I Hate Systems Chapter 3: Partial Truth

As the monstrous entity drew nearer, poised to devour Compass Carburettor, it reveled in the moment. "Worry not, for Earth has merely had a taste of my presence."

"With your inexplicable vanishing, your company will descend into chaos. The board of directors will undoubtedly scramble to seize power and personal gain. And your daughter, Stencil, will be cast aside. What can an eight-year-old truly do against such adversity? Hahaha!"

Its fangs grazed Compass Carburettor's back, drawing a thin trickle of blood. It hadn't fully emerged yet and eagerly awaited the completion of the process before consuming him. Its intent was to torment him to the extreme, exploiting his utter helplessness.

"And when Stencil finds herself abandoned and alone, I shall possess her. I will ignite her thirst for vengeance, compelling her to vow the destruction of your company, to strike back at those who cast her out. And when she finally succeeds, I will simply repeat the cycle, hahaha!" It let out a sinister chuckle. "You, however, will not live to witness this. Yet, should the Reincarnation System claim your soul, you might just find yourself reborn on Earth, only to watch the depth of your daughter's suffering."

"I… will kill you!" Compass Carburettor clenched his jaw, blood trickling from his orifices from sheer exertion. His attempts to move his hand were futile; the draining of the Money-Making System's essence left him brutally weakened and paralyzed.

"Kill me?" Upon hearing his desperate cry, the creature erupted in laughter, its tongue lashing out to strike his face repeatedly. "You cannot! You are powerless! It is an impossibility for you! No living being can ever hope to contend with a System! We are designated as Plot Armors for a reason!"

"Guhh!" Compass Carburettor struggled with all his might, but the foul stench emanating from the monster's maw sapped his remaining strength, filling him with an urge to vomit. He could feel the sharp pain as the monster's teeth slowly sank deeper into his flesh.

The moment its form fully detached from him, it would consume him whole.

'Hurry! Reach it!' he commanded mentally, inching his hand towards his holster. Even this minuscule movement indicated the monster was nearing completion of its extraction. He could be torn apart and devoured at any second.

Suddenly, a blur of motion severed the flow exiting his body. A split second later, the monster shrieked in agony, writhing on the ground and recoiling rapidly, widening the distance between them.

The instant the connection broke, the remaining part of its body that was exiting snapped back into his own. Compass Carburettor regained his mobility. Swiftly reaching for his sidearm, he drew his gun and fired at the creature, the shot echoing.

The bullet struck the side of the monster's coin-like face, spilling ichor and eliciting a cry of disbelief, "How is this possible? A mere mortal cannot harm a System!"

Without further preamble, Compass Carburettor aimed for the center of its face and fired again. This time, however, the creature reacted the instant his hand moved, dodging the projectile and seeking refuge behind a tree.

Just as it prepared to counter, it suddenly shuddered, sensing imminent danger. It hastily retreated as the tree it had used for cover blurred and then splintered into pieces.

'Is another System targeting me now? Damn it!' It glanced at Compass Carburettor one last time, shouting, "You may have survived, but I shall possess your daughter now."

With those words, it expended a significant portion of its stored energy, vanishing from the System World and returning to Earth. It scoured the planet, swiftly locating Stencil, and infiltrated her body unnoticed.

Thereafter, it remained dormant within, concentrating on healing its injuries and assessing the functionality of its abilities, checking for any losses.

'Fortunately, all my core functions remain intact. Only the fragments related to my physical form were left behind. Piff, they were merely supplementary abilities, after all. Thus, I have suffered no significant detriment.'

It then fell silent, observing the world from within Stencil's vessel.

Back in the System World, Compass Carburettor roared with fury as the Money-Making System's figure dematerialized. He fired at the spot where it had stood, screaming in rage when nothing occurred, "Don't you dare lay a hand on my daughter!"

"Calm yourself, do not lose control," a voice emanated from behind him. Compass Carburettor spun around, alarmed, his gun raised towards the source of the sound. No one was visible.

He then detected a subtle movement within the dense trees, a shadow steadily advancing. Shortly after, a figure emerged from the thicket, fixing its gaze upon Compass Carburettor as it spoke, "If you continue to shout so loudly, you risk attracting the attention of a Higher-Grade System. If that occurs, we shall both perish."

A figure resembling a human came into view. Based on its appearance, Compass Carburettor surmised it was a demon. "A demon?"

"Indeed, you may call us that; it is a common designation across many realms." The demon affirmed with a nod.

Compass Carburettor's gaze fell upon the sword grasped in its hand, the very weapon whose strike had severed his link to the Money-Making System, granting him freedom and enabling his escape. "Thank you for intervening."

"Ah, you possess the capacity for understanding. That simplifies matters considerably." The demon nodded once more, extending an introduction, "You may refer to me as Fourth. Like yourself, I am what is termed a System Survivor."

"System Survivor?" Compass Carburettor carefully wiped the blood from his face and rose, brushing dust from his attire as he posed his question.

Despite posing the inquiry, his thoughts were wholly consumed by the urgent need to devise a method for returning to Earth and protecting his daughter. The demon, Fourth, perceiving the turmoil etched on his features, sheathed its blade and spoke, "Fear not, your daughter's immediate peril is some time away. I shall illuminate a potential path to safeguard her existence. However, allow me first to elaborate on the true circumstances. The System you encountered did not convey the complete truth."