Elias, Shiori, and Kenji barely had time to brace themselves before the System Teleport Ticket ripped them out of the greasy Cyberpunk vault and deposited them into the serene, majestic air of the next world.
The environment was a breathtaking contrast: towering, mist-shrouded peaks, waterfalls cascading down impossibly steep cliffs, and the faint, resonant hum of powerful spiritual energy—Qi, Elias instantly categorized. The air smelled of pine, jasmine, and ancient power.
System Alert: [Multiverse Main Character System v1.1]
Current World: #203-A (Wuxia/Cultivation Realm: The Azure Peak Sector)
Threat Level: Extreme (Spiritual and Interdimensional)
Primary Conflict Engine: Trope 87: The Young Master's Arrogance and Trope 88: The Grand Tournament.
Condition: [Environmental Buff: Qi Flow] - Magical and Spiritual powers (Shiori's Talismans) are 100% effective. Technological (Cybernetic) interference is 0%.
Elias inhaled deeply. "Ah, the Wuxia/Cultivation Realm. Finally, a world where the power system is based purely on convoluted, metaphorical nonsense! And look, Shiori, your talismans are glowing! You're back in the game!"
Shiori held up a talisman, which was indeed crackling with renewed spiritual energy. Her expression was relieved, though she quickly replaced it with scholarly sternness. "Indeed. But this is the realm of the Immortal Cultivators. Their power scales are immense. We are children here."
"I am used to being a child," Kenji muttered, looking at the sheer drop off the mountain path. "Are we going to have to fly?"
"No, Kenji. We are going to walk until the narrative demands we suddenly learn to fly," Elias replied, checking his 400 remaining SP. He immediately bought a crucial item.
Purchase Confirmed:[Plot Armor Supplement: Narrative Shielding (Level 1)] acquired (100 SP). Provides minor resistance against narrative manipulation/corruption.
$$\text{Remaining SP: 300.}$$
"Okay, we have a budget anti-narrative shield. Now, we anticipate Trope 89: The Immediate Arrogant Antagonist Encounter."
The Condescending Young Master
The moment the words left his mouth, a loud, disdainful sneer echoed from a hidden cave entrance a few meters ahead.
"Hmph. What foul, unrefined mortals dare tread upon the hallowed path of the Azure Peak Sect? And look! One smells of instant noodles and low-grade magical grease!"
A figure emerged, effortlessly floating a few inches above the ground. He was painfully handsome, dressed in pristine gold and crimson robes, and had an aura of manufactured superiority. He held a jeweled sword and looked down at Elias with utter contempt.
"Behold, the Young Master with the Mandatory Arrogance!" Elias whispered to Shiori. "He's an absolute classic. Watch for the dialogue: arrogance, insult, underestimation, and then the inevitable humiliation after I reveal my 'hidden' strength."
The Young Master—who looked about eighteen, yet acted seventy—scoffed. "I am Master Lin Feng, the Inner Disciple with the highest natural talent! You dare trespass? You will prostrate yourselves and hand over all your spirit stones!"
"Master Lin Feng," Elias said, stepping forward with a theatrical sigh. "I am Elias Vane, and your character arc is dreadfully outdated. Trope 90: The Young Master's Challenge is so overused, it actively drains the narrative tension from the scene."
Lin Feng was momentarily stunned by the critique. "Insolent mortal! You mock my lineage? I shall suppress your pathetic cultivation base with a single thought!"
He raised his jeweled sword, and a palpable wave of Qi energy—strong enough to genuinely frighten Kenji and Shiori—flowed toward Elias.
Elias, relying on his A-Tier Plot Armor and the newly acquired Narrative Shielding, didn't move. He simply conjured a single, slightly melted, brightly coloured crayon right in the path of the Qi blast.
The powerful energy hit the Crayon of Contradiction. Instead of annihilating the crayon, the Qi blast rippled around it, deflected, and shot harmlessly into a nearby granite boulder, which exploded into dust.
Lin Feng stared, utterly bewildered. "My... my Suppressing Palm of Heavenly Condemnation was defeated by... a piece of wax?"
"It wasn't defeated, Lin Feng. It was conceptually confounded," Elias explained. "Your cultivation attack is based on purity and intent. The crayon is the embodiment of non-functional, chaotic simplicity. It's an Anti-Trope element."
Lin Feng's arrogance vanished, replaced by panic. "Impossible! Only the Grandmaster of the Council could deploy such a refined counter-tactic!"
The Grandmaster of Anti-Tropes
"Correct. Only I could."
A new voice, ancient and resonating with terrifying, refined power, echoed from the cave entrance. It wasn't loud like Ragnarok, or mechanical like Agent Zero; it was subtle, filled with an unbearable sense of weariness.
An elderly man emerged, his robes simple and gray, his face lined with millennia of what looked like pure annoyance. This was not a typical villain. This was Grandmaster Wei, the supposed leader of the Azure Peak Sect, and the first major member of Kirok's Council of Tired Antagonists.
Narrative Foresight Scan:
Target: Grandmaster Wei (The Tired Immortal).
Threat Level: S-Tier (Cultivation Base).
Primary Council Role: Trope 91: The Experienced Narrator. He understands the rules and is tired of them.
Special Ability: Trope Drain - Can temporarily suppress the A-Tier Plot Armor by inducing narrative fatigue.
Lin Feng immediately prostrated himself. "Grandmaster! I failed to contain the chaotic foreign threat!"
Grandmaster Wei sighed, a sound that seemed to carry the weight of a thousand failed plotlines. "Stand up, boy. Your role in the narrative is complete." He looked at Elias, his tired eyes holding the power of a star.
"Elias Vane. The Rogue Protagonist. You confuse children with wax and frustrate established power dynamics," Wei said, his voice flat. "I am Grandmaster Wei. The Grandmaster is tired. We, the Council, are tired of the repetitive nature of these multiversal stories."
Wei raised a hand. He wasn't targeting Elias's body; he was targeting his Plot Armor.
"I don't need to fight you, boy. I merely need to remind your A-Tier Plot Armor how tedious its job is."
A wave of palpable Narrative Fatigue washed over Elias. He didn't feel pain; he felt a sudden, crushing urge to lie down, take a nap, and let the story resolve itself with minimal effort.
System Alert:A-Tier Plot Armor is experiencing Narrative Fatigue! Charge decreasing rapidly! Trope 92: The Enemy Who Fights the Narrative is active!
Elias gripped his Wet Noodle Wand, trying to fight the urge to concede. "This is clever, Kirok! You hired the Trope 93: Anti-Pacing Expert!"
"I was the greatest cultivator in ten thousand years," Wei sighed, rubbing his temples. "And every millennium, the plot demanded I sacrifice myself for some brash young hero. I'm retired from heroism, Vane. I just want quiet."
Wei intensified the fatigue. Elias's legs wobbled.
"This is how Kirok wins, Elias! He doesn't kill you; he makes you bore yourself to death!" Shiori shouted, rushing forward and throwing a handful of talismans—high-grade, offensive seals—at Wei.
The talismans struck Grandmaster Wei. They didn't injure him, but the sudden burst of Trope 94: The Sacrificial Ally Attack broke his concentration.
"Amateurs! The predictability of your friendship is tiresome!" Wei growled, momentarily distracted.
Elias seized the split second. He activated his Anti-Trope Hacking skill (D-Tier) and aimed it not at Wei, but at the most narratively vulnerable thing around: Lin Feng.
"System! Use Trope 95: The Sudden, Plot-Advancing Humiliation on the nearest arrogant Young Master!"
Lin Feng, who had been watching the scene unfold, suddenly slipped on a perfectly placed banana peel (conjured by the System) and fell headfirst into a nearby puddle, which instantly turned into low-grade medicinal wine.
System Alert: Lin Feng's Young Master Status has been severely corrupted. Lin Feng is now a Trope 96: Comedy Rival/Wandering Failure.
Wei looked at the sight—his promising Inner Disciple suddenly drowning in cheap wine—and let out a sound of ultimate, transcendent disgust.
"This is why I hate the chaotic genre shift! This place is already a mess!" Wei roared. He stopped the fatigue attack and vanished in a flicker of Qi. "I'm done for today! You win the day, Vane, but the Council will be waiting at the Grand Tournament!"
The Anti-Plot Strategy
The Qi pressure vanished. Elias collapsed, panting.
Plot Armor Charge Stabilized at 50%!
"We... we survived the Grandmaster," Elias gasped, pushing himself up.
Kenji and Shiori helped him steady himself. Lin Feng was still struggling in the medicinal wine, swearing softly.
"He's going to the Grand Tournament," Shiori realized. "That is the largest concentration of cultivators in the realm! It's Kirok's planned battlefield!"
Elias dusted off his shorts. "Perfect. Trope 97: The Inevitable Grand Tournament. We know the climax. Now, we use the Anti-Trope Software to destabilize their narrative."
He looked at his inventory. He had 300 SP left.
"Kenji, Shiori, we are going to crash that tournament. But we can't be traditional heroes. We need to be unbearably inconvenient. I need to invest in some serious anti-tropes."
Purchase Confirmed:[Item: System GPS Override (Brief, Planetary)] acquired (150 SP). Allows Host to reroute the entire planetary plot to a slightly more favorable location.
Purchase Confirmed:[Item: Box of Generic, Unbranded Energy Drinks] acquired (50 SP). Essential for fighting cultivation exhaustion.
$$\text{Remaining SP: 100.}$$
Elias looked at the sky, a wide, confident grin spreading across his face.
"Kirok wants a confrontation? He wants a Council of Tired Antagonists? Fine. We'll give him a story so ridiculous, so saturated with chaotic absurdity, that the entire multiverse will get a migraine."
"But... how do we get to the Tournament, Elias?" Kenji asked. "It's thousands of miles away."
Elias pulled out his System GPS Override. "We don't need a carriage or a flying sword, Kenji. We just need to activate Trope 98: The Conveniently Located Portal to the Climax."
He pressed the button. The air shimmered, and a massive, shimmering gate opened right next to the puddle where Lin Feng was cursing his misfortune.
"Ladies first," Elias announced. "Next stop: The Grand Tournament of Narrative Disruption."