Kryptonians: Man of Steel

Chapter 1514 System Hosting
His body, in an extremely stiff, uncoordinated yet purposeful manner, staggered toward the only window in the room.

"Wait! What are you doing?! Stop!"

Hachiman Hikigaya screamed wildly in the depths of his consciousness, trying to regain control, but the force was like an iron clamp, locking his nerve signals tightly.

He was like a desperate prisoner trapped inside his own body.

The system controlled his hand, roughly prying open the window latch and forcefully pushing the window sash open.

The cool air of the early summer night rushed in, carrying the scent of grass from the green belt downstairs, but it only made him feel a deeper chill.

[Punishment procedure activated: Forced adaptive relocation.]

"No! This is the second floor! You'll fall and die!"

Hachiman Hikigaya's mind was screaming.

However, his body did not hesitate at all.

With the system's precise and ruthless micro-management, he stepped onto the edge of the windowsill with his right foot and pushed off with his left leg—his whole body was thrown like a catapult, plummeting towards the hard concrete ground below!
"Click——!!!"

A sharp, teeth-grinding crack accompanied by excruciating pain, as if a red-hot iron rod had been plunged deep into his left shinbone!
Hachiman Hikigaya's vision went black, and he almost fainted instantly, tears mixed with cold sweat streaming down his face uncontrollably.

He could clearly "feel" the crack in his shinbone, and his left ankle twisted at a strange angle, followed by the pain of ligaments being torn.

"It's over... my leg is broken..."

Despair overwhelmed him.

But the system did not stop.

Just as his body was about to completely collapse from the excruciating pain and trauma, Hachiman Hikigaya felt an even stronger and more tyrannical force erupting from the depths of his body!

This force forcibly locked his damaged joints, as if putting an invisible, hard cast on his broken leg.

It commands the surrounding muscle groups to contract and tighten to their limits in a way that completely transcends the biological self-protection instinct, forcibly fixing the fractured and dislocated parts and taking the impact and weight in place of the bones.

This is an extreme, self-destructive manipulation that sacrifices the muscles and ligaments for temporary mobility, even at the cost of overloading or permanent damage.

The excruciating pain continued to assault his nerves like a tidal wave, but under the absolute suppression of the system, his body only staggered slightly upon landing due to the impact. Then, like a wound-up machine, he sprinted along the alley behind the apartment building with a limping yet exceptionally swift gait!
Every time his left foot touched the ground, a shattering tremor came from the forcibly fixed broken bones and dislocated joints, causing Hachiman Hikigaya's soul to convulse and scream in pain. Tears blurred his vision, which was covered by dust, and saliva mixed with blood foam dripped uncontrollably from the corner of his mouth.

He felt like a rag doll being dragged toward hell.

"Stop...please stop...I'll die...I'll really die..."

He pleaded humbly in his mind, but the only response he received was the system's cold-blooded execution and the groans of his body on the verge of collapse under extreme pressure.

The alley was winding and dirty, piled with garbage cans and discarded debris.

Just as he rounded a corner piled high with broken cardboard boxes, Hachiman Hikigaya's vision (or rather, the visual information shared with him by the system) caught sight of a scene a dozen meters ahead.

A middle-aged office worker, dressed in a rumpled Brazilian suit and with his briefcase slung to one side, was leaning against a damp wall, trembling with fear.

Opposite him, a monster was emitting a low, threatening roar.

The monster was about the size of a large dog, but its shape was extremely strange.

It had no hair, covered instead with a dark green, slippery, sticky skin that resembled thick moss or scales. Its four jointed limbs ended in sharp claws that dug deep into the concrete. Most horrifying of all was its head—it had no eyes, only a gaping maw almost split to its ears, covered with dense, barbed fangs, from which a long, forked, purple tongue dripping with murky saliva constantly extended and retracted, sniffing.

It lowered its body slightly, its hind leg muscles tensed, clearly ready to pounce on its trembling prey at any moment.

Fear, pure and cold fear, instantly gripped Hachiman Hikigaya's heart, causing the excruciating pain that was almost suffocating him to pause for a moment.

All he wanted was to escape, to get as far away from this nightmarish scene as possible.

However, under the system's control, his body not only did not stop, but instead suddenly accelerated, and with a more resolute posture, dragging his useless leg, he rushed towards the direction of the monster and the corporate slave!

"No way?! Wait! Are you crazy?!"

In his mind, Hachiman Hikigaya screamed in despair, "That's a monster! We'll die! We'll all die!"

This is not over yet.

During the sprint, the system controlled his right hand to make an extremely smooth swipe in the air beside him—an inventory interface that only he could "see" and which was shimmering with a faint light instantly unfolded.

The thought, like lightning, selected a certain icon.

The next second, a sword appeared out of thin air in his hand!

The hilt was made of hardwood wrapped around metal, and it felt cold and heavy to the touch, carrying the smell of freshly polished metal and the slight fishy odor of leather.

The guard is a simple cross shape, which is a bit uncomfortable to hold.

The sword is about 110 centimeters long, double-edged, and gleams with a cold, metallic luster that is between silver and pale blue.

The sword's spine is straight, narrowing slightly near the tip to create a sharp edge.

Near the handguard, the blade is engraved with two small Commonwealth letters: "NV" (Novice).

This is the so-called "Newcomer's Gift for Apprentice Heroes"—a standard, unadorned "fine steel longsword," whose weight and length far exceed the limits he can wield in his current weakened state.

The weight of the longsword made his already aching arm feel even weaker.

But the system's powerful force steadily supported the sword hilt, its five fingers gripping it like iron clamps.

His running posture changed instantly, his center of gravity lowered, and his steps, dragging his injured leg, became even more imposing. The tip of his sword was slightly raised and pointed diagonally at the ground—a standard lunge starting stance!

"Roar--!"

The monster was clearly drawn to the sudden intruder. It turned its head sharply, its terrifying maw facing Hachiman Hikigaya, and let out a deafening roar!

The fishy smell hit me in the face, making me feel sick.

It abandoned the nearby office workers, and with a sudden burst of force from its hind legs, it even kicked cracks into the hard concrete ground!
Like a green arrow released from a bow, it hurtled straight toward Hachiman Hikigaya with a whistling sound that tore through the air!
"Ahhhh——!"

The overworked office worker let out a bloodcurdling scream and collapsed to the ground.

Hachiman Hikigaya's pupils shrank to the size of pinpoints from sheer terror, and his heart pounded so hard it felt like it would burst out of his chest.

He just wanted to close his eyes and wait for death to come.

(End of this chapter)