Its lips stretched into a grin, revealing rows of teeth that looked more like blades.
’What the hell—’
The statue vanished.
Before I could even blink, something slammed into my chest and sent me flying.
CRASH!
I hit the wall hard enough to knock the air from my lungs.
"Fuck!!!!"
I forced my eyes open just as the statue’s blade came slicing toward my neck.
’How the hell did it—’
"You passed."
My consciousness faded, and when I opened my eyes again, I was back in my room, gasping for air.
The statue was gone.
The dark cave was gone.
But every damn death was still fresh in my mind.
"You asshole System!"
I slammed my fist against the mattress.
"What kind of trial makes someone die twenty fucking times?! A warning would’ve been nice!"
[The host was warned.]
I stopped.
"...That’s not the point."
I sighed and took a few deep breaths to calm down. That’s when the smell hit me.
’What’s that smell?’
I looked down. My bedsheet was soaked with sweat, and I smelled like dead fish left out in the sun.
"IT’S ME!"
I rushed into the bathroom and flicked on the light.
One look in the mirror nearly made me throw up. My entire body was coated in thick, black slime.
I was about to turn away in disgust when I noticed how much thinner my body looked beneath all that sludge.
My stomach was smaller, and my face looked less bloated.
Now that got me excited.
"Status."
Name: Raven Park
Level: 2
— Personal Attributes —
Strength: D
Agility: D+
Stamina: D-
Intelligence: B-
Charisma: D+
Attribute Points: 0
— Cult Attributes —
All my physical stats shot up across the board. Even my Charisma climbed to D+.
Getting this much of a boost through Attribute Points would’ve cost me a fortune.
Another notification appeared.
[Wise King’s Sealed Demon]
[Furcas: Can be summoned once a month]
[Duration: 1 minute.]
Name: Furcas
Rank: Knight
Status: Weakened
— Personal Attributes —
Strength: A+
Agility: A+
Stamina: A+
Demonic Presence: D+
— Demon Attributes —
(Locked)
Okay.
Maybe getting killed more times than I cared to count was worth it.
Furcas’s stats were ridiculous, and this was supposed to be his weakened state.
Just how fucking strong was he at full strength?
If things ever went south, having a monster like him around could save my ass.
Hell, considering the bastard was made of stone, being bulletproof should be the bare minimum.
One unfamiliar stat caught my attention: Demonic Presence.
’Was it supposed to make him even scarier than he already was?’
That reminded me of the First Doctrine.
’System, does the First Doctrine have something to do with Demonic Presence, or demons in general?’
[Sealed Demons and Doctrines serve different purposes.]
[However, both are necessary for the Cult Leader’s path.]
That only gave me more questions than answers.
Still, having a demon like Furcas could open up plenty of opportunities.
With a face like that, he could easily scare the shit out of anyone. Hell, I wouldn’t be surprised if people started kneeling in submission.
Then again, there was a very good chance they’d report me to the nearest church instead. Next thing I knew, I’d have a bunch of priests trying to exorcise my ass.
Yeah. I’d rather not take that risk.
’Guess I’ll have to do the convincing myself.’
.
.
.
The next morning, I stood in front of the mirror after my bath and frowned.
I was noticeably thinner now. Celine would definitely notice.
’Need a plan.’
I dug through my closet and pulled out the baggiest clothes I could find.
Then I put another shirt over the first one. It was ridiculous, but I didn’t have much of a choice.
After I was satisfied, I headed downstairs, half-expecting to run into my uncle.
Thankfully, he’d already left on another business trip.
’Good. One less thing to worry about.’
Those ridiculous attributes still bothered me, but I had enough problems of my own without getting involved in his business.
Celine was sitting on the sofa when I reached the living room, staring at the television with a tired expression.
"Are you going out?" she asked without turning around as I reached for the door.
"Yeah. I thought I’d go for a walk and get some exercise. Do you want me to buy something while I’m out?"
"No." She shook her head and went back to watching TV.
Since she didn’t seem interested in talking, I left her alone and headed outside.
Once I was far enough from the house, the heat started getting to me, so I took off the extra layers and stuffed them into my bag.
Feeling much more comfortable, I continued walking around the neighborhood, enjoying how light my body felt. My legs weren’t getting tired nearly as quickly as before, and even my breathing had improved.
Curious to see how far I could push myself, I picked up my pace until my walk gradually turned into a jog.
’I missed this feeling—’
"Raven, is that you?"
I stopped mid-step.
I knew that voice.