Chapter 23: Chapter 23:"Let the hunt begin"
A white-haired man floated in an apparent void, at first glance calm and lost in thought, yet his muscles were tense.
That "calmness", however, was just the containment of a great anger....
(Zak's POV)
How...
...
HOW?!
A MERE ARROGANT VERMIN LACKING REASONING, ABSENT MINDED AND FAR LESS KNOWLEDGEABLE THAN ME WAS ABLE TO ESCAPE FROM MY PLANS?!
A REGULAR FUCKING GUY?!
...
I put everything I had into my plans. I took into account every minute detail of each of the billions of people, places, states and factions there were, I even put a contingency plan for the system in case it went haywire or something — EVERYTHING!.... I even knew there would be things I couldn't expect that would surprise me, and I was prepared with plans from (A) to (Z) in case something like this came up.
BUT HOW AM I SUPPOSED TO SEE OR EXPECT THIS SHIT!? GODDAMNIT! AAAAAAAAAAH!
I ALMOST DIED! I ALMOST FUCKING DIED! HOW COULD SOMETHING SO INSIGNIFICANT AND MEANINGLESS HAVE HAD THE CHANCE TO END MY LAST CHANCE OF EXISTENCE!? HOW COULD IT ESCAPE ME!?
...
How... My second chance almost wasted... I swore it wouldn't happen again even if it was a situation where I couldn't do anything.... BUT IT ALL WENT TO SHIT! ALL FOR BEING AN ARROGANT LITTLE BITCH AND THINKING I WAS ALONE IN THIS WORLD, THAT BECAUSE OF MY PRETTY LITTLE FACE I WOULD BE THE ONLY ONE WITH THE CHANCE TO ACHIEVE EVERYTHING WITHOUT OPPONENTS TO MAKE MY LIFE IMPOSSIBLE! NEITHER FRIEZA NOR EVEN THE STATE COULD COMPETE WITH ME, BUT THIS?! I'M WORSE THAN THAT PIECE SHIT FOR NOT OVERCOMING IT, WHAT GOOD ARE BULLSHIT EXCUSES TO ME!?
I COULDN'T SEE IT?!
I DIDN'T EXPECT IT?!
WHAT IF BAËL WASN'T ALERT?!?
THAT HE'S PROBABLY A REINCARNATED LUCKY BASTARD WHO HAS BEEN GIFTED HIS POWERS AND THE GRACE OF AN ARROGANT FUCKING GOD?!
THAT WITHOUT A BODY I HAVE NO MORE FREEDOM?!?
EXCUSES! THEY ARE JUST EXCUSES! IF I CAN'T DO IT THIS WAY THEN I WOULDN'T DO IT ANY OTHER WAY, BAËL GAVE ME EVERYTHING IN HIS POWER!
If I cannot see him I will him visible...! If I don't expect him I will make him not expect my presence...! If Baël was not alert...! WHAT AM I FOR THEN?! If the protagonists with no background or plot who in their previous life were surely useless wastes that could not even adapt to society are given semi-divine powers! I WILL MAKE THEM SWALLOW DUST, CRY BLOOD AND REPENT FOR THEIR INSOLENCE!.... If the gods want to see a generic shonen isekai.... I'LL GIVE THEM A SEINEN!
I'M A MERE FILLER VILLAIN?!
MAY MISFORTUNE BEFALL YOUR FATE AND YOUR LUCK SPIT ON YOUR CORPSE WHEN IT LEAVES NOTHING BUT A BLOODY PULP OF WHAT ONCE WAS THE ALLOY OF YOUR ABHORRENT FACE!
Ugh... I've calmed down... I've already released my whining to the air, I feel liberated... Am I over-criticizing myself? Or is it because of those FUCKING IDIOTS HACKED UP THEIR ASSES WHO DESTROY MY PLANS NO MATTER WHAT?! Fuck.... EVEN IN MY NEXT LIVES THEY CAN'T LET ME COMPLETE THEM! AAAAAAAAAAH!
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... If so... I can only say that I have to get even better.... Prevent someone or something unpredictable like this from happening again.... No matter what it takes... Never again.
NEVER AGAIN!
...
Several hours passed, I was still in my mind seeing all my mistakes, replaying that scene in a loop to remind me of the failure I made and what I would do from now on, but now I kept some attention outside.
Baël had been swimming for a while in an icy place, that idiot... He's going to get himself killed if I don't do anything.... Ice damage, lack of oxygen... I can't fix the second thing, he doesn't even have clothes or anything to make chemical reactions, there are no bubbles or anything that indicates oxygen, although it's probably some other gas if there was something, if I remember correctly... We're underground, no chance of breaking through.
Well... The only thing left to do is to increase the temperature... Expel energy... Ki domain is good at that.
I immediately informed Baël, with only a few words he managed to understand what I was trying to say... Well... At least he has improved quite a bit in all this time, I have to take that into account.... But with those "gifted powers".... Ugh...
...
Finally, Baël managed to save himself, there was nothing I could do but watch, there were no more ways to escape, it was stressful.... But that's not important anymore.
I became alert, looking around the whole new room, however it was hard to feel anything because of Baël's status effects, many of them affected his senses, while I needed to use them as I didn't have a body of my own.
After Baël recovered slightly a strange old man appeared, I prepared myself for all the situations that could occur, Baël literally was teleported to this underground place, and it also happened again while swimming, appearing here, everything indicated that the old man was behind everything.
Needless to say he didn't look like an ordinary person, I started to make theories of all kinds in my mind, meanwhile he came closer until he stopped, starting to exchange a few words with Baël, then the old man began to "tell him a story"...
... So my theory was true... That Killiath... He was clearly a reincarnated, there is no weapon in the entire Dragon Ball universe that can inflict so much damage and even less so to a saiyan.... But it was something that would happen sooner or later, after all I.... Ugh... Still he pulled something out of nowhere....
It doesn't seem like the old man is lying, it was clear that this is a cliché 17-year-old overpowered protagonist with no training or previous experience who defeats the enemy whose position cost him a lifetime of work, everything around him seemed to confirm what he said. However, after being tricked by Killiath, who was even able to not show that he was lying biologically, I couldn't trust anything.
Baël rested until he was ready for the next test, I meanwhile continued making theories....
...
(Baël's POV)
I jumped up from the floor and looked the old man in the eyes.
Baël: "I'm ready for the next test..."
I had already recovered all my stats and stabilized my mind, not as much as I would like, but for the time being I'll use [Gamer Mind].
???: "Heh heh heh.... In that case..."
He then showed a mysterious smile and spoke in a strange tone.
???:"... Let the hunt begin..."
Suddenly the darkness that was limited to being behind the old man consumed everything in its path, it was like seeing a tsunami coming at you, with no chance to run.
What was previously a deep gloom became absolute darkness, becoming darker yet darker as the tide came closer and closer to me.
Shit, this doesn't even give me time to think!
I concentrated my Ki in one hand, making my [Bloody Demolition], the torrent of Ki shot out into the abyss, it wasn't too powerful because of the short time I had to create it, but it would be able to destroy anyone with a lower power level than mine, and, at best, it will be able to slow down an attack.
The reddish energy with black patches disappeared as it entered the dark tide, and it showed no sign of stopping, not even the bright Ki light could reveal anything in it.
SHIT! DAMN KILLIATH!
A light emanated from my body as I activated [Physical Buff] to the maximum, I placed my hands closed on my forehead trying to cover my head and brought my legs up sticking them to my chest, my elbows and knees touching, it was the best way I could defend myself from that attack with the time I had left.
The darkness was already in front of me, even with my speed and speed of thought I could no longer do anything else..... SHI-!
...
Am I...? Conscious? Am I dead? This darkness that surrounds me... It's familiar...
I tried to open my stats panel, but nothing appeared....
A deep darkness surrounded me, I couldn't feel anything... This is as far as I've come...
Dead before an insane protagonist favored by a god.... Great... GREAT! ...
...
Wait... No... This darkness doesn't look like the darkness I was in when I first died, I can feel that I have a body, although I don't even feel the ground, air, nothing....
And where is my system? Ugh... Well, get by without a system, got it... That's right! My Ki! Will I be able to feel it...?
... Work... Work please... COME ON, WORK!
... YES! I STILL GOT IT!
Wait...
Baël: "ZAK! TELL ME YOU'RE THERE!"
Zak: "Stop screaming, dimwit!"
Yes! Everything points to the fact that I'm not dead!
So... Is this part of the test...?
I tried to use [Physical Buff], however I didn't feel my power increasing.... Shit, I didn't want to try this without [Physical Buff] because of the probable danger but.... I guess there's no other option...
I moved my Ki to try to create a Ki ball and light up the place, but nothing came out.... Shit...
I couldn't detect anything around me, but I couldn't trust that, after all I couldn't even detect the old man from before.
Something gave me a bad feeling about this place.... Leaving aside the deep abyss that was gnawing at my mind.... It's horrible!
Wait... Mental disturbance and this feeling in the void.... Hadn't I activated [Gamer Mind]...? No... Shit! SHIT! THAT FUCKING OLD MAN!
He must have deactivated my system! That means I can't count on [Gamer Mind] anymore...! Or worse... [Gamer Body]...
Well shit... Enough! If I can't count on those advantages, I just have to keep it in mind.... Extra caution, that's all...
Zak: "LOWER POSTERIOR SERRATUS! LEFT!"
The information was relayed as fast as Zak could manage, my instincts kicked in, it seemed as if my body was screaming for me to get out of there, almost arching my back by itself at the almost electric sensation.
I propelled myself forward in a sort of leap, leaning my body almost unconsciously, as Zak had taught me all this time.
FUCK! WHY DID MY INSTINCTS TAKE SO LONG TO WARN ME?! I'll just have to trust Z-!
Zak: "Keep going! GO, FORWARD, LEFT! JUMP UP!"
I took a leap trying to rise as high as I could while going diagonally to the left and moving forward, I took advantage of the leap to turn and face whatever was attacking me.
Suddenly I felt something inside my body, an electricity through my nerves? As if it were external.
Zak: "LET GO! IT'S MY IDEA!"
Even knowing that the information Zak was sending was coming at the same speed as my thoughts, even faster, he had to use very few words in what he was saying.
I tried to do what he was saying, I had no idea how to "let myself go" but I needed to try anything as quick as possible!
The electricity foreign to my body dissolved inside my spine, spreading through my nerves, it felt like my spinal cord was on fire.
Zak: "32'45°, 58'12°, -43'35°!"
Despite the pain, I turned my body the way Zak said, the spatial coordinates being X, Y and Z respectively.
My body rotated as my torso pulled back and twisted, if I require dodging in this manner.... He'll be here!
My upper body shot forward, as if the restraint had been removed from a catapult allowing it to fire.
My right arm took an exact and calculated path, while my left arm moved strangely so as not to be hit by the attack I had dodged earlier and still stay close to my body, ready to block attacks to important areas of my body.
My right fist advanced as my left leg prepared.
Finally, my fist reached the area where I thought there would be contact, however that was not the case FUCK! PLAN-!
Zak: "Plan B!"
My already prepared left thigh along with my waist rose in an arc until it was diagonal, where the rest of my leg went to the diagonal giving a double boost to the kick.
My torso went backwards, as if directly connected to the lift of my kick, and began to turn to the right.
My kick connected with something, it felt thin, but stiff, like a bone.
Whatever was heading towards me was redirected missing the attack, however it didn't end there, my left arm followed the trajectory of my torso's swing in something resembling a hook.
However, something incredibly sharp cut the surface of my left forearm, reaching all the way to my elbow, but it didn't touch any tendons!
My punch continued with force hitting from the top downwards what I expected and looked like a head.
What I hit should be on the ground at this moment, I threw another kick to that place, however it didn't touch anything, it was as if it had completely disappeared....
All this lasted only a few moments, however I was getting mentally exhausted.
Having nothing to focus my attention on now, the burning pain in my nervous system flooded my mind.
FUCK! It hurts! Agh...
My back writhed slightly, the electricity suited my spinal cord as it continued to work its way down my nerves and up my brain stem.
I clenched my fists enduring the pain, my body began to sweat in heaps, the electricity, after passing through my brain stem, began to enter my cerebellum, then some parts of my brain, however, unlike with the others, it did not go everywhere, but only chose some of these.
After what was probably a few mere minutes that happened to feel like hours to me, the burning pain of the electricity faded away.
My breathing was agitated...
Baël: "What did you do, you godsent bastard!?
Zak: "I've controlled your unconscious functions, reflexes, and things like your balance and dexterity, but you already know that what you're asking is about the brain."
Baël: "As you said, I know perfectly well that you control my bone marrow, brain stem and cerebellum, but I need to know what you touched of my brain....."
Zak: "Don't worry bedwetter, it was just some learning functions, memory, and some problem-solving. Besides, I can't take over your body that easily!"
He said denying in my mind.
Zak: "It would require a lot more than that, plus your soul would still be around and all, so don't worry."
Zak rolled his eyes.
I nodded slightly as I stood up with some difficulty and tried to catch my breath.
Fluid dripping down my arm reminded me of the cut I'd gotten.... Wait... This cut should be enough to cause quite a bit of pain, but I don't notice it as much.... That means [Pain Immunity] hasn't completely disappeared, rather it has become [Pain Resistance] for the time being.... Still Zak's process has hurt so much.....
I shook my head as I stood on guard, it was surprising that they hadn't attacked during this time, Zak probably took the fast path when he saw that no one else was attacking, however knowing what he controls.... This is going to be very beneficial....
This strange place... There is no such thing as a "ground". I can stand anywhere while at the same time not, I can go up and down, it's something like flying.... Well, even though I want to know how this place works, at the moment I can only play with that information.
Even though I don't have the system! Even though I've lost my skills! I'll use everything I've learned to get out of here! And Zak will help me... After all he's the only one I consider an equal....
...
2.670 words.
CREATORS' THOUGHTS 
rtrot320
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Zak...
Don't you wonder anything about him? I do...
A difficult test, we will see how Baël tries to get out of this... First of all, will he succeed? We have already discovered that he is just one more among the reincarnated... Let's keep watching, my friend...
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone