City G, Northwest District Sewers.
The stench was suffocating.
Rot, oil, and stagnant rainwater blended into a foul perfume. A terrible curse of stench.
Faint shafts of light leaked through the grated ceiling above, breaking the darkness into thin, trembling slices.
Murky water rushed sluggishly through the cracked tunnels, dragging scraps of trash and the echo of rats along with it.
But this time, there was an additional guest in this residency of rot.
The rats cried out.
A young man, eighteen years old, slim and tall, emerged from that current, covered from head to toe in filth.
His body shivered as he pulled himself up against the cold concrete wall, sewage and grime dripping from his hair. Slash wounds marked his arms and legs, shallow but many. Blunt wounds were even more.
His shirt and trousers were torn beyond use, clinging only by damp threads, exposing pale skin beneath the bruises.
"You bastard! How could you lose and let your sister get taken away?!"
"Those goons were after your sister, but instead of protecting her, you went to seek help from the police and ruined everything! YOU FOOL!"
"You put your hope into something other than your own strength! And now, your sister will have to suffer hell!"
"Because you are weak! YOU DIPSHIT!"
Zed's eyes stirred open as his father's voice hammered in his head.
'Rosy…' Zed's hand pushed against the floor as he tried to stand up, but his legs would not move.
A steel rod had pierced his left leg, and his right foot was sprained.
"Rosy…" Zed's unfocused eyes revealed that, despite the hell worth of pain coursing through him, there was only one thing on his mind.
To save his sister.
Suddenly, everything stopped.
The rats stopped moving.
The trashy water stopped flowing.
The mist and gas in the air paused.
Flies and insects froze.
And something appeared in front of Zed.
"You lost the gamble, my friend."
The being was made of light, half a meter tall, with three pairs of exotically layered wings. Two large horns stretched out from its head and curved into rings, their lengths almost the same as the body.
The being pointed its pointy and long finger at Zed as a light shot out and struck Zed.
Zed was enveloped in a stream of golden motes for two seconds before they vanished.
Meanwhile, Zed was completely healed and cleaned like he had taken a shower. He sat upright, eyes blinking, and suddenly stood up.
At first, the worry for his sister, and murderous rage for those goons just exploded, but then, when his eyes fell on the mysterious being, his mind suddenly composed as a cool breeze cleaned his mind.
"W-What's going on?!"
"Why is everything not moving?"
"Who are you? I-I need your help, whoever you are. I want to save my sister. Please, help me!"
Zed knelt and begged, his eyes red. Whatever this miracle was, he was willing to believe it.
"I don't care if you are god or a devil. I will do whatever you say. Whatever the price is, I will pay. Just do something and help my sister."
The mystical being chuckled. It was filled with mirth.
"Tyrant, my foot. You are the same even after an era…the first era that marks its end today, my friend. You know what that means?"
"My dear friend, you lost the bet."
Zed looked at the being, unable to understand what he was talking about.
He saw the mystical being smiling at him, a complex smile, a wry smile, a rueful smile.
"I am here to fulfil the promise since you lost the bet, buddy."
A light shot out and suddenly entered Zed's forehead.
"I don't know if you will be able to reach me in time…"
The mysterious being smiled.
"But I will be expecting you, the great Tyrant of Unbound, so that we can clean the mess you made together."
"What are you talki-"
Suddenly, Zed was knocked out as the time that was paused continued to flow while the mysterious being vanished.
[Soul Signature Resonance: 100%]
[Booting up the Unbound Reality System.]
A few seconds later, Zed regained consciousness.
[Main Quest: Rebirth.]
Objectives:
— Save Rosy, who is held captive in Big Tunga's mansion, and escape successfully.
— Establish your new identity and start your new life.
Reward:
— The Book of Tyrant's Crowns.
— System Feature: Unbound Shop.
— 5 x Lucky Draws.
'Rosy!' Zed's fist clenched. 'I need to save her. Can you help me?'
[For the next one hour, you are invincible to all damage, and you will gain a set of skills temporarily.]
Zed blinked as the screens in his mind changed.
Three skill windows appeared with their details.
[ Unbound Teleportation ]
Effect: You can teleport wherever you desire. You just need a 'subject' or 'object' for it to reach there.
—
[ Void Snap ]
Effect: Any living being entering within 10 meters of you can be erased by erasing the space confining their existence in the world.
—
[ Telekinesis ]
Effect: You have the ability to move or influence physical matter with the mind.
Zed was stunned.
"This…is not a joke, right?"
Zed's lips trembled at what he thought and didn't hesitate to act on that thought. "Take me to Rosy."
In a single moment, Zed saw the scenery around him changing.
From sewers, he found himself right in front of Rosy in a completely empty room, bound to a chair and gagged.
Rosy saw Zed, and her red eyes widened. She was just a fifteen-year-old girl, and her tears were already dry from all the crying.
Zed's eyes couldn't control themselves as they teared up while he quickly started unbinding Rosy. "I am here now, Rosy."
"Nothing will happen to you."
Suddenly, the door to this room opened, and three men walked inside.
Zed was very familiar with them.
They were from the group of eight that beat him up with knives and pipes before dumping him in the sewers.
"Bastard, y-you?"
The trio was startled upon seeing Zed. Didn't they beat him to half-death and dump him?
However, Zed's eyes distanced and focused as he uttered.
"Void Snap."
In the next moment, the space around those three men blurred before they disappeared as if countless thin statistical blades glitched the space and devoured them.
[ You have acquired 3 Unbound Reality points by killing those three. ]
[Lord Zed, you can use Unbound Reality points to alter, bend, and even break reality to a certain extent, to a certain realm based on your weight of existence.]
Zed blinked. "Unbind Rosy and recover her completely."
[ 1 U.R point consumed. ]
All bindings on Rosy suddenly vanished, and her appearance became crystal clean as if she had a fresh shower.
Her hunger, headache, and everything disappeared.
"B-Brother…" Rosy stood up, unable to understand what had just happened.
"Are you okay?!" Zed grabbed Rosy's arms before hugging her.
Rosy teared up. "I am fine, but they were going to send me to a scary place."
Zed's jaw clenched hard as undiluted wrath burned in his eyes. "They won't."
"All those who have harassed us and were about to give us hell will vanish."
Zed looked at Rosy and wiped her tears. "Now listen to me very carefully. "I am going to send you to a safe place where nothing or no one can hurt you, and you will be able to stay there comfortably until I also get there, okay?"
'System, can you do that by using the U.R points I have?'
[ Yes, my lord. It will require 1 U.R point. ]
"What do you mean, brother? Aren't you coming with me?"
Zed reassured her with a smile. "I will be there soon. I have to remove these people so they can't hurt us anymore."
"Because now I can."
'Do it.'
"Brot-"
Rosy disappeared.
Zed looked at the door and started walking.
'This is on the top floor. Bloody bastards built such a big mansion.'
A mansion worker was walking, and Zed suddenly called him.
"You…hey, aren't you that trash from the slums? What are you doing in the mansion?"
Zed's expression turned flat as he asked. "Where is the fat bastard Tunga?"
"Huh? Why are you talking like you're the shit here?"
Zed's eyes glinted.
Telekinesis.
Suddenly, the worker felt like something was grabbing his neck tightly, and he also started flying towards Zed as if something was pulling him.
The man was so terrified, he started soiling his pants.
"Answer me or I will crumple you like how you crumple a paper into a ball." Zed let go of his neck after he finished speaking.
"H-He is having dinner with his family on the second floor!"
'Family dinner?' Zed's fist clenched tightly.
"He won't get an easy death after what he had done to us and other people of the slums." Zed looked at the worker coldly. "But I'll give you an easy one."
'Void Snap.'