Chapter 36: The Champion of Humanity

The golden light of his path selection had barely begun to dim when the system, relentless and cold, surged with a new, definitive chime. It was a sound that resonated with a higher frequency, piercing the stillness of the portal chamber.

[PATH GRANTED: SPACE PATH]

[You have acquired the skill: TELEPORTATION]

[Skill Description: Depending on your strength, you can teleport freely.]

Michael stared at the floating text. A slow, predatory grin spread across his face, transforming his features into something altogether more dangerous. He felt a shiver of pure, unadulterated excitement race down his spine.

„Jackpot,“ he whispered, his voice barely audible over the hum of the cooling gate.

This was exactly what he had calculated—no, what he had hoped for. It was more than a weapon; it was a fundamental redefinition of the battlefield. With this, the constraints of physics, of terrain, and of the swarming masses that had nearly claimed his life were rendered moot. He could dive into the heart of an impossible siege, strike with lethal precision, and vanish before a single claw could graze him.

He was no longer just a foot soldier in this war; he was a variable that could erase the main targets at will.

However, the analytical part of his mind, the part that had kept him alive while others fell, quickly tamped down the elation. He needed more information about the skill. He needed to define the edges of this new power. He had a massive reserve of potential energy waiting to be funneled into this new reality—25 free status points and 5 skill points. There was no explanation of what affected his skill. He needed to run some experiments and learn how to use his newfound ability in the best and efficient way.

Michael didn’t hesitate. He knew, with a sudden, intuitive certainty that felt as natural as his own heartbeat, how to initiate the skill. It was an instinct, a muscle memory he hadn’t known he possessed, likely a gift bestowed by the class selection itself. A quiet, internal click that opened a door to a new room in his mind.

*Jakob must have felt the same* Michael thought while imagining how Jakob surged with that explosive power and executed his skill without proper knowledge about it.

He closed his eyes, visualized a spot a few meters away, and mentally wished to activate the skill and appear at that spot.

The world didn’t just shift; it folded. One moment, he was standing there; the next, he was standing at the desired location. There was no sensation of movement, no blur of passing air, no sound—just the instant reality of vanishing and being somewhere else. It felt as natural as drawing a breath. He checked his mana pool immediately, noting the sharp drop in his reserves with the cold satisfaction of a researcher recording a successful experiment.

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The grin on his face widened, if that were even possible. “Perfect“.

Now came the second phase and the more important part: the distribution of status points.

He accessed his status screen, his gaze locking onto his 25 available attribute points. He decided to start with Mana. It was the logical foundation for any active skill. He allocated one point into Mana, felt the familiar, subtle internal adjustment, and performed the teleportation again.

He arrived at the new location, his senses hyper-alert. He felt a difference. It was minumal, a mere whisper of change, but it was there—a slight, almost imperceptible easing of the mental and physical burden of the jump. He checked his mana usage. It had dipped, just a fraction, but it was measurable.

He didn’t stop there. He methodically allocated the remaining points—one each into Strength, Agility, and Vitality—and tested the skill after every single adjustment.

* **Strength**: No change. The teleportation felt identical in cost and effort.

* **Agility**: No change. His reaction time was faster, as expected, but the jump itself remained locked to his current mastery.

* **Vitality**: No change. His stamina reserves were higher, but the mana consumption of the teleportation remained stubbornly consistent.

He stood in the center of the room, tapping his chin as he processed the results. Four points spent, and only Mana had yielded the results he needed. His mind raced with the implications. It would be a catastrophic mistake to fall into the trap of dumping every point into Mana. He was a Champion of Humanity, not a glass cannon. He needed the raw strength to finish what he started, the agility to react according to his perception and dodge when needed, and the vitality to endure inevitable hits.

But he still had 21 status points remaining and 5 skill points, a ressource that could potentially reshape his arsenal. He hovered over the prompt, contemplating their use, but held back. If he spent them now, he might miss the chance to acquire something more critical. Instead, he turned his attention to the final mystery: the Shop.

The interface materialized with a soft, pulsing light. It was divided into two distinct sections: *Skills* and *Items*.

He navigated into the *Skills* tab, his brow furrowing as the list populated in his vision. It was a vast, sprawling directory of skills, but as he scrolled, he realized with a sharp pang of disappointment that it contained only general abilities—not Class Skills. However, there were still interesting skills, such as [Fireball], [Water Jet], [Light Blindness], [Light Blade], and [Mist].

He reflected deeply on his predicament: teleportation alone was not enough to defeat his enemies. He required an offensive capability. His beginner spear would not suffice in the long run. Furthermore, as a long weapon, it was not compatible with teleportation based combat; he needed short-range weapons like daggers or swords. [Light Blade] appeared to be an interesting and promising skill.

Before committing his resources, he decided to examine the *Items* section.

What he found there was a staggering, highly diverse selection of goods. The system catalog was exhaustive, spanning from various weapons and sturdy armor sets to specialized gear like helmets, boots, and greaves. Beyond the functional equipment, he discovered a fascinating category of accessories, including ornate necklaces, bracelets, and rings. Last but not least, there were also consumable, one-use items.

Michael carefully analyzed the item descriptions. He noted that the weapons and armor pieces were clearly focused on flat increases to his attack power or damage resistance. However, the accessories were far more complex; they possessed unique, multifaceted effects that could alter his performance in ways raw stats simply couldn’t. A single necklace, for instance, might offer a percentage-based reduction in mana cost, while a bracelet could potentially grant a passive boost to his movement speed or sensory radius.

Michael put these thoughts aside because what he needed now was attacking power. So he oppened the weapons section again. For some unknown reason, there were only low level items available. *It must be due to my level. So with a higher level more powerful items should be purchaseble* Michael was wishfully predicting the future.