The fight had been going on for about five minutes, and during all of it, I had not been able to use the system at all. The thing that had stopped me in my tracks was also the one preventing me from tapping into my powers.

“I thought you said you wanted to fight fair,” I said, dodging bullets and parrying the ones I couldn’t avoid. Many scraped by me, leaving my clothes tattered and my body marred with bullet scars.

“Fair?” Martin laughed. “This is fair. You’re a fucking cheat. You’re using the resources you have, and I’m using mine. This is how the real world works, and this one too.”

The speed at which the bullets were being fired at me increased. [Omnipotent] made sure I wasn’t hit in any vital areas, but even it couldn’t provide perfect defense while also being used as a weapon.

“You’re not approaching me, are you?” Martin taunted, as I barely defended myself. A bullet cut across my right cheek, leaving a scar that even [Omnipotent] couldn’t stop.

“This is fun, isn’t it?” The relentless barrage of bullets continued. I knew I had to act. Just a second of peace was all I needed to activate my Skill. Then I remembered—I didn’t just have time on my side.

Realization struck, and I jumped out of existence, shocking Martin in the process. I appeared behind him, attacking with [Omnipotent], but he shot me up close with a revolver. I had to use [Omnipotent] to defend myself rather than going for the kill.

“You had another weapon with you all along?” I exclaimed, trying to manipulate ‘Space’ for the few precious seconds I had.

“Nah,” Martin grinned, “that’s my skill. A skill I hold dear. I named it ‘Dumb Shot,’ though the [System] had another name for it.” His smirk never wavered, but I could see the seriousness in his eyes as he asked, “What was that skill, though? You vanished, I couldn’t sense you, and then you came back. You shouldn’t be able to use skills with... this.” He pulled a crystal from his storage, flaunting it like a trophy. “But then again, you’re special. That’s why I was sent here. To destroy you. I know Lucas is watching, sitting on his glorious throne surrounded by women of all kinds.”

He went on a tangent as we took a moment to breathe.

“I wanted all of it. I deserved it. I worked harder than anyone for this [System], but that guy has something special, something that makes him unique. Better than all of us. Do you know how many of our classmates I killed to be this powerful? Most of them. The only ones left alive are the teacher who abandoned us when given the chance, and I still haven’t found him. Lucas and Abella are alive too, but you killed four of them before I could reach them.”

This was a bit much. Everyone was dead. I didn’t mind that—death had always been something I wanted to give—but I wasn’t expecting a trauma dump.

Martin continued, revealing how he even had to kill his girlfriend to achieve his current power. In reality, only nine of us were left alive from our class, ten if you counted me. That included Mr. Sera, that bastard.

“Enough chit-chat. Let’s finish this.” Martin put away his rifle and pulled out a rocket launcher.

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“You bitch,” I yelled, trying to stop time. I closed my eyes, and when I opened them, I was in the middle of beating Martin senseless, his weapon destroyed and floating in pieces around me.

“This is ‘Space’ and ‘Time,’ the magic that makes me this strong,” I thought as I pummeled Martin, feeling a surge of rage. I didn’t notice it, but as I punched him, I was also unaware that he was pressing the crystal against me.

“Ha. Eat shit,” he taunted as I backed away, but wasn’t fast enough. The crystal made contact, and suddenly, I felt like I was thrown out of my body. I was standing among the stars, then was yanked back into my form.

“How did it feel?” Martin asked, standing motionless in front of me. I realized I couldn’t move again.

“What was that?” My voice was strained, not feeling like my own.

“That was liberation, my friend.” He smiled.

“Liberation?”

“Yes, liberation. Liberation from the mortal flesh, from physical bounds. Liberation of the ‘Soul’ from the [System]. Something raw, something powerful, something beautiful.”

His words made it clear: the raw power I had felt earlier, akin to the one on the [Island], wasn’t coming from him. It was coming from the crystal in his hand. The very thing that controlled me. It wasn’t benevolent or malevolent—it was pure power, contained and subservient to whoever controlled the crystal.

“That’s Lucas’ creation, isn’t it?” I asked, noticing a slight twitch in his demeanor. He gave a hesitant nod.

“So you mean you’re using something that’s not even yours and calling it a fair fight?” I mocked him. “At least the ‘cheats’ you claim I have, I earned them myself. I wasn’t handed them on a silver platter like you.”

Martin didn’t take kindly to my words. Pulling out his rifle, he shot me, but to my surprise, [Omnipotent] blocked the shots. It was then that I realized I didn’t need a weapon in my current state. I could use [Omnipotent] as perfect armor and defense.

He kept firing, and I continued taunting him. We were at a standstill—Martin had a device that could break that tie, and I knew it.

I closed my eyes, trying to access my powers, but the only thing I could tap into was ‘Void,’ which was useless without a catalyst like ‘Time’ or ‘Space.’

I felt like I was in the wrong body, disconnected from everything. That out-of-body experience, brief as it was, made me realize how much I had relied on the [System]. I knew now I had to train myself, without leaning on it.

Before I could do anything—before I could access ‘Time’ or ‘Space’—Martin screamed, dropped his rifle, and ran toward me, the crystal in his hand.

“He told me not to do this, to bring you to him. But I don’t care. I’ll kill you right here, even if it means my death, now or later.”

He reached me, fists flying, landing punch after punch. I was hurt, but my body could withstand it. I wouldn’t break, but I knew it would take its toll eventually.

His right jab, powered by the crystal in his hand, did more damage than the left, and I realized he was using it to enhance his strength.

“This is it,” Martin muttered, realizing I wasn’t really feeling the damage.

“Aren’t you tired?” I taunted between punches. “You can’t do shit to me.”

I kept mocking him, pushing him to break further.

“I wasn’t supposed to do this,” he muttered, holding the crystal in a way that the sharp edge was pointed at me.

“Gonna play pointy-pointy with me? Aww,” I laughed, but before I could react, a chilling pain shot through my neck. My body twitched, sparks firing off as the crystal dug deeper into my skin.

“Like this?” Martin sneered as he pressed the crystal in harder.

The pain was unbearable, but it made me realize something.

“The crystal is causing this much pain. What would happen if it actually pierces me?”

The thought alone sent a chill through me.

“Yeah, this is taking too long,” Martin said, whipping out a pistol. “I’m gonna give you your liberation.”

He backed up, placed the crystal into the pistol, and aimed it at my head.

“Nice knowing you, dipshit.” He smirked, and I mustered some spit, though not being able to move, it didn’t leave my mouth.

“Yeah, it was nice,” Martin said as I closed my eyes, bracing for impact. I heard the trigger being pulled, and just as the crystal was about to pierce me, I heard a voice shout:

“STOP!”

But it was too late, as the crystal pierced my skull and I......