The Cheat Seed

Chapter 6

"That dungeon... was never a dungeon at all."

"Eh?" Marcus's confusion was etched across his face.

The Flame Emperor chuckled, his eyes crinkling at the corners. "You'll understand it all in the future. After all, we both have the same responsibility on our shoulders right now."

Marcus scratched his head, feeling overwhelmed by revelations that raised more questions than answers. "It's better that I don't ask anymore. The more I want to know, the more I get confused."

"Yep, that's waaaaay better," the Emperor replied, literally dragging the word 'way' for what felt like a full minute.

He patted Marcus's shoulder and then bent down on one knee to come face-to-face with him. The blue flames of his hair danced hypnotically, casting strange shadows across his ancient features.

"Now let's speak about what you have to do, Marcus."

"What I have to do, huh?" Marcus shifted his weight from one foot to the other, anxiety and excitement battling within him.

"You ready?" The Flame Emperor asked, stepping back and looking down at Marcus with an intensity that made the boy shiver.

Marcus took a deep breath, squaring his shoulders. "I AM."

A grin spread across the Emperor's face, transforming his solemn features into something almost mischievous. "Okay Marcus, then let's start our intense training regimen."

"Intense training regimen? Wha—"

Marcus got cut mid-sentence by a loud 'SNAP' as the Emperor's fingers clicked together. The peaceful garden around them shimmered like a mirage, then transformed.

Thousands of Demon Ogres appeared before them, materializing from the very air. Marcus's eyes narrowed as he studied them. They seemed different from what his textbooks had described.

"Demon Ogres?" he whispered.

The realization struck him like a physical blow—these weren't just any monsters. Each one ranked as a Demon Monarch, among the most fearsome creatures known. Not just one, but thousands of them stood motionless, their eyes glowing an eerie green.

Marcus lost his balance, stumbling backward as terror washed over him. He regained his composure with effort and poked the Flame Emperor beside him.

"Hm?" The ancient ruler raised an eyebrow.

"What's this?" Marcus questioned, pointing to the still Ogre army.

"This is the Ogre Army, and you, Marcus... have to terminate them all."

"Funny!" Marcus laughed nervously, certain this was some elaborate joke.

The Emperor's face hardened, all traces of humor vanishing. "This is no fun, my child. I get serious once it gets to matters of strength and training."

Marcus gulped audibly. The Emperor looked stiff, rigid—utterly serious in a way that made Marcus's stomach clench.

"Ever heard of tutorials?" the Emperor asked.

"...Yeah, it's those guidelines for starters at the beginning of something new."

"Exactly. This is your tutorial, and this is your tutorial mission."

"Hm? And how am I supposed to finish this T-U-T-O-R-I-A-L?" Marcus replied boldly for the first time, emphasizing each letter.

"With your bare hands."

"Yeah... what?" Marcus shifted his gaze to the Emperor, certain he'd misheard.

"You said you wouldn't joke!"

"And I'm not joking!"

Before Marcus could protest further, the Emperor pushed him toward the Ogre army. The boy stumbled forward, nearly falling face-first into the dirt.

"As I said, this is a tutorial mission. You won't die. Every time you die, you will be respawned to the respawn circle." The Emperor paused dramatically. "Let me give you a hint to pass this one."

Marcus waited, heart hammering against his ribs.

"You-Have-To-Reach-Your-Limits."

With another snap of his fingers, the Emperor collapsed the land around them. The section where Marcus stood fell away, plummeting toward an abyss that hadn't existed moments before.

As Marcus tumbled through space, time seemed to slow. For a heartbeat, he felt suspended, floating weightlessly. Then reality reasserted itself as he crashed onto solid ground with a resounding THUD.

A yellow circle glowed beneath him as he slowly stood, balancing himself on his hands and raising his body from the rocky terrain.

"This must be my respawn point," he muttered, dusting himself off.

His gaze darted toward the Ogre Army. Standing tall and muscular, each one looked more menacing than any monster he'd ever seen in books or videos. Their skin rippled with power, weapons gleaming with cruel efficiency.

Marcus trembled violently. He hadn't even faced a Demon Soldier-ranked monster before, but now he was being told to destroy an entire fleet of Demon Monarch-ranked Ogres.

"If this is the tutorial, I wonder how tough the main objectives would be," he said to himself, attempting to mask his fear with sarcasm.

He stepped out of the circle and slowly walked toward the army of Ogres, legs shaking with each step.

"Oi, Marcus, remember!" The Flame Emperor's voice boomed from above. "Use your anger as your power. Manipulate your emotions as your own power!"

Marcus's head snapped upward. "Oi geezer, when I come back, I'm gonna kick your a*s to oblivion!"

"KEKEKEKE, let's see," the Emperor replied with a smug look before sealing the opening, leaving Marcus alone in the darkness.

Everything went black. There was no light anywhere except on the immediate terrain. Beyond that, pure darkness stretched in all directions.

The green eyes of the Ogres shifted to red as they began to rumble and stir. Marcus was caught by surprise and instinctively readied his fists in a boxer stance. The Ogres moved slowly toward him, their massive bodies causing the ground to shake.

'TSK, what a mess,' Marcus thought.

As an Ogre closed the distance, Marcus swung his fist in defense. It connected with the monster's belly with a dull 'THWACK.'

"OWWW, OWWW, OWWW!" Marcus cried, grabbing his wrist. It glowed red with pain.

The knowledge from his academy classes flooded back. Ogres had the most durable skin in the Demon Monarch rank. Some rare species even had burning and acidic skin.

The Ogre before him was one of those rare species—a higher Ogre variant called an 'Ogretto.'

[DURA+10k]

A message popped up before his eyes as Marcus cowered before the Ogretto. He recognized these types of popups from games and Demi comics. DURA meant Durability, which meant his durability had increased by 10,000 just from one frail punch against the monster.

"So this is what he meant by reaching my limits, huh?" Marcus grinned and locked eyes with the Ogretto.

The monster raised its huge battle axe and fixed its sight on Marcus.

'SWOOSH'

's***h'

Marcus's head dropped, rolling to the Ogretto's feet with a soft 'TAP.' His eyes stared directly at the monster, expression twisted into a huge smile even as death claimed him.

His body and head turned to ash. Golden light began to shine as wind whooshed from nowhere.

[You Died, Respawning]

Another message appeared as Marcus reappeared inside the respawn circle. His head hung low, eyes fixed on the ground, lips stretched into a wide grin.

"HAHAHHA, come at me, you ugly mistake of nature!"

Marcus looked up at the monster with eyes burning with newfound rage.

"Turn my anger into my own power, huh? He's called an Emperor for a reason."

Step.

Step.

Step.

Marcus started walking, then increased his pace until he was running full speed toward the Ogretto.

Punch.

Kick.

Kick.

Punch.

Marcus rampaged, connecting blow after blow to the monster. Though his attacks didn't harm the Ogretto, adrenaline pumped through his veins as messages bombarded his vision.

[DURA+10k]

[DURA+10k]

[DURA+10k]

[DURA+10k]

[DURA+10k]

The notifications kept appearing as he continued his combo streak of fifteen hits while the Ogretto stared at him in confusion. Finally, the monster came to its senses after Marcus's twentieth hit. The Ogretto grasped its axe and swung hard again.

But this time, the weapon only left a scratch on Marcus's shoulder instead of decapitating him. Marcus's eyes widened in shock as he realized what had happened—his durability had increased beyond the Ogretto's damage output per strike.

It was a small step, but enough to make Marcus's heart race with excitement.

The next strike hit him hard on the shoulder, breaking his 35-hit combo streak. His vision went black as another message appeared:

[You Died]

But as darkness claimed him again, Marcus smiled. For the first time since learning he was a FieldDust, he felt something new stirring within him.

Hope.