Blood soaked the underground arena, dripping from shattered railings and pooling beneath twitching bodies. Steel bars were bent like paper. The air stank of sweat, blood, and burnt circuits.
Jihan stood hunched in the center, breath ragged, half-conscious, his shirt torn open and skin bruised purple and red. A fractured rib made every inhale feel like a dagger stabbing from inside.
But he didn't dare look away.
Because the monster had entered.
The Priest.
Not running. Not shouting.
Just walking—a tall, slim figure draped in spotless white robes lined with silver trim, hands wrapped in deep red gloves. His face was pale and narrow, his lips stretched into a soft, priestly smile.
The only color on him came from the crimson cross burned into the center of his robes. It glowed faintly. Falsely holy.
"You've sinned, Jihan," he said in a voice too calm for this place. "It's time to confess."
[System Alert – BLACK LAYER BOSS ENGAGED]
Alias: "The Priest"
Class: Judgment Tier (Level 47)
Skillset: Dominion Aura, Sinsight Reversal, Mental Collapse, Martyr Protocol
Former System Moderator: Black Layer Overseer
WARNING: Do not engage alone.
Jihan's body froze. Not by fear—by something else.
A pressure crawled down his spine. Like invisible hands tightening around his lungs. The Priest hadn't even touched him yet, but the air was heavier. Reality itself felt tilted.
"Kneel," the Priest said softly.
[Skill Activated: Dominion Aura – Lv. 5]
All entities in 20 meters must pass a Mental Resistance check every 3 seconds.
Failure results in forced posture submission.
Mental Resistance Required: 120.
Current: 87. Status: Overwhelmed.
Jihan's legs buckled.
His knees hit the cracked ground.
Sweat burst across his skin.
His vision distorted—edges curling like old film melting in heat.
He gritted his teeth, trying to push back, but something was inside him. His own brain fed him guilt: images of students he'd manipulated, gang members he'd left behind, missions where he let others bleed for his benefit.
His voice cracked. "What the hell is this…?"
The Priest walked closer, arms outstretched like a prophet receiving a lost soul.
"It's your truth," he whispered. "Let it hurt."
Suddenly—a sniper shot.
The bullet struck the side of the Priest's head, bouncing off something invisible—like a psychic barrier.
Jihan gasped. The haze shattered.
Hana's voice crackled in his comms. "Move now! Aura broke for 1.2 seconds!"
Jihan exploded off the ground, roaring with fury, swinging a crowbar he had palmed from the rubble. The first blow missed. The second smashed into the Priest's forearm—
CRACK.
Bone. Split. But the Priest didn't scream.
Instead, he smiled.
"Pain is a gift. Let me return it."
[Skill Activated: Sinsight Reversal]
Effect: Reflects last 20 seconds of pain inflicted back onto target.
Jihan's body convulsed as his arm snapped.
The same force he delivered was fed back into him like venom—his muscles tearing, nerves screaming. Blood shot from his nose and mouth.
He staggered back, dragging himself across broken tiles.
The Priest approached again. Calm. Controlled. Inhuman.
"You sin by rewriting your fate. By using this system like a toy. You forget—it watches. Always."
He raised a gloved hand, and a massive white seal formed behind him—rotating like a halo made of pure code.
The ground cracked beneath Jihan.
Then—
BANG! BANG! BANG!
Three more shots hit the Priest—two ricocheted, but one grazed his cheek. Blood trickled.
His expression twitched for the first time.
Server Room – Moments Earlier
Hana muttered, "That's right, bastard… show a crack."
She wasn't trying to kill him—she was looking for delay.
Her hands flew over keys, hacking the limiter protocols around Jihan's stats.
"Override mental lock. Boost resistance. Redirect skill loadout to raw physical stat augmentation…"
Her code broke system security line by line.
The screen flashed red—
WARNING: Code Class 'Anomaly' detected. Proceeding will cause system corruption.
She hit Enter without hesitation.
[OVERRIDE ACCEPTED – JIHAN LIMITER BROKEN]
Temporary Buffs Activated:
+100% Strength
+80% Mental Resistance
Cooldown Reduction: 100%
System Corruption Imminent
Back in the arena—
Something snapped inside Jihan.
His pupils contracted. His veins burned like acid.
Every nerve lit on fire.
The Priest froze.
"What have you—"
Jihan was already on him.
His first punch ripped through the barrier.
The second caved in the Priest's jaw—sending blood and teeth flying.
The third broke ribs.
The fourth launched him off the ground.
The Priest crashed into a wall. Concrete collapsed on him. He stood, coughing blood—but Jihan didn't give him time to speak.
He ran. Full speed. And tackled the Priest through the wall.
What followed was not a fight.
It was an exorcism.
Jihan ripped the red gloves off and used them to strangle him.
He slammed the Priest's face into a pipe.
Then grabbed rebar—and stabbed it through his shoulder.
The Priest screamed, not with fear—but ecstasy.
"YES. BLEED FOR IT. ACCEPT THE WRATH!"
Jihan pulled the rebar out and stabbed again—this time in the gut.
Then twisted.
[Martyr Protocol Triggered – System Sacrifice Activated]
Suddenly—the Priest's body burst in white light.
Self-destruction.
Jihan braced. The blast sent him flying backward, slamming into a pillar. Bone cracked. Everything went black for 2 seconds.
When the dust settled, the Priest was still standing.
Barely.
Half his robe was burned off. His face was ruined. One eye missing. But he raised both hands.
"Bless you, Jihan. The purge is complete."
Then—
Jihan ran.
Jumped.
Spun mid-air.
And slammed both feet into the Priest's skull.
A loud, sickening CRUNCH.
The Priest collapsed.
Dead.
[System Alert: Black Layer Boss Defeated]
+5 All Stats
Skill Upgrade Token x2
Title Unlocked: "Breaker of Chains"
Black Layer Progression: 12% Synced
Jihan limped to Hana as the system flooded him with light.
He could barely stand. He was soaked in blood—not all of it his.
She caught him before he fell.
"You just pissed off the system's elite tier," she whispered.
"They're going to come for you harder now."
He smiled through cracked lips.
"Let them."
End of Chapter 28