In his previous life, he had just graduated and was joyfully planning a graduation trip of his own.

  However, fate played a ridiculous joke on him at the very moment he was full of ambition.

  It was a foggy morning. Allen was jogging along the street, his headphones playing rousing music.

  After several nights of staying up to plan his trip, his body was already a little weak.

  As he crossed an intersection, a sharp screech of brakes tore through the morning silence. He only felt an irresistible force hitting him from the side.

  Before his consciousness completely fell into darkness, the last thing he saw was a blood-stained windshield.

  When he opened his eyes again, there was no ambulance siren, and no pungent smell of disinfectant.

  Allen Thorne had transmigrated.

  The world he found himself in was called Aethoris, a continent brimming with magical power and scattered with miracles, yet full of hidden dangers.

  Magic Guilds were scattered everywhere, Shadow Creatures roamed freely, and the world was one where only the strong survived.

  In his previous life, Allen had been an avid reader of fantasy novels, so it did not take long for him to reluctantly accept the reality of his transmigration.

  But the only thing that made him uneasy was the difference in circumstances. Normally, when people transmigrated, they were either young people born with rare magical talent, or reckless scions of noble families who used the knowledge of two lifetimes to climb to the top of life.

  Allen was different. Based on the fragmented memories and observations of the past few days, his identity was rather unusual.

  The place he now lived was a castle perched on the edge of an abyss. The air inside was thick with shadow energy. Twisted magical runes were carved into the walls, giving the place a cold and oppressive atmosphere.

  Every day, a group of strangely shaped Shadow Creatures gathered outside his chambers, chanting slogans in hoarse voices.

  "Master of the Abyss, may your might endure forever. In the name of Thorne, rule over all demons!"

  At first, Allen did not dare to ask questions. He could only pretend to be dignified and respond silently, all the while observing everything frantically.

  After several days, he came to a conclusion that made his scalp tingle.

  He had become a member of the dark faction. And judging by the scene, his rank was certainly not low. At the very least, he was a leader capable of commanding a group of Shadow Creatures.

  The moment he realized this, Allen panicked completely.

  In every fantasy novel or game setting he had read in his previous life, top-tier characters from the dark faction never had a happy ending.

  They were either hunted down and eradicated by forces of light, or reduced to nothing more than experience points for the protagonist's journey.

  Allen tossed and turned, knowing he had to escape this fate as quickly as possible.

  But there was a crucial problem in front of him. He knew he was a leader, but he had no clear idea of his actual rank.

  If he was merely a Soldier Demon commanding a few goblins, it would be manageable. He could disguise himself as an ordinary person, join a faction of the forces of light, and try to redeem himself.

  But if he was a Demon Lord known across the lands, even if he sincerely repented, no righteous mage would ever spare him.

  Over the next few days, Allen began probing carefully to determine his exact status.

  He used the excuse of inspecting his territory to question his closest demon attendants, and deliberately mentioned recent conflicts with the forces of light during meetings, trying to draw out more information.

  Finally, on the third day, Allen completely understood his identity.

  His predecessor was an unparalleled existence within the entire Demon Tribe: Demon King Allen Thorne!

  He was not only the leader of the dark faction, but the ruler of the Demon Tribe.

  The forces of light across the continent regarded him as a major threat. On the bounty boards, his head was worth hundreds of millions of magical crystals. They would kill him without hesitation if they could.

  The moment he fully grasped his identity, Allen leaned back on the cold throne, looking down at the demon attendants standing respectfully below, and nearly cried on the spot.

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  In fantasy stories, this was absolutely the type of character who met the most tragic end. After five full days of planning, Allen made up his mind. He would escape from the Demon Tribe.

  Let whoever wanted the title of Demon King have it. He was done with it. Staying every day in a dark and terrifying castle, surrounded by a group of Shadow Creatures who only knew killing and whose minds were twisted, made him feel on edge and terrified every single moment.

  Compared to these Shadow Creatures, Allen would much rather be around normal humans. Even those devoted followers of light who hated the dark faction with all their hearts were better company than these crazed beings who spent every day shouting slogans around him.

  One early morning, Allen summoned his Demon Archduke, a hunched figure cloaked in black.

  "Keller, I will soon enter deep seclusion to study higher-level dark arts. It may take ten or twenty years, perhaps even a hundred or more, before I emerge," Allen said.

  "Deliver my orders. During this period, no one may approach the seclusion hall without my permission. Anyone who disobeys shall be cast directly into the Abyssal Rift."

  Allen deliberately lowered his voice, imitating the cold and commanding tone of his predecessor, and added,

  "If this meditation succeeds, my magical power will reach new heights. Then, dealing with the so-called forces of light and the Magic Guild will be much easier, and I will be able to sweep them away at a single stroke."

  Keller was completely baffled. He thought to himself, Didn't this Demon King already become invincible a thousand years ago? The combined forces of light across the continent are no match for him. Is meditation really necessary?

  But he did not dare to question it. The authority of the Demon King was unquestionable. The thoughts of someone in power were never something their subordinates could fathom.

  Keller immediately bowed and replied,"I will follow the Demon King's orders. I will strictly enforce the prohibition and await your return from seclusion."

  Soon, news of the Demon King's seclusion spread throughout the Demon Tribe's territory. The Shadow Creatures restrained their agitation and returned to their duties. Not a single one dared slack off.

  Meanwhile, Allen had already blocked magical detection within the castle using dark magic. He changed into a rough cloth robe he had prepared in advance and fled the castle under the cover of night.

  He had long planned this escape. He would seek out a faction of the forces of light and disguise himself as a Freelance Mage with no background, infiltrating them to hide his identity.

  This way, he could quietly cleanse his identity without anyone noticing.

  No one in the forces of light would ever expect that the Demon King they hated so much would voluntarily hide among them, becoming one of their own.

  …

  "You said your name is Allen Thorne? And you are also a Freelance Mage?"

  "Your magical aura is almost imperceptible. Are you sure you want to join the Radiant Magic Academy?"

  The questions came from a team of Freelance Mages walking along a forest path toward the continent's most famous academy of the forces of light.

  Allen had been following them from a distance for some time, and finally understood.

  The Radiant Magic Academy specifically recruited Freelance Mages from all across the continent.

  For Allen, this was a godsend. If he could join the Radiant Magic Academy, he would effectively gain credentials within the forces of light. He would no longer have to live in constant fear of being hunted.

  Standing before him now was the leader of the group, a middle-aged mage with a full beard. A staff embedded with a Sunlight Crystal hung across his back. His gaze was filled with disdain as he looked at Allen.

  Behind him were six men and four women, ten young mages in total, all around twenty years old. They, too, cast him rejecting glances, whispering among themselves.

  A young female mage with a pretty face spoke before Allen could answer, frowning with impatience. Her tone was full of disdain."Do you even understand the rules? We are all part of a pre-formed enrollment team."

  "Right now, we still have a full five days of travel to reach the Radiant Magic Academy. Shadow Creatures roam the path, and with your magic level as a third-tier Magic Apprentice, you are not even cannon fodder!"

  Their team had been assembled specifically to participate in the once-every-ten-years enrollment event at the Radiant Magic Academy.

  The members had been organized before departure, so they were naturally unwilling to take along Allen, who appeared to be a completely useless burden.

  Although Allen had inherited the supreme magical power of his predecessor, the Demon King, he had not inherited a single memory.

  He was also unsure at what level he should hide his power, but then he thought, since he was going to study at the academy, his starting point could not be too high.

  After all, the academy preferred to recruit beginners with blank slates. If he showed excessively high magical talent from the start, it would arouse suspicion about his origins and might even lead to rejection. This was knowledge he had gathered from fantasy novels in his previous life.

  The middle-aged mage glanced at Allen and offered a perfunctory smile."She may have spoken harshly, but what she said is true."

  "Your magic is far too weak. Not far ahead is the Umbra Gorge, the only path to the Radiant Magic Academy. Shadow Creatures run rampant there. With your current strength, it is impossible for you to survive the passage."

  "Listen to me and turn back. While the Radiant Magic Academy is willing to accept apprentices with weak magical foundations, the premise is that you must survive long enough to reach the academy."

  He paused for a moment, as if seeing through Allen's thoughts, and added,"I know you are worried that if your power is too high, they will refuse you. You do not want to study too much and risk being rejected."

  "You should abandon that idea now. Focus on steadily improving your magical power. That is the proper way."

  Allen scratched his head awkwardly, forcing a simple smile, while in his heart he was already cursing the man in the harshest terms.

  Umbra Gorge? Shadow Creatures running rampant?

  This was practically an invitation from old acquaintances. He was the ultimate boss ruling the entire Demon Tribe. Those creatures were not even worthy of him lifting a finger.

  If these minor characters, whose names he had never even heard, knew that he was the boss of their boss's boss, they would probably have their souls scared out of them on the spot.

  But he could not afford to reveal his true identity yet. He had not successfully infiltrated the Radiant Magic Academy or obtained credentials in the forces of light.

  Although he had already changed his appearance and completely masked his Demon King aura, who knew whether these dark creatures had some special bloodline sensing or clan markings?

  The more Allen thought about it, the more uneasy he became. His smile gradually faded, leaving a bitter, conflicted expression on his face.

  Seeing his embarrassed expression, the young mages behind the middle-aged mage could not help but sneer.