William paused, his eyes widening in surprise as he carefully examined the gem in his hand. Its surface shimmered faintly under the dim light of the mine, reflecting hues that hinted at its latent power.
"This... this isn't just any ordinary gemstone," William muttered to himself.
The introduction had been brief, but enough to spark his curiosity. According to the notes, this was a magical gem, an ancient relic capable of being embedded into objects, granting them mystical enhancements. Yet, it wasn't as simple as just slotting it into something. It needed to be specially processed, refined, and prepared by someone with knowledge of ancient rituals.
Sighing, William carefully wrapped the gem and tucked it into his pouch. The weight of it seemed heavier than before, as if it pulsed faintly with hidden energy. He resumed his search, scouring the long-forgotten mine tunnel for any other items that might have been lost to time. Every shadow felt like it held secrets, every sound echoed unnervingly in the darkness.
And then, it happened.
Suddenly, a strange sensation washed over him. William stopped dead in his tracks, his senses sharpening as if an unseen force had tugged at his awareness. His gaze drifted toward the depths of the mine, his breath catching in his throat.
There, in the yawning darkness, something stirred. It wasn't something he could see; no, it was deeper than that. He felt it.
A slow, rhythmic beat.
Ba-dump. Ba-dump.
Heartbeats.
The sound echoed through the tunnel, almost imperceptible at first but growing steadily louder. Then came the breathing, deep and heavy, like the exhale of a great beast slumbering in the bowels of the earth.
The air in the mine shifted, growing unbearably hot, and William instinctively took a step back. The heat rushed toward him, swirling like a furnace, its intensity rising until it felt as though he stood before a great, roaring fire. The air itself seemed to carry the sulfurous stench of brimstone, filling his lungs with the acrid scent of something ancient and infernal.
The breath; a living, scorching wind, spread through the mine with terrifying speed. It raced through every narrow corridor, every hidden crevice, reaching out like the groping tendrils of some unseen monster. It wrapped itself around William, seeping into his very bones.
For a moment, he could barely stand the heat. It pressed against his chest, coursing through him, making his heart race wildly in sync with the deep, relentless beat.
Ba-dump. Ba-dump.
The sound merged with his own heartbeat, and with every pulse, his body trembled as if it were on the verge of breaking apart. Sweat poured from his brow, and his skin prickled as though it was about to catch fire.
[Environmental Warning: This abandoned mine periodically releases demonic energy. You have been exposed to the breath of a long-dead demon. Due to your body's resilience and your first exposure, all of your attribute caps have increased by +0.5, and your physical fitness cap has risen by an additional +0.5.]
The message flashed in William's mind, and with it, a surge of power rippled through his body. But with that power came pain; intense, agonizing pain. His heart pounded fiercely as though it were about to burst from his chest.
Boom!
The force of it made him stagger, his vision swimming. It felt as though his very soul resonated with the mine's heartbeat, as if something ancient and demonic had intertwined itself with his essence.
[Warning: The demonic traits within you have increased.]
[Demonic Traits: 20/200]
William's mind raced as he struggled to comprehend the situation. He hadn't killed anything, hadn't fought any demonic creatures, yet his connection to the demonic energy had deepened. The power of the long-dead demon, still lingering in the land, had taken hold of him, inching him closer to something sinister.
[Title Unlocked: Devil's Son]
[Devil's Son: In environments of darkness, fire, or abyss, your attributes will be slightly enhanced. You will also gain increased resistance to physical harm.]
A chill ran down William's spine. Devil's Son? What was happening to him?
The message continued to flash before him, and with it came a new notification:
[Job Change Available: The demon calls to you. You may now venture deeper into the mine to embrace your destiny and take on the role of a demon.]
For a long moment, William stood frozen. The overwhelming heat, the pulse of the mine, the strange allure pulling him deeper into the depths, everything felt surreal, like a nightmare he couldn't wake from.
"What does it mean?" he muttered under his breath. "Son of the devil? Is that what they think I am?"
He had never asked for this, never sought out such dark power. And yet, the temptation was real. He could feel it, pulling at him like a whisper in the back of his mind, beckoning him to descend further into the mine, to claim the power waiting for him in the abyss.
But at what cost?
William clenched his fists, shaking his head to clear the haze. He knew all too well that power like this never came without a price. There was no such thing as easy strength, no magic that didn't demand something in return.
"The demon's power lingers here," he said quietly, piecing the fragments together. "It fell long ago, but its essence remains, waiting to be reborn. And now... now it seeks a successor. A devil in waiting."
His gaze turned back to the yawning darkness of the mine's depths, the eerie pulse still beating in the back of his mind. The power was there for the taking, he could feel it; but the question gnawed at him: What would he become if he embraced it?
For now, William remained rooted to the spot, torn between the promise of strength and the shadow of the unknown.
"Isn't this a trap?" William muttered to himself, pacing in the dimly lit tunnel. The thoughts circled in his head like vultures over a carcass. Could it really be that easy? Could he just take what belonged to the devil without consequence?
He didn't even fully understand what the "demon's characteristics" were. The hints had been vague, cryptic even, and the mention of a Blizzard Knight intrigued and unsettled him in equal measure. Who is this Blizzard Knight? William wondered, stopping in his tracks. This figure had been directly referenced in the demonic characteristics' warning. Someone, or something, tied to this cursed place.
He shook his head, as if trying to rid himself of the growing sense of unease. "I should leave here as soon as I hit level seven," William resolved aloud. "This place is too strange. It's best not to linger."
The sensation of dread clung to him like a second skin, and William couldn't shake it off, even as the gaming session was about to end. His timer blinked in the corner of his screen. He sighed. It was time.
"Offline!" He commanded.
The digital world faded away, and William opened his real eyes to the dimly lit room. His body ached, and though the wounds his in-game avatar had taken did not manifest in the real world, he still felt a lingering pain, as if the black magic from the mine had reached across the boundary of the game and touched him.
Aftereffects, he mused. His body felt sluggish, as if drained of energy. Though he had used a bandage in the game, a powerful one soaked in a magical potion; the strain of healing had clearly taken its toll on him.
Glancing at his energy levels in the game's interface, William noticed a significant depletion. He realized that healing himself had drained more than just health points. It seemed that his "energy value" had also taken a hit.
"If the physical value is like a health bar," William murmured, "then the energy value must be the 'blue bar'... mana, maybe?"
He hadn't paid much attention to his energy before, mostly because its existence always felt secondary, weak compared to health. But now, it was impossible to ignore. He needed to recover.
"Time to refuel," he said to himself with a grin, already heading for the kitchen. His gaming exploits always made him ravenous.
William set to work on a hearty meal. He pulled out the leftover fish, meat, and roast chicken from yesterday's offerings, throwing them all into a large pot. The fire roared under the cauldron as the ingredients stewed together, filling the air with a mouthwatering aroma.
Soon, the thick broth bubbled and released a savory scent that made his stomach rumble. He poured himself half a glass of white wine and prepared to feast.
The pork elbow's skin was tender and sticky, the rich sauce clinging to each bite. The roast chicken was succulent, its flavors deepened by hours of marination. William grinned as he devoured it all; the fish, the meat, the chicken, each bite better than the last. His chopsticks worked quickly, and before long, he had polished off most of the food.
With his hunger sated and his energy replenished, William felt a renewed sense of vitality. He popped two pomegranates into his mouth, swallowing them seeds and all, followed by a crisp apple to cleanse his palate.
As he wiped his hands, William remembered the [Developing Lantern] he had found earlier. It was an intriguing piece of equipment, and he pulled it from his bag to take a closer look.
The lantern was old, its copper frame covered in a layer of dust that William quickly wiped away. Its design was ancient, ornate, and it carried a sense of dignity and mystery, clearly an artifact of the old church. He turned it over in his hands, noticing a fine line of text inscribed on the base in a script he couldn't quite decipher.
"No fuel left," he muttered, peering inside. The spiritual oil it once held had long since evaporated. "I'll need to find some more if I want to use this."
He set the lantern aside and picked up his fine iron spear. It had been too long since he had practiced. Spear in hand, William spent the rest of the day in his living room, running through the basic techniques and stances he had learned over the years. The rhythmic movement of training brought his mind into focus, clearing the haze left by the strange events in the mine.
As the evening approached, the sun set outside his window, casting a warm glow across the room. William decided to step out for a quick barbecue at a nearby stall. Nothing beat freshly grilled food after a long day of training.
By the time he returned, it was already past eight. His body was pleasantly full, and his mind felt sharp, ready for what came next. William flopped onto his bed, closing his eyes for a quick rest before jumping back into the game.
Exactly four hours later, he awoke with a start, his dark eyes snapping open in the pitch-black room.
"Sequence game, start," he whispered.
The familiar hum of the game interface greeted him as he logged back in. William grinned in anticipation, the fire in his heart reignited. Today was the day. Today, he would reach level seven.
And nothing; not demons, nor strange temptations, would stand in his way.
William strode confidently into the mine tunnel, gripping his spear tightly. Excitement buzzed through him like electricity, eager to explore deeper and test his strength against whatever this abandoned place had to offer. The rhythmic clinking of his boots against the stone echoed in the vast darkness, a steady reminder of the journey ahead.
But before he could delve any deeper, a chill suddenly gripped his spine.
He stopped dead in his tracks.
Without warning, a wave of cold dread washed over him, and his instincts screamed to turn around.
Then, out of the shadows, a message blinked across his vision:
[Battle Tips: You have encountered a Resentful Spirit]
[Ghosts: Vengeful souls cursed to wander the land of the dead, awakened by the breath of demons. They are entities without physical form and are immune to most physical attacks. They harbor deep hatred for the living.]
William's stomach twisted. "Damn it!" he cursed, whirling on his heel and sprinting back the way he came, faster than he had entered. His heart hammered in his chest as the icy, oppressive aura of the spirit seemed to nip at his heels.
Ghosts. Of course, it had to be ghosts.
In truth, William wasn't particularly afraid of vengeful spirits. He had faced plenty of terrifying creatures in the game. But these things were tricky; being non-corporeal, they were immune to most physical attacks, which meant that his spear would be useless here. And what was worse, this abandoned mine seemed to have plenty of them lurking about.
Lucky or unlucky? William wondered bitterly. Lucky that he hadn't run into them before, but today his luck had turned.
His breath came out in quick gasps as he raced through the tunnel, and behind him, the spirit's anguished wail filled the air like nails on a chalkboard. William grimaced as a piercing mental scream reverberated in his skull, the sheer intensity of it making him stumble. His mental value dropped by one point almost instantly, and for a split second, it felt like his brain was about to split open.
"Not today," he grunted, pushing through the pain.
Thankfully, vengeful spirits were tethered to specific areas and couldn't roam too far. Once William reached a safe distance, the terrifying sound faded, and the cold grip of the spirit loosened. He exhaled sharply, leaning against the tunnel wall to catch his breath.
"That was too close," William muttered, wiping the sweat from his brow. "The monsters here are way stronger than I thought."
He wasn't wrong. The pieces started falling into place now, and William understood the strange power at work. The abandoned mine had been corrupted by a phenomenon called the "Devil's Breath." It was like a tidal force, sweeping through the mine at regular intervals, saturating everything with demonic energy.
Every time this "Devil's Breath" surged through the mine, it bathed the demonized creatures in its energy, nurturing and strengthening them. The longer a creature remained exposed to it, the stronger it became. William, having only just been exposed for the first time, could feel the difference in himself already. His physical stats had increased by 1 point, while his mental and energy values had each gone up by 0.5. It was a subtle but noticeable shift.
However, as with all power, there was a cost.
The figure of the devil that had haunted William's dreams was becoming clearer now. No longer just a fragmented image of something dark and sinister, it had begun to take form; whispering faint murmurs, as though calling to him, tempting him.
The realization hit him like a punch to the gut. He wasn't just gaining strength from the Devil's Breath, he was being marked by it. The devil's whispers were creeping into his mind, subtly influencing his thoughts, trying to sway him toward the darkness.
If he wasn't careful, if he remained in the mine too long or exposed himself to more of the Devil's Breath; the effect could be irreversible. His thoughts might change without him even noticing, turning him into something he swore he would never be. The pull toward the devil's camp would grow stronger with every exposure.
Yet, the temptation was real.
Each time he survived the Devil's Breath, his attributes increased. Power flowed through his veins, and his potential grew. For any player, this was an alluring offer. Each experience of the Devil's Breath brought tangible rewards, making it a dangerous but seductive game of risk and reward.
Still, William knew there had to be a limit. No one could endlessly harness the devil's power without consequence, and these demonic creatures had likely already reached their peak. They had been marinating in the Devil's Breath for years, growing stronger with each cycle. But they, too, had limits.
As William steadied himself, he felt the weight of the decision bearing down on him. He couldn't stay in this mine forever. The more he lingered, the more the devil would tighten its grip on him. And yet, the allure of further strengthening himself, of reaching new heights, was undeniable.
He sighed, gripping his spear more tightly. "The more power you get, the greater the price you pay," he whispered to himself.
One thing was certain, this place had its dangers, and William wasn't about to let the Devil's Breath consume him. At least not yet.
With a determined look, William prepared himself for what lay ahead. He wasn't about to let some vengeful spirit or demonic whisper sway him from his path.
The mine may have been filled with dark power, but William was stronger than that.