The Cheat Seed

Chapter 19

Dreams flickered through Marcus's unconscious mind—fragments of memory, desire, and fear swirling together. Then, amid the chaos, clarity emerged.

"Marcus... Son."

His mother's voice cut through the darkness. The vision that had appeared during his time in the Home of the Nine Tails returned, but with startling vividness. His parents stood before him, no longer distant apparitions but close enough to touch. Dave lingered just behind them, his familiar face breaking into a wide grin.

Everyone smiled at him with such warmth that Marcus felt his chest tighten. He returned their smiles with a gloomy one of his own—a strange mixture of surprise and deep depression. His head still rested against the cold dungeon wall, his body heavy with exhaustion.

"Brow-dha."

Marcus frowned at the unfamiliar voice. He scanned the faces of his parents and Dave, looking for the source. Tears welled in his eyes and spilled down his cheeks as his heart thumped with unexpected joy.

From behind his mother's legs, a small figure peeked out. A little girl with wide, curious eyes clutched his mother's shawl, ducking back when she noticed him looking.

"I have a sister now?"

The realization hit him like a physical blow. Marcus pushed himself to his feet and approached the tiny figure. She cowered back, gripping her mother's dress tightly. He stopped a few paces away and dropped to his knees, making himself smaller, less threatening.

"C'mon Sis," he called softly.

The girl stayed hidden, but her eyes—so much like his own—watched him with a mixture of fear and fascination. Marcus felt a blush warm his cheeks as he extended his arms toward her.

"C'mon... Come to Brow-da."

Something in his voice must have reassured her. The little girl gathered her courage and took one tentative step forward, then another. Her small, fragile hand reached toward his.

But before their fingers could touch, she stopped. Her form began to shimmer, growing translucent.

"No, not again!!"

Marcus lunged forward as his family started drifting away, their bodies dissolving into mist. He ran desperately, arms outstretched, trying to grab hold of something—anything—that would keep them with him.

"Brow-dha!" The little girl's cry echoed as she vanished completely along with the others.

"NOOOOO!"

Marcus slammed his fist into the dungeon floor. The stone shattered on impact, a massive crater forming around his hand, the spider-web of cracks extending outward from the point of impact.

"I... Am... Going back."

His whisper carried more weight than a shout, the words vibrating with raw determination. Then his voice rose to a thunderous roar:

"I AM GOING BACK! NOTHING CAN STOP ME FROM GOING BACK NOW! YOU UNDERSTAND THAT? STUPID STATUE... NOT EVEN YOU!"

He stomped his foot, and the floor split open, the fissure racing toward the statue until it reached its base, cracking the stone fingers. The statue's eyes seemed to shift—no longer impassive but wary, almost concerned.

The God Slaying aura manifested around Marcus, wrapping him in layers of crimson and black energy as he took measured steps toward the "unbreakable" statue.

"If you have the will to move forward, no one can stop you, not even the almighty itself," Marcus declared, his voice steady and sure. "And that's what I learned from this dungeon."

He sensed the System's surprise at his words.

"Hey System, you know... it's already time to start talking."

[Ah]

"Isn't this what you wanted? Or should I say the Old Geezer wanted?"

The System paused before responding. [Yes Marcus, this was what we were expecting.]

"Heh." A smug look crossed Marcus's face as he continued his advance toward the statue. "So my hunch was right."

[On spot, Marcus. I expected nothing less from you. And you won't believe how frustrated I got when I thought you were really going to give up.]

"You thought so?"

[Man, yes! I even spat some disgusting words at that old geezer.]

"Hehe." Marcus laughed softly, finally stopping directly beneath the towering statue. "We seem to have bonded a lot now, System."

[Yes Marcus, I am pretty sure we are ready now.]

"Me too, buddy."

Marcus closed his eyes, drawing a deep breath. The dungeon seemed to hold its breath with him.

[System Integration progress: 100%]

[System Integration success]

His body lightened as black light radiated from within. Dark smoke escaped from his mouth, ears, and nostrils, coalescing around him like a living shroud.

[The System Slayer achieved]

[All Stats ×100]

His veins bulged beneath his skin, pulsing with newly amplified power. Marcus fought the urge to vomit as energy surged through him, multiplied a hundredfold.

[All Stats and skills have successfully broken through and have reached Nihility Stage 2]

"Huff... Huff..."

Marcus steadied himself, regaining control of his transformed body. He looked up at the statue with newfound clarity.

"Now, now, statue... your role is over, I guess?"

He pressed his forehead against its massive leg, a gesture almost like benediction. Then he stepped back, shoulders squared.

"If you have an Unbreakable Body... I also have something that's Unbreakable, and that's my FAITH AND WILLPOWER!"

The System erupted with notifications:

[Passive Skill Created: Universe Moving Faith]

[Passive Skill Maxed: Universe Moving Faith]

[Passive Skill Created: Almighty Will]

[Passive Skill Maxed: Almighty Will]

Marcus smiled as the most significant message appeared:

[The User Is Unstoppable]

[The User can't be stopped until a rank '3' times higher than him confronts him]

Somewhere, in a realm beyond mortal comprehension, a being named Crayalus sneezed while enjoying a beef sandwich. "Ah... Someone must be thinking about me," he muttered, rubbing his nose and nodding to a deity seated beside him. "Whatever." He resumed his meal, unaware of the forces now set in motion.

Back in the dungeon, Marcus closed his eyes for five seconds. When he opened them again, they blazed blood-red. The God Slaying aura intensified around him, a maelstrom of power that made the air itself tremble.

With a single punch, he obliterated the lower half of the statue. Before the crown could begin its repair work, Marcus appeared directly before the statue's face, moving faster than thought.

The statue's eyes widened in what could only be terror.

Marcus casually poked its right eye. "I was in a good mood before, but ya ruined it, dawg. So you know... time to go stony."

The stone eye exploded, dust erupting from the back of the statue's head. Without hesitation, Marcus followed with his Galactic Kick, completely demolishing the statue's head—crown and all.

[The Strength stat has reached Nihility stage 3]

[Objective Progress: 100%]

[Objective Cleared: Defeat the God Of God Slaying]

[Congratulations to User for clearing the 3 guardian trials]

[Rewards accumulating]

[Reward produced]

From the rubble of the fallen statue rose a shimmering mist. It twisted and coalesced, taking form in midair before settling onto the rocky floor. The creature that materialized defied easy description—it had the body and horns of a mountain antler, the head of a dragon, the tail of a lava lion, and the hooves of a wind horse. Dark flames surrounded it, while its mane waved despite the still air of the dungeon. Its red flaming tail ended in water, and its claws appeared to be solid stone.

"Um... what's this, System?"

[Ah, this according to my information is a Qilin.]

"That's... new," Marcus replied, staring at the impossible creature.

[And... this one in front of you is the Origin Ranked Qilin. It's in its second strongest form and is also known as the God of God Slaying.]

The Qilin approached Marcus, its movements fluid and graceful despite its chimeric form. "You..." it spoke, its voice resonating both in the air and directly in Marcus's mind.

Marcus held his ground, sensing no hostile intent from the creature.

The Qilin drew close enough that Marcus could feel its otherworldly heat. "You... did a great job... so I'll choose you," it whispered.

"Huh?" Marcus's confusion was evident in his voice.

Before he could ask more, the Qilin dissolved back into mist. The cold vapor swirled around him momentarily before entering his body through his forehead.

Marcus collapsed, his entire being burning with a strange heat that seemed to reforge him from within. "Whoosh," he exhaled forcefully as he regained his senses.

"What was that?"

[The... God... The God of God Slaying has chosen you... as its wielder!!!]

"WHAT????"

The implications of what had just happened began to dawn on Marcus. He was no longer just a Guardian—he had become something else entirely, something beyond even the Flame Emperor's design.

As the dungeon began to shimmer around him, preparing for his return to the real world, Marcus felt a strange presence at the edge of his consciousness—the Qilin, watching and waiting within him. Whatever challenges awaited him back home, he would not face them alone.