The Cheat Seed

Chapter 31

Marcus sat with a thump on the ground, his legs crossed and arms balancing him on the floor. It was his thinking posture, the one he'd always assumed when confronted with complex problems at the academy.

The house's silence pressed around him, heavy and unnatural. The System remained eerily quiet as well, making him wonder if his mental companion had been nothing more than a delusion all along.

He shook his head, dismissing that disturbing thought. What he didn't know was that inheriting the Flame Emperor's Cheat Seed had reduced the integration between Marcus and the System by 20%. This separation had enabled the System to activate its "User Mute" function, a feature Marcus hadn't known existed until now.

On the other side of their mental connection, the System was laughing like a maniac.

[LOL..MARCUS'S SCARED...KEKEKEK]

It continued its mechanical laughter until Marcus broke the silence with words that froze its digital glee.

"Hehe, System...you seriously think enabling user mute might actually block me off?" Marcus said, his lips curling into the coolest grin he could muster.

[HUH?]

"Don't HUH me, bro. Aren't you forgetting something?"

[...What..Am I forgetting?]

"If we are already integrated more than 50 percent, then that just means I can disable the User mute too... asshole."

[...]

Pure silence from the system's side. It felt simultaneously annoyed and proud when it realized how smart its User had become. Six thousand years in the dungeons had honed not just Marcus's body but his mind as well.

"Ah, so..." Marcus stood up slowly and dusted off his jeans. He pulled his unbuttoned sky blue shirt forward and adjusted the white sleeveless sweatshirt underneath. "Let's go beat the King's a*s!"

[Huh? What the f**k are you spouting??]

"It must be the king, right? He must have hurt his ego when my dad challenged him, so he might've captured him and might be planning to execute him and my whole family in front of the public for some unknown reason and charge him with some nonsensical cases."

[.....]

It was the third time the System went silent. First when it enabled the User mute, second when Marcus spat some amazing pun back at it, and the third time now, when its User, Marcus G Orno, was spouting what it considered delusional bullshit.

[Stop with your delusions. The king wouldn't even have to just kidnap them if they knew you were here at the first place, and second thing is, how the hell would you have slept through their k********g when they would have caused a big ruckus inside?? Seriously you? You got God level senses, i***t!!!]

The System rapped inside Marcus's head, its digital voice nearly breaking with frustration.

"They.....might have used Sleep magic," Marcus suggested, his conviction beginning to waver.

[f**k You!!]

Marcus stumbled as a massive current passed through him, temporarily paralyzing his limbs.

"AARGH, NOW!!!" Marcus screamed, his body convulsing from the system's electric punishment.

But something unexpected happened. In that moment of pain, his body began to adapt:

[New Skill learned: ULTIMATE ELEMENTAL TOLERANCE]

[Skill Abbreviated: ULTIMATE ELEMENTAL TOLERANCE to (UET)]

[Learning this skill while battling the System has granted it with the evolution perk]

[Evolving skill: ULTIMATE ELEMENTAL TOLERANCE]

[Skill Evolved: ULTIMATE ELEMENTAL TOLERANCE = ALMIGHTY ELEMENTAL ABSORPTION]

[Evolved skill Abbreviated: ALMIGHTY ELEMENTAL ABSORPTION to (AEA)]

The System's messages came rapid-fire as it processed what was happening.

[WHAT IN THE GALACTIC f**k AM I SPOUTING??]

Time seemed to stop for a second. Marcus's head drooped down, the classic pose he struck when he'd accomplished something incredibly badass.

"HAHAHAHAHAHAAAA!" His laughter shattered the silence, triumphant and slightly maniacal.

"Exactly as planned."

[What the hell?]

"Your role is now over, System. Thank you for playing along as I thought you would."

[The hell are you saying?]

"To put it in simple words," Marcus paused dramatically, "now you can't zap me anymore, b***h!"

[Huh?....]

The System sent another wave of electricity through its User's body, but Marcus stood unmoved, grinning at the framed family photo on the wall. He rubbed his right index finger and thumb together. Something yellow started forming between them, lightning, or lightning magic.

The recent skill he'd gained was already proving its worth. He could absorb any elements thrown at him now.

Marcus walked slowly out of his home, fascinated by the electric sparks dancing between his fingers. His left hand remained casually in his pocket as he made his way toward the gate.

With a casual leap, he cleared the gate and soared upward when his feet touched the pavement. His jump carried him almost to the outer atmosphere, the world shrinking beneath him. At the peak of his ascent, he released the small electric ball he'd formed between his fingers.

The electricity transformed into a magnificent storm, thousands of lightning bolts shooting outward, dancing and waltzing through the sky and between the clouds. The display would be visible for miles—a celestial light show controlled by a boy who'd once been considered worthless.

Marcus free-fell now, arms spread wide in a cruciform position, reveling in the sensation of absolute freedom. He'd just witnessed one of the abilities of his new skill: ALMIGHTY ELEMENTAL ABSORPTION. Not only could he absorb elements, but he could multiply them to any level he desired.

Because Marcus had rubbed his fingers together nearly a hundred times, he'd multiplied the small electric zap to almost 100 times its original capacity.

His back struck the ground with tremendous force, but instead of creating a crater, he simply bounced back from the impact. The Qilin spirit within him enhanced his jumps and physical stats to superhuman levels. He landed gracefully on his feet after the bounce and strolled back to his home.

He closed the gate behind him by manipulating the air, telekinesis, another perk of his AEA skill which allowed manipulation of any elemental power he came into contact with.

Marcus opened the door the same way and closed it with his air manipulation. He moved silently through the hall to the living room, where he sat on the sofa and crossed his legs.

The silence lasted only until Marcus decided to break it.

"NOW...NOW," he announced, staring at the flat white wall in front of him.

"Dad...Mom and my lil' sisters," he called out, his voice carrying both certainty and amusement. "Why don't you dispel that Invisibility Magic?"

For several long seconds, nothing happened. Then the air before him rippled like heat waves over desert sand. Slowly, four figures materialized, his parents and sisters, standing exactly where he'd been staring. His father held what appeared to be a small magic stone, its faint glow fading as the invisibility spell dissipated.

"HAPPY BIRTHDAY!" they shouted in unison, Evy's tiny voice trailing slightly behind the others.

Marcus's face split into a genuine smile, all traces of his earlier seriousness vanishing. They hadn't been kidn*pped after all, they'd been preparing a surprise for his birthday. A birthday he'd completely forgotten in the chaos of his return.

The System, still muted but watching everything, couldn't help but feel a mix of annoyance and pride. Its User had outsmarted it once again, turning a simple disciplinary zap into an opportunity to gain a new, powerful skill.

But even as Marcus embraced his family, accepting their birthday wishes with laughter and genuine joy, the System noticed something concerning. Deep within Marcus's consciousness, something stirred, a darkness that the trials had planted, a seed of power that might someday grow beyond even its User's control.

For now, though, the System remained silent. Today was for celebration, for family, for the simple joy of being human again after thousands of years in the dungeons.

Tomorrow would bring its own challenges.