Lily (1)

A young woman in her early twenties woke up late in the morning, her body drenched in cold sweat from a nightmare. She looked like she hadn't slept for months, with dark circles under her eyes.

She slowly exhaled and inhaled for a few minutes to calm her hurried breathing. She calmed down enough to whisper, "Status," and some sort of lame, game-like system panel appeared before her eyes.

It was in the form of a holographic screen that only she could see, even if someone was close by her side.

[System Panel]

Name: Lily

Age: 21

Lifespan: 80 (Higher lifespan is possible if the host can advance to a higher grade)

Race: Human

Ability Rank: F-Grade (Evolution to a higher grade is possible if the host can consume an energy source that comes from a lifeform of a higher grade)

Ability: Tame (Unknown Use)

She sighed, closed the status window with her mind, and made an exasperated comment. "Still the same, huh?"

She got off her small bed, yawning and stretching her limbs. For some light, she turned on her lamp, which cast a soft, dim glow.

Yawning once more, she proceeded to take off her nightgown. Left with nothing but her panties, the lamp cast a dim light on her torso, revealing many bruises.

There were many old bruises mixed in with new ones. Used to them by now, she barely acknowledged their existence. She wore her tights, sports bra, a black vest, and, lastly, her pair of worn-out running shoes.

When done dressing, she picked up her phone from the table and looked at the time. It said 4:04 a.m. She threw the phone on the bed and quietly unlocked her door.

Not bothering to lock it again, she walked out silently. She walked to the apartment's door and cast a solemn look at her father, passed out on the living room floor, with about ten bottles of alcohol by his side.

Her nose wrinkled from the stale smell wafting from him. Shaking her head, she headed out without another glance behind her.

The door wasn't locked, and she easily walked out in incognito.

Knowing her father, he had definitely come home late, drunk and had walked inside the apartment without bothering to lock, as per usual. Lily wasn't bothered It had become routine at this point.

When in the hallway, she ignored the old elevator and took the stairs instead. With a light jog, she quickly reached the lobby. She walked out of the apartment complex and was immediately assaulted by the cold morning breeze.

It was still dark out, and she could barely make out anything, even with the streetlights helping. She looked at the passing cars and let out a light exhale.

She turned to her left, and started jogging, heading towards the city's largest park.

Running had always made her feel better, as it helped her forget about her fucked-up life. It allowed her to think better, breathe better, she supposed—which was ironic, considering she jogged to keep her thoughts minimal and herself as breathless as possible.

At some point on her way to the park, her jog turned into a sprint. She ran and ran and ran, passing by many pedestrians off to work and many buildings, both old and new—well, as new as her world could ever afford to provide.

While running, she came across a villain and a hero, wearing their stupid tight costumes, fighting one another. She had to take a different route to avoid getting caught in the crossfire.

This world was one of mystery, an enigma that even the strongest humans most likely dared not uncover completely, especially regarding the origin of their abilities.

It had been fifty years since the first appearance of this system that barely did anything like today's RPG games, which have stats and characters allotted points for their attributes, allowing them to grow stronger.

The system humans got merely showed how advancing their awakened abilities would lead to a longer lifespan and stronger usage of their abilities—and only their abilities.

This meant their physical strength could only carry the burden of their ability. For example, a fire user could endure the torturous heat of their flames without burning themselves to ashes.

Basically, without being born with a strength-type ability, it was nearly impossible for a human's physique to grow stronger.

Unfortunately, humans back then didn't understand much about the system or didn't care enough to learn their limitations.

All they focused on was the fact that killing those of higher rank than they were brought them closer to immortality. Those abilities that seemed like something out of a fantasy brought nothing but mayhem and chaos to the world.

Mothers cried for their sons, and fathers died for their daughters. Neighbors killed each other. It was truly insane times.

As suddenly as the system had introduced itself to the world, payment for their extraordinary abilities came to pass. Unknown, literal gates from foreign worlds opened up, spawning monsters worse than humans in both appearance and savagery.

Unable to fend for themselves, having been intoxicated with power and killing off many of their fellow humans, their race quickly dwindled. The monsters were strong, intelligent, and had no intention of sparing any humans.

When all hope seemed lost and humans awaited their extinction, the true rulers showed themselves after a thousand years of hiding in plain sight.

They called themselves demon-kin. They looked eerily similar to humans, with the exception of their tails, horns, and strikingly beautiful features.

Both the male and female demon-kin were like angels disguised as demons—that's how beautiful they were.

They helped the humans with their spawning problem of monsters, then helped them rebuild their world structure, restoring it to its past glory and even surpassing it.

The humans soon learned they didn't have to kill each other, as they could partake in dangerous adventures inside the gates and become stronger.

Sometimes, on their quests, they met up with demon-kin, who were also gifted with the system and wouldn't pass up the chance to grow even stronger.

Of course, each time humans met demon-kin, enchanted by their beauty, they tried to force themselves on them. This included women who threw themselves at the male demon-kin.

But would demons, surrounded by beautiful people their entire lives, be willing to settle for mere potato-looking pigs? Of course not.

Without fail, all humans who thought themselves superior were castrated, tortured, and killed. Humans outside, who never once tried to mess with the demons, didn't know how frightening they were and thought all those who never returned from inside the gates were killed by monsters.

Lusting for power after experiencing some minor boosts from adventuring the gates to other realms, and trying to fulfill their primal instincts, humans initiated a war with the demon-kin. They tried to forcibly learn their ways, make their men and women slaves, and reduce them to mere playthings.

It was then that all those who now stood alive because of their long lifespans—and hadn't partaken in the petty, ungrateful war of the greedy humans—learned to fear what is now known as the Demon Nation.