The sky had shifted again.
Orin sat cross-legged on the rooftop of a boarded-up building, looking over the hushed skyline. Wind tugged at his jacket. The city felt too still—like it had paused to let him catch up.
He didn't want to.
The image of that Chaos Emerald still burned in the back of his mind—like a green sun, pulsing behind his eyes. He could still feel the memory fragment resonating with him, the way Shadow had felt in that glimpse… not sad, not angry—focused.
And then came the sound that made his stomach twist.
[CHIME.]
The system was back.
Orin straightened as the holographic interface flickered into view. Sleek, familiar now—like a digital friend that didn't ask too many questions.
[Chaos Emerald Acquired.]
[Emerald Status: 1 of 7 Collected.]
[Progress Toward CHAOS FORM: 14%.]
[New Ability Unlocked: CHAOS CONTROL – Emerald Required.]
[Reward Granted: 100,000 Rings — Conversion: USD Available.]
[Account Synced with Local Economic Network.]
"Whoa, whoa—hold up." Orin sat up straighter, staring at the numbers ticking up. "You're telling me I just made six figures grabbing one glowing rock?"
[Correct.]
[Funds Stored in Secure Digital Wallet. Physical Banknote Dispersion Available Upon Request.]
"…God, I love this bootleg isekai," Orin muttered under his breath.
He leaned back, still processing it. One Chaos Emerald down. Six to go. And now the system casually confirmed that he had access to Chaos Control—one of the most broken moves in any fanboy's dream.
[Note: CHAOS CONTROL requires physical contact with an Emerald to initiate.]
[Usage may result in spatial distortion. Prolonged or excessive use without synchronization may cause fatigue.]
"So, teleporting isn't free," he muttered, rubbing his hands together. "Figures."
He stood, bracing himself as the wind picked up again. Something in his bones had changed. His step felt lighter. His body was still healing—still recovering from whatever damage the system barely patched together—but now, there was power humming under his skin. Like a current waiting to leap.
His HUD flickered with a new bar just below the stamina and energy fields.
[Emerald Charge: 12% Residual Power Detected]
So even though the Emerald had vanished… it left a spark. A little leftover charge in his system. That was something. That meant he could test it. Carefully.
He looked down at a low rooftop a block away.
"Alright. Let's see how broken this really is."
He clenched his fist.
The energy rushed up from his core—tugged by instinct. Like pulling the trigger on a slingshot.
"Chaos Control!"
He vanished.
Or rather—space twisted. The air popped. His body snapped forward like it had skipped a frame in real life. One blink, and he landed in a crouch on the next rooftop, knees absorbing the impact like he'd jumped from a plane and landed on feathers.
Then came the backlash—just a flicker. His vision stuttered, and a pulse rang in his head like a warning bell.
"Okay," he groaned, "that… was awesome. But yeah, definitely not spammable."
He sat down again, breathing in the city air. It smelled faintly of ozone now. Whatever was happening with the world, it wasn't slowing down. It was shifting. Shaping itself. The closer he got to the Emeralds, the more it reacted.
He checked the HUD again. The reward still sat there: 100,000 Rings, exchangeable for whatever he needed. Rent. Food. Clothing. Equipment. If the system was giving him resources now, that meant one thing:
It wanted him to survive.
And worse…
It expected him to fight.
Orin steadied himself, heart pounding—not from fear, but from the raw rush of power coursing through his veins. The system had told him Chaos Control was a high-level ability, usually only unlocked with a Chaos Emerald. But what if he could force it? Could he bend space-time without the key?
He clenched his fists and focused. The world around him seemed to blur—the edges of reality folding inward. He shot forward in a sudden burst of speed, the landscape warping and twisting with him. It was intoxicating. He was moving faster than anything he'd felt before, cutting through time itself.
Then came the backlash.
His knees buckled, sending him crashing hard into the rough concrete below. Pain exploded in his joints, his bones screaming with strain. A sharp sting flared in his chest, as if his ribs were trying to collapse inward. His vision blurred; stars flashed behind his eyes. He gasped, struggling to breathe, every muscle trembling.
The energy inside him still hummed strong—untouched. It was his body that was betraying him.
"Damn it," he muttered, pushing himself up slowly. "So I can do it… but I'm not ready."
Just then, the faint chime of the system popped up, a cool blue glow hovering before his eyes.
[Hint: Stat Points Available – consider allocating to Vitality, Control, or Resistance to reduce physical backlash.]
Orin blinked at the prompt, the irony sinking in.
You've had these points this whole time… and you forgot? he thought, a dry chuckle escaping his lips. "Great. Real smooth."
He rubbed his throbbing knees, grimacing. The system was right. His body was fragile—he had the energy, but not the durability or control to wield it freely.
If he wanted to survive this world, let alone escape it, he had to get smarter. Not just stronger.
Slowly, he reached out and tapped the interface, determined to put those points where they'd matter most.
Because next time, he wouldn't be so lucky.