Razeal stood still, one hand raised to his chin as he rubbed it slowly a gesture he often made when lost in thought. His dark eyes were narrowed, reflecting faint ripples of light from the deep ocean around them. His mind was spinning, thoughts darting in every direction like sparks of lightning.

He was thinking. Deeply.. Very Seriously.

He knew the next wave of sea creatures would take a minute or two to fully reform and start moving toward them again. That was both a blessing and a curse. Just These fhew minutes meant a little breathing room, but also pressure because he needed to form a plan fast.

He couldn't just keep throwing apples into the flow until his brain fried. That wasn't a real strategy.. it was suicide dressed as skill.

A hundred different ideas ran through his mind. Every possible move, countermeasure, trick, and scheme he could think of. But one by one, he dismissed them all.

Too risky.

Too weak.

Too slow.

Too unpredictable.

Cant work.

None of them worked. Not a single one.

The more he thought, the deeper his frown grew. His hand dropped from his chin, his gaze unfocused for a brief second as if he was seeing something far away.. not in distance, but in memory.

Finally he exhaled slowly.

"Villey," he said his voice low but firm. "Show me my skill panel."

There was a faint chime, and then the familiar translucent blue screen appeared before his eyes, illuminating his face in soft light. Rows of glowing text floated in front of him, each line listing his abilities, affinities, and attributes.

His gaze moved immediately to the top.

Elemental Affinities:

Shadow (Medium-Intermediate)

Necrotic (Extremely Low)

Blood (Low-Intermediate).

"Shadow's already out.. Just like these two," he muttered under his breath. "No dark mana."

Ofcourse these thing's cant work without dark man.

That was the biggest problem. Without dark mana, his all affinity abilities were sealed. Not to say so much.. Its so bad that he couldn't even access his shadow storage.

He glanced briefly at his coat, patting one of its inner pockets where a few apples were still tucked away. Good thing I don't rely on that stupid storage, he thought.

He'd learned the hard way not to put all his trust in the System. What if someday Villey decided to turn against him? What if his "skills" were disabled mid fight? It was impossible as villey says but.. It wasn't impossible from his prospective. The System had its own rules and its own mind who knows when it gets short Circuit.

That's why he always kept real, Necessary stuff hidden in his coat or boots. Things he could reach without depending on system..

He focused back on the screen, moving to the next section.

Other Abilities:

Obsidian Skeleton (S)

Divine Healing (S-Rank)

Shadow Step (A)

Keen Hearing (S)

Killing Intent (SSS)

Killing Body (B)

Killing Perception (B)

Killing Aura (B)

Killing Illusion (B)

Fear Resistance (B)

Flow (SSS)

"Alright…" he murmured quietly, scanning through each one.

He went down the list slowly, mentally crossing them off as he analyzed.

Obsidian Skeleton: good for endurance, great for survival. But useless offensively. Not what he needed right now.

Divine Healing: could keep him alive. But couldn't kill a billion sea monsters. Not helpful for winning.

Shadow Step: Makes no sound when stepping on sound.. And also needs mana.. Worthless.

Deep Hearing: perception and awareness enhancement. Good for detecting enemies, dodging or fast moment but not solving his real problem.

Killing Intent, Killing Aura, Killing Body…

He stopped there for a moment.

They were powerful.. yes but mostly passive. They strengthened him, made his body deadlier, his presence oppressive. Useful in duels. But this wasn't a duel. This was a war.

He needed something that could end armies.

"Killing Illusion…" he muttered, tapping his chin again.

That one could have worked if he had the capacity to use it at a massive scale. Theoretically, he could project his intent as a mental illusion.. force enemies to see things to see scary thing's.. Like killing illusion promises to let them feel the actual feeling as the creature killed by Razeal did.. Maybe it could help to lose control of their senses, to panic.

But the catch? He'd never tested it on more than two people at once.

He had only even tried it on levy and that yoo just once.. And yeah he's sure it.. Certainly not gonna work on ten billion.

"Yeah. No way."

He scrolled further down.

"Fear resistance, huh," he said softly, shaking his head. "That's not helping either."

Finally, his eyes rested on the one skill that was both his greatest weapon and his greatest weakness.

Flow.

He stared at it in silence for a few seconds, remembering how it felt.. how dangerous, how sharp that state was. Every time he used it, it was like balancing on the edge of death itself.

One wrong move, and he would literally cease to exist.

It worked, yes. It was powerful beyond comprehension. But it drained him mentally in ways no other skill could.

Even now, after just a few uses, he could feel the faint dull ache behind his eyes the kind of pain that meant his brain was starting to overheat.

He had maybe five, maybe six more uses of it left before his concentration gave out completely. And if that happened, if he slipped even once while in Flow State.. his body wouldn't just be destroyed. His soul would be torn apart by the forces he was trying to manipulate.

He rubbed his forehead slowly, exhaling through his nose. "So basically… every option I have is shit."

He stared at his skills again, scrolling slowly up and down as if looking for something he might've missed or forgotten.

But there was.. Ofcourse nothing.

Razeal sighed, leaning back slightly as his mind started reorganizing his thoughts. He realized something unpleasant something that made his jaw tighten slightly.

He had plenty of support-type abilities perception, resistance, endurance, mobility. But not enough offensive power. Not true, large-scale destruction.

Everything he had that could kill armies was either locked behind his lost mana or required precision that bordered on insanity.

His entire arsenal was designed for killing efficiently.. not endlessly.

He exhaled again, slower this time.

Still, his eyes flickered when they landed back on one particular line.

Killing Intent (SSS)

A faint spark of consideration passed through his gaze.

That one… had potential.

It was currently still ranked at (B). He'd been leveling it slowly, bit by bit, ever since he started grinding killing points again.

The skill's current passive effects made his body stronger like in all of his stats. But he remembered that if he could evolve it to its next stage, it might unlock another hidden function.

An offensive one.

And that possibility… intrigued him.

He brought up his current progress again.

[Killing Intent (SSS) – (B): 96.75 million / 1 billion]

Ninety-six million out of a billion. It same ofcourse..

He just sighed..

"Figures," he muttered under his breath.

He leaned forward, his eyes narrowing again.

If he could level this skill up to the next tier before his Flow runs dry…

If he could unlock that unknown effect…

Then maybe, just maybe, he'd have a real weapon.

Something that is explosive.. That could come useful in this moment of time.

But again… it needed one billion killing points.

And he had what? Barely close to a hundred million.

Razeal's fingers drummed against his arm as he stared at the glowing numbers on his system panel. His expression was calm on the outside, but inside, he felt an invisible weight pressing against him. One billion was an absurd number.. and he knew it.

It wasn't just difficult. It was fucked up.

Even if he pushed himself past every limit used flow on peak.. the most he could maybe reach was two hundred million. And that was if he was lucky.

He needed Eight hundred million more.

Eight hundred million qualified kills creatures above C-rank, each one strong enough for the system to count.

He exhaled sharply, the sound half irritation, half exhaustion. His thoughts churned, circling in endless loops that led nowhere.

"It's not feasible for now situation…" he muttered under his breath.

He could push the limits of his Flow ability, yes. Five, maybe six more full-power shots. But he wasn't confident those alone would bring him anywhere near that number.

And even if by some miracle he managed to reach it.. what then?

He'd unlock the next level of Killing Intent, sure. But what if that supposed "hidden effect" turned out to be useless? What if it was some defensive aura, or a passive skill that didn't help him in battle?

He couldn't trust that. He couldn't gamble everything on something so uncertain.

Putting all his hope into that felt wrong like trying to cross a canyon on a rope that might not even exist.

He sighed quietly, the sound muffled by the water around him. His eyes drifted back to the system window.

"So what else do we have…" he murmured.

His gaze moved through the remaining functions

System Function:

Automatic Blacksmith

He stared at it for a second, then scoffed. "Useless."

That function was practically worthless to him right now.

To make anything using the Automatic Blacksmith, he needed materials.. ores, metals, cores, the usual. But he had none of that on him. Even if he did, it won't really come that useful..

His eyes moved further down.

Artifacts:

[Shadow Heart (SSS)]

[Book of Eventual Evil (SSS)]

"Shadow Heart…" Razeal murmured, tapping the name lightly with his finger. "Useless again..."

"And the book…" he whispered, his eyes narrowing slightly. "Same thing. Useless without dark mana."

The Book of Eventual Evil.. a forbidden relic said to hold the knowledge of countless worlds, filled with lost powers, secret spells, and the madness of fucked up people. But without dark mana. it might as well have been a blank piece of paper.

Razeal let out a slow, quiet breath. His gaze dropped toward the ground, his mind racing but finding nothing to grab onto.

Everything was either locked, useless, or too risky.

For a few seconds, he closed his eyes.. not out of peace, but out of the need to think clearly.

Around him, the faint hum of the water and distant tremors of movement filled the silence.

Neptunia's voice broke through first.

"What happened to him?" she asked in a low voice, her tone cautious but curious. She stood a few meters away, her tail gently swaying behind her.

Her gave moving to Maria standing just beside her, glancing over. "Is he… fine?" she whispered, her eyes shifting toward Razeal, who was still standing completely still.. silent, unmoving, eyes shut.

"I don't know," Maria replied. "Maybe he's thinking of a plan… ways to deal with all this better."

Neptunia gaze lingered on him for a moment longer, her lips pressed into a thin line. "Then.. it seems like he's not having much luck," Neptunia added quietly, watching his faint frown.

Maria didn't respond immediately. She just stared at Razeal for a few seconds longer before lowering her eyes. Her expression changed.. tension melting into something softer, heavier.

She sighed through her nose, shaking her head slowly.

If he couldn't find a solution… then they were done for too.

No escape, no victory.. Just death maybe

That realization settled inside her chest like ice.

She clenched her hands, her nails biting into her palms before she finally exhaled sharply through gritted teeth.

Why the hell am I so weak…

The thought hit her harder than she expected.

Why does she have to rely on someone else?

Her jaw tightened. She hated that feeling that burning mix of fear and dependency twisting in her gut. She wanted to be angry at him...And she couldn't stop it.. but still more irritated she gets towards him the more angry she feels on herself.. all she could feel was disgust.

Disgust at her own helplessness.

Her eyes flicked toward Razeal again, her thoughts darkening. If I die here… will I curse him for it? She genuinely asked herself

The question startled her. It was ugly ..bitter but it came uninvited.

Will I blame him for not saving me?

She didn't want to think that way. It wasn't his job to protect her afterall. He didn't owe her anything. But still… the fear whispered otherwise. Her weakness made her cling to that thought, no matter how much she wanted to reject it.

She gritted her teeth, lowering her gaze again, frustration shaking through her body.

Her grip around her bow tightened until her knuckles turned white.

I hate this… I hate being like this.

She forced herself to inhale slow, deep, steady. Trying to keep herself up..

Meanwhile, Razeal's mind was still in motion.

He finally opened his eyes, his gaze colder, sharper, clearer now. His inner turmoil had settled .. not because he'd found peace, but because he'd found focus.

"I need to go inside the system space," he murmured quietly to himself, his voice steady now, his mind already forming the outline of a new plan.

It wasn't ideal or even guaranteed. But it was the only option that made sense right now.

He just needed something powerful.

"I need to get a skill from a villain," he said under his breath, almost as if confirming it aloud.

If he entered the system space, He can just go to any villain and tr it

He could definitely find one with a large-scale, destructive ability… and learn it…

That might turn the tide.

That was the only way he could see victory.

But of course, there was a problem.. a big one.

Going into the system space wasn't instant.

It wasn't some quick, mindless menu. It required him to send his consciousness inside. His physical body, meanwhile, would remain in the real world unconscious, unresponsive and vulnerable.

And that was dangerous.

He frowned.

Because even if he went inside and even found the right villain, learning a new skill wasn't something that happened in seconds. Especially not one of the kind he needed.

It would take time. Minutes. Maybe hours. Not to say first thing to convince villain was already hard enough..

And while his body was out cold here…

Not to say maria and Neptunia would be surrounded.

Attacked or just Killed directly.

Their deaths would instantly fail the mission.. and not just that. It would mean increase in his fucking problems too.. And not to say he doesn't want them dead... Even well even if taking system mission out.

He needed to find a way to protect his body while he was gone.. to shield them both and buy himself enough time to stay inside the system space.

Without that, everything would fall apart before he could even start.

Razeal stood still, deep in thought his eyes dim and sharp as if the weight of the entire ocean pressed down on his mind. The sound of shifting water echoed all around them, the faint rumble of distant movement that massive, monstrous wave of sea creatures reforming once more.

He was thinking fast, his mind racing through possibilities.

Time.

He needed time.

At the very least, an hour that's what his instinct told him he'd need. But that was impossible.

There was no way he'd be given that long.

If he stretched things.. really stretched them maybe, just maybe… he could do it all in ten minutes. Ten minutes of real world time.

And that, too, was pushing it.

He knew the reality of it. Ten minutes out here was a lifetime for them.. or rather, a death sentence. Because during those ten minutes, his body would be completely defenseless.

He wouldn't be able to move.

He wouldn't even be able to breathe on his own.

He'd be completely vulnerable.

Which meant… he'd need someone to protect him during that time.

Someone to hold the line.

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