The ULTIMATE EXPERIENCE SYSTEM-Chapter 84: RAND AND THE DARKNESS
Chen Yu narrowed his eyes as he stared at the dark entity standing before him.
That voiceโominous and absoluteโstill echoed in his mind: ๐๐ซ๐๐ฒ๐จ๐๐๐๐๐ฏ๐๐น.๐๐จ๐บ
"You were not supposed to exist."
A chill ran down Chen Yuโs spine. The figure in front of him hadnโt moved an inch, yet his presence was overwhelming. Even the shadows around them seemed to writhe at his command.
"Who the hell are you?" Chen muttered under his breath, sweat trailing down the side of his face. "Youโre not just some ordinary monster..."
With a thought, his pupils shiftedโan ethereal glow shone in his eyes as he activated one of his hidden abilities.
Eye of Truth โ Activated.
In the next instant, a screen flickered into existence before him, revealing information that made his breath catch.
Name โ RAND
*[Messenger of the Darkness]
Class โ Dark Brawler
Rank โ SRR
STATS
โข Strength: 700
โข Agility: 700
โข Stamina: 700
โข Mana: 800
โข Energy: 800
Chen Yuโs mind froze for a second. "This guy... Dark Brawler?" he muttered. "Never heard of that class before."
He clenched his fists, trying to recall anything similar. Wait... there was someone. Rex! That guy who gave me the class change scroll. He had a weird vibe too... way too powerful, but strangely friendly. Even sparred with me a little back then.
Chenโs expression tightened. If Rand is anything like Rex... then this guy is no joke.
His gaze returned to the screen. There was more information nowโadditional analysis flashing under Randโs stats.
Strengths โ
โข Possesses a rare class: Dark Brawler โ few can face him if their stats are significantly lower.
โข Wields the dark energy of the Reth of Darkness โ a corrupted and ancient power.
Weaknesses โ
โข Vulnerable to Holy Power.
โข Has a low temper โ tends to attack recklessly when enraged.
Chen exhaled slowly. So... heโs insanely strong, powered by some darkness entity, and I can only really get to him if I bait him into losing his temper.
Then, he quickly brought up his own stats for comparison:
Chen Yuโs STATS
โข Strength: 540
โข Agility: 590
โข Stamina: 560
โข Mana: 610
โข Charm: 10/10
โข Energy: 720
Chenโs brows furrowed. "Not good. Heโs ahead of me in every stat... and that energy of darkness? I have no idea what kind of damage that could do."
Before he could strategize further, Rand suddenly lunged.
Boom!
The air exploded around him as Randโs fist came flying, shrouded in crackling dark energy. Chen barely had time to cross his arms before the blow connected.
Crash!
The impact sent him flying backwards like a ragdoll, crashing through a broken pillar and skidding across the battlefield in a trail of dust and debris.
Chen coughed as he staggered to his feet, his arms burning with pain. He looked up.
Rand stood there, unmoved, his hollow face turned toward Chen.
His voice rang out, deep and disdainful.
"What are you standing there for, human?"
A twisted smile crept into his voice.
"Hahaha... Fight me!"
Chen Yu slowly rose from the cracked earth, his coat fluttering slightly in the breeze. Despite the devastating impact that had launched him across the battlefield, he remained entirely unscathed.
He dusted off his shoulders and locked eyes with Rand, a mocking grin playing on his lips.
"Hahaha... Is that all your so-called Reth of Darkness gave you?" Chen taunted. "You canโt even hurt me properly. What a disappointment."
Randโs expression shiftedโsurprised, then sharp with suspicion.
He knows... about the Reth of Darkness? he thought. No, more than thatโhe recognized the origin of my power... His gaze hardened. This boy... heโs dangerous. I need to be careful. I must inform the Reth.
Hiding the unease in his voice, Rand responded coldly, "So what if you know the term โRethโ? Knowing doesnโt mean anything. Youโre still just a humanโfleeting, weak, irrelevant in the grand design."
Chen Yu let out a sharp laugh. "Irrelevant? Says the guy who just failed to kill a โmere humanโ in a single hit. If you think Iโm small fry, then what does that make you, Rand?"
Rand growled under his breath, his pride flaring.
"You insolent wretch!"
Dark energy burst around him as he disappeared in a swirl of shadows. In a fraction of a second, he reappeared behind Chen Yu, his blade of pure darkness raised high.
Butโ
Chenโs eyes gleamed. He had already predicted it.
"So predictable."
Void energy surged behind him, cracking the air with spatial distortion. Randโs blade collided with the formless, deep-black aura, only for Chenโs counter to strike back immediately. Both forces exploded in a violent shockwave, cancelling each other out in a swirl of darkness and nothingness.
BOOM!
Rand was forced to retreat, landing a few meters away, panting. He glared at Chen.
"Youโve contracted with a Reth. That explains the Void energy... But wait..."
His voice dropped.
"...Itโs not just the Void. Thereโs more. I can feel it. The Reth of Darknessโitโs reacting. Itโs telling me..."
His tone turned incredulous.
"Youโve bonded with three of them... Void, End of All Beings, and Peace of All Beings?! Thatโs impossible! Theyโre supposed to be independent entities, ancient and prideful. None of them have made a pact in eonsโlet alone three at once!"
Chenโs smirk deepened, a cold glint flashing in his eyes.
"Impossible? Maybe. But here I stand."
He clenched his fist, and a whirl of strange yet harmonious energies began to ripple around himโcalm silence, absolute annihilation, and perfect stillnessโall blending into one chaotic equilibrium.
โVoid... End of All Beings... Peace of All Beings... why is this guy here? Why me?โ
A voice like silence incarnate echoed in his mindโthis time not one, but three overlapping tones, weaving in perfect contradiction and unity.
[Void]: "He is the echo of our oldest enemy... a puppet cloaked in pride."
[Peace of All Beings]: "They fear you. Because you disrupt their balance."
[End of All Beings]: "You are a convergence. A defiance of destiny. His kind seek to end you before you become what you are meant to be."
Chenโs jaw tightened. "So... I was targeted the moment I made these pacts..."
[Void]: "Yes. And now, you must face what that choice brought."
Back on the battlefield, Rand raised his blade again, rage burning in his voice.
"I will tear you apart and scatter your pieces across dimensions! I, RandโMessenger of the Darkness, will end the abomination youโve become!"
Chen Yu stepped forward, void energy wrapping around his arms, the pressure around him intensifying. He cracked his neck and replied with a calm, deadly voice:
"Then try. Letโs see if your โDarknessโ is strong enough to smother the Void... or survive the End of All Beings."
Chen Yu stood still, staring at the place where Rand had been only moments ago. The pressure of the previous clash still crackled faintly in the air, residue from the collision of their powers.
He exhaled slowly.
"...Tch. I still canโt use Chaos Energy. Itโs beyond me right now," he muttered, clenching his fist.
His gaze darkened with resolve.
"But I can use whatโs within my reach."
He lifted both hands, dark tendrils of Void Energy weaving into existence around his right, and a jagged crimson auraโthe manifestation of the End of All Beingsโwrapping around his left.
Letโs try this again...
As the two forces met in his palms, the space around him distorted violently. The fusion wasnโt smoothโboth energies screamed against one anotherโbut they obeyed him, barely. Chen pushed further, forcing them into a massive black ring, its edges rippling like a vortex of collapsing reality.
Then, with a sudden grin, he whispered, "Letโs throw in one more thing..."
With a snap of his fingers, Demonic Energy surged from his coreโan unstable force he hadnโt used since contracting with Hui. It swirled into the ring, threading through the chaos like fire on oil. The ring now pulsed with a terrifying mix of annihilation, void, and corrupted magic.
"I donโt know if I can control it yet..." he said under his breath, "But itโs time to find out."
His body flickered.
Teleportation.
In an instant, he appeared behind Randโjust like Rand had tried to do to him earlier. But this time, it wasnโt a feint. Without a word, Chen slammed the fused sphere of chaotic energy directly into Randโs back.
BOOM!!!
The attack detonated on impact. The shockwave cracked the surrounding marble floors, splitting them like brittle glass. Dark flames erupted, and Rand let out a choked gasp before being swallowed in a blinding pulse of energy.
Chen didnโt stop moving.
He teleported again, reappearing a few meters away just as the explosion calmed. He panted lightly, watching the smoke.
"Good thing..." he murmured, "...he never figured out my class... or my teleportation cooldowns."
A moment passed.
Then the system chimed softly.
[You have defeated: Rand โ Messenger of the Darkness]
[You have gained 100 Attribute Points]
[Your actions have disrupted the plans of the Reth of Darkness]
Chen didnโt smile.
Instead, he whispered to himself, "One less pawn... but this wasnโt the end."
Elsewhere in the Beast Kingdom Mansion
The sounds of clashing echoed through the halls.
Hui stood calmly, stretching slightly as the last of her opponentsโtwo elite Shadow Guardsโlay crumpled in the wreckage of a shattered corridor.
"Tch. Disappointing," she muttered, brushing a few strands of silver hair from her cheek. "Chen better spoil me later for making me deal with this."
Roman, not far away, was wiping blood off his blade. Dozens of lower-ranked beast guards lay unconsciousโor worseโaround him.
"That should be the last of them," he said with a nod.
Inside the underground prison
Meiyun and Ruxue stood amidst the ruins of the second lower level. The prison had been brutalโcold and damp, with magical chains carved into the walls. But the enemies had been... sparse.
As Ruxue opened the final cell, she gasped.
Two massive beastfolkโclearly Vornarkโs parentsโlay inside, unconscious and bruised, bound by magical shackles. Meiyun stepped forward immediately, her face grim.
"Theyโve been tortured," she whispered. "But theyโre alive."
She shattered the chains with a single strike. Ruxue caught the unconscious woman while Meiyun lifted the man onto her back.
"Weโll take them home," Ruxue said. "Letโs go."
Back in the royal bedroom
Chen stood with Vornark, Hui, and Roman as Meiyun and Ruxue arrived, their expressions tense but victorious. The moment Vornark saw his parents, his breath caught in his throat.
"Father... Mother..."
He rushed to them, gently kneeling beside their unconscious forms. His hands trembled.
"Thank you..." he said, voice tight, looking up at Meiyun and Ruxue. "Thank you both."
Meiyun smiled gently. "You donโt need to say it. Youโre one of us."
Ruxue nodded. "We just did what Chen asked. Thatโs all."
Chen took a step forward, his expression seriousโbut then a flicker of concern crossed his face.
"Wait... whereโs Krow?"
Everyone froze.
The air grew heavy.
Vornark looked around. "He was here... during the battle..."
Roman swore under his breath. "He mustโve taken advantage of the chaos between you and Rand and slipped away."
Huiโs eyes narrowed. "He ran like a coward."
Chen clenched his fists.
"He was prepared. That bastard was waiting for someoneโRand wasnโt just backup. Krow planned this."
A silence settled.
But not for long.
A low hum began to echo in the distanceโsubtle at first, but growing louder.
Everyone turned.
A faint glow began to spread across the horizon.
Chen glanced at the clock embedded on his system HUD.
"...Itโs almost time," he said.
Meiyun raised an eyebrow. "Time for what?"
Chen turned to them, his gaze burning with anticipation.
"The wall... Itโs coming down in thirty minutes. The world will change after that."
He looked at his teamโtired, bruised, but standing strong.
"Whatever happens next, weโre no longer hiding in the shadows. The worldโs about to see usโand weโll make sure they remember our nam
