Taming SSR And UR RANK Superwomen-Chapter 14 — A Power with Consequences

The watch buzzed against Thomas’s wrist again.

He didn’t need to look at it. He already had too many times over the past few minutes. The motion had become automatic, almost nervous, as if checking the time could stretch it through sheer willpower.

’It’s almost time for the visit to my house,’ Thomas thought as he stared out the window. ’I need to finish this soon.’

Selene noticed.

"Are you going to keep staring at your wrist all day?" she asked irritably. "You’re starting to make me nervous."

Thomas looked up immediately.

"Sorry," he said. "It’s not because of you."

"Obviously not because of me. Anyone would want to be with me."

’God, this woman can drive me insane sometimes. I’ll make her clean my entire house so she drops the pride—but not today. Today everything needs to go smoothly.’

Selene remained leaned back in her chair, arms relaxed, though her expression was still severe. She had spoken more than at the beginning; she had even lowered her guard enough to share things she clearly didn’t usually talk about... and yet the distrust was still there, untouched.

Thomas swallowed.

’The grace period is over.’

The system hadn’t sent any new messages, but that didn’t mean anything. The warning still hovered in his mind like a suspended blade.

[Failure to complete the mission will severely punish the Bearer.]

It didn’t say when. It didn’t say how. And that was the worst part. Thomas lowered his gaze to the table. The spoon rested to the right of his plate, reflecting the café’s dim light. A common object. Harmless. Perfect.

’It has to be something ordinary,’ he thought. ’Nothing invasive. Nothing humiliating. Something anyone would ask without thinking.’

He felt sweat beginning to pool in his palms. Selene was watching him closely, as if she sensed the change in his breathing.

"What’s wrong with you now?" she asked. "You look like you’re about to throw up."

"It’s just...," Thomas cleared his throat. "...I remembered my sister is home alone."

"You have a sister?" Selene asked.

’Shit! I answered on reflex! What an idiot!’

Before he could respond, he moved his hand clumsily—deliberately clumsily—as if it had slipped.

The spoon fell to the floor with a clear clink. Both of them looked down at the same time. It barely rolled, stopping near Selene’s foot, her toenails painted light blue.

The silence that followed was brief but heavy. Thomas looked up first. He forced a nervous smile, one that didn’t quite hide the tension in his jaw.

"Wow," he said, trying to sound casual. "Guess I’m clumsier than I thought."

Selene didn’t respond right away. She looked at the spoon, then at him, then back at the spoon.

"...That was really obvious," she said.

Thomas let out a small, awkward laugh. He took a deep breath and said,

"Could you...?" he began, pausing for a second. His heart was pounding so hard he could feel it buzzing in his ears. "Could you pick it up for me? It’s closer to you."

He didn’t say it like an order. He didn’t say it harshly. He said it as if it were the most trivial favor in the world.

Selene slowly raised her gaze. Her blue eyes sharpened.

"...No."

Thomas blinked.

"Huh?"

She leaned forward, planting both feet firmly on the ground without bending down.

"I’m not your obedient dog," she said with contempt. "Pick up your damn spoon yourself."

The air seemed to grow heavy. Thomas felt something crack inside him. Before he could react, the letters appeared in front of him.

They didn’t float gently—they slammed into place.

[YOU HAVE FAILED]

The red color was more intense than ever. A second later, a new line appeared beneath it.

[Applying punishment in: 5]

The number began to tick down.

[4]

Thomas’s pulse spiked.

"Wait—"

[3]

Selene noticed the change in his expression.

"What’s wrong with you...?"

[2]

Panic took hold of him.

He didn’t know what would happen when the counter reached zero, but he was sure of one thing: it wouldn’t be mild. Not with the power the system wielded.

’Inventory,’ he thought desperately.

The panel unfolded in front of him immediately. Common objects. Badges. Items. His eyes locked onto one in particular: Selene’s storage spatula.

There was no time to hesitate.

[1]

"Selene," he said, his voice tight.

She frowned.

"What?"

Thomas extended his hand, activating the item.

"Enter."

It wasn’t a request—it was a command. Selene’s eyes widened in shock.

"What did you just—¿"

She didn’t finish the sentence.

The air around her distorted, as if space itself were folding inward. A brief glow—light blue and filled with tiny golden lights—burst from the spatula.

Selene tried to step back, but her foot wouldn’t move. Her expression shifted from anger to confusion, and from confusion to alarm.

"What are you—¡"

Her voice cut off abruptly. In the blink of an eye, Selene vanished. The spatula vibrated once... and then went still.

The counter reached zero. On the blue digital screen in front of him, a message appeared:

[Applying punishment.]

The floor vanished beneath his feet, and a brutal force ripped him out of reality. The café dissolved into a vortex of shadows, distorted sounds, and crushing pressure. Thomas felt like he was falling, even though there was no direction at all—no up, no down.

The air grew thick, dark, almost hostile.

When he regained consciousness, he was on his knees atop a black, cracked surface. An unnatural wind blew past him, heavy with distant whispers. The sky—if it could even be called that—was a twisted mass of shadows and purple light.

Thomas slowly lifted his head. He wished he didn’t recognize the place, but there were so many videos of the heroines’ expeditions that it was impossible not to.

"...The Abyss?" he murmured.

His trembling hand closed around the spatula.

’Was she transported with me?’

The Abyss seemed to answer with a distant roar. Thomas realized far too late that the punishment hadn’t been canceled. It had only changed its stage.

A chill ran down his spine when he heard a sound behind him. It was like multiple hollow wooden tubes clattering against each other. It was coming from the darkness, dragging itself closer.

Thomas backed away in silent panic. His pupils were dilated, his face a mask of fear. His back hit a rocky wall, and he noticed vegetation at his feet.

It was a small crack in the rock, in the ground—so narrow and uncomfortable that the only reason Thomas could fit was his slender build.

Before he could run to hide, the system appeared in front of him once more. That blue screen displayed a message in yellow letters:

[Survive the Abyss for one hour.]

[Remaining time: 01:00:00]