Chapter 44: CH-44
The number of painful attacks kept increasing. Every time I tried to counter, my clone moved in unexpected ways.
Each punch I threw came with another curse aimed at the System for making things more difficult. The bastard was probably enjoying this show.
"Damn it, this is really annoying."
Every time I got close to landing a clean hit, the clone countered like it could read my thoughts. Was it learning from me—or mocking me?
"Hey, System! Don’t tell me you’re controlling this thing just to hurt me because of a small comment? How petty can you be? I just made a jo—"
Before I could even finish, it started weaving its head from side to side, arms tight while building momentum.
"Why do I hear a jet engine?"
Bang, bang, bang!
The blows came raining in, each one smashing into my face with bone-shaking force, every hit meant to knocked me out.
Goddamn it, I know that move—that’s the freaking Dempsey Roll!
I tried to jump back to get my bearings, but it adjusted just as fast.
A spinning kick slammed into my abdomen, knocking the air out of me, followed by an axe kick straight down. I barely managed to block it with both arms, but the impact forced me down to one knee.
Then it drove its knee right into my chin.
I think I lost consciousness for half a heartbeat.
One thing became very clear after that combo. Those moves didn’t come from my Castle Card, or from any card I owned.
"This is cheating!" I yelled, spitting out blood. "You’re using skills I don’t even have—"
It kicked me hard in the chest, sending me crashing to the floor.
This time, I didn’t get up right away. I just lay there, gasping, staring up at my clone as it looked down at me with a smug expression that practically said. -What are you looking at, you piece of shit?-
That was the final nail in the coffin.
"F–Fuck it. You really are the worst system ever," I hissed, forcing myself to stand up.
Every bruise and ache made my blood boil, and the Qi that was usually stable turned wild. My fingers twitched with bloodlust I didn’t recognize as my own.
From the corner of my vision, I saw my skin darkening—just like what happened back in the hospital when I turned into an evil-aligned cultivator by choice.
Soon, even my vision turned crimson, the blood from the sudden spike in my heart beat went to my eyes, and the veins on my head were throbbing.
I’d nearly forgotten about it, thinking my Qi hadn’t changed at all. Turns out, the trigger was negative emotion. And right now, I am really pissed off.
My clone didn’t give me a second to breathe—it lunged again, fist aiming for my face.
Reflex took over. My body dodged before I even realized it, and my fist crashed into the clone’s jaw, sending it slamming into the hard floor.
It got up and charged again—faster this time. But so was I.
When our fists met, the impact sent it flying across the floor. Looks like my new Qi wasn’t something it could imitate.
I’m not done yet, you fucker!" I roared, launching a series of attacks. It fought back with different techniques, but my strength and speed were on another level so none of it mattered.
This power—this dominance—it felt good. Really fucking good.
"Why aren’t you grinning now?" I sneered as my fist smashed into its jaw.
"You think you can bully me, huh?" I kicked it, then grabbed its neck and slammed it into the ground.
The tables had turned, and it was the one choking for breath on the floor.
"Don’t you dare pass out on me." I yanked its hair and punched its face again and again with no plan of stopping.
I never thought I could get this violent—but here I was, enjoying every moment.
BANG!
I grew tired of just punching its face, so I slammed it into the floor over and over.
[DING!]
The walls and floor shifted again, and my clone crumbled into dust.
[Congratulations, Host, for passing the trial.]
[Resetting Host status...]
A flash of green light passed through me, washing away the negative thoughts that had taken over. My Qi steadied, and the darkness that had been churning inside me finally subsided.
Even as emotions stabilized, part of me missed that feeling. The power the dominance. Maybe that was the real danger. Not the sensation itself, but the hunger it left behind.
My gut told me that if I ever pushed it too far, I would lose my sanity completely.
Note to self: only use Evil Qi in life-or-death situations until I find a way to at least minimize the side effects.
[DING]
The System’s notification echoed again. I still hadn’t forgiven it for the last prank it pulled, but I decided to let it slide. After all, that beating did leave me with valuable lessons.
However, what happened also made me more curious about it.
The System sometimes responded like a machine, but other times, it spoke with personality, very human. The inconsistency bothered me.It was as if a conscious mind occasionally took control... just to mess with me.
It made me wonder about its origin, and why it chose me in the first place.
[Host, you have acquired S Rank. Would you like to claim this rank, or attempt to aim higher?]
"Aim higher? Wait— isn’t S-Rank already the top?" I asked, brushing off my earlier questions.
[Yes, Host. S-Rank is the current ceiling within this world. However, you may bypass this limitation by connecting directly to the power source.]
It sounded like the power I would be getting wouldn’t come from the system—but from the same source everyone else was drawing from.
"Tell me what I’m getting into."
The temptation of more power was hard to ignore, sure—but I liked to think I was still logical enough to ask questions first.
[Upon successful completion, Host status will be upgraded to "Unbound."]
"What is Unbound?"
[Unbound is the threshold where existence itself is rewritten — power beyond hierarchy, freedom from the limits of the world. Attaining it means standing at the very pinnacle, unmatched and unrivaled.]
I stared at the message with wide eyes, my mouth going dry. Such description was my weakness.
"How much more powerful is an SS Rank compared to S Rank?"
[A dozen S Ranks would be comparable to one SS Rank, and a dozen SS Ranks could be comparable to an SSS Rank.]
I shouldn’t have asked that question. Now it was going to be way harder to settle with S, knowing the other options were that much better.
"And if I fail... what then?"
[Host, should you fail, you will need to acquire a new Awakener Card. Be aware: this trial will not be the same as the last]
Great. Like I needed more stress. And a different trial on top of that?
The System really loves to toy with me. And if I fail, there’s no way around it but start from scratch.
Should I gamble everything, or play it safe?
[Take S Rank or Continue to the Unbound?]
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Author’s Note: Due to an issue with the dashboard , my scheduled release didn’t go through. That’s why there’s a delay in the usual schedule.