Boundless Cultivation
Chapter 105 - Not Heeding Warnings

The black spiral of energy shaved the ground beneath as it barreled forward, collecting bits of stone, mud, twigs, and more as its trophy - transforming into a wrathful cyclone that seemed like an unstoppable calamity.

The runic energy inside Alaric thrashed like a caged beast. It demanded release, eager to meet the oncoming devastation. But he restrained it with his sheer willpower, diverting the runic energy to his mana core, which strained under the pressure.

He felt as though his body might explode, unable to contain the enormous energy, but the grin on his face never faltered. This is it. Either I triumph—or fall.

Time froze as he burned an enormous reserve of mana and infused it with a hefty portion of his dwindling willpower. His strike packed the power of a calamity itself as he hurled his fist towards the approaching cyclone.

“Disruptive Pulse,” uttered Alaric, unleashing a lance of shockwave that surged forward and drilled through the eye of the wrathful cyclone, hammering his foe.

A thunderous explosion blinded his senses, flinging him into a maelstrom of chaos that ravaged the battlefield. His body floated in the turbulence, as though it had become a feather once the energy drained from his body.

An unimaginable pain shot through his mana core and energy pathways as he slammed into the ground. He had overstressed them by circulating so much runic energy, but he couldn't dwell on it for now.

Pushing through the pain, he used his true vision to scan the wreckage for Omega Prime. Only a barren desolation—devoid of any vital energy—greeted him.

Did I win? He had witnessed his oathskill overpowering Omega Prime’s attack and strike home. A system notification chimed within his mind.

However, it wasn’t what he had expected. He read all the pending notifications back to back.

Warning! You have accessed a forbidden power source restricted by the system for unauthorized users. Cease your efforts before you suffer the consequences.

He could guess any number of reasons why the system might restrict access to the runic energy. But it was the second warning that unsettled him.

Warning! Cease your efforts at tapping deeper into the forbidden power source. Repeated infractions will attract a tribulation.

Facing the threat of a tribulation for simply accessing an unknown power source without prior knowledge felt like a harsh punishment to Alaric.

But he was more concerned because he hadn’t received the notification for killing the boss. And that meant Omega Prime was still alive, somehow.

Suddenly, he detected a fleck of flesh floating in the air, bearing the same mana signature as the hidden boss. Alaric noticed with awe as bits of flesh and blood splattered on the ground congealed in the air, before taking a partial human shape.

The homunculus could reconstitute itself from the tiniest fragment of organic matter. As powerful as his oath skill was, it had proven insufficient—even in its uttered form.

Just then, the pain in his mana core flared beyond tolerable limits. Alaric glanced at it and noticed a web of cracks etched across its surface. It was damaged—but not irreparable—if he exited the rift immediately.

It was clear he had already antagonised the system. He couldn’t risk the system not restoring his body to a healthy condition once he exited the Tutorial Rift.

But that meant he would lose his chance at defeating the hidden boss forever. He was perhaps hours away from turning 14 — the deadline set by the system to complete the final zone. That wasn’t a compromise he was willing to make.

The defiance inside Alaric flared once again, and his royal witch bloodline approved. No, I would die before I waste this opportunity to defeat the homunculus.

Alaric activated his heart chakra to boost his regenerative ability. His flesh stitched together with ease, but it wasn’t enough to fully mend his mana core and energy pathways.

Once again, he tapped into the runic energy to elevate his energy output to match Omega Prime. The system chimed a final warning but he ignored it. Whatever it was, he would deal with it later.

“You have proven yourself worthy of facing me,” croaked the homunculus, its half-deformed body still stitching together. “Let me take over your flesh, and together we can rule the world.”

Omega Prime waited for Alaric’s answer with a mocking grin on his face. Perhaps it had assumed Alaric couldn’t unleash a more powerful attack than the last, sure of his victory.

“I appreciate your offer,” Alaric chuckled, finding strength coursing through his body once again. “But I don’t negotiate with ignorant puppets who are about to die by my hands.”

The runic power ravaged his body from the inside, but he didn’t let it show on his face.

Omega Prime’s face contorted into a vile expression as the dark energy pooled between his horns once again, this time with far greater intensity. “Fool,” he bellowed. “I offered you an opportunity to transcend your mortal shell, and you still mock me?”

Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

“Cease your fury,” replied Alaric nonchalantly. “If it makes you feel any better, if I ever meet your original form in the real world, I’ll whoop his ass just as hard.”

A vein bulged on Omega Prime’s temple. The homunculus didn’t offer a reply - there was no negotiating after what Alaric had just said.

Instead, the vile being pushed itself to the limits, forging multiple dark spheres of destruction to annihilate Alaric once and for all. It seemed the homunculus was being overwhelmed by the runic energy, too.

Alaric closed his eyes, inhaling a deep breath. He resolved to push himself to the final limit as well. It was a challenge, and he would conquer it.

He activated both his throat chakra and solar plexus chakra, temporarily amplifying his willpower and heightening his mastery over energy manipulation to unprecedented levels.

Activating so many chakras at once, on top of resisting the assault of the runic energy inside his body, strained his form to the limits. But he had never hesitated to sacrifice himself if it offered him a chance at defeating his enemy.

Finally, he ignited all the mana circulating inside his body - infusing it with every ounce of his concentrated willpower.

Omega Prime finished gathering energy and launched multiple spheres of calamity, each enough to level the battlefield.

Alaric didn’t falter. His form turned into a blazing sun for a split moment before he channeled the unrestrained energy into his final attack with a deafening battlecry - “DISRUPTIVE PULSE.”

The impact of the colliding energy attacks was akin to the death of an exploding star - a supernova explosion that blazed with fury and reduced everything to dust.

Alaric was flung away by the shockwave of the detonation, his body utterly exhausted and wracked with pain. He was greeted by a dark silence, teetering on the verge of losing consciousness.

Yet he hung on by a thread of willpower, unwilling to fail and eager to witness the end of his foe.

For how long he had drifted in this blank void, he had no idea. However, after what felt like days, he eventually felt a sliver of power return to his body, before hearing the familiar system notification chime.

He opened his eyes only to witness the same darkness. Activating his true vision didn’t help either. He determined he was truly inside a void.

Did the clash of attacks obliterate the simulated battlefield itself? That was a grim thought. If a part of the Tutorial Rift has been damaged due to my actions, would I be penalized by the system?

On top of that, he verified that his mana core was cracked and severely compromised, with sections flaking off. His living energy pathways had lost their runic transformation.

However, instead of reverting to normal, the energy pathways had become a mangled mess with segments torn apart.

He hesitated to return home in his current state without resolving the issues with the system. If the system didn’t fix the damage he had suffered inside the tutorial rift, it could take him months to fix it - if he even managed to survive.

Fortunately, when he summoned all the system notifications, he could somehow read it.

Congratulations! You have defeated the hidden boss of the final zone.

Rewards - Error #1768

Warning! You have repeatedly ignored the system’s warnings and accessed a forbidden power source.

Warning! You have impaired system resources.

Extreme warning! You have attracted a minor tribulation - please brace yourself and await your judgement.

Perfect! Alaric burst into a soundless laughter. I only have to survive a minor tribulation and then I can return home.

User detected as an “Ally of the System.” Tribulation halted. Escalating judgment to an Administrator. Kindly wait a moment.

Oh wonderful.

[Greetings, Alaric. Long time no see. Now, let’s evaluate what you’ve done to summon my presence once again.]

Alaric couldn’t deny he was a little embarrassed for being subjected to another review by a system administrator, but he felt relieved as well.

At least, it was the same administrator who had evaluated him during his reincarnation and bestowed him with so many benefits.

“I swear, whatever I did to harm the system was unintended. Although I did ignore the warnings.” He decided to stay truthful, believing there wasn’t a way to deceive the administrator.

[So it seems. I’ve reviewed the footage. You never cease to amaze me with your potential, Alaric. Don’t worry, let me pull some tricks for you.]

The blank void morphed into a serene, hilly landscape, and Alaric found himself with a body once again. Although it was still in a severely impaired condition.

Still, he felt grateful, observing how effortlessly the administrator fixed the damage he had inadvertently caused to the final zone of the Tutorial Rift.

[You have violated multiple system laws, but I have deemed you innocent on all accounts. Unfortunately, although I’ve nullified most of the punishment, a tribulation cannot be evaded without a price.]

“But there is a way to avoid it, since you didn’t declare it impossible.” Alaric wasn’t looking forward to the answer. There was always a catch.

[Indeed, there is a way. Taking into account your reputation points, achievements within the Tutorial Rift, and your Title, I can waive off the Tribulation - but you will lose all your reputation points with the system.]

Alaric reflected for a moment. He wasn’t intimidated by a tribulation if he could restore his body back to its original form. Besides, confronting tribulations and surviving them was the path of a cultivator who aspired to reach the peak.

“I’d be grateful if you could somehow delay the tribulation and restore my body back to its original form once I exit the Tutorial Rift.” Alaric hoped it would be that easy.

[Your request can be granted with a compromise. Your tribulation would be delayed by a few weeks, but you can call upon it earlier. However, only the damage to your body that is not a direct result of you accessing the forbidden power source would be healed.]

So, in return for not fully restoring my body, I get to delay the tribulation. Alaric grinned. That was good enough for him. As long as his body wasn’t ruined completely, he would heal it on his own.

So he promptly agreed to the request.

Without further ado, the administrator did its magic and Alaric discovered himself back in the whispering woods under the amused stares of Edgar and his father.

“Welcome back,” said Edgar. “Looking at your expression, I guess you had some fun?”

Alaric could only groan. Although his flesh and bones had been healed completely, his mana core was still fractured, and his energy pathways remained in a tangled mess.

Nothing he couldn’t fix within a week or so, but his mind and body were too exhausted to attempt anything of the sort at that particular moment.

“Please, take me home,” muttered Alaric, collapsing onto the grass. “I want to sleep.”

“At least tell me you defeated the hidden boss and got some nice rewards.” Edgar inquired, curiosity gleaming in his eyes.

“Sleep first…bring me to bed.” Alaric managed one final reply before closing his eyes and drifting into dreamland. He would check the rewards tomorrow.