The Devil's Lust System

Anomaly Sensor

Edi stepped inside.

A young woman wearing a neat uniform greeted Edi from the empty reception desk. She smiled kindly, a smile that was slightly too wide.

“Good afternoon, how may I help you?” she asked in a practiced voice.

“Yes, good afternoon. I’m Edi, I’m here for an interview,” Edi said, extending his hand for a handshake.

She ignored Edi’s hand, but her smile didn't fade. “Please go up to the second floor, the very last room on the left. Mr. Malik is already waiting for you,” she said, pointing to the stairs with a graceful hand.

“Thank you,” Edi replied.

Edi climbed the stairs. The second floor was much darker and quieter than the ground floor. At the end of the corridor, he found the room in question. His heart began to pound faster, this time not from running, but from nervousness.

Edi pulled out his résumé. He took a deep breath. This was for Sella. For Father. For them.

“Knock, knock, knock.”

“Come in.” A heavy baritone voice sounded from within.

Edi opened the door. The room was spacious and luxurious, with a massive mahogany desk. A middle-aged man—Mr. Malik—sat behind the desk. He wore a perfectly neat gray suit.

“Good afternoon, Sir!” Edi greeted him as he stepped inside.

“Please sit down,” he replied, not offering a handshake. His face was friendly, but his eyes... his eyes looked vacant.

Edi sat in the chair opposite him and placed his résumé down. “Allow me to introduce myself, my name is Efendi, but I go by Edi. I’m here for the tutor position interview test. This is my résumé, you can look it over...”

Suddenly, Mr. Malik’s smile changed. It wasn't a friendly smile. It was a sneer. Just as suddenly, the room grew darker. A loud noise startled Edi: the door behind him had been slammed shut.

“That is irrelevant,” Mr. Malik cut him off, his tone now cold.

Edi turned instinctively. The receptionist, along with three burly men, were standing right behind him. They were all staring at Edi with glowing red eyes. The receptionist walked to the window, closed the heavy curtains, locking the room from the inside.

A suffocating fear spread from Edi's spine up to the crown of his head. Edi’s instinct screamed. This wasn't a job interview.

Edi looked back at Mr. Malik. “Excuse me, Sir. What is the meaning of this?” Edi asked, trying hard to control the tremor in his voice.

Mr. Malik merely chuckled. It was a laugh that made Edi nauseous. His eyes turned completely red, the color of fresh blood.

Edi looked back at the people behind him. They were drawing closer, stepping slowly, rhythmically. Their heads were tilted sideways. Then, the horrific transformation began.

A loud sound of cracking bone erupted, as if their joints were shattering. Their faces blackened, covered in coarse fur. Their red eyes grew large and bulged. Their mouths stretched wide, revealing rows of long yellow fangs. Their office attire ripped as their bodies swelled and morphed into the shape of monstrous beasts—Dog Demons. Low-grade Lycanthropes.

Edi's poor legs went weak and useless. He lurched backward, the chair beneath him toppling over. Edi scrambled away, trying to escape, but his back hit the cold wall.

Edi wanted to scream, to call for help, but his voice was trapped in his throat. They sneered at him, guttural laughter filling the stuffy room. They knew. They knew Edi was the perfect prey, paralyzed by terror.

Mr. Malik, who now had a furred snout, lunged first. His fangs slammed into Edi’s shoulder.

“Aaaaaaaarrrgggggghhh!!!” Edi finally found his voice, a scream of pain that shattered the room’s silence. A desperate cry.

The others followed. They swarmed Edi simultaneously. Sharp fangs tore through Edi's skin and flesh. He felt the bites, the pulling, the ripping. The stench of demonic breath and the metallic tang of his own blood filled his nose. The pain exploded across Edi's nerves—it hurt, it hurt so badly he couldn't process it anymore.

They pulled Edi’s flesh from the bone, devouring Edi alive. Blood began to spurt from Edi’s mouth and eyes. He gasped for air; every breath was torment. His body felt empty, leaving behind only incredible searing pain.

Edi was dying.

Flashback ends

Edi snapped back to the present. If he died, or worse, if he lost control and committed a crime, Sella would be ruined.

"Then how do I know where these Anomalies are?" Edi asked, his tone shifting, slightly calmer, more mission-oriented.

"Open the Anomaly Sensor in your System Interface," Sabrun instructed.

Edi focused on the virtual panel in his mind. He concentrated on the words ‘Anomaly Sensor.’ Instantly, the screen changed into a simple digital map of the city.

"That map will display the anomalies around you as blinking red dots. The larger the dot, the stronger the anomaly, and the greater the energy you will gain," Sabrun explained.

Edi scanned the dots around him. This business district was certainly busy.

Dot A: 5 km Distance. (Small, Pale Red).

Dot B: 2 km Distance. (Medium, Steady Red).

Dot C: 15 km Distance. (Large, Bright Red).

"The furthest one looks promising, Desmond," Sabrun said, jarring Edi's thoughts. "The energy you gain from your first intimate encounter will determine the initial limit of your power. Look for the largest one. Look for the most appealing one."

Edi stared at Dot C. It was in the elite district on the edge of the city, the area where the super-rich lived.

"I... I need to change back into Edi," he said, panicking. "I can't walk around there with a body this tall and conspicuous."

"Of course. Focus your mind on the form of Edi that you know."

Edi took a deep breath. He closed his eyes and thought of his old self—a skinny body, slightly hunched, thick glasses, a worn shirt. In an instant, a strange tingling sensation spread through his body. His bones shifted, his muscles softened. The clothes he had been wearing felt loose.

Edi opened his eyes. He saw his nerdy self again. The glasses he had taken off were now back on his nose. His white shirt, which had been covered in blood, was clean, as if washed in super detergent. Only the jacket he had taken from the shop remained.

"The transformation is complete. You can do this repeatedly, but remember: only as Desmond can you access all your Incubus abilities. Now, go to Dot C," Sabrun commanded.

"Why there?" Edi asked.

"I see Anomaly C’s profile. Her name is Amel. A socialite with very powerful connections. If you can acquire her, it’s a huge leap toward getting the capital, money, and power you need to pay your debt and keep Sella safe," Sabrun urged. "Besides, we don’t have time to hunt small prey."

Amel. A wealthy socialite. Edi’s target, the Anomaly woman who would be his first partner.

Edi knew he had to go there. He had to conquer her, gain her energy, and most importantly, save himself from the horror of the Incubus Rage.