To a "Player" like Aris, General Thorne wasn't a father; he was a World Boss whose Level was currently too high to even see clearly. The air in the tunnel turned cold, vibrating with the General's sheer presence.
"I asked you a question, boy," the General said, his eyes narrowing. "Even a worm should know how to squirm when stepped on."
System, Aris thought, his mind cold and calculating. Option 3. Burn the AP. If he sees my real progress, he won't 'save' me—he'll dissect me to see how a 'trash' concubine son broke the bloodline rules.
[Spending 50 AP: Activating 'System Glitch - Death Curse Mask'.]
[Current Balance: -5 AP (Warning: Negative Balance! Interest is now 20% hourly).]
As the General's Spirit Scan washed over Aris like a tidal wave of fire, the System intercepted the signal. Instead of seeing Aris's Rank 3 Body Tempering and his Void Meridians, the General saw a horrific "error" in the spiritual code.
To the General, Aris appeared to be riddled with a "Wasting Death Curse"—a dark, rotting energy that looked like it was slowly eating his soul.
"Tch." General Thorne recoiled slightly, a look of pure loathing on his face. "So that's it. You aren't 'surviving.' You're just a walking corpse being kept alive by a lingering resentment. You have no Qi, and your bones are brittle. You are a stain on the Thorne name that refuses to fade."
The General turned his back, the heavy pressure lifting. "Don't bother sending him to the coal pits anymore. It's a waste of energy to watch him. Throw him into the Shattered Pagoda and let the curse finish its work. I don't want to hear his name again until his funeral."
The General vanished in a blur of crimson light.
[Quest Update: The Shadow's Sanctuary]
Objective: Survived the General's Gaze.
Reward: 200 AP.
New Balance: 195 AP.
Aris waited until the last vibration of the General's Qi faded before he stood up. He wiped the soot from his face, his Abyssal Eye glowing with a fierce, violet hunger.
"He thinks I'm a corpse," Aris whispered, as Nox the Void-Eater chirped from his shadow. "Perfect."
[Abyssal Nexus: Updated Status Panel]
Host: Aris Thorne (The Villain Player)
Level: 7
Title: The Living Curse (New! High-level cultivators will now see you as "dying/worthless" unless you choose otherwise.)
[Dual-Path Cultivation]Body Physique:Abyssal Sovereign Body * Current Grade:Copper-Skin Realm (Rank 3) * Effect: Physical damage reduction by 25%. Can shatter ordinary iron with bare hands.
Qi Realm:Qi Condensation (Rank 2) * Technique:Manual of the Devouring Void (Glitched Version).
Capacity: 150/150 (Equivalent to a Rank 5 Common Cultivator).
[Attributes]
Strength: 35 (Human adult peak: 10)
Agility: 28
Intelligence: 48
Luck: -15 (Calamity Karma is worsening as you cheat fate)
[Abyssal Inventory & Companion]
Companion:Nox (Void-Eater Hatchling)
Level: 2
Ability:Shadow-Walk (Can hide Aris and itself in any shadow for 60 seconds).
Active Skill:Ghost-Step (Rank 1) – Increases movement speed by 50% in darkness
.Currency: 195 AP.
[System Notifications]New Location Unlocked:The Shattered Pagoda. * System Note: The Pagoda is built over an ancient, forgotten "Yin-Spring." To others, it is a death trap. To the Abyssal Sovereign Body, it is an All-You-Can-Eat Buffet.
Aris walked toward the West edge of the estate, where a crooked, lightning-scarred tower stood. This was his exile. To the rest of the world, it was where he went to die.
To Aris, it was his first Player Base.
"System," Aris said, looking at the dark energy leaking from the Pagoda's foundations. "Open the Creation Forge. It's time to build a weapon that can kill a General."