I sat cross-legged on my bed in the lotus position. Coming home from Clarice's house had left me with a flash of inspiration, and I was eager to put my idea to the test.
The plan was simple: use my willpower to repeatedly end my own life. Before this, "killing myself to become stronger" hadn't been practical because after only four deaths, my metabolism had already reached an inhumane state. Trying to stab myself in the heart or brain wouldn't work since I healed too fast; it would take multiple stabs to do the trick, which honestly hurt like a motherfucker. Other suicide methods were vetoed for the same reason, and waiting for an enemy to do the job was downright stupid. So, I figured, why not use my willpower? I could make my body stop functioning and die instantly without pain. After that, it was just rinse and repeat.
I knew my physical improvements would be minimal because the degree of enhancement depended heavily on the particularity of the death—I had long since noticed that the more dramatic, unexpected, and ridiculous the death, the higher the upgrade. Even so, through sheer repetition, it would eventually usher in a qualitative improvement.
I took a deep breath, waited until I was entirely calm, and then focused my will inwardly, willing every single one of my life functions to stop. One moment I was alive, and the next, darkness invaded my mind.
When I came to, I was still seated in the same position. The clock indicated that only ten minutes had gone by. I immediately checked my status:
STATUS
Name: Samsara Yu
Age: 17 years old
Race: ??
Unique ability: Death with benefits
Lifespan: 20,005 years
Willpower: Manifestation
As expected, my strength hadn't risen drastically, but continuing to do this periodically would undoubtedly lead to an incomparable accumulation of power. Having verified the feasibility of the method, I decided to "cultivate" until nightfall.
I closed my eyes once again and committed suicide. I spent the rest of the day alternating between consciousness and death, losing count of how many times I died that afternoon. When I finally stopped, it was already 8 PM.
STATUS
Name: Samsara Yu
Age: 17 years old
Race: ??
Unique ability: Death with benefits
Lifespan: 20,180 years
Willpower: Manifestation
Oh, a rise of 180 years after one afternoon of cultivation, not bad, I thought.
I stood up stiffly and stretched myself out before heading to the bathroom for a quick shower. I grabbed a black hoodie, blue jeans, and white sneakers from my dressing room, preparing myself to deal with an asshole who simply didn't know when to give up.
Did that motherfucker Cole really think I wouldn't figure out he was responsible for the hit on me? It was time I made the pompous f*** learn his lesson.
I focused on finding that weasel, and an image instantly materialized in my head: Cole sitting in a nightclub, surrounded by beauties, with lines of alcohol bottles stacked across the table.
Damn!! That motherfucker certainly knows how to enjoy life, huh? Let's see how much you enjoy it after I'm done with you, I thought coldly.
Of course, I couldn't outright kill him since we were related by blood, but I could still subject him to his worst nightmare. I grabbed my keys and drove toward the Midnight Jewel, a club frequented by Nebula City's richest kids.
It took only a few minutes to arrive. The outside of the club was packed with people waiting in a long line to get in. I stepped out of my car and walked right past them. As I passed, I could feel the gazes of numerous girls; even though I wasn't dressed for a night out, my natural charm and unbelievable handsomeness made it impossible for them to ignore me, and I smirked mentally at the reaction. In contrast, the men looked thoroughly pissed—not only because their companions' attention had been hijacked, but also because I was casually cutting the line as if they didn't exist. I remained completely indifferent to their grumbling expressions. When I arrived in front of the bouncers, they tried to stop me, but I looked them straight in the eyes and imposed my will. With slackened faces, they let me enter right past the disgruntled clients.
Stepping inside, I was greeted by a wave of sweet perfume, hormones, flashing stroboscopes, and a crowd grinding against each other to the beat of the DJ. I bypassed them easily, headed to the bar, and ordered a drink. While finishing it in a single gulp, I spotted the VIP area located on an elevated platform overlooking the dance floor.
I headed up the stairs, hearing the faint sound of girls laughing at some stupid joke Cole had probably cracked. Another bouncer stood guard at the VIP entrance, but I pulled the exact same Jedi mind trick, and he let me right in.
The girls sitting with Cole caught sight of me first and froze. Noticing his audience had suddenly tuned out, Cole turned around—and his eyes widened in an expression of absolute surprise and underlying fear.
Seeing his reaction, I smiled. "What's up, Cole?"
"YOU?! What are you doing here? How did you even get in?"
"Why, just by entering, my dear cousin," I replied, letting my willpower spread out to cover the girls. I willed them to leave, and like clockwork, Cole watched in bewilderment as they stood up and walked away from the VIP area in total synchronization with vacant eyes.
"What did you do?" he stammered, panicking further.
I took one of the seats the girls had just vacated, poured myself a splash of the liquor left on the table, and downed it straight, feeling a hot burn slide down my throat. I propped my legs up on the table and looked at the terrified cousin sitting across from me.
"You know, even if you don't like me, we're still cousins. For you to put a hit on my head... tsk, tsk, tsk. You're making me sad," I said, pouring another glass before continuing. "By the way, I already got rid of the mercenaries you hired."
Seeing my expression and hearing the cold edge in my voice, Cole's face turned completely pale. He bolted from his seat and tried to run, but with a slight twitch of my will, the door locked tight. He banged on it frantically before realizing no one was coming to his rescue.
His expression warped into an ugly grimace, and without a pause, he hurled an energy ball straight at me. I simply flicked my finger, and with a soft puff, it vanished into nothingness.
"You?! How? Are you a mage? No, impossible, I didn't feel any magic... are you using a magic artifact?" he stammered, startled by how easily I deflected his assault.
"You don't need to worry about that. Even though your mercenaries failed to get the job done, it was still a deeply unpleasant experience. So I think it's only natural that you experience what it's like to be hunted by a pack of wolves," I said wickedly.
"What the hell are you talking about, you lunatic?!"
"Oh, you'll see in a second."
I plunged him into a hyper-realistic illusion where he was repeatedly hunted and torn apart by wolves; the moment he died, the cycle immediately restarted. Formless willpower enveloped him completely, leaving him entirely defenseless since he couldn't even sense it wrapping around his mind.
His eyes glazed over into a vacant stare before he collapsed onto the floor like a limp potato. Ignoring him entirely, I sat back to marvel at the sheer prowess of willpower. I could basically accomplish anything as long as my will was strong enough.
I spent the next hour enjoying myself, sipping whiskey while listening to the music and watching the crowd move on the dance floor below.
When I finally decided to wake him, don't think he had only experienced a single hour of being eaten—within the warped time of the illusion, days had passed. I wasn't entirely sure how intact his sanity would be afterward, though.
His eyelids fluttered, and he gasped as he scrambled upright, looking around wildly. When his bloodshot eyes locked onto me again, the primal, unshakeable terror radiating from him was palpable. Observing his state, I realized he was in much better shape than I anticipated; it seemed I had underestimated the mental fortitude of a magician.
"I hope you've burned this lesson into your mind. If you ever go against me again, it won't be as simple as this light punishment," I said coldly.
I left my glass on the table and stood up. At my movement, Cole instinctively recoiled a step. At least he'll think twice before crossing me again, I thought.
I released my influence over the bouncer, walked out of the club, got into my car, and headed home. Right as I was driving off, my phone rang.
"No one's at the house except me, can you come by?" Stella asked the second I answered.
"I'll be there in thirty," I replied instantly, needing a distraction to unwind after these past two crazy days.
"Good, come quickly, I'm waiting for you," she said seductively.
"Alright," I said, hanging up and making a sharp turn to head back out of the city.