guard, scanning the area for any threats.

"What happened?" Jenny asked, tensed and ready.

"It's nothing," Jon said quickly, trying to dismiss their concern. But Cynthia wasn't convinced. Her eyes narrowed as she watched him closely. "Is it something we should know?" she asked in a probing tone.

Jon hesitated for a moment but then spoke. "We can only learn five skills."

A collective gasp followed.

"Huh?"

"What?"

Shock rippled through the group. The news was a mix of excitement and dread. For some, it was a chance to ignore their first skills and carefully choose their main ones, but for others, like Jenny and Cynthia, it felt like a restriction.

"Maybe we can unlock more slots in higher realms, but for now, five," Jon added, glancing at Jenny. She, more than anyone, could test this theory once she advanced past level 25.

Nodding in understanding, Jenny didn't speak further.

"Then, let's keep moving," Cynthia urged, steering them back to the task at hand.

As they ventured deeper into the strange, mutated landscape, they fought more zombies, shadow cats, bears, cats with bird-like heads, and creatures that defied all logic.

It was during one of these skirmishes that Simon, who had changed his name from Joe, pierced the head of a strange monkey-like creature.

But what emerged was unlike anything they had seen before.

Instead of the usual orb, a small, bead-sized object rolled out. When Simon picked it up, a message appeared before him.

[UNRANKED CORE]

His eyes widened in shock. Then another message flashed:

[EVOLVE SKILLS WITH APPROPRIATE NUMBER OF CORES]

[SKILL 'DASH' (UNRANKED) LEVEL 1 → LEVEL 2: 1/1 UNRANKED CORE]

Simon was stunned. "Everybody! I found something!"

The group gathered, curiosity piqued.

Jon's eyes widened as he saw the message. "This... changes everything."