Chapter: Break and Boundaries - The Path to Power
The dusty light of morning filtered through the cracked hotel windows, casting long beams over Yu Chen's resting form. He stirred awake, his body wrapped in the warm silence of the abandoned room. The soft voices of his bonded partners echoed in his mind like whispers through silk, their pleasure a constant background hum.
He sat up slowly and opened his system window.
[ Status View ]
[ Class - Unique ] [ Body - Evolution and Living Body ] [ Name - Yu Chen ] [ Level - 11.74 (x4 Gain) ] [ Pleasure Points: 100.00 ]
"System, purchase Orgone Burst (A+)," he said calmly.
[ Confirmed: Orgone Burst (A+) Acquired ]
[ Orgone Burst (A+): Release a biological shockwave that stuns and damages nearby enemies. Cooldown: 30 seconds. Scales with Constitution and Pleasure Points. ]
Chen exhaled.
"That gives me offensive power if I'm surrounded. A silent tool... still in line with my stealth path."
He stood, adjusted his cloak, and slipped into stealth. The ruined city of smoke and broken structures greeted him outside. The air was dense with decay. He moved quickly, avoiding mutated beasts and roaming zombies as he made his way back to his house.
When he reached the outskirts, the view was bittersweet. His home was untouched structurally, but the area around it had been pillaged. Signs of neighbors who had turned, or fled, littered the ground. He stepped inside. It was quiet.
"Let's gather food, medical supplies, tools, batteries... anything useful."
He swept through the house with military efficiency. Every can, every wire, every sealed container. Tools. Water filters. Rope. It all went into his spatial inventory, linked to his unique class.
"Done." He turned to the door. "Time to leave this place."
---
[ 3 Days Later - Border of Haizhou City ]
Haizhou City was one of the few places where the dungeon break had slowed down. Many awakeners fled there. Chen arrived cloaked in stealth, avoiding detection.
The city center was chaotic: guild banners waved above buildings, dungeon entrances were sealed by barrier crystals, and awakeners gathered near bulletin boards and markets.
And then he saw her.
Jia Ling.
His university literature teacher—and the woman who once stirred his young heart.
She stood tall, dressed in tactical gear, sword at her back. She was flanked by two familiar figures—Cheng Kung, the former college football champion who bullied weaker students, and Hui Ying, his girlfriend who often mocked others with arrogance.
Chen's heart tensed.
He deactivated stealth and walked up slowly.
"Miss Jia."
She turned, eyes widening.
"Yu Chen?"
Cheng Kung stepped forward. "You're alive?" he said, half surprised, half annoyed.
Chen ignored him. "I left college to protect my sister... I'm glad to see you're safe."
Jia Ling smiled. "You did well. Your sister?"
"She's alive. With me."
Hui Ying narrowed her eyes. "We thought you died. Hiding all this time, huh?"
"Survival is a strategy," Chen replied coolly.
Jia Ling raised a hand. "Stop. This isn't school. He's here now—and that matters."
Cheng scoffed. "Whatever. He won't survive long without a guild."
That word again.
Guilds.
The new system forming across the world.
Powerful awakeners began organizing survivors and fighters into guilds. Each guild had territory, rules, and dungeon control rights. Dungeons were now sprouting everywhere—dimensional rifts filled with monsters and rare resources.
Jia Ling gestured to the board nearby. "This city has three major guilds."
1. Crimson Fangs – Aggressive, elite, value power above all.
2. Moonveil – Support-heavy guild focused on healing and ranged magic.
3. Heaven's Vault – Balanced, trade-focused, aims to rebuild civilization.
Chen studied the banners and noted which players belonged to whom by their uniforms.
Cheng grinned. "I joined Crimson Fangs. First dungeon cleared in two hours."
Jia Ling said, "I'm in Moonveil. I joined to protect students who survived. But resources are tight."
Chen's eyes gleamed.
He didn't need to join a guild. His Internal World gave him safety. His stealth gave him freedom. But the dungeon… now that interested him.
---
[ That Night – Guild Dormitories ]
Chen stayed hidden in the outskirts of the Heaven's Vault camp. From here, he could see dungeon operations: parties formed, strategy assigned, and scouts reported monster types.
"Time to observe a dungeon up close..."
He climbed the outer ridge of the first low-level dungeon: a fissure in the earth glowing faint purple.
Inside, he saw them—monsters made of liquid flesh and bone armor. Dungeon beasts.
"System, scan them."
[ Dungeon Monster – Slime Armor Ghoul ]
[ Type: Dungeon Monster – Undead Slime Variant ]
[ Rank: E ]
[ Level: 8–10 ]
[ HP: 25–31]
[ Mana: 6 ]
---
[ Stats \ ]
Strength: 12
Agility: 6
Constitution: 34
Stamina: 22
Perception: 4
Abilitie:
Armor Absorb (B): The slime layers absorb physical impact, reducing 60% of physical damage taken.
He watched as a Crimson Fangs team entered. Cheng Kung was among them.
[ Crimson Fangs Raid Team – Status Overview ]
[ Name: Cheng Kung ]
Class: Brutal Vanguard
Level: 9
Rank: C-Class Awakened
HP: 16
Mana: 3
[ Stats \ ]
Strength: 10
Agility: 6
Constitution: 7
Stamina: 9
Intelligence: 5
[ Abilitie\ ]
Bonebreaker Slam (C): A heavy two-handed strike that deals bonus damage to armored enemies.
---
[ Name: Hui Ying ]
Class: Blade Tempest
Level: 8
Rank: D+ Class Awakened
HP: 14
Mana: 4
[ Stats \ ]
Strength: 8
Agility: 6
Constitution: 4
Stamina: 5
Intelligence: 7
[ Abilities \ ]
Whirlwind Slash (D): Rapidly spins with dual blades to deal AoE damage.
---
[ Name: Kang Jie ]
Class: Ember Apprentice
Level: 7
Rank: D Class Awakened
HP: 12
Mana: 6
[ Stats \ ]
Strength: 6
Agility: 5
Constitution:4
Stamina: 9
Intelligence: 8
[ Abilitie \ ]
Fire Bolt (D): Launches a small bolt of flame. Bonus damage to undead.
---
[ Name: Shen Qiao ]
Class: Steel Guard
Level: 6
Rank: D- Class Awakened
HP: 14
Mana: 2
[ Stats \ ]
Strength: 8
Agility: 5
Constitution: 6
Stamina:7
Intelligence: 4
[ Abilities\ ]
Fortify (D): Boosts personal defense by 25% for 10 seconds.
Chen sat silently beneath the shade of a ruined tree, watching the city fro
[ Status View – Jia Ling ]
[ Class: Moonveil Scholar ]
[ Level: 8 ]
[ Rank: A-Class Awakened ]
[ HP: 14]
[ Strength: 9]
[ Mana: 4]
[ Constitution: 6]
[ Stamina:7]
[ Intelligence: 8]
[ Ability: Mind's Eye (A) – Grants tactical foresight and enemy weak-point exposure. Boosts party accuracy and crit rate by 15% in formation. ]
[ Affection: 78/100 ]
"She's strong," he whispered. "But she's also tired."
His gaze softened. Jia Ling's eyes, back then in the classroom, always carried a quiet concern for students who couldn't keep up. Now, they were focused on survival—yet carried that same protective flame.
He felt it—something unspoken still lingered between them.
"Cheng overestimated himself. Good."
He watched carefully.
Then, stealth activated, Chen slipped into the dungeon behind them.
He had no party. No name. No guild.
But he had Orgone Burst.
And a body full of powerful partners who fueled his evolution silently, lovingly, endlessly.