Like before, Zeke thought nothing of his session with Counselor Mary. Sometimes she was persistent about certain questions, and sometimes she would be satisfied even if he gave a one-word answer. He saw no point in talking to her, but he had to regularly go due to his agreement with the Principal.Fortunately, the session didn’t last long, and soon enough, he was free to leave. The sun had started to set and the canopy was darkening ever-so-slowly. Zeke had nothing important to do so he headed to the Dean’s cabin to complete today’s tasks and train by himself.Next week, the practical exams would begin and he needed to be prepared.Unlike the Theoretical exams which required thorough revision and a lot of studying, the practical exams were a collection of one-on-one battles between the First-Year Students.There would be a huge bracket and the opponents would be chosen randomly, or so most believe. However, Zeke knew that it was slightly more complicated than that; Basically, the te
“This… you…” Vans Valort pinched his temples and sighed as he saw the unconscious bodies lying near the black van. He tried to say something to the stoic youth but eventually gave up and called his colleagues. Of course, he made sure to handcuff all of them to eliminate any possibility of escape. It was clear that, whoever had orchestrated this, never took into account Zeke’s abilities. Maybe they had underestimated him, or simply never expected him to retaliate so fiercely. “Every time I meet you, there’s something going on. Haaah! And I thought my son was a troublemaker…” “Don’t feel so down, sir. Catching so many bad guys, isn’t that what police officers do?” Vans shook his head and let out a self-deprecating laugh, “Apart from their weapons, they have nothing on them. Clearly, it wasn’t just a simple assault. I will assig-” “There’s no need, detective Valort. I can take care of myself.” Seeing the youth’s adamance, the man sighed again and reluctantly nodded. He already knew
Azmer was also put on an inclined medical bed, but the metallic bounds weren’t tight. They made him incapable of moving, but it was clear they were treating him with care. When the female assistant approached him and was about to sedate him, he glared at her and thrashed around. “What are you doing? Don’t you dare touch me!” His loud shout startled the young girl and made her back away in hesitation and fear. After a couple of seconds, she lowered her arm and walked away, intending to speak with Olivia. “What’s going on here?” Azmer turned his head to the side with difficulty, still startled to see the tube stuck to the upper part of Zeke’s chest and draining a transparent liquid with a green luster. “I should be the one asking you.” Retorted the lethargic Zeke. Fortunately, the quantity of Life Aether dwelling within his body was significantly higher than a normal human, thus making the process take more time. With his precarious situation in consideration, Zeke did not panic,
A short while before the laboratory collapsed. “Mister Lorson, we’ve already begun the preparations. The operation shouldn’t take more than an hour, please wait here.” As Olivia and Anthony needed to keep this agreement under tight wraps, William made use of his vast wealth to build a laboratory in the basement of a recently-renovated house South of the Sunken Metropolis. The neighborhood was peaceful and relatively empty, thus making it the best spot to conduct such an illegal matter. William and Jacob were both presents, along with a few of their subordinates. As for the married scientists, they came alone and didn’t seem worried that someone might interrupt their work or barge in. After exchanging a few words with the ever-solemn William Lorson, they swiftly returned to the laboratory. Meanwhile, the head of the Lorson household stood on the small lawn of the house. He was like a robot, motionless and silent as he patiently waited. As for his eldest son, Jacob, he kept pacing
William Lorson had chased Katrina for no more than thirty seconds before realizing her plan. He conjured a long-winged bird made of his black flames and sent it rushing at her target while he hastily made a U-turn and returned to the now-destroyed small house.Upon seeing the huge and dangerous bird, Katrina’s eyes narrowed as she leapt in the air and unleashed all of her power.Her counterattack wasn’t as flashy as William’s, nevertheless, it was no less deadlier: She swung both hands, slashing the glistening silver blades, and released a milky-white sharp aura that spun unidirectionally.The magical bird clashed against the agent’s formless white aura, causing a soundless shock wave to crush the street, scorch the lamps, and melt the concrete.Katrina managed to safely get rid of William’s destructive flames, but that was only the beginning as she landed on the ground like a cat and then, like an unstoppable bullet, gave chase.The role of the cat and mouse changed, but even then, K
Although Albert had quelled the agonizing pain that tortured Sulong, the constant ringing sound inside of his head kept going.“The boy… Zeke… he’s in danger.”There was a foreboding and inexplicable sensation swelling within Sulong, urging him to go to Zeke’s side. However, he was given no directions or guidance, making the situation all the more difficult to deal with.It got so bad that Sulong’s ability was manifesting by itself, forming a circular war of crimson flames seemingly protecting him from outside danger.****[Pain-Junkie Main Path has been unlocked!][Fortitude stats already available][+7 Fortitude][+10 Strength][The user ‘Voltage Sync, Zeke’ has obtained the following skills: Surge of Pain - Body Damage - Self-injection][Surge of Pain has been activated: +20 to all stats][Surge of pain has been activated: +30 to all stats][Surge of pain has been activated: +40 to all stats][Body Damage has taken effect]Zeke was in no state to check the new skills, however, his
“S-sir… they didn’t pick up any of our calls. I-I’m afraid…”“It’s fine.”Edward unceremoniously waved his hand at the stuttering young man. Since Olivia, his mother was involved, he wanted to bring her here for questioning, but she had holed herself in the Vyrsan household, and trying to drag her by force was impossible.When he was given the signal, agent Howard Drant unfolded the document and spoke,“The initial investigation was completed. We’ve secured some intact machines from the basement. They were trying to operate on Azmer Lorson and Zeke Orland. From the looks of it, it’s directly related to Project B-11.”“As I thought.” Commented the disheartened Edward, a sigh escaping his lips.His parents had been in charge of Project B-11, but due to the lacks of funds from the Department of Defense and the need for live subjects, the project was put on hold five months ago.Many high executives, including Edward, didn’t condone human experiments, which put pressure on the greedy and
When Zeke opened his eyes and finally awakened from his premature slumber, he felt an uncomfortable numbness in his left arm. He let out a soft groan as he immediately remembered what happened.He had used ‘Over-drive’ to retaliate against William Lorson, but his body couldn’t cope with prior over-exertion along with the almost fatal injury inflicted by the frightening black flames.‘This is Erys’ infirmary. I survived… that’s a good thing.’The young man slowly sat up while chuckling in a self-mocking manner. His whole left arm was wrapped in tight bandages, but even without getting a good look, he knew it was irreparably damaged.Still, there was no need to regret or worry about this consequence. Doctor Xavier was nowhere to be seen, so Zeke turned his attention to the accessible System Logs.********[User: Zeke Orland][Race: Human][Level 7 (16/105 EXP)][Strength: 99][Agility: 84][Aether: 91][Fortitude: 25][Paths: Martial Arts (1/12) inactive | Voltage Body(1/44) | Groundbre
“I and Hephradet personally studied it, but found nothing. Here you go.”Kleya handed back the strange item back to Zeke.“There’s no Aether or any other foreign energy inside. We couldn’t determine its purpose.”“I see. Thank you anyway.”“Don’t worry about it. You should rest more or else I’ll never hear the end of it from Jenny.”Zeke wryly smiled and nodded. His mother kept nagging him day and night, telling him to rest and not continuously wander around the castle checking on everyone and making sure there were no issues.His body was already healthy and he felt no odd disturbances or unexpected awakenings. Everything is as normal as it could be.Just as Kleya left the room, Jennifer came in. Behind her was a red-faced Celestia, which made Zeke frown.“Mom?”Surprisingly, Jennifer grabbed his ear and pulled him to the couch.“Did I not tell you to overdo it?”“W-what? I haven’t done anything!”“That’s not what she told me!”Celestia stood a distance away, her head lowered in emba
“It’s still too early to assess everything, but… over 80% of the entire planet’s population died.” Kleya, whose eyes were a bit red and her face was filled with fatigue, sat across Zeke and Celestia. “And Her Majesty?” When she heard his question, Kleya lowered her head and held herself back from crying. “We… we think she died fighting the System. It’s no longer possible to return to the Unending Star, so we decided to acknowledge that Her Majesty was amongst those who had fallen there.” “I’m sorry.” “Don’t be. She… she died protecting what she believed in. Us. Not just the Witch Association but all of the Aether Planet.” Zeke sighed, feeling sorry when he saw Kleya like that. The Witch Queen was the pillar of the Witch Association, their respected leader. It was especially so for Kleya and the other 6-star Witches, excluding Jennifer. “A-anyway, the situation at the capital of the Nezulian Republic remains the same. We’re still looking for a way to cancel that Frost Spell cast
“Huff… huff…” With a hand pressed against his hurting chest, Zeke dragged his tired feet toward the fallen copy. The copy’s head turned to look at him, its eyeballs, which looked as if they were to pop-out, were letting out the familiar yet incredibly dim crimson light. “We had completed our objective. There was nothing left for Us to do.” “That didn’t give you the right to wipe entire civilizations.” “You… wouldn’t understand, Zeke Orland.” Unlike earlier, the System spoke through the copy’s mouth. Its charred and cut lips moved in an unnatural way, but the voice was identical to Zeke’s. “We had succeeded. We had saved the world. Then, We understood that our creation, our existence was only for that purpose. That We were a tool destined to cease existing.” “...” “We could not tolerate that.” “So you manifested a will of your own?” In response to that, a self-deprecating laugh came from the copy. “After choosing our first User, we saw how the Races we were supposed to prote
While the Phoenix battled the System in the Cursed Plains of the Unending Star, Zeke’s fight against his copy continued.Things took a turn for the worst when the Crown was crushed and the System’s powers dramatically increased. Nevertheless, Zeke didn’t lose yet. His body was flung and then crashed into the ground, blood gushing out from his shoulder and back.Even then, he slowly stood up and grinned toward the System.“Still fighting the good fight.”The previously calm ‘copy’, or at least the System’s disembodied voice, grew agitated as Zeke refused to remain on the ground.“My will is not so easily broken.”[Voltage King]Zeke’s eyes shone with an azure light as his voltage grew silent and became white.[Divine Champion][Divine Sreyzhanian Arts]Just as he charged at the System again, its body suddenly turned stiff as if being immobilized by something.The item handed by Kayro Ol Zerg flashed from Zeke’s pocket.[Fist of Fury]Zeke’s fists, glowing orange and wrapped in condens
“What’s wrong? I thought you were invincible in your domain.”Zeke’s taunt had no effect, at least not at first. The System stood straight and looked down on its wounded body.“You know nothing of Us.”The copy raised its hand, and very soon, something familiar appeared.It was a tangible object of an odd-shape, but Zeke knew what it was. The Crown.“You will know what it is to be helpless and defeated, 5th user.”“You’re still talking?”Zeke let out a smile and charged forth, his fists wrapped by thick voltage.The System crushed the crown as the red voltage manifested and exploded in an uncontrollable manner.…“Is it done?”Julia Lopmore furrowed her brows as she looked at the enemy, whose body was crushed, burned, and almost unrecognisable. It wasn’t a body anymore, but a mass of flesh and poison.The silence lasted for a very short time as the Crown also appeared in reality.“Stop it!” Shouted Frederic as took out a blue bead, one with the same size and shape that Nicneven had pr
Xiao, with his spear in hand, actually deflected the Divine Thunder before safely landing on the ground.Several people appeared close to the Witch Queen. As she swept her eyes across the six people that unexpectedly showed up here.“Your Majesty, we’re here to lend a hand.” Frederic Whitefort smirked and looked at her as he muttered those words. He had brought along Azmer, Xiao, Celestia, Ava, and Julia Lopmore.“You… how ar-”“We can save that talk for later, eh?”Frederic motioned toward Zeke, who was standing there and staring back at them with a hollow expression.“As I’m the weakest of the bunch, I’ll just stay behind and offer assistance… as well as try to heal Her Majesty.”The Vagabond knelt next to Nicnteven and extended his hand towards her. He let out a warm and serene white light, which made her feel rejuvenated. It was Holy Magic, something which she didn’t know he could use.“Wouldn’t Zeke die if we tried to kill the System?” Asked Julia while furrowing her brows.“Not
Right after the destruction of the Heart of the Dead Ends, Zeke stood there, seemingly in a daze.The Witch Queen stared at him intensely, and when his eyes glowed with a crimson light, she immediately attacked.Jonathan roared and rushed as well, a creeping Darkness exploding from his hands.Nicneven struck out from afar, unleashing a blazing wave of flames, fused with a spinning thick beam of Ice-aspected energy.The Paths of Extinction System, which had taken control of Zeke’s body, retaliated with full-force as well.Dozens of thunderbolts erupted from Zeke’s raised hand, blasting Jonathan back and clashing with the Queen’s magic.“The Seat of Magic.” Muttered a voice that didn’t resemble Zeke albeit speaking from his mouth.It was emotionless and cold, one which no living being would be able to imitate.[Voltage Zap]Using such an elementary skill, the System shot innumerable bolts that arched in the air and concentrated on Nicneven.She jumped out of the way and performed a stra
“I know this is a lot to take in, Zeke Orland. But, I want you to trust me. Know that I have your best interest in heart and I wouldn’t have come unless necessary. I could’ve let you venture alone and complete your objective, after which you’ll be killed by your own System.”Zeke pointed his open hand toward the incoming shades.[Voltage King]A barrage of lightning bolts was unleashed, piercing through the shades and extinguishing them. They vaporised in an instant, leaving only a bit of red fog.The Dead Ends and the Paths of Extinction System, they both had that unique and ominous crimson light. However, Zeke thought it was just a coincidence.Now that the truth was revealed to him, he felt a bit lost. It wasn’t that much of a surprise that his System was dangerous or a threat as he had already suspected as much after learning about Edward Heart.Nevertheless, the fact that it was a tool from the very beginning did make him feel weak and clueless.An eerie silence flowed between Ze
Thanks to the thunderstorm Zeke had previously summoned, the three of them managed to reach and enter the Black Spike. Strangely enough, the entrance of the spire was fully-opened as if beckoning them inside. “This looks man-made.” “Because it is.” Answered Nicneven as she held the black katana with one hand and controlled five differently-colored elemental orb with the other. The interior of the black spike was empty but particularly eerie. Everything was black and except a spiralling staircase that led to the top, there was nothing else, not even the crimson fog. “Who made it?” “...” “Why do you refuse to tell me anything, Your Majesty? What is the Dead Ends? Who created it?” “You do not need to concern yourself with that. Just destroy the Hearts and everything will end.” Her immediate dismissal did irritate him, but he didn’t press her for answers he knew she wouldn’t give. “This is the final stretch. Jonathan, take the vanguard.” “Yes, Your Majesty.” Jonathan pushed bac