Chapter 155 - This is Illegal

Meanwhile, disconnecting himself from the torrent of karmic bounds, Harun glanced at Jiyan, whose eyes opened to meet his. At first, her heart almost leaped out of her c.h.e.s.t. But a second afterward, the surge of enthusiasm lifting her upward crashed to ground zero. Having been by Harun's side for so long, both Jiyan and Mukri could see the fundamental difference in Harun's gaze. Yes, his radiant eyes had never looked more enchanting, but the casual goofiness that separated Harun from self-imbued experts seemed replaced by a divine and inviolable splendor. And while Mukri didn't know how to take the change, Jiyan disliked it instantly. 

The world had no shortage of overbearing talents and future hegemons. Xerzan, the top chosen of the Serpent Domain, the Empyrean Princes, confident in their ill.u.s.trious bloodline, background and achievements, how many carried an innate disdain for "inferior" lives. Harun's eyes projected a different feeling. Perfection, sanctity, close yet aloof, welcoming yet unreachable. All those traits gathered in his Sovereign Pupils, convincing Jiyan that this version of her love didn't have her in his mind. That wasn't a big deal. At this precise moment, she didn't matter. But if the change ruined Harun to the core…what would the consequences be? At that time, the System chimed in. 

"Oh, you're finally awake. Took you long enough. I was almost getting ready to look for a new host," the System started in a rather casual tone. As if all along, it never doubted that Harun would recover from the blow. Or perhaps it just didn't care. Regardless, the heckling voice in his mind snatched Harun's attention, pulling him back to data his mind refused to consider.

"I must say that I'm impressed. As a member of the Myriad Devil Palace, I've seen much evil. You wouldn't believe the atrocities some of our disciples engineer for cultivation breakthroughs. However, never did I expect that you'd outpace them all, and set the globe on fire. Good son, this is precisely the kind of shit I love to see," the System started, filling Harun with confusion. 

"What are you talking about? I'm innocent. I haven't done anything, directly or indirec…argh argh!" At last, Harun remembered the System's three crime rules. For every ten crimes against man, Harun received one Scourge Point. Murder and torture all counted as crimes against men, but for the System to dish out the points, Harun had to get his hands dirty. The next two rules worked differently. For crimes against nature or heaven, whether Harun was the direct or indirect cause, he got Scourge Points. The former netted a sweet 100 for each crime, while the latter added 1,000 per offense to the count. If nothing else, the Salvation Worms went against Heaven's Will. How could the unreliable System waste this opportunity to bring Harun down? 

"Gotta love having a clever host. Don't even need to spell it all for him. I will still do it for sure, but it's nice to know that your grief will follow along." The System chortled, and summoned the status screen. Harun's eyes ignored everything, ignored the sect status, the sect master, disciple, elder status and all other miscellaneous information to lock on two things: 

[Scourge Points: 2,566, 2,666, 2,766, 2,866…]

[Tribulation Bonus: 25,660, 26,660, 27,660, 28,660…]

Harun's heart stopped. His eyes stretched to impossible lengths, his limbs trembled, and his lips twisted into a horrible grimace. To the Totem's shock, the logical Harun collapsed instantly, and all the emotions suppressed by the tribulation damages rushed back into his heart.

"No…no. You can't do this to me! This is wrong! This is illegal! Illegal! I forbid you to do this to me! Stop! Stop at once! Please?" 

"Remember? While you're out of the game, the System can't update. This ain't my fault. But I swear to God, I'm enjoying this shit," the System burst into a peal of diabolical laughter. Meanwhile, the count kept moving upward, and as Harun's heart collapsed, the System's glee went off the charts. At last, Harun's Scourge Points stabilized at 3,966 while his tribulation bonus reached 39,660%. 

"Son of a bitch kill me now! You are inhuman! Inhuman! I've barely escaped with my life! How am I supposed to survive this? This is wrong! This is immoral! I'm out! I retire! I quit!" Harun screamed out of the top of his lungs, alarming the whole royal palace. But the more he squealed, the more delighted Jiyan became. "Now that's more like it," she thought. 

"We've been over this already. Unless you can exceed the rules imposed by the Ancestral One. I'm with you, forever and even after. Well…not quite. But unless you kick the bucket, we remain inseparable partners. But it's fine, you just unlocked a new Door and some substantial benefits. Enjoy!" The ever-jovial system brought Harun back to earth. Stabbed till he could stand no longer, Harun fell face-first. 

"Bullshit! When have your Doors ever given me life-changing boons?! Why does this feel like I'm paying back student loans on a minimum-wage job?! This is the greatest scam in history! AAARGH! A stroke…I'm having a stroke! Help! Someone! Someone! Jiyan, help!" Writhing on the ground, Harun pleaded. Besides herself with joy, Jiyan rushed toward Harun and pulled him onto her l.a.p. "Don't worry, beloved. Feel free to collapse. I will be here for you," Jiyan said with a bright smiling face. 

Although he couldn't understand this incomprehensible situation, for the first time since he joined the Birusk clan, Mukri felt bad for his boss. Five minutes of unending complaints passed before Harun calmed down and leaped back onto his feet. 

"Whelp, it's life I guess. Let's check the Fourth Door," Harun shrugged, and stepped into the System—leaving behind a dazed Jiyan, and an even more frustrated Mukri. Glancing at one another, the bull and Empyrean princess pair came to the same conclusion. 

"All that for this?!" 

…

In the meantime, as mentioned by Xerzan, the Plague Worshiping Cult gathered in hordes of 1,000 packs each. Centered at the former Flame Spirit Kingdom, the million-mutant-strong hordes formed nigh-infinite spirals of flesh as they danced around 2,400 unique mutants. Unlike their peers, those 2,400 each possessed an emerald crystal on his c.h.e.s.t, and the flawless intelligence in their eyes made it clear that they paused more danger than any of their lesser brethren.

"Zararahina hinahina hina hinahina hina, hinahina hina. Zararahina hinahina hina hinahina hina, hinahina hina!"

Driven by their worm masters, the mutants sang incomprehensible hymns. But as the incantations poured out, dazzling green rays shot out of the 2,400 leading specimen's eyes.