SKY'S JETS : THE RETRIBUTION SYSTEM

Chapter 6 Broken Television, Lost Vanguards, and the Water Sprinkler Tragedy

While waiting for his three portions of special fried rice to arrive, Amar spent fifteen minutes doing nothing but standing in front of the mirror, alternating between flexing his biceps and his abs.

For a former laborer who usually had nothing but skin stretched over bone, possessing the body of a top-tier bodybuilder in an instant was the eighth wonder of the world. He shadowboxed the air, posed like Bruce Lee, and then spun around mimicking a perfume commercial model.

Astraeus, the former God of War who once commanded millions of gallant warriors, felt spiritually nauseated deep inside.

"Stop this embarrassing ritual, boy! If the gods of the Pantheon saw my Vessel acting as narcissistic as a monkey in heat in front of a mirror, my pride would crumble instantly!"

"You're just jealous, man. That’s why you should get your own body once you’re rich," Amar replied casually, rubbing his chin, which now boasted a much sharper jawline. "I’m just imagining signing up for dating apps tomorrow with a profile picture like this. My match count would absolutely explode."

Before Astraeus could curse him further, the room’s doorbell rang twice. Ding-dong!

Amar’s eyes immediately lit up. "Aha, that’s my fried rice! A six-pack like this needs a hit of dirty carbs to really pop!"

Amar practically skipped toward the door. However, just as his hand touched the brass doorknob, his new Agility (15 points) and Physique (13 points) attributes suddenly reacted. His ears caught a strange whirring sound from behind the door. It wasn't the rustle of a plastic food bag, but rather the hum of high-level static electricity.

His Cosmic Luck instinct screamed at him.

With reflexes that even surprised himself, Amar didn't pull the knob inward, instead, he let go and threw his body backward exactly a second before the door exploded.

BOOM!!

The thick, varnished wooden door was blown to splinters. A dark blue energy projectile streaked through the air where Amar’s head had been just a moment ago, tore across the room, and slammed straight into the 65-inch flat-screen TV mounted on the wall.

CRASH!! BOOM!

The multi-thousand-dollar television exploded into shards of glass and black smoke.

Amar, who had rolled smoothly onto the carpet thanks to his agility stats, stared at the remains of the TV with his eyes wide in total shock. The air seemed to stop flowing into his lungs.

From behind the billowing smoke of the ruined doorway, a tall man stepped in. He wore a long leather duster, high-tech tactical goggles, and a mechanical steel gauntlet that was still venting blue smoke. The man smirked coldly.

"A miss, huh? Impressive reflexes," the man said in a raspy voice. "My name is Vex, Vanguard of the Northern Sector Star Executors. I’ve come to see if the legend of the 'Karma Monster' is true, or if you’re just a lucky bastard—"

"MY FREAKING TVVVVV!!!"

Amar’s roar thundered, cutting off the Vanguard’s cool introduction. His voice was so filled with agony and deep despair that Vex actually flinched in surprise.

Amar scrambled to his feet, pointing at the TV, which was now nothing but a charred skeleton. His face was beet red, and the veins in his neck were bulging. "That was a 65-inch TV, you asshole! 4K UHD resolution! That thing costs over twenty million! If the hotel demands compensation, whose kidney am I supposed to sell to pay for it, huh?! I only have 29 million left, are you trying to make me poor again?!"

Vex paused. His brain took a moment to process the situation. "Huh? Compensation? You are the Karma Monster, thousands of years old, why do you care about a mortal entertainment box."

"KILL HIM, AMAR!! HE IS INSULTING OUR REST TIME!" roared Astraeus, who for some reason had also become incredibly emotional.

Driven by the rage of impending financial loss, Amar lunged forward. His speed was worlds apart from the version of himself yesterday. In the blink of an eye, he was in front of Vex, pulling his right fist back and punching the smug-looking man in the jaw with all his might.

THWACK!

"Ugh!" Vex was knocked back two steps. His tactical goggles cracked.

Amar himself winced, clutching his knuckles. Damn, his jaw is as hard as chewing asphalt!

Vex wiped a smear of blood from the corner of his lip, a psychopathic grin spreading across his face. "I see. Your physique is strong, but not as great as the legends say. You tricked Brutus and Master Surya, you little brat! You’re no cosmic entity; you’ve just got a bit of muscle!"

Vex’s steel gauntlet glowed brightly. Coils of blue energy gathered once more, this time far larger than before. A murderous aura filled the hotel room, causing the temperature to drop drastically.

"Die, you Heavenly Fraud! Take this, Level 3 Wind Cannon!" Vex shouted, preparing to fire a fatal shot into Amar’s chest from point-blank range.

Amar’s eyes widened. Dodging seemed impossible from only two meters away.

In this desperate state, the system activated automatically.

[ TARGET IS DEPLOYING A FATAL ATTACK! ]

[ ENEMY IS IN FULL CONCENTRATION MODE ]

[ TRIGGER ABILITY 'THICK-SKINNED LEVEL 1' IS AVAILABLE! COST : 10 POINTS. EXECUTE? ]

Do it, System! Amar screamed internally.

A split second before the energy blast was released, Amar suddenly pointed at Vex’s crotch with an expression of extreme disgust.

"YOU’RE TRYING TO ACT COOL LIKE ROBOCOP BUT YOUR FLY IS OPEN, YOU IDIOT! YOU’RE WEARING YELLOW SPONGEBOB UNDERWEAR, THAT’S ABSOLUTELY REVOLTING!" Amar yelled at the top of his lungs, his voice as loud as a stadium loudspeaker.

The high-level concentration required to stabilize magical energy shattered instantly.

Vex reflexively, following the absolute instinct of any man on Earth, looked down at his crotch to check if his zipper was actually open (and yes, he secretly was wearing Spongebob boxers from yesterday's laundry). Shock, embarrassment, and doubt flickered through him for a mere millisecond.

[ Emotional Opening (3%) Found! ]

[ Ability Active! Misfortune Distortion Triggered! ]

Because Vex’s focus broke, the Wind Cannon energy in his gauntlet became unstable. Instead of firing forward, the energy backfired inside the steel barrel and,

ZRAAAAP! PFTT-BOOM!!

The weapon exploded backward. The blast of wind energy hit Vex himself from the bottom up, launching his tall frame into the air until his head slammed into the hotel ceiling with a very inelegant THUD.

It didn't stop there. The impact of his head hit the smoke detector and the fire sprinkler sensor on the ceiling perfectly.

BEEP! BEEP!

The fire alarm shrieked.

WEEEEEESHHHH!!

High-pressure water sprayed down in a torrent, instantly drenching Vex, who had just fallen flat on his back onto the carpet. To make matters worse, his sophisticated gauntlet, damaged from the explosion, suffered a massive short circuit the moment the water hit it.

"BZZZZTTTT!! AAAARRRGGGHHHBLLLBLBBL!!!"

Vex was electrocuted by his own magical weapon. He thrashed violently on the floor like a catfish thrown onto dry land. White smoke rose from his backside, his body spasmed ridiculously, his eyes rolled back, all while the water continued to pour over him dramatically. Foam began to leak from his mouth, mixed with the remnants of his earlier arrogance.

Amar stood five steps away, the water only splashing the tips of his toes. He stood there agape (again), staring at the deadly assassin who now looked like nothing more than a wet floor mat being forcibly vibrated.

The System screen exploded with joy, accompanied by golden fireworks.

[ PERFECT ABILITY EXECUTION! ]

[ Target (Vex - Elite Vanguard) suffered an epic fail, an idiotic electrocution, and his secret underwear preference has been exposed to the universe! Mental and authoritative collapse : 100%! ]

[ Counter-Cosmic Energy Absorbed: +1,200 E! ]

[ Ability Rank Up Bonus : 'Thick-Skinned' has reached Level 2! (Now capable of deflecting small projectiles!). ]

"Man," Amar muttered, shaking his head slowly. "Since yesterday, everyone who shows up acts like they’re bringing the apocalypse, but they all end up as a comedy act."

Inside Amar’s head, Astraeus, who had initially demanded a battle of blood and honor, was silent in awe (and a bit of horror).

"Amar. If I lived in your era and fought like this, Zeus would have probably hanged himself out of sheer frustration from dealing with me."

"That’s the difference between a human who has to pay bills and an unemployed god, old man."

Suddenly, from behind the ruins of the shattered door, the head of a man wearing a signature green delivery helmet popped in. He was clutching a plastic bag containing three food boxes, staring in horror at the destroyed room, the blaring alarm, and the figure of a man in a leather jacket foaming at the mouth and convulsing on the floor.

"F-F-For... Mr. Amar?" the delivery guy’s voice trembled violently, nearly in tears as he thought he had just delivered food to a cartel hit site.

Amar’s face lit up instantly. He stepped lightly past Vex’s body, which was still twitching from the faint electric current, and politely took the food delivery.

"Whoa, thanks, man. Sorry about the mess; my friend here was testing some electrical gear and ended up shocking himself. You know how it is, poor workplace safety training." Amar slipped a hundred-thousand bill into the delivery guy's hand, who was still frozen and pale. "Here’s your tip. Don’t forget the five-star rating!"

The delivery man just nodded stiffly before bolting down the hotel corridor like a bat out of hell.

While opening his box of fried rice on the half-soaked bed, Amar summoned his system. "System, deduct the compensation for the TV and the hotel door from the cash I just looted. Also, since my funds are secure ... let’s open the second Gacha."

Amar shoveled a spoonful of fried rice into his mouth, preparing to become the most annoying entity to ever exist on the face of the earth.