Blinding light surged into Grey's eyes, dragging his consciousness into a deep trance. A vast starry sky stretched endlessly before him. He could only stand there, gazing as billions of burning stars made him feel insignificantly small.
Without warning, a lotus of pure chaotic flame bloomed in the void. Its petals flickered with an ancient, sacred power. Before Grey could comprehend it, the lotus shattered into countless specks of light that shot directly into his mind.
Whoosh! The vision collapsed.
The heavens split apart like fragile glass. One star after another vanished into the void until only absolute darkness remained. Then, everything faded.
Blue Star. Clear daylight returned. The sharp blare of honking violently filled his ears.
"Huh?" Grey's eyes opened wide.
He was standing dead in the middle of a busy road.
A massive truck was barreling straight toward him, its tires desperately trying to stop the vehicle in track.
Grey's breath caught in his throat. His entire body stiffened when he saw the sight.
The truck was far too close!
For a fleeting instant, despair weighed heavily on him.
But then, something shifted.
His pupils contracted violently, flashing with an unnatural, glitching speed as if time itself had completely slowed down.
"Hey, watch out!" A passerby cried out in horror, sprinting desperately to help.
But the effort was futile. The truck was less than a meter away. Then, something unbelievable happened.
"What?!" The passerby widened his eyes in pure disbelief.
Whoosh!
[System: Your comprehension defies the Heavens! From a near-death experience, you have successfully comprehended the 'Instant Recoil Step'.]
Wind surged violently as time crawled to a halt.
Ba-dump! Ba-dump!
His heart pounded like a war drum. Adrenaline flooded his veins, scorching into every muscle. His joints loosened with a sharp crack. His hips twisted, knees bent, and every segment of his body fired in a ruthless sequence.
The air boomed from the violent recoil as his physical frame blurred entirely out of the truck's lethal path.
The truck blew right past empty air. The driver looked slightly confused but continued driving without stopping, absolutely not wanting any legal trouble.
Meanwhile, the nearby pedestrians were completely dumbfounded. They had seen Evolvers before, but this raw display hit entirely differently.
"Woah! Big brother is so cool!" a child clapped happily.
"That guy must be an Evolver," another person muttered.
"Of course he is. Dodging from that close is not humanly possible. Only someone who transcended their mortal limitations can achieve such speed."
Huff!
Grey took deep, ragged breaths as he collapsed heavily onto the pavement. Literal steam was erupting from his overheated muscles. A crushing wave of exhaustion assaulted him. He had just forcefully pushed far beyond the absolute limits of the mortal body.
The shocked passerby quickly crouched down beside him. "Are you okay, friend?"
Grey glanced up. The man had short black hair, deep yellow eyes, and a highly handsome face.
The guy ruffled through his pocket, and a huge bottle filled with blue liquid suddenly appeared in his hand. "Here, please take this."
Grey looked at him strangely. How did he pull that out of a normal pocket? Then, he noticed the glowing ring on the man's finger. A spatial ring. Those were incredibly rare in Nova City. This guy was definitely a wealthy young master, a highly rare sight here in the slums of Sector 6.
Grey eyed the blue liquid suspiciously. "What is this? A muscle-numbing potion? Are you trying to kidnap me? I smoke daily and drink heavily. My organs are absolute trash!"
Grey scrambled backward, drawing distance between them.
The handsome guy was completely dumbfounded. With a wry smile, he explained, "This is simply an energy potion. It can quickly regenerate lost stamina. I mean no harm."
"Is that so?" Grey asked suspiciously.
He swiftly snatched the bottle and drank it. It was highly fizzy and tasted exactly like sweet lemon juice. Satisfied, he gulped it all down. Instantly, a warm current restored his lost energy, completely curing his torn muscles. He let out a deeply satisfied sigh as his exhaustion vanished.
"This tastes way better than market soda. How much does one cost?" Grey inquired with a bright smile.
"Huh? Soda?" The man shook his head speechlessly. "Each one costs one hundred Union Credits."
"What?!" Grey was completely stunned.
The average monthly salary for a hardworking factory worker like his father was only five hundred Union Credits. Buying just five of these would literally bankrupt his family.
"Long way to go," Grey muttered speechlessly. He loved the taste, but he absolutely could not afford it.
"My name is Evan. Nice to meet you," the guy introduced himself. "I almost thought you would get hit, but luckily you are an Evolver."
"Haha, an Evolver?" Grey forced a wry smile.
What this wealthy fellow did not know was that the Instant Recoil Step was entirely physical. It was a perfect bodily control technique that manipulated adrenaline to massively boost power without completely breaking down the user's muscles. A normal human would need eighty years of flawless training to achieve it.
Shaking his head, Grey replied, "I am Grey Lockhart. I highly appreciate the potion. Otherwise, I would have had to call an expensive taxi."
"Lockhart?" A surprised look flashed across Evan's face. "My friend's last name is also Lockhart. What a coincidence."
Grey merely shrugged. "There are a lot of Lockharts in Sector 6. It is nothing new."
Evan nodded silently. "If you do not mind me asking, what specific kind of Evolver are you?"
"What kind?" Grey's lips twitched violently. What Evolver? He could not even sense ambient cosmic energy yet! Still, he absolutely could not expose his mortality. He quickly thought of a path that could theoretically explain his physical speed. "I formally follow the... Martial Evolutionary Path."
"Is that so," Evan nodded thoughtfully.
"Yes," Grey affirmed.
Checking the time, Grey realized it was almost 6 PM. He was extremely hungry and desperately needed to check out his amazing new comprehension cheat in private. He swiftly said his final thanks to Evan and confidently walked away.
Evan silently watched Grey's fading figure with a deeply confused look on his face. "How did he do that? He is just an ordinary mortal!"