MTLNOVEL Chapter 18: Chapter 17 – The Hand That Defies Fate
Chapter 17 – The Hand That Defies Fate
Jihwan had faced death before.
But never like this.
The air was charged with an unnatural force, the presence of the System Enforcers warping reality itself. Their forms flickered—glitches in the world, too perfect yet fundamentally broken.
Across from him, the unknown Variable stood, radiating defiance.
> "You're still alive. Impressive."
Jihwan gritted his teeth, watching as the three faceless enforcers recalibrated. The massive formation in the sky still hung above, its pulsating glow signaling an imminent attack.
> "I wouldn't call it impressive."
"Then what would you call it?"
Jihwan's hands clenched into fists.
> "A mistake."
The Variable's smirk widened.
> "Then let's make sure you don't regret it."
Before Jihwan could ask what they meant, the sky collapsed.
The System's Judgment came crashing down—a beam of pure white energy meant to erase everything in its path.
And then—
The Variable moved.
Faster than sight, faster than thought.
They raised a single hand.
The beam should have annihilated them.
Instead, it stopped—caught between their fingers as if it were nothing more than a candle's flame.
Jihwan's mind raced.
> "That's impossible."
No one should be able to defy the System's absolute force. Not even the strongest beings in the world could resist a direct erasure command.
But this person?
They had just stopped it.
The Variable let out a low chuckle.
> "Tch. So dramatic. I thought this system would be stronger than this."
Then—they crushed the beam in their grip.
Reality shuddered.
The air cracked like fragile glass, the enforcers momentarily flickering out of sync.
Jihwan saw his chance.
He moved.
His body protested, still weighed down by the suppression of his revoked skills, but his instincts took over.
> Survival comes first.
Jihwan closed the distance between himself and the nearest enforcer. Its blank, featureless mask turned toward him.
It swung.
A blade of pure system energy arced through the air.
Jihwan twisted his body, barely dodging as he launched a counterattack. His fist slammed into the enforcer's head.
Nothing.
It didn't even flinch.
Instead, it grabbed his wrist.
A system message flashed across Jihwan's vision.
> [Initiating Absolute Restraint.]
[Entity Yoo Jihwan is being forcibly ejected from reality.]
His body froze.
An invisible force began pulling him apart, piece by piece.
And for the first time—Jihwan felt true helplessness.
> No.
This wasn't how it ended.
He refused.
And then—
The Variable stepped in.
> "That's enough."
They moved so fast Jihwan barely registered it.
One second, the enforcer was holding him.
The next—its entire arm had been ripped away.
The enforcer twitched, its body glitching violently. It tried to recalibrate.
The Variable didn't let it.
> "I don't like being ignored."
They raised their hand—and snapped their fingers.
A soundless wave of force erupted.
The enforcer disintegrated.
Completely.
Jihwan stumbled backward, his breath ragged. The remaining two enforcers hesitated, recalculating their approach.
For the first time, they recognized a threat they hadn't accounted for.
The Variable turned to Jihwan, eyes gleaming.
> "You can't fight them as you are now."
Jihwan's jaw tightened.
> "Then what do you suggest?"
The Variable grinned.
> "That's easy."
They raised a hand toward him.
> "Break the system."
Jihwan's heart slammed against his ribs.
> "What…?"
The Variable's grin widened.
> "I'll ask you this once, Yoo Jihwan."
Their hand hovered inches from him.
> "Do you want power?"
The enforcers charged.
The world shook.
And in that moment—Jihwan had a choice to make.
To defy the system…
Or be erased by it.
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End of Chapter 17