One Step Immortal

God-Level Choice System

Jones stared at the Titan he had awakened.

It was a demon.

Its twisted horns curved menacingly from its head, and its enormous body was larger than a military tank. In its hand it gripped a flaming whip nearly five meters long. The creature let out a sinister laugh as its burning eyes locked onto Jones.

“Mortal… offer your flesh and blood as tribute and become my servant!”

Jones’s gaze turned icy.

He recognized the Titan immediately.

SS-Rank Titan — Hellfire Demon.

It was an incredibly terrifying Titan, possessing overwhelming combat power.

But it also carried a fatal flaw.

The Hellfire Demon could not be controlled by its hero.

And a hero who could not control their Titan was no different from an ordinary person.

Yet that wasn’t even the worst part.

According to historical records, the Hellfire Demon would continuously devour the flesh and blood of its host. Every hero who had awakened this Titan had died within three months. Not only had they failed to enjoy the strength of an SS-rank Titan—they had instead met an early death.

A wave of murmurs swept across the plaza.

“Hellfire Demon? That’s worse than even an F-rank Titan!”

“What a joke. Making such a huge spectacle only to awaken that trash.”

“I’ve heard heroes who awaken it usually don’t survive three months. Looks like Norman Academy’s brightest genius just became a short-lived tragedy.”

The crowd’s attitude changed almost instantly.

The admiration and respect from earlier had completely vanished, replaced by mockery and contempt.

The moment Jones awakened this Titan, the fate of the academy’s greatest genius had seemingly been sealed—like a falling star destined to burn out.

The teacher responsible for the awakening ceremony rushed forward almost immediately.

First, he looked at the shattered fragments of the Awakening Crystal scattered across the ground with obvious distress. Then he grabbed Jones by the collar, his face red with anger.

“You brat! You broke the Awakening Crystal! You’re going to pay for this!”

The Awakening Crystal was unimaginably expensive. Each one required enormous resources to create.

Now it had been destroyed during Jones’s awakening.

As the teacher responsible for the ceremony, if he didn’t force Jones to pay compensation, he might lose his job—one that paid an annual salary of two hundred thousand.

“Three million!” the teacher shouted. “Not a cent less! Otherwise, you’ll be sent straight to the front lines as cannon fodder!”

At that moment, the principal walked over.

The man who had spent the last three years showing Jones kindness and encouragement finally tore off his polite mask.

“Jones, you’ve disappointed me,” the principal said coldly. “Over the past three years, Norman Academy has awarded you two million in scholarships. And yet you awakened a Titan that’s worse than even an F-rank.”

“Now I demand that you return every cent of that two million within one month. If you fail, even if the Hellfire Demon kills you, the academy will still collect the debt from your family.”

His tone was filled with naked threat.

Jones came from the slums.

His family had no possible way of repaying a debt of two million.

And under the laws established after the Catastrophe Era, those unable to repay their debts would be sent to the front lines to fight monsters as expendable soldiers.

Jones slowly raised his head and looked at the principal and teacher before him.

His eyes were cold.

These people—who had treated him with respect and admiration for three years—had become as crude and aggressive as wild beasts the moment they realized he had awakened a worthless Titan.

Jones would never allow his family to suffer because of him.

His fingertips turned pale from clenching his fists so tightly.

He forced himself to calm down.

Five million…

I have to gather five million within one month.

Mom has washed countless dishes all these years just to support my education. I will never—never let this happen to her.

Taking a deep breath, Jones stared straight at the principal.

“Fine,” he said slowly.

“Five million.”

The moment he finished speaking, he turned to Catherine.

“Catherine, give me my bank card. I remember there’s still two million in it.”

Two million was an unimaginable fortune for ordinary people.

Jones had earned that money by accepting countless advertisements and endorsements, sacrificing nearly all of his time outside training.

As proof of his love, he had entrusted the entire amount to Catherine.

Originally, he had planned to use that money for Titan training after his awakening.

But now…

For someone who might not survive three months, money had lost its meaning.

Yet Catherine’s reaction made Jones feel both shocked and heartbroken.

“Those two million may have been earned by you,” Catherine said coldly, clutching her purse protectively, “but now they belong to me.”

“Jones, it’s time we ended this.”

Her eyes were filled with guarded hostility.

“From today on, I’m a genius who awakened an A-rank Titan. And you? You’re just a loser who awakened a useless Titan and won’t live longer than three months.”

Her words were sharp and merciless.

She seemed to have completely forgotten everything Jones had done for her.

Whether it was food, clothing, or daily expenses—Jones had never once treated her poorly.

But now, faced with two million in cash, she had no intention of sharing it with a man who was practically doomed to die.

At that moment, Jones laughed.

Yet the smile on his face was even more painful than tears.

He had once believed Catherine was his true love.

Someone he could trust for life.

Someone who would fight beside him against monsters, someone who would face every hardship with him.

But now, it all felt like a cruel joke played by fate.

“Five years ago… why did you help me?” Jones murmured.

“You were the one who pulled me out of hell. So why… drag me back into it now?”

Pain twisted through his chest. The fury of betrayal made his heart pound violently.

At this moment, Jones’s desire for power had never been stronger.

If he were powerful enough, his lover would never betray him.

Everyone would respect him.

Everyone would serve him with humility.

But no matter how strong his will was, it could not change reality.

He had awakened the Hellfire Demon.

And that meant he had already stepped into a dead end.

Then suddenly—

A voice echoed in his mind.

A voice that only Jones could hear.

“The Chosen One… As the one selected by the world, your legend is about to begin. The God-Level Choice System has been activated. Please make your selection.”

Option One:

Kneel and apologize to Catherine in front of everyone. Promise that the two million will forever belong to her, in exchange for a chance to reconcile.

Reward: You will exist as Catherine's simp, and be granted the chance to maintain a relationship with her, an A-rank talent awakener.

…

Option Two:

Publicly denounce Catherine as a bitch and take the silver necklace from her neck. This necklace is a rare artifact capable of forming a contract with the Hellfire Demon.

Reward: Receive a black card containing ten million and learn the method to completely control the Hellfire Demon.