Chapter 438: Chapter 438 Phase Shift
Michael dismissed Spartan back to the Netherworld and turned his attention to the owl perched on his shoulder.
Wisdom.
His first tamed beast.
The creature was usually silent unless spoken to—but once you engaged it, it could be surprisingly talkative. Right now, though, Michael wasn’t in the mood for conversation. He was still deciding what to do with the mutated owl.
For one, he was certainly going to evolve Wisdom. With its unique skill, Phase Shift, a blink-like movement that mimicked short-range teleportation, Wisdom was already halfway to being a space-type beast.
And that, more than anything, was what made the owl so valuable.
Evolution didn’t just increase a creature’s strength. It raised their limits. Unlocked new traits. Birthed new skills.
If Michael manipulated the evolution using the right materials, especially those infused with space-related energy, Wisdom might not just resemble a space creature.
It could become one.
But for now, he couldn’t rush it.
His own advancement was just a few days away. He needed every bit of energy and focus to accumulate points needed for his rank-up. Evolution would have to wait.
Once he was stronger, once he’d secured a few more of his plans, then he could pour resources into Wisdom’s growth.
But for now… there was a different problem on his mind.
Where was he supposed to keep this owl?
Would he have to carry it around on his shoulder everywhere?
It wouldn’t be so bad if Wisdom stayed small, but evolution could lead to a larger body. If the bird grew significantly, it could become a real nuisance to move around with.
Still, not all hope was lost.
Michael found comfort in one thing, he’d be leaving the capital soon.
He would finally settle in his own territory. A stretch of land bordering a vast forest.
A place where hopefully secrets could stay buried.
With that thought, Michael gently took Wisdom from his shoulder and placed the bird on his bed.
He’d tested the Taming skill enough for now. He understood it better—what it offered, what it cost.
But there was still one thing he hadn’t tried.
The skill he had copied from Wisdom.
It was time to see what it could really do.
Michael stood in the center of his room.
It was relatively empty—just a bed, a wardrobe, and a desk tucked against the far wall.
He glanced at the system panel hovering in front of him.
[Phase Shift – Basic Mastery – Proficiency: 1.0%]
Momentarily shift your body out of the material plane and reappear at a target location within 5 meters, bypassing physical obstructions. You do not become intangible—only your position changes.
At Basic Mastery, the range is short and the casting requires focus. Shift must be to a visible location.
Michael narrowed his eyes, focusing on a spot across the room—just beside the desk.
“Five meters, huh?”
He could make that.
Michael took a breath.
Then activated it.
The world twisted—not violently, but like the air itself folded inward. One moment, he stood near the center of the room. The next, he was beside the desk, boots landing softly on the wooden floor.
Michael stood still for a moment, heart racing.
That had worked.
He’d just shifted from one end of the room to the other like it was nothing.
The implications were massive.
His grin came back with force, stretching wide across his face. He clenched and unclenched his fists, practically buzzing.
“This… This is insane.”
A skill that let him bypass physical space entirely?
But as the excitement began to cool, his body reminded him that nothing came free.
Michael exhaled, slower this time. The fatigue had crept up on him unnoticed in the moment—a subtle drain in his limbs, a tightness across his shoulders.
It wasn’t enough to cripple him, but it was noticeable.
Odd.
He then checked his mana reserves.
It was down by about 5%.
Michael blinked, frowning.
“That much?”
For a single cast of Phase Shift?
He had a large mana pool. As an Awakener—and a High Human on top of that—his body and magic capacity were already leagues above the average person. But even he felt a small pulse of ache in his muscles and a slight ringing in his ears.
If this skill had that kind of drain on him…
What about a regular Awakener? Someone with a caster-type class and average physical stats?
Michael imagined it: a squishy mage using Phase Shift in a panic.
It might save them.
Once.
Maybe twice.
But if they weren’t careful, it would break them.
“This is more like a trump card,” he muttered, nodding to himself. “Not a spammable skill. At least not yet.”
And then, like a puzzle piece falling into place, the memory clicked.
The zoo garden. The old man’s words.
Wisdom had been found injured.
He looked toward the owl resting on the bed, peaceful, feathers twitching softly.
“That’s how they caught you, isn’t it?”
It made sense now. Wisdom might have used Phase Shift. But with that kind of mana and physical toll, the skill likely strained it too far—leaving it weakened, maybe even unconscious.
And that made it easy pickings.
Michael’s thoughts returned to the skill description.
“Shift must be to a visible location.”
Visible.
But visible to what?
He looked around the room again, his eyes narrowing at the phrase. Did it mean his literal eyes? What about his senses?
Technically he could see without his eyes at his current stage.
In more than one ways at that too..
Could he jump to a place that he wasn’t directly looking at—but could still sense?
He turned around slowly, his back now facing the wardrobe.
“Let’s find out.”
Michael closed his eyes. He took a deep breath and reached out with his awareness. He extended his perception.
Then he activated [Phase Shift].
*****
A/N: Apologies for the shorter update lately—school’s been a bit hectic.
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