I Hate Systems

Boom!

Stencil fused a collective consciousness with the Apocalypse World, forming an intrinsic connection with it. As the Apocalypse World\'s current power system was attained by its fusion with one of Rhizen\'s three bodies, it had an innate property of manipulating Luck.

Immediately upon forming a connection, energy flowed from Stencil to the Apocalypse world and vice versa.

The Apocalypse World was happy to absorb part of the power belonging to Infinite Regression in her, using it to strengthen its own foundation. Until now, Rhizen was only able to harness its power to regress the timeline of one world by twenty years.

But now, he was able to do it for five worlds, a drastic rise in power. Moreover, the foundation of the Apocalypse World itself improved by leaps and bounds, making it easier to sustain a large population of power-wielding natives colonising foreign worlds.

On the other hand, Stencil was able to feel her luck stirring in response, allowing her to feel it like it was a tangible entity, "I never felt like this even while controlling the Happy-Go-Lucky System."

"If you were controlling that, you must have some experience wielding Luck, right?" Rhizen asked, continuing upon seeing her nod in response, "That makes things easier."

"I\'m sharing my control of luck to you. With that, you can wield your luck like a tool." Saying so, Rhizen sent a stream of Mental Energy into her, conceptualising it into a Skill. It wasn\'t a System Skill, but as she had the powers of the Dragon of Systems, Stencil was able to formulate all the information to turn it into a Skill.

Upon going through its info, Stencil was surprised, "Through Luck, I can take advantage of Infinite Regressions!"

"Of course, try it once." Rhizen smiled.

Stencil raised her clenched fist and slammed it on her head, killing herself.

"Stencil!" Earth Star shrieked in shock and glared at Rhizen, "What did you do to her?"

Rumble!

The Apocalypse World began to tremble in response as most of the stored Nacre flowed into Earth Star who condensed it into his fist, spiking the gravitational field within to almost create a supernova of Nacre.

"Wait, Rahakh!" Stencil\'s voice resounded as Earth Star looked around in confusion, watching her figure reappear as he rushed towards her in relief.

"You\'re alright!" He said in fluster before heaving a sigh in relief upon inspecting Stencil\'s condition and determined that she was perfectly fine.

"You should relax, Rahakh." Rhizen said as his eyes glinted dangerously for a moment, prompting Earth Star to relax his hold, causing the accumulated Nacre to disperse into the world.

\'This guy is dangerous.\' Earth Star thought, intending to be on guard against Rhizen in the future.

"It worked, Rhizen. Thank you." Stencil said as she observed that other than her luck getting shaved off a little, there was no other difference in her.

Using luck, just as how Rhizen harnessed the Apocalypse World\'s power to regress a world by twenty years, Stencil was able to tap into the insurmountable foundation forming the Infinite Regression to regress her body to a condition of its past.

This way, until her luck wasn\'t expended, she could casually reverse death and return to her prime. Stencil experimented with a couple of her deaths, determining that the greater in her past that she would have to regress, the more her luck would be expended.

But it was still a valuable trump card. Though, that begged a question, "What should I do when I expend all my luck?"

"Pray, I guess?" Rhizen shrugged, "For a normal person, with all their luck expended, they would probably die by stumbling down on flat ground or something. It\'s a death sentence for anyone."

"As for you," Rhizen said after some thought, "You\'re connected to countless people and you possess absolute power. So, as long as you go into hiding once you\'ve expended all your luck, and as long as the people under you maintain their usual lives, your luck will recover over time."

"I can\'t determine how long it will take. It\'s something you should find out yourself." Saying so, Rhizen waved his hand, causing Stencil\'s luck to surge to its peak, "With this, I\'ve repaid my debt to Compass."

"You should return…"

Guoong!

The sounds of siren resounded throughout the Apocalypse World as the people that were just going about with their lives hurriedly rushed home, their expression one of annoyance.

Stencil became alert, "What\'s happening?"

"Is it an enemy attack?"

"I wish it was one," Rhizen sighed as he prompted Stencil and Earth Star to leave, "It\'s just private matters at this point. If the situation permits, we\'ll come pay a visit in the future."

"Compass promised me a comfy spot in the serpent universe." He waved his hand and teleported the duo out of the world, heaving a sigh following that, "Even Compass\'s daughter has such stellar growth."

"I should pick up slack myself. Otherwise, it\'s an insult to my luck." Shaking his head, he condensed a pair of wings and took flight, arriving at a platform as he stared at it in silence.

Upon seeing his arrival, the rest of the personnel gathered there evacuated in a hurry. A few seconds later, a portal formed, and following it was a shrill cry.

"I sensed Stencil\'s aura!" A serpent crawled out of the portal, spanning a stature massive enough to coil around a mountain from bottom to its peak.

​

"Stencil\'s aura? What are you talking about?" Rhizen felt a headache as he displayed a professional smile, "You know we haven\'t had visitors for decades."

"Rhizen!" The serpent glared at him as it stared at him from close up, its eye alone being ten times his size, "Don\'t play tricks on me. I\'ve already done everything you wanted me to do."

"Gahrat fooled me for too long. She isn\'t the one I took a liking to!" The Serpent hissed, emanating formless force that caused the ground in the region to become drought-ridden, "She\'s a woman. Moreover, she\'s dead now!"

"I already created enough knock offs of myself for your use. I have no reason to remain here any longer!"

"Ok, if you promise me to stay put, I\'ll contact Stencil and ask her, alright?" Rhizen smiled wryly, \'It seems I cannot keep her confined to this place any longer.\'

"If you lie to me one more time, Rhizen…" The serpent stared with a bloodthirsty gaze, "I\'ll devour all your mutated beasts."

"I promise this time." Rhizen said in a hurry, "So, why don\'t you return to play in that world I transformed to your liking,"

"Dita?"