Infinite System Inheritor Return From The Abyss

As he distanced himself from the others, he focused his senses on his surroundings. He expanded his awareness, feeling the energy in the area.

Then—he sensed something.

Far from where he stood, deep in the forest, a beast was lurking.

Seojun narrowed his eyes. "So that's why it wasn't caught..."

He moved swiftly and silently, reaching the location within a minute.

Before him stood a massive tree, its branches stretching like twisted claws into the sky. At its base, the beast sat completely still, as if waiting for something.

[Lucky that it was you who found it, host. That thing was waiting to attack anyone who got close.]

Seojun stared at the beast, unfazed.

"Yeah... lucky me," he said flatly.

His eyes examined the creature perched under the tree.

It was the Nightmare Panther.

Its fur was pitch black, absorbing the light around it. If not for Seojun's sharp senses, it would have been impossible to see. Its eyes glowed faintly, burning like two golden flames in the darkness.

The muscles beneath its sleek coat rippled as it breathed, ready to pounce at any moment. It was a creature that moved like a living shadow, blending into the darkness.

One wrong move, and even an A-rank Awakened would struggle against it.

The moment Seojun stepped forward, the Nightmare Panther leaped down from the tree. Its powerful landing sent a shockwave of dust and rocks into the air, trying to obscure Seojun's vision. But that wouldn't work on him.

His eyes remained locked on the beast, seeing through the dust like it wasn't even there. Then, he noticed something.

The panther's tail was striking the ground repeatedly, making the dust rise even more. Small rocks and dried leaves lifted into the air, creating more distractions.

Seojun's sharp eyes caught something moving fast—thin, sharp objects flying toward him!

He dodged instantly, flipping backward as needle-like projectiles struck the tree behind him.

His eyes narrowed.

'Those weren't normal spikes…'

[These needles have a paralysis effect, host. Even a small scratch is enough to paralyze the whole body.]

Seojun glanced at the tree where the needles had landed. The wood was already turning black.

[This beast is one of the reasons this mission is going to fail.]

Seojun smirked. "Well, don't forget—I'm here."

The system chuckled.

[Of course! This is a piece of cake for you. But, host, to regain your lost levels, it's better not to use your usual skills—especially Dark Nova.]

"Obviously," Seojun muttered as he dodged another wave of poison needles. "Dark Nova would kill this guy instantly."

The Nightmare Panther kept attacking, its tail whipping the air, sending out more deadly needles. Seojun weaved through them, moving fluidly, dodging each attack by the smallest margin.

Then, he noticed something odd.

'This panther… it's bigger and stronger than what Sir Choi showed us.'

[Yes, host. It seems like whatever is attracting them to this forest is also making them stronger.]

Seojun clicked his tongue. "Tsk. That's annoying. but also good for me means they'll be able to handle my attacks"

The panther lunged forward.

Seojun didn't back away this time—he countered. A fireball ignited in his palm, and he launched it straight at the beast.

The explosion sent flames scorching through the dust cloud.

But—

The panther emerged, completely unharmed. Seojun's brows furrowed.

'Fire should be its weakness based on the information…'

Still, he didn't stop. He launched more fireballs, changing their angle and intensity. Some were small but piercing, some were massive blasts, meant to engulf the beast completely.

Yet—

Nothing worked.

The panther's fur wasn't burning. Instead, it shimmered in the light, as if its body had become as tough as metal.

His fire magic was getting stronger the more he used it, but—

'I can feel my fire getting stronger, but it's doing too much damage. If I keep using it, it might catch the attention of others…'

eojun steadied his breathing, lowering his stance.

The Nightmare Panther circled him, its sharp eyes glowing in the dark. Its tail twitched, scattering dust and small stones around them. It was testing him, waiting for the right moment to attack.

Then—

It vanished.

Seojun instantly shifted to the side. A blur passed where he stood, claws slicing through empty air.

Seojun didn't stop. He wasn't teleporting—just running, moving like the wind. His steps were light, his body shifting smoothly between attacks.

A notification screen appeared.

DING!

[ Skill Unlocked: Wind Step (Lv.1) ]

Seojun felt the change immediately. His movements became even faster, his steps flowing like air itself.

He glided backward, dodging another strike.

The panther kicked off a tree, spinning mid-air. Its tail flicked—

Sharp poison needles shot toward him!

Seojun twisted his body, barely avoiding them. One grazed his sleeve, burning a hole in the fabric.

'Too close.'

He countered, throwing a fireball straight at it. The flames hit the ground as the panther dodged, moving like a shadow. But Seojun was ready.

Using the dust from his earlier fireball, he vanished from sight for a second.

The panther landed, looking around—

Seojun struck.

A powerful kick slammed into the panther's side, sending it rolling.

[ You have dealt damage to the Nightmare Panther! ]

But it recovered immediately.

The beast growled, then leaped into the trees again. This time, it moved faster, using the branches to increase its speed.

Left—right—above—behind—

Seojun's senses sharpened. He saw it. The moment the panther kicked off a branch behind him—

Seojun spun, throwing another fireball. But—

The panther opened its mouth. A beam of water shot out! The fireball evaporated instantly.

Seojun's eyes narrowed.

'So that's why fire doesn't work.'

[Ohhh, it can use water affinity! A beast with this ability is really rare]

Seojun dodged another water beam, feeling the pressure of the attack.

Seojun smiled. Fire could still beat water—but let's make this harder.

As he battled, his body grew more familiar with the fight. Excitement filled him. It had been a long time since he fought like this. He knew many ways to end the battle quickly, but he ignored them.

Now that he no longer had Zyraena's blessing preventing him from getting tired, he could feel everything more clearly. The longer the fight went on, the more alive he felt.

He was completely mesmerized—until his system interrupted.

[ A group is heading this way, Host. ]

Seojun's excitement vanished. The sudden warning almost made him lose control.

At that moment, the panther lunged at him. Instinctively, Seojun caught it by the neck, standing straight. The beast growled and struggled, trying to escape his grip.

Its tail twitched. Seojun noticed. The beast was about to shoot its needles.

Without hesitation, Seojun grabbed the tail with his other hand. The panther immediately weakened, its strength fading.

"Playtime is over. Time to go back," Seojun muttered.

He pressed a certain spot on the tail. The panther's body went limp. It had lost consciousness.

Seojun gently laid it on the ground. Then, with a single jump, he disappeared into the trees, moving farther away.

[ So grabbing its tail weakens it, and pressing that spot makes it pass out? I want to know it without searching Host. ]

Seojun glanced back at the unconscious panther below. "It's tail is packed with specialized nerve clusters and pressurized venom sacs. The needles it contain a paralytic toxin. But for it to shoot needles with such precision, it needs a highly sensitive control system."

[ Go on, Host. You sound like a professor right now. ]

Seojun smirked. "When I grabbed its tail, I disrupted its natural movement. Think of it like a scorpion—if you hold its stinger, it can't strike properly. The same applies here. By applying pressure on certain points of its tail, I could block the nerve signals that allow it to attack. That's why it instantly weakened."

[ Pressing that spot, which is the main weak point where the spinal nerves connect to the tail's motor functions, triggered a reflex that temporarily shut down its nervous system—kind of like a pressure point in martial arts. The sudden shock rippled through its body, causing temporary unconsciousness. ]

Seojun frowned, now confused by the system's reaction.

The system let out a digital whistle. [ I gotta say, Host, that's impressive. ]

Seojun narrowed his eyes. "Why are you acting like that? You're a system—you should know all this in advance."

[ Eh… Well, I decided to make a brain or something. ]

Seojun raised an eyebrow. "Use your system brain and you tell me if it's actually called a brain."

The system hummed for a moment. [ Nah, let's just call this a human brain. Sounds cooler. ]

Seojun sighed. "Right. A human brain inside a system. That totally makes sense."

[ Exactly! See? You get it. ]

A long silences, Seojun remained hidden in the trees ignoring the system, watching as the approaching group spotted the unconscious Nightmare Panther. They hesitated for a moment, looking at each other, then quickly assessed the situation. One of them cautiously approached, checking if the beast was truly unconscious.

Seeing no signs of movement, they nodded to each other and took out a beast containment pouch—a special item designed to safely capture and transport creatures. Carefully, they activated the pouch, and within seconds, the panther's large body was sucked inside.

One of the awakeners let out a relieved sigh. "That was easier than I expected."

Another chuckled. "Lucky us. We didn't even have to fight it."

They exchanged small smiles before turning back, heading toward the forest gates with their secured prize.

Seojun smirked as he watched. "Good. They don't suspect anything," he muttered.

[ Looks like you saved them the trouble, Host. If they had fought, they would've struggled for sure. ]

Seojun stretched his arms, feeling the lingering thrill of battle. "Not my problem. I got what I wanted."

[Anyway Host, I looked into it and what i referred to as a 'brain' is, in fact, an adaptive neural algorithm I developed to simulate human-like reasoning and unpredictability. It functions by integrating probabilistic decision-making models, emotional simulation matrices, and self-adjusting data streams to limit omniscience, thereby enhancing engagement and variability in processing. ]

Seojun stared at the air. "…So, you made an artificial limitation on yourself just so you wouldn't get bored?"

[ Affirmative. ]

Seojun sighed. "You could've just said that."

The system's tone shifted back to casual. [ Yeah, but where's the fun in that? Anyway, let's just call it a human brain. ]

Seojun shook his head. "You're definitely broken."

[ Nonsense. I am simply evolving hehehe. ]