Emerging from the Whispering Caves felt like rebirth. After days navigating echoing darkness and battling corrupted creatures, the sunlight of Everlight nearly blinded Zaro and his companions. The city's vibrant colors and bustling energy, once a welcome change from the caves oppressive atmosphere, now seemed overwhelming. Like stepping from a grimy low-budget horror flick into a hyper realistic anime, complete with overly enthusiastic merchants and improbably large weapons.

  “By the gods, that's bright!” Ramrod roared, shielding his eyes with a hand the size of a dinner plate. Someone turn down the sun, it's trying to melt my eyeballs! He stumbled, momentarily blinded, nearly colliding with a passing street vendor off the beaten path on his way to Everlight, selling what appeared to be deep-fried spider legs.

  Ezra, ever graceful, simply closed her eyes and tilted her face towards the sky, a serene smile gracing her lips. “It's good to be back to the sunlight”, she murmured, her voice a soothing balm against the Orcs booming complaints. The city energy revitalized her spirit.

  Once they got back to the city, Chad scanned the crowd for the nearest tavern, his gaze fixing on a sign depicting a frothy mug and what might have been a griffin-turned-roasted-chicken. He muttered about finding decent ale and food that would not try biting back.

  Zaro felt a strange mix of exhaustion and exhilaration. The Whispering Caves had tested him, pushed him to his limits, revealing a hidden strength he was only beginning to understand. The scaled shadows on his skin, almost unnoticeable but present, filled him with awe at his newfound power.

  The energy of the void skin armor felt warm against his skin, a comforting weight reminding him of his journey and the challenges overcome. A journey transforming him from clueless newbie into... well, a slightly less clueless newbie with a growing arsenal of void-powered abilities.

  The group made their way to the Drunken Gryphon, where the familiar tavern welcomed them with open arms and the lingering aroma of roasted boar. After a hearty meal that could have fed a small village and several rounds of celebratory ale, they decided to part ways. Chad opted for something suspiciously purple and bubbling, claiming it was a rejuvenation potion. More likely it would give him a temporary third eye and an uncontrollable urge to sing opera.

  Ramrod, his battle-lust temporarily satiated, headed to the Arena. The Orc seemed eager to test his skills against other warriors and perhaps win enough coin to replace his dented armor. His current hammer bore a suspicious resemblance to a rusty meat tenderizer. No doubt he would spend the evening bragging about their exploits in the Whispering Caves, each retelling growing more elaborate until he was single-handedly battling hordes of void creatures while juggling flaming swords and rescuing damsels in distress.

  Ezra vanished into the bustling marketplace, her keen eyes searching for rare herbs and crafting materials. The elf would likely spend hours haggling with merchants, her grace and sharp wit giving her an edge in any negotiation. She probably maintained a secret stash of enchanted trinkets and bartering techniques that could make even the most stubborn merchant weep with joy.

  Chad found a cozy corner in the tavern and proceeded to drown either his sorrows or celebrate their victory in an endless supply of ale. Hard to tell with Chad. Perhaps he sought a state of blissful oblivion where memories of corrupted hounds and near-death experiences could not reach him. Or maybe he just wanted to avoid paying his bar tab. With Chad, either seemed equally likely.

  Zaro had other plans. With his coin purse full from his share of the spoils, he rented a small room at the inn. A quiet sanctuary away from the city's bustle where he could settle in for a marathon training session. The time had come to delve deeper into the mysteries of his hidden class and explore the full potential of his Voidwalker abilities.

  The battles in the Whispering Caves had ignited something within him, a thirst for knowledge and mastery that would not be quenched until he unlocked every secret the void offered. Besides, after witnessing Chad's impressive if slightly terrifying display of magical prowess, Zaro felt a surge of competitiveness. If that pointy-hatted mage could hurl fireballs and summon lightning bolts, surely a Voidwalker could at least master the art of creating a decent void-powered toaster oven.

  Zaro examined his updated stats first, eager to see the tangible results of their harrowing adventure. The system interface materialized before him, numbers and skills laid out like a character sheet come to life.

  A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

  Level 6.

  Class Voidwalker.

  HP 280.

  Mana 280.

  Attributes.

  Strength 18.

  Agility 16.

  Intelligence 28.

  Vitality 28.

  Stamina 18.

  3 stat points banked.

  Not bad for a former miner who had been on track for black lung disease. The numbers represented more than statistics - they marked his evolution from hapless newbie to semi-dangerous Voidwalker. Though with strength barely above that of a particularly buff squirrel, he still had far to go.

  The one thing he realized is that his legendary class was putting him on par with his current team. They had accepted him originally based on boasts, but he is quickly becoming similar in strength to them. And he had plans to surpass that as well.

  Gazing out his window, Zaro focused on the people walking below. His attention caught on a man with a slight limp. Analyze activated automatically, feeding him information about the strangers name, weight, class, and weaknesses. The system spoon-fed data so rapidly that Zaro felt like quoting Sherlock Holmes. It's elementary, my dear Watson indeed.

  The skill showed him more than simple statistics. Zaro could see how the man's right shoe sole had worn unevenly due to a bum knee, itself caused by muscle weakness in his left hip from arthritis. The information came as both feeling and knowledge, a peculiar blend of intuition and data that defied simple explanation.

  When he activated Void Sense, a sonar-like shimmer moved outward like a wave, illuminating people and animals and even bugs, crystals and energies too. Everything living and anything that was a point of interest gained a brief highlight. The detail level surpassed anything his previous attempts had shown, suggesting these skills did more than enhance his senses - they completely rewrote his understanding of the world around him.

  The abilities worked in concert, analyze providing detailed breakdowns while Void Sense mapped the flow of energy through living things and the environment itself. Zaro found himself processing information that would have overwhelmed him just days ago. The void energy appeared woven into the fabric of this reality itself, a hidden pattern suddenly made visible to his enhanced perception.

  Studying the flow of people below, Zaro realized he could read not just physical conditions but emotional states, picking up subtle variations in the void energy that surrounded each person. The market square became a tapestry of interweaving energies, each person trailing patterns unique to their nature and needs. What had started as a simple observational skill had evolved into something far more comprehensive.

  Zaro wanted to find a place to train where he would not be bothered. He migrated to the forest, just outside the city.

  He set up practice targets - pumpkins, as good a target as any. Purple energy crackled between his fingers as he launched void bolt after void bolt. Each blast tore chunks from the wooden posts, leaving smoking craters in their wake. Eight bolts. Nine. By the tenth, his vision blurred as the void energy inside him sputtered and died.

  Pain exploded behind his eyes, a migraine from the abyss itself. His knees buckled as magical exhaustion hit like a hammer to the skull. The ground rushed up to meet him as the system flashed warnings.

  [System Alert]

  Mana depleted.

  Warning. Magical exhaustion detected.

  Recommendation. Maybe don't do that again.

  Zaro did what he always did when he got a headache, he closed his eyes and treated through it. “No going to your happy place today." He mumbled to himself.

  On to strength training. Zaro remembered seeing some stones he could train strongman with behind the inn. He hurried over to test his might.

  Behind the inn stood a massive boulder, easily five hundred pounds of solid granite. Local kids had painted a crude mustache, eyes and a nose on its face, turning it into an impromptu art installation. Zaro planted his feet, grabbed the rough edges, and pulled. Muscles screamed as he strained against the weight.

  His enhanced strength sent power surging through his arms. The boulder shifted, then lifted an inch off the ground. Two inches. His arms shook like leaves in a storm. A passing merchant dropped his crate of apples, mouth hanging open as he watched someone seemingly normal compete with geology.

  Channeling half his mana into a void bolt, Zaro shattered the boulder into chunks. He selected what appeared to be a two-hundred-pound piece and lifted it overhead with relative ease before tossing it aside. Determined to understand his limits, he deliberately depleted his mana again and again, growing more comfortable with the resulting pain each time.

  Zaro decided to start a daily practice of starting the day by emptying his mana into his void skin. This evening he charged it fully. It would block 20 points of incoming damage per charge level. At 20 mana per charge. With 280 mana, he could charge it 14 times and get 480 damage reduction but also the brain freeze headache from his mana depletion. Zaro thought about how monks train and wanted to try firing void bolts into his forearms and shins for conditioning.

  After 20 minutes of this insane style of training, he got a system notification.

  [System Alert]

  Void skin is now Level 2.

  Mana cost reduction. 15 mana per charge. This skill now mitigates 25 damage per charge.

  He would make sure to start every day at 50% to a full mana dump and practice walking around with full void shields active at all times as a form of training.

  As night fell over Everlight, Zaro sat cross legged on his inn room floor. Candlelight flickered across the walls, casting dancing shadows that seemed to reach toward him. He closed his eyes, letting consciousness sink into the void.

  He entered Eye of the Storm. Minutes stretched into hours. City sounds faded. His breath slowed. In the darkness behind his eyes, patterns formed. Purple energy swirled through his body like a river of stars until something clicked into place.

  [System Alert]

  Eye of the Storm has reached level 2.

  Meditation now recovers 2 of all stats per second, and can be done from any comfortable position.

  Trance still required.

  The ability to conceal his meditation by doing it standing marked another step forward. As days passed and Zaro continued exploring the city and honing his skills, he could not shake a persistent feeling. Something pulled him back toward the Whispering Caves. The corrupted miners, the Aetherium deposit, the lingering presence of void energy, all hinted at deeper mysteries waiting to be uncovered.

  One night, as he lay in his bed with thoughts of the caves racing through his mind, a vivid dream seized him. He saw a swirling vortex of shadows, a dark abyss pulsing with eerie light. Within that abyss, a figure shrouded in darkness beckoned him toward the depths. The dream felt more than mere imagination, it carried the weight of prophecy, of destiny calling through the void.