It was quiet.
Too quiet.
Arin woke up to the intense orange glow of dawn seeping into his room from behind the walls of the window drapes. The room was peaceful, with only the gentle creak of the wood each time the wind blew and gave the window a fraction of an inch.
He stayed stock-still, staring at the ceiling, gasping for air with his chest heaving unevenly.
He was completely covered with sweat.
His clothes clung to his body. His hair was sweaty. Even the sheets beneath him were sweaty, as though he had just narrowly escaped drowning. His heart thudded against the ribcage as though it were still struggling for life.
Yet—everything looked normal. The wooden beams above, the soft smell of herbal ointment in the air, the familiar creak of the house settling into the day… it all felt painfully ordinary.
Was it just a dream?
He slowly sat up, grimacing. His muscles ached, there was pain in his ribs, and his arms were sore like they had encountered a rock. He groaned as he removed the perspiration from his brow.
"What...the hell happened?" he whispered.
Memories burned into his mind: the beasts, the blood, the fear, the rush of dominance—so intense he could still feel the iron on his lips. Ten beasts. He had only slain three when time ran out.
His thoughts strayed.
No, that was not a nightmare.
And suddenly he had an inspiration.
Hold on a minute… that skill that I used, that crazy instinctual strength… could it be?" His eyes squinted. "Am...am I going to have a system like those people from those webnovels?"
He caught himself being foolish for even speaking it aloud, but in this bizarre new world, was it truly impossible?
He took a breath, then called out quietly, as if afraid the answer might be yes.
"System."
Nothing.
Then suddenly—
A crimson flash erupted in front of his eyes.
A glowing red interface appeared in the air before him like a hologram projected from thin air. His heart skipped.
Then the text appeared:
[DEMON LORD SYSTEM ACTIVATED]
[TUTORIAL MODE: ACTIVE]
A new screen followed, displaying his information.
[USER: ARIN VEXAR]
[LEVEL: 1]
[HP: 12/100]
[MANA: 33 (+17)]
[STRENGTH: 7 (-4)]
[AGILITY: 9 (-7)]
[STAMINA: 5]
[WILLPOWER: 200]
[DARK AURA: 9 (+6)]
[STATUS: ALL PHYSICAL STATS REDUCED DUE TO INJURY]
[SKILLS:]
- DEMON INSTINCT (RANK S) — LEVEL 2
» INCREASES USER'S STATS BY 30% FOR 300 SECONDS
(NOTE: SKILL LEVEL IS LOW. INCREASE TO UNLOCK ADDITIONAL PROPERTIES)
- DEMON EYES (RANK EX) — LEVEL 1
» ALLOWS USER TO SEE THE STATS OF OPPONENTS WEAKER THAN YOU AND OPPONENTS UP TO 5 LEVELS STRONGER
(NOTE: SKILL LEVEL IS LOW. INCREASE TO UNLOCK ADDITIONAL PROPERTIES)
[TITLE: DEMON LORD]
» DARK MAGIC DAMAGE +100%
» CRITICAL DAMAGE BY DARK MAGIC +200%
» POWER INCREASED BY 300% WHILE IN THE ABYSS
» HOLY MAGIC DAMAGE RECEIVED +200%
[NEXT CHALLENGE: 7 DAYS REMAINING]
[NOTE: USER IS STILL IN TUTORIAL MODE. SOME FEATURES ARE LOCKED UNTIL LEVEL 20]
Arin blinked rapidly.
"What the hell." he said, his eyes widely opening with shock.
"This. it is exactly as in books. A whole system and Demon Instinct, that was probably what saved me at the trial."
His heart pounding not with fear this time, but with excitement
"With this technique… I can return to the strength that I had before...No...I can even become stronger than that."
A smile tugged at his mouth despite a sore jaw. The display flickered on for a moment, and then went out when he turned away.
However, his moment of awe came to an end with the sound of footsteps.
"Arin, are you awake?" was the gentle call from his mother.
He had no time to react when the door creaked open. She came in carrying a small wooden plate on her hand. On it stood a bowl of rich, steaming soup. The aroma struck him like a wave.
He almost vomited.
"Oh no... not the soup!"
His mother smiled gently as she put the tray on his bedside table. "It'll make you feel better. It is good for yourself."
"But Mum…" he pouted dramatically, putting on his best helpless look, "It tastes like someone boiled rotten vegetables and despair in one pot."
She smiled softly and sat alongside him, softly stroking back his hair.
You want to improve, don't you? Do I need to call up your father and tell him that his brave son is unwilling to take medication?
Arin dramatically groaned. "But mum, you fight dirty"
He extended a hand gently toward the bowl, tasted, and sipped.
Worse even than he had ever recalled
But then—
[HOST HAS TAKEN MEDICINE. HP +2]
[CURRENT HP: 12/100]
His eyes widened. Even the disgusting soup triggered a system response?
"Wait… if this works... then I can use food and medicine to boost my stats too?"
His mother blinked, confused. "What?"
Arin smiled for a moment. "N-nothing! Just... thinking aloud"
She gave him a glance for a moment but let it pass, standing up. "Rest, okay? You just went through something awful. I'll be back soon."
As she departed, Arin relaxed back against the bed, exhaling slowly.
He looked up at the ceiling once again, with a focused, intent mind.
I need to get stronger. Fast.
That trial... that was just the beginning. And if I stay here too long, I'll never grow.
His fingers tightened around the blanket.
I have seven days.
The glowing red countdown reappeared at the edge of his vision, ticking silently down:
[NEXT CHALLENGE BEGINS IN: 6 DAYS, 23 HOURS, 59 MINUTES]
Arin's eyes narrowed.
If I want to survive what's coming… I'll need more than soup, I will need to get prepared. The next trial won't go as it went in this one.
To be continued...