Starting With SSS-rank: I Get A New Skill Every Livestream

Chapter 266: Time to hunt

If an investigation took place, Kyle would undoubtedly become a suspect. With the reputation he had before joining the PSC, he knew it was only a matter of time before people started connecting the dots.

So, first things first.

How was he supposed to leave the building without being caught on camera?

The front entrance was out of the question. Surveillance cameras covered every corner of it.

That left him with only one option.

Jump out of the window.

His apartment was on the seventh floor, but fortunately, this side of the building had no surveillance. It also explained how Ava had managed to sneak into his apartment that day.

Sliding the window open, Kyle leaned forward and looked down.

A cold gust brushed against his face as his eyes traced the dizzying distance to the ground.

"...This looks terrifying," he muttered.

[Host, with your current endurance, a fall from this height is nothing. Especially under the moonlight.]

Kyle let out a helpless sigh. "I know... but still."

Knowing his body was capable of surviving something and actually throwing himself into it were two entirely different matters.

Still, he couldn’t afford to waste any more time. His destination was on the other side of the city, and getting there would take a while.

"Okay... I can do this."

Kyle hyped himself up before climbing onto the window ledge.

He glanced up and down the building. Fortunately, the neighboring apartments had their windows shut. Understandably so. There wasn’t much to look at besides another building standing only a short distance away.

Taking a deep breath, he lowered himself into a crouch on the narrow ledge.

Moonlight bathed his body, filling him with the strength and confidence he needed.

Closing his eyes, he whispered, "Here goes nothing."

Then he jumped.

"Ah..."

The wind roared past him, tugging at his hood and sending his hair flying in every direction.

His arms instinctively reached out for something to grab, but his fingers scraped against nothing but the cold concrete wall.

The ground rushed closer.

Realizing there was no escaping the landing, Kyle shut his eyes and braced himself.

THUNK!

A dull jolt shot through his entire body the moment his feet struck the ground. He let out a groan as he immediately rolled forward, dispersing the impact before finally coming to a stop.

It barely helped.

Coming to a stop, Kyle let out a heavy breath before glancing up at his open window.

"...Damn. How am I supposed to get back up there?"

He had jumped down without a second thought. Returning to his apartment, however, was going to be a completely different challenge.

Shaking the thought away, he decided to worry about it later.

Bzz...

His phone vibrated.

Kyle quickly pulled his hood over his head before answering the call.

"Veronica?"

{Where are you? I’ve disabled the surveillance covering your building’s entrance. You can leave without being recorded.}

"..."

Kyle slowly closed his eyes and tilted his head toward the sky.

So... he had risked his life for absolutely nothing.

{Kyle?}

"Yeah, it’s nothing." He let out a quiet sigh. "I’ve already made it out without being caught on any cameras, so you can rest easy."

{Hmm? But how?}

Kyle ignored her question and asked one of his own.

"Forget about that. Do you know of any rift appearances that haven’t been inspected yet?"

{Not exactly. But you could check the area near the gas station by the State Highway toll point.}

"The place which was sealed years ago?" He remembered hearing how dead bodies have been found in the bathroom of that gas station, leading to many accidents that ultimately left no option but for the government to shut it down.

{Yes. Rift activity is unusually common there. You might find something. Ah, wait. How are you planning to get there?}

A faint grin spread across Kyle’s face.

"On foot, of course."

He ended the call, drew a slow breath, and let the moon’s power flow through his body.

He could feel it.

The more he focused on the crown, the stronger the energy coursing through his veins became, as though the moon itself was answering his call.

Kyle opened his eyes.

Then, with a powerful push off the ground, he exploded into a sprint.

The world blurred.

The moment Kyle pushed off the ground, the scenery around him stretched into streaks of light and color. Street lamps flashed by one after another, while parked cars became little more than hazy silhouettes in the corner of his vision.

His eyes widened.

"So fast..."

The wind howled in his ears, forcing his hood to flap wildly behind him. Every stride launched him several meters forward, his feet barely touching the ground before propelling him ahead again.

At first, the speed felt impossible to control.

He nearly crashed into a traffic signal after taking a turn too sharply, planting a hand against the pole to swing around it before continuing forward.

A few seconds later, he had to leap over a roadside bench because he realized too late that he couldn’t stop in time.

"Okay... maybe I should slow down."

He eased his pace ever so slightly.

Immediately, the chaos around him began to settle.

His racing thoughts calmed, and his eyes gradually adjusted to the incredible speed. What had once been indistinct blurs slowly became recognizable shapes. Cars, signboards, pedestrians... each entered his vision with increasing clarity.

Soon, he found himself weaving between obstacles almost instinctively.

A cyclist emerged from a side street.

Kyle shifted his footing before his mind had even finished processing it, gliding past with barely a hand’s width to spare.

A stray dog darted across the road.

He vaulted over it in one smooth motion without losing momentum.

The city became a flowing course rather than a maze.

Every passing second sharpened his control. Every stride felt lighter than the last. His breathing remained steady, his body adapting to the moon’s blessing at an astonishing pace.

The cold night air rushed against his face, yet instead of resisting it, he felt as though it was carrying him forward.

Buildings flew past.

Intersections disappeared behind him.

The distance that would normally take nearly an hour to cover melted away in minutes.

A grin slowly crept across Kyle’s face.

"So this..."

His legs pushed harder.

"...is what real speed feels like."

The moon shone high above, its pale radiance following him like a silent guardian as he raced toward the outskirts of the city, leaving nothing behind but fleeting gusts of wind and startled glances from the few people who thought they had seen a shadow flash past.

.....

Reaching the gas station, Kyle took several long breaths before the system chimed,

[Host, you were supposed to do this silently. I believe the camera might have caught your image a few times back then.]

Kyle wryly smiled, "Needed to get used to this state as well. Hopefully, Veronica can take care of it."

He was feeling shameful saying that but the energy surging through him was impossible to control as well.

Just then, his instincts rang.

He activated God’s Eye and turned towards his left.

"Hee~" A slow grin extended his lips as he noticed the distortion of space not far away from him.

Time for some hunt.