The ULTIMATE EXPERIENCE SYSTEM
Chapter 69: SYSTEM?FAKE MEMORIES?

Chapter 69: SYSTEM?FAKE MEMORIES?

I stood before them all—Meiyun, Ruxue, Roman, and Vornark—and looked at each with a calm yet firm gaze.

"You all have your strengths," I began, "but it’s time to face your weaknesses."

I turned to Meiyun first. "You’ve just acquired your class, the Dragon Summoner. You need to understand it fully. Learn how to channel your bond with your dragons. Once you master that, you’ll be unstoppable."

Then to Ruxue. "Your fire magic is powerful at long range, but in close combat, you’re exposed. That’s your biggest flaw. Until your second awakening, maximize your mastery over the fire element. That’s the only way to unlock that hidden evolution I saw."

Roman next. "You’re a holy knight. Your defense is solid, but a quick, skilled opponent can still break through. And your affinity... It’s darker than you think. When your second awakening comes, choose carefully. You might have the potential for a class that no one expects."

Finally, Vornark. I looked up at the towering beast in his humanoid form—his eyes sharp, posture proud. "You’re strong. But against dark-type enemies, you struggle. That’s your flaw. Fully awaken your bloodline, and as the heir of the Beast Kingdom, no one will dare stand in your way."

Each of them nodded, their expressions serious. Determined.

Then I said one last thing.

"We leave for the Beast Kingdom in five days. Until then—train like your life depends on it."

That’s when something unexpected happened.

Hui stepped forward. Her heels clicked against the stone floor, echoing louder than they should’ve. The others watched as she came closer... and closer... until she was right in front of me.

And then—she kissed me.

Right in front of everyone.

I froze.

Ruxue’s eyes narrowed, her lips parting slightly in shock. Meiyun’s expression stiffened, a flicker of jealousy breaking her usual calm. Roman awkwardly turned away. Vornark snorted softly and looked to the side.

Hui pulled away slowly, her crimson eyes burning with dominance.

"I’ll be gone for five days," she said calmly, but with a chilling edge in her voice. "I’m heading to the Demon Kingdom. My father will personally train me. Don’t follow. Don’t interfere."

She turned slightly, looking at Ruxue and Meiyun.

"And you..." she said to me again, her voice now low and dangerous. "If I return and find another woman here... be ready to face me."

Her gaze sharpened like a dagger.

"These two are already a headache. But I tolerate them... only for you. Don’t disappoint me, Chen."

She gave me one final glance—an odd mix of affection and obsession—before vanishing in a flash of red mist.

A teleportation scroll. I recognized it.

She couldn’t fly from the human world to the Demon Kingdom due to the barrier, but the scroll her father gave her bypassed that. Just like that, she was gone.

I stared at the spot she’d vanished from.

"She’s such a damn yandere..." I muttered to myself. "If I don’t get stronger, she might actually do something to Meiyun or Ruxue someday..."

I sighed and turned back to the group, but before I could speak, a loud beep echoed, and a red system screen popped up in front of me.

[Warning!]

Due to the interference of foreign beings, the dimensional walls are destabilizing.

In exactly 7 days, the wall between realms will weaken. Prepare for large-scale battle.

This will be the first wave. Host must survive.

"Tch... so it begins."

I laughed dryly, a twisted grin forming.

"You want me to fight now? Heh. I don’t give a damn about humanity."

My voice was quiet, bitter.

"I’m not doing this for them. I never was."

I glanced at the fading system window, eyes cold.

"I’ll help those I can use. I’ll protect those I care for. But all of this... it’s just a stepping stone."

I turned to the training ground, my eyes sharp and focused.

"I’ll find out who’s behind this system. I’ll crush every obstacle in my way. And if I have to burn the world to do it... then so be it."

The wind shifted.

I looked at the sky.

"In five days, we go to the Beast Kingdom."

I clenched my fist.

"I’ll take it over in two."

Then, for the first time in a while, I smirked.

"...And maybe, it’s time I train myself, too."

As the others returned to their training, I stood there, silent, staring at my palm as a light wind brushed across my face.

I had reached S-rank.

In another timeline, that would’ve meant everything. But I knew better now.

In this world, reaching S-rank is just the beginning of the climb. After that, things only get bloodier.

To ascend past S-rank—to SS, SSS, SR, and the terrifying rarities beyond—you needed more than talent.

You needed to kill.

Not humans.

Not monsters in simulations.

But real, living beings from other races—demons, beasts, spiritual entities from beyond the walls. Creatures not of Earth.

That was the dark truth behind the ranking system.

Those at the top of the world didn’t rise through enlightenment or meditation. They rose through bloodshed. Through the slaughter of species not their own.

It’s why Earth in my previous life had turned into a crimson battlefield. Why the streets were filled with ashes. Why every city’s name became meaningless in the wake of war.

Everyone wanted power.

Everyone needed to kill.

So humans justified it: "They’re not like us," they said. "They’re a threat to our survival."

But the truth?

We were just as monstrous.

And now, here I am again. S-rank, in a new timeline. Regressed, reborn, and more dangerous than ever.

But there’s a problem.

I... can’t kill yet.

Not because I lack power.

But because I have no reason to start that bloodbath again—not yet.

I’ve built ties with the beastkin through Vornark. The Demon Queen’s daughter, Hui’er, is already on my side. Even the spiritual clan... I’m watching them closely.

If I start killing now, I’ll be undoing the very alliances I’m trying to build. Burning bridges before they’re even built.

That’s why I’m stuck.

Strong—but shackled.

I grit my teeth.

"There has to be another way..."

That’s when something flickered in my memory.

A place.

A forgotten one.

In my previous life, after the System’s "Global Challenge" had been triggered, strange rifts had appeared all across Earth. Some were harmless. Others brought ruin.

But there was one...

A hidden anomaly.

I remembered hearing whispers about it—just once.

It was located in the dense forests of what used to be the northern sector. People called it a "no-return zone"—a distorted patch of land where compass and system both failed. No maps, no teleportation. A place completely sealed off from everything.

Back then, I had ignored it. There were more important battles to fight.

But I remembered now—someone had entered that place, seeking refuge from the bloodshed. And they didn’t just survive. They came back... changed.

Their aura was different. Their strength had spiked. And though no one could confirm it, many believed they’d killed something inside that place—something that wasn’t demon or beast or spirit. Something else.

Something... that didn’t count toward interspecies warfare.

I looked up, eyes narrowing.

"That place... might still be untouched in this life."

I hadn’t heard a single thing about it since my regression. That meant no one had found it yet.

If I go now...

If I reach it before the others...

Then maybe, just maybe, I can level up without triggering war.

I can reach SS rank or even higher without killing the allies I’m building. Without becoming what I hated most in my past life.

I clenched my fists.

"I need to find that zone again."

I turned toward my room, where I kept the scattered maps and coordinates of Earth’s older regions. The "no-return zone" wasn’t documented by any system. But I had a rough idea of where it was.

Back then, it was located somewhere between the collapsed western range and the Valley of Mist—a dead zone now, unoccupied and sealed due to "environmental instability."

Perfect.

If I can get there first...

If I can clear the area and kill whatever entity resides inside...

I’ll get my advancement. And I’ll get it quietly.

Because power without a plan is just destruction. And I’m not here to repeat my past.

I’m here to control it.

"I’ll leave in two days," I muttered to myself.

"I’ll give the others time to prepare for the Beast Kingdom conquest. But this... this I have to do alone."

The system hadn’t said anything about it. It probably didn’t even detect the place yet. That made it even better.

No interference. No forced missions.

Just me, my power, and whatever the hell is waiting in that forgotten land.

And if I survive it?

I won’t just be strong.

I’ll be untouchable.

I was too happy, almost intoxicated by the possibilities unraveling in my mind.

The idea of becoming stronger without igniting war... of surpassing my limits quietly, efficiently. It felt like the perfect plan.

But then—

A tiny thought crept in.

A whisper I couldn’t ignore.

"What if these memories... aren’t mine?"

That one question shattered the momentum of my thoughts.

I froze. My hand, which had been reaching for the map drawer, paused in midair.

What if the memories I’ve been relying on since regression—the vivid images, the timelines, the strategies I so confidently use—weren’t truly mine?

What if they were fabrications?

Planted.

By the System.

I’ve always assumed that I regressed. That I died and came back, granted a second chance by some cosmic fluke or buried mystery.

But what if that’s not true?

What if the "past life" I remember... never happened?

What if it’s all a lie—inserted by the very thing guiding me?

The System.

I clenched my jaw. My breathing slowed.

Because if that were true... then everything I’ve done—every alliance, every plan, every calculated gamble—wasn’t truly mine.

It was its.

The System’s will.

And I’ve just been dancing to its tune all along.

"..."

My fingers slowly curled into a fist. I stared at the floor, unsure whether I wanted to laugh or shatter something.

No. Stop.

I took a deep breath and forced myself to calm down.

"Whatever. I’m thinking too much."

I leaned back against the wall, letting my head tilt upward.

Even if the memories were fake... even if this life wasn’t mine in the purest sense... I still have free will now.

And I’ve made choices the System didn’t expect.

I didn’t kill indiscriminately.

I didn’t walk the exact same path.

I took in Vornark. I made alliances. I’ve questioned everything.

If I were just a puppet...

I wouldn’t have dared.

Besides, whether those memories are real or not—they’re useful.

They gave me insight into what’s coming.

They saved lives.

They’re helping me build a future stronger than any version of Earth I remember.

So even if it’s all a lie, I’ll use the lie to my advantage.

Because in the end, I don’t care if I’m the sword or the hand that wields it.

As long as the blade points at my enemies... and not at my own people.

I smirked coldly.

"Fake or not... I’m still the one holding the blade now."

I pushed myself off the wall and opened the drawer, eyes scanning over the old maps and terrain data. My mind was once again steady, razor-sharp.

This place—the anomaly zone—it exists.

I’ll go there.