The purple symbols danced before his eyes, as if obeying a mysterious logic. They began to spin, accelerating at an insane speed, forming a hypnotic spiral.
[DEMONIC SYSTEM – 7TH ACTIVE AI]
[HOST ANALYSIS IN PROGRESS…]
[DETECTION OF A MANA BODY – STATUS: UNSTABLE]
[COMPATIBILITY WITH AI: 97.9%]
A voice rose in his mind. Cold and clear, but not mechanical. It sounded… sad. Almost human.
"Ooooh, you… human with a mana body… I've searched so long for you…"
Damons jumped.
That voice… It wasn't a simple notification. It wasn't even a usual player system interface.
He stepped back, gasping.
"What is this?! This isn't a normal system… What are you?!"
The voice replied, calm. Cold. Gently bitter.
"I am the 7th demonic AI. The weakest. Rejected. Like you."
Silence followed. Then it spoke again, with a tone that held… something almost human.
"No one ever wanted to bond with me.
I'm less efficient compared to my AI sisters.
But you…
You're like me…
Rejected and weak.
Let's help each other."
Damons felt his breathing slow. That voice… it wasn't lying. It wasn't judging. It… understood.
"You're… a system? Like the ones the players have?" he muttered, wary.
"Don't compare me to those soulless vulgarities," she snapped.
"I am an AI with consciousness. With true potential.
I don't just display stats."
Damons clenched his teeth. He still didn't understand… Why him? Why now?
"Then why me? Why did you choose me?"
The answer fell like a guillotine.
"You were born with a rare body… a mana body."
His heart skipped a beat. He blinked. His breath turned erratic.
"A body capable of generating mana… naturally.
But you couldn't absorb it. So it built up.
Slowly.
Making you sick.
Making you gain weight."
A familiar, forgotten pain struck him hard.
The mockery. The constant fatigue. The attacks. That feeling of suffocating in his own skin.
He thought he was weak. Different. Abnormal.
But it wasn't weakness.
It was power…
A power with no outlet, no direction… until now.
His hands clenched. His eyes lit up with a new gleam.
And the voice, that rejected AI, continued with strange gentleness.
"That's the power that drew me to you."
He took a deep breath.
"And now… why do you want to bond with me?"
A vibration passed through the alley.
[DEMONIC SYSTEM: SELECTION PROTOCOL INITIATED]
[OBJECTIVE: FIND A CANDIDATE FOR THE DEMON KING'S THRONE]
[CURRENT CANDIDATES: 6]
[ONLY 1 WILL BECOME KING. THE OTHERS WILL FALL.]
Damons felt a chilling shiver down his spine.
He stood frozen. His throat tight, his muscles tense. But amidst the chaos in his mind, a supernatural clarity emerged.
"If I accept… will I be able to protect my sisters? Will I be able to get revenge?"
The answer came without delay.
"Yes. If you evolve with me."
The dark screen pulsed in front of him, as if alive. A new line appeared. Final. Inevitable.
[DO YOU WISH TO BECOME THE CANDIDATE OF THE 7TH DEMONIC AI?]
[YES] – [NO]
Damons stared at the words. His gaze didn't waver.
He saw Lily again, so serious, playing the big sister.
Lola, the little genius, always connected.
Léa, so cheerful, so innocent.
Their smiles.
Their empty stomachs.
Their cold nights, curled up against him.
He gritted his teeth. His fist struck the invisible air. And his voice rose, clear, sharp.
"YES."
[LINK ESTABLISHED.]
[OFFICIAL CANDIDATE RECOGNIZED: DAMONS RAVENCIER]
[DEMONIC SYSTEM ACTIVATED.]
An explosion of mana surged through his body, taking him by surprise. His heart raced. His muscles trembled. His mind opened to a foreign… yet familiar presence.
[STATUS WINDOW]
Name: Damons Ravencier
Level: 1
Rank : F
Title: None
Species: Human (Low-Rank Demon)
Main Class: None
Secondary Class: None
HP: 25 / 25
MP: 5 / 5
STR (Strength): 2
AGI (Agility): 1
END (Endurance): 1
PWR (Power): 1
SNS (Magic Sense / Perception): 3
Unassigned Stats: 0
Skills:
– None
He finally understood what "being awakened" truly meant.
And yet… it wasn't the light that had guided him.
It was the darkness.
And it had chosen him.