The Cheat Seed

Chapter 16

[No Fu*ckin way....NO FUC*KING WAAYY]

The system erupted inside Marcus's mind, unleashing a torrent of obscenities that would make a sailor blush. Words Marcus had never even heard before echoed through his consciousness, the system's voice rising to a fever pitch.

"Wha...What's wrong, system?" Marcus asked, bewildered by the sudden outburst.

But the system continued its tirade, rambling about missed notifications and how this shouldn't be happening, its previously formal tone completely abandoned.

"STOP IT!!!" Marcus shouted, his voice reverberating through the empty temple.

The system fell silent immediately.

"Ok now, listen to me."

[...]

"What's happening and why are you so worried about this present pack? Isn't this supposed to be normal because I cleared an SC rank dungeon?"

[Normal? THIS.IS.THE.FIRST.TIME.I.HAVE.EVER.FORGOT.A.FRICKING.NOTIFICATION]

"Chill, dude. It's just a notification."

[Wait....Aren't you angry with me?]

"What? Why would I be angry with you?"

[Because....Because I missed a notification?]

"That's what I'm saying—why would I be angry? It's just a notification, and I still found it anyway."

[Oh...]

The system's voice softened, seeming to reflect on this response. For a moment, Marcus felt as if he could sense the AI calming itself, processing his unexpected reaction.

[Marcus...You are amazing]

As the system spoke these words, the glitched pack in Marcus's inventory began to glow. The name beneath the package vanished, replaced by something new etching itself across the display.

Marcus closed his eyes as brilliant light blazed directly into them. Squinting, he covered his face with one hand while slowly lowering it to peek at the inventory window.

His eyes widened at what he saw.

'Ultra Glitched Present Box-1'

"Eh?"

[You passed the Hidden Objective!!]

"EHHHH?" Marcus's jaw dropped in confusion.

[HAHA! You see, Marcus, this was all a test. The previous users before you all got angry at me for missing a main notification and lost their cool during the Last Objective.]

"Wait...that was supposed to be a Main objective?"

[Hm? Yeah, of course it is. It's a present box which could grant a whole set of high-ranked artifacts to the user.]

"...You fucker!"

[Hm?]

A heavy silence fell between them, stretching for two full minutes before both Marcus and the system broke it simultaneously.

"KEKEKKEKEKEKEKEKEKEK"

[Heheheheheheheheheheheh]

"Those previous dudes were fools. Actual fools," Marcus declared, shaking his head.

[Yep, they were—and you'll join their list if you still fail to clear this objective.]

"Uff."

[Why don't you go on and open the present box?]

"Yep!!" Marcus exclaimed, unable to contain his excitement.

He tapped the present box. It shimmered brightly before vanishing, replaced by a series of notification sounds that popped up before him.

[Red Devil set acquired]

[Rank SC+++++]

[Limit broken Object, Handle with Care]

[Equip Now? Y/N]

"Yes, duh."

Marcus selected Y without hesitation. His vision went black for several seconds. When his sight returned, he blinked and looked around, noticing no immediate changes.

[Woohoo, Marcus... You look....sexyyy]

"What do you mean?"

[Watch]

The system conjured a screen that functioned like a mirror. Marcus stared at his reflection, mouth falling open in astonishment. He couldn't help but strike a pose, admiring his transformed appearance.

A red mask covered his face, featuring two long horns protruding from its forehead and curved fangs that gave it a demonic appearance. The name "Red Devil" suddenly made perfect sense.

His torso was clothed in a flowing white kimono that reached his waist, loose around his arms but tightening at the wrists. The pristine fabric was accented with subtle streaks of red and black, with red horned polka dots adorning both shoulders.

His tattered pants had been replaced by black capri cropped pants paired with vibrant red socks. Black knit sneakers completed the ensemble, matching perfectly with the rest of the outfit.

"WOWW. System, what do you call this dress?"

[The red mask you're wearing is called an Oni mask in another world. The other artifacts are from that world too. The garment on your torso is a kimono, the pants are capri cropped pants, and then you have the red socks with black knit sneakers.]

"Woah."

[Stats enhanced x10 due to artifact perk]

"This increases my stats too?"

[Yes, high-ranked artifacts aren't just for defense and attack. They have special perks that grant the user extra abilities or enhancements.]

"Damn. Lucky me," Marcus chuckled, running his hands over the smooth fabric of the kimono.

He gathered his overgrown hair into a ponytail, reflecting on his journey so far. The contrast between his past and present self was stark.

He used to be a frail boy, short for his age with poor eyesight that made the world a blur without his glasses. His frizzy red hair cut in an unflattering bowl style had made him an easy target for ridicule among his classmates—until he met Dave.

Dave stood taller than him, with stylish yellow hair cut into fashionable bangs, and a natural popularity with the girls in their class. Marcus remembered their first meeting at the Farmer's Union when he was six and his father had taken him to visit an old friend—Dave's father, a Peasant Seed user. While the adults conversed, Marcus had spotted the shy boy hiding behind his father and extended his hand in friendship.

For ten years after that, they'd been inseparable, sharing joys and weathering hardships together—until Marcus had been "chosen" for this place.

"HAIZZ," Marcus sighed. "I wanna see that bastard so badly. He's got a fricking Legendary seed and is probably enjoying talking to girls, exchanging psy Numbers with each other."

Marcus rose to his feet and stretched his neck, working out the kinks.

The Marcus of now was unrecognizable compared to his former self. His body had transformed into athletic perfection—rock-hard abs detailed with precision, muscles developed for function rather than show. Neither bulky like obsessive bodybuilders nor so slim as to be negligible, his physique struck the perfect balance.

He now stood 180 centimeters tall, with broad shoulders that looked capable of bearing inhuman weights. His legs were proportionally muscled, containing godly power. His red hair, grown to shoulder length, was tied back in a ponytail with a single strand falling loose to cover his right eye. Marcus tucked this errant lock behind his ear.

"Now, System, tell me what this statue is about."

Marcus pointed at a massive stone figure that loomed before him, triple the size of the Demon Fox statue from the previous dungeon. The landscape had returned to rocky terrain, but flatter than before. Only Marcus and the statue occupied this space, with a rocky ceiling just five meters above the statue's head.

[This is your objective—the third and final one. This statue before you is the statue of the God Of God Slaying.]

Marcus studied the colossal figure with newfound determination. The statue depicted a humanoid form with features that seemed to shift subtly when not observed directly. Six arms extended from its torso, each holding a different weapon—a sword, a spear, a bow, a shield, a dagger, and what appeared to be a book.

Its face bore neither kindness nor cruelty, just an impassive expression that somehow conveyed absolute power. Despite being stone, the statue's eyes seemed to follow Marcus as he circled it, evaluating this final challenge.

"The God Of God Slaying," Marcus repeated, rolling the title around in his mind. "So I'm supposed to defeat the being that kills the killers of gods?"

[Precisely.]

"And how exactly am I supposed to do that when it's just a statue?"

As if responding to his question, the ground began to tremble. Hairline fractures appeared across the statue's surface, light spilling through the cracks like molten gold.

Marcus took a step back, settling into a defensive stance, his newly enhanced body thrumming with power.

"I guess I'm about to find out," he murmured, a determined smile spreading beneath his Oni mask.