Can't we change? Tres was looking at the tied-up Luke as Luke snapped back to reality. He felt guilty looking at Tres. He bullied his friend all this while just to avoid being bullied himself, and yet… and yet Tres wanted to restart?
Tres looked at Luke as he thought, Fuck… he has been staring at me all this while. Is he planning on killing me? What the hell? Should I run? Tres was sweating.
"I'm sorry… Tras—Tres. I haven't changed at all…" Luke muttered as Tres looked at him in surprise.
"Oh uh? Can you repeat that? I couldn't hear it… Or wait, I did? You said you haven't changed? Like in strength? I think I know the reason for that."
Luke looked up at Tres, confused. "What?"
"The reason you aren't getting strong? Yeah, I figured it out," Tres said as Luke looked at him in surprise. Tres sighed as he said,
"Luke, can you tell me — how long have you been in the Demonic Guild for?"
"Two years," Luke muttered as he looked down. "In two years I didn't grow one bit…"
"Oh yea, makes sense," Tres said as Luke looked up at him.
"Are you mocking me?"
"No no no," Tres quickly said as he explained. "You have a soul parasite inside you, installed by the Demonic Guild most likely. What it does is, it lets you get strong till a certain limit and nothing more than that. All the energy that should be making you strong is getting absorbed by the parasite. It's essentially eating up your soul."
Luke looked at Tres in disbelief. He wanted to call Tres stupid, but the question remained — why wasn't he getting stronger?
Tres thought, The parasite is eating his soul. That's why he fainted in a single soul punch. His soul has become way too weak.
Luke looked up to Tres in desperation. "Can you help me? Can… you remove the parasite from me?"
Tres was surprised, then smiled seeing Luke finally become normal. "No."
…
"How come… I didn't even realise it?" Luke grunted in anger.
Tres said, "How come you are living here anyway?"
Luke turned to him. "Oh yea. The Demonic Guild told me to move here. Apparently there is another branch of the guild near this city."
Tres looked at Luke. "That's it? Why did they tell you to move? Did they give a reason?"
Luke nodded. "Oh yea. They talked about something like I'm getting some checkups and then I have to go through the portal to the Demonic World to get stronger."
Tres narrowed his eyes. Normally this does seem like normal activity by the guild… but now that I've discovered he has some sort of parasite, it seems like he's going to be killed and his soul fragment will be used… probably… I'm not sure. But if I have a skill like Devour Fragment, people in the Demonic Guild that are stronger will have a version that helps them a lot more by using Luke…
Luke was standing nervously. "So… how is life?"
Tres was brought back from thinking as he remembered his current state. "Ah… I'm still looking for a job…"
Luke tilted his head. "Didn't you drop out of college? I heard it."
Tres remembered how he was a college dropout who didn't get a degree, so Luke was correct — he didn't have a good résumé. Tres sighed. "Don't focus on that. Just know you are going to die."
"Huh?" Luke's eyes widened as Tres realised he said it too quickly. "Wait, let me explain."
…
"What! No way… Those bastards… Did they really think of that?"
Tres nodded. At least he should be aware… But he stopped as he asked Luke, "Hold on. Tell me something. Can anyone with a Demonic System enter the building?"
Luke turned to him. "Why? Though yea, you are correct."
"Really?" Tres's eyes widened with excitement. "Then Luke, I have a plan — a plan to save you!"
Luke looked at the smiling Tres, then dropped to his knees and put his head to the floor. "Tra-Tres… I am sorry… I hurt you a lot in our high school years… all because I was a coward. And I still carried that attitude even today, where I almost hurt you."
Tres was surprised by the sudden apology. You didn't almost hurt me, you actually beat the shit out of me…
But it was true. Luke was one of the people who made his life hell… even if he did it to avoid being bullied himself. I do want revenge… I want to genuinely kill people who hurt me in the past… but Luke was a friend too. He took beatings for me until he couldn't…
"Luke," Tres said as Luke didn't look up. "I can't forgive you for what you did… but like I said earlier, let's start again. As neighbours." Tres smiled as he put out a hand for Luke.
Luke looked up with a sad face. "Trash… I mean Tres… You will still forgive me even after all that?"
"Like I said, I don't, you dimwit. I just said let's start anew." Tres sighed as he helped Luke up. Luke hugged him; Tres awkwardly returned the hug and smiled.
Though… I do have a system now… I will kill the fuckers who started to make my life hell… It can't be my father. If he was alive I would have ripped him apart, but since he isn't, let's target the one person who started all this. Evans, Tres thought as his nails pierced Luke, who felt a sting but didn't say anything as he thought, Eek… he really is angry…
…
The next day Tres and Luke walked up to the building of the Demonic Guild Branch C — a huge skyscraper with a massive symbol of a bleeding eye. It was the symbol of the Demonic Guild. Except for the large eye, nothing seemed ominous — it just looked like a regular office building.
They reached the entrance where multiple lines formed. Luke said, "What Tier are you at?" He sized Tres up. "Definitely Tier zero."
"Does it make a difference?" Tres asked.
Luke nodded. "Yea, we have to go in that line." He pointed toward the longest line with people in normal clothes. The other lines were likely up to Tier 3, and after Tier 4 the lines reduced. After Tier 6 the lines were practically empty.
They got into the line and within five minutes reached the gate where they had to put their hand into a contraption that stabbed you slightly.
"Don't worry, this is nothing," Luke said. "The machine just stabs your hand a little to check whether you have Demonic energy. If you don't, you get kicked out. But since you said you were in the Demonic Guild in the past, I'm sure you can get in."
"Oh yea…" Tres looked awkward as he remembered that he lied to Luke, saying he was part of the guild a year ago but was laid off since he was weak — a lie Luke somehow believed.
Luke stepped ahead, placed his hand into the machine, shook for a second, then removed his hand as the machine said Entry allowed. He walked inside.
Tres followed and placed his hand into the machine. Suddenly his thoughts raced.
What if it doesn't recognise me? I mean, I copied the Demonic System using my system… will it recognise? Oh man, is my body Demonic enough? I got the system yesterday. They won't kill me, will they?
He jolted as he felt a pierce in his hand and slowly removed it. The machine showed Entry allowed.
Tres's eyes widened. Wow, it really didn't recognise me.
As he walked forward, a screen popped up.
---
[REPLICATION SYSTEM – ALERT]
Anomaly Detected.
Foreign parasite attempted to spread through the blood.
Activating skill: White Door.
Purification Initiated…
Removing Parasite…
Stabilizing host body…
Purification Complete.
Parasite removed.
Status: Host safe.
---
Parasite?
Tres looked behind him at the people still waiting in line — no one realised they were being injected with a parasite.
He looked ahead at Luke and realised,
Yea… he will definitely die… by the Demonic Guild.