Chris was left stunned when he heard Raven's response.
"I... have none."
'There's no way,' he thought.
It wasn't like he knew for sure that Raven would have a skill. But with everything he had witnessed, the way Raven arrived unscathed, the confidence in his stride, the blood of monsters still staining his clothes, he had simply assumed it was a given.
But now, hearing this?
Not a single skill?
'Then how the hell did he kill all those undead?'
At that moment, only one word echoed in his mind.
Crazy.
Raven had to be crazy to have walked through that nightmare without any powers. Not a speck of divine assistance. No enhancements. No special skills. Just raw human instinct.
Chris looked at him again, really looked at him and suddenly felt a chill crawl down his spine.
There was something unsettling about Raven. It wasn't his appearance, or even his silence, it was the calm.
People who survived near-death scenarios always had some fear clinging to them, in their eyes or their trembling hands.
But Raven didn't.
It was like the violence... didn't affect him.
Still, Chris couldn't shake the thought, maybe Raven was hiding something. Maybe he did have a power and just didn't know how to read the system.
'Maybe there's something else?'
Chris thougjt to himself.
"It must be wrong. We can't see each other's panels, so why don't I tell you what's in mine, and then you do the same? That way, we can be sure."
His tone was light, but his intent wasn't.
He wanted to gauge Raven's strength. Measure if he could be trusted. If tagging along with him was a ticket to survival or a straight shot to death.
'If I know what he has, I'll know what I'm dealing with.'
But Raven wasn't fooled. He can see what intentions Chris had.
Life had made him this way, skeptical of kindness, quick to read behind words. Chris wasn't just sharing out of friendship; he wanted information.
And yet... Raven didn't care.
He looked at the screen still floating before him. His eyes scanned the lines again.
[Skills: None]
[Stigma: None]
[Weapon: None]
It was as empty as it could be.
'Pathetic…'
Still, even with nothing to show, he had made it this far. Killed nearly two dozen monsters. Survived what others couldn't.
If this system was the world's way of measuring power, then maybe it had its flaws.
'I don't need a number to tell me what I'm capable of.'
But he said none of this aloud.
Instead, a simple thought passed through his mind as he stared at Chris.
'I can know more of the system from him. As for the matter of letting him tag along with me... I will kill him myself if it comes to it.'
Meanwhile, far above them, deep in the blackness of space, within a peculiar floating chamber, five white-furred creatures gathered in a dimly lit room.
None of them were human. They weren't animals either, at least, not in the way Earth defined animals.
These were beings of a different kind.
They were Voidlings, low-tier streamers on the Void Net, a massive galactic network where beings across galaxies watched the cruel games imposed on lesser species for entertainment.
And among them was one familiar creature... Puck.
His large, button-like eyes stared at a hovering monitor, completely absorbed.
"Hahaha, these humans are entertaining!" laughed one wrapped in a blue cloth. "The chaos... the fear! I love it."
"So true," said another in red. "I already hit over 200 viewers in the first hour. Never had numbers like this before."
"Damn, how did you go so high so soon?" Blue one asked with curiosity.
The yellow-robed one scoffed, "I'm at 97. Just a few more and I'll break 100. Not bad for a phase like mine i guess." It had a feminine voice to it, different than others present here.
The green one added, "I'm nearly there too. But what kind of phase you have Jin? You gained 200 viewers so soon?"
The red-cloaked Voidling, named Jin puffed his chest with pride.
"It's an S-level phase... The Frozen Palace."
The room fell silent for a moment.
"What?!"
An S-level phase was no joke. It was a setting deemed brutal and nearly impossible by Voidling standards filled with hazards, unpredictable conditions, and extremely low survival rates.
"No wonder your views are skyrocketing," muttered the blue one, a hint of envy in his voice.
"If your survivors make it through even half the phase, you might get promoted to low-mid tier," said the green one.
"That is for sure, and I have a great feeling that they will complete it too, one of them is particularly special."
"So lucky." the yellow one grumbled.
And then their attention shifted.
"Hey, Puck," the yellow one asked, turning to the quietest of them all. "You've been awfully silent today. Lost your viewers already?"
The red one smirked. "He probably didn't get any to begin with."
But Puck... didn't respond.
Not right away.
His round eyes were fixed on his screen. His hands trembled, not in fear, but with excitement.
His ears twitched. His breath was short.
'This is… unbelievable.'
Seeing the numbers before him, his body trembled with excitement.
Never in his wildest dream had he ever imagined that he will get to see such a thing.
He wanted to hold in his excitement, his happiness, but they were overflowing so much that he couldn't control it anymore.
Puck chuckled softly at first. Then it turned into a giggle. Then into full-blown laughter.
The other Voidlings stared at him.
"Has he lost it?"
"Poor guy's snapped."
"Don't worry, Puck. You will get another chance, don't lose yourself just yet."
But Puck didn't care.
"Another chance?" Puck finally spoke, his voice twisted with amusement. "I don't need another chance."
He stood proudly, eyes glowing.
"This one is enough to make me a mid-grade streamer."
The room froze.
Even Jin, who was smirking till now stopped smirking.
"W-what?"
"You mean… low-mid?"
Puck shook his head. "No. I mean mid-tier. Straight."
The words hit them like a thunderclap.
Mid-grade streamers were rare. It usually took years to rise from low-tier, especially from their class.
And yet Puck just claimed it as if it were inevitable.
"What phase are you even in?" asked the green one.
"Is it also a S rank one? Or maybe even higher?" The blue one asked with anticipation.
Puck grinned wildly. There was no way he won't get promoted after this, his destiny was clear, finally fate had smiled upon him.
"No, it is higher than that. It's an SSS-rank phase... Curse of the Undead."
The air dropped.
The others recoiled instinctively.
"That's… impossible."
"That phase has never been conquered by anyone till now."
"And you got that?"
"How many viewers do you have now?"
They all turned to Puck, a mix of horror and envy in their gazes.
Puck turned to his screen, watching the numbers going up without a stop.
He finally opened his mouth.
"I have more than..."
***
Thanks for reading.