The Poet's System
Chapter 81: Asaemon and Daylan

Chapter 81: Asaemon and Daylan

In pain, Daylan’s soul was to be born—not in peace, but in the thorn. To love pain was to be pierced awake; to fear it was to stay wise. Yet what shattered him also shaped him, and clearly, he could not love without first knowing pain.

"Yes, I fear pain," Daylan muttered, pressing himself against the floor as he forced his body upright after taking a blow from Asaemon.

His legs trembled as blood trickled from his nose; his skin was paler than usual, and his once-muscular body now looked no different from a skeleton.

"Who said I can’t love it too? I get it... if you fear it, you keep yourself from ever feeling it again. But if you love it—well, you accept it... and maybe even enjoy it."

He raised his head and stared directly at Asaemon. "I fear pain—and I never want any of my loved ones to feel it. Ever." His eyes narrowed. "But can I?"

"My ribs are crashing as I stand before you, my head on the verge of exploding. My lungs are crushed, and I can taste blood in every breath I take. I’m nearly crippled, and my vision is stained with red."

He finally stood upright and smirked. "Pain is inevitable—emotional, physical, or psychological. No one escapes it. That’s why I fear it, that’s why I love it... and above all, I respect it."

He began moving forward, taking each of Asaemon’s tentacle strikes—yet refusing to fall. "Pain shapes, builds, creates... and after a week of enduring this torture—realizing I was weak for running from it—it remade me. It created the one who respects pain."

The moment he finished speaking, he collapsed to the floor. Asaemon’s glowing eyes dimmed as he stepped forward and checked his pulse.

He let out a heavy sigh and carried Daylan into the living room. Prompting Blind, and with his permission, Medora began to heal him.

During the past week, Daylan was never freed from his torture. Asaemon repeated the same words to him every day, while Medora and Blind visited from time to time to chastise them.

Yet, their words and actions only fueled him to endure it all. He knew that—even if not spoken directly—their care and love were there. So, he did everything he could to break free from the torture he had inflicted upon himself.

After Medora finished healing him, Daylan was placed in his room—and not once did his system inflict a penalty or even speak up.

He was out for more than a day, and the moment he woke, he felt more energetic than ever. Though still slim, his limbs were stronger, and the internal bleeding and sharp pains had vanished. What made him happiest was that he could walk freely again.

In that instant, his stomach rumbled, and without hesitation, he sprinted off to find something to eat.

Fortune smiled at him at that moment—Asaemon was already setting the table for dinner. Without wasting a second, Daylan began eating as much as he could.

Before long, his stomach swelled with satisfaction as he sat back and relaxed on the sofa.

"I wasn’t expecting you up this early," Blind teased. "You’re not even done with your first training, you know?"

Daylan turned to him as he watched him take his seat, but then his expression darkened. He stared directly at the floor.

"I understand it now. The blade through my skull was for psychological trauma; the one through my neck was for the pain I caused others—not just with my actions but with my words. And the one through my heart... was for emotional trauma."

He lifted his head and locked eyes with Blind. "I didn’t truly understand what others felt before, so I was weak. I fought for what I wanted to feel and blamed others for it... So you just wanted me to feel the pain I caused them—and understand it."

His expression softened into a slight smile. "That’s what you meant, right?"

Blind chuckled. "Ranveer said you were smart—I never knew it was to this extent."

Daylan joined in with an awkward laugh.

"Strength goes beyond motivation. Yes, motivation matters—a lot. But understanding pain, which is almost always the result of violence, is what makes you strong enough to make your motivations truly matter."

Soon, Medora and Asaemon arrived alongside Pry. Medora gave Daylan a huge grin, which he met with a playful sneer before turning to Blind.

"My actions carry weight, huh?" He nodded.

"By the way, what did you do to my system? It’s broken now."

"Oh, it’s not broken. Everything was my doing—yes, including the penalty."

Daylan shot him an angry look. Suddenly, Pry jumped onto his lap out of nowhere.

"You were coughing on the floor, blood everywhere. If I hadn’t helped you during your trial, that would’ve been your fate back then, you ungrateful bastard." She said, lunging at Daylan’s face, trying to scratch him—but Asaemon caught her before she could.

Daylan gave her the middle finger before turning to Medora. "I told you—she hates me."

The evening passed with cheerful conversations, Pry and Daylan constantly teasing each other.

Hours passed, and everyone returned to their rooms, leaving Daylan behind. There wasn’t a drop of sleepiness in his eyes. He took the initiative to train his skeletal muscles for his spar with Asaemon the next day.

He returned to the training room and began analyzing Asaemon’s moves—the ocean drainings, the tentacles, and the shark simulations.

He began pacing back and forth in the room.

It was obvious Asaemon’s abilities were connected to the ocean—each attack resembled something from the sea. What baffled him, though, was why they seemed invincible.

The tentacles were clearly those of an octopus, always invincible—and the ocean itself remained untouchable until he broke the lantern. But the shark was as clear as day.

"Blind said those with two or more abilities have to merge them into one. He and Asaemon both did that before they were even born." He tapped his lower lip with his finger, lost in thought.

"His system’s name is Spirit. So, I think his luck ability is invincibility, and his Fate ability is the ocean itself."

Despite his discovery, something still didn’t add up.

"Why use only the octopus? Is it his favorite animal because he’s a child? And what is Worth artifact? What am I missing?"

His pace quickened, and he ran his hand repeatedly through his hair, unsure of what to do next.

This went on for a while before he finally decided to move forward with the information he had and learn more during their duel.

He then threw himself into workouts, trying to at least get his limbs into shape before their match. His body remembered; he could do all the exercises as if they were nothing—but time slipped away before his eyes.

It was already 2:00 a.m. before he realized it.

"I always come here to hear you screaming your lungs out from over there," Medora said, turning him as Daylan stretched his limbs, preparing to meditate.

He looked at her, confused. "You guys called me?"

"Yes. It was transparent."

He sneered and began meditating while Medora started practicing her swordsmanship. She held her sword with precision, and though she was sweating, there was no sign of struggle.

Before long, it was time for breakfast. After finishing, they all returned to their respective training areas.

Daylan and Asaemon faced each other, Daylan trying to read every movement Asaemon made. But Asaemon simply stood still, his glowing blue eyes locked onto Daylan’s gray ones.

Daylan activated Dark Spiral and dashed forward, but before he could get within reach, a tentacle struck him, sending him crashing to the ground.

Soul Spiral

He conjured small blades, rose to his feet, and hurled them at Asaemon. Before those could be blocked, he conjured more and launched them again and again.

He summoned his dagger once more and dashed forward, but again the ocean’s force crashed over him. This time, he was ready. Holding his breath, he pushed through it with steady steps, pressing onward toward Asaemon.

The ocean vanished in an instant, and Daylan dropped to one knee—but he was ready. The moment his knee hit the ground, he braced himself and pushed off with both hands, launching into the air. Mid-flight, he feinted a strike, then twisted and drove a powerful kick toward Asaemon’s head.

But the strike froze midway—tentacles had wrapped around his entire body. In the next instant, he was slammed into the ground with brutal force. The moment he hit the floor, he gritted his teeth, rose to his feet, and gripped his dagger tightly.

His eyes darted in every direction, desperate for even a glimpse of the octopus—but he knew it was pointless. If he wanted to find it, he’d have to take the hit. That was the only way.

He dashed forward once more, and just as he got within reach, the tentacles struck.

Ignoring the pain, he dug in his heels and dragged himself upright with all his might. In a flash, he teleported before Asaemon and launched a strike—but Asaemon dodged it with ease.

Daylan followed up with a kick, but it was blocked. Still, with Spiral Edge active, he knew it was only a matter of time before he broke through.

He unleashed strike after strike, each one faster and more powerful than the last, but Asaemon blocked them all with ease as if reading his every move.

Daylan activated both Spiral Mind and Spiral Form, locking eyes with Asaemon as he attempted to brainwash him. But in an instant, blood trickled from his nose, and he collapsed to the floor—unconscious.