Read Novel Full Chapter 531: Switch
Chapter 531: Switch
Michael’s grip on the spear tightened.
Phase Shift.
It was not a skill he had purchased from the system. Not one that came naturally with his class. It was an ability that became his because of Wisdom, the mutated owl he had tamed. A creature with infinite potential if properly nurtured.
Phase Shift wasn’t exactly teleportation on how Michael saw it.
It was more like forcing one’s body to step into a thin fold between space and reappear elsewhere. Anywhere he could perceive, even without his own eyes, he could shift to.
But with its short range, it looked closer to a blink skill, if such a thing existed.
Still, in the right hands, even that "blink" was deadly.
The value was unquestionable. But so was the cost.
Even with his original, enhanced body, Phase Shift always taxed him heavily. It consumed vast mana and chewed at his physique. Now, here, in this virtual space where he was no stronger than any other Awakener, the price was even worse.
The moment he activated it, he felt it. His body weakened, a tremor crawling into his limbs. His mana dropped like a stone—more than half drained in a single use.
But it was worth it.
Because in the same breath, Brian’s fireball detonated against nothing. The flames lit the fog in a violent bloom—but Michael was already gone.
He appeared above, descending like a shadow-spear out of the mist. His eyes were cold.
Brian’s alarms screamed. His head snapped up, eyes widening.
Teleportation?! Impossible—!
But the disbelief froze in his throat as Michael’s bone spear, gleaming pale in the firelight, tore through his chest.
Brian’s eyes went wide as the bone spear drove through his chest, but before he could even react, his entire body began to break apart.
Tiny motes of crimson light scattered into the air, dissolving him piece by piece until nothing lingered.
Then—
[Penalty Applied: -3 to All Stats]
Michael froze.
"...He was a Hunted."
The suspicion he had buried earlier was now confirmed. In this trial, Hunters hunted the Hunted. The Hunted struggled to survive. And Freemen like him could interfere, gaining power by slaying Hunters.
But killing a Hunted... came with punishment.
The system itself had branded his act.
With the four he had killed just now, plus the three from before and his very first target, Michael had eliminated a total of eight Hunters. That should have been eight full points across all his attributes.
But killing Brian had stripped it all down to five.
A sharp decline. One that made his jaw tighten with irritation.
Yet, beneath that irritation, another feeling stirred.
Satisfaction.
Michael blinked at the thought, almost startled by it. Was he really that petty? To feel good about dragging Brian down with him?
He shook his head faintly. No. It wasn’t pettiness.
A good soul like his wouldn’t sink to such pettiness just because of some harassment... right?
Michael let out a slow breath, lowering his spear.
His gaze swept over the battlefield. The eliminated participants had left behind their belongings.
Michael crouched, fingers brushing through the loot.
All he cared about were the potions. Five mana potions. Three health potions. Two stamina potions.
He tucked them quickly into his belt, but not before uncorking one stamina potion and downing it in a swift gulp.
Then he tipped back two mana potions
His mana surged back, not to full, but to a comfortable level—enough that he could fight again if needed.
Michael exhaled slowly, rolling his shoulders as the warmth of recovery spread through his body.
But Michael’s irritation still lingered. Losing three points from Brian’s death left a sour taste on his tongue.
Yet, in that sourness, something clicked.
This trial wasn’t just random chaos. There was order.
Hunters. Hunted. Freemen.
And as long as he remained a Freeman, he was essentially another kind of hunter. Only his "prey" wasn’t the Hunted—it was the Hunters themselves. The Hunted were bait, scattered through the mist to lure out the predators. And his role, if he wanted to maximize strength, was to let those baits draw the wolves in... then cull the wolves.
Michael’s brow furrowed. That was the key. If he wanted to grow stronger in this space, he needed to indirectly protect the Hunted. Not because he cared about them, but because they drew out the real targets.
His spear’s tip scraped lightly against the ground as he turned the thought over.
How much time had passed? At least twenty-five minutes since the trial began.
But how much longer before the system shifted the roles again? Before he stopped being a Freeman and became something else?
The thought had barely sharpened when the answer came.
Ding.
A cold ripple slid down his spine as the interface shimmered in his vision.
[Role Switch: Freeman → Hunter]
First, his map flared open in his vision. Eleven dots pulsed into view—ten gold, one red.
A timer appeared just beneath them, glowing with thirty minutes. Then another panel followed:
[Every two minutes the Hunted’s location is revealed for ten seconds.
Successful elimination grants +10 to all stats.
Failed elimination incurs -20 to all stats and a small chance of immediate elimination.]
Michael had a frown on his face as the message faded. With the role switch, he finally understood what it meant to be a Hunter.
For one, the map wasn’t blank anymore. For two, Hunters could indeed track each other.
His gaze flicked across the glowing markers. He memorized the red dot—the Hunted—before the ten-second window vanished, then shot forward in a blur, Ghostwind Steps propelling him through the mist.
From the distance of the map’s overlay, he could see the structure of the trial more clearly now. Thirty minutes for each role.
For the Hunted, survival was the goal. For the Hunters, elimination was the only path.
And for him now...
It was to eliminate before the timer bled out.
The only issue now was that his current location seems a bit far from his target.
***
A/N: Lucky’s image from the artist arrived yesterday, and let’s just say she made a beautiful mistake, haha. I’ll paste a screenshot of the sketch she sent over. Thankfully, she’s already agreed to remake it. New discord link on the synopsis. Join the server for more art updates or read author’s note for more updates.