Outside the system space, Razeal sat cross-legged in his cultivation posture. He opened his eyes and finally exhaled deeply, relief washing over him.
Looking around, the same dusty, cracked, ruined landscape greeted him. He smiled this place was a million times better than that nightmare of a space belonging to that crazy woman.
"System, show me what I gained," he demanded, finally in the mood to see the skills earned after enduring that torturous ordeal.
[Skill Acquired: Obsidian Skeleton (S-Rank)]
"What?! Only S-Rank?" Razeal exploded, eyes wide with disbelief and fury. "I got tortured, died ten thousand times, and this is the reward? Are you kidding me?"
[Host, it's not easy to get skills at S-Rank or above. You're very lucky to have gotten this high.]
"Lucky?" His voice cracked, veins bulging in his neck. "LUCKY?!"
"You motherfucker! I was ripped apart, drowned in Agony, Pain, and Despair! I DIED OVER AND OVER AGAIN~ TEN THOUSAND FUCKING TIMES! And you have the audacity to call that 'lucky'?!!"
[[Correction: Host died 9,314 times, not 10,000. Please refrain from exaggerating.]
"FUCK YOU!!" The scream ripped from deep within his soul.
He genuinely wanted to destroy something. Anything. His breathing was ragged, fists trembling at his sides.
But after several moments… he let out a slow, defeated exhale.
"…Tch. Forget it. Just tell me what the damn thing does."
[Yes. Displaying detailed analysis.]
Full Skeletal Conversion
Material: ⟪Obsidian Agony – Unique SS⟫
Status: Successfully Integrated
Compatibility Rating: 100% (Host: Razeal Vilious)
Review: Black Agony Frame
[Skeletal Attributes & Traits]
Unbreakable Frame – (Passive):Every bone is forged from SS Unique metal Obsidian Agony, rendering them immune to:
• Physical rupture (cut, smash, crush)
• Melting or erosion
• Dimensional stress or spatial rupture
Your skeleton cannot be broken through conventional or magical means.
Zero-Mass Core – (Passive): Obsidian Agony defies mass-based inertia. The host's skeletal system weighs nearly nothing.
• Increased mobility, agility, and aerial control
• Immune to weight-based immobilization or pressure-based magic
Kinetic Compression (Passive)
The skeletal structure absorbs, stores, and nullifies kinetic energy and high-pressure impact.
• Prevents damage from explosive blows or shock-based attacks
• Potential to redirect or withstand force without internal backlash
[Mutation Skills Aquired]
[Skill Acquired: Minor Regeneration]
Rank: F (Upgradeable) | Type: Passive
Origin: Obsidian Skeleton Adaptation
Description:Regeneration of minor injuries without any all-out healing factor. Due to your blood being made from mutated bone marrow during the adaptation process to the Obsidian Skeleton, you have developed a small regenerative ability. (Due to the host's weak physical strength and capabilities, only the lowest-level mutation was obtained in this adaptation.)
Effect: Slowly regenerates minor wounds and bruises over time.
No effect on major injuries or fatal wounds.
Upgrade Potential: This skill can be strengthened and evolve through repeated use Or further development of the Obsidian Skeleton.
[Skill Acquired: Minor Strength]
Rank: F (Upgradeable) | Type: Passive
Origin: Obsidian Skeleton Adaptation
Description: The strong, crystallized structure of your bones negates the risk of fractures or cracking under stress. Due to your bones' adaptation, you gain a minor buff to physical strength from small muscle mutations near the bones. (Because the host's physical strength is severely lacking, only the lightest of these effects could manifest.)
Effect: Immunity to bone fractures and cracking under even extre abnormal stress.
Slight increase in physical strength due to mutated muscles near bones.
Upgrade Potential: This ability can improve with repeated usage, physical conditioning, or further mutation triggered by system progression.
Damn…
Razeal's eyes widened, his mouth slightly parted as a line of saliva unconsciously appeared at the corner of his lips. He couldn't help it reading through the system notifications, seeing just how much effort he had poured finally bearing fruit… and those last two mutation skills? They were the damn cherry on top.
Others might call him overreacting, but only he knew the sting of having a system for six years without ever receiving an actual skill. This was the first time.
It didn't matter how much he trained, how many swords he swung, or how hard he pushed himself no matter what he did, the system never responded with anything tangible. Nothing ever worked out.
But this time something changed.
And Razeal could feel it. No, he knew it. When he was inside that system space… he felt different. Like he was truly free, like something unshackled had awakened. His understanding, his perception it was moving so fast. He was absorbing, adapting, evolving.
Even that strange physical transformation the unexpected skeletal and muscular changes he had landed perfectly from that unnatural jump, without even trying. That shouldn't have been possible. But he'd done it. Small detail? Maybe to others. But Razeal noticed.
"It was different there," he muttered to himself, his voice low and thoughtful.
"System," he asked calmly, "are you hiding anything from me?"
["_" There is nothing, host.]
A short, dry reply. As always.
Razeal shook his head, unwilling to dwell on it.
This Obsidian Skeleton skill might seem useless to some no flashy attacks or godlike powers but looking on the bright side:
He could already see the countless ways he could make use of them.
Strong bones. He could do so much with that. No one could break his bones literally.
If a Grandmaster or even a Sword Saint swung their blade, and Razeal raised his arm to block, what were the chances it would break through? Slim to none.
And what about the shock from that strike? The blow that could blast someone's insides from sheer force?
Didn't it say these bones absorb kinetic energy and nullify impact? Though the limits were unknown, it was plausible.
[ Apologies for the interruption, Host, but allow me to remind you: even the wind pressure from a Sword Saint's swing can be sharp enough to rip your skin apart. Your bones may be strong, but if your veins are dry and your blood is gone you'll still die. ]
"_" Razeal blinked, surprised by the system's interruption.
"Whose side are you on?"
[Of logic.] the system replied, completely unfazed.
Leave it.
Razeal shook his head.
"System, tell me how much time do I have left to complete the trial still going on?" he asked. Of course, he hadn't forgotten about it. Not even for a second.
[Remaining Time: 2 hours, 3 minutes, 21 seconds.]
"Damn..." Razeal muttered, brows furrowing. "How the hell am I supposed to complete the trial with so little time left?"
In his mind, one truth echoed louder than the timer ticking down: he'd wasted nearly seven hours inside the system space. A space where time flowed differently, pain lasted eternally, and each death taught a new kind of suffering.
The Trial of Worth was only supposed to last nine hours total.
That meant it was already nearing its end.
To enter the Royal Classroom, he needed to gather 1,000 elemental crystals all within just a little over two hours.
[Reminder to Host: You must pass the trial and be accepted into the Academy. Failure to do so will result in your immediate disqualification and a high-probability fatality. Remember, your survival probability hinges on acceptance. The Academy offers protection. Remaining within its walls buys you time to grow stronger.]
"I knowww..." Razeal exhaled in frustration, whispering bitterly under his breath. He was still seated on the cracked stone, expression stormy.
He needed a plan. Fast.
His memory raced.
Currently, three major figures three powerhouses were dominating the battlefield, each controlling a direction:
Aeron Dragonwevr, the protagonist, had taken the North. Charging forward with righteous fury, cleaving monsters with reckless efficiency.
Selene Luminus, the Saintess, secured the South, backed by her entourage of miniature knight-like constructs. Of course, the Church wouldn't dare send her in without at least four or five divine protection artifacts. Not to mention an army of loyal followers disguised as "candidates."
Sylva Faerelith, the monster in human skin, took the East. Razeal could almost see it: her perched on a branch, elegantly farming cores with unnerving grace. Strongest of the trio perhaps of the entire trial Except that person.
And as for the fourth person in the South... the one disguising himself as an average human to sneak into the academy Razeal didn't even bother thinking about him. That guy wouldn't interfere. Not yet. Its against the rules of universe as he says.
Razeal sat in the South quadrant. Essentially boxed in tho bad luck but still safe.
Going anywhere near those three would be courting death.
Not just because they were strong but because they all hated him.
"Even if I try moving, nearly every candidate here hates me. And if the world had a face, it'd spit on me too," he thought, rubbing his chin, deep in calculation. "If I make the wrong move now, I'm done for."
Yet, staying here meant nothing. Two hours. That was all.
He had to act.
Suddenly
"Yooo, kiddo!"
Razeal felt a hand land on his shoulder.
His instincts exploded into high alert. He hadn't sensed a damn thing.
Like lightning, he spun around, leaping backwards and drawing distance instantly.
His eyes snapped toward the figure ready to retaliate. Ready to kill if needed.
The stranger had already raised both hands, palms out, in a gesture of peace as if to say, "I'm not here to fight."
He looked around 15 or 16, same as Razeal but there was something... wrong. Something off.
He had long black hair that flowed behind him like silk, his skin a warm brown tone, but it was his eyes dark silver, glowing faintly, sharp and gleaming like moons lit with madness that made Razeal's spine tense.
Charisma oozed from him, subtle and unnatural. Even standing still, it felt like the world bent slightly around.
Razeal's pupils trembled. His mind went blank for a second.
That face. That presence. That fucking absurd, unnatural calm.
He knew exactly who he was looking at.
"No…"
Of all the rotten luck…
"System," Razeal hissed internally. His heart pounded like a war drum. "This... this wasn't supposed to happen! This wasn't in the damn plot! How the fuck"
The strongest existence in the entire world no, the entire universe.
---
1 Am of Night just completed Sighh
Thanks to God_of_Anonimous for our first gold ticket and pizza
Shameless author here begging for powerstones and golden tickets