The ULTIMATE EXPERIENCE SYSTEM
Chapter 74: RETHS

Chapter 74: RETHS

Chen Yu slowly opened his eyes, the ceiling of his villa blurry through the tears. His breathing was ragged, his heart heavy. He didn’t know how long he had been crying.

"Hah... what am I even doing?" he muttered, dragging his hand across his face. "Morgan... he must have had a system in the past life too. Maybe even one stronger than mine."

He stared at his trembling hands.

"I don’t know what happened after I died. But... why me?" His voice cracked. "Why did the system choose me?"

He looked around the empty room. No answers. Just silence.

"But maybe... that’s exactly it," he whispered, as a spark of clarity lit within his mind. "I broke through the system’s control. I’ve shattered the boundaries of the common Challenger System. I’m no longer bound. I’m free."

His lips curled into a bitter smile.

"I think... the Ultimate Experience System chose me as a vessel. Not just to grow strong—but to stop something. Something terrifying. It’s trying to prevent the destruction of mankind... and it’s using me to do it."

He clenched his fists.

"But there’s someone—or something—out there trying to go against it."

He stood, voice firm now.

"At first, I only wanted peace. To save people. I thought if I stayed away from fighting, the world would find balance on its own. But I was wrong."

His eyes hardened, a deep shadow casting over them.

"People deserve to die at the hands of monsters... rather than by monsters who wear human skin."

A pause.

"...I already made an alliance with the Demon King. And I’ll take control of the Beast Kingdom next. But after that... I don’t know."

He turned toward the window, staring at the horizon.

"I’ll decide that path when I reach it."

Just as the words left his mouth, three glowing screens materialized before him, hovering mid-air like divine oracles.

One was red, one blue, and one golden.

He instinctively knew—this was no ordinary system event.

[Red Screen]

❝The End of Everything wants to talk with you.❞

[Blue Screen]

❝The Void wishes to speak with you.❞

[Golden Screen]

❝The Peace Among All Beings wants to walk with you.❞

Chen Yu’s breath caught.

"These... aren’t part of my system," he muttered, eyes narrowing. "What are they?"

Then it clicked.

"...Reths."

The word echoed in his mind like a forgotten truth.

"I’ve heard of Reths before... but not these names," he said, brow furrowed. "I remember tales of the God of Beasts, the God of Humanity... but these? The End of Everything? The Void? Peace itself?"

Another notification suddenly flickered across the red and blue screens:

"Foolish human. Those are mere low-level Reths."

"We... are the true ones."

"Reths are beings beyond comprehension. Unknown even to gods. Powerful beyond logic. And if you wish to rise... you must form a pact."

A chill ran down Chen Yu’s spine.

"They want to give me power," he whispered. "But in return..."

His eyes scanned the next line.

"Make us known. Make us remembered. Make us feared. Only then... shall our strength become yours."

Chen Yu stared at the three screens, mind racing.

A path of destruction, a path of emptiness, and a path of peace.

Each one promised power. Each one demanded something deeper than strength—belief.

He exhaled slowly.

"...So this is it. The next step in my evolution."

He stepped forward.

"Alright then. Show me what lies beyond."

Chen Yu stared at the three floating screens in front of him, their glowing presence silently humming with ancient power. Red, blue, and golden—three colors, three forces, three beings beyond comprehension.

His breath slowed.

"...Before I agree to anything," he said slowly, clearly, "I want to ask a question."

The room dimmed, as if the very air paused to listen.

"I don’t care who you are. Void, Peace, End of Everything... before I even think about forming a contract with any of you, you’ll answer me."

A flicker of silence.

Then the blue screen pulsed first.

"You are being arrogant, human."

—The Void.

Its voice was like the absence of sound itself—cold, endless, consuming.

But before Chen Yu could respond, the red and gold screens pulsed in unison.

"Very well," they replied together,

"Ask. And we shall answer."

Even the Void, after a beat, followed suit:

"...Proceed."

Chen Yu’s eyes narrowed.

They need me.

They wouldn’t have agreed otherwise.

In that instant, he realized: he had the upper hand.

"I want the truth," he said, voice sharp. "No riddles. No vague prophecies. Tell me about the system. About this world. About the three merged realms. I want everything—no lies. No omissions."

The Void remained still for a moment. Then, it replied with a cold smirk in its tone.

"Child, that truth would break your mind. You’re not ready to bear it."

Chen Yu scoffed.

"Then I’m leaving. Go place your bets elsewhere."

He turned, feigning a step away.

"Wait."

The voice was different this time. He paused.

The red screen glowed brighter. It was The End of Everything.

"Very well... You’ve earned it. Listen closely. This will be the first—and last—time we reveal this truth to a mortal."

A ripple spread through the room, distorting reality itself. Then the red screen spoke—not in arrogance, but in eerie calm:

"This chaos... this war... this world—none of it happened by chance. It is a game. One older than the stars. A war of wagers between us: the Reths."

Chen Yu’s expression froze.

"We are not gods. We are beyond gods. We are the roots of existence. The final concepts. The primal truths. I am the End of Everything. He is the Void. And that one—"

The red screen dimmed briefly, motioning to the golden one.

"—is Peace Among All Beings."

"And this planet... was the board."

Chen Yu’s voice was hoarse. "What... do you mean?"

The red screen continued, its voice now etched with ancient sorrow.

"Eons ago, the three of us set our eyes on this realm. Three planets—one of humans, one of demons, one of beasts. Separate. Isolated. Stable."

"And so we broke them."

A cold chill passed through Chen’s spine.

"I, The End, and my brother, the Void, began our wager. We merged the three worlds into one... to see what would emerge from the chaos. To see if balance could ever exist in destruction."

"And Peace... Peace Among All Beings... always tries to restore what we ruin. It chooses a mortal—a human—to become its ’champion.’ Someone with the heart to save. Someone to bring balance back."

The golden screen remained silent but pulsed softly, as if in agreement.

"That ’champion,’ Chen Yu... is you."

Chen’s heart pounded in his ears.

"The system you now wield—The Ultimate Experience System—is not ours. It is his creation. Peace Among All Beings crafted it as a tool to guide, to evolve, to protect life from being consumed by us."

"And every cycle... Peace hopes his champion will save the world before we destroy it."

"But this time... something unexpected happened."

The Void’s voice joined in, low and amused:

"You broke free."

"You shattered the prewritten fate. You gained awareness. You surpassed the limitations of the system’s control."

Chen Yu’s eyes widened. His mind raced.

"So... all of this... the war, the systems, the power struggles—it was just..."

"A game," The End of Everything said plainly.

"A cosmic wager between destruction, emptiness, and peace."

"Peace gains power through unity and life. We gain power through fear, bloodshed, and collapse."

"And now... this world is our final bet. The stakes have never been higher. We’re tied—one victory each. This planet is the decider. And you..."

The screen flickered.

"...you are the anomaly."

Chen Yu stood frozen, his breath heavy.

"I was never special," he murmured. "I was just... chosen."

"You were always special," said Peace, speaking for the first time.

His voice was serene. Gentle. A warmth that defied the madness.

"Not because we made you... but because you chose to fight back."

The silence that followed was heavy.

Then Chen Yu spoke, eyes cold, voice calm.

"...You’re all monsters."

The Void chuckled.

"Perhaps."

The End of Everything answered, unapologetically.

"True. But monsters make the world move. Saints keep it still."

Peace simply remained quiet, the golden light steady.

Chen Yu looked at the three screens again. Each one promised power. Each one carried consequences.

But one thing was now clear.

He wasn’t a pawn anymore.

He was the wild card. The one no one expected.

"...So this is what the world really is," he whispered.

"Then I’ll play your game."

Chen Yu’s breath calmed, but his eyes burned with something new.

Resolve.

The truth had shaken him—twisted his very understanding of the world. Of himself. But he wasn’t done.

Not yet.

He took a step forward, his voice steady.

"...Before I decide anything," he said, "I still have two more questions."

The three screens pulsed again in unison. Silent. Listening.

He raised his hand, eyes sharp.

"First—can a human become a Reth?"

The Void laughed instantly, a hollow sound that rang like a collapsing star.

"Hah... What a question. Truly ambitious. You’re already thinking beyond your own fate?"

The End of Everything didn’t laugh—but his voice was no less amused.

"You’re not the first to ask that."

"But none have succeeded."

Peace, in contrast, was silent again—but his screen dimmed faintly, as though troubled.

Chen Yu didn’t flinch.

"I didn’t ask if anyone has. I asked if it’s possible."

The room shifted. For a moment, the atmosphere was no longer oppressive—but curious.

The End finally spoke again, his tone more serious.

"...Yes."

"It is possible."

"But it is a path lined with eternal suffering, endless conflict, and unthinkable sacrifice. To become a Reth is not merely to gain power—it is to sever what makes you human and take on a concept. To become the embodiment of something the universe cannot live without."

"To become... eternal."

Chen Yu’s fists clenched slowly.

"Then my second question," he said without hesitation, "is this—"

"If it is possible... you will help me become one."

The silence that followed was different.

Deeper.

He stared into the glowing lights that represented the most powerful beings he had ever known—and challenged them to their faces.

"I know you’re in trouble," Chen Yu continued. "You’ve already revealed more than you should have. That means you need me. Badly."

His voice sharpened.

"None of you would ever listen to a human. Not unless your hands were tied. But now that they are... I want an answer."

He stepped closer to the screens, defiance gleaming in his gaze.

"I want power. I want to stand above all three of your pathetic games. If this is your battlefield... then I’ll be the one who ends it."

The Void’s voice was cold, but quiet this time.

"...Interesting."

The End of Everything chuckled darkly.

"You think you can rise to our level? You think you can become a Reth?"

"Then perhaps we will watch you try."

The golden screen of Peace Among All Beings pulsed gently.

Then, for the first time, it spoke again.

"If you walk this path... there will be no turning back. No comfort. No peace."

Chen Yu smiled faintly, his voice low and full of fire.

"I lost that peace a long time ago."

A soft ding echoed in the air, and the system’s screen appeared one more time.

[Hidden Quest Activated!]

Title: "The Rise of the Fourth Reth"

Objective: Survive. Grow. Transcend.

Warning: This quest has no failure conditions—because failure means erasure.

Reward: Ascension.

Chen Yu exhaled slowly.

This was no longer just a game between Reths.

This was war.