Estimated read time: 16 min
[This story is entirely fictional and has no connection to reality.]
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It had been three days since Alex's family arrived in the capital. In that short time, Alex had already learned a lot about the city. Today, Maria decided to take Alex out to explore. Their main destination was the Healer Tower. Maria had received a letter early in the morning from her childhood friend Chesley, summoning her to the tower. The letter contained no other details, but Maria understood that Alex's leg problem could finally be treated. She set out with Alex in the afternoon.
Elmond had found work the day after arriving in the capital. Living in the city required money, and to earn it, he had joined the Hunter Association of Mefas Capital. Being a hunter in the kingdom opened up many opportunities, chief among them earning money by hunting Demon Beasts.
As Maria and Alex walked toward the Healer Tower, Alex's eyes wandered across the city. Expensive buildings were made of stone walls with wooden roofs, and the roads were paved with stone. It reminded him of his old world—perhaps it had looked similar during the medieval period. This world relied heavily on magic, so it couldn't become modern like Earth. Yet, if humans could combine magic with Earth's science, this place could surpass Earth's future by a thousand years.
Chesley was checking some files in her room when Maria and Alex arrived. The guards at the Healer Tower escorted them easily. Even though Chesley had seemed fine until now, the moment she met Alex's gaze, sweat formed on her brow. Maria didn't notice, as Chesley quickly tried to act normal.
"You know why I asked you to come," Chesley said.
Maria and Alex sat on two wooden chairs. Maria replied,
"I believed you could prepare a cure quickly."
Chesley approached Alex and gently placed her hands on his forehead, casting a spell. Alex's eyes slowly closed, and he fell asleep. Maria felt no concern. Chesley then spoke softly to Maria:
"Maria, your son is very special. I hope you guide him on the right path."
"Why say that? Shouldn't we take care of our only son?"
"That's not what I mean. Forget it… you'll understand in the future."
Chesley didn't finish her sentence, but Maria understood her meaning. Chesley made two small incisions at Alex's ankles. Today, Chesley could not sense any energy from Alex's body. Feeling slightly relieved, she used her Pran energy. A liquid floated from a glass bottle on her table into the small holes on Alex's ankles. Normally, all veins looked black from outside, but within moments, they returned to their natural color. Chesley explained:
"I was only able to make medicine for a single use in three days. It won't fully cure his legs, but for a month, it should control the Demonic Poison, allowing him to live normally. During this time, I'll find a permanent solution."
"Thank you, Chesley," Maria said.
"What's there to thank? We're friends. Your son is like my own."
"Yes, that's true. How is your family?" Maria asked, holding Alex.
"They're fine. Except for my son, my husband and younger daughter have been in Mefas for ten years."
"I want to see your daughter badly."
"Then come to my house for dinner today with Alex."
"No, we'll go another day."
"Oh, I almost forgot. You've been here for some time. Do you want Alex admitted to the academy? I have an invitation letter meant for my daughter. Since she's a Pran energy user, she doesn't need to take tests. I thought of giving it to someone else. If you want Alex to attend the academy, you can use it."
Maria was unsurprised. A Pran energy user doesn't need tests or letters. Chesley, being a renowned Healer and Alchemist, guarantees her daughter will be as skilled as she is. Therefore, Maria didn't need the letter.
"Actually, Alex already received an invitation letter from Duke Mandelar's youngest daughter. You can give your letter to someone else."
Chesley understood the importance of an invitation letter. Hundreds of letters could be obtained with Maria's identity, but currently, Maria was just an ordinary person in Mefas. Why a duke's daughter would give such a precious letter to Maria's son was beyond Chesley's comprehension. Perhaps the duke's daughter liked Alex. Perhaps it was because Elmond had once been a playboy. Or maybe it was Maria's charm.
Maria then asked Chesley,
"Do you have an Energy Stone?"
Chesley was surprised by the question. An Energy Stone is a special stone found only in certain dungeons of the tower. They are used to absorb energy, and higher-level stones determine a person's ability to use energy, often tested in academies or schools.
"Do you want to test Alex's energy?" Chesley asked curiously.
Maria replied naturally,
"Elmond and I argue a lot. He says Alex is an Aura User, I say he's a Pran User. I want to confirm."
Chesley was astonished that Maria wanted to use a tower stone just by hearing its name. Chesley herself had been waiting to observe Alex's energy since day one. She sensed a completely different energy in Alex, unlike Aura, Pran, or Mana. She knew she couldn't tell Maria everything, but her curiosity about Alex's pure Demonic Energy was immense. This energy was entirely new to this world. If a human absorbed it, they'd die or transform into a monster. Chesley had never seen anyone with such pure Demonic Energy. Only today did she understand that low-level magical items don't work on Alex. Only A-class or higher magical items are effective. The medicine used on Alex's legs today was an A+ class magical item.
Maria waited patiently while Chesley brought ten medium-sized white stones capable of detecting energy. When Alex placed his hand on them, the stones glowed—but not with red, green, or blue. They turned deep black. Chesley and Maria were shocked. Alex's body contained Demonic Energy, completely different from any other energy. The last stone even mixed all four colors—red, green, blue, and black—astonishing them further.
Maria said nothing and left after bidding farewell. Chesley pondered what had happened and noticed someone had entered her room. An elderly woman with four colored Energy Stones in hand appeared, smiling.
"So, this is the boy for whom I need an invitation letter," she said.
Chesley frowned,
"Peeking into someone's private matters is not right, Principal of Mefas Academy."
"I only came for a small errand, but I didn't expect to see something this interesting. And we're friends, so formality isn't needed," the Principal said with a smile.
Chesley warned her,
"Never take a bad look at this family. It won't benefit you—or the kingdom."
The Principal smiled mischievously and teleported away with ten Energy Stones. Chesley realized that no one would learn about Alex's Demonic Energy—for now. She sighed, hoping that one day Maria would return to the tower, and she would be there to guide her.
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Mefas Academy, Principal's Room
The Principal, who had appeared like a 40-year-old woman, suddenly transformed into a 15-year-old girl with a snap.
"I don't like being old. My true form is the most beautiful. Thanks to Chesley, I got this chance. Now, what gift should I give the boy? Perhaps let him enter the academy without problems. But I need something more valuable for these nine Demonic Stones."
She smiled sinisterly, adjusting her ill-fitting clothes. Using energy, she wrote a letter floating through the air. She then touched a black Energy Stone on her S-class magical chain, which ignited with all eight Demonic Stones. The room lit up.
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After leaving the Healer Tower
Maria woke Alex and sensed the third presence in the room. She said nothing and left, trusting Chesley completely. She held Alex's hand firmly, deciding never to let go, even if the entire kingdom or empire turned against them. After a long walk, they returned home.
Late at night, Elmond slept, but Maria couldn't. Alex had Demonic Energy—how was that possible? Maria gave up trying to find answers and finally fell asleep. Meanwhile, Alex stood on the balcony, unable to sleep.
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Alex's Perspective
It had been three days since my ring began communicating. Yet, we hadn't spoken much. I spent the day learning about this world from my mother. Usually, she would play music to lull me to sleep, but tonight she didn't. Perhaps receiving her affection after so many years made me melt emotionally. Or maybe it felt natural in this new body.
I couldn't speak to my magical item, my ring, in these three days. Gradually, I began to forget about Earth. Tonight, sleep evaded me. I called my ring, but it didn't respond. Out of frustration, I tried to remove it. Suddenly, a projection of a girl appeared. She seemed alive, breaking her slumber like a giant yawn. I was astonished—this was the first time I saw the ring's true form: a beautiful girl with a crooked horn on her left side, giving her a unique identity. She quickly reverted to her emoji form after noticing me.
"I'm sorry, Master. I shouldn't have shown my true form."
"Forget that. I'm not interested in your appearance. Let's talk about the writings I saw the other day."
She explained,
"Master, you have acquired the Gluttony skill. It can absorb the power of other skills or magical items. Using it on a person or monster gives you an 80% chance of acquiring their skill. You obtained 150 skills from the Tower of Sloth. My power was only 2% unlocked, so you could only add two skills. The rest were lost."
I was stunned. I had thought Gluttony was ordinary, but it turned out to be extremely powerful.
"Show me the 150 skills," I commanded. The ring displayed them. Most were useless, but I quickly selected two: Undead Army and Dark Fire.
The Undead Army skill allowed me to summon Skeleton Warriors, who would grow stronger with me. Dark Fire turned any fire-based magic, skill, or item into the hellish Dark Fire.
I felt the pains of my early days finally yielding results. I never expected that absorbing a Skeleton Army would grant me such skills. I remembered a skeleton wielding black fire.
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To Be Continued…