Chapter 127: 127
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The next few months, Zeke clung to Yeon to get his head back in the game.
The system had surprisingly rewarded him with gifts. All within a single day.
---
[STATUS WINDOW]
[ITEM: The Infinite Edge of Kismet’s Call — EX Rank]
[TYPE: Weapon (Base form: Sword)]
[DESCRIPTION: What actually is going on? I feel like the Tower is petty toward me. Why do all my incarnations have something great in the Tower? Is it because I didn’t help back then? What? Is it supposed to be a secret? Meh, I said it. Anyway, I didn’t like the description, so I changed it. This weapon is indestructible and inevitable — it will always return to its owner, by the owner’s will or simply of its own volition. It can take any form the owner wishes. It has no other function other than the basic function of the weapon form it takes. If it’s a sword, it’s sharp. No attack +5000. It is a mortal weapon. Only it was not made by a mortal.]
[STATUS WINDOW]
[ITEM: A Handsome Dress — EX Rank]
[TYPE: Male clothing]
[DESCRIPTION: This is a set. Find the other set — it’s female. Give it to your love and become a... what’s the name again? Yes, a goth couple. It’s indestructible. It’s inevitable. It’s self-cleaning. And it’s handsome. Unlike you.]
[STATUS WINDOW]
[ITEM: A Beautiful Dress — EX Rank]
[TYPE: Female clothing]
[DESCRIPTION: I swear if I or my incarnates shit, you’ll rank it EX. EX is supposed to be special. You’re making a joke of yourself. I know I’m strong. But c’mon. Okay, enough complaints. This is the female version of the male version. It’s indestructible, self-cleaning, inevitable, and beautiful — like you, and unlike your lover.]
[Fuck love.]
---
"We are fated," Zeke said. "I’ll be the one to kill this guy. His way of speaking is so annoying. If he does not speak, no one will think he is mute."
{He’s not speaking,} Zero replied. {He’s typing. Or writing.}
"Shut the fuck up, you retired assistant."
{Can’t you get past it?}
"Hah." Zeke’s laugh was short, sharp. "Look at this hypocrite. You haven’t muted the notifications."
{If I did, you would not know if you received these gifts.}
"You would inform me anyway."
{I guess we’ll never know.}
"Fuck off. I’m wearing this shit."
He did need a sword. Aura farming.
---
Zeke looked at himself in a mirror.
He was dressed entirely in black—a long tailored coat layered over a high-collared shirt and wide-leg trousers, accented by leather gloves, polished dress shoes, and subtle silver jewelry. His green bead earring dangled from his ear.
Zeke smiled in satisfaction as he watched himself.
He turned once, slowly, the way a man conducted a private review. The coat fell well. The gloves were fitted. The earring caught the light at an angle he approved of. The Annoying Bastard, whatever else he was, had taste. Zeke would not be thanking him for it, but he noted it.
He summoned the sword—the Infinite Edge of Kismet’s Call—and held it at his side without drawing it. Even sheathed, it had a quality to it, a weight that was not about mass.
I get a makeover. Yeon gets a makeover. Aaron gets a makeover.
Aaron had mentioned wanting to change his hair. He felt Eve did not like it. Zeke happened to have a beautification pill and had sent it to him some weeks back. He had yet to see what changes had happened to Aaron, but he looked forward to it. The mullet going was already a mercy for everyone involved.
For now, he was going to meet Yeon.
---
He pulled out his phone.
"Yo," Zeke said as Yeon picked up the call.
"Yo," she replied.
"I’m outside your guild."
"I’ll be right out."
---
"So, you bought me a dress?"
Yeon had a teasing smile as she walked down the stairs. They had returned to the house from the guild. Zeke had given her a gift box and urged her to go upstairs to try it out.
She was pleasantly surprised to see a dress. Zeke buying her a dress did not seem like something that would happen anytime soon. She did not care for dresses, and Zeke did not have the fashion sense to buy her clothes. In a sense, they were two peas in a pod.
If Zeke heard her, he would remind her he had Knowledge of All Mundane Things.
"It’s not just any dress," Zeke said matter-of-factly, raising his head to look at Yeon. "It’s a beautiful dress."
He stopped. His mouth did not close.
She was wearing an elegant, gothic-inspired black dress—a square neckline, puffed sleeves with fitted forearms, a high-waisted wide leather belt, and a dramatic thigh-high slit that revealed dark tights and mid-calf glossy leather boots.
He did not take his eyes off her as she walked closer.
She noticed. She smiled as she approached.
When she reached him, he swallowed hard.
"A beautiful dress," he managed, "made much more beautiful by the woman wearing it."
He paused, then continued, his voice softer.
"It’s such a pain I’m not a poet. I would have written thousands of poems to regale the world of the beauty of the lady standing awfully close to me."
"You’re cheesy."
"I feel like I’ve made this joke before, but—cheese is good for you."
They held each other’s gaze. A comfortable silence brewed.
Yeon broke it.
"Where did you get this? I feel it’s not just an ordinary dress."
"Well, it’s both ordinary and not. Compared to the creator, it’s ordinary. To us, it’s a treasure most people would kill for."
"I hope you didn’t kill anyone for this."
She said teasingly.
"You know of my ability. I got it from there."
"Your system ability that you so vehemently deny is not a system?"
"Bah. You’ve been deceived by the nonsense you read. Do I look like someone who would be carried by a system daddy?"
"Well..." She tilted her head, considering. "Taking that into consideration—"
Zeke retracted his gaze and walked to the door.
"The dress is effectively indestructible, self-cleaning, and unnecessarily will always return to you." He listed the functions as he opened the door, turning his head to face the figures outside. "What are you doing outside?"
Aaron, Jude, and Kai fell face-forward as the door swung open.
Kai picked himself up and cleared his throat. "Would you look at that. The door works."
"Yeah, I thought the door was broken," Aaron joined in. "I even had to lean in to see if I could fix it."
Jude gave a small smile.
Zeke gave them a look that screamed really?
Kai quickly pivoted to Yeon. "Yo, sis. You look good."
"Mm-mm." Jude and Aaron nodded, giving her simultaneous thumbs-ups.
"Matching clothes?" A voice drifted in.
"When is the wedding?" Another voice followed.
"Since you want a celebration, let’s plan your funeral." Yeon tilted her head to the side as she gave Anton and Michael a ’pleasant’ smile.
"Whoa. She would rather kill than marry you. That’s sad." Anton shook his head dramatically.
"That’s why I steer clear from women," Michael said, nodding sagely. "They affect the speed of my sword."
"You have no emotions," Anton shot back, taking a dramatic step away. "Don’t speak about matters concerning love."
"What are you bastards doing here?" Zeke interrupted, staring daggers at them.
"If you checked the group chat instead of playing loving boyfriend, you would have known we planned to meet here." Anton’s voice was light with mock accusation.
"Simp," Michael mouthed.
"Oh." Zeke’s expression shifted. "Why, though? The next reunion isn’t until next month."
Silence.
"Dude," Kai said, "the assessment is tomorrow."
"Wasn’t that like a week from now?"
More silence.
"I can see why you don’t want to make it official." Anton threw a comforting nod Yeon’s way.
"Peak." Zeke let out a small laugh as he clapped.
Oh oh, Zero thought. That’s what he told me the last time I teased him.
Zeke continued. "Hey, Anton. I have been meaning to ask—were you not a waste in your past life?"
"Not the way you put it." Anton shifted in his own body.
Why’s he bringing this up now?
Is it just me, or is the room cold?
"So you were a waste?" Zeke enunciated waste differently from before.
Silence.
"Anyway. If you were a ’waste’, how did you reach this level of strength so soon? If you had a way to reach such a level of strength so quickly, why did you not share it with the people who were wastes as well?"
"Hey!" Aaron and Kai protested in unison. "Friendly fire."
"Did you not share it," Zeke pressed, "because you didn’t—and still don’t—like Yeon? Because of a petty reason as you losing to her once upon a time, you deprived her brother and your brother’s friends the chance to be more than waste?"
His voice was flat, almost conversational.
"Is the reason you’re bitter now because the duo have broken past that limit? Because Yeon became a saint?"
He paused.
"Talk, Regressor."
The group was speechless. The question held some truth. But Zeke had twisted it out of pettiness, turning what would have been a casual question into something gruesome. They had no way to fight for Anton, because indeed—why had Anton not done it?
What pettiness.
They could only say: of all the opponents they had faced, Zeke alone was the petty one.
This pettiness—they acknowledged it. In terms of pettiness, no one they had faced surpassed Zeke. They declared him the pettiest.
"I—I..." Anton nodded, momentarily speechless. "Whoa. You’re good."
"Answer the question. It’s simple for someone who could notice why the other had not made something official." Zeke’s smirk was small.
"What? Do you think I’m scared of you? Hmph." Anton’s composure returned. "What do you know about the soul?"
He did not wait for an answer.
"Nothing!" He spat the word with disdain. "Do you believe a soul that survived regression would remain the same? Disgusting."
He drew a breath.
"Although I returned to my old, untalented body, the upper limit of my soul had increased beyond measure. Only my physical body was lacking. Unlike pills and other resources that reconstruct the soul and body, my regression only improved my soul. The container was still low quality."
"So I forcefully increased the container. With the benefit of my improved soul capabilities and my experience, I was able to reconstruct my foundation, birthing my skills [Primordial combat Art] all the skills I learnt in my past life. The Tower recognized it and granted me a trait: [Warlord]. An SS-rank trait."
"It started rebuilding my foundation, and I completed it by chance. Regression did not only level up my soul—it gave me another chance at gaining an innate ability. From there, I received [Counter]. SS-rank. This was done within the first moment of my awareness that I had regressed."
"It was a known factor to me. I had heard of regression, studied it. I acclimated fast."
"But [Warlord] and [Counter], plus my soul strength, were not enough for what I knew was coming."
"This began my plot in the Expanse, and my later trips to Danger Zones. There I found resources that helped me build my mortal body and gave a little boost to my soul."
"It still isn’t enough, but by my calculations, I have a forty-five percent chance of reaching Demi-Godhood."
"I was a mid third-tier saint in my past life. Thanks to all the rebuilding I had done back then. Thanks to my luck. And thanks to Jude."
"The reason I did not say anything about it? It only works for me. And in the Tower, the chances of them finding better resources are higher. I was right. We are in the First World, and it is done."
Anton stared smugly at Zeke.
Snore. Snore.
Zeke had laid on a chair during Anton’s speech, faking sleep. He rose when he noticed the stares the group was giving him.
"Oh, he’s finished. Sorry, I fell asleep. I didn’t hear you. Try again—I might not sleep this time."
"Do you want to die?"
"Don’t promise what you can’t fulfil. If you want to fight, I’ll take you any day. Do I look like I care for your peak first-tier sainthood?"
"Okay, let’s not ruin this." Yeon stepped in. "If anybody is fighting a saint, it’s me. I’ve yet to fight one."
"..."
