Chapter 7: Demon core

Théoden went through the new information and could somehow understand how the system worked. He knew the given status window from the games he played back on Earth but this one was similar but entirely different.

First, there were no quests. The system just functioned alongside his normal daily activities. He would gain stats by doing something repeatedly to the point of exhaustion which was no different from training. In other words, it was simply a mirror that showed his embodiment.

He, at the very least, could observe the progress he was having in real-time. He didn't quite understand the authority but he understood that it gave more benefits compared to when he had none. The whole requirements for advancement were not clarified. The system only demanded he gained strength.

'What type of strength? It...couldn't just want me to be rugged and brawny,...right?'

The new function was 'System Storage'. It seemed like a reward for gaining more authority or it was a perk of gaining the so-called authority. The layout of the storage was a bit different than he thought. It was four pages, each page visible of twenty-five boxes. One box was occupied which was labeled as an unclassified demon core. There was no description of how many objects or the capacity of each so it was not reliable to assume. He was happy that there were adequate boxes, nevertheless.

Thinking back to the previous day before falling asleep he saw a small ball similar to the one inside the box flow towards him and disappear. He unconsciously reached out to the occupied box, but it popped out before he could reach the hologram screen.

'How could I forget? The hologram is intangible.'

The ball appeared in his hand. That didn't quite explain how the system initiated the command to retrieve the ball.

'I just thought of it...is this how it works?'

The thing he discovered is that the system was following his thoughts and will. When he wanted something he could simply think of it appearing on his hand and it would. It was such an advanced technology far surpassing anything he had ever seen.

Having something like that attached to him was scary since it could read his mind, but since it was of help so far, it was no harm having it around. Not that he knew how to get rid of it in the first place.

He stared at the small ball in his hand. It could roughly fit within his closed palm. Similar to a marble. It was red and glowed in a dull light. It was like a heated stone that exuded some mist. It was cold to the touch.

Théoden thought it was deserving of something from a fantasy world where even demons existed. He wondered why the system specifically stored this in his storage when he had just come to learn of its existence that very day. It was indeed a mystery.

[Would Host like to absorb the unclassified demon core?]

'I guess I know why now.'

[Choice: Yes / No.]

'Why would it display it when I can't touch it?'

The thought of it a while. The core had to be something special. Given the few conclusions he had drawn so far, he was sure the system would never recommend something that could harm him. They were in a symbiotic relationship so it was only right for the system to want the best for its host.

With that, he thought of 'yes' as the answer.

[Skill: Devour activated on the target unclassified demon core]

The sore shattered into mist and dissolved within him. The warm fuzzy feeling he awaited was nowhere to be felt. Instead, he was followed by agonizing pain.

'W-why?'

[Unclassified demon core fusion rate: 1%]

With the pain that followed he could not help but fall over his body as could not help it. Théoden was writhing in agony as small groans escaped his lips. He tightly bit the cloth that was nearby to spot the urge to scream or bite his tongue.

His body audibly shattered and crackled. His bones seemed to be broken and mended the shattered once more. The process of reconstructing his body was more than he could sanely bear.

However, he was beginning to lose his sanity at that point. He couldn't fall unconscious due to the immense pain either. Amid the pain, there was the anticipation he felt in his very core.

[Unclassified demon core fusion rate: 7%]

The hologram message showed time went far too slowly to his dismay.

Enduring was hard, but what could he do? Somewhere deep down he knew there was something good from the agonizing pain. A reward he would receive. After all, you reap what you sow.

Somehow, he persisted as he was already shedding tears and could not stop them either. Not sobs or groans, but silent tears flowing showing the pain felt by his nerves. That would be the least form of release from the repetitive torture.

After an hour of torture, the rate still hadn't reached a full percentage. However, there was less pain at least. However, the traumatic experience Théoden went through still lingered in his mind. Testament to this is that his body still trembled as he curled himself tightly holding his knees close to himself. His eyes had long lost focus, but he wasn't asleep. He bared it all awake. They were bloodshot from all the tears he shed.

He was in a state of being conscious, but at the same time unconscious. A self-defense mechanism that occurred when the body determined that the mind could not endure the pain or surprise or trauma and cut nerval response during the time. So, Théoden could not feel the pain at this point, but that didn't mean the body didn't feel anything. It reacted appropriately since it was at the peak of this pain that his senses were cut off.

He still needed some rest to come to fully control his body once more. Another hour passed before he could wake up from his daze-like state. His breath was unusually shallow and calm at the same time. His arms and body had not regained enough strength but he could still manage to raise. He felt numb all over. His eyes had lost some light as they seemed dull.

The first nerves to reactivate must have been his mind. He raised his arms to touch his throbbing head when he felt a certain protrusion on his forehead.

'What...?'

[Host has successfully absorbed a percentage of the core to the body's current adaptability capacity.]

[Unclassified demon core fusion rate: 87%]

[The Host has gained changes from the core.]

[Gained Strength +4]

[Gained Dexterity +3]

[Gained Stamina +5]

[Gained Mana +5]

[Gained Intelligence +4]

'Wow. Is this real?'

The results were unbelievable. He wasn't wrong when he said the system wanted the best for its host. His gamble was worth it. His judgment was right at the very least. With a bit of good news, he moved his body with excitement only to find he was stronger than he thought.

When hitting the ground with his palm it went through the sandy ground. Something like this was not possible for his former self a few hours ago. The results were visible causing him even more joy.

'This feels great. My body feels so light. I could do a marathon.'

Théoden chuckled to himself before noticing a certain peculiar detail on his arms and legs. His happy thoughts froze at that second and his smile disappeared too fast. He felt that something was wrong. With that in mind, he remembered the incident when touching his forehead.

'What happened to me?'

His entire skin was a pale light shade of red. Like he was painted with diluted red ink. Not just his skin but his entire being. He quickly looked back at his system status. One thing had changed.

[Race: Human/demon]

His race. His race was different.

There were small horn-like protrusions on his head. His hair could cover that up, but not his entire skin. His eye's sclera had turned dark as the darkest night. His red iris was even more conspicuous.

Despite the body structure remaining the same, no one could tell he was even half human. He could not believe he was still human. His messy black hair which was formerly short grew to shoulder length much smoother and straight. His nails were like that of a cat. Sharp and hard, black and claw-like.

Théoden felt it instinctively, they were powerful to slice through a stone. His ears were sharp at the top. His teeth were saw-like sharp teeth. He could easily pierce his pinky with a touch.

'I was thinking of getting back the humanity I had lost a couple of hours ago, but now I don't think I am even human anymore.'

The next amazing change was his vision. He was able to see further and if he focused enough he could see things moving at a fast pace. Not that time slowed, but his eyes could follow the movement. As far as he was concerned, this was superhuman. His binocular vision range had increased by a few degrees as well.

Lastly, his strength. He could jump higher and run faster. The punch through the ground was just the start. He had so much strength that it was impossible to walk how he was used to walking.

'Haaah!'

Théoden sighed in resignation. He had seen too many things in a short period, his head would probably not keep up with him. However, ironically, it did process everything. A bit too calmingly. He neither panicked nor felt the need to even go back to his former self. His feeling had completely assimilated into the situation.

'I am weird...'

His mind was thinking differently. He needed to be in human form to meet other civilizations or he would remain stranded in the wilderness to survive without being hunted.

From Mallory's memories, demons were targets of hate and were deemed to be eliminated on sight. He was that very demon. Though half he knew very well how humans operated in the face of a potential threat. He was once one. He would have probably rejected even himself on sight if not for his unusual body.

The point was, he needed a way to survive, and being a demon was not one of the options. However, he still liked the benefits. With the looks of it if he would not come across any other civilization he would likely die of starvation and hunger. But the body he currently had didn't seem to need food too often. This would save his food poll and water supply for a longer time.

Nothing seemed to be working out like he wanted it, but the risk was not without rewards.

He lay back down thinking of his unforeseeable future.

Théoden smiled as he closed his eyes and let the sun warm his red tan skin.

'Let's not stress. It is not the worst that could happen.'

THE OMNIPOTENCE SYSTEM

[Name: Théoden Andras][Race: Human][Age : 16 years]

[Authority: Novice - Low]

[Attributes: Strength:9 Dexterity:10 Stamina:10 Mana/Magic:10(+0,4) Intelligence:10(+0,3)]

[Luck:???][Locked]

[Skills: Devour. Mind's eye.]

[Status: Normal]

[System Storage][Unlocked]