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Stealing Step (Level: 1/3)
Skill description: Dashes forward using unique footwork. The dashing Speed correlates with the Armor's "Mobility."
Cooling time: 3 seconds
Upgrade Requirements: Spirituality "10"
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Feng Yin looked at the description of the "Stealing Step" Skill displayed on the interface, confirming it was no different from the game he used to play.
This Skill was extremely important. It functioned similarly to "dodge roll" or "evade" mechanics in games, allowing the Armor to dash several meters away in a split second. Before acquiring this Skill, the Armor had no additional movement abilities in the early stages; he could only walk, run, and jump like a normal person.
Anyone who had played games knew the importance of emergency evasion mechanics like dodging and rolling. Therefore, even though "Stealing Step" was purely a movement ability without any special mechanics like "invincibility frames" during the dash, Feng Yin still chose to prioritize acquiring this Skill in the "initial stage."
"If I remember correctly... in the game, you only get an opportunity to select a stage reward every three levels," he recalled. "These initial three—Engraving, Skills, and Secret Technique—are guaranteed acquisitions. The only difference is the order in which they're obtained."
Feng Yin briefly reviewed the game mechanics in his mind. Simply put, the entire "first ten levels" served as a tutorial. The initial three mechanics would be unlocked in levels one, Four, and Seven respectively, before facing the game's first boss in the tenth level.
But that was a matter for later. Right now, he didn't even know how to unlock and enter the "next level."
Therefore, Feng Yin decided to use up his current Spirituality first. The ten points of Spirituality obtained from the first level were just enough to provide one Enhancement Level to his newly acquired Skill.
[Spirituality: 10 → 0]
[Stealing Step (Level 1 → Level 2)]
Acting on the thought, Feng Yin quickly completed the upgrade through the panel. Then, he looked at the Stealing Step Skill panel again. Its effects and related data had immediately changed:
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Stealing Step (Level: 2/3)
Skill description: Dashes forward or retreats rapidly using unique footwork. The displacement Speed correlates with the Armor's "Mobility." Can be used twice in succession.
Cooling time: 3 seconds
Upgrade Requirements: Spirituality "20"
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Seeing the changes in the upgraded Skill, Feng Yin's eyes filled with satisfaction. "Excellent!"
As expected, just like in the game, the Level 1 Stealing Step could only dash forward. After its Level increased to two, it could retreat, and the usage frequency changed from once every three seconds to twice in succession. It was much more flexible than before.
And if Feng Yin remembered correctly, if he upgraded this Skill to Level 3, reaching Level 100, it would unlock omnidirectional Stealing Steps, and the consecutive usage count would increase to three... Only then would it reach its final form!
After upgrading this Skill, he had exhausted all the Spirituality he gathered from the first level. This was why he had previously insisted on doing a "flawless" run. If he had taken hits while clearing the level and still needed to spend Spirituality to upgrade his Skills now, the Armor's "Durability" would be even lower, increasing the risks he would face in the next level.
And the levels were only going to get harder...
Putting away the Armor panel, Feng Yin walked out of the public restroom, preparing to return to his small shack. On his way, he glanced at the clock in the first-floor hallway. It was a little past two o'clock...
Feng Yin recalled the amount of time he had spent inside the "game."
"Including the intro and completing the first level, I must have spent less than half an hour 'inside,'" he deduced. "I didn't have a physical body when I entered, so it can be temporarily inferred as Soul Transmigration. What state was my real body in during the Soul Transmigration?"
He pondered silently, "Also, while I was 'inside,' was the time outside synchronized or paused? Or was the Flow Speed inconsistent..."
To be honest, since he didn't know when he fell asleep or when he entered the game, none of these questions could be answered right now.
"I need a device with a recording function..." Feng Yin thought silently. When he crossed over to this Border Prison Island, the only things that came with him were the clothes touching his body. Because he was getting ready to play games on his computer at home, he didn't have his phone in his hand. As a result, he now had nothing but the short-sleeved loungewear and beach shorts he was wearing.
There was no need to dwell too much on things he couldn't accomplish for the time being. Reining in his wandering thoughts, Feng Yin returned to his room.
Before entering, he deliberately checked the hallway and the courtyard. The burly man who had been patrolling near his area earlier was no longer there. So, he quickly closed the drafty, broken door and walked over to the corner of the room.
He was going to conduct a test. Since the Armor could provide him with a certain degree of Enhancement even when he wasn't wearing it... then he might as well try if he could use the Armor's Skills with his "flesh and blood" body.
Having made up his mind, Feng Yin's gaze sharpened slightly as he silently issued a mental command.
The next moment, his body mobilized rapidly as if on instinct, leaning forward and dashing out with incredibly practiced movements. His thighs, calves, ankles, and feet coordinated in perfect unison, stepping in a bizarre footwork at a tremendously high frequency.
SWISH!
Amid the sound of cutting wind, Feng Yin's figure moved like a ghost, crossing from one corner of the room to the opposite corner with unparalleled Speed!
A look of pleasant surprise appeared on Feng Yin's face. "So fast!" He was just about to activate the Skill again to test the backward dash.
But in the next second, his legs gave out. Soreness, swelling, pain, and trembling took over. He collapsed onto the floor, his forehead covered in cold sweat. Shortly after, he came back to his senses, an expression of helpless, bittersweet resignation surfacing on his face.
Just as he thought... As he had faintly anticipated, being able to use the Armor's Skills with his mortal body was a pleasant surprise. However, just because the Armor could withstand such extreme, limit-breaking explosive movements without any pressure didn't mean his physical body could easily endure it.
Correspondingly, the so-called three-second Cooling time was not actually three seconds for his body... Just a single dash forced him to stop and rest for a long time before he could use it again. Unless he was willing to risk crippling himself.
Although the result wasn't as good as he had imagined, Feng Yin wasn't too disappointed. After all, this "Stealing Step" was, to some extent, a technique that defied conventional logic. The fact that he could use it without wearing the Armor was enough to serve as a trump card in critical moments.
Furthermore, as long as he wore the Armor and exerted force guided by it, the Armor would presumably bear most of the burden, giving him even less reason to worry...
He began slowly massaging his thighs and calves. While doing so, he reviewed his dashing Speed from a moment ago. Without a doubt, even though he couldn't accurately estimate the time without a professional stopwatch, his dashing Speed definitely hadn't exceeded half a second. And the diagonal length of this room was about five meters.
Five meters in half a second meant ten meters in one second! His eyes lit up.
Some people might think—so what if it's ten meters a second? On Earth, the sprinter Usain Bolt ran a hundred meters in less than ten seconds, reaching a Speed much faster than his Stealing Step. Did that make Usain Bolt stronger than his Skill?
But Feng Yin knew it was different. Completely different.
Usain Bolt's Speed fluctuated throughout a hundred-meter dash, and the initial ten meters alone took him nearly two seconds. Yet, through this Skill, Feng Yin could transition from absolute stillness to extreme motion instantly, unleashing a burst of Speed twice that of a top sprinter.
Twice!
And this was just executing the Skill with his human body... If he had been equipped with the Armor, unleashing it with the Armor's "11" Mobility, his Speed would probably be much faster.
At this thought, Feng Yin felt as if his sore and aching legs weren't hurting as much anymore. His hope of surviving in this inexplicable Sin City had greatly increased!
***