[This story is entirely fictional and has no relation to real events.]
---
Alex used his skill. Black smoke emerged from his body. Where the demonic rat had died, a bright black mist now hovered. Alex had attempted to use this skill before, but the difference in level between him and the gorilla had caused it to fail. This time, however, it worked. A skeleton, in the exact shape the rat had been while alive, formed right before Alex. He was astonished at the sight. Realizing how useful this skill could be, Alex began searching for more demonic beasts.
Meanwhile, evening was approaching. Cooking and tent arrangements had finished, but Alex had not returned. Chain was growing increasingly anxious. Dark thoughts began creeping into his mind. The tests here weren't only for the new students—they were also meant to determine class rank. If even one person from a team died, the entire team would fail. Worry gnawing at him, Chain scouted the area, but finding nothing, he returned to the camp, thinking perhaps Alex had gone back on his own.
"—Has Alex returned?"
At the camp, Chain asked everyone sitting by the fire. They all shook their heads. From the group, Mio spoke up:
"—But Alex was supposed to return with you."
"He was… but I can't seem to find him anywhere," Chain replied.
"What a problem… I said I was going for guard duty, but Alex insisted. With his attribute, even facing a normal deer would be overkill," Dufes said, puffing out his chest slightly.
"—Now is not the time for complaints. If anything happens to one of us, the whole team fails. We need to find Alex immediately," Chain said firmly.
At Chain's command, Dufes and Mio stayed at the camp while the rest went to search for Alex. Not everyone went, as leaving the camp unattended could allow demonic beasts to destroy supplies. They would need these supplies to survive in the forest for two months. The six were split into four search teams, each spreading out. Chain instructed:
"—If any demonic beast appears, do not fight—use the hand signal stones."
Everyone set off in their assigned directions. Meanwhile, Alex had ventured far from the camp, his mind focused solely on the thrill of killing demonic beasts. Each kill rapidly increased his level. At the same time, he was creating a skeleton army, leaving little attention for anything else. Pulling a wooden sword from his bag, he infused it with energy from the ring and, with a single slash, killed the tenth demonic rat. He returned the sword to his bag. With no energy left for another spell, Alex prepared to summon his ten skeleton soldiers to follow him. But…
"—Which way back to camp?" Alex muttered.
He had forgotten the path he had taken. He had ventured deep into thick foliage, which obscured the way he had come. Night was falling, making visibility poor. Suddenly, a voice echoed in his ear:
"—Master, congratulations. You have reached Level 14. Your Skeleton Army skill is now at maximum capacity. You may now summon only ten skeleton soldiers at your desired level."
"—Ring, show me my status options," Alex said.
Alex wanted to see his stats, to gauge his strength. He now understood how to use the ring more effectively. A projection appeared in front of him, displaying his status:
Name: Alex (Hridoy)
Job: Host of Gidury
Level: 14
Stats:
Strength: 13
Vitality: 13
Agility: 14
Stamina: 12
Intelligence: 32
Luck: 11
Alex stared at the projection for a while, realizing he had grown significantly stronger. Each two-level increase granted points across his stats. But that wasn't all.
"—I need to reach Level 20. Only then can I allocate stat points freely," Alex said to himself, smiling. Of course he would—once he reached Level 20, he could distribute points as he wished each day. There was so much to look forward to. He forgot once more that he needed to return to the camp. Suddenly, a light appeared behind him, diverting his attention from the ring. Perhaps another demonic beast had appeared. He drew his wooden sword, but with no energy in the ring, he would have to use his Gluttony skill to recharge it—or meditate all night.
Alex readied his sword. Just then, Myra appeared, holding a fireball in her hand. Seeing Alex's wooden sword, she was shocked. Blood smeared his body in multiple places.
"Did he… kill a demonic beast with that wooden sword?" she thought.
Alex was startled to see Myra and felt a twinge of fear about what to say. He needed to finish his Playboy mission quickly, yet no pickup line came to mind. Though he disliked following girls, he couldn't skip this mission. Since it was his programmed mission, he knew it would grant much experience (points for leveling up) and good rewards. Alex was only concerned about completing it efficiently.
"—Did you kill a demonic beast?" Myra asked, unable to suppress her curiosity.
"Yes. A demonic rat. I killed it with the sword."
Myra was astonished. Even the weakest demonic beast, a demonic rat, should not be killable with a mere wooden sword. And Alex, a mana user, should not even need to wield a sword. But for an inexperienced person, even a demonic rat is dangerous; its touch spreads a deadly disease that requires high-level medicine to cure. Alex's killing of the rat with just a wooden sword impressed Myra—not because it was impossible, but because he had not paused even after unlocking the dark attribute. Instead, he began sword practice, something rare among aura users.
"Thank you. If you hadn't come, I might never have found the way back to camp."
Alex's eyes gleamed as he took Myra's left hand and spoke. Myra blushed; no noble had ever dared touch her. One commoner had held her hand without anger.
"—Perhaps I was scared until now, so your help encouraged me," she thought.
Myra's concern faded as she tried to recall the path. Looking back, she realized she had also forgotten the way. Swallowing nervously, she admitted,
"—The way… I've forgotten which way I came, too."
The Demonic Forest was a place where even in daylight, people lost their way. Special markers were needed, and neither Myra nor Alex knew this. Myra had been confident finding Alex, but now the night's darkness frightened her. She did not dare take his hand, but stepped closer.
Alex realized this was a crucial moment—but he had no courage. This was not the old world; he could not freely attempt romance with a duke's daughter. Here, trying to touch her could cost his life. He wanted to take her hand, but could not.
"—We have signal stones. Using them, we might find our way back with help."
Quick-thinking Myra suggested a solution. Alex, embarrassed, thought perhaps if he mentioned the stones first, he could be a hero in her eyes. She used the stone, infusing it with her energy. It glowed immediately.
Chain, meanwhile, was gathering everyone. With night falling, he brought the groups together to search for Alex. Seeing the signal stone's light, Chain followed it, marking trees along the way to prevent future confusion. Many had gotten lost, so he assumed Alex too was lost in the forest. Soon, Chain and the others found Alex and Myra. Without a word, they all returned to camp.
The academy had provided each team with seven days' worth of food upon entering the forest. After that, they would need to procure it themselves—another part of the test. Despite the many demonic beasts, ordinary animals remained, along with fruits, plants, and medicinal herbs energized by high-level mana.
Meat soup was cooked, and everyone sat around the campfire, finishing their meal and chatting.
"—Myra, you're a duke's daughter. If you're interested in the tower, why?" Luba asked suddenly. From what he knew, nobles entered the tower only for power—but Myra seemed different.
"—I heard the tower is an interesting place. I want to see it," Myra replied, smiling. Luba couldn't help but grin; the tower was far from fun, but those inside knew the truth. He said nothing more.
Chain was explaining aura concepts to Dufes and Zeab, while Luba chatted with Myra. Eba and Mio practiced spell chanting. Snira had entered her tent. Only Alex sat alone by the fire, staring at it and reflecting on the past.
---
(Three Days Earlier)
Alex had practiced chanting, but his spells never worked properly. He had recently absorbed a medicine pill made by his mother, though its energy was nearly depleted. Suddenly, the ring spoke:
"—Master, your chanting is incorrect. Normally, one asks for assistance from the mana lord, who helps execute the spell. But you will receive no help from the mana lord here."
"—Does that mean I can't use spells?" Alex said, dejected.
Seeing his disappointment, the ring spoke cheerfully:
"—Master, since you possess the Ring of Beelzebub, the mana lord will not intervene. But that does not mean your orders are ignored. My former master, Beelzebub, was a dark lord. Since you have his ring, you will not seek help."
"—Then I should command the mana lord?" Alex understood the ring's words. Though he did not know all of Beelzebub's identity, he sensed the immense power it held. Alex glanced at the massive tower; he would soon need to go there to uncover mysteries: Who were the Demans? What was the Tower's secret? Who was the mana lord? Without answers, his curiosity would remain unsatisfied.
"—O Great Mana Lord, I am Dark Lord. Please listen to my call and dominate the world: 'Dark Ball.'"
The chant arose in his mind automatically. Alex did not understand what was happening; it felt as though a black shadow had instructed him. A dark ball formed from the energy stored in his ring. Though he had never used a spell before, he realized this spell could destroy his garden. He mentally reduced its energy, shrinking the dark ball.
A short while later, Alex made a new discovery:
1. He no longer needed extended chanting; merely naming the spell activated it.
2. He could now control mana through his thoughts, directing the spell's power as he wished.
(As Alex)
I could now use spells like everyone else. Lacking a mana core, I had previously struggled. But I created a new system. I understood how spells functioned, likely aided by science. Magic gives physical form to imaginary things, and spells operate similarly. For instance, to cast a water ball spell, one imagines the ball in the mind; chanting merely helps. If correctly imagined, the spell works.
Perhaps in a world with such magic, Einstein or Newton would not have researched science—they would have developed theories like mine. In a sense, I am the magic scientist of this world. But enough philosophy; back to theory.
To use a spell, one must imagine it correctly. I realized this while casting without chanting. Though naming the spell is necessary, correct imagination could bypass even that.
"—So if I imagine another form through chanting, it should create a new spell?" I exclaimed excitedly.
Remembering my skills, I tried using Dark Fire, my black flame skill. This belonged to the dark attribute. I imagined it accurately through the skill, then added a bomb. Boom, boom, kaboom.
I never imagined creating a spell could be so easy. I expected it to require extensive research. Yet in a few attempts, I created a new spell: Dark Flame Blast. I obliterated my garden out of curiosity, unfazed by my mother's scolding. My father's training required running through the garden, which conveniently solved my problem.
---
Present Time
Everyone returned to their tents. The five girls' tents lined one side, the four boys' the other. Each tent had a bed and a small light stone—a stone imbued with light magic, which could be toggled on or off with energy. All lights were off except Alex's, as he meditated. Meditation bored him; sitting quietly was tedious. He ended the session, now with enough energy to summon ten skeleton soldiers. They could be summoned anytime, though energy was required. The ring remained in sleep mode.
"—Skill menu," Alex murmured.
Alex had no desire to speak to the ring; talking to himself might seem insane. The ring projected a screen showing all his skills and titles. He focused only on his skeleton army.
He learned he could summon all ten skeleton soldiers anytime, but energy was required. As long as energy remained, none of the soldiers could be killed permanently; if one died, it could be resummoned. Alex smiled:
"—So these bones are immortal. As long as I have energy, they live."
Alex continued researching. Leveling up would allow him to create stronger skeletons.
---
Deep within the Demonic Forest, a small barrier concealed a portal. A devil named Kemoras guarded it. Though humanoid in appearance, anyone could tell the difference. His red eyes glowed in the dark. Three had come through the portal; two left the forest, but the third remained behind the barrier on orders from his brother:
"—No one may enter the portal."
Kemoras was lethargic, constantly sleepy. Without this mission from his master and brothers, he would have remained in deep slumber. The task kept him awake, though he was bored. His brothers had assigned him even more monotonous duties.
"—Guarding like this makes me sleepy… but the master forbade sleeping. What should I do?"
Kemoras had created the barrier to prevent beasts or demonic entities from reaching the portal. But that was not his main reason—he had placed a body double inside the barrier and gone off exploring. He could sense humans nearby, fragile and delectable.
---
To Be Continued…
---