"Ti to check the system screen and see how much I've improved." Jack's voice broke the silence of his dimly lit room.
Since stepping into the planes, life had been an unrelenting whirlwind of chaos. Event after event had kept him too preoccupied to monitor his progress as he once did. The uncertainty gnawed at him—had he grown stronger by the system's standards, or was he still far from the power he needed? With everything that had happened, especially his entanglent with Erebus, he couldn't shake the feeling that his potential had shifted drastically.
Jack drew a deep breath and summoned the system interface.
「 ✦ System Info ✦ 」
「 ✦ System update has been completed! ✦ 」
「 ✦ Automatic reset completed! ✦ 」
「 ✦ Na: Asriel Digmun ✦ 」
「 ✦ Race: Demi-Human ✦ 」
「 ✦ Class: Necromancer God ✦ 」
「 ✦ Talent: Potent ✦ 」
Character Stats:
╔══════════════════╗
EXP: 1/100
STR: 12.5
STA: 12
AGI: 11.8
Soul Strength: Nil
╚══════════════════╝
The changes on the interface gave him pause.
"Perception and Intelligence are gone... and now there's Soul Strength?" Jack muttered, his brows knitting. The system wasn't just evolving—it was morphing into sothing entirely new.
"Can you modify the system?" he asked aloud, though he wasn't expecting a response.
Erebus's voice echoed in his mind, carrying its usual blend of authority and disdain. "Not exactly. I can make slight adjustnts to accommodate my reincarnations, ensuring they better understand their power over ti. That way, my soul grows alongside theirs. When it's sufficiently strong, I'll take over—just as I attempted in the tomb. Unfortunately, that... failed."
The bitterness in Erebus's tone didn't escape Jack's notice. "If only that bastard hadn't interfered," he added with a growl.
Jack didn't need to ask who "that bastard" was. The tension between Erebus and his supposed brother was palpable. Their relationship felt more like a centuries-old rivalry than a sibling bond.
"Was the reset to help , or just another one of your sches?" Jack asked, deciding to steer the conversation back to the system.
"A bit of both," Erebus admitted. "None of this was supposed to happen, but I'll admit, it's beneficial. Seeing thousands in your stats can be deceiving. It inflates confidence without grounding strength. I wonder how soone could boast high numbers and still struggle against a re demon overlord."
Jack's face darkened. Erebus's words were cutting, and they struck a nerve.
"Well, guess what? It was your pathetic reincarnation—soone with no ounce of strength to his na. You're the one who's a disgrace. How does the so-called 'strongest god' fall to such a pitiful state? Aren't you ashad?"
Erebus fell silent, his presence retreating to the recesses of Jack's mind. Jack didn't press further. It was late, and fatigue weighed heavy on him. Sleep wasn't a necessity for him anymore, but it was a welco escape from the endless stress of his journey.
He lay back, letting the bed's comfort envelop him. Darkness took over, and for a while, the world faded.
Unbeknownst to Jack, changes were taking root within him as he slept. Strands of jet-black hair interwove with the lush green of his locks, a subtle but ominous transformation signaling a shift deep within his being.
When his eyes fluttered open, he was greeted by the sa eerie stillness that had accompanied him to sleep. The planes offered no sunrises or sunsets—ti was aningless here, as if the world itself had abandoned the concept.
Jack stretched and moved to the mirror in the corner of the room. His reflection greeted him with a face that seed sharper, more defined. His azure eyes shimred with an otherworldly depth, the pitch-black irises like endless voids that threatened to pull him in.
'What's happening to ?' he wondered, leaning closer to study his reflection.
"Careful." Erebus's voice broke through the silence. "Your soul bears the key to the realm of souls, and your eyes are that key. Stare too long, and even you might lose yourself."
As if on cue, the system chid:
「 ✦ Ding! Host has unlocked a new skill: Eyes of the Abyss ✦ 」
「 ✦ Description: Any beholder will be lost in the abyss beyond for 30 seconds✦ 」
Jack frowned, reading the description. "So, my eyes are a weapon now?"
"They're more than that," Erebus said. "This ability is akin to Hegen's—one of the most dangerous I've seen. But it's a double-edged sword. Use it wisely."
Jack's gaze lingered on the mirror for a mont longer before he turned away.
He donned his white robes—the uniform from his school days. "For all their flaws, they didn't skimp on quality," he muttered, tugging at the fabric. It was a reminder of a life that felt distant, almost foreign.
A knock at the door pulled him from his thoughts. Jack opened it cautiously, only to find Jena standing there, her expression as unreadable as ever.
"How do I keep missing her presence?" he muttered, his frustration evident.
Jena said nothing, simply gesturing for him to follow.
'Zamazo must've sent her to fetch ,' Jack thought. He sighed and trailed behind her, his steps echoing in the silent hallway.
The journey to the main hall was brief, but every step felt heavy with anticipation. When they arrived, Zamazo was already waiting, his stoic expression giving nothing away.
By his side was Alisha an Missy, although Missy didn't seem to have any issues with Zamazo an the other demons, sa couldn't be said for Alisha who loathed them, If she had the strength she would've brought down the entire castle.
"You're ready, I presu?" Zamazo asked, his gaze shifting briefly to Jena.
Jack nodded. "As ready as I'll ever be. Let's get this over with."
Zamazo's lips curled into a faint smile, but his eyes betrayed a flicker of sothing else—concern, perhaps, or a hint of doubt. "Then let's not waste any ti. Your path ahead will be treacherous, but I suspect you already know that."
Jack's grip tightened around his staff. He wasn't sure if Zamazo's words were ant as encouragent or a warning, but either way, he couldn't afford to hesitate.
"Let's go," he said, his voice firm.
Without saying another word, Zamazo led them outside the city of Nyxoria.
Previously, when they had entered the city, Zamazo had teleported them directly to the front of his castle as he didn't want to raise too much suspicion. Even now, it was the sa; he teleported them directly to the front of the transportation grounds.
However, this ti, there weren't many demons in the area as he had issued a strict warning beforehand that no one was allowed to use the transportation transit until he said so.
This was also to avoid too many people catching sight of Jack and his team.
He didn't have any problem with Jack, as he seed to be emitting so demonic aura around him, but it was no stronger than that of a one-horned demon.
Missy didn't look much like a human, and at the sa ti, she didn't seem to have the scent of a human. The only person who stood out very much in the group was Alisha, who was not only a human but also the very leader of one of the major human factions that troubled and persecuted demons for years.
Just as she was very keen on dark energy, similarly, demons were quite sensitive to the holy energy around them. Thankfully, she had yet to reach the level where she could summon the sa level of power as the previous Holy Lady.
She could only be placed slightly above a normal S-rank mage and was nothing special.
"This is the only available ans of jumping the planes to any other section, so with this link, you'll get to the first planes in no ti," Zamazo stated.
"However, I've set the formation to place you in an unknown area within the first planes. That way, you'll be able to avoid eting trouble imdiately. But you should still keep your eyes peeled for beasts—they are nurous within the first planes," Zamazo explained further as he activated the formation.
The formation was placed in the center of the large tower, and several mana crystals were arranged around it as a source for its power.
Jack looked at the intricate designs on the walls of the tower, and they gave him a strong sense of familiarity.
Not only that, but the position of each mana crystal seed as though he had seen the sa setting sowhere before, but he couldn't rember.
'Where have I seen this before?' He didn't know why, but he had an unsettling feeling as he looked at the design of the tower.
"At this point, I can only wish you farewell," Zamazo said as he fully activated the formation. The buzzing sounds of the crystals could be heard as energy seeped out of them, pouring into the formation.
Jack and the others, who were already standing on the formation facing Zamazo, were prepared to leave, but Jack's mind had already wandered far away. As he looked closely at the formation again, it hit him—he finally rembered.
As the flash of white light blinded him, only two words sounded in his mind.
Gleam Do.
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