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Zeyren (Rivan): "Ha... haha... HAHAHAHA!"
Zeyren (MC): "Who wants to die now?"
Zeyren (MC): "It seems I've transmigrated into this world, just like in the novels I read in my previous life."
"I just need to awaken my cheat system..."
"Then I can live a protagonist's life!"
"Wait a minute... am I in a novel?"
"If that's true... is someone writing all of this?"
Zeyren (MC): Looking up "Hi, author... hi, readers!"
Zeyren (MC): "What will happen if the author stops writing? Will this world be destroyed?"
Zeyren (MC): "That can't happen! So, readers, please support this novel so the author doesn't stop writing, otherwise, so many people might die!"
Zeyren (MC): "Let me awaken my system first!"
Zeyren (MC) extends his right hand forward.
"System, awaken!"
(...) Nothing happened.
Zeyren (MC): "Nothing happened?"
Zeyren (MC): "Wait, I forgot! Maybe I need to chant a spell to awaken my system!"
Zeyren (MC): "I DON'T WANT THIS TO BE THE END! ONE MORE CHANCE... IF I COULD JUST HAVE ONE MORE CHANCE!"
(....) Still, nothing happened.
Zeyren (MC): "Let me try another one..."
"They said I was worthless... They said I would never amount to anything... Was that true?"
(...)
"No matter how hard I try, I'm always the weakest... always the one left behind."
(...)
"So this is how it ends...?"
System: DING!
"Condition met. APEX EVOLVE SYSTEM activated. Loading data interface for the host..."
Zeyren (MC): "YES! My cheat system finally activated!"
System: [Apex Evolution System Activated.]
Zeyren (MC): "Hah! I knew I was the protagonist!"
Zeyren (MC): "Alright, let's see how OP I am."
đź“ś System Interface:
🔹 [Host - Zeyren]
🔹 [Age - 17]
🔹 [Gender - Male]
🔹 [HP - 14/100]
🔹 [MP - 2/100]
🔹 [Spirit Power - 199/200]
🔹 [Taming Talent: Rank 1 (Trash Level)]
🔹 [Tamed Monster - Rank 1, Level 2 Red Slime (Mimix)]
🔹 [SP (System Points) - 0]
Zeyren (MC): "…"
System: [Host is weak.]
Zeyren (MC): "…Did my own system just roast me?!"
System: [...] (No response)
Zeyren (MC): "DAMN YOU, AUTHOR! I don't need this system! I can get stronger on my own!"
Zeyren (MC): "I swear, if I could uninstall you—"
System: [Processing... Uninstalling system.]
Zeyren (MC): "STOP! STOP!"
System: [Uninstall process halted. Warning: Do not provoke the system.]
Zeyren (MC): "Alright, alright, I get it! Now stop my bleeding!"
System: [Host has 0 SP. Healing unavailable.]
System: [SP can be earned by killing monsters.]
Zeyren (MC): "How am I supposed to kill monsters in this state? Even a level 2 monster could kill me easily!"
Zeyren (MC): "Hey, System! Do something, or I'm really going to die here!"
System: [Host must earn SP by killing a monster.]
Zeyren (MC): "What kind of system doesn't give free rewards?!"
System: [Statement: Life is unfair. Welcome to reality.]
System: [However, host has free lottery spin available… but it can only be accessed after 24 hours.]
Zeyren (MC): "THIS DAMN AUTHOR GAVE ME A CAPITALIST SYSTEM?!"
Zeyren (MC): "Hey, System! Do something, or I'm really going to die here!"
System: ...
Zeyren (MC): ""Hey! Someone do something! I'm the protagonist! How am I supposed to die here?! Don't I have plot armor, damn it?! You bastard author, do something!"
Zeyren (MC): "Wait... I could kill Mimix..."
Zeyren (MC): "No... I can't. It's the last thing left from this body's previous owner."
"Damn Zeyren's soul! He should have shared all his remaining spirit power with me!"
System: "You can also earn SP by taming monsters."
Zeyren (MC): "You damn system! You should have told me that first!"
With no time to waste, Zeyren forces himself up, his body screaming in protest. He scans his surroundings, desperately looking for any monster he can tame.
But as he looks around, his stomach churns.
The ground is covered in corpses—not just ants, but humans too.
Their bodies are twisted in unnatural angles, their armor shattered, as if they had been ripped apart in seconds. Blood stains the cave walls, and the air is thick with the stench of death.
"The hell happened here…?"
Something wasn't right.
Zeyren had woken up in an ant den, but why were the ants themselves slaughtered? And why were there human corpses inside a monster nest?
His mind raced, trying to piece things together—until he noticed something even stranger.
"Wait… where are the monster cores?"
Zeyren quickly moved to one of the ant corpses, reaching into its shattered exoskeleton. Nothing.
He rushed to another, then another—all empty.
There wasn't a single monster core among the corpses.
Zeyren (MC): "System, what the hell is going on?! Did something take all the cores?"
System: "Most likely. If something was strong enough to kill these ants, they may have also taken their monster cores."
Zeyren (MC): (frowning) "Okay, but then why are the corpses still here?"
System: "…Unknown. Typically, beings strong enough to hunt monsters also consume or use their remains. Leaving bodies behind is… illogical."
A cold shiver ran down Zeyren's spine.
"Then what was the point of this? Why kill everything and just leave them here?"
He took a cautious step forward—
And froze.
A shadow, standing silently in the distance.
A mysterious figure loomed among the bodies, draped in a dark cloak, their face obscured.
Zeyren felt a chill crawl up his spine.
The figure's head tilted slightly, as if observing him.
For a brief moment, Zeyren's dazed vision sharpened—
Their eyes met.
A strange pressure filled the air, pressing against his chest.
Zeyren (MC) (breathing heavily): "Who… are you…?"
But before he could react—
The figure vanished.
A cold sweat ran down Zeyren's back. His heart pounded in his chest.
"What the hell was that?!"
He looked around frantically, but the mysterious figure was gone—as if they had never been there in the first place.
Zeyren (MC) (swallowing nervously): "System… was there someone else here just now?"
System: "No life forms detected. Host may be experiencing hallucinations due to blood loss."
Zeyren (MC): "Hallucination…?"
For a moment, he wanted to believe it.
But deep inside… he knew what he saw.
That wasn't his imagination.
That was real.
But right now, he didn't have time to think about it.
"No… I don't have time for this. I need to tame a monster before I bleed out."
Shoving aside his confusion, he continued searching.
Then—
A tiny black chick caught his eye.
It lay among the corpses, its small body barely moving.
Zeyren (MC): "Hey, System! Can I tame that chick?"
System: "Yes, you can."
A wave of relief washed over him.
Zeyren (MC): "Good… then tell me how."
System: "You can only tame Rank 1 monsters since your taming talent is Rank 1."
Zeyren (MC): "I already know that! Just tell me how!"
System: "Taming a normal Rank 1 Level 1 monster gives you only 1 SP, and I need 5 SP to stop your bleeding. So, you must tame at least 5 monsters."
Zeyren (MC): "Understood! Just tell me how, fast!"
System: "Feel your spirit power in your chest and channel it towards your hand. Place your hand on the monster and try to connect with its spirit.
Zeyren (MC) slowly walking toward the unconscious chick. He extends his right hand and places it on the creature's body.
System: "Now, feel your spirit power and try to connect with its spirit."
A strange energy flows through Zeyren's body as he focuses. Moments later...
System: "Congratulations! You have tamed a Legendary Rank 1, Level 1 monster!"
System: "+16 SP earned!"
Zeyren (MC): "Wait... this chick is a legendary monster?!"
Zeyren (MC): "I knew it! I'm the protagonist!"
System: "Would you like to spend 16 SP to stop your bleeding?"
Zeyren (MC): "YES, QUICK!"
System: "Adding +16 to HP..."
Zeyren (MC) feels his bleeding stop, and warmth spreads through his body as his wounds begin to heal.
Zeyren (MC): "Hey, System... why am I feeling dizzy?"
System: "You lost too much blood. This amount of SP is not enough for a full recovery."
Zeyren (MC): "Damn it..." His vision blurs as he starts to lose consciousness.
---
Some Time Later...
Zeyren (MC) slowly wakes up, his body feeling weak but somewhat stable.
Zeyren (MC): "Ugh... I feel like I've been hit by a truck..."
His eyes slowly open. The ceiling above him is unfamiliar. Instead of the dark cave he last remembered, he sees wooden beams and a warm, glowing lantern nearby.
Zeyren (MC): "I'm feeling déjà vu now..."
"Wait… where is this place? It looks like I'm in someone's room... but last I remember, I was in a dark cave!"
Zeyren (MC): "Hey, System! Tell me what happened!"
Suddenly, the sound of a door creaking open echoes through the room.
Someone is entering.
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||End of Chapter 3||
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