Liam jolted awake, a cold wave of panic washing over him. He was no longer in the lush palace gardens, nor the frigid mountain peaks. The air was thick, heavy, and strangely still. He lay on a rock-like bed, and nearby, a small, flickering fire cast dancing shadows on the uneven stone walls. He was in a cave.
His eyes darted, searching for the source of his capture. There, standing calmly by the fire, was the Angel Knight. Its golden armor gleamed even in the dim light, and its vast, feathered wings seemed to absorb the shadows.
Liam's internal crystalline screen flared instinctively.
> ENTITY DETECTED!
> Angel Knight – Level ???
> * Title: ???
> * Strength: ???
> * Agility: ???
> * Endurance: ???
> * Magic: ???
> * Health: ???
> * Attribute: Light
> [SYSTEM ERROR]: Target's level is too high. Cannot retrieve further data.
>
A cold dread settled in Liam's gut, a feeling far more unsettling than facing a dragon. He remembered the single, effortless punch. He scrambled to his feet, a burst of Dark Force coiling around his fists, ready for anything.
"Who are you? What do you want from me? Where am I?" Liam demanded, his voice echoing in the cavern.
The Angel Knight turned, its starlight eyes meeting his. "Do not worry, I'm not here to harm you. I came here to see who is the one that killed the dragon. For thousands and thousands of years, no one could kill that dragon. I think you didn't overpower him; he accepted you as an ally. That's why you got an egg. That dragon can't be killed, but he can reincarnate himself into an egg if he thinks someone can protect it to hatch. He wants to help you with your journey, make you his master maybe." The Angel Knight then reached into a pouch at its side and produced a large, obsidian-colored egg, pulsing faintly with warmth. "This is it. You couldn't hold it before you passed." Liam, still reeling, carefully took the egg, its smooth surface surprisingly heavy and warm in his hands.
Liam's mind reeled. Ignis helped me? An ally? The idea was bizarre, yet the angel's calm demeanor gave it weight.
"But I'm here for something else," the Angel Knight continued, its voice resonating with ancient authority. "The System. How do you possess both Dark Attributes and Green Attributes? How are you above Level 100? This System was created by the ten strongest Demon Lords in the past to make someone an assassin. But for all those years, it's the first time that someone has gotten the better of the System and used it like he wanted."
Liam listened, a chill running down his spine. The System was demonic in origin? And he had bypassed its core design?
"Come here," the Angel Knight commanded, extending a hand. "The God of Gods sent me here to update your System to a free will System."
Liam instinctively recoiled. "I don't want to," he stated, a newfound understanding dawning on him. The gods don't want someone who can go to infinite levels. They are the Gods of Light, and they can't just kill me for nothing. He saw the trap, the subtle attempt to re-leash him.
"Thank you, Angel Knight," Liam said, his voice firm, "but I don't want to." With that, he channeled his Dark Force, a swirling vortex of shadows appearing around him. "I have to go."
He vanished from the cave, teleporting back to the familiar, humid air of the Whisperwind Jungle, the place where he had first found his power. He knew he could gain experience here; it was his training ground.
The moment he materialized, a new, chilling notification flashed across his internal screen:
> NEW TARGET ASSIGNED!
> Royal Demon – Level 103
> * Title: ???
> * Strength: 515
> * Agility: 515
> * Endurance: 515
> * Magic: 515
> * Health: 25750/25750
>
Before Liam could even process it, a voice, laced with malice and power, echoed through the jungle. "Ohhh, there you are."
A figure stepped out from behind a colossal tree, a man of refined cruelty, dressed in fine, dark clothing that seemed to absorb the light. His eyes glowed with an internal, crimson fire. "They say you betrayed the Demon Lords' power. You have to be killed."
The Royal Demon lunged, moving with a speed that almost matched Liam's own. Liam met the attack head-on, his blood singing with the thrill of battle. This was it. This was what the System wanted him to face now.
Liam struck first, unleashing a devastating blow infused with his Dark Force, seeking to corrupt and shatter. The demon snarled, its eyes widening in surprise as it barely managed to parry the strike, the impact shaking the very air.
"Hah! Now I know why even the gods are scared!" the demon roared, a twisted smile splitting its face. "This is excellent to test my demon dark attributes!"
The fight was brutal, a maelstrom of raw power and dark energy. The Royal Demon was a master of its own abyssal powers, weaving corrupting spells and manifesting razor-sharp claws of solidified shadow. It moved with a predatory grace, each attack aimed to maim, to drain, to obliterate. Liam, however, was no longer a boy merely wielding power. He was a Dragon Slayer, his movements a deadly dance of precision and overwhelming force.
He blurred, teleporting short distances to flank the demon, delivering concussive blows that slammed into its armored skin. The demon retaliated with bursts of hellfire that scorched the jungle floor, forcing Liam to erect shimmering shields of shadow, the energy crackling furiously between them. One of its shadow spears grazed his arm, leaving a searing, necrotic burn.
Liam, however, had a secret weapon. As the demon pressed its assault, thinking it had gained an advantage, Liam subtly activated his Green Attributes. A faint, invisible surge of vibrant energy from his Full Body Recovery flowed through him, knitting the wound on his arm in an instant, purging the necrotic energy. The demon, unaware of this impossible recovery, continued its attack, expecting Liam to be weakened.
This moment of unknown advantage was all Liam needed. He pressed his assault, a blur of motion. He ducked under a sweeping claw, unleashed a volley of concentrated shadow blasts, then, as the demon staggered, he channeled every ounce of his power into a final, devastating uppercut. It was a perfect fusion of physical might and raw Dark Force, aimed directly at the demon's jaw.
The impact was thunderous, a pure detonation of power. The Royal Demon's eyes widened in disbelief, then rolled back in its head. Its elegant form dissolved into a shower of black ash and dying embers, its wicked smile finally extinguished. Liam stood over the fading remains, breathing heavily, sweat beading on his brow. The System, designed by demons, had not been built to counter his father's healing gift.
> TARGET ELIMINATED!
> * Enemy: Royal Demon
> * Experience Gained: 10,000
> A rapid cascade of notifications flooded his senses as his power surged uncontrollably.
> LEVEL UP! (x10)
> Liam – Level 116/∞
> * Title: Assassin
> * Strength: 580
> * Agility: 580
> * Endurance: 580
> * Magic: 580
> * Dark Force: 282
> * Green Attributes: 26 (Harmony - Tier 1)
> * Health: 29000/29000
>
The surge of new power was immense, settling deep within his bones. The path to leveling up was clearer than ever before: he had to find more demons to make him stronger.
In a vast, shadowed fortress cloaked in perpetual twilight, a powerful Demon Lord sat on a throne carved from obsidian. A demon girl, one of his elite guardians, knelt before him, her face grim.
"Sir," she began, her voice trembling slightly, "the Royal Demon you dispatched… he has been killed."
The Demon Lord, whose back was to her, remained utterly still. His presence alone was oppressive, radiating an ancient, chilling power. "By whom?" he rumbled, his voice a low vibration that seemed to ripple through the very stone.
"By… by Liam."
A long silence stretched. Then, the Demon Lord chuckled, a dry, rasping sound devoid of humor. "Interesting. So, he didn't let the angels recruit him." He paused, a dark aura swirling around him. "We will deal with this 'Liam' another day."
"But sir, he is getting stronger," the demon girl ventured, a hint of desperation in her voice.
"Not now," the Demon Lord commanded, the finality in his tone absolute.
"Yes, sir."