Adam woke up, feeling the rush of adrenaline from earlier in the day. The battles with demons were starting to become routine, but he knew there was no time to waste. His path to becoming stronger, to mastering his powers, was just beginning.
Before heading to his next class—Demon Weapons—he decided to stop by the market to pick up some meat. With his powers steadily growing, his stat points were looking good, but there was always room for improvement. Plus, he needed to figure out the mystery of his tails—he knew the more tails he had, the stronger his flames became. But how did they work? That was still a puzzle.
As he grabbed his things, he pulled up the system interface.
"Hey, system, show me my stats," Adam said, letting the menu appear in front of him.
The system buzzed to life, showing his information:
[Race: Demon][Title: Leader][Demon Level 8][Level 40][Health: 200/200][Strength: 80][Agility: 95][Defense: 60][Tails: 3][EXP: 1,500/100,000][Ability: Elemental Switch]
"Hey, system, what exactly is this Demon rank?" Adam asked, narrowing his eyes.
"Oh, did I not leave that in the video?" came the familiar voice.
"Video guy?" Adam asked, a little puzzled.
"Yeah, it's me. Your mom designed the system to help you unlock your powers, train you for the inevitable demon war, or you could just... you know, rule them. Your rank as 'Leader' means you're part of one of the five demon families. When the head of the family dies, the third son is chosen as the new leader."
Adam blinked. "Wait... I'm the leader of a demon family?"
"Yep," the voice confirmed. "And your family is one of the five strongest demon families in existence. That means you're next in line to either lead your family or—" it paused, "—fight to keep your position."
"That's a lot to digest," Adam muttered, trying to wrap his head around it. "So... that's why I'm a 'Leader.' But what's the deal with being the third son?"
"That's how demon families work. When the leader dies, it's the third son who inherits the leadership. Your family's legacy is now in your hands, Adam."
Adam sat for a moment, his mind buzzing with new responsibilities and the knowledge of his family's legacy. He had always known there was something more to his powers, but this? It was way bigger than he ever imagined.
With a deep breath, he shook it off and prepared for his Demon Weapons class. He needed to keep his focus on getting stronger—he could think about family politics later.
When Adam arrived at the Demon Weapons class, he was the first one there. He looked around and spotted the instructor—Drake Laro. The man was in his mid-thirties, with long, unkempt hair and a casual, confident aura. He was practicing with a sword, his strikes fluid and precise.
"Are you just going to stand there, or are you going to introduce yourself?" Drake called out, not bothering to look up.
"Right, sorry," Adam said, stepping forward. "I'm Adam Foster," he said, bowing slightly out of respect.
Drake looked up with a raised eyebrow. "Class, gather round! My name is Drake Laro, and I'll be your instructor for the Demon Weapons class," he said, eyeing the students as they filed in. "Your first assignment is simple: pick a weapon, have it forged, and then come back with it. You'll need to hunt demons for materials first."
One of the students blinked in confusion. "Wait... you mean we have to make our own weapons?"
"Yep," Drake said, grinning wickedly. "And we'll be hunting demons to get the materials."
The class murmured nervously. One kid raised his hand. "Are you trying to get us killed?"
Drake shrugged nonchalantly. "If you die, don't worry. You'll have an extra life ability placed on you. When you die, you'll respawn right here, safe and sound. But you still have to face the demons."
Adam, feeling more confident now that he knew what was going on, spoke up. "Hey, Video guy, what's the strongest demon I should be worried about?"
"The Demon God," the voice answered through the system, calm and detached. "But don't stress about that. You won't face one yet. The strongest demons you'll deal with for now are god-tier and ruler-tier demons. They're around your current level."
Adam frowned. "So what's the difference between the Demon God and a god-tier demon?"
"The Demon God is way stronger. There's only one Demon God. The god-tier demons are powerful, but there are thousands of them," the voice explained.
Drake clapped his hands to get the class's attention. "Alright, enough chit-chat. Follow me through the portal," he said, pulling out a gun and shooting the floor. A swirling portal opened up beneath them.
They followed him through the portal, stepping into a dark, eerie place. It was pitch-black, but Adam's demon abilities allowed him to see perfectly. He quickly spotted Shawn and Elizabeth, who had also arrived.
"Shawn, you there?" Adam called out.
"Yeah, but where's Elizabeth?" Shawn asked.
"Over here," Adam said, gesturing to her in the distance.
They all gathered as Drake handed out special contact lenses that allowed them to see in the dark and provided them with basic Tier Demon gear.
"If you encounter anything above an intermediate demon, don't engage. Run," Drake warned. "Stay in groups and keep your eyes peeled."
Adam, Shawn, and Elizabeth teamed up and set off on their hunt.
"So, Adam, what weapon are you going to forge?" Shawn asked, eager to know.
"Full armor," Adam said with a grin.
"full armor?" Elizabeth asked, confused.
"Yeah, ," Adam said, holding his hand out. Flames flickered around his fingers, quickly shaping into two blazing blades. He swung them through the air, slicing through a demon in seconds.
[One intermediate demon killed – 5,000 EXP][6,500/100,000 EXP]
"Nice!" Adam muttered to himself, watching his EXP bar climb.
They continued their search, each demon they encountered falling before them. Adam's hunger for strength was unrelenting.
Eventually, they stumbled upon a ruler-tier demon. It stood tall, with red skin and massive horns, making it impossible to miss.
"Guys, stay back. This one's mine," Adam said, his voice firm.
Shawn shook his head, worried. "He's going to die."
Ignoring Shawn, Adam charged, his speed increasing with every step. His fiery arrows shot out, now enhanced with lightning, piercing the demon's back. It tried to dodge, but Adam was faster.
Then, something incredible happened. Adam felt flames surge from his lower back. Three tails sprouted from his spine, and his hair turned blue, flickering like flames. Fox ears appeared on his head, and his body moved with the agility of a fox.
Using his Fox Cloak, he raced forward on all fours, his fire blades in hand. With a powerful leap, he spun through the demon's chest, leaving a massive hole.
[200,000 EXP][500/100,500 EXP]
Adam stood over the fallen demon, his tails retracting back into his body. "Guys, check it out—this one had six ores," he said, grinning.
"How did you do that?" Elizabeth asked, stunned. "That was incredible!"
Shawn, equally shocked, shook his head. "How did you take down a ruler-tier demon by yourself?"
"It was weak," Adam said, his voice casual. "I bet you guys could do it too."
They quickly gathered the ores and made their way back to Drake, their bags full.
"We're done," they said in unison, emptying their bags of demon ores.
Drake raised an eyebrow, impressed. "You got all that in two hours?" He grinned. "Alright, follow me. Time to forge your weapons."
They stepped back through the portal and returned to the school, where they were finally able to divide up their earnings.
"Here," Adam said, handing Shawn and Elizabeth each ten advanced-tier ores. "You guys take these. I only need six for what I'm making."
"No way," Elizabeth said, pushing them back. "You did all the work. Take them all."
"Trust me," Adam said with a smirk. "Just take them. I've got my own plans."
With that, Adam made his way back to the dorms, eager to meet up with Max. As he walked, he heard a familiar voice.
"Oh, hey Adam! You ready to meet my brother?" Max grinned, clearly excited.