Chapter 1: The System

Sarah woke up to the sound of screaming. She could hear faint sirens and what sounded like explosions in the distance, kicking in her adrenaline and helping to turn her fully awake in moments. Not knowing how long had passed, she quickly realized she was lying on the cold ground in the cellar where her ritual had taken place. Her eyes began to focus, and she saw some blurred text in front of her.

I summoned a demon. Fuck. The ritual worked. What. Soul compatibility? Oh god, she thought, only now coming to terms with what had occurred and just how thoroughly screwed she likely is. Well at least the teacher should give me a LOT of bonus marks. I had the camera on, right?

Sarah’s eyes finally focused enough for her to be able to read the new text in front of her.

Congratulations Earth, you are now the 281,730,198,001,076th planet to enter The System.

To view hosts information, think ‘status’.

You have successfully completed a [Greater Demonic Ritual]

Ability Unlocked: [Ritual Magic] Level 1

- Based on the ritual undertaken, summons a being, an object or energy from another world to temporarily follow the user’s will.

- The summon is affected by elements such as strength of the user, components used in the ritual, and sacrifices made to the being.

[Ritual Magic] Level 1 -> Level 10 (MAX)

As one of the first of your world to cast magic, you have unlocked the ability;

[Mana Manipulation] Level 1

- You can feel the mana of the world, and command it to follow your will.

And the Title;

[Magical Forerunner]

- +2 Wisdom, +2 Intelligence.

- 5% increased mana efficiency when equipped

[Mana Manipulation] Level 1 -> Level 2

As the first to unlock a Title, you have unlocked the Title: [First Among Equals]

- +2 Wisdom, +1 to all stats.

- All stats further increased by +1 while equipped

Due to your actions, you have unlocked the Common class [Summoner].

Requirements:

- [Ritual Magic] or [Summoning]

- [Mana Manipulation]

Through your own power, you bend the minds of another world to your will. Class bonuses of +2 Int, +2 Wis.

As you have gazed deep into yourself, you found your spirit gazing back at you, you have unlocked the ability;

[Soul Sense] Level 1

- Allows you to sense both your own soul and the souls of others at a similar strength to you.

And the Title;

[Spiritualist]

- +1 Wisdom.

- Damage taken to the soul reduced by 10% while equipped

Due to your actions, your class of [Summoner] has evolved into the Rare class [Demonologist].

Requirements:

- Complete a high tier [Demonic Ritual]

Rituals are feared by many, and demons by more, but you have persevered to reach the peak of such summoning by calling forth a true demon and surviving. Class bonuses evolved to +5 Int, +5 Wis.

Due to changes in your body, your race has evolved from [Human] into [Half-Greater Demon]

- [Mana Manipulation] Level 2 has become -> [Demonic Mana Manipulation] Level 2

- Your blood now fills with demonic energy and it circulates within you. Demonic attributed mana may be used to heal you, while holy mana will cause greater damage.

Due to your actions, your class of [Demonologist] has evolved into the Epic class [Hellbringer].

Requirements:

- Member of the race of Greater Demons

- Capable of utilizing [Demonic Mana]

- [Summoner] Class specialization

Rulers of the underworld, the Greater Demons, are feared by many for their unstoppable power and prowess in battle. You have walked the path of a summoner, and as a titan of Hell you wield your power to call others to serve. Class bonuses evolved to +10 Int, +10 Wis.

Various stats have increased. Totaled; +15 Wis, +12 Int, +1 All

The text faded away as Sarah read it, still in disbelief of what had occurred. I am a Demon? No, half-Demon? Half-Greater Demon? And what were these stat increases, a game?

Wow, what’s in these candles. Is this the smoke, have I gone crazy? No, something happened. Am I going through shock? That’s it. PTSD like those Roman legionnaires that we studied or soldiers in World War 2. What do I do? The pop ups mentioned something about a status. She was panicking at this point and her mind went on overdrive.

Still not expecting anything to happen, she called out “status” and to her disbelief, more text appeared in front of her.

Status:

Name: Sarah Rose

Race: Half-Greater Demon

Title: -Not Equipped-

Level: 0 Class: Hellbringer

Strength: 7->8 Agility: 6->7

Wisdom: 8->23 Intelligence: 9->22

Vitality: 7->8 Endurance: 6->7

Charisma: 7->8 Luck: 13->14

Unused Stat Points: 0

She couldn’t believe what she saw on the box that appeared in front of her.

“8! No way is my charisma only 8!”

“I would have to disagree, the succubae from my plane are far more attractive.”

That’s it, I’m definitely insane, that’s the only reasonable explanation. Weird text, stat sheets, abysmal charisma scores, and finally a voice in my head.

“Not an inaccurate claim, you would have had to be insane to try and summon me, a king of Hell, either that or your luck is far higher than the measly 14 the system has given you.”

A king of hell, it was here that she finally cast her mind back to who she had called in her ritual and came to the realization.

“You wouldn’t happen to be Lucifer, would you?”

“…”

She practically felt the eye-roll the demon gave her, or at least metaphorically as it probably didn’t have a body while inside her soul, did it?

“That is unfortunately correct, I currently remain trapped within your soul, allowing me to communicate with you and view the world through your pitifully weak body.”

Ouch, to be honest she had probably needed to hit the gym if her stats had been any indication. However, it seemed that, among other stat changes, her strength had increased to 8 from the title she was given. Take that 3-month expired gym membership! Now I only have to deal with the fact I’m half-demon and the system has decided to merge my soul with something that doesn’t even exist. Plus, the ominous noises of gunshots and explosions that came from above the basement seem to be getting louder.

“Before you do anything stupid, I would suggest you familiarize yourself with your class [Hellbringer] and try to use your [Demonic Mana Manipulation].”

“And why should I trust you Lucifer? After all, you are a demon.”

“You are weak, and I currently cannot break away from your soul until it becomes strong enough to handle the change, or I would be destroyed alongside it.”

Still lying on the ground where she had woken up, she could hear the gunshots directly overhead, along with shouting and screams. The noise is definitively closer now. Fearful for what was occurring above her but still dealing with what was happening inside her, she went through her options.

Looking at the fact that I am clearly in a game or something similar, surely figuring out my own abilities can only be a good move. Unless he just wants me to use the [Demonic Mana Manipulation] so he can gain some control over me, as it is demonic….

I’m surprised I haven’t had a panic attack yet, I mean I did nearly die and am like half possessed by a demon. Could be something to do with my high Intelligence and Wisdom scores, must have got them as bonus stats to my class. Maybe I should have a panic attack now, could help me relax a bit….

“I can read your thoughts human, and I will not let you get us killed by attracting too much attention while being as weak as you are. I am suppressing your emotions.”

Oh… so you’re like my inner demon now. You can read my thoughts, does that mean I don’t need to talk out loud to you?

“Yes, and others are not able to hear my words, for I speak to you through your soul.”

And so, my inner demon is messing with my emotions. Fitting I suppose. Although this is only making me more paranoid about having something else in my body.

“I have not controlled your emotions, only suppressed them so you do not faint like you did only a moment ago. Now even I am starting to worry about those explosions above, MOVE.”

She quickly stood up. Strange how one’s life can turn around so quickly, and even stranger when that change involves actually summoning a demon.

Guess the sheep’s blood was real then.