Heaven Defying System

Chapter 1: That's Incredibly Cliche

Auremont University was one of the most prestigious universities in the city.

It was a school where the children of wealthy businessmen, influential officials, and prominent families gathered. Seeing luxury cars lined up outside the campus was normal, and having a powerful family background was almost as common as having good grades.

Still, Auremont wasn't entirely reserved for the elite.

A small number of students entered through scholarships every year.

Zevian Rook was one of those lucky few.

It was a peaceful afternoon.

Inside the university cafeteria, students occupied most of the tables as they enjoyed their lunch.

At a table near the corner, a handsome young man sat alone, quietly eating roasted meat with rice.

Several students occasionally glanced at him.

Most were girls.

Some whispered among themselves, wondering which department he belonged to. A face like his shouldn't have remained unnoticed for long in Auremont.

Yet strangely, very few seemed to recognize him.

"Hi."

A soft female voice suddenly interrupted his meal.

Zevian raised his head.

A piece of meat was still hanging between his lips.

Standing beside his table was a pretty girl with long brown hair. She looked confident when she approached, but the moment Zevian stared at her while chewing, a hint of embarrassment appeared on her face.

Zevian blinked.

Once.

Twice.

His expression seemed to ask, 'Do you need something?'

The girl cleared her throat.

"Are you new here?"

Zevian chewed his food before swallowing.

"No."

"Oh." She looked surprised. "First year?"

"Second."

"What?"

Her eyes widened.

"I'm a second-year student too. How come I've never seen you before?"

Zevian smiled faintly.

The girl tucked a strand of hair behind her ear.

"Well... if you're not familiar with this part of campus, I could still show you around sometime."

Zevian blinked at her.

'We're both second-years. Besides, I've already walked around this university more times than I can count.'

He didn't expose her flimsy excuse, though.

The girl hesitated for a moment before taking out her phone.

"Can I have your number?"

Zevian raised an eyebrow.

'So that's what this is about.'

He was just about to answer when-

"ZEVIAN ROOK!"

A furious roar swept across the cafeteria.

"GET OUT HERE!"

The cafeteria immediately quieted down.

Zevian turned toward the entrance.

Three young men were standing there.

The one in front had an expensive jacket, a luxury watch around his wrist, and an expression that suggested someone had personally offended his ancestors.

Zevian stared at him for a moment.

Then scratched his head.

He turned back around and continued eating.

The girl beside him, however, had gone pale.

"Darren Kessler..."

Her earlier confidence disappeared.

Darren Kessler was a third-year Business Administration student and the only son of the owner of Kessler Development Group.

The Kesslers might not rank among the city's greatest families, but they were wealthy enough that most ordinary students wouldn't dare provoke Darren.

More importantly, Darren himself was a notorious bully.

The girl looked between Darren and the young man sitting calmly before her.

"Wait."

She blinked.

"You're Zevian Rook?"

Zevian nodded while chewing.

Her expression became even stranger.

Before she could say anything else, Darren and his two companions started walking toward them.

The girl's face changed immediately.

"I... I have to go."

She grabbed her bag.

Zevian glanced at her phone.

"What about my number?"

"I'll ask another time!"

She practically fled.

Zevian watched her disappear into the crowd.

"Hm."

Apparently, Darren was quite effective at ruining conversations.

Bang!

A fist smashed against Zevian's table.

His soup shook violently.

A few drops nearly escaped the bowl.

Zevian's eyes followed them.

He slowly looked up.

"You almost spilled my soup."

Darren's face darkened.

"Do I look like I give a damn about your soup?"

Zevian considered him.

"No."

"Then listen carefully, Rook."

Darren leaned over the table.

"I heard you've been getting close to Goddess Sinclair."

Whispers immediately spread around them.

Sinclair.

One of Auremont University's famous Three Campus Goddesses.

Beauty, family background, intelligence - she had all three.

Zevian thought for a moment.

"Oh. Her."

Darren's eyebrow twitched.

"'Oh, her'?"

"Yeah."

"You sound awfully familiar with her."

"Not really."

"Good." Darren sneered. "Then stay away from her."

Zevian picked up another piece of meat.

"Why?"

"Because I said so."

"Oh."

Darren waited.

Zevian ate the meat.

"...That's it?"

Zevian looked at him.

"What else?"

Darren's expression stiffened.

One of his companions stepped forward.

"Are you stupid? Brother Darren is telling you to stay away from Goddess Sinclair!"

"I heard him."

"Then agree!"

Zevian frowned slightly.

"But she approached me."

Silence.

Even Darren seemed unable to process that sentence.

"What?"

"She approached me," Zevian repeated. "If that bothers you, shouldn't you tell her not to?"

Someone nearby snorted.

Darren's face turned red.

"You fucking bastard!"

His fist shot toward Zevian's face.

Several students screamed.

Zevian casually tilted his head.

Whoosh!

The fist missed.

Zevian continued chewing.

Darren stared.

Zevian pointed at his plate with his chopsticks.

"Can you give me two minutes?"

Darren nearly exploded.

"Beat his ass!"

One of his companions lunged forward.

Zevian sighed.

He leaned backward as a fist passed over him, caught the man's wrist, and pulled.

"Whoa!"

Bang!

The man crashed directly into Darren.

The third guy rushed Zevian from behind.

Without leaving his chair, Zevian shifted sideways, grabbed his plate before it could fall, and kicked backward.

Thud!

"Ugh!"

The attacker folded over, clutching his stomach.

Zevian looked at his plate.

Four pieces remained.

He stuffed two into his mouth.

Darren shoved his companion aside and charged again.

Zevian picked up the remaining two pieces.

He tossed them into his mouth.

Chewed.

Swallowed.

Then placed his chopsticks down.

"Alright."

He stood.

"Now I'm done."

Darren threw another punch.

Zevian moved.

Bang!

A moment later, Darren found himself face-first against the table.

His first companion attacked from the side.

Zevian ducked, swept his leg, and sent him crashing onto his back.

The last one barely had time to raise his fists before Zevian stepped forward and drove a clean punch into his stomach.

"Urk!"

He collapsed.

The entire exchange lasted less than half a minute.

Zevian calmly returned to his chair.

Darren and his two companions lay scattered around him, groaning.

He picked up his soup.

Finished it.

Then leaned back.

"Burp."

Dozens of students stared at him.

Zevian looked at the three men on the floor and shook his head.

"Couldn't even wait until I finished eating."

What none of them knew was that three days ago, Zevian Rook couldn't have fought like this.

Three days earlier.

Zevian stood outside the dormitory carrying several bags of garbage.

His roommates had conveniently disappeared, so naturally, the job had fallen to him.

Back then, Zevian looked very different.

Thick glasses covered his eyes. His hair was messy, several pimples dotted his face, and his body was completely ordinary.

He looked exactly like the kind of quiet student people forgot five minutes after meeting.

After throwing away the garbage, Zevian turned around.

Ding!

He froze.

[Daily Check-In System successfully activated.]

Zevian looked around.

"...System?"

[Correct.]

A translucent screen appeared before his eyes.

[Host may perform daily check-ins at eligible locations to obtain various rewards. Special locations may provide-]

"That's incredibly cliche."

[...]

Zevian adjusted his glasses.

"A Daily Check-In System? Seriously?"

[Host is advised to appreciate this opportunity.]

"Can I fly?"

[No.]

"Heat vision?"

[No.]

"Invulnerability?"

[No.]

Zevian sighed.

"You're not very impressive."

[...]

[THEN WHAT DOES HOST WANT?!]

Zevian grinned.

"Superman."

[...]

"Flight, strength, speed, invulnerability. I'll take the whole set."

[HOST-!]

The screen suddenly flickered.

[Host dissatisfaction detected.]

[System authority reevaluation initiated.]

[Current System classification deemed inadequate.]

[Forced evolution initiated.]

Zevian blinked.

"What?"

[7%...]

"Wait."

[46%...]

"I was messing with you."

[81%...]

"Hey."

[100%.]

A golden light flashed across the screen.

[System evolution complete.]

[DAILY CHECK-IN SYSTEM has evolved into HEAVEN DEFYING SYSTEM.]

Zevian waited several seconds.

"That's it?"

[...Yes.]

"Five seconds for that?"

[IT WAS AN EVOLUTION!]

"Oh."

[...]

[Newbie Package issued.]

[Heavenly Marrow Cleansing Nut x1.]

Pop!

A tiny nut appeared in Zevian's palm.

He stared at it.

Then at the screen.

Then back at the nut.

"Thanks."

[...]

"You knew I was hungry."

[The Heavenly Marrow Cleansing Nut possesses-]

Zevian waved his hand.

"No need. I know how nuts work."

[Host, wait-]

Crack!

He opened it and tossed it into his mouth.

Crunch.

"Not bad."

[...]

"Got another?"

The System stopped answering.

Zevian shrugged and returned to his dorm.

Not long afterward, an overwhelming drowsiness struck him.

He collapsed onto his bed and fell asleep.

Only then did the System speak again.

[Heavenly Marrow Cleansing Nut: Purifies bodily impurities, corrects physical defects, optimizes muscles and bones, enhances strength, speed, endurance, senses and neurological function, improves disease resistance, delays cellular deterioration, and increases natural lifespan potential.]

Zevian snored peacefully.

[Absorption initiated.]

Heat slowly spread throughout his body.

His muscles tightened.

His bones began subtly restructuring.

Even his damaged eyesight started correcting itself.

[Estimated reconstruction time: 8 hours.]

The System remained silent for several seconds.

[Idiot.]