Chapter 27 - Awakening Beyond the System

  A burning sensation crawled through Akari’s veins.

  She collapsed to her knees, gasping as an unbearable heat coiled within her chest. It wasn’t like the system notifications from before—this wasn’t just numbers and stats appearing before her eyes.

  This was real.

  Her soul felt like it was being rewritten.

  > System Override Successful.

  You are no longer bound by the standard progression system.

  Your path has diverged.

  Akari clenched her fists.

  The pain was fading, but something else was taking its place.

  A new awareness.

  She could feel it—energy not just from within herself, but from the world around her.

  It was as if the limits placed on her body, her abilities, and her very existence had been lifted.

  Slowly, she opened her eyes.

  A World Beyond Understanding

  Akari was no longer in the void.

  The world around her was… different.

  Ancient ruins stretched into the sky, their surfaces carved with symbols she couldn’t recognize. Floating islands drifted in the distance, crackling with raw energy. And above it all, the sky was split in two—one half a deep, endless black, the other glowing with shifting golden light.

  A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

  She stood at the center of it all.

  And at her side, her summon, Tsubaki, the spectral nine-tailed fox, watched in silence.

  Akari took a shaky breath.

  “What… is this place?”

  The Arbiter’s voice echoed through the space.

  “Welcome, Akari. You stand at the threshold of the Veilbound Abyss.”

  Akari turned sharply, finding them standing where they always had—cloaked in shadows, their features unreadable.

  A New Rule to the Game

  “The… Veilbound Abyss?” she repeated.

  The Arbiter nodded.

  “This is the true foundation of the world you once thought was a game.”

  Their voice was calm, patient. But there was something underneath it—an amusement that sent a shiver down Akari’s spine.

  “Here, the rules of the system do not apply. Here, only those who have defied their fate may exist.”

  Akari’s fingers twitched.

  She wanted to call up her system interface—to check her stats, to see if anything had changed.

  But the moment she tried—

  Nothing appeared.

  Her breath caught.

  Her entire progression system was gone.

  No stats.

  No skill descriptions.

  No easy way to check her level or abilities.

  She had lost the system’s guidance entirely.

  Akari’s pulse quickened.

  She had known she was taking a risk when she accepted the Arbiter’s offer.

  But this—

  This was something else entirely.

  She was on her own.

  And yet…

  As fear and uncertainty churned in her mind, something else rose from deep within her.

  Something primal.

  Her body knew what had changed.

  She could feel it.

  The power within her no longer relied on a set of artificial numbers. It was something real, something she could shape and control.

  A Test of Power

  The Arbiter took a slow step forward.

  “You feel it, don’t you?”

  Akari swallowed.

  She did.

  But before she could respond, the Arbiter lifted a single hand.

  And suddenly—

  The world shifted.

  The floating islands trembled. The ruins groaned as cracks split through them.

  Then—a beast emerged.

  It came from the shadows themselves, its body shifting and writhing, its form constantly changing. At one moment, it resembled a towering serpent made of living darkness; the next, it was a massive, multi-limbed creature with glowing, red eyes.

  Akari’s breath hitched.

  A nightmare made real.

  And the Arbiter’s next words made her blood turn cold.

  “Survive.”

  The beast lunged.

  Breaking the Limits

  Instinct took over.

  Akari moved, rolling to the side just as the beast’s massive claws tore into the stone where she had stood. The ground shattered beneath the impact.

  She summoned Tsubaki without hesitation.

  The fox’s spectral body flickered into existence, nine tails whipping through the air as it let out a piercing howl.

  Akari didn’t hesitate.

  If she couldn’t rely on the system—

  Then she would have to rely on herself.

  The beast struck again, its shifting limbs stretching unnaturally toward her.

  But this time, she didn’t dodge.

  She countered.

  Her sword flashed, cutting through the darkness, and for the first time—

  The beast reeled back.

  Akari’s eyes widened.

  She had felt everything.

  The way her blade cut, the force behind her strike, the energy that surged through her muscles—

  It was real.

  There was no system balancing her damage. No artificial restrictions.

  Her power was her own.

  A slow grin spread across her lips.

  “Alright, then.”

  She took her stance.

  “Let’s see how far I can really go.”

  The battle was just beginning.

  And this time—

  She would

  carve her own legend.