Awareness returned to Liam as a dull, throbbing ache. His eyes fluttered open, the flickering light from the courtyard's flame torches stabbing into his vision.
A groan escaped his lips as he pushed himself up onto his elbows. Every muscle protested, his body a canvas of deep, resonant pain.
His hand flew to his abdomen, fingers searching for the wound, the memory of the searing blade vivid and brutal. But there was nothing.
No tear in his clothes, no scar, not even a lingering dampness of blood.
It was as if the attack had been a hallucination, but the phantom agony and the raw, new sensation humming in his veins confirmed its terrifying reality.
Then, the familiar screen materialized, its stark text a cold comfort.
[Assimilation: 100%]
[Magic Core Formation Complete.]
[Demon Mage Progression Now Enabled.]
[Achievement Complete: 'Become a Demon Mage.' Reward: +10 Evolution Points.]
His gaze swept the courtyard. Lilith was still seated, the picture of calm sovereignty, one hand delicately holding the goblet of wine.
Eri stood slightly behind her, the maid's posture still tense with a residual fear that seemed to cling to the air.
A few feet away, the earless guard stood as motionless as a gargoyle, his impassive presence a telling to the violence he had so efficiently delivered.
"You took a few hours, but you're back with us," Lilith said, a faint, knowing smile playing on her lips.
"What did you do to me?" Liam's voice was a hoarse rasp, scraping its way out of his raw throat.
Lilith took a slow sip before answering.
"You're good at selling the act, you really are. However, just sounding convincing will only get us so far. If the demon god meant to save us is viewed as nothing but a magicless human with sharp words, the end of our charade would only be a matter of time."
"I see," Liam said, the system's notification about the mana core finally providing a context for the violation.
The pain had been a price. This new, thrumming energy was the product. "So what now? I have magic?" The term felt foreign and strange on his tongue.
"Yes," Lilith confirmed, her tone shifting to one of clinical explanation. "The blade that pierced you was the Black Mountain Dagger. An artifact of near-priceless value, and the only thing that can forcibly instill a Magic Core into a being. It is sought by the richest and strongest demons to break bottlenecks and reach higher stages of power." Her golden eyes pinned him. "And it was used on you."
Liam pushed himself fully to his feet, the pain subsiding to a background hum, replaced by a disconcerting lightness, a latent strength that made him feel both more and less than human.
"Then, I guess I'm supposed to be thankful."
Lilith shook her head, her white hair shimmering. "No. I didn't do it for you. Like I said, you possessing strength is invaluable to our plan."
"So what, I now possess the strength of a demon god?" Liam asked, knowing the answer.
She scoffed, a sharp, derisive sound.
"Infinitely far from it. However, the dagger's power should have allowed you to skip the initial stages. You should now be at the 1-Star Greater Fiend stage. While this is not nearly the strength you need to project, it is a start. It gives us a foundation for the lie that your true power is merely suppressed."
Just then, his status window flickered before his eyes, updated and expanded.
---
[Infernal Sovereign Protocol – Online]
Host: Liam Cross
Essence: 523
Evolution Points: 10
Stage: 1 Star Greater Fiend (60 TE required to enter second star)
True Essence: 52
Dominion: 0.01%
Infamy: Local Tier
Status: False Sovereign (Unascended)
Belief Network: Stable
---
Knowledge, cold and absolute, slotted into place in his mind. His progression was still unique, still tied to the System's core function.
For every ten Essence points he gained from fear and belief, he would get one point of True Essence. True Essence was the fuel for his magical advancement.
His path to raw power was still paved by his performances, by the terror and faith he could instill. The more god he played, the more of a god he would literally become.
[You have received 2 new Unlockable Combat Skills.]
[You have received 2 new Unlockable Magic Techniques.]
He scanned the new lists, his heart beating a little faster.
---
Unlockable Combat Skills:
1 – Martial Combat
Basic foundation of all martial techniques,including hand-to-hand combat and a variety of all other combat styles, armed or unarmed.
This skill is required before unlock of any other combat skill.
Unlock Cost:2 EVP.
2 – Swordsmanship (Unevolved)
Proficiency in the art of the sword, can range from a trained warrior to a godly swordsman depending on evolution level.
Unlock Cost: 5 EVP (Must unlock Martial Combat first)
---
Unlockable Magic Skills:
1 – Hell's Summon (Unevolved)
The host opens the gates of hell and summons an entity from its dark, eternal abyss.
Strength and number of summons depend on Skill evolution level.
Unlock Cost: 7 EVP
2 – Hell's Flame (Unevolved)
The flames of the abyss are instruments of the primordial demon. Control and power output of these flames are dependent on skill evolution level.
Unlock Cost: 5 EVP
---
"Hey." Lilith's voice, sharp and impatient, dragged him out of his immersion. "Where's your mind dazing off to?"
"Sorry," Liam said, meeting her gaze. The slate-like coldness from before had returned to his eyes. "Just had a thought."
"I was saying," she continued, a predatory gleam in her eye as she gestured to the earless guard, "wouldn't you like to test your new power? How about a spar with him?"
Liam's mind raced. The most fighting experience he had were drunken bar brawls.
He was a actor, not a warrior. But he wasn't just an actor anymore. He had a system that could rewrite reality, and he had ten Evolution Points burning a hole in his metaphysical pocket.
He didn't need years of training; he needed the right unlock.
He focused. Two points vanished.
[2 EVP Spent!]
[Skill Unlocked: Martial Combat.]
A flood of knowledge and muscle memory crashed into him—stances, footwork, the physics of leverage, the precise points to strike with fist, elbow, or knee. It was no longer theoretical; his body understood it as a fundamental truth.
He looked at the impassive guard, then back at Lilith, a new, hard-edged determination settling on his features.
"Let's do it," Liam said.
[Evolution Points Remaining: 8]