Calvas's chest heaved as he finally slowed to a stop, his lungs burning from the sprint. He bent over, bracing his hands on his knees, trying to steady his breath. The adrenaline still pumped through his veins, making his legs shaky, but the rush—it was unlike anything he'd ever felt before.
'I actually did that… I got away.'
A wild grin spread across his face as he straightened, glancing around the strange, new part of the city. Towering buildings, lit up by gigantic, colorful screens, surrounded him. Neon lights blinked and flashed, casting a rainbow of glowing hues across the streets. People bustled around, their faces illuminated by the endless ads and displays above.
Calvas had never seen anything like this—not in his world, and not even in his wildest dreams. He stared up, wide-eyed, feeling like a tiny speck in this sprawling, electrified maze. The sounds of traffic, distant voices. He could still feel his pulse pounding in his ears, but he wasn't sure if it was from the sprint or from sheer awe at the sight in front of him.
He ran a hand through his damp hair, still trying to make sense of everything. That's when he remembered—the chimes.
'The notifications…'
He had heard them while running but had pushed them aside, focusing on escape. Now, though, with no one chasing him and the bright city lights making him feel oddly safe, the curiosity burned in his chest.
'Might as well see what those were about.'
Taking a breath, he opened the system panel. The familiar soft glow appeared in front of him.
[System Notification] Quest Completed: Escape!
Reward: 2 Skill Points, 100 XP
[System Notification] You have leveled up!
[System Notification] Experience gained: Avoidance of Hero Swiftstep (170 XP).
[System Notification] You have leveled up!
Calvas blinked as the messages bombarded him in rapid succession. He let out a breathless laugh, overwhelmed but strangely giddy at how fast everything was happening.
'Okay, so… I completed the quest, got 2 Skill Points and XP. I leveled up. Twice?!'
[System Overview]
Name: Calvas Zavala
Age: 19 (15)
Height: 5'6"
Status: Normal
Level: 3
XP: 20/200
HP: 184/184
Stamina: 72/96
Health Regen: +3 HP/min
Stamina Regen: +2 Stamina/min
Vitality: 12
Endurance: 8
Strength: 10
Agility: 9
Willpower: 7
Intelligence:6
Control: 11
Perception: 6
Available Stat Points: 10
Available Skill Points: 2
'Wait… 184 health? 96 stamina?'
Calvas frowned, quickly doing the math in his head. He remembered that when he first checked the system, his health had been 164, and his stamina had been 86. But now, those numbers had jumped.
'So I gained 20 health and 10 stamina… but I didn't use any stat points.'
It clicked almost immediately. He hadn't assigned any points, yet his health and stamina had increased. There was only one explanation.
'I leveled up… that's gotta be it. I'm getting 10 health and 5 stamina every time I level.'
The system was making him stronger.
He stared at the panel, noting the10 stat points. Ten.
He couldn't help but grin. This was only the beginning, and already, he was actively improving, getting stronger and more resilient.
Calvas's eyes skimmed over the system screen, with the new stats and the possibilities of where to allocate his points. Vitality for more health, Endurance to keep him going longer, or maybe Control to better manage his abilities. Each stat offered something crucial, and he was tempted to use his points right away, but something held him back.
'If I dump all my points into one thing now, I'll regret it later, better to wait… figure out what I really need.'
His gaze flicked to the stamina bar, noticing how it had almost fully replenished. It felt strange, like his body had been "recharging" the whole time. His legs no longer ached as much, his breathing was steadying, and his heart wasn't hammering in his chest like before.
'This… this is unreal,' feeling the tension ease from his muscles. He had to admit, He was catching his breath much quicker than he would have in the past.
'Guess I can actually rely on this thi—.'
Before he could finish the thought, something flickered in his peripheral vision. His eyes instinctively darted toward the movement—a blur in the distance.
A familiar blur.
Swiftstep.
The hero stood at the edge of the crowd, his body half in motion, half stopped, as if recalculating his next move. Their eyes locked for a second, and Calvas could feel his stomach twist. Swiftstep wasn't just still chasing him—he was dead-set on him.
'No way. He's still after me? How does he even know I'm here?'
His mind raced as Swiftstep's gaze narrowed, the hero taking a step forward, his quirk sparking to life. Calvas knew what was coming—the hero would blur forward any second.
'Okay… think'. The system was still open, the skills tab right there in front of him. Temporal Distortion—he hadn't used it yet, but now? Now seemed like the perfect time.
'Should I…?'
For a moment, he hesitated. The skill was a risk. He didn't know exactly how it would work, how it would feel. But before he could even make a choice, Swiftstep blurred.
Calvas didn't think—he reacted. He focused on the skill, willing it to activate with a single mental command. It was like flipping a switch. In an instant, he felt his stamina drain, and the world around him warped.
Everything slowed down.
The noise of the bustling city stretched out, warping into a deep, muffled hum, like someone had thrown a thick blanket over the sound. The people in the street seemed to move in slow motion, their steps dragging along the ground as they crossed the street. Calvas could see each detail—the flicker of a neon sign, the way the lights bounced off the wet pavement—but none of that mattered.
His eyes were locked on Swiftstep.
To his shock, the hero was already there, barely a few feet away, his arm stretched toward Calvas. His hand was just inches from grabbing him. Even with the world slowed down like this, Swiftstep was still fast—too fast.
'Crap!' Calvas's heart leaped into his throat. If he had been a split second slower, that would've been it. He would've been caught.
With every ounce of focus he had, Calvas moved, his body barely evading Swiftstep's hand. The hero's fingers brushed through the air, missing him by what felt like a hair's width.
'Too close… way too close.'
Despite the world slowing down, Calvas didn't feel faster. His body moved with the same effort, his legs pushing with the same force they always did. But around him, everything crawled—just enough for him to slip out of Swiftstep's grasp. He ignored the confused look starting to form on the hero's face as he pushed himself harder, forcing his legs to carry him around the corner, away from the crowd.
'Move! Gotta move fast…'
He bolted down the street, weaving through the now-slow pedestrians, ignoring the faint chimes from the system that sounded as he ran. He couldn't afford to look at them. Five seconds. That's all he had.
He needed to put as much distance between him and Swiftstep as possible. The world around him felt heavy, like the air itself was dragging him back, but he kept pushing forward, darting into a narrow alleyway. He could still feel the hero's presence behind him, looming like a shadow, even in this distorted state.
He glanced back over his shoulder—Swiftstep was turning in his direction, slowly, as if the world was still catching up. But then, suddenly, the hero moved faster, his body blurring again.
'No way. He's using his quirk…'
Even with the skill active, Swiftstep was tracking him. Calvas's pulse spiked. He's still catching up.
Then, just as quickly as it had slowed, the world snapped back into place.
The noise of the city crashed into his ears, the people around him moving at normal speed again. His head spun from the sudden shift, but before he could even react, it felt like something rammed into him.
Swiftstep. He had closed the distance faster than Calvas could have imagined, and his shoulder collided with Calvas's side, sending him stumbling toward the alley. He was forced into the narrow passageway.
'Damn it… he's still on me!'
His breath came in ragged gasps, the brief reprieve from Temporal Distortion already fading as the cooldown started ticking away in the back of his mind. He could also feel his stamina bar ticking down.
But there wasn't time to think. Not now. Swiftstep wasn't done.
And neither was he.