"Master, wake up…"
Zach heard a faint voice calling him. He didn't respond, still trying to figure out who was the owner of that voice. Then he felt something hard poking his face.
Zach slightly groaned and moved a little. After a few seconds, he slowly opened his eyes only to be greeted by a pair of silver-gray eyes.
A small winged skeleton creature was floating just above his face. Now he knew what was poking his face a while ago, it's the creature's claw.
Zach was still absorbing what he was seeing right now. He was wondering if he was dreaming or not.
'Damn! Why am I seeing a skeleton-flying creature?!' He thought to himself before sitting up.
He felt hot. His body was covered with sweat. He peered at his surroundings.
'Huh? Where am I?' He asked himself as he noticed the unfamiliar environment around him.
Then his eyes widened in shock. No wonder he felt very hot. Fire was scattered in his surroundings!
"Damn! What the hell is this? Why do I feel like I am inside a volcano with flowing lava?!"
The small winged skeleton creature laughed at his remarks.
"You are indeed in hell, master! This is Asura Land, commonly known as hell!" The flying creature said matter-of-factly.
Zach: "..."
He was stupefied after hearing the creature's response. To make sure that he was just dreaming, Zach lifted his hand, slapping his face hard.
*Pak*
"Awww!" He grunted, rubbing his cheek. "Damn, it hurts!" he cursed.
The creature just watched him in amusement, trying to hold his laughter.
'Pffft… Master hit his own face! His stunned expression looks so cute!'
After realizing he was not dreaming, Zach once again looked at his surroundings. As he tried to figure out how he ended up in this strange place, memories suddenly came flooding back to him.
His eyes widened in realization. "Damn! I really did die from that accident after saving the little girl! Shucks! I am a big fool!" Zach smacked his forehead again.
"Argh! I really end up going to hell!"
Then Zach finally remembered the presence of the strange winged skeleton creature in front of him.
"Who are you? Why are you calling me Master?"
The winged skeleton creature was delighted when finally his master took notice of him and spoke to him.
"I'm Ryuki, a skeleton dragon! Though, unlike the real dragon, I am very small right now because you have to nurture me to become a big mighty dragon! My growth depends on you, Master!" The winged skeleton creature spoke spontaneously with excitement.
"I am your slave demon pet, that's why I am calling you, Master! I am assigned to you as soon as you are sent here. My task is to accompany you and guide you in this Asura Land and during your missions!"
"Do you have any questions, master? Don't hesitate to ask me!"
"Am I here to be punished for my crimes? Are you going to throw me in the ocean of fire? Am I going to meet Lucifer?" Zach asked Ryuki expectantly.
Ryuki burst out laughing again after hearing those questions.
'It seems that my master doesn't know anything about this place.'
Zach frowned in annoyance seeing the creature making fun of him.
"Stop laughing! Explain!" He commanded.
"You are indeed going to be punished if you fail to do your missions of spreading darkness in the human world. There is no Lucifer here. But the Demon God is the ruler of this land!"
"You are one of the demons living here now. As of now, your demon rank is Demon Warrior. It seems like you gained lots of evil points in your previous life so you are promoted to Demon Warrior Rank right away after arriving here!"
Zach fell silent for a moment, trying to absorb everything Ryuki said to him. These were what he learned.
First, after he died, he was sent here to Asura Land, also known as hell, and he became a demon.
Second, upon waking up, he met a winged skeletal creature named Ryuki who was assigned to him as his slave demon pet. He had a responsibility to raise and nurture Ryuki as his Master.
Third, this was not the same hell he knew where he would be punished for his crime. Instead, he would be living here as a demon to fulfill and accomplish the demon's tasks.
Fourth, he learned that the demon here had different ranks based on evil points. He was promoted as Demon Warrior based on the evil points he accumulated when he was still a human. So he assumed that evil points had something to do with evil deeds!
Zach flashed a triumphant smile as he remembered his last words before he died.
{ "In my next life… I swear… I will only do evil things." }
"Master, why are you smiling? Did you understand my explanation?" Ryuki asked him expectantly.
Zach simply nodded his head as a response to Ryuki.
'It seemed that my last wish was granted!' He thought to himself, rejoicing.
"Master, I will explain other things to you later. For now, we have to hurry. All demons are required to assemble in front of the Demon God's temple! There is an important announcement that the Demon Monarch will tell everyone!"
"Okay, bring me to the temple!"
"Just follow me, Master."
Zach just took a step when suddenly his heart constricted inside his chest. He felt a throbbing headache as if his head was about to burst.
"Arghh!" Zach whimpered in pain as he kneeled on the ground, holding his head.
He was still suffering from excruciating pain when suddenly something flashed in his eyes which only he could see. Then a child-like voice resonated in his ears, chanting the words he could see in his eyes.
[ Congratulations! The Mighty Holiness had acknowledged your good deeds, thus bestowing you a system called Angelique. Do you accept it? ]
'Eh, what the hell is this thing? What system? Mighty Holiness? Angelique?'
Zach was still trying to figure it out when he saw a message again and heard the voice.
[ Warning Alert: If you reject the system, the excruciating pain you are experiencing right now will never stop! ]
Zach: "..."
'Why do I feel like I am being forced to accept this system?! This is unfair! What is the purpose of asking me whether I want to accept it or not if I am being tortured like this?!'
"Arrghhh!" Zach screamed as the pain intensified.
[ Warning Alert: You have 10 seconds to answer. The pain will increase five times every passing second. ]
"ALRIGHT! Stop the pain! I accept it! I ACCEPT!"
[ Congratulations! You have gained the Angelic System ]
'Angelic my foot?'