Chapter 7
1319 Words
The golden light faded as Marcus materialized inside the respawn circle once again. His body still tingled from the last death, a phantom echo of pain that vanished within seconds.
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Marcus exhaled slowly, studying the Ogrettos circling his respawn point. Their confusion amused him—these mindless creatures couldn't comprehend what he was doing. They only knew that this small human kept returning, stronger each time.
[You died]
Death had lost its sting. What was once terrifying now felt routine—almost comforting in its predictability. Marcus stood taller, no longer cowering at the sight of the monsters. Now it took more than five hits to kill him, a fact that filled him with savage satisfaction.
His body moved with newfound grace, his punches flowing smoothly from one to the next. The awkward, frightened boy was fading with each respawn, replaced by something harder, faster, stronger.
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Adrenaline surged through him as his combo streak extended. Twenty hits. Thirty. Forty. His heart hammered in his chest, but his breathing remained controlled. His body was changing, adapting to this eternal battle.
Muscles appeared on what had once been his skinny arms. His chest broadened, abdomen tightening into defined abs. Even his height increased dramatically, stretching from 160cm to nearly 178cm in what felt like days.
"Growth spurt finally kicked in," Marcus muttered between punches, landing another solid hit against an Ogretto's chest.
Time lost all meaning in the abyss. Without sun or moon to mark its passage, Marcus could only measure it through deaths and respawns. Had it been days? Weeks? He couldn't tell—and found he didn't care.
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[You Died]
Between deaths, Marcus began to question why he was doing this. The Flame Emperor had called him the next Guardian, tasked with protecting Earth from "them." But who were "they"? The question frustrated him, and he channeled that frustration into his attacks.
The Ogrettos began to fear him. They recognized his respawn pattern and started camping around the circle, battle axes raised to ambush him the moment he materialized.
Marcus laughed at their primitive strategy. It only made grinding easier—he didn't need to chase them anymore. He simply emerged from the circle and immediately launched into a thirty-hit combo before they could react properly.
When the monsters attempted to destroy the circle with brute force, they were blasted backward into their comrades. The respawn point remained inviolable.
For the first time in his life, Marcus felt invincible. Untouchable.
"Maybe I should mix things up," he said to himself after his hundredth—or was it thousandth?—respawn. "Punching works fine for these slow bastards, but what about faster enemies?"
His academy training had taught him to adapt quickly, finding solutions within seconds. Now his body moved instinctively as his mind calculated possibilities.
Marcus launched himself from the circle, leaping high enough to reach the nearest puzzled Ogretto. He wrapped his legs around the monster's neck and used his momentum to swing it toward the ground. As they descended, he gripped the creature's right arm tightly.
Upon landing, Marcus loosened his grip on the neck while simultaneously pushing the monster's face into the ground and twisting its arm behind its back.
The Ogretto grunted in pain, completely stunned by this new attack.
"Tsk..Che....Arghhhh," Marcus grimaced with effort.
"I'll call this the G Orno Twist," he declared, spitting at the subdued creature.
He delivered a sharp kick to test his theory.
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"Oh, kicks work too? That's good news."
Marcus spent the next several hours perfecting his "G Orno Twist" while continuing to build his durability. He practiced relentlessly, taking down Ogretto after Ogretto, leaving them with twisted or dismembered arms.
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[Skill Perfected: G Orno Twist]
[Passive skill Acquired: Perfection at First Fight]
"Woah." Marcus paused mid-twist.
This was the first time he'd seen anything other than the durability notifications. The system's voice sounded different, more formal.
"So...how do I activate this thing?" he wondered aloud, rubbing his chin.
A memory flashed—a character from his favorite Demi comics had something similar.
"SYSTEM! IT WAS CALLED SYSTEM!"
[Yes User?]
"I knew it!" Marcus pumped his fist triumphantly, sitting cross-legged in the respawn circle surrounded by defeated Ogrettos. He noticed the circle seemed to rejuvenate him, eliminating his exhaustion. He barely needed sleep anymore.
"Hmm, what should I ask it now?" He tapped his finger against his temple. "Got it!"
Marcus snapped his fingers. "SYSTEM."
[Yes?]
"What are you?" He felt silly asking, but needed confirmation.
[I am a system specially modified to the needs of Marcus G Orno. I am to be used by Marcus G Orno to complete his 3 Guardian Trials. My System Name is The Cheat System]
"Cool name. Cheat System, huh?" Marcus grinned. "So that means I can see my stats too, right?"
[Yes, You can see your stats in your status window]
"And how do I see my Status window?"
[It's simple. Just by pronouncing the word 'Status' will do the magic.]
"Ok? Let me see.....STATUS!"
A massive screen materialized before him, glowing with information:
[User: Marcus G Orno]
Age: 16
Sex: Male
Seed: ???
Soul Level: ???
Strength: 10
Stamina: 10
Agility: 10
Durability: 100 centillion (Max Cap)(Limit Break In 1000)
Damage Per Hit: 20 (X2 strength)
Sprint speed: 20 (X2 agility)
Skills Learned: G Orno Twist(Original,DMGX100)
Passive Skill: (Creator)(Perfection At First Fight)
Extra User Earned stats: (Str+100Centillion)
[Current Progress(The 3 Guardian Trials): 0%]
"Whoa," Marcus whispered, eyes wide.
His strength, agility, and stamina were only 10, but his durability had reached centillions. The damage calculation made sense—twice his strength stat. The G Orno Twist being labeled "original" confirmed his theory about creating new skills.
But what caught his attention most was the "Extra User Earned stats" section. He tapped the "100 centillion strength" line.
[100 Ceptillion strength was earned by the User by his continuous combat and was stored in the Stat bank. Use it now? Y/N]
"Yes."
[Used successfully]
Excruciating pain shot through Marcus's body. His nerves bulged visibly beneath his skin, looking ready to burst. He collapsed to his knees, a scream tearing from his throat.
"AAAARHG!"
[Due to User's Immense Durability, pain reduced by calculating 100%]
The agony vanished instantly, leaving Marcus gasping for breath.
"Hoh, Hoh, what was that?" he managed between gulps of air.
The system explained that the sudden increase in strength had nearly killed him, but his accumulated durability had saved him by nullifying the pain.
"Well, thank you for that. Sudden increase in strength, huh?" Marcus checked his status again. His strength now read "100 ceptillion (Limit break in 1000)."
"Ohhhh, I get it!"
He sprang to his feet and charged the nearest Ogretto. Drawing back his fist, he connected with the monster's jaw. The creature's head exploded into fragments, its body disintegrating instantly. The shockwave blasted hundreds of surrounding Ogrettos to dust, splitting the very ground beneath them.
Though the tutorial setting quickly restored everything, respawning the monsters and repairing the landscape, Marcus stood in awe of his own power.
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"Ha...Haha....HAAHAHHAHAHAHA!" His laughter echoed across the abyss, tinged with madness. For the first time since entering this strange place, he felt pity for the creatures before him.
"I'm in a good mood now." Marcus stretched, his spine cracking satisfyingly. A menacing smile spread across his face as he turned toward the monster army.
"So I'll finish it with a blow."
BAM
The shockwave from his attack rippled through the darkness, erasing everything in its path. The Ogrettos didn't even have time to register fear before they vanished. In that moment, the frightened, suicidal boy from the academy rooftop became something else entirely—something powerful, something dangerous.
Something worthy of being called Guardian.
- Writer
