[YOU CAN RECEIVE THE FOLLOWING REWARDS:]
—1. ITEM OF YOUR CHOOSING
—2. BONUS STATS 20
—3. HIDDEN REWARD
[CHOOSE ONE REWARD]
’Trap.’
My first thought was that. Because let’s be honest—any ti sothing offers a hidden reward, you’re either about to beco the next protagonist... or the next tragic cautionary tale.
"I can’t afford more de-buff than what I already have," I muttered under my breath, eyes narrowing.
Grayfia, who stood a few ters away inspecting the blood-soaked snow, gave a sidelong glance. "My lord?"
I smiled faintly. "Talking to myself. Old habit."
She nodded. "The trauma of awakening after a thousand years is not so easily shaken. You are permitted your murmurs."
I’ll take it.
BONUS STATS 20? Solid, safe—but I didn’t know how far that would take . For all I knew, enemies out there were swimming in thousands of points.
HIDDEN REWARD? Ruled out—because let’s be real, though the chances are fifty-fifty, I don’t trust my luck. Not when my entire life was built on cursed contracts and demonic politics.’
I let out a quiet exhale.
That left only one option.
"I’ll take the item."
[YOU HAVE SELECTED: ITEM OF YOUR CHOOSING.]
[PLEASE SPECIFY: NA, CLASS, TYPE, OR FUNCTION OF THE DESIRED ITEM.]
I blinked.
Oh, so this wasn’t just a preset pull. I could... customise?
That changed things.
I stepped a few feet away, making sure Grayfia wouldn’t overhear anything weird. She wouldn’t understand, but even hearing mutter "System, I want this and that." might be enough to make her suspicious.
My imdiate thought was restoration. I an, that’s the most practical. Sothing to patch up this walking corpse of a body and get back on my feet.
Then my thoughts imdiately paused on the na of the system—"Lucifer Leveling System".
’Ah! The answer was right in front of .’
If the system’s na was Lucifer, I don’t know which version of Lucifer it is—Devil, Fallen Angel, or the Demiurgic Archangel one.
But what I know is that every single one is overpowered...but when my gaze fell on
[Level: 1]
It felt like a bucket of cold water dumped on my back.
I might have the cheat of a god, but right now, I was still just a bug with a fancy UI.
"...No good having a nuclear warhead if you can’t lift it," I muttered.
[PLEASE SPECIFY: NA, CLASS, TYPE, OR FUNCTION OF THE DESIRED ITEM.]
Right.
Think.
I had to choose sothing that wasn’t just a bandage. Sothing scalable. Sothing permanent. Sothing that would let survive this demonic ss of a world long enough to matter.
"A skill," I whispered. "I want a skill."
[CONFIRD. PLEASE SPECIFY TYPE OR NATURE OF SKILL.]
I took a deep breath, my mind whirling.
Combat? Tempting. But I wasn’t ready to face the daughters of the Seven Satans, not yet. I needed sothing broken, yes, but flexible. Sothing to prepare for war without diving headfirst into it.
Then it hit .
"Give —"
I hesitated. Words mattered here. The System was precise. Brutal. Literal.
"—a growth-type, scalable, evolution-based unique skill, preferably passive and active hybrid—"
Then I paused.
Right, I can’t wield Demon Energy. Which ant anything that required mana in the traditional sense—demonic or magical—was off the table until I fixed that flaw.
Then what about stamina or Spiritual energy/Willpower?
Like Demon King Haki and whatnot?
’Haki’ is a Japanese term for —spiritual energy, willpower.
What cos first when you hear "Haki"?
Well, it’s "One Piece"—That ani has "Three Colored Haki" refers to the three main types of Haki: Armant Haki, Observation Haki, and Conqueror’s Haki. While the term "colour" is often used taphorically, it can also refer to the visual effects associated with each type when used by advanced users.
That... but that makes it three separate skills?
My heart thundered in my chest. Not from fear—no, that had burned out ages ago—but from clarity. Cold, sharp, diamond-hard clarity.
"I want all three," I said again, more firmly this ti.
[PLEASE CONFIRM: DEFINE ’ALL THREE’]
"The three pillars of spiritual mastery," I whispered. "A skill system based not on demonic energy but on willpower. On spiritual force. Call it... call it a manifestation of Sovereign Spirit. Three branches: One for offense. One for awareness. One for domination."
I paused, then added—
"And I want them to grow. Level up. Evolve over ti. Independent but linked. Each with their own mastery paths. And when all three reach perfection—"
[CALCULATING REQUEST...]
"—I want a transcendent synergy. A final form. A Sovereign State."
[INPUT ACCEPTED.]
[YOU HAVE RECEIVED: ★UNIQUE SKILL★ – ’Sovereign Haki: Trinity Crown’]
[Skill Class: ??? | Type: Passive/Active Hybrid | Evolution: Enabled | Power Source: Willpower (SPIRAL)]
[Trinity Crown unlocked: Three Sovereign Paths have been granted.]
◉ I. Armant Core (Level 1)Your will becos armor, your strikes beco truth.– Passive: Minor physical damage reduction.– Active: Empower your blows for 10s with reinforced spiritual force. Costs 5 SP.– Next unlock at Level 5.
◉ II. Observation Grid (Level 1)Your spirit sharpens your perception. You feel the unseen.– Passive: Danger sense. 5% perception range.– Active: Enter heightened state for 10s. Slows enemy movent by 10% from your perspective. Costs 5 SP.– Next unlock at Level 5.
◉ III. Conqueror’s Will (Level 1)Your presence is power. Your gaze is weight.– Passive: 5% resistance to ntal attacks. Minor aura intimidation on weaker enemies.– Active: Release a burst of Sovereign Pressure. Stuns weaker beings for 1 second. Costs 10 SP.– Next unlock at Level 5.
------
The mont I accepted the skill, sothing shifted.
Not in the physical world. Not in the air or the snow or the blood around .
No—it shifted within.
BOOM!
A pulse—no, a shockwave—erupted from my chest, invisible yet undeniable. The very air seed to recoil, a tremor of spiritual force rippling outward from the core of his being.
"!!!"
Grayfia was in front of in less than a blink.
Her eyes blazed silver-blue, posture low and ready to intercept a threat that didn’t exist in her senses—but she knew. Sothing happened.
"Master!" Her voice cracked with an urgency rarely seen in the Silver-Haired Queen of Annihilation.
Dominic stood hunched, breath misting out of his mouth in tight, ragged huffs, his fists clenched tight enough to draw blood. A sheen of sweat coated his forehead, despite the icy winds.
"I’m... fine," he muttered hoarsely.
Grayfia narrowed her eyes. "Your aura—"
"Haki."
Grayfia’s eyes snapped to his, narrowed and sharp like a sword unsheathed.
"...Haki?" she repeated, as if tasting the foreign syllables.
She rapid-fired. "What is this Haki? I can’t tell what it is from your aura? How did you awaken such...powerful spiritual pressure without any demonic resonance? Your mana pool is still nonexistent. This makes no sense."
Exactly the reaction I expected—and feared.
I t her gaze calmly. "It’s sothing... old. Buried deep in my soul. I don’t know how it awakened—maybe my return triggered it. Maybe the Sanctuary amplified it. But it’s mine now."
Half-truths. The most effective lies.
Grayfia studied silently, her crimson eyes dissecting every inch of my being. If anyone could sense the tension in my voice, it would be her.
But after a long mont, she lowered her stance.
"...Very well," she said softly. "As long as it doesn’t harm you... or control you."
"It won’t," I said confidently—though I wasn’t entirely sure myself.
Inside, the Sovereign Haki was still humming, thrumming like a newborn heart that had just learned to beat. I could feel it: the three forces aligned yet distinct, waiting for my will to direct them.
A skill like this... could turn the tide.
And I’d need it. Because the world was already moving again.
***
We left the ruins of the Sanctuary shortly after.
"Where to?" I asked, looking at our fingers intertwined.
Grayfia’s hand was warm. Too warm, for soone who once commanded blizzards and slept in ice chambers. Maybe it was the residual bloodlust. Or maybe it was just... . Her presence. Her heat. Her conviction.
She didn’t answer imdiately. Her scarlet eyes scanned the gray landscape before us—a sea of ash-laden valleys and distant, ruined towers piercing the sky like broken teeth.
The wind carried the scent of blood and burned incense.
Behind us, the Sanctuary of the Seven Vows faded into the snow-choked fog, half-buried under corpses and frozen earth. It no longer felt like a grave—it felt like a warning.
"To the only place I’ve left," Grayfia said, still holding my hand like it was the only anchor she had in this cursed world. "A stronghold where I prepared for your return... while the world tried to forget you."
"How poetic," I muttered, brushing snow from my shoulders. "And where is this... ominous-sounding stronghold?"
"To the Human Realm."
The words struck harder than I expected.
The Human Realm?
In all the twisted hierarchy of demonic politics, there were only a few things lower than a forsaken prince. And humans? They were beneath even that.
Once, long ago, I’d stood atop a dais carved from obsidian, watching demon generals kneel before my father—Daemon, the last true Demon King. Back then, the idea of retreating to the Human Realm would’ve been laughable.
Now?
Now it sounded like sanctuary.
But is it a modern one or a dieval one?
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