I Hate Systems

"Holy damn, you were slapped today? By a student?" Gehera asked in surprise once she arrived at the Academy, "I could hear discussions regarding it all over the place when I drove in."

"Well...it's just something that happened, haha." Compass Carburettor let out a wry smile as he asked, "Are they still talking about me?"

"Can't you hear it casually?" Gehera asked before her eyes widened in shock and curled up into a pleasant smile, "Congratulations!"

"Thanks," Compass Carburettor laughed in response, "I'm now no different from a normal human. The latest Psyche Star I obtained is damn powerful."

"So, how does your power actually work now?" She asked, "If you are a normal human, aren't you vulnerable?"

"Yep, I am vulnerable. But my life would never be in danger." Compass Carburettor said as he used his nail to scratch his hand, causing a mild bleeding so minor that it would heal in a day. He showed it to her, "I would be injured as normal and can even be killed. But an instant later, I would reappear."

"How?" Gehera was confused, "It doesn't make sense. Are you using a revival means to cheat death? Then doesn't that mean you still have power?"

"What do you think Immortal represented?" Compass Carburettor asked all of a sudden.

"Eh?" Gehera tilted her head in surprise, "Didn't he represent the Cultivation Worlds?"

"Yes, he represented Cultivation Worlds. But," He stared at her, "What exactly was the concept he encompassed."

As Gehera recalled the scene of the fight between Immortal and Zaira, she said in surprise, "The wish to make myth a reality. That's the concept he embodies."

"Indeed, and the consequence of it is him becoming the Cultivation World Genre Representative." Compass Carburettor nodded, "And I similarly represent one such concept too now, something fragile."

"Dreams?" Gehera asked in response, "Weren't you gearing your powers in that direction?"

"Dreamcraft is just the path I have taken to represent myself better. But my core is something else." He grinned in response, winking as he avoided her glare, "Guess it! Come on, try to guess it!"

"Ugh..." Gehera wracked her brain and in the end said in defeat, "Is it humanity or something?"

"Boo! Such a bad answer. Your braincells are crying at your answer. Such poor treatment they face..."

"Tell me!" Gehera stopped his taunt, unable to handle the suspense anymore.

"Do you want me to show a demo?" He said before hopping towards the exit of the academy as he looked around and smiled as he suddenly leaped forward, startling Gehera.

Beep! Crash!

A car slammed into him and shattered his spine into two, causing his head to impact the bonnet and crack, killing him instantly. The impact caused the car to veer off course, but just when it was about to slam into a passer-by, it became ethereal, returned to its original position moments before the crash and then went on its original path.

"Asshole, don't cross the road!" The driver shouted before speeding past.

And there he was, Compass Carburettor, standing at a position a leap away from death, as if nothing had happened. Shockingly, none of the people there ever reacted, as if the death scene was just a dream or something.

"W-Wha-What the heck was that?" Gehera asked in alarm as she hurriedly pulled Compass Carburettor to the side.

"I died there." Compass Carburettor said casually, "It is kind of an irony as I was revived through my concept there."

Mortality!

"That's the concept I embody." Compass Carburettor said as he pointed at himself, "Everything I worked to achieve was this mortal, fragile form."

"Does that mean you rule over death now? Like the death God or something?" Gehera asked, still failing to rein in her shock.

"Eh? No, I'm nothing like that." Compass Carburettor shook his head hard, "I don't have control over the domain of death or anything. My domain is just mortality."

"If I'm killed, it's treated as a dream. Or rather," He smiled, "At that moment, this entire universe becomes part of my dream where I wield heaven-defying strength. And after that, the dream shatters and I return to reality."

"Turning the entire universe into a dream..." Gehera sighed at the absurdity of the concept, "Does that make any sense? How do you even have the energy to pull off such a stunt? Even storing energy for decades wouldn't net you the necessary amount."

"Similar to Truck-Kun," Compass Carburettor smiled, "Getting run over by trucks is the concept that strengthens Truck-Kun. As for me, it's even simpler."

"Suicide, murder, death by old age, etc. all forms of cause where life ceases to exist is what I encompass. To put it more simply, I embody the fragility of nature's lifeforms." He spoke.

"I see," Gehera understood now, "So, using that single truck, you managed to veer off into the same domain of a Genre Representative as Truck-Kun."

She comprehended it fully, saying, "So, just as how Truck-Kun needs a truck to fulfil his powers, yours need you to..."

"Die?"

"Yup, that's the trigger." Compass Carburettor said as he scratched his chin, "And I'm not like my old self. When I get run over, I feel as much pain as a normal human. And irrespective of how many times I do it, I wouldn't ever be numb to it, not even by a fraction. Every single death would feel like my first."

"That's a scary power." Gehera shuddered as she said, "I wonder why you chose such a power. When you woke up, you were such an omnipotent individual that I am doubting you at the moment."

"Well, tell me this." Compass Carburettor asked in all seriousness, "If I were capable of destroying a universe with a punch and fought the Regression System, who would win?"

"...You?" Gehera asked in doubt, shocked to see Compass Carburettor shake his head.

"If strength was all that was required, the Genre Representatives would have decimated the Systems by now. Even the weakened Immortal had enough power to take four or five Grade 3 Systems on his own. But in reality, he was only able to handle one." Compass Carburettor said, "And that's because of their nature where they embody a concept and split across countless universes. So, pure power isn't enough to kill them. What is required is something like my power."

"There's an infamous saying back in my home world," He made eye contact with Gehera, stating in absolute seriousness, "Don't argue with idiots. They would bring you down to their level and beat you with experience."

"I'm pretty much doing the same here."