Owning a VR headset had once been one of Kyleâs dreams.
But they were expensive, and he had never had enough savings to justify spending money on something so luxurious.
Now, however, he felt as though that dream had finally come true.
His body remained on the hospital bed, leaning against the pillow without moving an inch.
Only his eyes moved.
âThis... is insane...â
The feed replayed before him, showing every detail of those moments when he had cast aside his physical limits and stepped into something beyond them.
The assailant stood before him once again.
This time, Kyle viewed him with a calm mind.
He studied the manâs face. There wasnât much to note beyond his emerald-green eyes and the excitement burning within them.
Kyle remembered the fight clearly up until the moment he landed that scratch on the manâs arm.
That was when everything changed.
âMy movements were smooth, and I managed to keep him at bay. But that hit bruised his ego.â
The manâs entire demeanor shifted.
Then his body began vibrating unnaturally.
[That was his skill, Host. It allowed him to temporarily achieve tremendous speed.]
Kyle nodded.
âFigured as much.â
For a fraction of a second, he had no idea how he was supposed to react.
Then the man moved.
"Fuck..." Kyle muttered.
The sensation was difficult to describe.
It was like staring at a heavily zoomed-in image, only for the camera to suddenly pull back at a ridiculous speed.
Everything expanded.
Everything became clearer.
His perception sharpened to an inhuman degree.
He could see every twitch of the manâs muscles.
Every subtle shift in posture.
Every tiny adjustment before movement.
The assailant had broken human limits to attain that speed.
Yet Kyleâs eyes had gone even further.
The man was still moving at terrifying velocity, but to Kyle, he appeared to be moving in slow motion.
[You utilized the true potential of Godâs Eye during those few microseconds, Host.]
"Yeah... I can tell."
Kyleâs voice was barely above a whisper.
His breath caught in his throat as he watched the replay.
The man closed the distance, his shoulder thrust forward.
âWith that kind of speed... what wouldâve happened if heâd even touched me?â
[It is safe to say you would have been ten percent alive.]
Kyle let out a wry chuckle.
âThatâs certainly one way to put it.â
In reality, he wouldâve died on the spot.
But he didnât.
He survived.
No.
He won.
âThatâs simply insane.â
The moment Overlord activated, he somehow managed to match the manâs pace.
But matching his speed alone wasnât enough.
The only reason Kyle landed those decisive hits was because he held the advantage of surprise.
The assailant had likely never encountered anyone capable of following him at that speed.
People might have dodged him before.
Some might have endured his attacks.
But moving alongside him at the same pace?
Kyle could tell from the manâs reaction.
That had been a first.
And in a battle where every fraction of a second mattered, that single moment of surprise had decided everything.
The blade flashed.
An afterimage trailed behind it, glowing with a familiar radiance.
Kyle immediately recognized it.
Genesis.
It looked strikingly similar to the light that appeared whenever Golden Limb protected him.
So that was what had happened.
In that moment of desperation, he had instinctively wrapped Genesis around his blade and swung.
The assailant never had a chance to react.
The blade carved a line through his body from top to bottom.
The truly frightening part was something else entirely.
âI donât remember any of this.â
Kyle frowned.
His memories of that moment were hazy, almost nonexistent.
He vaguely remembered his body moving on its own, as though someone else had taken control of it.
As though he had been possessed.
Closing his eyes, he rubbed his temples.
His head felt heavy, so he stopped replaying the feed.
âWhat was I thinking in that moment?â
He wasnât trying to criticize himself.
He genuinely wanted to remember.
That sensation.
That state of mind.
If he could grasp it again, perhaps he would be able to enhance his weapon willingly next time instead of waiting until his life was on the line.
[Host, just as you have begun to gain control over Godâs Eye, the other abilities will eventually come within your reach as well.]
A faint smile appeared on Kyleâs face.
âI hope so.â
He exhaled slowly before shifting his attention elsewhere.
âWell, why donât you show me my stats now?â
The system had seemed unusually excited about them before this conversation began.
[Stats:
Strength: 17.5 -> 22
Speed: 16.5 -> 21
Endurance: 25 -> 31.5
Intelligence: 13 -> 15.5
Affinity:
Magic Control: 10% -> 20%
Efficiency: 7% -> 7.5%]
[Skills:
Godâs Eye -> 120/1000 EXP
Overlord]
[Items:
Aquilla of Archilles
Red Elixir: 1
Lantern of Life]
[Soul Points: 6810 -> 7100]
Kyle narrowed his eyes.
âI feel like youâve increased the experience requirement for Godâs Eye.â
[The Host is imagining things.]
Kyle snorted.
That response alone made him even more suspicious.
[On the bright side, the Hostâs physical abilities have grown significantly. The Host now meets the requirements to level up using Soul Points.]
[Time required for leveling up: 8 hours.]
[Note: The Host will remain in a half-asleep state throughout the process.]
Kyle leaned back against the pillow.
âAnd what exactly do I get from leveling up?â
[At the very least, a new system feature.]
[Additionally, the Host will gain access to more streaming opportunities.]
Kyle raised an eyebrow.
âHow so?â
[The Host will understand once the leveling process is complete.]
A wry smile spread across Kyleâs face.
The system sounded genuinely excited.
That alone was enough to pique his curiosity.
Besides, he had already made up his mind long ago.
Once his Strength and Speed both crossed twenty, he would level up.
And now they had.
His gaze drifted toward the clock mounted on the wall.
The doctors had already made it clear that he would be stuck in bed for at least the next two days.
In that case, there was no better time.
âAlright, System.â
Kyle closed his eyes.
âTime to level up.â
°°°°°
A/N:- Thanks for reading.