Rise of the System Slayer

Before Ares even moved an inch, the Dread Ghoul let out a roar, unleashing a wave of cursed energy in all directions. However, since his army consisted of shadows, Summons, they were unaffected.

Instead, Ares himself was hit by the curse, A heavy sensation spread through his body

as if invisible chains were binding him. He could only move his eyes, staring ahead while his body remained frozen.

The Dread Ghoul charged forward, attacking his summoned shadows. Ares stood motionless in the middle of the battle, his heart pounding louder with each passing second. Suddenly, a transparent screen appeared in front of him.

[The curse has afflicted you: Wailing Torment.]

Ares stared at the message in disbelief. "Damn it! So that's why I suddenly froze up like a hotdog in a freezer!" he exclaimed before forcing himself to refocus.

Half his summons had already been wiped out, but now it was time to fight back. Thanks to their increased defense by 10 points, his summons were tougher and more useful in battle.

"Attack!" Ares commanded, pointing at the Dread Ghoul. Another transparent screen appeared before him, displaying the status of his shadow army.

[Summon Shadows: 30/50

• Total HP → 2,400

• Total Attack → 1,150

• Total Defense → 1,500]

He noticed that his shadow army's numbers were slowly decreasing.

"So I can see my army's status? Why didn't you show me this earlier?" Ares thought.

[Did you say something?]

Instead of focusing on the enemy, Ares found himself growing more annoyed with the system. His temper flared.

"Damn this system! In every novel I've read, the system takes the lead and guides the MC, but this—" he grumbled.

[Don't drag me into your childish imagination. I'm not part of them, fool.]

[Be grateful that I'm still helping you, even when you don't deserve it.]

While Ares was arguing with the system and focusing on the screen, his army was nearly wiped out—only one shadow remained standing. The Dread Ghoul swiftly finished it off before charging at him with its spear.

In the chaos, Ares lost track of the enemy for a moment. Then, out of the corner of his eye, he caught a glimpse of the Dread Ghoul lunging toward him. Reacting just in time, he activated his Phantom skill, narrowly dodging the attack that almost pierced his body.

Before the Dread Ghoul could strike again, Ares's eyes sharpened, and he wasted no time summoning his shadows once more.

A swarm of 50 shadows emerged beside him, their dark forms flickering like living smoke.

"Go! Attack from different sides while the others cut off its escape!" Ares commanded, his voice firm as his army lunged toward the ghoul, surrounding it like a pack of relentless predators.

They clashed fiercely, but the Dread Ghoul let out another deafening roar

directed at Ares. Seeing this, Ares knew he couldn't afford to make the same mistake again. He quickly activated his Phantom skill to dodge the attack.

However, in that brief moment of distraction, ten of his summoned shadows were wiped out in an instant.

"This monster isn't just strong; he's actually quite smart," Ares muttered, gritting his teeth in confusion.

It had been an hour since Ares started battling the Dread Ghoul. He struggled against its relentless attacks, which repeated over and over, wearing him down. Then, an idea struck him—he quickly opened the GP Store, browsing for a potion that could nullify the ghoul's abilities.

"Damn you, monster! Just wait until I nullify your annoying skills—then I'll break you into pieces!" Ares muttered as he scrolled through the system screen, searching the GP Store.

[Potion Selection]

After a few minutes of searching, he finally found what he was looking for. Excited, he tapped on the potion, and a list of various options appeared on the screen.

*Frostbound Essence (Glacier's Wrath)

Effect → Covers the user's body with an icy aura, slowing enemies by 40% in a 5-meter radius. Any melee attacks against the user have a 20% chance to freeze the attacker for 3 seconds.

*Soul Rejuvenation Tonic (Elixir of Vitality)

Effect → Instantly restores 50% HP and 30% MP. However, it cannot be used again for another 5 minutes due to a cooldown effect.

*Shadowmeld Concoction (Nightstalker's Shroud)

Effect → Allows the user to blend into darkness, making them undetectable even by magical detection for 30 seconds. Moving too fast will weaken the effect.

*Bloodlust Elixir (Cursed Berserker Brew)

Effect → Increases attack power by 100% and attack speed by 50% for 20 seconds. However, the user loses 5% HP per second while the effect is active.

*Celestial Guardian Brew (Shield of the Ancients)

Effect → Summons a golden energy shield that absorbs up to 50% of incoming damage for 15 seconds. If broken, it releases a shockwave that knocks back enemies within 5 meters.

* Elixir of Titan's Strength (Berserker's Brew)

Effect → Increases the user's strength by 200% for 30 seconds. However, the user experiences fatigue afterward, reducing movement speed by 50% for 10 seconds.

*Phantom Veil Potion (Ghost's Whisper)

Effect → Grants invisibility for 15 seconds. If the user attacks or casts a spell, the effect immediately wears off.

*Serpent's Agility Brew (Windwalker Draught)

Effect → Boosts agility and reflexes by 150% for 20 seconds, allowing the user to dodge attacks with ease.

*Infernal Flame Draught (Hellfire Essence)

Effect → Imbues the user's attacks with fire magic, causing burn damage over time for 10 seconds. Fire-based attacks become 50% stronger during the effect.

*Potion of Nullification (Anti-Magic Elixir)

Effect → Cancels all active skills and magic of the enemy within a 10-meter radius for 10 seconds. Any buffs they have are instantly dispelled.

[99+ others available]

After scanning through the list, Ares's eyes locked onto the Potion of Nullification.

"This is it! Exactly what I need!" he exclaimed. But then, after reading the effect, his excitement faltered for a second. "Only 10 seconds? Tch… whatever! I can end this in seconds!"

Ares smirked, confident that he could finish the Dread Ghoul the moment its abilities were nullified.

After that, Ares quickly tapped the purchase button. The potion bottle instantly appeared in his hand, and without hesitation, he swallowed it in one gulp, feeling the liquid rush down his throat. Without wasting a second, he dashed back into the battle.

As he closed in on the Dread Ghoul, another deafening roar erupted from the creature, sending a powerful wave toward him. But this time, its ability had no effect—the Nullification Potion had activated.

[Your immunity has been activated. The curse has been nullified.]

Ares smirked. Seizing the moment, he activated his Void Manipulation skill. A blue aura coated his right hand as power surged through him. He clenched his fist tightly, channeling his strength before launching a devastating strike at the Dread Ghoul's body.

The impact sent the monster crashing into the ground, its bones shattering like fragile glass under his overwhelming force.

A moment later, the system screen appeared before him.

[Congratulations! You have defeated the Dread Ghoul.]

Another mocking message from the system appeared before him.

[Brain.exe has stopped working? Or were you just enjoying the suffering? (¬‿¬)]

"Damn it! How could you—" Before he could even finish his words, he realized that the system was right.

He was strong enough to kill the Dread Ghoul instantly, but since he had focused all his points on strength while neglecting intelligence, he had struggled to defeat it.

....