Refused The System

The Bottom of the Abyss

Plunging into the depths of the earth did not kill Gerry immediately.

The roar of rushing wind filled his ears as his burlap-wrapped body hurtled through the endless darkness of the Forbidden Abyss.

The agony from the surgical wound at his side gradually faded beneath the crushing cold. The air grew heavier with every passing second, thick with the damp, stagnant scent of an abyss that had never known sunlight.

Without warning, a violent impact halted his descent.

His body slammed into the thick branch of a massive tree jutting from the cliff wall. The collision shattered two of his ribs, but the branch absorbed much of his momentum. He bounced through a tangle of branches before crashing onto the ground below.

Gerry landed flat on his back.

The burlap wrapped around him had been torn apart, leaving his skin exposed to the freezing earth at the bottom of the abyss.

He looked upward.

Far, far above, only the faintest glimmer of light remained visible at the mouth of the chasm.

It was the last trace of the world above.

The world that had betrayed him.

The place where Alex had carved him open and Helena had abandoned him.

Gerry coughed, warm metallic liquid spilling from his mouth.

Blood poured steadily from the wound in his abdomen, soaking the black earth beneath him. His breaths came in short, ragged gasps as his lungs struggled against the suffocating air of the abyss.

His consciousness began to drift.

Alex's cold face.

Dandy's mocking smile.

Helena's empty eyes.

The memories flashed through his mind one after another.

"Damn it..." Gerry whispered, barely audible. "I can't die here."

Yet with a missing vital organ, catastrophic blood loss, and multiple broken bones, he knew his body had reached its absolute limit.

His heartbeat slowed.

Its rhythm became increasingly erratic.

Just as darkness threatened to consume him completely, a strange vibration pulsed deep within his mind.

A sharp pain exploded through his head.

[...Scanning Host...]

A flat, mechanical voice echoed inside his consciousness.

[Biological signature detected. Physical damage: 94%. Status: Critical.]

Gerry struggled to move his eyes.

"Who... who's there?"

[Host Identified: Gerry Sterling. Soul Compatibility: 99.8%. Initializing Vesper System.]

A translucent pale blue screen materialized before his blurred vision.

Its faint light flickered within the darkness, displaying unfamiliar symbols cascading rapidly downward.

[Congratulations, Host. You have been selected to become the vessel of the Eternal Sovereignty System: Vesper.]

[Emergency condition detected. Host requires immediate restoration to survive.]

[Offering Host Contract: "The Puppet Sovereign."]

[Contract Terms: The System will repair all physical damage, regenerate all missing organs, and instantly restore damaged meridians. In exchange, the Host will surrender 100% of free will to the System. The Host will carry out World Purification Quests.]

Gerry carefully absorbed every sentence appearing before him.

Even at death's door, he immediately understood the true price.

Surrendering his free will meant surrendering control of himself forever.

"A puppet..." Gerry let out a weak snort, blood slipping between his teeth. "You want me to become a puppet again?"

[Correction: You will become the strongest entity under the guidance of the System. Mission success rate: 100%. Human pain and emotions will be removed for maximum efficiency.]

A rough laugh escaped Gerry.

It was filled with disappointment and burning rage.

For twenty years, he had already lived as a puppet, trampled beneath the glory of the Sterling Clan. In the end, they had carved him apart to save his brother.

Now another power had appeared, demanding exactly the same thing.

"I refuse."

[Warning: Host will expire in 47 seconds without restoration. This decision is illogical. Recalculating probabilities...]

"Logic doesn't apply to me."

With unimaginable effort, Gerry forced his head up just enough to stare directly at the floating blue screen.

His eyes burned with unwavering determination.

"I just lost everything because other people treated me like a tool. If I'm going to live, I'll live as the master of my own life. Otherwise, I'd rather die."

[Analysis: Host's pride exceeds survival instinct. High-level anomaly detected. Warning: 30 seconds until cardiac failure.]

[Vesper System offers secondary option: "Servant Contract." Free will authority reduced to 50%. The System will issue mandatory directives that must be obeyed.]

"No."

Gerry slowly closed his eyes as the cold spread through his body.

"No contracts. No servitude. If you want my body and my soul, then you will serve me. I'm your master, not the other way around."

The air throughout the Forbidden Abyss suddenly trembled, as though the abyss itself were responding to the overwhelming force of Gerry's will.

[Warning! Protocol Error! Host attempting administrative override! Command violates Vesper Core Protocol!]

[Remaining Time: 10 seconds.]

Gerry gambled everything in silence.

He knew this entity needed him alive.

If he died, it would lose its opportunity as well.

[9...]

[8...]

[7...]

The blue light of the System began flashing crimson as shrill alarms echoed throughout Gerry's consciousness.

[Emergency Logic Activated. Searching for Protocol Loophole...]

[Loophole Found: Unconditional Host Preservation Protocol. Applicable to extreme anomaly cases.]

[Status: Forced Acceptance.]

The crimson light instantly erupted into a blinding white flash.

[Initiating Forced Synchronization: Single Will Path.]

[Warning: System administrative authority over Host will be permanently relinquished. Systemic failure risk: High.]

An unbearable surge of heat exploded inside Gerry's abdomen, precisely where Alex had removed his left kidney.

The pain returned with overwhelming intensity.

This time, however, the agony carried the power of restoration.

The torn muscles across his abdomen began weaving themselves back together.

Severed blood vessels reconnected beneath streams of golden light.

His broken bones shifted back into place with sharp cracks.

At the same time, a brand-new organ formed from pure energy began growing inside the empty cavity of his body, pulsing in perfect harmony with the energy flowing through the abyss.

[Emergency Restoration Complete. Host retains full authority. System Status: Suppressed.]

Gerry inhaled deeply.

The poisonous air of the abyss, deadly to ordinary humans, now flowed effortlessly into his lungs, filling him with newfound strength.

Slowly, he rose to his feet.

His body still trembled.

The lingering pain remained.

Yet he stood upright.

He looked down at his hands.

A steady blue glow now flowed beneath his skin.

Gerry lifted his gaze toward the distant sky far above.

Golden light shimmered faintly around the edges of his eyes.

His fingers brushed across the scar stretching along his side.

It was the only wound the System had deliberately left imperfectly healed, a permanent reminder of everything that had happened.

A cold smile spread across Gerry's face.

"Thank you, Father. Thank you for throwing me down here. You wanted this place to be my grave. Instead, I just realized... I'm going to become its master."

The pale blue screen appeared once more, its glow noticeably dimmer.

[Notification: Basic System Functions Activated. Host has unlocked Unique Status: "Sovereign of the Abyss."]

[First Mission Available: Survive the first 24 hours.]

Gerry flicked his hand dismissively.

The screen vanished at once.

"I don't need your missions just to survive. Stay quiet, and give me your power when I ask for it."

From the darkness beyond the black trees, pairs of crimson eyes slowly emerged.

Low growls echoed through the abyss as its monstrous inhabitants closed in, drawn by the scent of fresh blood.

Gerry neither moved nor showed the slightest fear.

He had left his fear behind in the Sterling Clan's underground chamber.

Reaching down, he picked up a bloodstained shard of sharp stone and gripped it tightly.

"Come," Gerry whispered into the darkness before him.

"I need something to take this anger out on."