I Hate Systems

Just like everyone else from the Green Centipede Clan, a youth found himself stranded alone all of a sudden, even though he had been standing amidst his Clansmen until now.

He was shocked upon hearing Compass Carburettor's voice. After recalling that it was the same voice as the person that was addressing them just now, he calmed down, looking at the path that was before him, "I should travel as far as possible?"

He looked at the path, frowning. It wasn't just the ground that was different, but the very environment itself.

Closest to him was a patch that spanned an area of a couple feet, not even wide enough for his entire body. Snow fell through it, disappearing the moment it touched the border.

On its right was a rainy patch where water continued to fall. But, the level of water on the ground didn't go over a certain level. It was surprising because it felt like each patch was a separate container.

The youth intended to scout out the place first, taking a step forward when he lost consciousness.

In reality, it was because his body was disintegrated by a concentrated column of Dust Wave that had been placed here, killing him instantly.

But, this was the Reality Marble. So, he revived shortly after. But this time, he was a couple of metres forward as compared to before, having crossed the column of Dust Wave left there by Compass Carburettor.

The only difference now as compared to before was the fact that he didn't have any Origin Essence anymore. When he was killed, his Origin Essence was sucked in by the Reality Marble as Compass Carburettor had intended.

And when he revived, he was revived without any Origin Essence. This way, his advantage as a cultivator was negated.

He was Gulnar, a decently talented youth in the Green Centipede Clan that was at the third Layer of the Martial Origin Stage.

He blinked in confusion, unable to understand just what had happened. The Dust Wave killed him so fast that he didn't even have time to register the pain before he died.

Shaking his head, he noticed that he had expended all Origin Essence, thinking that it was part of the test as he began to walk forward, selecting a grass plain to tread upon.

But suddenly, the moment he was about to set foot in the grass plain, the patch of grass plain vanished, and in its place arrived the rainfall patch, getting his leg drenched in water.

"What the…?" Gulnar was surprised to see this change as he extended his hand through the nearby patch, seeing it too change the moment his finger came into contact with what seemed to be the patch's boundary.

There was no physical boundary though, but the change in environment could be discerned. As it was a desert, he could feel the heat at the top of his finger, causing him to think, 'I see, so the moment I touch a patch, it changes.'

He then looked at the patch of rain, 'And, I've been standing here for a few seconds. Does that mean it changes only once?'

Thinking as such, he retracted his leg, entering it into the rainfall patch once again, hurriedly retracting his leg as he noticed molten lava on the ground, 'I see, so every time I enter it, the patch changes.'

Thinking of something, he exited the patch, extended his hand and inserted his hand into the patch, retracting it instantly before inserting it again, noticing the patch change twice, from the lava patch to a grassland patch, followed by a blizzard patch.

'This makes things somewhat better.' He thought, inserting his finger in and out of the patch until it turned into grassland, entering it. He then did the same to the patch before him, entering it after it became a grassland patch.

That wasn't all, he also used his other fingers, as if typing on a keyboard to constantly alter the patches, gaining experience in it. His concentration also improved as he began to focus more and more on the scene.

There were marks segregating the distance travelled along the path, with a line after every metre. It allowed Gulnar to easily make out the distance he was travelling, giving him some confidence, "I'll be able to reach the end easily."

But, his words came short as the moment he crossed the ten-metre mark, there was a loud boom at the starting location as a lean figure appeared there.

This figure wore a mask that resembled a ceramic plate, only showing his eyes. It was Earth's Compass Carburettor, displaying killing intent towards Gulnar immediately upon arrival.

The Earth Compass Carburettor sprinted towards him, entering the first patch that surprisingly became a grassland. The second patch turned into a concrete ground, the third being a rocky terrain, the fourth being a mud ground, etc.

All the patches turned to become harmless as he casually rushed through them, frightening Gulnar that could feel his unbridled killing intent, immediately understanding what the test was about, 'So, I have to either kill him or run through the patches fast enough to evade him.'

Gulnar's fingers danced as he hurriedly changed the patch into something favourable, rushing through it. But, what he hadn't expected was the order in which the changes to the patches happened.

The first patch was a rainfall, making him wet, the second was a rocky terrain, the third was a blizzard, the fourth was a flood, the fifth was a hailstorm, and the sixth was a tornado. Such a pattern repeated as even though Gulnar didn't die, minor injuries accumulated all over his body.

And of course, those injuries allowed the coldness to seep into his body, causing an inflammation. But despite everything, his speed of running wasn't fast enough. After all, if he made a mistake and stepped foot into lava, he would be done for.

Within a few seconds, the Earth Compass Carburettor caught up to him, leaping onto him as Gulnar turned around and punched, shocked when the patch—that the Earth Compass Carburettor was in—turned into a flood, negating the power behind his punch.

And when the hand of the Earth Compass Carburettor entered his patch, it turned into a quagmire, trapping him.