For a long second, she lay there, struggling to draw in a breath. When she finally did, air wheezed into her lungs. So far, this wasn’t at all like what the others had described.
Finally able to breathe, she pushed herself into a sitting position and looked around at her surroundings. She’d landed in the middle of a ravine with sheer rock walls on either side. The earth underneath her was blackened and cracked, like it hadn’t tasted water in years. Nearby, a monstrous blanched ribcage spread open, while an immense bone rose from the ground beside her like a white obelisk.
She glanced up to see two red suns burning in the sky. Already, the intense heat was sapping her strength and making her feel sluggish. Before she did anything else, she needed to find some shelter. And then she had to find her guide and learn how to choose a class.
As if in response to her thoughts, a flood of text appeared in her vision.
You have unlocked the Holy System.
Congratulations! You have learned the racial skill, Demonic Blood, Level 2.
The blood of immortal demons burns in your veins and will instantly cauterize minor wounds before completely restoring the injured area. However, this skill cannot heal decapitations or brain injuries.
Congratulations! You have learned the skill, Demonic Intellect, Level 4.
A reincarnated soul from another world, your mind teems with powerful knowledge. This skill grants a significant bonus to leveling, along with learning new spells and skills.
Congratulations! You have learned the racial skill Tail Strike, Level 4.
Demons are renowned for launching deadly strikes with their tails. This skill grants a miniscule bonus to all tail attacks.
Congratulations! You have learned the racial skill Quick Claw, Level 2.
A swipe of sharp claws can end many battles before they begin. This ability grants a miniscule boost to the speed of your claw attacks.
This was followed by another long list of notifications for her regular skills.
Congratulations! You have learned the skill, Ambush Detection, Level 1.
Living in a state of perpetual alertness, you have learned how to sense an attack before it's launched. This skill provides a miniscule bonus to anticipating and responding to attacks.
Learn this skill? (Yes/No?)
Congratulations! You have learned the skill, Animal Caretaking, Level 1.
Standing guard against predators during the night and caring for your herd, you have learned the basics of how to keep domesticated animals healthy and productive. This skill provides a miniscule bonus to rearing, feeding, and breeding farm animals.
Learn this skill? (Yes/No?)
Congratulations! You have learned the skill, Baking. Level 1.
By laying out dough on hot stones, you have learned how to make simple loaves of bread. This skill provides you with a miniscule bonus to baking.
Learn this skill? (Yes/No?)
Congratulations! You have learned the skill, Cooking, Level 1.
Hovering over a hot cookfire, you have combined ingredients to make barely palatable dishes for others. This skill provides a miniscule bonus to cooking over an open fire.
Learn this skill? (Yes/No?)
Congratulations! You have learned the skill, Gardening, Level 1.
Toiling under the sun in a crop field, you have learned the most basic essentials of farming. This skill provides a miniscule bonus to planting and harvesting crops.
Learn this skill? (Yes/No?)
Congratulations! You have learned the skill Mucking, Level 1.
Being up to your ankles in animal dung doesn’t bother you, and you have learned how to clean out animal pens and stables. This skill provides a miniscule bonus to cleaning out animal waste from a building.
Learn this skill? (Yes/No?)
Congratulations! You have learned the skill, Running, Level 1.
Why walk when you can run? This skill provides a miniscule bonus to your Swiftness when you run.
Learn this skill? (Yes/No?)
Congratulations! You have learned the skill, Stick Wielding, Level 1.
Battling against monsters in the wild, you have learned how to swing a simple stick. This skill provides a miniscule bonus when fighting with a stick.
Learn this skill (Yes/No?)
Congratulations! You have learned the skill Subterfuge, Level 1.
A demon living among the mortal races brings many risks and dangers. This skill provides a miniscule bonus to hiding your race.
Learn this skill? (Yes/No?)
Reading over the text, she puffed out her cheeks and exhaled. She’d learned about skills from Ethel, but she hadn’t expected to receive so many. Most people were offered only one or two when they awakened. The sheer number must have something to do with her racial skill, [Demonic Intellect].
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Piper also wasn’t sure why all her racial skills were higher than her other ones. But based on her healing after the disastrous fight with the ooze, it seemed they’d been active before her awakening. She just couldn’t see them yet.
Since Ethel had told her she could remove and replace a skill at any time, she selected ‘Yes’ to all of them. Once she had finished, something she could only describe as a character sheet popped up in her vision.
Piper Ashcroft
Race: Shadeling, Level 1
Class: None selected
Attributes
Strength – 2
Dexterity – 2
Stamina - 3
Vitality – 4
Perception – 3
Swiftness - 2
Magic - 2
Mana - 10
Mana Regeneration - 10
Racial Skills (4/10)
- Demonic Blood, Level 2
- Demonic Intellect, Level 4
- Quick Claw, Level 2
- Tail Strike, Level 4
Skills (9/10)
- Ambush Detection, Level 1
- Animal Caretaking, Level 1
- Baking, Level 1
- Cooking, Level 1
- Gardening Level 1
- Mucking, Level 1
- Running, Level 1
- Stick Wielding, Level 1
- Subterfuge, Level 1
Class Skills and Spells (0/10)
- None
Now that all the prompts had been dealt with, she stood up and brushed the dark soil from her dress. As she did, she scanned the ravine for an exit. Neither direction looked particularly promising.
One end of the ravine opened up into a forest of black trees. At least they superficially resembled trees. While they had roots and a trunk, the branches had been replaced by squirming bundles of tentacles.
The other end of the ravine had a path that led toward a slumbering black dragon in the distance. Perched on top of the creature was an entire castle, with twisted towers, spikes protruding from the walls, and an entrance that had been fashioned into the shape of a screaming mouth. The dragon must truly be gigantic to carry a castle on its back.
Turning back to the forest, Piper recoiled as two trees snapped down, the tentacles shooting out at something she couldn’t see. She heard a high-pitched scream, and then terrible rending noises like meat being torn apart. At that moment, she suddenly decided she didn’t want to be here any longer.
“Is there any chance I can go to the spirit realm?” she called out. “I think there’s been a mistake. Hello?”
“Pathetic,” a deep voice said from directly behind her.
The sound made her whirl around to see a demon looming over her. It stood at least twelve feet tall and was dressed in richly embroidered robes. The demon was gaunt to the point of emaciation and had the pallid skin of a corpse.
But it was its inhuman head that made her stare. Aside from an opening for its mouth, the demon had no other features. No eyes, no ears, and no nose. And the skin was stretched taut across its skull, almost like it would tear at any second.
“Who are you?” she asked, trying to keep her voice from wavering.
“My name is Astaroth, and I am your guide,” he replied in a bored tone. “My duty is to escort you to where you may choose your class.” The demon paused before adding ominously, “Should you survive that long.”
“What do you mean, should I survive that long?” Piper demanded. “Why wouldn’t I survive?”
“This is a dangerous land,” he replied, angling his head slightly. “And while you cloak yourself in the image of a demon, you cannot hide the disgusting odor of humanity emanating from your soul. Many demons here will seek to slay you and consume your essence.”
“Consume my essence?” she squeaked. “I thought this was just about letting me choose my class?”
“Perhaps for the lower realms.” Astaroth clasped his bony hands in front of him. “Yet you sought out power in the Infernal Realm. Power is seized here—not granted. Were you truly so na?ve as not to know what you had sought to claim?”
“I didn’t seek anything out,” she protested. “I just ended up here.”
Astaroth’s forehead creased as he cocked his head to the side. “Could it be true?” he muttered. “No, such a thing is impossible.” He turned and began to glide in the direction of the black dragon. “Should you survive him, follow me.”
“Survive who?” As she spoke, she felt [Ambush Detection] activate and scream a warning. Without thinking, she whirled around and lashed out with her tail. The armored tip slammed into a diminutive demon’s head, sending it reeling to the side.
Piper crouched down in a fighting position. For the first time, she was grateful for Ophelia’s constant attacks. They had probably just saved her life. If her friend hadn’t tried to poke her with a stick daily, she might not have gotten the skill [Ambush Detection].
She backpedaled away from the demon, who stalked after her. The creature had tiny horns erupting from its forehead and skin that glowed like embers. Its limbs were unusually short for the size of its body, and it had a bulging round belly. It was probably only up to Piper’s waist, but that didn’t make it any less dangerous. Especially since it wielded a wicked-looking curved dagger in one hand.
Glancing over at Astaroth, she continued to retreat from the creature. “Aren’t you going to help me?”
“Why would I sully my hands for a human?” he asked drily.
“Because you’re supposed to be my guide!”
“And I will guide you when required.”
Piper focused on the demon, trying to figure out the best way to survive.
Leaping back, she barely avoided a swing of its knife. Her tail shot out instinctively, piercing its shoulder in reply. She ripped her tail free in a spray of blood, her stomach doing a flip-flop at the sight of it. She only wanted to disarm the demon, not kill it.
Her thoughts were interrupted as the ground trembled around the demon’s feet. A second later, it launched itself straight at her like a rocket. She couldn’t react in time, and the creature drove its dagger deep into her chest. With a cry of pain, she staggered back as the demon tore its weapon free and cackled with delight.
That had to be a skill, she thought to herself with growing alarm. There was no way it could move that fast normally.
She pressed a hand against her wound, blood dripping through her fingers. It was at that moment she realized it was her or the demon. She had to be brave and fight it. Only one of them was going to walk out of here alive.
Focusing her thoughts, she activated [Demonic Blood]. Her wound immediately sealed shut, but she still felt a faint ache in the area. Clearly, it hadn’t completely healed the injury. And when she looked over at her character sheet, she realized why. Using her racial skill had consumed all of her mana. She wouldn’t be able to heal a second time.
Backing away slowly, she raised her tail behind her like a scorpion ready to strike. She also lifted her hands, brandishing her claws at the demon.
This time, when the ground began to shudder under the demon’s feet, she was ready. Instead of trying to avoid its momentum, she activated [Tail Strike], praying it didn’t consume any mana.
Thankfully, her skill activated, and her tail shot out with blurring speed toward her target. With the momentum behind the demon’s skill, it couldn’t change its trajectory. The tip of her tail punched through its neck, emerging on the other side in a fountain of dark blood.
But she didn’t escape unscathed, and the creature’s final dagger thrust tore open a jagged gash along her hip. She bit back a scream of pain as she watched the demon lurch back, clutching at its throat. Its eyes bulged from its head as it struggled to breathe, but only a gurgle came out. Just when she was about to attack again, her attacker collapsed to the ground, where it twitched pitifully.
As her adrenaline ebbed, she leaned over and retched, horrified at what she’d done. While she’d killed the ooze in the past, it had been monstrous enough not to really bother her. But this felt like killing an actual person.
Congratulations! You have slain a Wasteland Imp, Level 3.
A significant bonus to experience has been granted for slaying a higher-level creature.
This was followed by another notification.
Ding! Your race, Shadeling, has reached Level 2.
+10 free attribute points.
Ding! Your racial skill, Tail Strike, has reached Level 5
Ding! Your skill Ambush Detection has reached Level 2.
Piper dismissed the prompts and sagged to the ground. She would figure out leveling later after she had a chance to rest and regain her mana.
“Well done,” Astaroth said. “I was pleasantly surprised when you didn’t immediately die. Tell me, how do you appear as a demon? I sense no illusion magic emanating from you nor any magic items on your person.”
“Because I am a demon,” Piper replied wearily. “Now, are you going to help choose my class?
“Yes,” the demon replied. “Should you survive the next threat.”
At his words, she looked up to see more imps pouring out of the dark forest. “Oh crap.”
“Yes, oh crap,” Astaroth said, nodding his head sagely. “Oh crap, indeed.”