Evans slowly opens his eyes only to see darkness. An endless void stretched as far as he could see. There was no sky, no ground.
Only an eerie silence.
He looked around bewildered.
"Where...am I?"
Receiving no answer, he began walking through the darkness.
Then-
Thud.
He bumped into something.
"O-oh, sorry..."
As he looked up, his expression froze, standing before him was a dark figure.
It appearance was almost identical to his own.
The same face, the same build, the only difference...
Its eyes were completely lifeless. Its face showed no emotion whatsoever.
It simply stared at Evans in silence.
A chill ran down his spine.
Instinctively, Evans took a step backward.
But the moment he turned around -
His heart nearly stopped.
Another figure stood behind him. This one was slightly taller, its body was wrapped in darkness.
A twisted, sinister smile stretched across its face.
Unlike the first figure, this one radiated overwhelming malice.
It slowly leaned closer until its face was inches away from Evans.'
Then, in a quiet voice that sent shivers through his soul, it whispered,
"Have you really forgotten what truly caused their deaths?"
"Gah!"
Evans jolted awake.
His chest rose and fell violently as he gasped for air. Cold sweat covered his body.
He looked around his room frantically.
"... A dream?"
He pressed a hand against his forehead.
"What the hell was that?"
His breathing gradually steadied.
"Who...were those two?"
He frowned.
For some reason he felt like he had heard the voice of the second figure before.
Slowly, Evans climbed out of the bed and walked toward the mirror.
He stared at his own reflection.
Then he remembered the second figures final words, which only confused him.
"... What did he mean by ..."
His expression became uneasy.
"...'what truly caused their deaths'?"
Just then...
A crimson screen materialized before Evans . It was the Forbidden Demon system[Quest ]tab.
"Main Quest "
[Reach level 8 to unlock]
"Daily Quests"
[Stab your hand 15 times(0/15)]
[Consume 10 souls(0/10)]
"Time limit:5 hours"
"Failure penalty"
[Hell prison]
Evans stared at screen in disbelief.
"... You've got to be kidding me."
His eyes twitched.
"You seriously expect me to stab my own hand 15 times?"
He took a step back, his face turning pale.
"What kind of insane system is this?"
Then he lower his head as realization struck him.
"Wait... punishments exist to make sure you never repeat a mistake..."
He clenched his fist.
"If the penalty for falling is something called Hell prison..."
His heartbeat quickened.
"... Then it has to be far worse than the pain completing the quest."
A cold sweat ran down his face.
"In other words I have no choice.
Evans lets out a slow breath.
"Before anything else..."
"...I should distribute the stat points I earned earlier."
He looked forward calmly.
"Status."
Then immediately, the status screen appeared right before his eyes.
"Name: Evans Ashford"
"Bloodline: Demon Hybrid [Dormant]
"Level 3"
"Title:none"
"Strength: 10"
"Agility: 5"
"Endurance: 5"
"Intelligence: 10"
"Demonic Energy: 20"
"Regeneration: 5"
[Available stat points: 20]
Evans examined the screen before selecting [skill] tab.
"Skills"
[Demonic Aura Release]
[Hollowbite]
[Aura manipulation]
He nodded slightly.
"Only three skills for now..."
"... Not bad though two came with the system..."
He scratched the back of his head.
"Plus it looks like my earlier stats from the battle were really just thanks to the first -time -bonus."
Then he scroll to shop.
"Shop"
[Reach level 4 to unlock]
He glanced towards the bedroom door.
"I have to hurry up before Reina and Grandma Tina wake up."
He took a deep breath.
"Distribute"
A new window appeared.
"Select attribute to enhance."
Evans made his choice.
"Enhancement initiated."
"Strength +5"
"Speed+5"
"Endurance +5"
"Regeneration +5"
[Distribution complete]
"Strength: 15"
"Agility: 5"
"Speed: 15"
"Endurance: 10"
"Intelligence: 10"
"Demonic: 20"
"Regeneration: 10"
[Available stat points: 0]
A warm surge of power coursed through his body. His muscles tightened. His senses sharper, even the minor wounds on his body began to heal at a visible pace.
Evans slowly clenched his fists.
A small smile crept a cross his face.
"I can already feel the difference."
Evans quietly stepped into the kitchen.
His eyes fell on a small kitchen knife resting on the counter.
He picked it up and slipped it into his bag.
"Alright..."
"I need to find somewhere private and get this over with."
With that, he quietly left the house.
The cool morning breeze brushed against his face. The street were unusually peaceful.
Since the sun had barely risen, only a handful of people could be seen going about their morning routines.
Evans quickened his pace.
As he hurried down the street-
Bump.
His shoulder accidentally collided with someone else's.
Evans immediately stopped and turned around.
"Sorry about that."
The man didn't stop walking.
He looked average in height and had short purple hair and wore a black jacket over a pair of dark jeans. Only his back was visible as he continued down the street.
Without looking back, he casually raised one hand.
"Don't fret..."
The calm, nonchalant voice echoed through the quiet street.
"... it's alright."
The man continued walking until he disappeared from sight.
Evans watched him for a brief moment worried.
"... Something felt seriously wrong about that guy but my life literally has a time counting down".
Then, without much thinking again, he continued on his way.
Finally, Evans arrived at an abandoned construction site.
The unfinished building towered over it's surroundings, its cracked walls and broken windows bearing the marks of years of neglect. The paint had long faded, and every gust of wind made the unstable structure creak ominously.
"This should do..."
Evans stepped inside.
He carefully climbed the worn staircase, making sure each step was steady enough not to trigger a collapse.
After several minutes, he reached the rooftop.
The cool morning breeze brushed against his face.
He sat down uneasily and reached into his bag, pulling out the kitchen knife. Taking a deep breath, he slowly placed his left hand on the concrete floor.
His fingers trembled.
"For my first daily quest..."
"...why does it have to be something this messed up?"
He let out a bitter laugh.
"I know I can regenerate... but that doesn't mean I won't feel the pain."
"...And am still practicing how to use it."
Just then...
The system popped up with a notification.
"Time Remaining:3 Hours 25 minutes"
Evans stared at the countdown.
"... Damn it."
"I don't have time."
He shut his eyes.
Slowly...
He pressed the knife against his palm.
The blade pierced halfway through.
He waited.
Nothing happened.
He opened one eye.
"... seriously?"
"So I can't cheat it."
Grinding his teeth, he tightened his grip.
"Fine."
With one swift motion...
Stab!
The blade pierced straight through his hand.
"AAAAAGH!!"
Pain exploded throughout his body.
Blood dripped onto the rooftop.
Then another system notification appeared.
"Daily Quests progress stab your hand 15 times.(1/15)"
Evans breathed heavily.
His entire body shook.
But then...
He remembered his little brother's smiling face.
"Big brother... you'll become the strongest Sacred Warrior, right?"
Evans clenched the blood -soaked knife.
"I want power... Overwhelming power".
"I want to become a Sacred warrior."
"So..."
"... Little brother..."
"... Leave all your hopes and dreams to me".
With a roar, he drove the knife down again and again and again and again.
Blood continued to stain the rooftop.
System notifications appeared one after another.
"Daily Quests stab hand progress"
(2/15)
(5/15)
(9/15)
(12/15)
His breathing became ragged.
Blood pooled beneath him.
His wounded hand trembled uncontrollably.
Yet...
He refused to stop.
Finally...
He raised the knife one last time.
His face and clothes were splattered with his own blood.
A determined smile spread across his face.
"I swear..."
"... I'll become stronger no..."
"... I'll become the strongest".
Stab!
"Daily Quests"
[Stab your hand 15 times objective completed]