Chapter 122: Chapter 122: The System Upgrade

Chapter 122: The System Upgrade

The night was entirely silent.

I stood alone inside the grand washroom of my private chambers. I splashed cold water over my green face and looked into the mirror.

’We had secured the alliance. The Forge was officially backed by the strongest monsters on the continent. But the war had just begun.’

I wiped my face with a rough towel and let out a deep breath.

Suddenly, a blinding red light illuminated the dark room.

I flinched. But the light was not an enemy spell. It was coming directly from my own retinas.

[ALERT: Core Energy Threshold Reached.]

[Catalyst Accepted: C Grade Incubus Core Absorbed.]

[Initiating System Upgrade to Version 2.0...]

I stared at the floating text. The familiar blue interface was completely gone.

It was replaced by a deep crimson and gold border. The sheer amount of mana radiating from the digital screen made my head throb.

"Why now?" I asked the empty room. "I am about to march an army across the continent. I need my interface active."

The System text flickered rapidly. It responded directly to my vocal prompt.

[Response: The host has triggered a direct conflict with ancient entities. The Zenith Academy and the Elven Sylvanate harbor guardians far stronger than Level 50.]

[The current System framework cannot process the high-tier laws required for your survival. Upgrade is absolutely mandatory.]

I narrowed my eyes at the glowing words. "So you are going to sleep? For how long?"

[Calculating...]

[The System Integration will require significant time. The host will not have access to standard status screens or quick level progression during this period. You are about to face enemies stronger than you have ever imagined.]

"Perfect," I muttered sarcastically. "Leave me blind right before a world war."

[Recommendation: The host currently relies entirely on the Fire of Rage. The Law of Emotional Radiance is a vast and complex spectrum. Rage is only the beginning.]

I stopped wiping my armor. I looked closer at the fading red screen.

"A spectrum?"

[Affirmative. To survive the true powerhouses of the Zenith Academy, the host must awaken the next tier of the emotional spectrum. The recent absorption of Incubus energy has primed your core for the next awakening.]

"Which emotion?" I demanded.

[That is for the host to discover. Do not tell me you cannot do it yourself and must rely entirely on the System.]

"Oh really?! Now you are just trying to rage bait me into doing it, huh?" I retorted.

"Well, I will try to complete the Spectrum of Emotions. But will I not gain any EXP during your upgrade? And what about the inventory and system skills? Will I not be able to use those either?"

[You will be able to use the inventory and skills, but the host will not be able to Evolve until I am upgraded. Until then, you should get stronger without me.]

"What will happen to the System Shop and the Lust Points I have collected so far? I should get compensated for it, right?" I asked as I poured some water for myself.

[You shall not worry, host. You will not be able to use Lust Points and the Shop in the meantime, but you will be compensated for it. Now that you have awakened the Law, your power shall increase exponentially. To measure that power, we shall need new measurements. That is all I can answer for now.]

"Alright, System. Good Night!" I sighed helplessly. I knew I could not do anything about it.

The System was a mysterious entity. I knew close to nothing about it, but it had helped me get stronger. I was genuinely grateful for it.

[System entering Sleep Mode. Good luck, Sovereign.]

The red light vanished completely. The interface shut down.

I was completely alone in the dark room. The silence felt heavier than before.

A massive and complex spectrum of emotions.

’I had mastered my hatred and my anger. I had turned my trauma into a physical weapon. But to increase the power of my Law fully, I need to awaken the emotions that are still sleeping dormant inside of me.’

I sighed as I thought about preparing for the war.

’The true rulers will not interfere in this conflict, so there is no need to hurry the leveling up to 100 or anything. I should just calmly increase my Law Proficiency for now. Now that the System has gone into sleep mode, I do not know what will happen in the future anymore. Not that I knew the future anyways.’

I spent the rest of the night sitting in the dark and meditating on my core. I felt the overwhelming and chaotic energy of the Incubus Lord swirling inside my chest.

It was a dense knot of pure lust and domination magic. I needed to untangle it. I needed to understand it.

Hours passed.

The sun finally began to rise over the mechanical skyline of the Forge. The harsh orange light spilled through my high windows and warmed the cold stone floor.

It was time to move.

I strapped my crimson Ironclad plating over my tailored suit. I secured my heavy brass Vanguard Arm.

I walked out of my private chambers and marched directly toward the central command center of the Iron Estate.

The heavy steel doors of the War Room slid open.

My entire pack was already gathered around a massive and detailed tactical map of the Monster Continent.

Nyssa, Kaelith, Lysandra, Anise, and Rolf looked up as I entered the room. They were lightly armed and radiating absolute lethal intent.

I walked up to the head of the heavy iron table. I looked down at the map showing our territories and our enemies.

"Let us begin," I commanded.

The foreign rulers of the continent had left early in the morning using the Warp Gates. The meeting room was filled with the strongest and most trusted members of the kingdom.

At the head of the War Table sat King Regent Hardsteel. He had a grim expression on his face.

He looked at me and spoke with a heavy voice. "Grik, we have urgent news. Zenith Academy and House Vane of the Purists have declared war on us."