The System didn't slow down.
It accelerated.
Global Instability
Reports flooded in from every region.
Cities partially destroyed by unstable awakenings
Pseudo-Sovereigns losing control mid-battle
Entire guilds wiped out by their own enhanced members
Seung-Ho's hands trembled as he tracked the data.
"Bro… most of them can't handle the power. They either collapse or go berserk."
Hwan-Guk shook his head.
"So they're all failures."
Tae-Hyun didn't respond immediately.
"Not all."
A Different Signal
One reading stood out.
Stable.
Consistent.
Growing.
Location: Eastern Sector.
Seo-Ah felt it too.
"This one… it's not collapsing."
Tae-Hyun turned.
"Then that's the dangerous one."
Arrival at the Battlefield
The city was already half destroyed.
But unlike the others—
This wasn't chaos.
It was control.
Monsters were lined up, unmoving.
Hunters were pinned down but alive.
At the center stood a man.
Calm. Focused.
Watching everything.
Pseudo-Sovereign – Viktor Hale
The Controlled Imitation
Viktor didn't attack immediately.
"You finally came," he said.
Tae-Hyun stepped forward.
"You didn't lose control."
Viktor nodded slightly.
"No. I adapted."
His aura was different from the others.
Less unstable.
More… refined.
Conversation of Power
Viktor looked around the battlefield.
"They gave me power to copy you," he said.
"But I realized something."
He met Tae-Hyun's eyes.
"You're not strong because of the System."
Tae-Hyun said nothing.
Viktor smiled faintly.
"So I stopped relying on it."
A New Threat
For the first time—
Tae-Hyun felt something close to interest.
Viktor raised his hand.
The monsters didn't surge wildly.
They moved in formation.
Precise. Efficient.
Controlled.
Hwan-Guk muttered.
"Bro… this guy's different."
Seo-Ah nodded slowly.
"He's thinking."
Clash Begins
Viktor moved first.
Fast.
Clean.
No wasted motion.
Their fists collided—
The shockwave split the city in half.
But this time—
Tae-Hyun didn't stand completely still.
He took one step back.
Acknowledgment
Viktor exhaled slowly.
"So it's true," he said.
"I'm still not enough."
Tae-Hyun looked at him carefully.
"You're closer than the rest."
Unfinished Battle
Neither moved.
The air between them was heavy.
Not hostility.
Not fear.
Recognition.
Viktor lowered his hand.
"This isn't the right time."
Tae-Hyun didn't stop him.
"Next time," Viktor said, turning away,
"I won't be a copy."
He disappeared into the distance.
Aftermath
Seo-Ah walked up beside Tae-Hyun.
"You let him go."
"Yes."
"Why?"
Tae-Hyun looked at the horizon.
"Because he chose his own path."
Seung-Ho's voice came through urgently.
"Bro… more are stabilizing. Not many, but… enough."
Hwan-Guk clenched his fists.
"So we're not fighting copies anymore."
Tae-Hyun nodded.
"No."
His eyes sharpened.
"We're fighting evolving threats."
A system message appeared:
[Update]
Pseudo-Sovereign Stability Rate Increasing
The System was learning.
Adapting.
Improving.
🔥 End of Chapter 29 🔥