Kael crouched behind a broken pillar, heart still racing from his last sync.
Eeeek, Aghhhhh, Aaaaaaa
Screams echoed across the stone hall.
Clang!, Clank!, Thud!
Clashing steel.
GRAAAAAAAAWWWRR, SKREEEEEE
Monsters shrieking.
…People are dying.
"…Yeah," he muttered. "This is definitely not beginner-friendly."
A Shadow Crawler skittered past him—
—and ignored him.
Completely.
Kael slowly leaned out.
"…Still works."
A man nearby wasn't so lucky.
"HELP ME—!"
Too late.
CRUNCH
Kael winced.
"…Not my problem."
Then paused.
"…Okay maybe a little my problem."
His screen flickered.
[Perspective Sync Ready]
Kael took a deep breath.
"…Alright. No more jumping into OP people and dying instantly."
"…Let's try… something safer."
His eyes scanned the battlefield.
Then landed on—
A guy hiding behind a rock.
Shaking.
Crying.
"…Perfect."
***SHIFT***
"…N-no… no no no no…"
Kael froze.
"Oh come on."
His entire body trembled.
His hands were weak.
His legs felt like jelly.
[Name: Ben Arlo]
[Class: Support – D Rank]
[Level: 2]
"…I picked the worst one."
A Shadow Crawler slowly approached.
"RUN."
Nothing.
"RUN YOU IDIOT—"
His body refused.
Frozen.
Locked.
Paralyzed by fear.
"…Oh."
Kael's expression shifted.
"…So this is what it feels like."
Not weakness.
Not lack of strength.
Fear.
Pure, suffocating fear.
The crawler got closer.
Closer.
"…Okay nope—WE'RE NOT DYING LIKE THIS."
Kael forced movement.
One step.
Shaky.
Terrible.
Another.
Then—
He tripped.
"ARE YOU SERIOUS—"
The crawler lunged—
***RETURN***
Kael snapped back into his own body, gasping.
"…I almost died because he tripped?!"
He stared at his hands.
Then laughed.
"…Okay."
"…Lesson learned."
He looked back at the battlefield.
Eyes sharper now.
"…Power doesn't matter if you can't use it."
Then—
He glanced at Ben.
Still alive.
Still shaking.
"…Yeah…"
"…I'm going to need you later."