Chapter 3: Folding The System

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This "System" was both suspicious and very interesting to me. From what I can analyze already, it seems to be a powerful Divine and Magical Construction fueled by the power of the Tower itself and the "Gods" that dominate it. This System feeds on the Mana of the environment to fuel itself infinitely, and it apparently infiltrates the souls and bodies of people like parasites, to extract information and mana from them, and, in exchange, help them develop their internal Mana into new supernatural abilities. I suppose this is what they call Skills, right?

Despite how curious I was; however, I would never let such a strange and suspicious thing get a hold of my soul. I have not lived eleven thousand years inside of Murim to have my soul freely exposed. It is one of a Cultivator's greatest weaknesses. Once you become Immortal, losing limbs, or even your head, is no longer a problem.

However, your soul is very important; it is the very root of your existence, and to lose it is to eternally and completely die. This is why I dedicated over a thousand years to perfecting various Immortal Techniques to protect my soul against any Soul Attack possible. And I also refined it to achieve the Primordial Immemorial Venerable Realm, my current Realm, which has been stuck at the highest stage for five hundred years by now.

"So you are the famous System, huh? What an annoyance you are! Stop this at once. I won't let you enter my Soul, you filthy Magical Construction." I swiped my hands as I crushed the System messages to a spiritual level, making them shatter. More Error messages kept appearing, but I squeezed them with my Immortal Intent until they were reduced to a few, much smaller messages.

[ERROR…]

[Incapable of fully assimilating with the target's Soul.]

[Requesting the assistance of an {Administrator}!]

[An {Administrator} has agreed to appear and solve this issue.]

["Hello, Administrator number 1034 here. You can call me Clide; what's your problem?"]

"So other beings are managing this?" I wondered. "How amusing. I have no problem; your strange thing has been trying to parasitize my soul for a while now. If you continue with this, I will be forced to destroy it and perhaps kill you, Clide. Do you have anything to say in your favor?"

["W-What?! Wait a second- This isn't just some bug? Who… Who are you? A being so powerful the System cannot assimilate?!"]

"Oh my, you got a bit startled there." I swiftly touched the system window displaying Clide's messages as I turned my hand into a mass of rainbow light. "{Primordial Spiritual Body Arts}: {Photon Injection}"

ZAAAP!

By spending a few amounts of Immortal Essence, I transformed my hand into pure Photon Energy, a special Energy that I created through refining my Element of Light for thousands of years. It allows me to infiltrate most ethereal constructions and destroy them from the inside. It helped me destroy most Immortal Domains and invade Demonic Cultivator's Inner Realms.

["AGH!"]

A zap of lightning reached the administrator, and the entire system message struggled to even keep themselves up, lightning and then disappearing constantly. Although I couldn't see him, I had my hands grasping whatever his body was.

"Now, Clide. You will answer a few questions for me if you want to continue living. Of course, you are free to not answer either! We all have freedom of choice here. Naturally, that choice will also bring your death." I smiled gently at him.

["M-Monster…! What are you- UGH…! T-The High administrators need to-"]

ZAAAP!

["AAAGGH! No more! Please stop! STOP!"]

"Okay, good. We are in a mutual understanding now, right?" I spoke as I grabbed the head of a goblin to look at it. Then, I noticed the magic crystals inside their bodies, and with my Divine intent, I extracted them all and stored most corpses inside my Inner Realm. "Now tell me, what is this system, who manages it, and who are YOU? And who is behind this whole… "Apocalypse"?"

["I-I cannot answer that…!"]

"Oh? Was my light not bright enough?"

["It's not that; please wait! I-I am restricted. I cannot say these things to Players or anybody below a certain Level within the System. If I try, I receive penalties, and they'll kill me anyway."]

"They? Who's they?"

["T-That's… The #######"]

"Oh, alright, yeah, they censor it, huh?"

["I-I'm sorry. But who are you exactly? How come a normal human of that world that hasn't even been assimilated by the system is so strong?!"]

"You could say that I trained very hard~"

["T-That doesn't make any sense!"]

"Clide."

["…Yes?"]

"Elaborate on the System if you can; any information you can reveal would be appreciated."

["T-The System was created by them to further spread Mana into the Universe… Towers are made as… Well, you could think of them as Mana batteries; they extract, produce, and refine Mana endlessly."]

"And the worlds inside?"

["T-The Worlds inside were… Well, "qualified" to be there. They belong to the Gods inside the tower; each God or group of Gods controls one Floor, which is a different world. They call these worlds "Apex Worlds," which were assimilated after a large multiversal competition. That's all I can say before they find me and kill me. I swear!"]

"I see. You're saying the truth too." I nodded. "Good, you're a good little man, obedient. Very well. Now, tell me, how can I benefit from this System? I've found that there is this Mana energy. It is surprisingly delicious. And it helps me replenish my Primordial Essence once I refine it with Immortal Essence. It's slow, but much faster than the traditional methods."

["If the system cannot be assimilated into your soul, it's impossible-"]

"Clide, I am a fervent believer in the saying "nothing is impossible"! Are you?"

My grip tightened within his body. By now, I could more or less guess he wasn't human. He was a strange being, composed of many tentacles and eyes. Yet he could not hurt me, no matter how hard he tried to free himself from my etheric grip.

["There might be a way... But, well, it won't reflect your abilities because you won't be assimilated. The system status that can be created will be more like a piece of equipment over you. It can grow stronger and give you more power, though. I-Is that okay for you? I am already reaching the limits of what I can do as an administrator; merely doing such a thing would risk me getting fired. So please don't reveal this to anybody else…"]

"Okay~ Got it!" I smiled. "A piece of equipment, isn't it? I love forging Immortal Relics. Especially out of annoying old geezers that think they're superior to me because they lived a million years ago."

["I don't know what you're talking about, but just stay still…"]

The Mana energy that the System possessed encompassed me like a robe or a piece of armor; it didn't bind itself to my body or soul, but it was indeed with me, and I could even fold it and manipulate it. But for now, I left its invisible veil encompassing my body.

FLASH!

"Oho, this is wonderful! Well done, dear Clide!" I smiled.

Ding!

[Due to the usage of the {Administrator's Authority}. You've been given a special privilege of the System!]

[You are now able to access your personal status even without binding the System to your soul or body.]

[Your personal System Status can be controlled and "unequipped" as you please.]

[Because your innate abilities cannot be assimilated, the System Status will begin as a clean slate. But based on your actions and other things, it will develop rapidly.]

[The Stats and Skills shown in the System Status will not reflect your actual Battle Power, which cannot be properly measured by the System.]

[However, any new Stat, Level Up, or Skill learned will add to your already existing power.]

[Generating Basic System Status…]

[Basic System Status has been generated successfully!]

[You received the Title: [The One Who Folded The System]!]

[You received the Skill: [Premium Player Privilege (SSS): Lv1]!]

[You have slain [Green Goblin Barbarian (E+ Rank)] x57!]

[Level Up!]

[Level Up!]

[Level Up!]

[Level Up!]

[Level Up!]

[Your Level has increased from Level 0 to Level 33/50!]

[The [Premium Player Privilege (SSS): Lv1] Skill has been activated]

[You gain +10 Mana per Level and +5 to all other Stats per Level while being Classless.]

[Stat Points and Skill Points earned per Level are multiplied by five.]

[Once you reach Max Level, you can further advance by entering the Tower, completing the Tutorial, and receiving a Class.]

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[Name]: [Katherine]

[Race]: [Human?]

[Titles]: [The One Who Folded The System]

[Class]: [None]

[Level]: [1/50] -> [33/50]

[Mana]: [100/100] -> [430/430]

[Strength]: [10] -> [175]

[Agility]: [10] -> [175]

[Vitality]: [10] -> [175]

[Intelligence]: [10] -> [175]

[Dexterity]: [10] -> [175]

[Classless Skills (1/6)]

[Premium Player Privilege (SSS): Lv1]

[Magic Skills (0/6)]

[Empty]

[Class Skills (0/0)]

[Locked]

[Stat Points]: [165]

[Skill Points]: [165]

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[You can use Stat Points to increase your Stats even further.]

[You can use Skill Points to enhance the Proficiency of existing Skills or learn new skills from the Skill Shop.]

"Oh my, this is quite interesting!"

I felt the power that the System granted me increase drastically. Not only did my Mana reserves increase drastically, but a bit of my physical strength, agility, perception, and even focus increased a tiny bit. It was still enough to be slightly noticeable.

"But Clide, you gave me a Privilege? How nice of you."

["It is the only way for you to possess a System Status… Can you let me go now? Please? I have a wife and children!"]

"You're lying about that, I can tell~ But alright, I shall let you go, for now, Clide," I said. "But remember that I might require your assistance in the future, alright?"

["Y-Yes…"]

[The {Administrator Number 1034} has logged off.]

Now, can I see what this Title and Skill even do?

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[The One Who Folded The System]

Title Requirements: Fold, control, and destroy the System's structure.

Effects: You can learn Skills much more easily. Skills Level Up ten times faster. Grants the ability to Synthetize Skills that have reached the Max Level.

A Title is given to someone who has quite literally folded the System. You're unbound by the System, yet you use it to your advantage to become even stronger. The Administrators are crying right now because a new troublemaker has appeared.

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Quite funny; I like it.

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[Premium Player Privilege (SSS): Lv1]

[Skill EXP]: [0/100.000]

A Premium Skill is often given to Administrators that beta test new System Functions. Not something that Players should ever receive.

Grants the partial ability to manipulate System Functions, allowing you to keep your System even without it being bound to your body and soul.

Increases the amount of Stat Points earned while being Classless by 10 for Mana and by 5 for other Classes.

Increases the amount of Skill Points earned while being classes by 5, grants access to the Skill Shop.

These bonuses will change and shape themselves around based on the Class you choose and the Level of the Skill.

You can further accumulate "Credits" by slaying powerful Monsters and Boss Monsters, which you can exchange for valuable items in the Administrator's Shop.

More privileges can be unlocked as the Skill Level increases, which can be done by using Credits.

Next Upgrade at 100.000 Credits.

Available Credits: 0

Level Bonus (1): Credits Earned Increases by 10%. All Shops give you a discount of 5%. The Gods will show 10% more interest in you.

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Quite useful, although I dislike the whole interest deal, but whatever. I've had enough of this little new plaything. I swiftly cleansed the blood off my clothes and decided to go back to my mother and my sister, only to realize I was surrounded by dozens of people, most of whom resembled journalists, asking me all kinds of questions.

"Oh my…"

"Please, can you answer some questions, ma'am?!"

"You have just slain fifty E+ Rank Monsters in just a few seconds! Are you an A Rank Hunter or higher?!"

"We've never seen you around! Are you a new super rookie?!"

"Are you single?"

"I did often experience this level of popularity back then, but this is indeed quite overwhelming. I see no truly bad intentions toward you, so I will spare you. However…" I let my Immortal Intent out, my Aura fluctuating. "If you dare block my path any longer than ten seconds from now, I will not be held responsible for what might happen to you. I am not in the mood to entertain children right now."

"W-Wha…?!"

"Such a powerful aura…!"

"Uaagh!"

The people quickly stepped back; some even fell to their knees. I walked past them as I reunited with my family. I had no time for any odd and weird interviews. I hope these mortals can understand that the life of an immortal, although long, is always very busy.

"I'm back! Is the portal closed yet?" I wondered as my mother and my sister greeted me with eyes wide open, their jaws dropping.

"K-Katherine, how strong are you?!" My mother cried.

"T-That was insane; I couldn't even see her move!" Said Ruby. "And then—ah, wait, what did you do to the journalists just now?!"

"Your big sis is a monster," Juan muttered, looking at me with a slight sense of admiration.

"You shouldn't be so surprised; those creatures were weaker than most Martial Beasts in Murim." I laughed. "A Farm Rat would easily kill a goblin without blinking an eye. And let's not even start with the Gray Wolves or the Sprinting Foxes."

"It seems the world you went to was very, very different than this, honey." My mother sighed, patting my shoulder. "My poor girl, you went through a lot to get this strong, didn't you?" She ended up hugging me.

"It's fine, mother. I will happily use this strength to protect you and trample over anybody or anything that dares get in the way of our happy family." I smiled.

"S-She has really changed…" Ruby sighed.

"Well, anyways! Should we get going? Before the journalist tries to chase us again- Ah, wait, the portal isn't closed yet? But you killed every single monster that came out." My mother suddenly pointed at the blue portal.

"Indeed, it doesn't close until all of them die, then? But this one remains open; how odd." I said. "I have to admit that I am not too fond of these portals, so if possible, I would rather not enter them. Should I collapse the spatial aperture, then?"

"Wait, collapse the what?" My sister asked.

"GRUOOHH!!"

As I started my Spatial Collapse Technique, which I used to open the crack in heaven to absorb Cosmic Energy back in Murim, something roared within the portal. A green-skinned giant appeared, its head and arms crawling out of the portal.

[The powerful Dungeon Gate Boss: [Hobgoblin Champion King (C+ Rank)] has appeared!]

[Its roars weaken anybody that hears them, decreasing their Stats by 30%!]

However, right after that, I used the Spatial Collapse Technique by folding my hands and pressing them into the empty air. Waves of Immortal Essence pressured the entire portal to close permanently, cutting the monster's head and its arms off before it could completely come off.

TRUM!

As if they weren't already staring a lot, everyone in the vicinity was left even more speechless than before.

"Oh, well."

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