"I am Azagrut, Demon of Chaos, harbinger of ruin and bearer of wrath. Remember my name, mortal, for it is I who decides your fate."
Kyle trembled after hearing the demon mention its name. Azagrut. He didn''t know how, but it was like the name was spoken directly into him. He couldn''t forget that name.
On the bright side, he was overjoyed that he had managed to survive, and from what he could make out, the demon might have just decided to spare his life—that was all that mattered at this moment.
The believe didn''tst for long though, as Azagrut had his hand directed towards Kyle with dark energy coiling and twisting around it like a living thing.
Kyle''s breath stopped the moment their gazes met once more; prompting him to begin panicking.
Had Azagrut changed his mind? Was this energy meant to end him? He could do nothing to stop the inevitable though, as Azagrut had already raised his hand, making the void around them to darken further and swallowing all traces while directing the chaotic energy into Kyle.
A blinding rush of heat immediately followed after and flooded through every of Kyle''s nerve and muscle upon it hit his body.
For a second, he thought he was burning alive and he began bracing himself for the unbearable agony that was to follow—only to find, surprisingly, that the energy coursing through him was warm, almostforting.
He could feel it washing over him like a gentle me and filling him up from the inside. But that warmth quickly twisted and warped into a feeling far moreplex and alien, then his vision blurred.
In an instant after his vision went off, he found himself being pulled into pulled into a vortex of visions so vivid they threatened to consume his very soul.
***
[You have awakened the Element: Chaos!]
Finally, after what felt like a cycle thatsted for eternity, the visions stopped, leaving Kyle gasping for breath.
But the endless barrage if visions that had threatened to make him insane kept on ying in his head for a moment before adjusted to reality.
Kyle felt drained, but there was a little madness in his eyes. He couldn''t help but appreciate what he saw. That was power. True chaos.
It made him crave such power. He wanted it all. His mind immediately got to work trying to process such vision before Azagrut''sughter broke the silence.
"HAHAHA!" heughed maniacally, 8the sound of hisughter echoing in the Void and threatening to damage Kyle''s eardrums.
"I knew I made the right choice... I HAVE CHOSEN A SPECIAL ONE!"
Kyle gulped as he witnessed his maniacalughter and his usual wide evil grin that slowly formed on his face. From what he could make out, it was a special feat to withstand those chaos trials.
Maybe... Few couldn''t survive. And... That meant: ''...There was a chance for me to have died.''
Kyle concluded with a grim expression, and from what he had read in the library. Death might have been an optimistic possibility. Something far worse could have happened to him... Like corruption.
Kyle clenched his fists in anger after the realization dawned upon him that he had been experimented on like ab rat. ''That asshole. I''ll make sure he pays dearly for trying such shit.''
Kyle didn''t know how he had thought of such curse words he had never before, or what confidence made him think bad about Azagrut, knowing fullly well there was a chance he could read his mind.
Azagrut who had been watching Kyle have his monologue, simply had an evil grin stered on his face.
He beganughing once again the moment his dark endless eyes met Kyle''s.
"You''re free to curse me all you want, but with time, you''ll understand... I''ll only pardon you for being able to withstand that, which had shown how valuable you are to me."
He paused for a moment to register Kyle''s expression as he spoke and as expected, Kyle was still boiling in anger. He didn''t pay him any heed though, ignoring him, he continued.
"Congrattions, mortal. You are now a benefactor of Chaos. Our fates are intertwined now," he added in finality. "Get stronger and prove yourself worthy of the path of destruction."
Azagrut''s figure began to fade immediately after he said this, his form dissolving back into the shadows like he was never there before.
But before he vanishedpletely, he cast onest look at Kyle. "Embrace the chaos, mortal. Be more... or perish."
A final, mockingugh echoed through the void, and with that, Kyle felt himself being pulled back, the world around him began warping, until...
***
In Kyle''s eyes snapped open, and he was back in Dan''s living room. The familiar surroundings looked almost alien after the horrors he had just experienced.
Ding!
As he tried to adjust himself, a soft chime sounded, and a series of notifications shed before his eyes.
[You have gained Azagrut''s blessing!]
[The demon Azagrut has chosen you as his vassal.
You will gain a special trait: Undying.
You will ess 1% of his mana reserves.
All your actions will be monitored by him.
The bond will dissolve if you be stronger.]
[Do you ept?]
[Yes] [No]
***
Kyle''s gaze lingered on the options disyed before him. Every fiber of his being urged him to press [No]
He didn''t want to be anyone''s pawn—not anymore. Kyle could still remember Azagrut''sughter echoing in his mind.
''I''ll never let anyone control me like that again,'' he vowed silently, hovering his fingers on rejection.
But just as he was about to seal his decision, the words [Undying] and "1% mana" shed before him, giving him a spark of interest.
Kyle already had ess to 1% of Elysia''s mana which have him infinite-like mana, but it wouldn''t be a bad idea if he could double his mana pool with Azagrut''s 1%.
That only applied only if they were if the same power level, which Kyle disagreed on. Azagrut''s fraction might even triple his current pool if he was right on their power difference. That would make him even more unstoppable.
As for the Undying trait, ''What the hell was that?'' Kyle wondered and as in reply to his thoughts, a new notification from the system blinked into view.
Kyle''s heart pounded as he read the description, and a grin stretched across his face.
[Undying: You''re able to regenerate your body to peak condition unlesspletely destroyed. Regeneration speed is also tremendously increased and is proportional to skill''s level]
Kyle''s eyes widened in awe as he understood the implications—he''ll be practically unkible.
Even in this world where magic and danger walked hand in hand, he would have an advantage that most could only dream of.
A slow smile curled on his lips, and he couldn''t deny how helpful the skill was. The skill was… broken. It was exactly what he needed. His hands still shook, but now it was with anticipation.
Kyle had already resolved himself to ept the blessing. He had to ept the reality that he was a pawn to Azagrut from the moment he opened that book, and that was solidified after he learned Chaos.
It didn''t mean he was ready to ept such fate. With time, Kyle believed he would grow stronger and no Angel nor Demon would try to control him anymore.
With onest look at the options, Kyle made his choice. His finger tapped [Yes] with confidence, stamping his decision.
Immediately he selected [Yes], Kyle could feel a mana signature imprinted on his, after which a surge of power surged through him.
What followed after was pain, pain that was meant to be unbearable. But Kyle easily handled it and stood his ground.
It wasn''t because the effect was less agonizing than Elysia''s blessing that Kyle managed to bear it—infact it was the opposite. Kyle felt this current sensation was meant to be worse than his previous.
Rather, it was him who have changed. Not only had his stats seen a huge leap from then, Kyle''s mental strength has also increased by leaps and bounds after the hell those visions had put him through.
Soon, what was meant to be a hellish experience for Kyle finally ended and he could see his stats.
———————
Beginner Mage: Lv 4
EXP: 491/6000
HP: 118*
Energy: 140*
MP: -*
Agility: 71*
Strength: 75*
Vitality: 59*
Stamina: 70*
Intelligence: 61*
SP: 0
[Elements]
[Skills]
[Lightning Bolt(Lv 1)]
[Lightning Dash(Lv 2)]
[Inspect(Lv 2)]
[Gobbler(Lv 2)]
[Undying]*
———————