"Hyaaa!"
Aldrin swung his legendary white sword forward with all his strength. Azazel's army was in shambles—the goblins and orcs meant to aid him had been wiped out by the five members of the hero party.
Azazel floated freely in the sky, his arms stretched out to his sides, his tattered black robe fluttering around him. With one hand thrust forward, he blocked Aldrin's powerful light-element magic.
The clash of their spells created a surge of energy between them. Azazel realized his army was gone, his castle was in ruins, and his power was nearly drained.
"I won't die at the hands of you filthy humans!" Azazel roared.
He slashed his palm with a dagger, smearing his blood onto his chest and forehead. A dark crimson magic flared up, his last desperate attempt to save himself from death.
[You are cursed]
[Immortal life with a hollow soul!]
[Quest to restore your soul essence:]
[Steal soul essence from humans (0/1,000,000)]
[Reward: Curse lifted || Body and soul power restored]
"AAAAKH!"
Agonizing pain wracked Azazel's body as his soul was forcibly drawn out of it. To the humans, it appeared as though Azazel had condemned himself to a long, self-inflicted curse. They believed he would one day rise again to threaten the world.
In truth, Azazel's weakened soul floated through the air, defenseless against magical attacks. He had to quickly find a new body.
Fleeing the battlefield, Azazel came upon a brightly lit four-story mansion. It belonged to Harbert, a noble family ruling over Nain City. In the backyard, a young nobleman was lounging with three scantily clad maids.
"High social status, decent physique, and a handsome face. No idea about his magic yet," Azazel noted.
Without much time to deliberate, Azazel forced his way into the nobleman's body, erasing his soul completely, leaving behind only a faint awareness. A system panel flickered before Azazel, displaying the progress of collecting human soul essence.
[DING! Congratulations, you have obtained soul essence.]
[Name: Daniels Harbert]
[Age: 21]
[Soul Essence: 0,000,001/1,000,000]
Azazel's eyes snapped open, now seeing through Daniels Harbert's. His plan to collect soul essence seemed easy enough—he could slaughter one million people over a few years. But such actions would inevitably arouse human suspicion.
For now, his soul was safe within Daniels' body. With the young nobleman's high status, Azazel was confident he could manipulate others into carrying out his plans.
"I need to plan a large-scale massacre. I won't do it myself, though—I'll make others do it for me," Daniels, now Azazel, declared.
As his gaze sharpened, a small green circle appeared in the corner of his vision. Focusing on it, a system panel unique to humans materialized, detailing Daniels' stats.
The system seemed bound to the human body, remaining functional even after the host's soul had been destroyed.
With this quirk, Azazel could easily manage Daniels' stats and inventory. He opened the profile tab to see the achievements of this young man.
[STATUS PROFILE]
[Name: Daniels Harbert]
[Age: 21]
[Class: Archer]
[Title: -]
[Level: 25]
[HP: 30,000/30,000]
[MP: 35,000/35,000]
[Mage Realm: Young Sage]
[Stage: Early]
The mage realms in this world had ten levels, starting from Novice Mage, Student Mage, Young Mage, Intermediate Mage, Senior Mage, Young Sage, Great Sage, Imperial Sage, Archsage, and finally, The Grand One.
The hero party that fought Azazel earlier ranged from Imperial Sage to Archsage, but none had reached The Grand One stage—a tragic failure by Azazel's standards.
For now, Daniels was a Young Sage, and Azazel needed to learn everything about human society—its culture, etiquette, social norms, trade, and negotiations.
These skills were essential for positioning himself strategically to orchestrate his revenge. Azazel shifted his focus to another menu.
[ATTRIBUTE STATUS]
[STR: 68]
[AGI: 75]
[VIT: 80]
[INT: 50]
[DEX: 332]
[LUK: 25]
[Stats Points: 0]
'What kind of idiot set up this build?' Azazel groaned, baffled by the unbalanced stats.
As an archer, high DEX was vital for critical hits, but with such low STR, even critical hits wouldn't deal significant damage.
"I need to figure out how to fix this mess!"
"L-Lord Daniels, are you alright?" one of the maids asked softly.
Daniels turned to her with a smile and laughed, pretending nothing was wrong. He invited the three women inside his grand home, which he now knew like the back of his hand thanks to Daniels' memories.
But as he approached his room on the third floor, near his younger sister's, he was stopped by her.
"Daniels! How many times do I have to tell you not to bring women into your room?" Salsa Harbert snapped.
She stood with arms crossed, her sharp gaze backed by her striking 17-year-old beauty. Golden lightning crackled from her hand.
"If you don't send them away, I will!" she threatened.
'Lightning? So that's her affinity…' Azazel mused.
Not wanting to take any risks, Daniels sighed and motioned for the maids to leave. They obeyed without question, leaving him alone with Salsa.
Her lightning dissipated as she approached him.
"Don't let those women drain your energy. You have a big day tomorrow," Salsa said firmly.
"A big day?" Daniels asked, feigning confusion.
"You really are forgetful. Tomorrow is the entrance exam for the Magic Institute. You're representing the Harbert family," Salsa explained.
'Ah, so that's what those fragmented memories were about,' Azazel thought.
"Don't worry, I've got it all under control," Daniels replied, opening his door.
"Need help preparing your runes for tomorrow?" Salsa offered.
"No, I'm fine."
Daniels locked his door, removed his coat, and browsed the bookshelves for useful information. Frustrated with the incomplete fragments of Daniels' memories, Azazel muttered, "Damn it! I might need that girl's help after all."
Just as he moved toward the door, a muffled moan reached his ears. It wasn't coming from outside—it was inside his room.
"What's that noise?"
"Aahhh!"
"Please, take this thing off me, Lord Daniels!"
The sound came from the bookshelf. Curious, he removed the books one by one until a secret door opened, revealing two naked women bound by black ropes, enchanted rods vibrating within their private areas.
"L-Lord Daniels…" one of the women stammered, clearly in her late twenties.
"Please… satisfy us more, Lord!"
'Well, thank you, Daniels. You were truly a man of culture as well,' Azazel thought with a smirk.