The corrupted beast towered over the group, a hulking mass of twisted flesh and metal — some kind of abomination left too long in the depths of the Forbidden Zone. Its arms were fused with rusted weapons, its eyes burned with unnatural light, and its roar made the ground tremble beneath their feet.
Everyone froze for a second, half in awe, half in panic.
MC instinctively opened his system panel, fingers ready to copy whatever ability might be most useful — maybe Iris's time blink, or Lina's fire barrage, or even Kira's shadow dash—
Ciel didn't wait.
With no magical glow, no system-enhanced boost, and no hovering interface, she leapt forward, sword drawn, cloak billowing like a banner of war.
The monster roared again, slamming a grotesque claw down where she'd just been — but she was already gone. Her movements were fast. Too fast. Not blinding, not magical — but trained. Muscle memory honed by endless repetition.
She slid under its arm, flipped her sword backward mid-run, and jabbed upward, slashing through a tendon with the grace of a dancer and the precision of a surgeon. The beast howled, staggering back.
MC's mouth dropped open. "Did she just—?"
Before anyone could answer, she ran up the monster's leg. Literally ran up it. Using the dents and jagged edges like footholds, she sprinted up its body as it flailed wildly. At the top, she brought her sword down in a clean, vicious arc.
The monster's head fell off with a wet thud.
It hadn't even realized it was dead yet.
Ciel landed in a crouch as the corrupted beast toppled over, dust and blood spraying in every direction. Her sword hummed with the aftermath of impact, and she calmly flicked the ichor off the blade like she'd just swatted a fly.
The group stared at her in silence.
"I... think I peed a little," Jax muttered.
"Iris," MC whispered, "was that a skill?"
"Nope," Iris replied. "That was just raw power. No time dilation, no magic, no System at all."
Ciel turned toward them, face impassive. "See? You don't need flashy abilities when you actually train your body."
MC blinked, still stuck between awe and mild existential crisis. "But how do you even—"
"You all rely too much on your System prompts. You wait for abilities to activate, for numbers to tell you you're strong. Meanwhile, I count on something much more reliable."
"Like... muscle?" MC offered.
She sheathed her sword in a practiced, theatrical motion. "Like myself."
Kira raised an eyebrow. "Okay, I'm tsundere, but even I'll admit that was badass."
Lina nodded slowly. "She might be more intense than Iris."
"Excuse you," Iris said, hands on hips.
MC still looked like he'd seen a ghost. "But... my powers are real, right? I mean, I've copied a bunch of abilities—fire, time, stealth, healing... I'm not making it up, am I?"
Ciel gave him a long, unreadable stare. "Sure. If relying on your party's affection to gain strength is your definition of 'real.'"
He flushed. "It's not like that! Okay, maybe a little like that, but—"
"Tell me," she interrupted, "if you woke up tomorrow without your System, without your girls, without your stats—what would you be?"
MC opened his mouth. Closed it. Scratched his head. Looked at his hands.
"I'd be... uh... still charming?"
Ciel rolled her eyes and turned away.
MC called after her. "Wait! What about the monster?! I could've— I was about to— I had a plan!"
"Sure you did," she called over her shoulder. "Next time, try executing it before someone without a System saves your entire team."
MC looked at the others for backup.
Luna smiled gently but said nothing. Iris tilted her head like she was debating the question philosophically. Lina shrugged. Jax raised his mug in solidarity. Kira sighed and muttered, "She's got a point."
"I'm still the leader, right?" MC asked.
No one answered.
Except the monster's body, which chose that moment to release a truly epic squelching noise as it collapsed further into the mud.
MC crossed his arms. "I was totally gonna win that."
Ciel smirked — just a tiny one — as she walked ahead.
And somewhere deep inside the Forbidden Zone, the next corrupted horror stirred.
END OF CHAPTER 66