Chapter 3: Who am I?
The world around him was shrouded in darkness, flickering candlelight casting eerie shadows on the damp, stone walls. The stench of burnt incense mixed with something far more putrid—rotting flesh. The voices of hooded figures rang in unison, their chant echoing through the abandoned academy hall.
A ritual was taking place. A ritual meant to summon something unholy.
Bound to the altar, Theodore's consciousness stirred within an unfamiliar body. His mind swirled with confusion, drowning in the overwhelming sensations of fear and pain. His head throbbed, the air felt heavy, suffocating even.
Where… am I?
His vision blurred, shapes of figures standing around him barely recognizable. The crimson glow of arcane symbols carved into the floor pulsed with unnatural energy. The hum of dark mana vibrated through his bones.
Then it hit him.
This wasn't just any ritual—he knew this scene. He had written about it.
The chant. The altar. The sacrifice.
It all aligned with a moment in the novel.
This is… the Apocalypse of Avilone.
As the hooded figures chanted, Theodore gritted his teeth, panic setting in.
"What the fuck is happening?!" He muttered, his voice hoarse.
One of the cultists reached toward him with hands drenched in sacrificial blood.
"Don't touch me, you crazy freaks!"
He struggled, but his body wouldn't listen.
"Call of Lightning!" He commanded instinctively, expecting his most trusted attack to strike down his captors.
Nothing.
His heart pounded in his chest.
"What? My power isn't working? No—this isn't my body!"
Then, the realization sank in.
"Wait… I thought I was given a second chance. Where the hell am I? What do you mean, 'sacrifice yourself'? Save Avilone? Answer me!"
His throat tightened. He could barely breathe.
"Why am I so weak?"
"Why can't I move?"
"Why can't I say anything?!"
He clenched his fists, frustration boiling over.
The chanting grew louder.
"All hail the Demon Lord Karnak, the one and only Dark Lord of the Abyss!"
Theodore's breath hitched.
"No… this scene… this is when Creedison, that soulless fool, was tricked into giving his body to the Demon Lord."
"Wait, why am I here? Don't tell me—"
His pupils shrank.
"Damn it! Why am I so cursed?!"
He let out a bitter laugh.
"I reincarnated as the worst character in the Apocalypse of Avilone."
A cruel joke.
"Why? Why do the gods hate me so much? Why take everything away from me?!"
The system's voice echoed in his mind.
[Due to the change of body, the trait 'Traitless' has been unlocked.]
[All Infinite Soul Core Energy has been opened.]
[Your core Vein has been opened.]
Theodore's lips trembled.
"Wait… Traitless was a trait?"
He exhaled deeply.
"Not that it matters. I'm going to die anyway."
Suddenly, something went wrong.
The ritual screeched to a halt.
The cultists gasped, their eyes widening in horror.
The Demon Lord Karnak, the entity meant to take over Theodore's body, stopped.
"You fool!" Karnak's voice roared in fury. "Did you not destroy the soul before my arrival?!"
A panicked cultist stammered, "W-We… we didn't know his soul would resist!"
Karnak snarled. "No matter. I will devour it myself!"
Dark mana coiled like serpents around Theodore's body, sinking into his flesh as Karnak prepared to consume him.
Then—
Karnak's expression twisted in shock.
"What… is this?"
An overwhelming force gripped him.
He could feel it—something was terribly wrong.
"A dark mana user? How unexpected. Then I'll just take it all—!"
But the moment Karnak tried to seize Theodore's body, something devoured him instead.
The cultists recoiled in horror as Karnak's form began to distort.
"What? No—this is impossible!"
The Demon Lord's voice turned into a garbled shriek.
"I am being devoured by a mere human?!"
Dark tendrils lashed out from Theodore's form, wrapping around Karnak's soul.
The once-mighty Demon Lord struggled, his screams growing weaker.
"H-Have it all! Let's see if you can handle it!"
With those last, desperate words, Karnak vanished.
Consumed.
The room fell into chaos.
"H-He devoured the Demon Lord!" one cultist stammered, stepping back in terror.
"Kill him! Before he wakes up!"
They rushed forward.
But it was too late.
A surge of dark mana erupted from Theodore's body, consuming the entire academy in an explosion.
A Week Later—Hospital Room
Darkness.
Screams.
Blood.
Theodore dreamt of monsters—demons bathing in human blood.
"Happy Balatroth, brother!"
"Same to you, brother!"
A nightmare.
But then—
He woke up.
With a gasp, Theodore shot up, clutching his chest.
"Ahhh!"
He looked around frantically.
No cultists. No demons.
Just… a hospital room.
"Is this heaven?" he muttered.
But then—
He saw it.
[Status Window]
His breath caught.
[Dark Mana: SKYROCKETED]
His fingers trembled.
[Gluttony: Ability to devour a person's stats and skills.]
"Impossible."
A voice chuckled.
"Of course it's possible."
Theodore's head snapped up.
A woman with radiant blonde hair, clad in armor with tattered white wings, smiled at him.
She was transparent—like a ghost.
"Angelica Debris—the Light Hero…?"
The legendary hero, the one who once saved the world.
Theodore screamed.
"AHHH! Who the hell are you?! And why do you look like a ghost?!"
A deep voice rumbled behind her.
"How dare you call Lady Angelica a ghost!"
Theodore flinched as another spirit appeared—Bryan Stone, the Legendary Barbarian.
"Calm down, Bryan," a third figure spoke—Balboas MacAlister, the Legendary Sword Hero.
Theodore's face turned pale.
"Now there are three ghosts!"
Angelica giggled.
"We're not ghosts. We're Legends."
To Be Continued…
Note:
"Due to the change of body and dimension, Theodore will now be referred to as Creedison, the name of the body he has possessed."