Reincarnated With The Degenerate System

"Do you see the difference now?" he began, speaking as he moved with unhurried steps. The world answered him by breaking its own rules.

One second his foot was lifted. The next it was already on the ground.

No blur. No acceleration. Just missing pieces—like someone had ripped chunks out of a film and glued the ends together poorly.

My eyes tried to follow him and instead tripped over empty moments that didn't exist anymore.

However, I knew it wasn't him skipping frames.

It was me. —or rather, my senses being tricked.

What an irritating, broken-ass power.

"No matter what you do, you'll never catch up. The moment you awakened that one-dimensional ability, you were already destined to lose to me."

His words gnawed at my nerves, but I forced myself to keep the conversation going.

"Wow… you really act like you're the strongest Seeker alive," I muttered, forcing a wobble into my stance to sell the illusion that I was still very disoriented.

"Strongest?" he chuckled, low and amused. "You really are new at this, aren't you? I wouldn't even enter the top ten in the country—if we're talking about the real list, not that public one full of celebrity Seekers who are… average at best."

He let that hang for a beat, eyes narrowing, like he was deciding whether to say more.

"Well… maybe a few exceptions—like the Checkered Sword Maiden, for instance."

I was surprised that Hai-Min's big sister had been mentioned by someone this powerful. She must really be the real deal.

While I was contemplating, the idea of using the monkey paws flashed through my mind—but I quickly dismissed it, feeling it would be too great a loss. I hadn't even exhausted my options yet.

"Oh, I sense admiration in your tone. Don't tell me you're crushing on her? Bro, just give up. I doubt she'd want to date someone who'd make her sick just by looking her in the eye."

His eyebrow furrowed, confirming my suspicion—he couldn't open his eyes without activating his ability, which was a major downside. Though judging by the fact that he still had time to brag, it clearly wasn't that taxing.

"I'll let that slide, considering you'll be dead soon anyway." he shot back.

With him perched so high on his pedestal, I took the time to survey my options.

I closed my eyes, hoping to reduced the effect of his ability.

If it only interfered with how my brain interpreted the world—then cutting off my vision should reduce the ways he could interfere.

The moment my lids met, the world didn't go dark.

It vanished.

The concept of sensation itself simply… ceased to exist, as if someone had reached inside my skull and unplugged the part of me responsible for my sense of space. I felt no air against my skin, no floor under my boots, no gravity tugging at my bones.

Even direction abandoned me. I had no idea where "down" was, and worse—I wasn't sure it still mattered.

I forced my eyes open.

Reality crashed back into place like shattered glass reassembling itself wrong. Light burned against my retinas. Air flooded my lungs in a violent rush, and my knees buckled as gravity reintroduced itself abruptly.

I gasped, coughing, one hand instinctively slamming into the stone floor just to make sure it still existed. I knew it was all in my head—but that did nothing to soften how real it felt.

"Don't bother. My power isn't so weak that you can counter it by closing your eyes. Why do you think I've been going easy on you? It's because I'm one hundred percent sure you won't be able to break free from my influence."

My grip tightened around my spear until my knuckles felt like they were going to crack.

This guy wasn't just beating me physically—he was working my ego over with a crowbar. Every word out of his mouth made me feel less like the main character and more like some expendable background extra.

What the hell was happening?

Wasn't the system user supposed to be the one handing out humiliations, not collecting them like achievement badges?

I gritted my teeth. 'Hey, System. You want to do your job anytime now?'

[Host, you already have a cheat. If you get defeated, that's a skill issue. Just get good.]

Great. Of all times, it chose now to get annoying again. I honestly take the mechanical version over this.

To hell with it. I'd just throw everything I had. Literally.

"Moon Cycle — Extended Strike!"

SWOOOSH!

As expected, my attack missed by a huge margin.

"I'm not done yet!"

Not wanting to give him another second to annoy me, my hand arched. The spear burst into existence in my grip, and in the same motion I hurled it—then summon it back the instant it missed.

Three throws in the span of a heartbeat—each one faster, heavier, carrying more forced than the last. The chamber screamed under the force, debris ricocheting wildly as the pressure battered everything in range.

But he simply stood there, not even mustering any wind to block or slowdown any of my attack. He was confident that I couldn't touch him no matter how many times I tried.

Instead of getting demotivated, I kept pressing the attack, even going so far as to deliberately strike different spots. If there was one thing I could rely on, it was my stamina.

"You're wasting your time," he muttered as I launched another attack, pouring more force into making the spear spin faster and faster.

"Let's see if you can keep that arrogant tone of yours for long," I shot back, trying to use his overblown ego against him.

"Suit yourself. I enjoy watching my enemies struggle first—it just makes things more satisfying. Go on. Keep up your futile resistance until all hope is gone."

So that's why he kept talking so much. This guy wasn't just arrogant—he was a full-blown sadist, getting his dopamine not only from inflicting physical damage, but from tearing people apart emotionally and psychologically too.

Then, like a switch flipping in my mind, my senses snapped back. The world became clear again I saw the tremors in his stance, the tiny ripple in the airflow that showed an opening.

In that split microsecond, I struck.

"Moon Cycle — Extended Strike!"