The ULTIMATE EXPERIENCE SYSTEM
Chapter 84: RAND AND THE DARKNESS

Chapter 84: RAND AND THE DARKNESS

Chen Yu narrowed his eyes as he stared at the dark entity standing before him.

That voice—ominous and absolute—still echoed in his mind:

"You were not supposed to exist."

A chill ran down Chen Yu’s spine. The figure in front of him hadn’t moved an inch, yet his presence was overwhelming. Even the shadows around them seemed to writhe at his command.

"Who the hell are you?" Chen muttered under his breath, sweat trailing down the side of his face. "You’re not just some ordinary monster..."

With a thought, his pupils shifted—an ethereal glow shone in his eyes as he activated one of his hidden abilities.

Eye of Truth — Activated.

In the next instant, a screen flickered into existence before him, revealing information that made his breath catch.

Name – RAND

*[Messenger of the Darkness]

Class – Dark Brawler

Rank – SRR

STATS

• Strength: 700

• Agility: 700

• Stamina: 700

• Mana: 800

• Energy: 800

Chen Yu’s mind froze for a second. "This guy... Dark Brawler?" he muttered. "Never heard of that class before."

He clenched his fists, trying to recall anything similar. Wait... there was someone. Rex! That guy who gave me the class change scroll. He had a weird vibe too... way too powerful, but strangely friendly. Even sparred with me a little back then.

Chen’s expression tightened. If Rand is anything like Rex... then this guy is no joke.

His gaze returned to the screen. There was more information now—additional analysis flashing under Rand’s stats.

Strengths –

• Possesses a rare class: Dark Brawler – few can face him if their stats are significantly lower.

• Wields the dark energy of the Reth of Darkness – a corrupted and ancient power.

Weaknesses –

• Vulnerable to Holy Power.

• Has a low temper – tends to attack recklessly when enraged.

Chen exhaled slowly. So... he’s insanely strong, powered by some darkness entity, and I can only really get to him if I bait him into losing his temper.

Then, he quickly brought up his own stats for comparison:

Chen Yu’s STATS

• Strength: 540

• Agility: 590

• Stamina: 560

• Mana: 610

• Charm: 10/10

• Energy: 720

Chen’s brows furrowed. "Not good. He’s ahead of me in every stat... and that energy of darkness? I have no idea what kind of damage that could do."

Before he could strategize further, Rand suddenly lunged.

Boom!

The air exploded around him as Rand’s fist came flying, shrouded in crackling dark energy. Chen barely had time to cross his arms before the blow connected.

Crash!

The impact sent him flying backwards like a ragdoll, crashing through a broken pillar and skidding across the battlefield in a trail of dust and debris.

Chen coughed as he staggered to his feet, his arms burning with pain. He looked up.

Rand stood there, unmoved, his hollow face turned toward Chen.

His voice rang out, deep and disdainful.

"What are you standing there for, human?"

A twisted smile crept into his voice.

"Hahaha... Fight me!"

Chen Yu slowly rose from the cracked earth, his coat fluttering slightly in the breeze. Despite the devastating impact that had launched him across the battlefield, he remained entirely unscathed.

He dusted off his shoulders and locked eyes with Rand, a mocking grin playing on his lips.

"Hahaha... Is that all your so-called Reth of Darkness gave you?" Chen taunted. "You can’t even hurt me properly. What a disappointment."

Rand’s expression shifted—surprised, then sharp with suspicion.

He knows... about the Reth of Darkness? he thought. No, more than that—he recognized the origin of my power... His gaze hardened. This boy... he’s dangerous. I need to be careful. I must inform the Reth.

Hiding the unease in his voice, Rand responded coldly, "So what if you know the term ’Reth’? Knowing doesn’t mean anything. You’re still just a human—fleeting, weak, irrelevant in the grand design."

Chen Yu let out a sharp laugh. "Irrelevant? Says the guy who just failed to kill a ’mere human’ in a single hit. If you think I’m small fry, then what does that make you, Rand?"

Rand growled under his breath, his pride flaring.

"You insolent wretch!"

Dark energy burst around him as he disappeared in a swirl of shadows. In a fraction of a second, he reappeared behind Chen Yu, his blade of pure darkness raised high.

But—

Chen’s eyes gleamed. He had already predicted it.

"So predictable."

Void energy surged behind him, cracking the air with spatial distortion. Rand’s blade collided with the formless, deep-black aura, only for Chen’s counter to strike back immediately. Both forces exploded in a violent shockwave, cancelling each other out in a swirl of darkness and nothingness.

BOOM!

Rand was forced to retreat, landing a few meters away, panting. He glared at Chen.

"You’ve contracted with a Reth. That explains the Void energy... But wait..."

His voice dropped.

"...It’s not just the Void. There’s more. I can feel it. The Reth of Darkness—it’s reacting. It’s telling me..."

His tone turned incredulous.

"You’ve bonded with three of them... Void, End of All Beings, and Peace of All Beings?! That’s impossible! They’re supposed to be independent entities, ancient and prideful. None of them have made a pact in eons—let alone three at once!"

Chen’s smirk deepened, a cold glint flashing in his eyes.

"Impossible? Maybe. But here I stand."

He clenched his fist, and a whirl of strange yet harmonious energies began to ripple around him—calm silence, absolute annihilation, and perfect stillness—all blending into one chaotic equilibrium.

’Void... End of All Beings... Peace of All Beings... why is this guy here? Why me?’

A voice like silence incarnate echoed in his mind—this time not one, but three overlapping tones, weaving in perfect contradiction and unity.

[Void]: "He is the echo of our oldest enemy... a puppet cloaked in pride."

[Peace of All Beings]: "They fear you. Because you disrupt their balance."

[End of All Beings]: "You are a convergence. A defiance of destiny. His kind seek to end you before you become what you are meant to be."

Chen’s jaw tightened. "So... I was targeted the moment I made these pacts..."

[Void]: "Yes. And now, you must face what that choice brought."

Back on the battlefield, Rand raised his blade again, rage burning in his voice.

"I will tear you apart and scatter your pieces across dimensions! I, Rand—Messenger of the Darkness, will end the abomination you’ve become!"

Chen Yu stepped forward, void energy wrapping around his arms, the pressure around him intensifying. He cracked his neck and replied with a calm, deadly voice:

"Then try. Let’s see if your ’Darkness’ is strong enough to smother the Void... or survive the End of All Beings."

Chen Yu stood still, staring at the place where Rand had been only moments ago. The pressure of the previous clash still crackled faintly in the air, residue from the collision of their powers.

He exhaled slowly.

"...Tch. I still can’t use Chaos Energy. It’s beyond me right now," he muttered, clenching his fist.

His gaze darkened with resolve.

"But I can use what’s within my reach."

He lifted both hands, dark tendrils of Void Energy weaving into existence around his right, and a jagged crimson aura—the manifestation of the End of All Beings—wrapping around his left.

Let’s try this again...

As the two forces met in his palms, the space around him distorted violently. The fusion wasn’t smooth—both energies screamed against one another—but they obeyed him, barely. Chen pushed further, forcing them into a massive black ring, its edges rippling like a vortex of collapsing reality.

Then, with a sudden grin, he whispered, "Let’s throw in one more thing..."

With a snap of his fingers, Demonic Energy surged from his core—an unstable force he hadn’t used since contracting with Hui. It swirled into the ring, threading through the chaos like fire on oil. The ring now pulsed with a terrifying mix of annihilation, void, and corrupted magic.

"I don’t know if I can control it yet..." he said under his breath, "But it’s time to find out."

His body flickered.

Teleportation.

In an instant, he appeared behind Rand—just like Rand had tried to do to him earlier. But this time, it wasn’t a feint. Without a word, Chen slammed the fused sphere of chaotic energy directly into Rand’s back.

BOOM!!!

The attack detonated on impact. The shockwave cracked the surrounding marble floors, splitting them like brittle glass. Dark flames erupted, and Rand let out a choked gasp before being swallowed in a blinding pulse of energy.

Chen didn’t stop moving.

He teleported again, reappearing a few meters away just as the explosion calmed. He panted lightly, watching the smoke.

"Good thing..." he murmured, "...he never figured out my class... or my teleportation cooldowns."

A moment passed.

Then the system chimed softly.

[You have defeated: Rand – Messenger of the Darkness]

[You have gained 100 Attribute Points]

[Your actions have disrupted the plans of the Reth of Darkness]

Chen didn’t smile.

Instead, he whispered to himself, "One less pawn... but this wasn’t the end."

Elsewhere in the Beast Kingdom Mansion

The sounds of clashing echoed through the halls.

Hui stood calmly, stretching slightly as the last of her opponents—two elite Shadow Guards—lay crumpled in the wreckage of a shattered corridor.

"Tch. Disappointing," she muttered, brushing a few strands of silver hair from her cheek. "Chen better spoil me later for making me deal with this."

Roman, not far away, was wiping blood off his blade. Dozens of lower-ranked beast guards lay unconscious—or worse—around him.

"That should be the last of them," he said with a nod.

Inside the underground prison

Meiyun and Ruxue stood amidst the ruins of the second lower level. The prison had been brutal—cold and damp, with magical chains carved into the walls. But the enemies had been... sparse.

As Ruxue opened the final cell, she gasped.

Two massive beastfolk—clearly Vornark’s parents—lay inside, unconscious and bruised, bound by magical shackles. Meiyun stepped forward immediately, her face grim.

"They’ve been tortured," she whispered. "But they’re alive."

She shattered the chains with a single strike. Ruxue caught the unconscious woman while Meiyun lifted the man onto her back.

"We’ll take them home," Ruxue said. "Let’s go."

Back in the royal bedroom

Chen stood with Vornark, Hui, and Roman as Meiyun and Ruxue arrived, their expressions tense but victorious. The moment Vornark saw his parents, his breath caught in his throat.

"Father... Mother..."

He rushed to them, gently kneeling beside their unconscious forms. His hands trembled.

"Thank you..." he said, voice tight, looking up at Meiyun and Ruxue. "Thank you both."

Meiyun smiled gently. "You don’t need to say it. You’re one of us."

Ruxue nodded. "We just did what Chen asked. That’s all."

Chen took a step forward, his expression serious—but then a flicker of concern crossed his face.

"Wait... where’s Krow?"

Everyone froze.

The air grew heavy.

Vornark looked around. "He was here... during the battle..."

Roman swore under his breath. "He must’ve taken advantage of the chaos between you and Rand and slipped away."

Hui’s eyes narrowed. "He ran like a coward."

Chen clenched his fists.

"He was prepared. That bastard was waiting for someone—Rand wasn’t just backup. Krow planned this."

A silence settled.

But not for long.

A low hum began to echo in the distance—subtle at first, but growing louder.

Everyone turned.

A faint glow began to spread across the horizon.

Chen glanced at the clock embedded on his system HUD.

"...It’s almost time," he said.

Meiyun raised an eyebrow. "Time for what?"

Chen turned to them, his gaze burning with anticipation.

"The wall... It’s coming down in thirty minutes. The world will change after that."

He looked at his team—tired, bruised, but standing strong.

"Whatever happens next, we’re no longer hiding in the shadows. The world’s about to see us—and we’ll make sure they remember our nam