NOVEL WEB Chapter 14: Stronger
Currently, the whole place was violent—no, it was beyond violent.
They were deep in the sectors of the human world already tainted by the foul touch of Hell's invasion, a place where monsters roamed in broad daylight and screams of the damned became background noise.
However, even in this apocalypse-touched region, even amidst all the past carnage and ruin, nothing compared to the primal, explosive savagery that now unfolded in the blood-soaked sand pit of the underground arena.
This violence wasn't from demons or Hellspawn.
It was two humans—if they could still be called that—going all out, their muscles snapping with unnatural power, veins bulging, eyes red with fury, as they relentlessly hammered all their strength into one man.
A man who wasn't fighting back.
The round-faced man, bellowing like a raging boar, launched bone-shattering punches that caused the ground beneath him to crack.
The one-armed tall man moved like a predator, his strikes more refined—swift, fatal, and unrelenting as the tip of a javelin.
Their combined assault should've crushed bones, ruptured organs, and snapped spines.
Yet Vonjo was simply floating there—barely a few inches off the ground, his toes levitating just above the cracked tiles of the sand arena.
Their attacks slammed into him one after another like roaring trains, like falling towers, like cataclysmic hammers forged by gods of war. But they did nothing. Not a flinch. Not a breath stolen. Not a bruise.
He didn't block. He didn't dodge. He didn't counter.
"Hahaha! Is that all you got?!" He shouted calmly.
He simply stood—or rather, floated—his head tilted ever so slightly in amusement.
Above the battlefield, glowing across the holographic sky, the System's LiveView broadcast flickered like a high-tech deity's eye.
Bullet comments from online viewers rained in across the glowing screen in real-time, cluttering the edge of the screen with a chaotic tsunami of reactions.
[MeatCannonKiller_69]: bro what??? what the fuck is this guy made of????
[DoomFanatic420]: AYO I THOUGHT THIS WAS A REPLAY?? THIS IS AN ACTUAL EPISODE???
[CrimsonMama]: is that a new evolution of the Sutterfouse Doom bloodline? Looks like BLACKHOLE DOOM or smth
[DeadOnArrival7]: wait wait wait… is this guy ignoring ALL DAMAGE?? THE TALL DUDE IS LITERALLY A MONSTER IRL
[ArcheryFanLover]: …are we seriously watching a new OP character debut halfway into the show?
[BoiledEggGod]: yo did yall see that attack?? did NOTHING!! NOTHINGGGG!! THIS GUY VONJO IS A FUCKIN TANK
The comments raced faster than eyes could track.
Viewers across continents in the realm world were leaning forward, fingers frozen on keyboards, jaws slack as they witnessed what should be physically impossible.
More comments surged in:
[YourMomTheMage]: I read the light novel and THIS DIDN'T HAPPEN. Don't tell me this thing is just added? Oh shit!
[2Fast2Doom]: I think his ability is not the trio. There's Crimson Doom, Cerulean Doom, Ultraviolet Doom—but this… this is different. What kind of power is this? Is he really surrounded by black hole?
[YandereVoid]: BLACKHOLE??? THIS IS A BLACKHOLE DOOM EVOLUTION!
[LiteralTrashPanda]: or maybe VOIDDOOM??? YO that name slaps
[FishermanOfSouls]: is this a new canon branch?? DID THEY JUST MAKE VONJO A SECRET PROTAG??
[AnimeOnlyDuckLord]: imagine being Eugene rn LMFAO look at his face, bro's MALDING 😭😭😭
[MeltedCookies]: this is the most satisfying shit ever omg I hope Vonjo becomes a regular in the show pls pls pls god of anime, heed my call! I will sacrifice my husband for him to be a regular character.
Vonjo smirked.
It was impossible not to.
Their reactions, their wild speculation, the disbelief, the theories—it was all exactly what the system wanted.
He could practically feel the hidden satisfaction bar ticking upward in the corner of his mind.
The screen didn't say it out loud, but Vonjo knew. This performance… this was the goal. This was the moment of glory. This is what the system wanted.
And he hadn't even shown half of what he could do.
Still suspended mid-air like a god who'd gotten bored of gravity, Vonjo watched their attacks slow, tire, and waver.
The fury of his opponents was fading into confusion and fear. And in that silence between strikes, Vonjo wondered—what was the unknown reward that came with his full mastery of archery?
The system had granted it without explanation. It had just appeared.
What could it be? And why did it feel so… overwhelming?
His musings were interrupted by the sound of gasps and laughter rippling through the crowd.
The bullet screen's tone had shifted.
Now they were mocking Eugene—the so-called protagonist.
The "main character."
[SilverSpearSimp]: look at Eugene bruh, man look like he saw God and Hell in the same second
[PissMage2]: HAHAHA bro shaking like a leaf in winter 😂
[WifeOfVonjo]: Eugene really thought he had MC armor huh. Guess again bozo
[ActualSkeletonIRL]: you're not HIM Eugene. You're not even a background extra now
[CursedSoup]: is this the real main character reveal ep?? IM SHOOK… I'M NOW A FAN!
Vonjo's grin widened. He didn't even try to hide the pride now. This… this was fun.
Eugene, standing off to the side, was indeed paralyzed. His fists clenched unconsciously, his throat too dry to speak.
He'd seen all kinds of monsters—seen people die in front of him, seen arenas soaked in blood—but this?
This wasn't normal. This wasn't natural.
It was like Vonjo wasn't a person at all but an abyss in human form.
Beside him, George—his father, the ex-gladiator, the ranked pit veteran—was still staggering slightly from the earlier blow he had taken.
The tall man's sneak attack had broken three ribs, but George didn't even seem to notice anymore.
His eyes were locked on Vonjo and never leaving me.
"…how… is he doing that?" George muttered.
Eugene, voice trembling, turned to him. "Father… how strong is he? What is his fallen curse bloodline ability, is it really from the House of Sutterfouse. Are they really that strong?"
George didn't answer right away. He stared at Vonjo, then at the two attackers—both bloody, panting, confused why none of their attacks had left so much as a scratch.
Finally, George spoke. "I don't know."
Eugene's head snapped toward him. "What do you mean you don't know?! Aren't those two stronger than you?!"
George nodded slowly. "They are. Either one of them could crush me one-on-one. I wouldn't last a minute."
Eugene blinked. "Then… then Vonjo…"
George didn't speak. His silence said enough.
Eugene's voice cracked. "Compared to… the pit fighters? Outfighters? Where does he rank?"
George breathed in, steady but unsure. "Those two attackers… I'd say they could reach top five in the pit. Easily. But Vonjo… I can't even place him."
Eugene's lips parted, stunned. "Stronger than… Teacher Lorthran?"
George turned to look him directly in the eye.
"I don't know."
And that scared Eugene more than anything.
George's voice was low, almost reverent. "He's not showing everything. That's the part that terrifies me. He's… toying with them like they were nothing. And considering how strong are the two coming at him, how strong would he be if he went all out to someone!?"
Eugene's gaze snapped back toward the floating figure in the sandpit.
Vonjo was still there, arms crossed, floating like a deity watching ants bite at his heels.
The crowd's voices blurred into one massive roar of awe and madness.
And Eugene, trembling from the truth, could only stare as the impossible question echoed in his mind—
Compared to Teacher Lorthran… could this man already be the strongest?