I Got My System Late, But I'll Become Beastgod
Chapter 135: You Can Call Me Vyuk

Chapter 135: You Can Call Me Vyuk

Aamir stood inside the echoing temple chamber, rubbing his back and glaring slightly at the man who had so easily turned him into a mop an hour ago.

"So..." he finally said, exhaling slowly. "How exactly am I supposed to get out of this place?"

Vaibhav leaned lazily against one of the cracked stone pillars. The soft rays of golden light from the broken ceiling bathed his shirtless figure, casting strange shadows across the floor. He glanced at Aamir and pushed off the pillar.

"There is an exit," Vaibhav said calmly. "But it’s being guarded."

"By who?" Aamir asked, narrowing his eyes.

"Not a who. A what. A beast." Vaibhav started walking toward the wide-open temple archway. "One that’s far stronger than anything you’ve fought so far."

"And let me guess..." Aamir muttered. "I have to defeat it if I want to leave."

Vaibhav smirked without looking back. "Bingo. But don’t worry. You’re not ready yet. That’s why we’re going to change that."

They stepped outside into the temple courtyard, where thick vines crept along ancient walls and the trees swayed faintly in the windless air. The jungle surrounded the ruins, silent and still.

As they walked, Aamir glanced at Vaibhav curiously.

"So... how exactly did you get stuck here?"

Vaibhav gave a light snort. "Honestly? I barely remember."

"What do you mean you forgot?"

Vaibhav shrugged. "It’s been... oh, about seventeen hundred years? Things tend to blur after the first few centuries."

Aamir blinked. "Seventeen hundred—? Dude, you don’t even look thirty!"

Vaibhav laughed. "Twenty-seven, twenty-eight... yeah, I hear that a lot. I wish I had an answer, but this place—it’s weird. Time doesn’t feel right here."

Aamir narrowed his eyes. "You’re seriously saying you’ve been here for over a thousand years and still look like a fitness model?"

"Hey, take the compliment," Vaibhav said. "And yeah, I could’ve left. But when everyone you care about is already gone, there’s not much waiting for you out there."

Aamir was quiet for a second. Then he nodded. "That’s not my case. I still have people waiting."

"Exactly why I’m helping you," Vaibhav said.

They stopped in a clearing surrounded by enormous rocks—each one as large as a two-story building. The air was thick with energy, the ground cracked and weathered from years of impact.

Aamir looked around. "So... what now?"

Vaibhav pointed at a jagged rock.

"Break that."

Aamir blinked. "That’s it? Just break a rock?"

"Don’t underestimate it," Vaibhav said. "These aren’t normal rocks. Hit it with everything you’ve got. No holding back. Let’s see what your power really looks like."

Aamir stepped forward and cracked his neck. His body began to glow as he summoned his Adrenaline energy. Golden-red light flared across his arms as his veins pulsed with power.

"Alright... let’s see what I’ve got."

In a blink, he launched forward. His first punch hit the rock with a sonic boom, sending shockwaves through the air. Trees bent. Dust shot up like an explosion.

BAM! BAM! BAM!

Punch after punch.

Seven hits in.

Eight.

The rock began to crack.

Ninth punch—

CRAAAAACK!

The massive boulder shattered into a hundred pieces, scattering debris across the clearing. Aamir stood in front of the remains, panting but proud, his fists still glowing.

He turned toward Vaibhav with a triumphant grin. "So? How’s that for power?"

Vaibhav raised an eyebrow. "Hm. Not bad."

"Not bad?" Aamir echoed in disbelief. "I broke that thing into rubble!"

Vaibhav stepped forward, loosening his shoulders.

"Watch closely."

He stood before a bigger rock—twice the size of Aamir’s target. He barely bent his knees, pulled back one arm, and—

WHAM.

The rock exploded. Not cracked. Not shattered. Exploded into dust with a single punch.

Aamir’s jaw dropped.

"Wha—how—?"

Vaibhav dusted off his knuckles. "That wasn’t even my full strength. And keep in mind—" he looked at Aamir, eyes serious. "Even I can’t beat Zorwath."

Aamir’s excitement faded. He swallowed hard.

"Then... how strong is he?"

Vaibhav didn’t answer directly. Instead, he looked out into the trees.

"Strong enough to destroy gods. And right now, he wants your energy. You have something inside you that scares him."

Aamir felt his fists tighten. "So what do I do?"

Vaibhav turned to him. "You get strong enough to punch this rock..." he pointed to an even larger boulder nearby, one covered in blackened scars and cracks "...in one hit."

Aamir stood in front of the massive boulder, brushing dirt off his knuckles. His breathing had slowed, but his muscles still tingled with the aftershock of the punch he’d delivered just moments ago.

Vaibhav watched him silently, arms crossed, his gaze sharp and focused.

Then, he asked, "So... that energy you just used—what was that?"

Aamir blinked, surprised by the question.

"You mean the golden-red energy?"

Vaibhav nodded. "Yeah. I’ve never seen anything like it. It doesn’t feel like mana. It’s raw. Wild. Almost... alive."

Aamir raised a brow. "But it’s common. All warriors use it these days. You really haven’t seen it before?"

Vaibhav shook his head slowly. "No. In our time, we only had mana. Weak as it was, it powered our cities, our tools, our weapons. Mana crystals were everything. We didn’t have... this." He gestured toward Aamir’s glowing arm. "No one moved like you just did."

Aamir smiled faintly. "I read about that in a book. The Age of Mana Cities. Some called it the Silver Civilization Era."

Vaibhav chuckled bitterly. "Silver Civilization... that sounds about right. Pretty on the outside. Fragile on the inside."

Aamir stepped closer to the shattered pieces of the boulder, staring down at his hands. "Almost 1500 years ago, something changed. Beasts started appearing. At first, they were small—easy to deal with. Mages and soldiers kept them in check. But then..."

He paused, his voice lowering.

"Then the High-Tier beasts came. Ones so strong they could erase an entire city overnight. No bombs. No missiles. Nothing worked. Humanity was on the brink of extinction."

Vaibhav’s face grew grim. His expression darkened, lips tightening as he listened.

"But then," Aamir continued, "something changed inside us. Our adrenaline mutated. It made us faster. Stronger. Gave us insane reflexes and stamina. Suddenly, we could fight back. Not just with magic—but with our bodies."

Vaibhav murmured, almost to himself, "So... you used your fear and desperation... to evolve."

Aamir nodded. "Exactly. Eventually, we started mastering the energy that came from those changes. We called it Adrenaline Energy. The techniques we created to control it were called Adreno Arts."

Vaibhav raised an eyebrow. "And those who use this energy?"

"We call them Energy Controllers. They’re categorized into seven stages, each one harder to reach than the last."

Vaibhav crossed his arms, thoughtful. Then his eyes narrowed. "So all of this... happened because of a mutation?"

Aamir nodded. "That’s what history says. Though no one really knows why it began. Some say it was natural evolution. Others..." He paused, eyes narrowing slightly. "Others believe it was triggered by something—or someone."

Vaibhav’s expression didn’t change—but his silence spoke volumes.

"So... does magic still exist in your time?" he finally asked.

"Yes," Aamir said immediately. "There are still powerful mages. Some people’s bodies react better to mana than adrenaline. They cultivate it the old-fashioned way—just... enhanced by modern understanding."

"Hmph." Vaibhav looked distant for a moment, lost in a memory. "So both worlds coexist now—magic and mutation."

He looked back at Aamir.

"You’ve got this mutated energy, sure. But do you know anything about life force?"

Aamir frowned. "Life force? No... never heard of it. Is it another energy type?"

Vaibhav gave a slow, knowing smile.

"It’s not something you learn. It’s something you unlock. Life force isn’t about technique or power levels—it’s the raw essence inside you. Your Pran."

Aamir blinked. "Wait—you mean Ki? Like... from the Kyokai?"

"Exactly." Vaibhav’s eyes lit up for the first time since they started training. "We Aryavrata called it Pran. Others called it Ki, or Vital Stream. It’s the oldest force there is. It flows through everything living. If you master that, you can move faster than thought, punch harder than any beast, and even heal wounds from the inside."

"Wait... first tell me—does Kyokai still exist?" Vaibhav asked, his eyes suddenly sharp with tension.

Aamir nodded slowly, intrigued by the sudden shift in his tone.

"Yeah, Kyokai still exists. it’s one of the powerful nation, and still going strong. People go there to train, not just meditate."

Hearing that, a flicker of something unfamiliar crossed Vaibhav’s face—relief, maybe hope—as if a part of his past hadn’t been erased by time after all.

Vaibhav let out a long breath of relief. "Good. That means something still survived. That place... it’s the cradle of true martial strength."

Spark, who had been sitting quietly nearby, chirped faintly. Aamir looked down and patted his head.

"So... Adrenaline Energy, Mana, Life Force... all of these exist now." Aamir looked up at the sky. "But none of them alone are enough to defeat Zorwath, are they?"

Vaibhav’s face grew somber.

"No. You’ll need all three. And then some."

"And by the way, you can call me Vyuk," Vaibhav said, looking into Aamir’s eyes with a smile.