Chapter 42 System Malfunction?

"A competitor?"
"Truly... perfect!"
A satisfied smile crept up the corner of Mihawk's mouth. Evidently, a guy like Mihawk, whose thought process defied common sense, did not feel that having the stone tablet snatched away was a matter of any great significance.
He only felt...
How wonderful it is to have an enemy!
Therefore, the very instant Chuyi finished reminding Mihawk, he distinctly heard a "whoosh" sound.
"So fast!"
Narrowing his eyes slightly as he watched Mihawk dash away, Chuyi couldn't help but feel a bit startled by Mihawk's speed.
"I didn't expect Mihawk, the world's greatest swordsman, to also possess such mastery in physical techniques! When he moves, his footwork seems to follow a certain pattern. Could it be..."
"Is this a physical technique of Mihawk's own creation?"
Carefully observing the footwork of Mihawk as he advanced, Chuyi momentarily forgot all about the competitor for the stone tablet. He began to employ his Kenbunshoku Haki for detailed perception, not only memorizing Mihawk's footwork, but also—driven by his formidable Asura instincts—moving forward rapidly himself, mimicking Mihawk's moving steps after observing them for a short while.
And it has to be said...
Mihawk's peculiar footwork indeed had a speed-boosting effect.
As for the profound subtlety of the physical technique he employed, Chuyi sensed that its true essence lay entirely in the mastery of rhythm!
By relying on the grasp of rhythm, even though Mihawk's footsteps didn't seem particularly fast when he moved, with each stride he took, a speed surpassing ordinary people was thus displayed right before others.
With such exceptional rhythmic footwork, it didn't take long for Mihawk to catch up to the competitor for the stone tablet.
Meanwhile, as Chuyi hurried along in Mihawk's wake, his gaze immediately shifted away from Mihawk and landed upon the competitor for the stone tablet.
"Black robe?"
The corners of Chuyi's eyes twitched violently. Staring at the competitor for the stone tablet—namely, the man completely enveloped in a black robe—he couldn't help but inwardly complain:
"Why is it that unexpectedly appearing enemies always have to dress in such a cliché style?"
"Can't they have a bit of creativity? Wouldn't a graceful figure dressed entirely in white be much better?"
Complaining was complaining, but while doing so, Chuyi's speed was by no means slow. Changing his movement method to execute the "Gale Step," he arrived right before the black-robed man in a mere split second.
However, just as Chuyi and Mihawk, two of the sea's top powerhouses, closed in simultaneously and were about to capture that black-robed man...
"Swish!"
"Swish!"
"Swish!"
Abruptly, countless afterimages materialized all around the black-robed man.
This wasn't because the black-robed man's movement speed had increased, leaving afterimages trailing behind him, but rather...
The single black-robed man had suddenly morphed into countless figures, appearing right before Chuyi and Mihawk!
What was even more astonishing was that when Chuyi and Mihawk began to use their Kenbunshoku Haki for perception, attempting to unearth the real black-robed man hidden among the afterimages...
"Hmm?"
Constricting his pupils slightly, Chuyi suddenly discovered that his Kenbunshoku Haki had actually failed right in front of the black-robed man!
"Judging from the perception of Kenbunshoku Haki, every single one of these countless black-robed men before me is real?"
"How can that be!"
"Unless... unless he is a Devil Fruit user, and the ability he possesses is similar to the Multiple Shadow Clone Technique, a fruit capable of creating clones!"
"But..."
At this thought, Chuyi slightly furrowed his brows and muttered in perplexity:
"If he is a Devil Fruit user, why hasn't the system issued an awakening material collection quest?"
Very strange.
Truly very strange!
When Chuyi deduced that the black-robed man before him was a Devil Fruit user and used Kenbunshoku Haki to perceive him, he discovered that the black-robed man and the countless afterimages he had transformed into were indeed accompanied by the aura of a Devil Fruit.
Yet since the opponent was a Devil Fruit user, why hadn't the system given any prompt for a collection quest regarding awakening materials?
Was the system broken?
Or was he not getting close enough?
Well, it must be that he wasn't close enough; how could the system possibly break?
Silently nodding to himself to comfort himself that the system couldn't possibly make a mistake, Chuyi followed up with a furious burst of the "Gale Step," his figure quickly plunging straight into the midst of the black-robed man's afterimages.
Immediately afterward, continuously executing the "Gale Step," Chuyi could be said to have circled in front of every single black-robed man's afterimage within the span of just a few seconds!
Yet still nothing!
The system's quest notification chime still didn't ring out, causing a trace of panic to well up in Chuyi's eyes!
"Impossible, the system couldn't possibly have a problem..."
"It must be my fault!"
"Damn it, if there were another Devil Fruit user here right now for me to experiment on, that would be great!"
To determine whether something had malfunctioned, the most effective method was process of elimination.
Just like now, Chuyi first needed to rule out any problems with himself, and then rule out whether there was any issue with the black-robed man before him. Only by eliminating these two possibilities could he confirm whether the absence of the awakening material collection quest prompt really meant the system itself had malfunctioned.
And while Chuyi was inwardly hoping for another Devil Fruit user to appear quickly so he could see if the system had truly failed...
"Whoosh!"
While Chuyi was still executing the "Gale Step," yet another man enveloped in a black robe suddenly made his appearance!
This person was clearly not the same individual as the previous black-robed man, because when perceived through Kenbunshoku Haki, the auras emanating from their bodies were entirely different.
However, there was one thing they shared in common: they were both without exception Devil Fruit users!
Therefore, upon seeing the second black-robed man emerge, a look of joy instead washed over Chuyi's eyes!
"Wonderful! With him here, I can finally determine..."
"Whether the system has indeed encountered a problem!"
Muttering inwardly, Chuyi used the "Gale Step" without a moment's hesitation!
The next second...
"Whoosh!"
As Chuyi's figure reached the front of the second black-robed man, his complexion abruptly turned ashen.
Because...
The prompt sound for the awakening material collection quest still hadn't appeared!
In an instant, Chuyi was practically able to conclude that the system's failure to issue the awakening material collection quest was not his fault, nor was it the fault of the two Devil Fruit users before him, but rather that the system had genuinely malfunctioned right here!
And a system malfunction was nothing short of a bolt from the blue to Chuyi.
The achievements he had attained today owed entirely to the assistance of the system!
What if in the future...
What if the system could no longer be used from now on? What on earth should he do then?
Instantly, when Chuyi thought about how the system might never be usable again, he felt his mind go completely blank, even forgetting that right beside him, an enemy was still present!
At this moment, it was undoubtedly Chuyi's lapse in attention, and his enemies—as long as they weren't complete fools—would surely seize this opportunity to eliminate the trouble that was Chuyi.
Yet precisely at this moment, an even stranger thing occurred!
Those two black-robed men, who were competing with Chuyi and Mihawk for the stone tablet, actually chose not to launch an attack on Chuyi at the exact moment he exposed a massive opening, nor did they cooperate with one another to deal with Mihawk.
Taking advantage of Chuyi's brief moment of distraction, the only thing those two black-robed men did was...
Carry away the fourteenth stone tablet that Chuyi needed!