Villain: Ultimate Mutation System in the Alternate World

'Where the hell am I?'

Reign's eyes took a moment to adjust, still recovering from the blinding flash of light he had encountered just moments ago.

As he looked around, his attention was caught by the sight of a very tall waterfall cascading down a rocky ledge, the water sparkling in the sunlight as it splashed below, sending ripples across the surface.

Mist rose from where the water met the ground, creating a soft, hazy veil around the base of the falls.

Surrounding him were trees with sturdy trunks, their leaves rustling in the gentle breeze.

Sunlight peeked through the branches, creating soft patches of light on the ground where grass grew abundantly.

'This doesn't seem so bad,'

All of Lilith's talk about how dangerous this place was had painted a hellish picture in his mind, but what he saw before him looked more like paradise.

He could even spot wild animals moving through the trees and underbrush. This place was teeming with life.

But there was no sign of Lilith; as she had feared, they were separated.

The issue now was what to do. She had mentioned trials, but which direction should he even go?

He glanced at the tall waterfall, thinking it might provide a better vantage point.

"Alright," he said to himself, focusing his energy to summon a pair of wings.

They materialized behind him, resembling the wings of a crow rather than those of an angel.

He realized that the system's cloaking ability was far more useful than he had initially given it credit for.

SWOOOSH!

He shot into the air. But before he could rise more than thirty feet, an invisible force slammed into him, shoving him back down to the ground.

THUD!

He landed with a dull sound, the soft grass cushioning his fall.

But he wasn't deterred. He launched himself upward again, this time with more power behind each beat of his wings.

For a brief moment, he felt himself gaining altitude, but just as before, the same unseen force hit him, even harder this time.

He crashed back down, the impact deeper.

'Don't tell me I can't fly in this place,' he grumbled.

What he felt when he hit that barrier wasn't just a block; it was like the air itself was reflecting his momentum back at him.

Increasing his power would only mean a harsher fall next time.

He sighed, glancing up at the waterfall again. It seemed the path to a higher vantage point would not be as simple as he'd hoped.

So, abandoning the idea of flight, he went back to basics.

He approached the cliff and began climbing, gripping the rock face with his bare hands.

The rough surface bit into his skin, but he kept moving steadily upward.

After reaching about thirty feet, he suddenly stopped—his fingers touched something solid, yet invisible.

There it was again, the same barrier that had stopped his flight.

'Let's see if I can break through this,'

Dark divine energy began to gather around his fist, swirling and crackling with intensity.

With a powerful swing, he struck the invisible wall, in order to shatter it.

BOOOOM!

Shockwave erupted from the impact, sending the surrounding trees swaying violently as debris and dust were hurled into the air.

The sheer force of the blow rippled through the forest, but when the dust finally settled, Reign found himself lying flat on the ground, surrounded by scattered leaves and dirt.

'Reflection!' he muttered, eyes narrowing as he recalled the same power a metahuman had used against him in the past.

The force wasn't just blocking him—it was reflecting his energy, sending it right back at him with twice the impact.

He remembered that power all too well.

'Wait... speaking of reflection, what happened to that guy? I remember planting him underground!'

It was funny how he just realized it now.n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

Back then, his mind had been too occupied with nearly dying from a surprise attack by a demon king.

Perhaps, deep down, he had subconsciously convinced himself that the metahuman had died as well.

'I'll check it out in the future,' he thought, pushing it to the back of his mind again.

'The important thing now is to figure out the rules of this place. Can I even try changing bodies here?'

He attempted the soul transfer, and to his relief, it worked.

Now he could focused more on figuring this place out without worrying about his life too much.

'If I can't go up, then maybe I have to follow the water,' he turned his head toward the long, winding river. It stretched endlessly into the distance.

SWOOOSH!

He took off running alongside the riverbank.

But after he hit 200 km/h, his body felt heavier, as if something was weighing him down, neutralizing his momentum.

He increased his output, yet no matter how hard he pushed, his top speed stayed capped at 200 km/h.

Now he finally understood why Lilith had warned him to be careful. This place could actually restrict so many of his abilities.

Thinking he didn't have many options, he pushed forward, maintaining his speed.

Along the way, he had expected an ambush or some monstrous beasts lurking in this strange place, but there was none of that.

Just the quiet movement of animals avoiding his path.

'Strange,'

This place was clearly designed to suppress him, yet it wasn't actively attacking him. It felt almost... empty.

BOOOOOM!

The silence was shattered by a sudden explosion in the distance.

He whipped his head to the left and saw it—the forest was burning,

Thick smoke billowed into the sky as flames licked the trees, spreading rapidly across the landscape.

'That might be a clue!'

He turned away from the river and sprinted toward the burning forest.

After he passed through the swirling black smoke, he spotted dozens of tall creatures huddled close together.

Upon closer inspection, he realized they were red apes, but some of their fur flickered with literal flames.

Reign chose to observe the situation first.

Though a backup plan was in place, avoiding death altogether was still better.