I lost my Copy System and awakened a Plundering System-Chapter 284: Memory fragment (5)

Xandros didn't know how many steps he had taken, but it felt like he had been passing through this staircase for eternity. The only thing keeping him going and reassuring him was the bracelet that Rosaria had given him.

He didn't know how long he had spent climbing, as he had long lost his sense of time—he just walked.

His body was already giving in to the aura. It was becoming too difficult to withstand, yet he forced himself to take another step forward.

A massive wave of aura descended on him, and he began sweating profusely. The steps beneath him were already caving in, his feet sinking under the immense pressure from the stairs. His entire body felt weak, and even breathing became a struggle.

Slowly, he felt his strength slipping away, his entire body screaming in pain. His consciousness was fading bit by bit, even though he tried desperately to stay awake.

With sheer willpower, he endured it. Looking at the bracelet still ignited his determination, pushing him forward.

At last, Xandros managed to withstand the overwhelming aura, though his body was already bleeding. Fortunately, the aura began refining him again, making his entire body stronger. His physical strength increased, and even his once-sealed Originat was improving in quality.

He looked up toward the stairs.

"Finally," Xandros said with joy.

He could see the end of the staircase now, and to his surprise, only thirteen steps remained.

Seeing this boosted his confidence and willpower. He continued to climb with determination, even though the aura's intensity had increased significantly.

Xandros pressed on.

Now, only ten steps remained.

But as he gazed at those last ten steps, an unsettling feeling crept into his heart.

Why did he suddenly sense monstrous danger from them?

"Well, there's no turning back," he muttered with a sigh.

Steeling himself, he took a step forward.

CRACK!

Xandros' expression twisted in terror as an unimaginable aura descended upon him, making his entire body tremble.

The sheer pressure paralyzed him—his whole body screamed in fear.

CRACK!

He felt the bones in his shoulder splintering under the strain.

His body was struggling to withstand the aura.

The cracking sound didn't stop. More and more of his bones snapped, causing him to grimace in pain.

If not for the aura suppressing his body, he would have screamed.

Xandros didn't know how long this agony lasted, but the moment the aura finally vanished, he collapsed on the stairs.

Lying there, he took deep, ragged breaths.

The aura of this single step was equal to the combined pressure of all the steps before it.

If not for the constant refinement his body had undergone, he wouldn't have survived.

Had he attempted this step in his previous state, he would have been reduced to nothing but meat paste—no struggle, no escape.

He didn't even dare to think about activating the Supreme Demon Technique.

If he did, it would be instant death. No questions asked.

Instead, he lay still, allowing the aura to refine his body and heal his wounds.

When Xandros checked his condition, he was astonished.

With just his physical strength alone, he could easily crush his former self multiple times over.

After ensuring he was in peak condition, he took another step forward—landing on the second-to-last step.

This time, the situation was far worse.

His bones creaked violently before snapping even faster than before.

Fear crept into his heart.

For a brief moment, the thought of quitting crossed his mind.

But after considering the time and effort he had spent to get here—and glancing at Rosaria's bracelet—he pushed the thought away.

The bracelet would teleport him away if he were truly in mortal danger.

With that reassurance, Xandros endured the suffering.

Eventually, he managed to survive.

HUFF! HUFF!

Xandros gasped for air, taking in the fresh breath he desperately needed.

This time, he didn't rush forward.

Even though his wounds had healed, he forced himself to rest before continuing.

Then, when he was ready—

He stepped onto the final step.

The aura crashed down upon him once again.

But this time, it was twice as intense as what he had faced before.

His bones snapped.

His skin peeled away, exposing raw flesh.

Blood gushed from his body.

If this had been a normal human, they would have died instantly from the pain alone.

But Xandros had endured far worse.

Even as blood drenched his body, he held his ground.

Slowly, his body caved under the pressure.

His vision blurred.

Pain wracked every inch of his being.

His clothes, though soaked in his own blood, remained strangely intact.

It seemed the aura only affected living beings.

Xandros silently endured, gritting his teeth through the suffering.

At last, the aura ceased its descent—and the refining process began.

His body healed once more.

Looking up, he saw seven more steps.

Would he survive them?

The thought crossed his mind, but he shook it off.

There was no point in overthinking.

He had come too far.

With renewed determination, Xandros took another step.

The fourth step of the final ten.

The aura struck again.

The fifth step.

The sixth step.

This time, the aura doubled in intensity.

Xandros' skin peeled away so severely that his bones were now fully visible.

With determination, he continued to withstand it. Whenever he wanted to give up, he felt as if he could see Rosaria's figure supporting him and cheering him on, urging him not to give up.

Once again, he crossed this step. If Xandros were asked whether he could have survived this long under these conditions, his answer would have been no—because he knew himself.

He was even surprised by the fact that he was still able to keep going like this. It felt as if his potential was being drawn out. And whenever he came close to losing consciousness, he felt an aura pulling him back each time.

He didn't know whether this was related to Rosaria or not, but either way, it had been helping him.

The Seventh Step.

The Eighth Step.

Xandros crossed these steps. He looked at the last two steps in front of him, but to him, they weren't just steps—they felt like two entire universes he had to conquer, each containing cultivators as strong as or stronger than him.

"I can do this," Xandros said with confidence as he took his left foot forward onto the ninth step.

An intense aura descended upon his foot. His bones began to crack under the sheer pressure.

Steeling himself, Xandros stepped forward with both legs and immediately realized something.

This aura wasn't twice as strong as the last step—it was four times stronger.

This time, Xandros' bones snapped rhythmically, as if someone were playing a melody of destruction.

He had never felt such an overwhelming aura before—not even Rosaria's aura could compare to this.

His entire body peeled away, exposing raw flesh. Before, it had only been his skin, but now, even his muscles and flesh were being stripped away.

Xandros felt unbearably weak, his consciousness slipping into the abyss. But just when he was about to fade completely, the aura stopped—pulling him back from the brink of death.

This time, Xandros felt helpless.

He didn't know what to do anymore.

He looked at the final step.

Somehow, the instructions he had received weren't to withstand this step.

He simply had to cross it.

Taking his time to recover, making sure he was in his peak condition, Xandros finally took the last step forward.

This 𝓬ontent is taken from fгeewebnovёl.co𝙢.

The moment his foot landed—

A monstrous wave of aura rushed toward him, trying to push him back.

This aura was ten times stronger than the one from the ninth step.

Xandros glanced at the step beneath him—it was longer than the rest.

His body quivered.

In an instant, every bone in his body shattered into pieces.

Blood gushed out like a raging stream.

Slowly, he was pushed back, inching closer to the edge of the final step.

To any observer, it would seem as though Xandros was about to fall off the staircase.

But just before that could happen—

He steeled himself.

And charged forward once again.

Xandros kept pressing forward.

But the farther he went, the more he was injured.

He didn't care.

If he was truly on the verge of death, Rosaria's bracelet would save him.

So he gave it everything he had.

But as he moved forward, he noticed something strange.

The step felt longer than it seemed.

His consciousness was fading.

He fought to stay awake, but no matter how hard he tried—

It was useless.

Suddenly, everything turned black.

"Did I still fail?" he thought with sadness.

He didn't want to give up.

He still wanted to keep going.

Xandros channeled that thought into his body.

Any normal person would have collapsed.

Yet, Xandros' body remained standing.

It continued to walk forward—

Even though his bones were exposed.

Looking into Xandros' eyes, there was nothing.

They were blank.

He had completely lost consciousness.

He was standing at the threshold of death.

There was only one explanation—

Xandros was moving purely on instinct.