Nathan didn't know when, but a hand had already gone through his stomach. In shock, he looked down to see the grey-skinned arm with sharp, long black nails through his body. His vision was blurry, and his gaze became unfocused. In the distance, he could see the silhouette of a man, about twenty-three years of age. He had black hair, but his facial features could not be seen. Just like Nathan, the man had a grey arm going through his stomach. His face couldn't be seen, but from the slight tilt of his mouth, it was obvious that the man was smiling. Looming over him was a horned shadow, with a mocking grin on its face. The shadows cleared, at the face became visible, its red eyes staring at Nathan, its mocking grin more profound. "Run, Nathan" The man with an arm through his stomach said through burps of blood. The grin on the face of the demon became more profound. "Yes, run Nathan, or I, Valak, will kill you" "No" Nathan's eyes became focused again. He turned his head t

Right now, Nathan has a basic understanding of the system. The only thing he hadn't checked out was the system quests.Very quickly, he opened up the quest tab.[Available Quests][Exorcise 10 Lesser Demons(+ 5 Stat Points)][Reach Novice Grade 3 Before Entrance Exam (+ 1 Holy Skill)]Nathan had two thoughts on this: all that he needed to do was to do what was assigned to him by the system.With his situation understood, Nathan quickly stood up from his bed and went into the bathroom to freshen up.Within a few minutes, he was done, and he headed to the living room.Nathan and Jin were living in a two-bedroom apartment, the rent being paid fifty percent by each party. So Nathan had to take up a job working in a convenience store down the street just to pay his rent.As for Jin, he was a successful Qtuber who talked about the supernatural and unsolved mysteries. He went for explorations in abandoned ruins. Most times, he found nothing, but the thrill of not knowing what happened next g

In a few seconds, he made his decision and walked towards the path of strength. As soon as he stepped into the pathway, he felt something, like he was sealed. Immediately, he thought about activating one of his skills, and instead of the skill being activated, what he saw was a system message. [ERROR!! Holy Core Sealed]Nathan was surprised; this wasn't what he had expected. He never knew something like this was going to happen, but he didn't panic. He quickly tried activating his night gaze, but the same message appeared. "Valak, are you there?"Nathan asked, but he received no response. He didn't know whether he couldn't just communicate with Valak or if Valak just decided to mess with him at this point. But it didn't matter. "So this was a trap after all"Nathan said as he called up his system interface. [Name: Nathan Reyes][Race: Hybrid Lesser Demon][Demon Core: Monoceros (Grade 1)] (Sealed)[Holy Core: Novice (Grade 1)] (Sealed)[Sin: Gluttony][STR: 17][AGL:19][DEX: 15]

The hallway after the Path of Strength was narrow and silent. Blue light ran through shallow grooves in the stone floor, pulsing gently like a heartbeat. Nathan followed the light until it widened into another chamber.It was nothing like the first.The "floor" here wasn't a floor at all; it was an open void, stretching down into darkness so deep that Nathan couldn't see the bottom. Suspended in the air were floating platforms of various shapes and sizes. Some were wide and steady, others were little more than narrow planks. Many shifted slowly, either drifting from side to side or rotating just enough to throw off anyone who wasn't careful.Chains hung from the unseen ceiling above, connected to massive swinging blades. Some moved lazily, others fast enough that the edges blurred in the dim light. A low, rhythmic whoosh echoed through the chamber every time a blade passed.On the far side of the void was another stone doorway, smaller than the one at the end of the Strength trial, bu

The air inside the new chamber was colder.Nathan stepped through the arched doorway, and the stone slammed shut behind him. This was not like the other trials. There were no swinging blades, no shifting tiles, no cover.The arena was a wide, perfect circle of smooth black stone. The walls curved upward, vanishing into darkness. There was no door on the other side.Only silence.Then the voice came, deeper than before, with a weight that pressed into his chest:"To wield strength without speed is to be caught. To wield speed without strength is to be broken. Show me you can be both."Nathan stopped for a moment, the voice in his head giving him information, and every sentence it made had a profound meaning, something that Nathan admired.From the centre of the arena, the ground rippled. Stone flowed upward like liquid, forming a shape.It was a man.Same height as Nathan. Same build. Even the same face.But its eyes glowed faint silver, and in its hands were two daggers, one with a he