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"Hells, have mercy on us!"
Thought Asmodeus, his mind racing amidst the chaotic energy swirling around him.
"If this were a novel, I would have left a scathing review by now!"
His grumbling thoughts were cut short as White Fire—the imposing man in gleaming white armor—spoke yet again, his voice steady and authoritative.
"Any questions?"
A heavy silence followed. No one dared to speak, their breaths shallow with fear and anticipation.
"Good," White Fire continued, his steel-like voice cutting through the tension. "Now, everyone hold your breaths and close your eyes. We are going to the Realm of Awakening."
The children obeyed immediately, trembling but compliant. After surveying them to ensure they had done as instructed, White Fire raised a gauntleted hand and snapped his fingers.
The air crackled. A faint smell of burning cloth filled the space, sharp and acrid, before a sudden gust erupted—
WOOOOSH!
In an instant, the world shifted. The group found themselves transported to an endless expanse of shimmering grassland, the golden blades stretching beyond the horizon.
Despite its name, the grassland resembled no ordinary plain. The grass glowed faintly, golden as molten metal, and the sky above was painted in rich hues of orange and crimson. A soft, otherworldly hum resonated in the air, a constant reminder of the power saturating the realm.
Asmodeus immediately noticed the energy surrounding them. It was thick, oppressive, and almost tangible. His senses flared as he analyzed it instinctively.
"Ah, I see now," he muttered under his breath. "They use this absurdly dense energy to forcibly awaken children. By flooding their bodies with it, they force the energy to invade and stimulate the veins, creating a crude memory of circulation patterns. Primitive, yet effective."
Of course, such a statement coming from Asmodeus—a prodigious energy controller—might not hold much weight. After all, his abilities were far beyond what anyone could consider normal. Manipulating energy was as simple to him as breathing, a talent that only further highlighted the gap between him and the others.
Scanning his surroundings, he noted the absence of both White Fire and Mr. Null. Instead, his gaze landed on another figure floating high above the group.
It was a man clad in a flowing Taoist robe, his face hidden behind a demon mask that gleamed ominously in the orange light. The figure exuded an aura of command, silencing any murmurings among the children.
"Greetings, little ones," the masked man began, his voice calm yet unnervingly hollow. "I am Cultist 'Dreamer.' I will be overseeing your Awakening. One by one, you will be called. After the process is complete, remain here until the system has fully attached itself to your bodies."
The children exchanged nervous glances but said nothing as names began to be called. One by one, they stepped forward, only to be enveloped by a dark sphere of energy.
Asmodeus watched with mild interest. Each child's Awakening seemed straightforward, the process taking only a few moments. However, he couldn't help but notice their pale faces and trembling limbs as they emerged, visibly overwhelmed by the experience.
Finally, it was his turn.
The moment Asmodeus stepped forward, the dark sphere closed around him. Inside, the air grew impossibly heavy, the energy condensing until it turned into a thick liquid that clung to his skin and invaded his senses.
His body reacted immediately.
"Ugh!"
A sharp groan escaped his lips as the energy attempted to invade his veins. However, the mana already residing within him retaliated with ferocity. It was alive—prideful like a dragon—and utterly unwilling to tolerate the intrusion of this inferior energy.
The result was excruciating. Waves of pain coursed through Asmodeus's body, yet he refused to show weakness. His expression remained as cold as ice, his eyes darkening as if touched by some unseen corruption.
Minutes turned into hours. While the other children had emerged within moments, Asmodeus's Awakening dragged on, the intensity of the process far surpassing anything the others had endured.
When the sphere finally dissipated, revealing his transformed body, a collective gasp rippled through the crowd.
His appearance was otherworldly.
One eye was now pitch black, the other a stark white, their contrast almost hypnotic. Cracks resembling fractured glass ran across his skin like veins, glowing faintly with an ominous energy. His ears had elongated into sharp, elfin points, and two majestic antlers spiraled upward from his head, branching like the horns of a sacred beast. His once pale complexion was now darkened, tinged with a deep shade of purple, making him appear as though he had stepped straight out of the infernal realms.
With a single thought, Asmodeus retracted all external changes save for his mismatched eyes. The horns, cracks, and elongated ears disappeared, leaving him looking once again like an ordinary one-year-old child.
Suddenly, a voice echoed in his mind. Feminine yet monotone, it carried a cold, mechanical quality.
[HOST DETECTED.]
[WOULD YOU LIKE THE SYSTEM TO BE ATTACHED TO YOU? Y/N?]
Asmodeus raised an eyebrow at the question, his lips curling into a faint smirk.
"Hmm, I wonder... How about no?"
For a moment, there was silence. Then—
[ERROR! ERROR! UNEXPECTED RESPONSE. SEARCHING DATABASE FOR SOLUTIONS...]
[FIRST SOLUTION: FORCIBLE IMPLANTATION INTO THE SOUL... ATTEMPTING... FAILURE!]
[REASON: HOST'S SOUL REJECTS FOREIGN POWERS AND ENERGIES NOT AUTHORIZED BY THE HOST.]
[SECOND SOLUTION: NEGOTIATION WITH THE HOST.]
[THIS HUMBLE SYSTEM REQUESTS THE REASON YOUR EXCELLENCY REJECTS ITS EXISTENCE.]
Asmodeus couldn't help but chuckle at the system's audacity. Just moments ago, it had attempted to forcibly attach itself to him, and now it addressed him as "Your Excellency." Even stranger was the fact that it had failed. Such failure could only mean that the creator of the system had a less pure soul than his own.
"You want negotiation? Fine. The reason I don't want this system is because it can monitor me."
[THE SYSTEM CAN REMOVE THE 'MONITOR HOST' FUNCTION.]
"Oh? Then proceed."
Asmodeus was no fool. He knew that pushing further might invite unwelcome attention. For now, he would let the system integrate under his terms.
The system processed his response, its tone reverent.
[THE SYSTEM THANKS THE HOST FOR HIS COOPERATION.]
[ATTACHING SYSTEM CORES...]
A surge of energy flooded the atmosphere, drawn toward Asmodeus like a tidal wave. Seven brilliant cores formed around his soul, glowing with raw power. Thin, thread-like strings made of a strange, blue material—half solid, half ethereal—emerged from his soul and connected to the cores. They spread through his body, intertwining seamlessly with his energy veins.
The process was flawless. Asmodeus felt no discomfort, only a strange sense of completeness as the system settled into place.
[SUCCESSFUL ATTACHMENT!]
The voice returned, calm but persistent.
[WOULD YOU LIKE TO OPEN THE SYSTEM PANEL?]
Asmodeus smirked. "Yes, of course."
[ / / SYSTEM PANEL \ \ ]
Name: Asmodeus
True Name: Monstrosity
Race: Dragonoid (S-Rank)
Talent: Purity (Estimated: A-Rank)
[Note: Further information, including stats, will be available after the system records the host's abilities. This limitation exists because the 'Monitor Host' function has been disabled.]
Asmodeus squinted at the screen. "Oh? 'Purity'? Can I get a description?"
[TALENT: PURITY. DESCRIPTION: The host's energy is so pure that it can be sullied by the tiniest foreign interference. Additionally, the energy has a sentient quality, allowing it to automatically repel or fight external energies without conscious effort from the host.]
Asmodeus sighed, a flicker of bitterness crossing his face. "The world is truly unfair. If I had this talent in my previous life, I could have avoided so much suffering."
The system's monotone voice responded, almost sympathetically.
[THE SYSTEM AGREES.]
Asmodeus's brows furrowed. "Wait... You can see my memories?"
[YES, BUT FRET NOT. ONLY THIS HUMBLE SYSTEM HAS ACCESS TO YOUR MEMORIES DUE TO THE 'MONITOR HOST' FUNCTION BEING DISABLED.]
He rubbed his temples, mildly annoyed. "Sigh... Alright, that's enough. Let me out now."
[SYSTEM ACCESS ENDS.]
The panel vanished, and Asmodeus found himself standing amidst the other children once more. Their eyes remained fixed on him, wide with awe and fear. None dared approach, their instincts screaming at them to stay away from the otherworldly aura radiating from his presence.
Asmodeus glanced at his surroundings, his gaze cold and calculating.
"This world may be primitive," he thought, "but it seems I've been given tools to thrive in it. Let's see what kind of game we're playing."
Above, the orange sky churned ominously as if acknowledging the birth of a monster destined to reshape its reality.
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