The atmosphere within the primeval forest remained thick with the metallic stench of Orc blood and billowing clouds of dust. Amidst the roars and the carnage of battle below, Ryan Goldwin continued to hover prominently in mid-air, resembling an arrogant god. His body was bathed in the brilliant light of erupting mana, completely oblivious to the fact that 400 meters away in the canopy, a grim reaper in the guise of the Orc Captain had already fully drawn its giant bow, aiming straight for the lethal blind spot right in the center of his back.
The dark red, mana-infused arrow was loosed from the string at a velocity exceeding Mach 2, tearing through the air and emitting an ear-piercing shriek. It hurtled directly toward the wide-open back of Titan City's Golden Boy with flawless, lethal precision.
Ryan's moment of life and death had arrived once again... Yet, amidst this absolute crisis, the golden eyes of Owen, who stood out of the line of fire on the ground, remained as tranquil as an undisturbed lake.
He tracked the arrow's trajectory with chilling calmness; not a single thought of leaping in to save the boy crossed his mind. The reason was incredibly simple... He wanted this fiery young prodigy to receive a 'costly lesson.' It was high time the kid realized just how foolish, amateurish, and inefficient it was to spam skills wildly while acting as a sitting duck in mid-air.
As for whether Ryan would be critically injured or killed, Owen wasn't worried in the slightest. A genius fully backed and funded by the Awakened Association like Ryan undoubtedly carried a couple of high-tier life-saving artifacts on him.
However... in the very second the arrow entered its final 100-meter stretch, the absolute stillness in Owen's mind was violently shattered!
Thump... Thump...
The young man's heart pounded wildly as his primal instincts shrieked, warning him of a catastrophic, high-level danger creeping ever closer. Every hair on his body stood on end, and the previously stifling, humid air instantly turned so freezing cold it became hard to breathe. He felt inexplicably restless and suffocated, cold sweat breaking out along his hairline.
'What the hell is going on... Why am I getting goosebumps like this?' Owen gritted his teeth tightly. That arrow wasn't aimed at him, so where was this intense, heart-constricting sense of terror coming from?
The answer to his burning question manifested a split second later, when the [Choice System] he had just finished using... suddenly activated all on its own!
Vwoom!
Time in the real world was entirely frozen once again. The high-velocity arrow halted dead in mid-air, a mere few meters from Ryan's back. Likewise, the blade of the young man's lightning sword stopped less than a centimeter from an Orc's body. And what made Owen's eyes widen in sheer shock was the system window that violently popped up right before him.
It wasn't the familiar translucent blue window. Instead, it was a window bathed in a 'crimson red' like fresh blood, featuring violently trembling text that radiated an aura of absolute, crushing dread!
…
[ EMERGENCY ALERT! You are facing a crisis triggered by a High-Tier Entity. Please select your path with extreme caution! ]
Description 1: The high-tier life-saving artifact belonging to 'Ryan Goldwin' that is about to activate is, in truth, the [Pendant of Asmodeus], a Calamity-Grade cursed artifact flawlessly disguised as a standard high-tier defensive item by the handiwork of 'Someone'...
Description 2: Information on the [Pendant of Asmodeus]
Appearance: A teardrop-shaped white gold pendant. It is as crimson as pigeon's blood and is currently pulsing with an ominous glow synchronized with the wearer's heartbeat.
Effect 1: "Charm of Deflection." The wearer receives absolute protection from a fatal attack, completely deflecting the strike (Cooldown: 8 hours after activation).
Effect 2 (Hidden): "Mental Corrosion." This cursed artifact was forged by 'Asmodeus,' the Archdemon of Lust from the deepest abyssal planes of Hell. Every time the 'Charm of Deflection' is activated, the wearer's mind is corroded by a soul fragment of Asmodeus. The wearer will gradually become obsessed with power and dominating others, begin to view themselves as above all morality, and become willing to indulge their primal instincts without a single shred of guilt or remorse.
Effect 3 (Hidden): "Body Seizure." Asmodeus covets a perfect physical vessel to pursue his pleasures, expand his powers of lust, and harvest human souls on Earth. Once the wearer activates the 'Charm of Deflection' for the 7th time, the wearer will completely lose their conscience and free will due to the 'Mental Corrosion,' allowing Asmodeus to fully possess and utilize the body as his ultimate vessel.
[ Crucial Note: Ryan Goldwin has already activated the "Charm of Deflection" exactly 6 times... ]
…
The moment Owen laid eyes on the name 'Asmodeus,' he couldn't help but swallow a hard, dry lump in his throat. Whether from fables, myths, or legends he had read and heard, this entity was undoubtedly an absolute top-tier figure of the Hell dimension. Asmodeus could easily be on the level of a Demon Lord, or perhaps even transcend it! And the tension skyrocketed to an absolute breaking point as Owen finished reading the horrific conditions, right before the system displayed the paths of destiny.
…
[ Option 1: Do Absolutely Nothing ]
Details: Stick to your original plan. Let Ryan face the consequences of his own carelessness. Afterward, feign complete ignorance regarding his possession. You can scold him for his recklessness and converse normally as if nothing had happened.
Result: The [Pendant of Asmodeus] will activate, perfectly fulfilling the conditions for the 'Body Seizure'. Asmodeus will flawlessly assume the role of Ryan and will not harm you in order to avoid any unnecessary complications or chaos. However... after 3 days, once the Archdemon of Lust fully acclimates to his human vessel, he will begin to 'Hunt'... Every single woman favored by Ryan or Asmodeus will be placed in extreme, lethal peril, and they will inevitably become Asmodeus's lust-bound thralls.
[ Option 2: Swiftly Intervene to Save Ryan ]
Details: Squeeze out every ounce of power, technique, and combat mastery you possess to narrowly rescue Ryan from this fatal attack.
Result: Ryan will survive the lethal strike before his pendant can trigger, causing the possession condition to 'Fail'. Furthermore, witnessing your incredible speed and skill will fill Ryan with profound gratitude and admiration. (Gain +10 Affection points)
(Warning: The soul fragment of Asmodeus residing within the pendant will glare at you with immense displeasure and bitter resentment for thwarting its grand scheme.)
[ Option 3: Allow the Possession, Then Immediately Fight Asmodeus ]
Details: You choose to clash head-on against a Supreme Archdemon like Asmodeus, a decision blurring the line between profound bravery and absolute stupidity...
Result: With Ryan's raw, original power perfectly combined with the bizarre, unpredictable abilities of the Archdemon, you will be utterly crushed and defeated in less than 10 minutes!
(Warning: Evaluated entirely upon your current arsenal and capabilities... your chance of victory is below 10%.)
…
Reading the system's text meticulously from the very first line to the very last, Owen's thick eyebrows knitted tightly into a knot. His previously stoic face paled slightly, his golden eyes blazing with a mixture of sudden realization and boiling frustration.
The final puzzle piece had violently clicked into place!
He now fully understood exactly where that [40% chance of Ryan harassing Clara] warning in the previous system window came from! It wasn't solely born from Ryan's original personality; it was the direct, sinister byproduct of the 'Mental Corrosion' stemming from the cursed pendant the boy wore relentlessly at all times!
And the absolute most infuriating part was... the idiot had already triggered it 6 damn times!
'This foolish kid...' Owen cursed internally, utterly exasperated. 'That means he has brushed with certain death due to his own recklessness 6 separate times, yet he never once bothered to learn or actually hone his survival skills?!He still exclusively relies on his massive raw power to bulldoze through problems like an absolute moron!'
Owen instantly realized that Ryan's towering arrogance might truly be beyond salvation... and the dire situation directly in front of him was forcing his hand.
His sharp gaze swept over the three options once more... Option 1 would hurl the human world and the women around him into catastrophic, lethal peril. Option 3 was pure, unadulterated suicide. With less than a 10% chance of victory, fighting was tantamount to throwing his life completely away for nothing.
That left only one truly logical path. Drawing the intense ire of a Hell Demon like Asmodeus was undeniably vastly preferable to letting the Archdemon of Lust roam free and play havoc upon the mortal realm.
"Dammit all... Am I really forced to become a babysitter for this brat? I recall that when I was 16 and forced out to find work to bring money back to the orphanage, even as a dumb, game-addicted kid, I still possessed far more common sense and maturity than this guy does right now!"
Owen muttered to himself in absolute dismay. Having sufficiently cursed the Golden Boy's sheer incompetence in his mind, his fingertip confidently tapped the system window in front of him to lock in [ Option 2: Swiftly Intervene to Save Ryan ].
Shatter!
The instant the choice was confirmed, the curtain of time that the system had frozen solid shattered violently like delicate glass. The real world roared back to life in a flash!
The guttural roars of the Orc pack, the thunderous boom of lightning, and the absolute worst of all... the ear-piercing shriek of the Mach 2 giant arrow tearing through the air, screaming right toward Ryan's back at point-blank range!
However, for Owen, who was already fully prepared to unleash his trump card, he absolutely refused to let time dictate the outcome normally.
[Instant-Mind Palm: Mercy of the Thousand-Armed Bodhisattva]
Vwoom...
Within that fraction of a microsecond, Owen's A-Rank brain was hyper-stimulated to operate at its absolute maximum efficiency. All of his perception was elevated, violently shattering the ceiling of human limits multiple times over. The external flow of time that had just resumed was now entirely 'stretched' once again in his subjective view. The imagery of swirling dust slowed to a near halt, and the lethal, supersonic arrow... in Owen's highly tuned eyes, it now appeared to be crawling as sluggishly as a snail drifting through the air.
Amidst Ryan's imminent crisis of death, Owen stood in perfect, tranquil stillness. The young man slowly, fluidly swept both of his palms up to press together at chest level in a gentle, deliberate prayer pose, his ten fingers perfectly aligned. The very essence of 'Compassion' was unleashed from his golden eyes, manifesting as a thin, almost tangible psychic aura. It birthed the ethereal illusion of dozens of overlapping arms and palms fanning out majestically behind the young man's back.
The mana inside his body was squeezed out so ferociously that it distorted the very air into rippling heat waves. And in that precise fraction of a microsecond! A massive, blood-red [Asura Palm] materialized in mid-air like a wrathful phantom. It erupted instantaneously, manifesting right beside the suspended giant arrow without a single sound or trace of movement.
WHAM!!!
The glowing crimson palm brutally impacted the hardwood shaft of the mana-infused arrow with terrifying, unbridled force!
The colossal kinetic impact from the Asura Palm violently and drastically deflected the Mach 2 arrow, which had been packed with lethal destructive power. The black steel arrowhead violently ricocheted and changed its trajectory, skimming past Ryan's armored body by the absolute thinnest of margins—so close that the searing heat of aerodynamic friction physically burned the skin!
BOOOOOOOM!!!
The giant arrow slammed ruthlessly into the dirt below, triggering a deafening, thunderous explosion. The forest floor within a 20-meter radius violently quaked for a brief moment. A colossal gale force blasted the underbrush flat, whipping up blinding clouds of dust and scattering soil debris wildly across the entire area.
Ryan, who had just finished bisecting an Orc into a charred husk, violently jolted, nearly losing all his balance in mid-air. The explosive gust of wind that had just blasted mere inches past his back sent his raw survival instincts shrieking.
The young man frantically touched down and whipped his head around to look behind him.
The scene that unfolded before him utterly shattered the arrogant, cool facade of the Golden Boy in a single heartbeat. His once-handsome face turned deathly pale, completely drained of blood like a sheet of paper. Ryan's jaw dropped, his eyes bulging wide in absolute disbelief. He glanced frantically between the massive crater where the earth had caved in, the colossal crimson palm slowly dissolving into nothingness mid-air, and the figure of Owen standing a distance away, perfectly motionless and tranquil in his prayer pose.
While Ryan was completely losing his mind, Owen swiftly swept his sharp gaze directly toward the young man's chest. Seeing that the Pendant of Asmodeus remained dormant, Owen let out a long, heavy exhale of pure relief.
The mission to prevent the Archdemon's body seizure... had been accomplished perfectly.
But the absolute very second that relief passed, the deeply bottled-up frustration furiously erupted, completely blowing off the thermometer! The man lowered his hands, striding aggressively toward the still-slack-jawed youth before launching into a massive, blistering lecture in the fiercely serious, trademark tone of Owen Marlowe.
"What the hell were you thinking, Ryan?!" Owen berated him with an icy tone. "Hovering completely still like target practice in mid-air right in the middle of enemy territory? How many times are you going to be this careless and hope to dump your life's safety onto your gear or artifacts? Your entire mindset is fundamentally flawed!"
Ryan violently flinched, but Owen gave him absolutely zero opening to argue back.
"Just because you have a massive mana pool, you think you can pull off any idiotic stunt you want? Is your brain just there for decoration, that you couldn't be bothered to plan a countermeasure against a sniper Orc aiming right for your head! Remember this well: this profoundly stupid recklessness of yours... it didn't just almost get you killed, it nearly dragged me into a catastrophic mess right alongside you!"
'The mess of having to fight the Hell Demon Asmodeus, you crazy brat!' Owen mentally tacked on to the end of his sentence with deep frustration.
He slowly exhaled to rein in his temper, crossing his arms and fully bracing himself for a massive counter-argument from the ego-driven youth. Owen assumed Ryan would blush bright red with fury, or snap back with an arrogant attitude, feeling insulted and lectured like a mere child.
However... the situation violently flipped in a completely unexpected direction!
Instead of boiling with anger, Ryan's blue eyes widened, sparkling brilliantly like a little boy who had just seen a real-life superhero! The young man hurriedly sheathed his lightning sword before stepping toward Owen with an eagerness and excitement he couldn't possibly conceal.
"Wh-What... What in the world was that just now, Mr. Owen?!" Ryan stammered, his voice utterly saturated with awe and profound admiration. "I... I couldn't sense that attack even the slightest bit! How did it even appear? With that level of absolute speed... If you had intended to strike me, I absolutely wouldn't have been able to dodge! It manifested like a ghost! It was as if that massive mana palm had simply existed there all along! In-Incredible! Big brother, you truly live up to the title of Nova's disciple!!"
[ System Alert: Ryan Goldwin is immensely impressed by your overwhelming strength. Earned Affection points +10 ]
From being completely prepped for a fiery verbal spar, the side that ended up standing there dumbfounded and incredibly awkward... turned out to be Owen himself.
"Uh... wha... What's wrong with you?" Owen frowned deeply, taking a step back as he was intensely threatened by those aggressively sparkling eyes.
"Your skill execution just now was absolutely breathtaking and flawless, Brother Owen!" Ryan visibly and intimately shifted his pronoun from 'Mr. Owen' to 'Brother Owen', because deep down, the young man was precisely the type to 'despise the weak and worship the strong'—one of the most common human values.
Ryan began hurling endless praises without pausing to breathe, both his fists clenched tightly in sheer excitement. "It was the absolute, perfect harmony of tranquility and devastating destructive power! I have never witnessed god-like speed like that anywhere before! Are you really just a B-Rank, big brother!? That's a speed that even A-Ranks can't pull off!"
Owen stood there, his eyebrow twitching violently, his lips pressed into a tight line. He couldn't help but raise a hand to massage his suddenly throbbing temples. Where did the obnoxiously arrogant young man from just ten minutes ago disappear to? This kid was executing a complete personality flip faster than a chameleon changing colors!
'Dammit...' Owen thought internally with the utmost exasperation. 'This kid definitely memorized those sycophantic lines from the lower-level Association staff... This is honestly more annoying than when he was acting all arrogant!'
"Enough... That's enough." Owen let out a massive sigh, raising a hand to stop Ryan, who was gearing up to praise him further. "Stop buttering me up with those greasy words! It's giving me insane goosebumps. We need to hurry up and deal with the sniper Orc that nearly killed you first. It won't be too late to chat after that!"
—-------
From the author: We now have 15 chapters available for early access! This will soon increase to 20. Join my Patreon to get ahead of the story, along with exclusive, uncensored illustrations.
Your support is crucial in helping this story continue. Thank you very much!
[Patreon Spirit_Alphabet: https://patreon.com/SpiritAlphabet]
—-------