The ULTIMATE EXPERIENCE SYSTEM
Chapter 49: MASTER

Chapter 49: MASTER

The beast stared at me with ancient, intelligent eyes—deep pools of golden fury dimmed by millennia of solitude.

"Hmph... Chen Yu, huh?" he growled, voice like grinding stone and echoing through the empty chamber. "What a name... I don’t know how you plan to help me. You’re a creature whose origins I can’t even grasp. And right now... you seem weak."

I met his gaze and smiled, the corner of my lips curling with quiet confidence.

"Weak, huh?" I took a step forward, standing firm in the shadow of his towering form. "What if I told you..."

My voice was calm, but each word held weight.

"I’m not a beast. I’m human."

The air shifted.

His massive body stiffened, and for a moment, the fiery light in his eyes flickered.

You... human?

"You can’t even see through me," I continued, "yet you judge my strength? Vornark... form a contract with me. Let me help you get your revenge."

The name echoed in the silence.

His eyes widened slightly. He hadn’t heard that name in centuries.

He knows my name...? Not even those who imprisoned me remembered it.

And... human? What even is that? I’ve never heard of such a race, yet he speaks as if he knows everything about me...

For a long moment, Vornark remained still, his tail twitching.

Then his voice, sharp as a blade, cut the silence. "Very well... but words mean nothing without proof."

A thunderous energy surged from his body.

"If you truly wish to earn my trust—then pass this."

The world trembled.

"Private Domain."

A vortex of energy swallowed everything, pulling us into an abyss of pure black. No ground. No sky. Just a thick, crushing void.

"This is a domain exclusive to the royal bloodline of my kind," Vornark’s voice echoed like a storm. "Here, my power is doubled. And you can’t leave—unless you defeat me."

I took a slow breath, eyes scanning the void.

"You claim I’m special, yet still test me..." I smirked. "Fine. Let’s begin."

Without hesitation, Vornark roared. Sound itself trembled as a high-frequency sonic blast erupted from his mouth. The very fabric of the domain vibrated, a ripple of destructive sound racing toward me.

[Lawrender – Domain of Reversal]

I raised a hand. A faint golden shimmer enveloped me. The laws of this reality twisted at my will.

The sonic wave bent mid-air—reversed—and shattered harmlessly against the curvature of my reversed space.

Vornark’s eyes widened in disbelief.

"You... deflected that...? Without even chanting?!"

I didn’t answer. I didn’t need to.

"Don’t underestimate me, human!" he bellowed.

His aura ignited.

[Trait: Outburst]

A crimson shockwave surged from his body. His muscles expanded, scales shimmered with violent energy, and the very space seemed to bow before his presence. His strength, speed, and durability multiplied fivefold.

I stood still.

Then, I activated my subclass ability: [Copy Trait].

My aura burst outward—matching his perfectly.

"What—?!" Vornark recoiled. "You copied my trait?! That’s impossible!"

In response, I raised my hand again—and bent the domain’s gravity around him.

[Lawrender – Gravitational Shift: 100x]

A crushing weight descended upon him. The ground beneath his claws cracked, and he fell to one knee.

"This... pressure...! What the hell are you?!"

His voice strained. His bones groaned under the gravity. But he wasn’t finished.

Gritting his teeth, Vornark rose slowly—step by step.

"Fine... then take this!"

Crackling energy surged from his body.

[Odin’s Wrath]

Lightning converged at his palms, forming a massive, pulsating bolt of annihilation. Thunder raged as he rocketed toward me, faster than the eye could track. In an instant, he was upon me.

Boom!

An explosion of blinding light engulfed the void.

Smoke billowed. The domain trembled.

Vornark stood panting, staring into the smoke.

"Did I... get him...?"

Then—my voice.

Calm. Playful.

"You sure like trying to kill your future master, huh?"

Vornark turned, eyes wide with disbelief.

I stood behind him—untouched. Not a scratch.

"That’s... impossible... I saw it hit you..."

"You’ll find a lot of things are ’impossible’ with me," I said, brushing invisible dust from my shoulder.

Then I disappeared.

Teleportation.

I reappeared beside him in a flash.

He flinched, startled. "Teleportation?! That’s a high-tier ability—only high sages possess that!"

"You’ll learn eventually." I smiled. "Let’s just say... luck favors me."

The domain began to collapse.

The shadows peeled back, replaced by the natural light of the outside world. The Private Domain shattered like glass.

Vornark remained silent for a long time.

"...I don’t know what you are. I don’t understand what a ’human’ even is. But... I’ll believe you."

I nodded. "That’s all I needed to hear."

"System," I said aloud, "Form the contract."

A radiant golden sigil appeared, encircling both of us. Ancient runes glowed in the air, pulsing with energy. The mark burned itself into the spiritual plane, etching a bond between beast and master.

Vornark blinked. "So... this is a contract? I don’t feel anything..."

"Not yet," I replied, turning away. "But you will. There’s much to see. Much to learn."

I raised my hand.

[Skill – Teleportation]

Light engulfed me—and Vornark.

In a blink, we stood inside my mansion.

Vornark looked around with confusion and mild curiosity. But before he could say anything, a figure bolted across the room.

"Chen!" Hui’er lunged at me, eyes blazing with emotion. "Where were you?! Why didn’t you say anything before leaving?!"

I barely managed to steady myself as she gripped my collar.

"Hui’er—calm down," I said with a wry smile. "We’ve got a guest."

She turned, noticing the massive spiritual beast behind me. Her expression shifted to amused surprise.

"Oh~? You brought a spiritual beast home this time?"

I raised a brow. "Wait. You know what that is?"

She scoffed. "Of course I do. There were spiritual beasts in chains back on my planet—though most were wild and feral. Then, one day... the system gave me a quest to defeat a human."

I paused.

"That’s how I ended up in that challenge," she added, eyes narrowing slightly. "But I never defeated you. Somehow... I felt drawn to you."

I cleared my throat awkwardly. "Let’s... not dwell on that."

Before I could continue, a thick wave of killing intent filled the room.

I turned—Vornark was growling, teeth bared.

"You’re with a demon?" he hissed. "You—lied to me. You dare bond with a creature of destruction?! I’ll kill—"

"Stop," I interrupted, my voice sharp. "She’s like you—under contract. She’s bound to me."

Vornark’s eyes glowed, but the aura around him faded.

"...Fine," he growled. "But I don’t trust her."

"I didn’t ask you to," I said calmly. "Just listen."

I sat down, Hui’er beside me. Meiyun and Ruxue quietly joined us, both intrigued yet silent.

And then—I told them everything.

About humans. About Earth. About the impending collapse and the chaotic merging of worlds.

Vornark listened, silent and brooding.

"...Three planets merging into one..." he muttered. "That’s... madness. No wonder the world feels unstable."

Then Hui’er’s voice cut in.

"I know a little," she said. "As the former Demon Queen, I had access to the ancient scriptures of my people."

She looked at me.

"There was a mention... of a forgotten species. Weak... but capable of unimaginable growth. Beings who were feared not for their numbers—but for the few who rose above all else."

Her eyes narrowed.

"They were called... humans. But the records were destroyed. I didn’t think much of it... until now."

"Then it’s true..." I muttered. "Our race once reached the stars... and fell."

Vornark’s massive claws clenched.

"But why? Why would the three worlds merge?"

Silence fell again.

And I stared out the window, feeling the cold wind brush against the glass.

"I don’t know," I whispered. "But I’m going to find out."

"But for that... I need to become stronger. And I’ll need stronger allies too."

I turned to Meiyun and continued, "So, you’ll have to grow as well."

She nodded, then hesitated for a moment. "Chen... there’s something else. Someone wants to meet you."

I raised an eyebrow. "Who?"

"I don’t know," she replied. "He’s not Chinese—he seems American. Kind of mysterious."

I smiled faintly. "So... he’s finally come."

Then I looked toward Hui’er. "I have a task for you. Train Meiyun and Ruxue. I want them to reach at least B-rank within ten days."

She raised an eyebrow and gave me a teasing smile. "And what will I get in return?"

I met her gaze calmly. "I’ll grant you a wish. You can ask me to do anything."

She chuckled lightly, then nodded. "Interesting offer. Alright, but there’s a problem... I can train Ruxue. But Meiyun? Her foundation is weak—it’ll be hard for her to grow that fast."

I fell silent, thinking for a moment. Then I turned toward Vornark.

"Hey. Can you give me the Dragon Scale?"

His expression changed instantly. Shock. Suspicion.

"What?! How do you know I have that?"

I looked him straight in the eye. "Because I know where the weapon your family has been searching for is—Odin’s Bolt. I know its exact location."

He paused. Then nodded solemnly.

"I trust you, Master."

Vornark reached out and handed me the Dragon Scale. A faint pulse of power radiated from it.

I turned to Meiyun and handed it to her. "Take this. Now, touch it."

She obeyed, pressing her hand against the ancient relic.

"Did something appear on your system screen?" I asked.

Her eyes widened. "Yes!"

"Good. Press ’Integrate.’"

She hesitated for a moment—then tapped the option.

And then... something unimaginable happened.