[ Host, from my current understanding, it seems you are a bit sad about being alone. ]
Max said it in a daze, looking at the sky and feeling the gentle breeze hitting his face. "Yes, I am feeling lonely. As an orphan, I got picked up by an assassination organization. I went through arduous training just to survive and get a better meal for a day."
"But as I grew older, I started to feel the burden of killing people as I saw the sadness and grief of the deceased ones. I wanted someone in my life to share my burdens with them. Then I accidentally gave birth to a daughter."
"I thought I had made a mistake, and I was very wrong. She proved me wrong. I started to feel what love is and what it feels like not to be alone. I was actually a family guy. However, that was robbed. My daughter died, and I wasn't able to spend time with her. I wasn't able to protect her."
Max's face turned stern, and his voice was firm. "This time, I won't let anyone do anything to her."
[ Host, to do that, I am here for you. I will provide you with everything you need to become the Demon Emperor. ]
"Ehh…I didn't expect you to comfort me. You sure are learning human emotions fast." Max teased the system with a slight smirk. "Now, tell me how you will support me?"
[ Host, before that, you should take a little look at yourself. Just chant "Status" in your mind. ]
Max did as the system told him. 'Status.'
The next second, a digital screen appeared right before Max's eyes.
[ Host Name: Max
Magic Realm: None
Vitality Realm: 3rd Stage Health Seeker
Age: 1/150
Race: Low Ranking Demon
Talent: Low
Magical Techniques: None
Movement Techniques: None
Skills: None ]
"This looks so bad!" Max was a bit speechless after seeing his status interface. Among all these negative ratings, only his Vitality Realm was somewhat good.
"System, what is this Health Seeker?" Max asked curiously. He somewhat guessed that those might be his power levels and skills, like the ones used in many games he saw kids play. He just wanted to know some of these unknown words.
[ Health Seeker: This is the starting point for those who seek to cultivate their magical vitality. At this stage, individuals are focused on improving their overall health and well-being through simple magical practices such as purification spells, energy cleansing, and meditation. It helps them start to gain superhuman strength. ]
Max rubbed his chin and pondered out loud. "So, the first realm is for the people who want to cultivate their physical strength. The fact I got into it just after I was born means demons are blessed with physical strength. Maybe, on the other hand, humans are blessed with magic or both."
"Anything else?" Max asked again, as he felt this wasn't the only thing the system had to say.
[ Ding! ]
[ You have received a mission ]
[ Mission: Accustomed with the Law of the Jungle
Synopsis: Try to survive in the forest for seven days.
Reward: Awakening Pill (Peak Earth Grade)
Penalty: None ]
"This mission looks challenging. It will be hard with my childish body. The reward seems good too. Also, the penalty is none. That makes sense. If I can't complete this mission or survive, that would only say one thing; I failed to survive and died under the jaws of beasts."
Max summarized the mission as a habit as he did in his previous life. He started to plan what to do for the past seven days.
Firstly, he shouldn't leave this safe perimeter of his. The mission didn't specify that he had to leave this place. He could just as easily complete this mission by camping here.
Secondly, he needed to craft a weapon. This place might be safe, but no one knows what could go wrong.
Lastly, he had to build a small shelter and a stable food source.
Step.
Max got down from the tree and decided to start the work right now.
…
On the seventh day after Max came into this world, he had already done a lot of things.
He wanted to build a shelter first, so he went to search for scattered logs and branches. However, fortunately, he found a hole in a tree that was big enough to easily accommodate him. He was first cautious, thinking it might be a snake or a bird's nest, but scouting the perimeter once again, he found none.
Hence, Max got a safe shelter easily!
The next thing he did was craft a weapon. He wanted to build a normal, basic spear but felt that would do nothing to this world's creatures. So, he went to look for something else, and he found bones of dead creatures on the ground. He collected all of them and checked to see which was the hardest and would be the most resilient.
Max eventually found a suitable bone for a weapon. It was a one-meter-long, slightly curved bone.
He sharpened that bone against a boulder by the stream and made it into a sharp blade. He felt it would be hard, but he forgot his vitality realm.
He ate fruits to satisfy his hunger and drank from the stream to quench his thirst.
Max was currently sitting by the stream, eating a fruit that was blue in color and looked like an apple. He looked down at his reflection and could not believe he had grown in just a few days. From 60 centimeters to 63 centimeters.
He asked the system about this, and it told him a demon would reach its peak height in just 16 years after birth.
'Truly a magical world.' Max, like every day, looked at the sky and wondered silently in his mind.
At that moment, Max's eyes widened as he quickly grabbed his bone sword and jumped to the right.
Bang!
Something crashed into the place where Max was sitting earlier.
Max raised his head up and looked to see what it was. As the dust settled, he was shocked to find the source of the attack.
A twelve-meter-long giant green snake was looking right at Max's eyes with its black, vertical eyes.