Chapter 8 – That Counts?
Kai kept running, faster and faster.
His lungs burned. His legs ached. But he didn't stop.
This long stretch of road—the only one near his house without constant traffic—had become his track. Lap after lap, he chased the glowing number on his system screen.
After another sprint, he skidded to a stop by the roadside, hunched forward, gasping for air.
"One more… one more," he muttered, forcing breath into his burning lungs.
Dropping into a sprinter's stance, he tensed every muscle, steadying his breathing. Then—he launched forward like a coiled spring snapping free.
[40 km/h]
The air whipped around him. Each step felt lighter, smoother, instinct driving him forward. He moved like a machine—rhythmic, precise.
But he didn't notice the pipe he had bent earlier.
It wasn't a normal pipe. It carried water saturated with mana—not for drinking, but for the ground. The soil in the suburban districts was weak due to the load and the amount of apartments and homes stacked next to each other in this day and age people had all left foundations and call as buildings were smaller but where protected by runes and magical circles so the use of foundations became obsolete
Without the mana, the ground slowly weakened. It didn't collapse immediately residual mana kept it stable. But as Kai ran, his repeated impacts rattled the already strained soil.
Pressure built.
The pipe ruptured.
And the ground gave way beneath him.
---
And as kai stepped at the corner of the street once again suddenly the ground under him wasn't there as he looked down sharply panic as his heart sank.
the ground gave way as he fell.
Kai barely had time to shout before he was swallowed by darkness and icy cold water.
He was a mess right now limbs flailing, bubbles rising all around him he.
Cold panic surged through his chest.
'I… can't swim.' The thought hit like a brick. 'His body thrashed, searching for something—anything—to grab onto.'
Then the system's voice cut in, cold as ever.
[Emergency Quest Activated: Survive 5 Minutes]
[Reward: Three Skills]
Kai's thoughts exploded. 'Are you INSANE?! I DON'T EVEN KNOW HOW TO SWIM!,'
No answer. Just the oppressive weight of the water around him.
His chest burned. Every kick felt like sinking sand. He tried to scream, but only swallowed more water, choking.
Finally Kai snapped his eyes open and looked around eyes burning it was Merky but he spotted something.
A flash of light above—an air pocket. His foot hit the tunnel floor, and he pushed off with every ounce of strength, rocketing upward. His head broke through into a narrow bubble of air, and he coughed violently.
[1 Minute Left]
He gulped down air like it was gold. No time to rest.
Another deep breath, and he dove again.
The water stung his eyes. The tunnel walls felt endless, but somehow… his body floated. Even as panic clawed at his chest, his limbs began to move more naturally. Every stroke grew steadier. Desperation had forced him to learn, step by step, second by second.
There—a faint outline. A glass pane, an old maintenance window. His only way out.
Kai slammed his fist into it. Once. Twice. Cracks spread like spiderwebs. One last strike, and the glass shattered. He shot through, bursting into another air pocket.
But he'd swallowed too much water. His throat tightened, chest convulsing. He dropped to his knees, retching.
[Emergency Quest Complete]
[Reward: Ability to Swim | God Eyes | Bloodline Rank Up]
Immediately, something clicked inside him.
His mind flooded with instinct—breathing techniques, efficient movement, how to cut through water like a blade. At the same time, his vision sharpened. Even submerged, he could see with impossible clarity. The darkness became almost transparent.
God Eyes… he thought, instinctively activating the new ability. The tunnel lit up with detail—currents, cracks, even faint traces of mana glowing through the water.
But he didn't have time to marvel.
The system chimed again.
[Mana Detected in Water]
[Note: Without infusion this region's foundation will fail. But this mana can be absorbed to expand Host's mana capacity. Side effect: Extreme cellular stress. Multiple cycles of full-body destruction and regeneration required.]
Kai's lips curled into a half-smile despite his trembling. "Do it. No idea what the rest ment but power? now that's what i want."
---
The water thickened.
It coiled around him like silk. Then like chains. A cocoon of mana-infused liquid enveloped him—and forced its way inside.
Through his nose, his mouth, even his pores.
Then came the pain.
Every cell in his body ruptured. His bones crumbled to dust. Kai Screamed but the only thing that happened was water entered his lungs making him feal worse and then. His organs dissolved into nothing. His entire body was reduced to base particles, then rebuilt again, and again, five times over.
By the second cycle, Kai couldn't even think. His mind was a haze of fire and static.
By the third, his screams were silent, his throat long since shredded.
By the fourth, there was nothing but instinct telling him to endure.
By the fifth, he no longer recognized the difference between his body and the water. He simply was and then, he wasn't.
When it ended, he was floating, trembling, and gasping weakly.
His body… felt different. Stronger. But the pain still lingered, a phantom echo in every fiber.
[Max Mana Capacity Increased: 150 → 500]
[System Updating… Offline for 24 Hours]
Kai's eyes widened. "W- W- wait—offline? Now?!"
Kai's voice was trembling from the faint lingering pain and yet it felt heavenly he felt as if he could pick up a mountain.
His chest heaved, but he forced himself to move. Get out. Move.
Thirty agonizing minutes later, he clawed his way to the surface through the caved-in road.
Emergency responders and civilians stood in a wide ring around the breach. All of them froze when Kai surfaced.
Dripping wet, he staggered to the edge. Confused murmurs rippled through the crowd.
Then he saw his reflection in the water.
His eyes.
One light golden.
The other, a pale, glowing crimson.
Not the brown he was born with.
"Deactivate God Eyes," he whispered.
Nothing answered. The system was silent.