My Borderline Supervillain-Slash-Hero System

As the boat drifted downstream, Zane was in an exceptionally good mood.

The breathtaking scenery, the soothing sound of water splashing along the banks—it all calmed him, both mentally and physically.

Thinking about his ever-growing strength and the newly acquired Solar Thread Law only made him feel more at peace.

But then, his heightened senses—sharpened through countless training sessions with Shelby in the other world—suddenly pricked with warning.

Something was wrong.

He tensed.

There was danger ahead, lurking beneath the water's surface.

Just then, the system chimed in his head.

Ding!

[Warning! A school of Corrupted Fish detected ahead!]

Zane smirked. "Good," he muttered. "I was getting bored of eating only land beasts. Looks like it's time to change the menu to fish. And they came to me, just in time."

He let out a wild laugh.

It wasn't just a chuckle—it was full-bodied, care-free, and reckless.

The kind that soothed not only his muscles but his soul.

"Shelby used to laugh like this," he thought. "Like the shitstorm of the world had nothing to do with him… Am I becoming like him?"

That feeling—of being wild and free—it was intoxicating.

Nice, even.

And yet, something gnawed at him.

"Why do I feel like I'm drifting away from the lonely, depressed brat I once was back in Whistler Town? Is this a good thing… or am I losing something?"

His smile faded.

A memory of his father crept in. Dark. Cold.

"No," he muttered under his breath, frowning. "I don't have the time or the luxury to become this carefree person I'm slowly turning into. No matter how nice it feels… I made a promise to Grandma. Until I fulfill it, I can't be free. I don't get to enjoy life."

As the corrupted fish neared, Zane grabbed the oars and directed the boat toward the bank.

He dragged it onto solid ground and muttered, "No time to build another boat."

Then, without hesitation, he leapt into the river.

He let the load of his body pull him downward until his feet touched the riverbed.

Glowing pebbles lit the floor like stars in a black sky.

"Radioactive, huh…" he muttered.

Then he saw them—

A massive school of mutated fish swimming straight toward him.

Sea monsters, he thought.

Each one was the size of a full-grown adult. Their sharp, razor-like teeth glinted in the glow, and their fins looked like serrated blades.

There were dozens, maybe more, drifting upstream, yet moving swiftly.

Zane instantly understood the danger.

Fighting underwater would be severely disadvantageous.

He wasn't water-elemental; breathing would be a challenge.

Though he could hold his breath for half an hour, his movements would still be restricted.

But still… something inside him wanted to fight here.

To test himself under pressure.

Before he could prepare further, the first wave of corrupted fish lunged at him.

He swung his fist—

BOOM!

One of the monsters exploded.

Above the surface, it would've looked like a cannon blast—

A column of water shot nearly a hundred feet into the air.

Below, red blood painted the river like ink in clear water, only to quickly fade as the current replaced it with a fresh, blue sheen.

Zane chose not to use that kind of attack again.

The corrupted fish weren't even slightly intimidated by the earlier explosion.

They darted through the water like missiles, their sharp bodies slicing toward him.

Zane fought back fiercely, killing nearly a dozen, but not without cost. Slashes covered his body, some cutting deep enough to make blood pour freely.

For the first time, he had taken significant damage from mere One-Star beasts.

What's worse, the fish were learning.

They soon began to coordinate, attacking from all directions.

Zane also knew he couldn't hold his breath much longer.

"Alright," he muttered, "enough of this farce. Time to end it."

He swam closer to the riverbank.

The river monsters remained unaware of his plan and pressed their attack.

This time, Zane didn't fight them head-on.

Instead, he grabbed a large fish and flung it out of the water.

It landed far on the grassy bank, flailing, shrieking, and leaping in panic as it searched for its natural element—water—but found none.

Zane grinned. It was working.

He continued the process.

Swim near the bank. Catch a fish. Hurl it out.

One by one, he fished them out like that for fifteen minutes, until finally, he threw the last giant fish ashore and leapt out of the river himself.

Breathing heavily, he checked his body—blood and scars covered every inch.

"You had your fun," he muttered darkly. "Now it's my turn."

The stranded fish were still flopping and leaping helplessly, searching for the river.

The first fish spotted the water and lunged toward it—

Too bad.

Zane used his movement technique, appeared midair, and intercepted it.

He flicked its forehead with a precise motion.

It died instantly.

He dug his finger into its skull and pulled out a glowing core.

His eyes narrowed as a warm sensation flowed into his hand, and a purple glow pulsed from the stone.

"Radioactive beast mana core!"

But before he could study it further, the green card in his pocket lit up and instantly absorbed the core.

Zane clicked his tongue in frustration.

He tossed the corpse aside and moved on.

With the same flicking technique, he dispatched the rest of the fish one by one, extracting their cores with practiced ease.

"System," he said, frowning. "Something's off with these beast cores."

[Analyzing completed!]

[You're correct. These beast cores contain radioactive properties.]

[Radioactive beast cores are ideal for cultivating the Law of Solar Thread.]

"All good," Zane muttered, "but the problem is this damned green card. The moment I pull out a core, it eats it. I have no way to stop it."

Ding!

[Permission granted to disable all functions of the Green Card for the next three minutes. Proceed? Y/N]

"Yes, do it."

A second later, multiple notifications flashed across his vision.

[Green Card functions sealed. You now have three minutes to collect and store the radioactive beast cores.]

Without wasting a breath, Zane moved into action.

He dug out each core with surgical precision and swiftly stored them in a silk pouch.

By the time the three minutes ended, he had collected 110 radioactive mana cores.