'What is this? What's going on..?'
As Ethan regained consciousness, he carefully opened his eyes.
Everything around was dark.
As if he had arrived in an empty void where nothing existed.
'I was definitely in my room earlier... where am I now?'
Just as his mind was becoming clearer.
[Special privileges provided for achieving all conditions.]
»Searching for a higher trait than 'Taming Master'.
[Searching...]
»0%... 24%... 56%
Another strange notification window appearing before his eyes.
'... Is this a dream?'
Ethan tried to move his body.
Again, it wouldn't budge.
'It feels like my body isn't my own.'
»... 89%...100%
[Search complete.]
[Search results have determined the player's evolution trait as 'Demon God Palace'.]
[Trait 'Taming Master' is changing to 'Demon God Palace'.]
»Due to the effect of the 'Demon God Palace' trait, the player's soul reaches the extreme of magic.
»Exclusive skills will undergo changes.
»Exclusive skill 'Soul of the Demon God(P)' has been added.
A notice indicating the search was complete.
Along with it, a trait change notification.
'Demon God Palace? Soul of the Demon God?'
Ethan looked at the notification with puzzled eyes.
What were they?
Those grand-sounding names.
Just then, various pieces of information began to appear in Ethan's field of vision.
[Player soul transfer complete.]
[Synchronization between soul and body has begun.]
'Soul transfer? Synchronization?'
Ethan frowned.
These were words he couldn't comprehend.
No, he couldn't understand these surreal events happening to him in the first place.
Then it happened.
Boom.
An enormous shock struck his entire body.
'Huk..!'
Ethan involuntarily gasped.
[Synchronization in progress..]
»23%... 48%...
'Aargh...!'
A pain that felt like it was crushing his soul, not physical.
'Is... is this not a dream..?'
If it were a dream, he wouldn't feel such pain.
If not, what the hell kind of situation was this?
'Ugh...!'
While trying to hold onto his fading consciousness, Ethan looked down at his body.
He could see his body becoming transparent.
»75%... 91%...
As the loading increased, the pain grew, and his physical body was rapidly disappearing.
'.. Damn it..!'
Ethan cursed.
Not only was he in an incomprehensible situation, but he was also experiencing such pain.
Even more incomprehensible was himself.
Strangely, as the pain increased, his mind was becoming clearer.
»92%... 100%
[Synchronization complete.]
[Based on the new body's information, the player's level and stats will be reset.]
'What does that mean now? Reset?'
But he had no time to wonder.
[The player's soul will awaken in this body.]
The next notification appeared before he could even catch his breath.
'Oh sh... it..'
Ethan's consciousness faded away once again.
***
....
Darkness again.
Whoosh. Crack. Thud.
The sound of something burning and an acrid smell that stung his nose.
Ethan opened his eyes.
'Where am I this time?'
A gray sky visible through blurry vision.
Black smoke was spreading into the sky.
'Fire?'
Ethan turned his gaze to look around him.
Whoosh-
Through the thick fog, he could see flames spreading alongside collapsed ruins.
'Where is this..?'
Ethan tried to focus his mind to stabilize his hazy consciousness.
With his sharpened senses, the surrounding landscape began to appear.
Changed weather.
Slightly different air.
An environment so unfamiliar it felt alien.
The destroyed architectural style was believable enough to be in the medieval era.
'... Is this augmented reality or something? But I've never bought any virtual reality devices..?'
Was he unwilling to accept reality?
All sorts of foolish thoughts chased one another.
He considered various scenarios, but nothing added up.
Just then, Ethan felt something wet on his head.
'What is this..?'
A feeling like water flowing on the cold stone floor.
'This is..'
A fishy smell.
He had smelled something similar before.
The scent of blood.
Ethan turned his head to another direction.
Around him, several people were sprawled on the street.
Bodies with no rise and fall, as if breathing had stopped.
There was no sense of life whatsoever.
Ethan felt his head grow cold.
'These people are really dead.'
They weren't smoke or fake.
Yes.
This was real.
Since he had felt pain just now, this too must not be a dream.
Ethan quickly tried to move his body to get up.
'....? I can't move?'
Something was wrong.
He could move his arms and legs.
But for some reason, he couldn't put strength into his body.
'Why..'
Ethan lifted his two movable arms.
'....!'
And was startled.
Small, dainty fingers like ferns.
Short and seemingly fragile white arms came into view.
'What..!'
Ethan unknowingly opened his mouth.
"Waa!"
A sharp, high-pitched cry echoed through the ruins.
Ethan's mind went blank.
Only then did the situation properly register.
A baby not even a few months old.
That was Ethan's current form.
[Immune to confusion due to the effect of exclusive skill 'Soul of the Demon God(P)'.]
'Huh..!'
At that moment, with the notification, his mind began to rapidly calm down.
Coming to his senses, Ethan soon looked at his hands with trembling eyes.
'What is this? What's happening?'
He should definitely have an adult body, so why?
Why was he in a baby's body?
'Hmm.. let's stay calm. First, understanding the situation is most important.'
Ethan calmed his mind with deep breaths.
Then he finally began to see the surrounding situation and started remembering what had happened earlier.
'Now that I think about it, in that black space just now. My soul would be transferred to a new body. So this baby body is my new body...?'
Ethan silently clenched and unclenched his hands.
The sensation in his hands.
The smell of blood and burning that filled the air.
Even the feeling of the wet cloth from flowing blood and the cold street floor.
He felt no sense of alienation whatsoever.
As if the baby's body had always been his own.
It was an eerie feeling.
'Judging by the developmental state, it seems to be about 3 months old.'
Then a question arose.
'If I was transferred to this body, what happened to the original baby's soul..?'
Ethan could soon guess.
He felt a hollow trace with his fingertips as he touched his chest. At the same time, his hand came away with blood.
It was a stab wound.
'.. Was it already dead?'
It seemed the baby had also met its death during an attack.
And afterward, he had awakened inside the baby's empty body.
Ethan traced the stab wound.
'The wound has healed...?'
For some reason, there was only a slightly large scar, but it didn't seem to greatly affect his life.
'But why am I abandoned on the street without parents?'
Judging by the circumstances, being abandoned in ruins, either the parents lost the child in the chaos, or...
Ethan's eyes turned towards the scattered corpses.
'… The baby's parents might be among them.'
The latter was probably more likely to be correct.
As that thought occurred to him, Ethan's eyes grew bitter.
'… Hmm?'
Just then, something caught Ethan's eye.
Looking closely, something was hanging around his neck.
'A necklace?'
Ethan looked at the necklace with strange eyes.
'What is this?'
In the center of the necklace was a small square-shaped black metal.
'I guess I should keep it.'
Though he wasn't sure, based on the circumstances, it certainly seemed to be his.
Soon, Ethan looked at the air with calm eyes.
A translucent notification window had been visible before his eyes for a while.
'Is this... could skills be manifesting as reality?'
He had no energy left to be surprised.
Too many things had already happened in such a short time.
Ethan tried an experiment with a skeptical heart.
'Information window.'
Then something began to appear before his eyes.
──────────────
[Character Information]
Name: Undetermined
Level: Lv.1
Trait: Demon God Palace
Strength: 1
Vitality: 1
Magic Power: 10
Agility: 1
Additional Stats: 0
──────────────
Ethan blankly looked at the floating content.
'I thought it might be, and it really is.'
The information window made real.
It was hard to believe, even while seeing it, that something that could happen in novels or movies was happening.
Just then, the trait name and skill window entered Ethan's field of vision.
[Trait]
[Demon God Palace]
»One who has become a paradise for demons.
'Demon God Palace..? A palace where all demonic creatures gather...?'
Just the name alone was terribly brutal.
'Isn't this the kind of term typically used by villains?'
One who has become a paradise for demons.
'Does it mean my body has become a den for demons?.. What on earth.'
Ethan looked at the trait with uncomprehending eyes.
He had never even committed a crime...
Why was such a trait attached to him?
'.. I really don't know. For now, I should check other things.'
Ethan turned his attention to the skill window.
[Skill List]
[Summon Shadow Ghoul - Beginner(0.0%): Summons a low-level demon, the Shadow Ghoul.]
[Soul of the Demon God(P): A soul containing all demons is like an abyss.]
»Immune to and absorbs external spiritual and mental debuffs.
»Bound entities are captivated by the user's rank and give absolute obedience.
»Due to the innate rank of existence, stat points gained when leveling up are increased by 5 times. (※Required experience is also increased by 3 times due to high rank.)
'Summon Shadow Ghoul..? Soul of the Demon God? Even the skill names are terribly ominous.'
Ethan soon paused at the content of the 'Soul of the Demon God' skill.
'Additional stats 5 times.. does that mean 5 stat points are given every time I level up?'
After pondering the skill content, Ethan soon nodded shallowly.
'Then the experience penalty of 3 times might be worth it..? It means the ceiling is high.'
After confirming all the content, Ethan closed the skill window.
'Wait. Then are the 'Pillars of Apocalypse' gone too?'
Since the information was reset, that possibility was also high.
Next, Ethan opened the summon list.
[Summon List]
»Belberith (Cannot Summon)
»Chalkidra (Cannot Summon)
»Shrekken (Cannot Summon)
»Maledict (Cannot Summon)
»Vatz (Cannot Summon)
»Lyre (Cannot Summon)
»Voraxian (Cannot Summon)
»Nosferatu (Cannot Summon)
»Kravax (Cannot Summon)
»Noctyx (Cannot Summon)
'This wasn't reset. But what does "Cannot Summon" mean?'
Looking at the names of the 'Pillars of Apocalypse' in the list, Ethan made a puzzled expression.
He'd never seen them displayed as "Cannot Summon" like this, though they weren't in a summonable state to begin with.
'Well.. I can't summon anything in this state anyway.'
Ethan clenched and unclenched his baby hands.
Being catastrophe-class entities, the magic power or mental strength required to summon them would be on a different dimension.
However, just having them on the list was a comfort to Ethan.
Ethan briefly mourned the deceased.
'Whatever happened has happened. For now, dealing with immediate issues is the most urgent task.'
He had become a 3-month-old baby and awakened in ruins filled with corpses and flames.
That was reality.
'Perhaps the ones who did this might still be nearby. Judging by the warmth of the blood on the floor, it seems they died not long ago.'
There was a possibility that the sound he made could have been heard by them.
That's when it happened.
"A baby's cry came from here."
A voice was heard from not far away.
"Didn't we take care of everything earlier?"
"No. We definitely killed all breathing things."
Ethan's expression hardened.
Perhaps due to the power of the information window?
Although it was an unfamiliar language, Ethan could understand its content.
'I hoped my prediction was wrong. But they are indeed enemies.'
It seemed the sound he made had been heard by attackers nearby.
"What's there to attack in such a remote village?"
".. Empty your mind. We just move as instructed."
"Anyway, let's finish this and regroup."
Grumbling sounds and footsteps getting closer and closer.
'They've already identified my position.'
Soon, faint shadows appeared through the fog.
Three figures.
Were they mercenaries or soldiers from somewhere?
They were covered in blood all over their armor.
"There it is."
One of them, having spotted Ethan, approached.
The blood-stained spear he was holding became visible.
It was a crisis.
".. I definitely cut this one's throat, how is it still alive?"
The attacker, who had already reached the front, muttered in wonder as he looked down at Ethan.
"What are you doing? Hurry up and finish it."
"Ah, I got it."
At the urging voice from behind, the attacker raised his spear and muttered.
"I don't know how you survived, but your luck is bad. Curse being born in this village."
There was no emotion felt in his tone.
At the same time, something appeared in Ethan's field of vision.
[Hidden scenario quest 1-1 has begun.]
'What?'
A sudden quest.
Ethan's eyes widened rapidly.
[Hidden Scenario 1-1]
»You have awakened in an attacked village and are being attacked by unknown assailants.
»Survive the current situation.
»Success condition: Enter a safe situation
»Success: Experience +100, All stats +1
»Failure: Death
Ethan's eyes flickered as he saw the content.
'Survive?'
Failure means death.
Those two words were deeply etched into his mind.
He couldn't know for sure.
But he didn't think deeply about it.
To resolve the current situation, decisions had to be made quickly.
Ethan's mind raced furiously.
What could he, a baby, do?
All he could do now was babble, cry, or grasp things close by with his hands.
Naturally, his two legs couldn't move.
But Ethan didn't focus on that.
'.. My magic power stat is 10.'
Strangely, compared to the other stats of 1, only magic power had the highest value.
'Whether this is the talent this child had or not, this is my only option.'
Ethan's gaze rested on one of the skills in the skill window.
Swish-
At that moment, the spear blade fell towards Ethan.
'Summon Shadow Ghoul.'
With the casting, magic power drained from his entire body.
[Warning! Magic power has reached 0.]
»You enter the 'Magic Depletion' state.
»Movement speed is reduced by 50%.
»Vitality will be consumed to substitute for the lack of magic power.
Clang-
Simultaneously, the spear blade created sparks right at Ethan's neck.
"What is this..?"
The attacker's expression turned to bewilderment.
Grrr.
Dark fingernails were holding the descending blade.
That which started from Ethan's shadow began to wiggle out and started forming a shape.
Click. Click.
A bipedal primate covered in pitch-black material.
A small, skinny body.
No eyes, nose, or ears.
The being called 'Shadow Ghoul' stood in front of Ethan, grinding its large, sharp teeth.
[30 seconds remaining for Shadow Ghoul's summon duration.]
[Vitality is below 90%.]
At the same time, a warning sound rang in Ethan's mind.
Ethan inwardly gritted his teeth and maintained the summon.
He had to do something before the 30 seconds were up.
Because after that time, he would definitely be dead.
'Take care of them!'
Ethan's command fell.
Growl-!
The Shadow Ghoul howled.
"Wh-where did such a monster come from..!"
The attacker tried to swing his spear again, but,
"Huh...?!"
He let out a bewildered cry.
The pitch-black form had already burrowed close to the attacker.
The Shadow Ghoul swung its hand like lightning.
Slash!
A chilling cutting sound.
At the same time, a head flying into the air.
[You have leveled up.]
The notification Ethan wanted appeared in his eyes.