From Slave to King: My Rebate System Built Me a Kingdom With Beauties!-Chapter 198: The Truth About The System? [FIXED!]

Byung was able to move now, the armor’s enchantments having absorbed enough of the binding magic that his limbs responded to his commands. He flexed his fingers experimentally, rolled his shoulders, testing the range of motion while remaining within the runic circle. The paralysis had lifted, leaving only residual tingling in his extremities. But even with mobility restored, he couldn’t bring himself to attack the elf sitting calmly before him.

He looked at her properly for the first time without the immediate threat of execution hanging over him, really studied her features with the kind of attention circumstances hadn’t previously allowed. She was beautiful in ways that defied easy description—not the aggressive, powerful beauty of orcs like Grishka or Naz, but something entirely different. He wondered if all elves possessed this quality, this ethereal grace that seemed almost otherworldly.

Orcs were beautiful in a brutal way, all sharp edges and raw power, muscles that spoke of capability and danger, features that commanded respect through strength. Their beauty was visceral, immediate, the kind that made your pulse quicken with equal parts attraction and wariness.

However, elves were beautiful in a serene way that felt almost spiritual. This elf’s platinum hair caught the magical light of the area like spun moonlight, her violet eyes held depths that suggested centuries of accumulated wisdom, and her movements possessed a fluidity that made every gesture look choreographed. Even sitting casually on stone floor, she appeared regal, composed, as if violence and urgency were beneath her concern.

Byung already knew with growing certainty that the dwarf was the evil one in this situation. The elves were trying their best to preserve the order of the current world, to maintain the barrier that kept nightmares from consuming reality. They weren’t villains—they were defenders, however extreme their methods might seem. The dwarf, by contrast, wanted to tear down that barrier for reasons that served only his own dark purposes, consequences be damned.

He had learned so much in this brief conversation, gained context that shifted his entire understanding of the journey he’d undertaken. But one thing bothered him deeply, gnawed at his conscience despite the circumstances. He wondered if the elves would truly dispose of one of their own simply because she lost access to her magic. Would they really reject Aelindra, cast her out or execute her, just for being diminished?

There was no logical reason for them to do something that drastic, Byung thought. She was still the same person, still possessed combat training and knowledge accumulated over centuries. Magic was a tool, not the totality of her worth. But the elf’s earlier words suggested otherwise, implied a culture that couldn’t accept weakness in any form.

"Your friend," Byung said carefully, choosing his words with deliberate precision. "Aelindra. Would you truly turn her away just because the dwarf stole her magic?"

The platinum-haired elf regarded him steadily. "It’s not about turning her away. An elf without magic cannot survive in our society—she would be vulnerable to attacks she once shrugged off, unable to participate in rituals that sustain our community, a constant reminder of our own mortality. It would be cruelty to force her to live that way."

"Then let me help," Byung offered, the words surprising even himself as they emerged. "When this is over, if she has nowhere to go... I’m willing to give her a place. In my settlement. She could live there, be safe there."

The elf’s expression shifted to something between surprise and suspicion. She could easily tell when someone was lying—centuries of reading body language and microexpressions made deception nearly impossible to hide from her. Yet she could not sense any deception from Byung’s offer. His heartbeat remained steady, his breathing regular, his eyes held hers without the telltale flicker that accompanied falsehood.

After all, he was already living with orcs in his settlement, had formed genuine bonds and alliances with beings most would consider enemies or inferiors. So his offer to shelter a powerless elf checked out as consistent with established patterns. But there was no way she would personally agree to live among such low lives—goblins and orcs, creatures without culture or refinement, surviving rather than truly living.

Not that it mattered, she thought with grim certainty. The community Byung described wouldn’t stand for long once he died. His death would destabilize everything, return the goblins to their natural state of infighting and chaos, scatter the orcs back to their territories. The settlement would collapse within weeks of losing its central pillar.

But Byung’s next words made her reconsider that assumption. "I’m the only one who can kill the dwarf," he stated with quiet confidence that sounded less like arrogance and more like accepted fact. "But there has to be a way to erect a barrier without using my sword as the catalyst. Another method, another anchor point."

The elf looked at him with genuine confusion now, her perfect features showing the first crack in composure. "What do you mean?"

Byung leaned forward slightly, his enhanced mind working through logical progressions. "Whatever force or being created the goblin king’s sword in the first place—they should be capable of creating another catalyst, right? A different anchor for the barrier that doesn’t require that specific blade. The sword is just a tool, a focus. The real power comes from whatever enchanted it originally."

The elf thought about it for a long moment, her ancient mind turning over possibilities she’d never considered before because the current solution had worked for millennia. It was a long shot, extremely speculative, but not entirely without merit. If the original barrier architects still existed in some form, if their knowledge could be accessed...

She proceeded to study him with renewed interest. "How are you capable of such complex thoughts?" she asked directly. "You’re a goblin—transformed, yes, evolved beyond your kin, but still fundamentally limited by your species’ cognitive architecture. Yet you reason like someone who’s studied magical theory, who understands the principles underlying reality manipulation."

Then her eyes narrowed, something clicking into place. "And why do I sense something else in you? Something that doesn’t belong in this world?"

Byung questioned what she meant, though unease crept into his voice. "What do you sense?"

The elf’s expression grew more serious, almost troubled. "The stench of the dark continent," she said quietly, as if speaking the words too loudly might make them more real. "It’s faint, buried beneath your own essence, but it’s there. Unmistakable once I recognized it. There’s no way you should belong here in our world—something about you is fundamentally wrong, touched by that place beyond the barrier."

This confused Byung deeply, shaking some of his assumptions about his own nature. He had thought the system was something unique to him, perhaps a gift from the original goblin king or a mutation born from near-death trauma. But if it carried the signature of the dark continent...

He decided to risk it, to potentially expose information that could be used against him. Maybe she knew something crucial about his system, about what was happening to him and why.

"Do you know anything," Byung asked carefully, "about something that could trigger evolution in creatures? Not natural growth or magical enhancement, but fundamental transformation that rewrites what you are at the deepest level? Something that activates through near-death experiences and grants abilities beyond normal limits?" 𝓯𝓻𝓮𝙚𝙬𝓮𝙗𝒏𝙤𝒗𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝒐𝓶

The elf had no idea what he was talking about specifically, her confusion evident in how her head tilted slightly. "Evolution magic doesn’t exist in our world—creatures are what they are, shaped by their essence and bloodlines. Transformation is possible through spells, yes, but not the kind of permanent, progressive change you’re describing. That sounds like..." She trailed off, pieces fitting together. "That sounds like dark continent biology. Their creatures evolve through consumption and trauma, become stronger through suffering in ways that violate natural order."

However, Byung did get something valuable from her response, even if she couldn’t provide direct answers. A pattern emerged, connections forming that he couldn’t ignore.

All the answers he sought—about the system, about his transformations, about his true nature and purpose—they were in the dark continent. Whatever was happening to him, whatever force had chosen him and guided his evolution, it was directly linked to that nightmare realm beyond the barrier. The sword wasn’t just a key to opening the barrier—it was somehow connected to the same source as his system, part of a larger design that stretched across dimensions.

The revelation was both enlightening and terrifying. If his power came from the dark continent, what did that make him? A tool of forces beyond his understanding? A weapon created for purposes he couldn’t fathom? Or simply someone who had accidentally tapped into something that existed before the worlds were separated?

Before the conversation could go any further, before Byung could ask follow-up questions or the elf could probe deeper into his nature, a presence made itself known.

The dwarf had arrived.

The temperature in the white stone area dropped noticeably, not through natural means but through the sheer wrongness his presence brought. The glowing runes on the walls flickered, dimmed slightly, as if his very existence drained light and warmth from the environment.

He stood in the doorway—Byung didn’t see him enter, didn’t hear footsteps or the opening of doors. The dwarf was simply there, as if he’d always been there, his obsidian skin absorbing illumination and his red eyes glowing with stolen elven magic.

"Well, well," the dwarf said, his too-white smile spreading across his dark face. "Isn’t this cozy? My key having a pleasant chat with his captor. I hope I’m not interrupting anything important."

The elf was on her feet instantly, magical defenses activating despite knowing they were weakened. Her hands began weaving patterns, preparing spells that would be shadows of their former power but might still serve as deterrent.

The dwarf’s smile widened further. "Oh, don’t bother with that. We both know how this ends."