I took a breath, then another. Was I going crazy? Maybe I'd spent too long in the old, dusty basement… maybe it had toxic mold. It had to be a hallucination. Definitely something like that...
"And... who is speaking, and where the hell am I?" I yelled into the blackness, my voice sounding richer, deeper, even to my own ears.
The husky voice immediately cut through my panic. "Chill, kid. I guess I should introduce myself. I am Yamir Cupid, but before we get to know each other more, let me explain what you are doing here. You see, I just gave you one of the best powers a man could ask for. I'm sure you were meant to be one of us; otherwise, one of the other books would've opened for you. Now, let's get started. We don't have much time, and honestly, keeping you here is making me weaker by the second."
"Now let's get through the basics. As you can see, there are 21 books; you are the first human in your world to change your race due to these, which means you're currently the key to building a bridge between our two worlds, Earth and my world, Vareth."
I was trying to make sense of what the voice was saying, but all I could focus on was that I was flying. Flying, for fuck's sake! In an endless abyss!
The voice, however, ignored my ranting and went on as if whispering in my ear.
"We need you to get stronger and open the bridge between both worlds before it closes for good. Mostly for us, the nighttime folks, who need humans to survive. You see, humanity in our world is almost extinct. I blame the vampires, but honestly, there are plenty of others at fault. What this means is, we'll help you open the gate. In return, you'll be the first in your world to possess our powers. A sovereign. We'll give you power, not necessarily just for you, but you're the first key."
I couldn't believe what I was hearing. What kind of fool would help this guy?
"Did I just hear that humans are going extinct? Why would I help you? If anything, I should be figuring out how to get rid of all this."
The voice of the husky man tickled my mind again. It made me shiver—not from fear, but from disgust.
"That didn't come out right... What I meant was that humans no longer choose to stay human. They've all turned into higher races now. We couldn't stop it in the end. I mean, who wants to be a mortal who lives eighty-something years and then dies off?"
"Okay, alright, I get it. So, there are no more humans. Then what? What do you want me to do about it?"
"Did you not hear what I said? We need a proper bridge between our two worlds. We'll offer humanity a longer lifespan, but only if they follow our rules, such as having a certain number of children before becoming a true nighttime folk."
I still wasn't following all of it, but there was one part I did understand.
"This sovereign thing you mentioned… what do I get out of it?"
"Well… you'll be the first incubus in your world. As you grow stronger, you'll be able to cross into ours. And the benefits? Power… lots of it. Incubi are the best companions a woman can ask for. Naturally, you'll be able to have any girl you wish... if you grow strong enough. But I digress. What you need to do is become a true incubus. Only then will the first key be complete."
"What about the twenty others you mentioned… are they possibly the other books?"
"That's correct. Having you as the first was the perfect choice, trust me… as an incubus, you will even grow far stronger this way. With you taking the lead, you'll be able to bring the others together properly this time. My suggestion? Give the powers to your harem."
"My what?"
I was flabbergasted. I was still a virgin. Why would I even think about a harem when all I'd ever wanted was a single, lovely girlfriend? And then I looked down. Somehow, I could already tell I'd gotten an upgrade—not just in size, but in muscle, too.
"Exactly. Quit thinking like the old you. You're an incubus now. Think about all the girls you'll attract... Well, we need twenty keys, so choose each one wisely. As for your reward for helping us? You tell me… what is it you want? Money? Power? Women? Nah, it shouldn't be that simple. You'll get those with time. How about a very long life? A country of your own? Take your time. You'll need to find the others first, but before that, let's move on to the next part of our agenda. Time is ticking."
Before I could respond, a flood of information surged into my mind—data from my entire life. Everything I was, everything I had done. It hit me all at once, burning itself into my thoughts as I instinctively recoiled from it.
"Alright… perfect. I found something we can work with. You Earthlings like games, and what better way to motivate you than by turning all of this into one?"
"You'll have twenty hearts you need to fill. Once one of them is completely filled, you can turn that girl into a key, and by doing so, she'll also become a higher race. Not only will you earn their love, but you'll make them as powerful as you are. And trust me, you'll need it. This bridge of worlds holds countless dangers. Here, let me show you what you'll be dealing with."
Just as I was getting used to flying, gravity made its swift return. My weak wings fluttered as fast as they could, but I kept falling until I crashed onto the floor.
"Damn it... Couldn't you have made it softer?" I rubbed my knees, wincing as I tried to ease the pain while looking around. The only thing I could see was either pitch darkness or a brilliant white orb that floated above me to provide light.
"Can't. I was only helping you stay aloft. The rest was bound to happen."
"Now look ahead. This void will begin to take shape as you grow stronger and make progress. Right now, it's just endless darkness, but in time, it will become a dungeon that bridges our two worlds."
I squinted into the distance. Something began to form... small, green, and moving.
"A goblin?"
"You're right. One of the lesser races, even weaker than most humans, when alone. We packed them into the dungeon so they could thrive and provide you with the energy you'll need to grow stronger. You see, Earth doesn't have mana, right? So, we need you to start absorbing it, and what better way than from live targets? You won't have to eat them, though. The void will take care of disposing of the bodies. In return, you'll get a core from each creature, which you can use. Some monsters may even prove useful. We've filled the place with them, and they're currently thriving on the mana we invested into the dungeon."
"Ah… I see. Yeah, exactly like a game, I suppose. Kill monsters, get loot, gain experience."
"Correct. Now kill it. Your hands should be enough. Just slice right through it with your arm."
I almost gagged. "Do what with my hand? You couldn't have given me a nice sword? Or even better… a gun?"
The voice sighed, clearly exasperated, like it was dealing with a child.
"Right… because giving you nails and a strength that could cut a wall in half wasn't enough... Fine, we'll add more of those later. Just kill the damn thing so you can feel your first level-up, damn it!"
"Fine…"
I looked at my hand. It wasn't the one I was used to. It had grown stronger, muscular, yet refined. Honestly, it looked... sexy. As for my fingernails, they seemed sharp. I could tell they were like steel in some way.
Suddenly, I bolted forward, not caring about the consequences. I wanted to see for myself what I had really turned into.
The fight ended in seconds and with almost no effort.
"I could not believe it… I just… severed a head with my damn nails."
I looked at the floor where the first creature I killed spasmed. It made me feel bad doing what I did.
"Great, isn't it? Did you feel the power up?"
"Yeah… now tell me, anywhere I wash these hands, man."
I heard the guy sigh again in my head, and that was driving me nuts.
"Look… put your hands on the floor into the darkness and let it clean them."
I looked at the floor—the eternal darkness that was only being repelled by a white light that illuminated the room—and just plunged my arms into it. I felt nasty, like I was inside something's mouth and it was licking my hands clean. I decided not to leave them there too long and pulled them up.
"What the hell, man, that was like a tongue was licking me."
"Forget about it, now tell me about the power I gave you, damn it, that is the whole reason you got yourself dirty."
I tried to recall and noticed that I did get stronger, at least.
"Good, now pick up that green jewel on the floor, a beginner core just for you. It will be your first real power up; it might not be enough to get you to level two, but it will at least give you what you need to raise your lust energy… more about that soon."
I picked up the strange green jewel. It looked like a regular rock, only transparent and green.
"So how do I eat it… or drain it?"
"Crush it in your hand. You will feel how your skin will absorb it."
I did just that and soon felt a wave of new life in my skin, which is the best I could describe it.
"Wow… I could get addicted to that, so where is the next one?"
"Sorry, but that was just the taste… You will be sent back to the basement now. You will need to get stronger in a different manner before you can open the gate again."
"What? End of the trial, just like that! Sounds like a bad game… I was just even getting used to it."
"Shut it, you will want to focus on the training from your world more, little virgin, how about we clear that title from your system?"
I snorted but also felt the sting; there was no way I could respond to it.
"Fine, let's return. Let's see if this is useful or not."
Just as I accepted my fate, I was violently kicked out. Yup, I was on the floor again, this time rubbing my enhanced buns, which at least cushioned a part of the fall.
"Again, couldn't you have done it more gently, man? What will happen when I bring a girl to that dungeon area? She will want to kill me for getting hit like this."
"Get stronger then. If you do, then you will be able to make a proper gateway entry—a door or elevator, whatever works for you."
"Elevator to a dungeon… what a way to break the fantasy setting… well, what should we do now?"
"What better way than to let life go by for now? I am sure you will have an opportunity soon, so how about you start with moving the furniture around this time? I can't give you gold or money without the gate opened, so how about you make some using some of your powers later on."
"Well, that was anticlimactic… but alright, let me keep moving stuff around."
"What do you expect? You were longer in the dungeon than I would have liked; it took a lot out of me…"
I began to move what I couldn't before with ease, but it was also when I noticed that I could see better in the dark, and not only that… everything was blurry.
"The hell?