Chapter 8: Sleepbreaker vs. The Hunters
Jay stared at the cloaked figures hovering outside his window.
They didn't knock.
They phased through the wall.
The System blinked an urgent red:
> [Hostile Entities Detected. Codename: System Reclaimers.]
[Warning: Combat Class – S]
[Recommended Action: RUN.]
Jay didn't run.
He yawned, stood up slowly, and dusted imaginary crumbs off his wrinkled shirt.
"Look, if this is about unpaid system rent, I've got coupons."
The taller hunter, Agent Vahl, stepped forward. His eyes gleamed with mechanical runes. "Jay Arkwell. You are a breach in protocol. Hand over your system."
The shorter one—Agent Cora—grinned, twirling a dagger that shimmered outside reality.
"Or we extract it manually. You won't need your spleen after."
Jay's System pinged again.
> [Auto-Skill Activated: "Sleepbreaker (Lv. 1)"]
• Focus: Instinctual Counter.
• Effect: Dodge the first fatal strike in any battle, no matter the source.
[Memory Spike Engaged – Combat Style Rebooting…]
Jay's body tensed. Something ancient stirred in his blood.
---
Flashback Fragment – Unknown Battlefield
A younger Jay stood among ruins, surrounded by bodies—some armored, some monstrous.
He held a crooked blade in one hand, and a cracked System screen in the other.
Voice in his head:
"You were the final prototype, Jay. You weren't supposed to live this long."
The memory ended in static.
---
Back to the Fight
Agent Cora dashed forward, blade out, reality bending around her speed.
Jay blinked.
She was already mid-swing.
The system flared—
> [Sleepbreaker Triggered.]
Jay vanished for a blink of an eye.
Not moved. Not dodged.
Erased.
Then reappeared behind her, his hand lazily on her shoulder.
"Tag."
Cora twisted—too late. Jay's aura pulsed, and a shockwave launched her into the wall.
Vahl growled. "You've already awakened one memory seal… unacceptable."
He raised his gauntlet. Magical symbols spun like turbines.
> [Warning: Incoming Skill – "Divine Recall Reaper."]
Jay's system scrambled.
> [Countermeasure Unavailable.]
[Fallback Activated: Experimental Protocol – "Nap Bomb"]
Jay sighed. "Nap Bomb? Seriously?"
He raised his hand. Energy gathered lazily like dust motes in sunlight.
Then—
BOOM.
A shockwave of lethargy spread out, warping time. The entire room went sluggish. Lights dimmed. Gravity wobbled.
Vahl's spell froze mid-air.
Jay stepped forward casually, looking at him like he'd just interrupted a meal.
"I was trying to nap. You brought death lasers."
Then he punched Vahl in the gut.
It didn't look strong.
But with 999x strength... the punch flattened the man through two walls.
---
Elsewhere – Alicia's Communication Mirror
Alarms rang through her mirror.
> [Unauthorized Tier 2 Combat Detected – Zone: West Dormitory.]
Alicia stood up from her desk.
"Jay... What have you done now?"
---
Back at Jay's Dorm – Aftermath
Jay sat cross-legged in the crater where his bed used to be.
Cora groaned under a pile of broken ceiling tiles. Vahl was stuck halfway into the wall, sizzling.
Jay's System chimed cheerfully:
> [Hostile Threats: Neutralized (Temporarily).]
[Sleepbreaker Cooldown: 12 Hours.]
Jay rubbed his head.
"My room's destroyed, I'm out of snacks, and apparently I've got mystery trauma stored in my bloodstream."
He collapsed backward onto the floor.
"System?"
> [Yes, Host?]
"…Wake me if they send dragons."
> [Understood.]