I Got Reincarnated With The Ultimate Suffering System

Chapter Seven: Thank You

Quinn backed away from the board before anyone could notice his name, his heart racing. His palms were sweaty, knees moderately weak, and breakfast, a half-burnt mantou bun was already regretting being eaten.

Disciples began pointing at the board.

“Someone new signed up…”

“Quinn Ma? Who’s that? Sounds like a laundry disciple.”

“Isn’t that the guy who got pecked half to death by a chicken?”

“He’s entering? Oh, this’ll be hilarious.”

“Great,” Quinn muttered, slipping back toward the servant quarters like a shadow. “Now I’m a joke and a target. Perfect.”

[Quinn's Resolve – Quiet Determination]

That night, Quinn sat alone under the cracked roof of his quarters. The System hadn’t said much since the board.

Perhaps it was letting him think.

Finally, Quinn exhaled. “Fine. You want serious? Let’s do serious.”

He cleared the space around him, sat cross-legged, and started cultivating again.

A surge of energy shot up his arms, wild and untamed like a river of bees. Quinn gritted his teeth. Pain laced every nerve. His bones ached. His skin buzzed. But through it all, he endured.

Minutes passed.

Then hours.

Quinn’s eyes snapped open, sweat pouring down his face. His muscles trembled. His body felt burnt out but alive.

He grinned, panting. “That… was insane.”

[It was also impressive.]

Quinn flopped onto his back and laughed quietly under the stars.

The trial was coming.

He was no longer the weakest.

Morning haze clung to the hills like a lazy dog refusing to move. Somewhere in the distance, birds sang their usual cheerful songs, oblivious to the weight of impending doom pressing down on one Quinn.

He squinted up at the rising sun.

Then sighed.

“This is stupid.”

[Correction: You are stupid. The training is essential.]

“I was talking about the sun. Look at it. Smug, round, judgmental.”

[It’s a celestial object. It doesn’t care.]

“Exactly! Rude.”

Still grumbling, Quinn rolled his shoulders and took up the first stance of the Basic Footwork: Jade Serpent Form. It sounded graceful, elegant like a dancer weaving through mist and petals.

He immediately tripped over his own foot and fell flat on his face.

“Oof—!”

[Excellent. You’ve discovered the ancient technique of ‘Kiss the Earth’. Very rare. Very embarrassing.]

“Keep talking and I swear I’ll…,” he mumbled into the dirt.

[Try lifting your heels less and shifting your weight like I showed you. Unless you're aiming to be the first cultivator with a broken spine before Foundation Realm.]

Quinn pushed himself up, wincing. Despite his complaining, he obeyed. This time, his foot landed solid. He pivoted smoothly into the next motion. Right foot slide. Bend the knee. Shift weight. Left foot back. Again.

Again.

And again.

Half an hour passed. Then an hour. Sweat clung to his forehead and soaked the collar of his tattered outer disciple robes. His arms trembled. His legs shook.

[Better. You still move like a drunken duck, but there’s less waddling now.]

“Thanks, System. Your support sustains me.”

[Really? Because your chi channels are still blocked like a toilet in the servant quarters.]

“I will uninstall you!”

[You can’t. I'm part of your soul now.]

Quinn groaned. He dropped into a crouch, catching his breath. “So what’s next, oh mystical system? Want me to backflip while crying blood?”

[Not yet. You’re ready for Phase Two: Bone Reinforcement.]

That caught his attention.

Bone reinforcement was a technique typically reserved for cultivators entering the second stage of Body Tempering. It involved strengthening the skeletal system by circulating spiritual energy through it, it was dangerous without guidance, painful even with it.

“Do we have enough root energy left for that?” he asked, cautiously.

[You do. Well barely. But I’ll guide the flow manually. Don’t screw it up or your femur might explode.]

“Wow. Soothing.”

He sat cross-legged and closed his eyes.

The System spoke quietly in the background. [Begin channeling energy from your dantian. Slowly. Like dripping tea from a cracked kettle.]

Quinn visualized the flow of chi through his meridians. It was faint like trying to direct fog with your fingertips. But he nudged it, coaxed it, until the faint greenish energy began to creep upward through his torso and down into his legs.

And then

Intense pain.

Sharp, white-hot, like glass being poured through his bones.

“AHHHHHHHH—!”

[Calm. Breathe. The pain means it’s working. You’re being reforged. Like a sword in a furnace.]

“IT FEELS LIKE A FORK IN MY SPINE!”

[That’s because you have poor posture.]

“SCREW YOU!”

Despite the agony, he kept going. Sweat poured from him like rain. He trembled. His jaw clenched. But beneath the pain was… something else.

A pulse.

A quiet strength waking inside him, like someone had dusted off an ancient engine and turned the key.

He felt his bones thicken, condense. Tendons tightened. His muscles adjusted automatically.

Then—

Crack.

It was a terrifying sound. But oddly satisfying.

Quinn gasped, eyes flying open.

Everything was quiet again. Still. But his limbs no longer shook. He stood and felt light on his feet. Stronger and more balanced.

“...Whoa.”

[Reinforcement successful. +1 to Endurance. +1 to Agility. Temporary pain immunity granted for 48 hours. Side effect: Sudden urge to punch someone.]

“I feel… incredible,” he whispered.

[Of course. You’ve survived your own incompetence. Truly miraculous.]

“System?”

[Yes?]

“Can you not be a pain in the ass for once?”

[No. Hatred builds character.]

He wanted to test it immediately.

There was a group of training disciples sparring nearby. A tall boy named Daku had set up an open duel ring and was showing off his “Roaring Tiger Palm” on a wooden dummy. The dummy was now mostly splinters.

Quinn approached.

“Hey. Can I spar with someone?”

A few heads turned.

Daku sneered. “You? The guy who sang the wig song in the food hall?”

There was laughter.

Quinn smiled. “Yep, that would be me.”

A shorter disciple named Lan Bo stepped forward, raising a wooden staff. “I’ll go easy on you. So uh just try not to cry.”

They squared up.

[System Analysis: Lan Bo is faster, has two years’ experience, but fights too wide. Exploit the center line.]

“Copy that.”

The match began.

Lan Bo lunged, sweeping his staff in a wide arc.

Quinn ducked then slid forward and jabbed him with his palm.

Lan stumbled back, evidently surprised. “Not bad.”

Quinn felt the new power in his limbs, reactive, spring-loaded, like his body was finally syncing up with his instincts.

Lan came again, faster now. Staff spinning.

Quinn deflected. Then countered with a low kick.

[Well done. That was almost graceful.]

“I’ll take it.”

Ten moves later, Quinn managed to disarm him.

Lan Bo blinked. “Whoa. Did you level up or something?”

Quinn just grinned. “Something like that.”

[New Tag Unlocked: “Not Totally Hopeless.” Congratulations.]

**

By the time the sun dipped below the peaks, Quinn was exhausted but elated. He flopped back against a tree trunk, heart still pounding, watching fireflies blink lazily through the grass.

He stared at the stars.

“…Hey, System.”

[What now? Existential crisis? Training recap? Want me to write a poem about your footwork?]

“No. Just… thanks.”

[Pause.]

[You’re welcome, Fungus.]