A Waste of Time

Chapter 119: Latticed Silence

Daemon and Ippo lay sprawled in the grass, laughing breathlessly as they tried to gulp down air. Their bodies ached too much to rise, but the earth beneath them wouldn’t allow rest—it shuddered violently, trembling as though the island itself were about to sink back into the ocean.

“Huff… W-what is… going on?” Ippo panted between gasps. “Has it always… been this… huff… hard in… this damn System?” His limbs trembled like noodles, but after a brief recovery, they hardened enough for him to push himself upright.

The island hadn’t changed; the sand shore was still washing deeper under the waves. But the ocean had.

A path had appeared, parting the water in two, stretching straight into the horizon until sight itself failed.

“Let’s go.” Daemon staggered up, pulling Ippo to his feet before trudging toward the shore. Without hesitation, he waded into the surf. When the water grew too deep, he swam, wasting no time on rest. Ippo followed, and after ten minutes, the two reached the path’s edge.

Creak. Crash.

“Thank god I listened to you,” Ippo muttered. He stared in awe as the lever they had fought so hard to move snapped back into place, the island collapsing in on itself until nothing remained. “Whoa! This path is sinking too! Who programmed this System? That bastard must be the most sadistic fucker alive!”

He sprinted after Daemon, who ran in silence, eyes fixed ahead but alert to both flanks. Together they maintained a steady jog—fast enough to stay ahead of the crumbling path, but slow enough not to burn themselves out.

“Careful!” Ippo suddenly shouted. Daemon ducked instantly, avoiding the silver flash that shot from the waves. A fish, no larger than his arm, with sleek blue-tinted scales, long fins, and a whip-like tail, had aimed for his head.

Daemon recognized it immediately: a swift, schooling predator he had seen countless times in the submerged path.

“There’ll be more. Keep your eyes peeled.” He turned and ran backwards, broadening their shared vision through the link.

Their pace slowed. The harassment came in waves, forcing them to dodge and weave while the path crumbled steadily behind them.

“Fuck!” Ippo yelped as a tail smacked his forearm. He had managed to block it—barely. The sting lingered, burning his skin.

His eyes widened. “W-what the hell? Why isn’t it passing to you? I’m immortal—this can’t be happening to oresama the great Takamu— cough—I mean Ippo!” Even in panic, he cracked a joke.

Daemon smirked. Finally, the tables had turned. After the pheasant fiasco—when Ippo had taken reckless hits, dumping the pain onto Daemon while his own body reset instantly—this was vindication.

“Stay focused,” Daemon warned. He let one fish sail past his shoulder, splashing harmlessly into the sea behind him, while glancing back at the sinking edge of the path.

But Ippo was seething, bloodshot eyes brimming with humiliation. “The fuck I will! I almost got bitch-slapped by a fish! I’ll zap every bastard that comes at me—good dose of Lightning! You want a piece of me? Huh?! Come the fuck on!” He tugged at imaginary sleeves like a street punk, snarling at the water.

Another fish burst out, and instead of dodging, Ippo charged headlong, calling on his Lightning-Cocoon Skill. Nothing happened. He yelped, twisted awkwardly, and ended up brushing lips and nose against the fish’s slick underbelly.

“Whao! Ptooey—peh, peh—blurgh!” He spat furiously, face burning, wiping his lips with his arm as he scrambled back to his feet.

Daemon chuckled. “You should’ve realized our Skills don’t work here the moment you saw me swim to the path instead of teleporting. If I could’ve, I would’ve kept blinking us forward.”

“How would I know that when you hide everything from me?” Ippo shot back, glaring while sidestepping another fish and bending back to avoid its tail. “I’ve never been able to use that Mass-Displacement Skill anyway. Are you sure you’re not doing this on purpose—just to remind me who’s in charge?”

“I’d never waste time with something so stupid. You were supposed to be my last chance if the Mountain killed me.” Daemon shifted aside, letting another fish fly past. “Now there’s a second chance for both of us to survive if one falls. So stop sulking and maybe come up with a name for our third brother.” He grinned as he ran backwards, cool despite the chaos.

Ippo huffed but matched his pace, maintaining their spread for wider vision. His smirk returned. “Since we’re in the ocean, let’s call him Kai.” His grin widened into a cackle. “Kekeke… bet he’s pissed we ditched him right after he was born. Oh! By the way, you think this extra clone was given to us by… you-know-who?”

“I’ve got no clue,” Daemon admitted, shaking his head. “But I’m thankful for it.”

“Puts our hearts at ease, doesn’t it?” Ippo laughed, rolling forward mid-run before springing back up smoothly, still keeping pace. He glanced at the endless horizon ahead, mind whispering its own worry.

When is this path going to end?

Kai ran stride for stride beside Protector Fu Jian, the two of them cutting across the dirt road like shadows. The man in white had fallen silent after his initial barrage of questions, each of which the boy had answered with unnerving precision. Every word had confirmed his authenticity as one of Daemon’s brothers. More than that, it had proven his worth: the living link he carried to the one imprisoned in the Mountain, and to the other who had already crossed into the safety of the Dynasty’s territory, beyond the Mountain’s reach.

And then there was the matter of his ability.

Space cultivation.

Not simply the standard teleportation that marked a Space-wielder—a gift so rare that, at times, only one was born in ten thousand cultivators, sometimes in a hundred thousand. No, Kai had shown something greater. The very same technique Daemon had unleashed before the crowd: slipping past Han Ruyue’s Void Seal, and in the same breath plucking Yan Ru and Yan Jia away from the grasp of Ping Xueling, an Outer Elder of Ten-Thousand Beasts Mountain.

Fu Jian’s eyes flicked toward the boy again. Wrapped in a black cloak, his white mask flashed whenever the wind tore back the hood, revealing a small figure that looked far too fragile to house such power. And yet—

Three hours, and he isn’t even winded, Fu Jian thought. The boy’s pace never faltered. His steps struck the road with an easy rhythm, his breathing steady, his posture unbroken. I’d wager he could match my top speed if pressed… though his physique doesn’t yet carry the weight of Daemon’s. Not yet.

The man’s lips curled faintly before he finally broke the silence.

“We’re almost there,” he said aloud. “Let’s pick up the pace and reach it before dark.”

It was a test, plain and simple. The excuse was for the boy’s benefit, but Fu Jian’s true intention was to probe Kai’s limits, to see just how deep this child’s endurance truly ran.

Ippo opened his eyes to the world, the sensation still strange. For the first time, he had felt what it was like to enter the System. For the first time, he had felt what it was like to sleep.

When his vision cleared, Jia was leaning over him, Mei standing at her side, while his head rested comfortably on the soft pillow of Xia’s thigh. From that angle, her ample chest filled his view—and Ippo, of course, didn’t complain.

But then the flood of memories struck him. Kai’s short life, compressed and delivered in a rush through their link. The weight of it hit like a hammer.

“Shit!” Ippo bolted upright, his head bouncing off Xia’s breasts. She startled with a yelp, while Mei crossed her arms and glared daggers at him, as if daring him to try something more.

“Fucker can really use that Skill, and I can’t!” Ippo squatted there, clutching his head, the group staring at him in confusion while his mood soured.

Kai. You’re breaking my heart! This is blatant favoritism—I object. His complaint rang across the mental link. Daemon’s snicker was immediate.

Ippo, you’ve got a point, Kai replied easily, but it’s fair. You can access the System when I can’t. A pause, then a cheerful addendum: Thanks for the gift of immortality, by the way!

Daemon burst into laughter, wild and unrestrained. That single line shattered Ippo’s already fragile ego.

Fuck off, Ippo snapped, bitter. Enjoy humping the old man. I’ve got my hands full with four chicks here… plus a granny, if I want the full sampler.

I’ll do my best, Kai fired back mercilessly. And unlike you, I could keep at it forever. You better remember to take breaks, rest your eyes, get enough sleep. Don’t forget to brush your teeth… and for god’s sake, find some privacy when you shit. His tone was smug, ruthless, leaving Ippo stewing in bitter silence, the taste of defeat thick at the back of his throat.

Daemon stepped in before the bickering spiraled further. Enough. Kai—make sure you cover your tracks when you enter Blue-Luan Town. If the Seven-Gold Pagoda’s trade-house shows any sign of betrayal, leave immediately. Otherwise, do as you see fit. I believe you can handle yourself against Foundation Establishment cultivators now that I’ve reached Tier-1. But I’ll stress this—avoid direct confrontations until we’re at least teenagers. Don’t give them reason to crush you early.

Got it, boss. I’ll lay low until my bones harden, Kai replied. His words came steady as he passed through the gates of Blue-Luan Town beside Protector Fu Jian. The older man’s insignia gleamed as he presented it to the guards manning the backdoor of the Seven-Gold Pagoda’s trade-house. None dared question him, nor his mysterious companion.

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