Chapter 161: Brandon Locke [3]

It was dark.

All Brandon could see was nothing but darkness.

"...."

At the same time, he couldn't move.

"Khh...!"

Then, all of a sudden, his head started to ache unbearably. It was as if sharp daggers were piercing his skull.

Simultaneously, his body started heating up. He felt his stomach start to churn.

Ba... Thump! Ba... Thump!

His heart quickened. A throbbing pain followed shortly after.

However, the pain didn't seem to come from his heart.

It came from his chest. His chest started heating up, and he tried to clench it.

But it was to no avail as he couldn't feel any of his limbs.

"Fuck."

He muttered. But his mouth didn't move and no sound escaped his lips.

It was as if he was speaking sub-consciously.

There was pain. But he couldn't feel his limbs at all.

It was like he was floating in water. And the pain continued to intensify.

As if a bolt of electricity struck him, his body continued ringing.

"Akhh...!"

Fear started to grip him, unable to do a thing about the pain.

Most of the pain seemed to come from his chest. But for what reason, he was unsure.

The symptoms seem to come from inside.

"...."

That was when he realized...

It was coming from his mana core.

"Kah!"

Ba... Thump! Ba... Thump!

All sorts of throbbing rang throughout his entire body. His mana core continued heating up.

It was the worst pain he had ever experienced.

He could solemnly swear that there was nothing else worse than this.

"Fuck is hapenni—"

Before he could finish his thoughts, something peculiar popped up.

[Sovereign's Will integration failed!]

It was the system interface.

[Restarting process.]

And his suffering continued.

"Ukh!"

.

.

[Sovereign's Will integration failed!]

[Restarting process.]

"Aghkk...!"

Ba... Thump! Ba... Thump!

His heartbeat rapidly pulsed. The heat intensified, and he felt like wanting to tear his heart out.

.

.

[Sovereign's Will integration failed!]

[Restarting process.]

"Khh...!"

And the same scenario persisted.

.

.

[Sovereign's Will integration failed!]

[Restarting process.]

"Why isn't it fucking working?!"

He cursed in his thoughts.

He had already regretted agreeing to the integration process.

What was even the point of all this suffering when it would fail in the end?

[Sovereign's Will integration failed!]

"Motherfuck—Khh!"

[Restarting process.]

Ba... Thump!

Failure after failure.

"Fucking sh—Shaaat!"

[Restarting process.]

"Just fucking kill m—Fuaack!"

[Restarting process.]

Time and time again, the process failed.

He had lost count on how many times the process failed.

He wasn't even sure what the time was anymore.

He was unconscious. Yet at the same time, he was.

[Restarting process.]

"Go fucking kill yours—Sahh..!"

The experience and leveling tab was transferred to the skill.

Then that could only mean...

...This whole time.

The one he was leveling wasn't his system, nor himself, but the skill.

As if the skill was the entire system itself.

Then where did his status go?

With just that single thought, the status interface materialized.

[Half of the Sovereign's real status was integrated.]

——[Status]——

∟ STR: B —[0%]

∟ MP: A+ —[0%]

∟ DEF: C —[67%]

∟ AGI: B —[0%]

∟ INT: A+ —[0%]

∟ CHA: S —[0%]

[AVG: A]

————————

"...Real status?"

Then what was the previous status for?

That was when he had realized the system status' unreliability.

There were certainly moments when he felt like his capabilities didn't match his status.

So then, all this time...

He was always an A tier ranker? Just that, his body couldn't fully handle the system... Or rather, the Sovereign's Will?

There were several theories that sparked in his mind.

But what was most peculiar was the loss of the system shop, and the system coins.

What were they even?

He had come to realize a long time ago that most of the system's features defied all the laws of this world.

And what the hell was a Sovereign's Will?

Questions, questions.

No answers.

All of a sudden, another interface abruptly materialized.

——[Main Act]——

Sovereigns' Descent.

Progression: — 0%

——[Sub—Act]——

Wraiths' Descent.

Progression: — 17%

——————————

What in the—

At the same time, a hollow bright glow shimmered from the interface. All of a sudden, a hand seemingly emerged from the main act interface.

It loomed close, its palms open, about to grab him.

Fear started to emanate within Brandon.

It was just a hand.

But for some reason, though he couldn't actually feel it, all the hairs on his neck stood on end.

It loomed even closer.

But before it could grab him...

"Huak!"

He was jolted awake.

"Haaa... H-haaa..."

Taking deep heavy breaths, his chest heaved up and down.

"Haaa..."

Finally composing himself, the realization dawned upon him.

"...?"

The last thing he could remember was crawling in the academy's changing room.

But currently, he was in a different room.

He lowered his head. There was a blanket on top of him. Looking around, he was situated on a bed.

The room was dimly lit. The only source of light came from the moonlight that casted its glow through the window.

"...!"

His eyes widened as he took in the sight of the room.

There were cracks all over the floor, and the ceiling. But that wasn't all, there were holes all over the room.

Clearly, it wasn't the after effects of the earthquake that had happened recently.

Recently...

"...."

His bangs obscured his vision. Brushing his bangs up...

"Huh...?"

He realized that his hair had grown longer than what he remembered.

It didn't make any sense.

That was when the realization dawned upon him.

Time.

How much time had passed?

Creaaaak....

"...!"

All of a sudden, the door slowly opened.