The Infernal Citadel trembled with the fury of battle. Alistair Draegon, the Archmage of the Abyss, stood at the center of the war-torn hall, surrounded by his most trusted disciples. But there was no trust left. His apprentices, now robed in the holy white armor of the Angelic Order, had turned on him. Their once-loyal faces now betrayed him, filled with righteous zeal.
"Why?" Alistair's voice thundered, every word heavy with disbelief. His crimson eyes locked onto Eryndor, his top student. "After everything we've accomplished together, after all I've taught you, you side with the angels?"
Eryndor stepped forward, his sword glowing with divine light. "It is not just peace we seek, master, but salvation. The world has outgrown your methods. You are a relic of darkness. The Angelic Order offers a new dawn, free from the chains of your infernal magic."
Alistair's lips curled in a bitter sneer. "Salvation built on betrayal and false ideals... You have fallen further than I could have ever imagined."
With a roar of fury, he invoked his might. "Hellfire Magic: Infernal Maelstrom!" The black flames roared to life, consuming everything in their path. But the angelic mages, prepared for his wrath, raised their hands in unison, casting a blinding shield of divine light that deflected his flames. The combined power of his traitorous disciples was too much for him.
Eryndor raised his sword high, the blade gleaming with holy energy. "Angel Magic: Heaven's Judgment!" A spear of pure light shot from the tip of his blade, piercing Alistair's heart. The Archmage's vision blurred as his body crumpled, the infernal magic within him sputtering out like a dying flame.
"I will return," he whispered through gritted teeth as the darkness claimed him. "And when I do, this world will tremble."
Rebirth in Darkness
A thousand years passed.
Alistair awoke to a strange new world—a dark, cold cavern where the air was thick with the stench of decay. His eyes opened, and the world seemed alien. His body felt wrong. He was no longer the towering figure of the Archmage of the Abyss. Instead, he found himself in the form of a small, venomous snake, coiled in the depths of a dungeon.
System Activation Complete
Reincarnation Detected
Host: Alistair Draegon
Species: Poisonous Magic Snake
Level: 1
Available Skills:
[Poison Magic: Toxic Bite] (Basic)[Venomous Aura] (Passive)
A faint, ethereal interface shimmered before his vision. It looked... unfamiliar. But Alistair's mind, sharp as ever, quickly processed the information. A "system" had been granted to him in his new life—an odd but welcome addition. It seemed to track his power and progress.
[Status]
Level: 1
Class: Reincarnated Devil Mage
Current Form: Poisonous Magic Snake
Experience to Next Level: 0/100
Skill Slots: 1/5
Skills Available: 2/10
Title: Reincarnate of the Abyss
"This system is a tool to gauge my strength, perhaps to guide me in my rise," Alistair mused, his new serpentine body twitching as he adapted to his form. He was weak, but his mind was as sharp as ever, and that was all that mattered. With time, he would rise again.
The skills listed in his system were rudimentary. But even in this form, Alistair knew he had the potential to grow far stronger. His mind was already calculating the best way to regain his strength, starting with the venom in his bite.
[Poison Magic: Toxic Bite]
You can inflict a deadly poison with a single bite. Enemies struck by this skill will slowly lose health over time until they perish.
[Venomous Aura]
You exude a dangerous aura of venom. Any enemy in close proximity will suffer from your toxins, weakening them with each second spent near you.
Though he was no longer the terror he once was, Alistair's mind remained unshaken. This "venomous aura" would be useful in the early stages of his evolution. As a serpent, he had a natural advantage, and the magic of poison, so integral to his past, still flowed within him.
Slithering through the dungeon, Alistair encountered his first prey—a weak goblin. It raised its crude blade, eyes filled with malice, but it was no match for him. With a hiss, Alistair bit into the creature's leg, injecting his venom into it.
"Poison Magic: Toxic Bite!" he hissed as his fangs sank into the goblin's flesh.
The goblin howled in agony, its movements growing sluggish as the poison took hold. Alistair observed with satisfaction as its health bar dropped.
System Notification: Monster Encounter
Enemy: Goblin (Level 5)
Enemy HP: 50/100
Enemy Weakness: Poison
Alistair continued his assault, watching as the goblin collapsed from the poison. He devoured its body whole, the system providing a brief notification of experience gained.
System Notification: Enemy Defeated
You have gained experience!
Experience Gained: 30
Level Up!
New Level: 2
The system provided the feedback that Alistair craved. Each level up, though small, was a step toward regaining his former might. He had to remain patient. This was only the beginning.
The World of Monsters and Magic
Alistair's journey through the dungeon revealed much about the world he had been reborn into. The lands were still divided by the ancient war between the Angelic Order and the Infernal Covenant, but there were new players in this conflict—monsters that roamed the dungeons, growing stronger by consuming one another.
Dungeons were places of evolution, where monsters absorbed the life force of those they defeated and grew stronger as a result. The hierarchy among monsters was rigid, with the weakest at the bottom and the strongest at the top. As Alistair's former self had thrived on chaos, so too did the monsters, evolving by devouring their enemies.
The Angelic Order still fought to impose peace and order, their forces divided into powerful groups: angel mages, swordsmen, spearmen, and axemen. The Infernal Covenant, too, had its own warriors, though its forces had been scattered by time. Each side had its own way of wielding magic—angelic magic rooted in divine light, and devilish magic, dark and destructive.
But now, Alistair's focus was on surviving and growing. The system told him that monsters like him could gain skills and evolve through experience, and he intended to make the most of this.
System Notification: Level Up!
New Level: 5
Skill Unlocked: Poisonous Cloak
Poisonous Cloak
You can envelop yourself in a cloak of poisonous mist, making it difficult for enemies to detect you and damaging those who come too close.
This new skill would give Alistair a crucial advantage. Stealth and poison were powerful tools in his arsenal.
Climbing the Ladder
The further Alistair ventured into the dungeon, the more powerful the monsters he encountered became. At level 10, he faced a dire wolf—a creature that relied on speed and ferocity to hunt its prey. Its claws raked at his body, but Alistair had already learned to rely on his venomous aura to weaken his foes.
"Poison Magic: Toxic Bite!" he shouted, sinking his fangs into the wolf's neck. The beast howled in pain as the poison spread through its bloodstream, weakening its muscles. It didn't take long before the wolf collapsed, and Alistair consumed it, growing stronger.
System Notification: Monster Defeated
You have gained experience!
Experience Gained: 60
Level Up!
New Level: 11
By level 20, Alistair's skills had grown. His poison magic was more powerful, his venomous aura more potent, and his new skill, Poisonous Cloak, allowed him to slink through the shadows undetected by most enemies. But despite his growth, Alistair knew he was far from the power he once wielded.
For now, he was still a serpent, bound by his new form, but the system was a constant reminder that he could rise again—one level at a time.
A Long Road Ahead
Though he had reached level 20, Alistair knew that true power was still out of reach. His human form, the transformation skill that would return him to his previous state, was still a distant goal. But with each level, with each monster defeated, he felt himself drawing closer to reclaiming his lost strength.
"This is just the beginning," Alistair hissed, his eyes gleaming with cold ambition. "One day, I will reclaim everything. And when I do, the heavens themselves will bow before me."
The journey ahead was long and full of challenges, but Alistair Draegon was patient. And in this new world, he would rise again—stronger, smarter, and far more dangerous than before.