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: Maintain your relationship with Catherine.
…
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.
Latest Chapter
The Knight
“Jones?” Catherine’s smile froze on her face.Why was he here?The one who was supposed to arrive was that mysterious figure—the powerhouse who had created the pillar of light and drawn the entire city’s attention.As for Jones—He should have been drowning in despair after awakening a useless SS-rank Titan, getting drunk in some bar, or desperately searching for a way to survive with less than a month to live.And yet—Here he was, at her party.A wave of dizziness hit Catherine. Her perfect plan was on the verge of collapsing.“Big sister…”Jones’s gaze fell on Lily.Her revealing outfit. The collar around her neck. The exposed skin—In an instant, a fury like a volcanic eruption surged through him.How could he not understand now?Lily had been tricked here—reduced to a plaything for these so-called elites.This was the “surprise” mentioned in the invitation?Turning his sister into an object?Unforgivable.Jones strode straight toward Lily. The guards tried to block him, but in hi
The Curtain Rises
At the party—A massive crystal chandelier cast shimmering patterns across the pristine marble floor. A jazz band played softly off to one side, while the air carried the sweet scent of champagne. Heirs of the great families, dressed in perfectly tailored suits, exchanged polite smiles and hollow toasts.Yet their attention never strayed from the center of the hall—where beautiful women were displayed like cheap commodities.Among them, Lily stood out the most.The most striking face. The most alluring figure. Naturally, she drew the most attention—and the most discussion. Under the weight of men’s possessive gazes, Lily lowered her head, helpless.Around her neck hung a humiliating silver collar. She wore a revealing black dress, thin and tight, the hem barely reaching mid-thigh. It clung to every curve of her body, radiating a dangerously seductive allure.The other women brought in to “entertain” tonight were dressed the same way, barefoot on the cold marble floor—stripped of even
SSS-Rank Titans
Was it better to cling to life for now… or risk everything for that final sliver of hope?For Jones, this had never been a question.Enduring the searing pain, he forced himself to his feet and charged straight into the flames, resolve written across his face.In an instant, the fire engulfed him.His skin blistered all over, swelling into countless burns. The pain was piercing, unbearable—his vision nearly gone. And yet, Jones didn’t hesitate. He pressed forward with savage determination, like the soldiers in the early days of the Cataclysm, who had charged fearlessly into endless hordes of monsters—meeting death with flesh and blood, defying fate with sheer will.Boom!Flames surged.Jones threw himself forward and locked his arms around the Hellfire Demon. Even as his hands nearly charred under the heat, he refused to let go.Outside, Karl’s shrill, mocking laughter never stopped. The pounding on the door came again and again, the noise crashing into Jones’s ears.But it only harde
The Life-and-Death Contract
The pain in his chest was unbearable.Yet Jones clenched his teeth and remained composed. Even as it felt like his heart was being hammered over and over again, not a single trace of panic showed on his face. He simply reached out and calmly took the black-gold card.Right at that moment—The materials required for the ritual were delivered with utmost care by a beautiful attendant: one hundred Titan cores and an ounce of Frost Crystal Essence.“I need a spacious room. No interruptions.”The contract ritual was extremely dangerous. Any disturbance could trigger a severe backlash.…Inside the room—The one hundred Titan cores were arranged in the shape of a pentagram. A mithril necklace had been crushed into fine powder, linking the energy of each core together. At the very center lay the Frost Crystal Essence.Under the chandelier’s glow, the entire formation shimmered with a cold, ice-blue light.Jones stepped into the center.It was time.Sensing danger, the Hellfire Demon lowered
A Billionaire
The game began.“I’m betting big!”Karl placed his wager first, absolute confidence written across his face. The DuPont family was powerful—even Blackwater Trading House had their people planted inside. Just moments ago, he had arranged for a device to be installed at the table, one that could subtly influence where the ball would land.For a seasoned gambler like him, there was no doubt—Jones was going to lose this round.With a dark look, Karl stared at Jones as if he were already a dead man.“Your turn. If I were you, I’d be on my knees begging for forgiveness right about now.”He had already made up his mind. Win or lose, he would have Jones seized and tortured to death.“You’re afraid,” Jones said calmly. “Afraid of losing.”His left hand brushed lightly over the black-gold card, a flicker of madness flashing in his eyes.“I bet on zero. But I want the odds raised to ten to one. And I’m adding another ten million.” He paused, then said coldly, “One round. Winner takes all. Let’s
Favored by the Goddess of Luck
Four-Favored by the Goddess of LuckJones walked down the street toward the trading house.“I’ve got the mithril… but I still need Titan cores and Ice Crystal Marrow,” he muttered to himself.Titan cores came from monsters. You had to fight for them—and even then, there was only about a ten percent chance of harvesting one from a corpse. Each core cost one hundred thousand.One hundred cores meant ten million.And that wasn’t all. To perform the ritual and forge a contract with the Infernal Flame Demon, he would also need Ice Crystal Marrow—another material that would cost roughly ten million.He didn’t have enough money.That was why he hadn’t repaid the five million he owed Norman Academy on the spot. Now that he had made up his mind, Jones was ready to go all in—whatever it took to control the SS-rank Titan, the Infernal Flame Demon.Before he knew it, he had arrived.Under the night sky, a gilded sign gleamed above the entrance, bearing four bold characters—Blackwater Trading Com
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