Getting My Barings

A crunching sound, not dissimilar to the grinding of bones in the jaws of a predator, could be keenly heard by anyone with even a slight degree of sense.

Lost in thought, I nearly even fooled myself; but it seemed that in my state of euphoric confidence, I would again grind my shoulders against my neck and head.

_How satisfying._

It was taunting, and kind of riveting in the moment. It was a territorial manoeuvre, but I justified it to myself since it kept the scales sharp and aerodynamic.

Along with that, not a single scale I launched in my prior panic landed their mark; I think it's because they couldn't fly with a straight trajectory...

_Hmm..._

I raised my arm and cast the scale covering my knuckle. I braced myself, but surprisingly, it moved with little speed. Fortunately, my suspicions were still confirmed after I witnessed the projectile swerve in the air, completely changing its path.

_That's unusual... Not the trajectory, but the sensation it gave me when I cast it. It was almost like throwing a weak punch. I could definitely put more of my back into it._

_Actually, it is level 2 now. Ah, and there is that 'Aphantic mana sense.' Why would I gain that if I wasn't using mana in some way? Let me check real quick..._

[[Health: 52/53] [Mana: 20/21]]

_It costs me health too? I mean, I guess it does sting. I've just been levelling up too fast because of my immense levels of talent._

_Speaking of talent, I just want to throw all my points into those two juicy stats. But I'm afraid I can't. I must be reasonable and restrain myself with my enormous willpower._

_Anyway, I need to take this seriously._

_I imagine then, I can add more mana into the scale-cast and further increase its power. Makes sense, but if I use the scales on my shoulders I don't need as much force since they're more appropriately shaped as well as sharper. If I want to do some kind of scatter blast like before, then I'll have to gauge the mana I put in to get the right spread._

_Damn, I really am, like, evolved for this place, huh..._

_Oh! I still need to look over the 'class' info. Well, I may as well check the rest of it out too and get a thorough understanding._

...

S_o 'Class' is surprisingly interesting. It appears to be some sort of framework or foundation that connects each component. Like some kind of dynamic spider web of mana pathways, except not at all. It interlinks the soul, the mind, and the body together, with different classes having different constructive natures that vary how you grow in strength_.

_So, for the time being, my abilities cannot influence my stats, and my soul cannot influence either._

_I tried to look over soul-type, but it seems I can't get any info until it's awakened. It's a little disappointing because I'm expecting it to be as significant as the body and mind; plus, inner-world sounds quite mystical, though I'm not sure how literally I should take the nam_e.

_I'm certainly not downplaying it after feeling a twinge of disappointment considering the possibility of an 'outer-world' soul-type... Well, fantasy is always better than reality, I s'pose._

_It's probably not even real._

_Anyway... The real dark-horse here is the special class. 'Contractor' sounded a little bland to me, and I didn't really ponder it too hard, but it's actually given me a crucial piece of information here._

_Once I evolve into a demon, I will be able to sense the desperate prayers of those around me, specifically those willing to give their souls in exchange for my fulfilling their wish. The stronger I become, the further I can 'detect' these calls for help._

_Sounds a bit gross, but for a while, I'll have to control their bodies like some sort of maniacal puppet master. Fortunately, I have access to their class benefits during this time, as well as my own, along with any compatible skills that I may have._

_Hehe, just imagine. I take the body of a feeble peasant afflicted by the world's many intentional pestilences and decimate the lives of all those who have wronged them..._

I couldn't help but rub my coarse hands together at the thought.

_Am I a Demon? Oh wait, yeah I am. Or at least I will be. Guess I've gotta evolve pretty quickly huh; it's probably a dangerous world out there._

_I feel like I'm forgetting something though... Ah, the most important part. Depending on the contract, I am able to bring back some of their strengths with me, be it a skill, stats, or anything else really. I can already imagine other demons just lounging around in a safe place waiting for easy opportunities to get stronger._

It was at this thought that I found myself drifting back into reality.

I had supposedly been happily meandering down the tunnel whilst also juggling the now detached scale between my hands.

The corpses, even with their quite vicious aromas, were nowhere to be found.

_Okay, I should be more cautious, especially after fighting that tentacle creature with the ability to alter the flexibility and rigidity of its legs like that. I didn't even notice or feel anything at the time._

After briefly glancing behind me and seeing only the same grayscale walls, I looked back to the stat screen.

[Stat Points: 10

[Strength: 3]

[Agility: 8]

[Mind: 3]

[Enyin: 6]

[Exyin: 6] ]

_Maybe I should increase strength a little... Even now, I find bracing for the scale-cast to be its biggest weakness, and if I start loading scatter shots up with my mana, then I could unintentionally turn into a projectile myself._

_Well, five and ten are nice, round numbers. Okay, let's throw them all in._

So, with as beaming of a smile as an Imp could muster, one that potentially looked like the ominous, sadistic posturing of an apex-predator, I dumped two into each stat.

[Remnant of the One: System Interface

[Name: Syrin] [Level: 4/10 (5/80 exp)]

[Health: 69/69] [Mana: 29/29]

[Bloodline: Imp]

[Soul-type: Inner-world (Unawakened)]

[Class: None]

[Special Class: Contractor]

[Stat Points: 0

[Strength: 5]

[Agility: 10]

[Mind: 5]

[Enyin: 8]

[Exyin: 8]]

[Abilities:

[Scratch lvl2] [Scale-cast lvl2] [Aphantic Mana Sense lvl1] [Stealth lvl1] [Ambidextrous Manoeuvring lvl1]]

[Titles:

[Synesthesic] ]

_And look at that, everything's regenerated. How convenient. And I feel more... Rigid? It's difficult to describe. I don't feel especially different, but when I think back to what I used to feel like when just moving around, the sensations are all just wrong. It's like my normal has changed, and I can only tell by thinking back to the past. Or I guess it's like everything else got weaker, even my past self. It's quite a dysphoric sensation in retrospect._

_Wait... Are the walls changing colour? No, it's a reflection, some kind of ambient light blanketing the ceiling with a cold yet soft grace._

_How illusory..._