The Cheat Seed

Chapter 12

The forest regrew around Marcus as if nothing had happened, trees rising from ash and soil with supernatural speed. He brushed dust from his shoulders, surveying the resurrected woodland with amusement. These trial dungeons operated on their own rules—death was temporary, destruction fleeting.

For the monsters, at least.

"Eight down, one to go," he muttered, cracking his knuckles.

Marcus's lips curled into a satisfied smile. His hunch had proven correct—every creature he'd faced so far had been a full Nine-Tailed Demon Fox, supposedly the ultimate boss of this SC-ranked dungeon in the real world. He'd slain the "undefeatable" boss eight times now, and the irony wasn't lost on him.

He laughed quietly, the sound echoing through the silent forest. "They told us these were the most dangerous creatures on the continent." He shook his head. "So much for legendary monsters."

Even as he savored his victory, Marcus tempered his confidence with caution. He'd always been insightful about his strengths and weaknesses, even back at the academy. Overconfidence killed more Revokers than monsters did—Professor Jules had drilled that lesson into every student.

The distant sound of movement caught his attention. Another fox emerged from the undergrowth, tails fanned behind it like a crimson peacock. It fixed its burning eyes on Marcus and growled—a deep, primal sound that would have paralyzed him with fear just days ago.

Now, it merely amused him.

The monster didn't realize it faced something far more terrifying than itself. Marcus bared his teeth in response, drawing air into his lungs. He thought about creating an area-effect skill, something that would demonstrate his dominance.

Without consciously deciding to do so, he unleashed a roar that shook the very foundations of the forest. Trees trembled, leaves scattered from branches, and the earth beneath his feet vibrated with the power of his voice.

[Skill Created: Roar Of Terror]

[Skill Perfected: Roar Of Terror]

[Setting the skill to the shortest form: (ROT)]

[The skill Roar of Terror will be called as ROT from now on]

Marcus blinked in surprise. He hadn't spoken the skill name aloud, hadn't even fully formed the concept in his mind—yet the system had interpreted his intentions perfectly. It was as if the Cheat System had begun synchronizing with his thoughts, responding to his desires before he could articulate them.

The fox cowered, its nine tails dropping low. It retreated several steps, eyes still locked on Marcus but now filled with something new—primal fear. After a moment's hesitation, it turned to flee into the depths of the woods.

"Where do you think you're going?" Marcus whispered.

He crossed the distance between them in two heartbeats, appearing before the retreating beast with a casual wave.

"Hi there."

Without ceremony, he seized the creature's head and twisted it a full 360 degrees. The c***k echoed through the forest as the fox's body crumpled at his feet. Marcus dusted his hands together, as if wiping away something unpleasant.

"Five down, four to go."

He sprinted deeper into the woods, his enhanced speed turning the trees into green blurs. Leaping onto a massive trunk, he climbed with inhuman agility to gain a better vantage point. From his perch, Marcus scanned for movement among the trees.

It didn't take long to spot them—three nine-tailed foxes stalking him from the shadows, moving in perfect formation. Marcus almost pitied their primitive hunting strategy. Almost.

A smirk crossed his face. "You think you're the predators?" he whispered. "Let me correct that misunderstanding."

He scaled to the treetop in seconds, then launched himself skyward with enough force to split the trunk beneath him. For a brief, perfect moment, Marcus hung suspended above the forest canopy. The view stole his breath—endless trees stretching toward the horizon, bathed in ethereal light from an unseen source.

As gravity reclaimed him, Marcus twisted in mid-air, aiming his descent directly at the trio of foxes below. A new idea formed in his mind, and the system responded instantly.

[Skill Created: Nuclear Palm]

[Skill Perfected: Nuclear Palm]

Marcus extended his open palm toward the ground, a savage grin splitting his face as he plummeted toward his prey. The foxes looked up just in time to see death falling from above.

BOOM!

The impact detonated with the force of a small nuclear warhead. A shockwave rippled outward, flattening trees for hundreds of meters in every direction. When the dust settled, Marcus stood at the center of a thirty-meter crater, surrounded by three charred skeletons—all that remained of the once-mighty demons.

"Five, six, seven," he counted calmly, surveying his handiwork.

As he jumped from the crater, the landscape began to repair itself. Trees sprouted from barren earth, growing to full height within seconds. By the time Marcus finished his count, the forest had completely restored itself, erasing all evidence of the devastation.

"Eight done, one to go."

Marcus knew the final boss awaited him somewhere in this artificial world. He proceeded deeper into the forest with measured steps, confident that no other creatures stalked him now. During his brief ascent, he'd glimpsed something extraordinary—a temple deep within the woods, built into a mountain that seemed to be carved from solid gold.

The mountain itself had been shaped into a massive fox, its features crafted with such precision that it seemed almost alive. But what truly puzzled Marcus was the number of tails adorning the golden statue.

There were far more than nine.

The sight challenged everything Marcus knew about this dungeon, about the Nine-Tailed Demon Foxes, about the entire mythology surrounding these creatures. If the statue represented the true form of his final opponent, then perhaps the "Nine-Tailed" fox was merely one phase of something far more ancient and terrible.

As he approached the temple, golden light spilled from its entrance, illuminating the forest path. Marcus paused at the threshold, rolling his shoulders and cracking his neck. Whatever waited inside—whether a true nine-tailed fox or something beyond mortal understanding—he was ready.

"Let's finish this," he whispered, and stepped into the light.