Standing on the edge of the abyss, Fang Yuan closed his eyes. In the darkness of his mind, a memory played—a memory that wasn't just a dream, but the "Original Fate" the System had revealed to him.
He saw himself, another version of Fang Yuan, kneeling in the mud of this very world. In that timeline, he wasn't a "World Breaker." He was a mediocre guard, a minor villain who insulted the young hero, Kael, only to have his limbs broken and his family name erased. He saw his own death—a pathetic end under the foot of a "Child of Fate" who claimed to be fighting for justice.
"That... was supposed to be me," Fang Yuan thought, his heart cold as iron.
The System had arrived three days ago, not with a flash of light, but with a whisper that shattered his soul. It showed him the "Universal Script"—a cosmic record where his life was written as a mere sacrifice for others' glory.
[System Awakening: Villain System Synchronized.]
[Status: Fang Yuan. Role: Cannon Fodder Villain. Fate: Death in 3 years.]
"The Heavens gave me a life, but they gave me no path," Fang Yuan whispered, opening his eyes. They were no longer the eyes of a guard, but of a predator. "If my purpose is to be a stepping stone, then I shall become a mountain that crushes those who try to climb me."
In those three days, he had used the System's initial "Novice Gift" to forcefully refine his body. He didn't follow the slow, peaceful meditation of the monks. He used the "Devouring Refinement" method, breaking his own bones and knitting them back together with raw Qi until he reached the 1st Rank of World Breaker. He was a beginner in the Cosmic Scale, but in this small, stagnant world, he was already a monster.
He looked at the status screen floating in his vision:
NAME: FANG YUAN
CURRENT REALM: WORLD BREAKER - RANK 1
FUTURE FATE: DELETED
OBJECTIVE: PLUNDER THE WORLD CORE
"Kael will arrive at the tree in ten minutes to claim his 'destiny'," Fang Yuan's lips curled into a chilling smile. "But the script has been rewritten. This world doesn't need a hero... it needs a master."
He leaped.