The Cheat Seed

Chapter 11

[YOU DIED]

Marcus materialized in the respawn circle, his body whole again but his mind still reeling from the shock. The Nine-Tailed Fox had spoken to him. It had called him "Guardian" and smiled before tearing him apart.

He scanned his surroundings, muscles tense and ready. The forest remained as dense as before, but now he knew the truth—most of it was illusion. The real landscape was far more barren, with only a few scattered trees and that stone altar where the true fox rested.

"I have always wondered..." Marcus muttered, dusting himself off. "Even though my durability had broken the limit, it was still a one-hit KO. Why is that, system?"

[It is a one-hit KO because the enemy has an attack range of Infinity Break, which surpasses the user's current durability range]

"Oh really?" Marcus contemplated this for a moment before nodding in acceptance. The rules were clear—no matter how invincible he thought he was, there would always be something stronger.

"Status!"

The familiar window materialized before him. Marcus scrolled through his stats until he reached agility, where he raised his left eyebrow in surprise.

[Agility: 1000 Ceptillion {Limit Break In 100}]

"So... if I just dodge one of them one more time, I'll... I'll break the limit, heh? KEKEKEKEKEKKEKEKEK."

A wicked grin spread across his face. His entire demeanor shifted, transforming into the badass persona he'd adopted while facing the Ogrettos. His eyes blazed crimson as he activated Doom, preparing for what came next.

Marcus stepped confidently to the edge of his three-foot safe zone and paused. He exhaled deeply, coiling his muscles like springs. The moment a slight breeze touched his face—a telltale sign of approaching movement—he launched himself upward at mind-bending speed, grabbing onto a nearby tree branch.

The fox beneath him spun in confusion, unable to locate its prey. Marcus watched from above as the creature sniffed the air, growling in frustration. These weren't illusions—at least not all of them. Some were physical manifestations, separate from the main consciousness.

Just as another rush of air brushed his back, Marcus dropped from his perch, landing squarely on the first fox. His hand plunged downward with crushing force, splitting the creature's skull. Brain matter oozed from the fracture as the fox went limp beneath him.

[STR +100 ceptillion]

[AGIL +10 Ceptillion]

The fox's body slumped lifelessly at his feet, its crimson fur darkening with blood.

[First Kill Made]

[Objective Started]

[Objective Progress: 10%]

[Resetting Stats according to User's Current stats]

[Warning User, No more Respawns Available. Wish you luck, Survive!]

The system fell silent after these ominous words. Marcus felt a chill creep up his spine despite his newfound power. No more respawns—one mistake meant permanent death.

The fox that had attempted to ambush him from behind still clung to the tree, snarling and baring razor-sharp teeth. Its rage was palpable, killing intent radiating from its tense form. Despite this, Marcus realized something crucial—his speed now matched these creatures. The system's reset, which had previously worked against him, had inadvertently given him an advantage.

The enraged fox lunged, jaws agape. Marcus smoothly rolled right, the creature's fangs missing him by centimeters. In the distance, he heard growls echoing through the forest. The others were coming.

He needed to act quickly. If the foxes regrouped, even his enhanced abilities might not save him. Marcus evaded another attack, then grabbed the fox's open mouth with both hands, holding it firmly despite its struggles.

[AGIL +10 ceptillion]

[AGIL +10 ceptillion]

The creature pushed him backward toward a tree, but Marcus planted his feet firmly in the ground. He locked eyes with the fox, which widened in surprise at his strength.

"That's it, foxy?" he taunted, channeling his hero Cypher.

With a savage yank, Marcus tore the fox's jaws apart. The creature collapsed, twitching in its death throes.

[STR + 100 Ceptillion]

"Two down, seven to go," he whispered, already moving toward the source of the earlier growls.

Marcus sprinted through the underbrush, his movements fluid and precise. He emerged into a clearing large enough to hold a soccer stadium. In its center stood two foxes, each sporting nine magnificent tails that swayed hypnotically behind them.

A revelation struck him—he had been fighting nine-tailed foxes from the beginning. Not lesser variants, but full Demon God-ranked beasts. Pride swelled in his chest as he approached, a smug smile playing across his lips.

He activated Doom again, his crimson eyes locking onto the two foxes. They froze, mesmerized or terrified by his gaze. The skill was working perfectly.

"Doom is OP," Marcus grinned, vanishing from sight only to reappear beside the fox on the right.

"Boo," he whispered into its ear.

The fox leaped backward, its legs trembling uncontrollably. Marcus was now unquestionably faster than these creatures. He grabbed all nine of its tails and heaved the beast skyward. As it twisted helplessly in the air, Marcus launched himself upward with a thunderous boom, catching it by the head before slamming it back to earth.

A massive crater formed around the carcass, blood seeping from its open mouth.

[STR + 100 Ceptillion]

The remaining fox watched in horror, its body quivering with fear. The tables had turned completely—the hunter had become the hunted, just as the respawn circle's inscription had prophesied. The fox was no longer a terrifying predator but prey facing something far worse than itself.

In a last desperate move, the creature bared its fangs and fixed Marcus with a menacing glare. Marcus responded by revealing his own teeth in a predatory smile, Doom blazing from his eyes.

The fox broke, its courage shattered. It turned tail and fled toward the woods, dignity forgotten. Before it could reach the treeline, Marcus appeared in its path, hand closing around its neck.

"Where are you going, foxy? Your friends are waiting for you." With an evil grin, he snapped its neck with a casual twist and let the carcass fall.

[Strength +100]

"Haishh..." Marcus exhaled deeply, running a hand through his overgrown hair. He plucked a hair from the dead fox's tail and used it to tie back his own locks.

[SKILL CREATED: Crafting]

[Skill perfected: Crafting]

He smiled, arranging his hair into a ponytail with a few strands falling artfully across his forehead. As another fox emerged cautiously from the woods, Marcus turned to face it, his new appearance striking and dangerous.

The forest fell silent as predator and prey regarded each other. But which was which had changed dramatically. The remaining foxes, sensing the shift in power, hung back among the trees, their glowing eyes reflecting a new emotion: fear.

Marcus rolled his shoulders, cracking his neck. His perfect evasion skill had granted him speed beyond imagination, while his strength continued to grow with each kill. But something nagged at him—the words of the small fox on the altar.

"Well played, Guardian," it had said.

What did it know? And why did it seem resigned rather than hostile?

These questions would have to wait. For now, he had a hunt to finish. Five more foxes to go, then the true challenge would begin—the diminutive creature on the altar, the real Nine-Tailed Fox.

Marcus took a step forward, and the forest trembled.