“System energy insufficient…”
“System energy insufficient…”
The blaring alarm jolted Carlo awake.
A dim red glow filtered through what looked like frosted glass from above.
But the ceiling seemed unnervingly low.
Carlo reached out and pushed. The “frosted glass” yielded with a soft press, forming a small dent before tearing apart with a crackling sound.
Light poured in, revealing a dark purple sky.
Seven crimson blood moons hung high in the heavens, while eerie howls echoed in the distance, mingled with a faint sulfur scent in the air.
“Scan complete. Host detected—Demon. Plane detected—Abyss… Energy insufficient, energy insufficient.”
The same voice that had awakened Carlo repeated its message, but before it could continue, it reverted to its monotonous alarm.
What on earth is this? Carlo’s head was a chaotic mess, throbbing painfully.
He tried to stand up to get a better look at his surroundings but stumbled and fell onto something slick beneath him.
It was only then that Carlo noticed his new state: slender, pale arms, a round, plump body, and something behind him—he turned his head and saw two thin, transparent bat wings. A spiked, soft tail trailed behind him as well.
He touched his head—smooth and hairless, with two small protrusions resembling goat horns.
Carlo finally grasped his new identity—a freshly hatched little demon in the Abyss.
How did a short nap turn into such a massive surprise? He felt stunned and helpless as he gazed at the landscape, where countless dark red demon eggs stretched as far as the eye could see. A multitude of small demons, each of different shapes and sizes, crawled out of their eggshells, forming an overwhelming sea.
A sea of demons.
Hunger. A sudden wave of hunger overtook Carlo’s mind.
Instinctively, he began searching for something to eat, but there was nothing around—only scattered eggs and broken eggshells.
Eggshells?
Carlo’s gaze fixed on the basin-sized eggshell from which he had just emerged. His mouth watered uncontrollably.
Those shattered, hard, and slightly disgusting eggshells now appeared as a gourmet feast to him.
Unable to resist any longer, Carlo lunged at them, grabbing a piece of the eggshell and stuffing it into his mouth.
It tasted a bit fishy, but it was indeed edible—crunchy, almost like a cracker.
In no time, Carlo had devoured all the eggshells around him. The hunger in his stomach subsided slightly, and he began to regain some strength. He could now stand upright and flap his wings a couple of times, though flying was still far off.
Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.
What should I do next? Carlo frowned.
This was the Abyss. It was his first time here, and he wasn’t exactly familiar with it.
As he pondered, the egg he had been lying on cracked open with a sharp sound.
To Carlo’s astonishment, a freshly hatched little demon emerged from the egg.
This demon bore no resemblance to a human. It looked more like a fusion of a lizard and a crab.
The Lizard-Crab demon opened its eyes and immediately began devouring its own eggshell. Its mouth, filled with sharp, needle-like teeth, quickly finished the shell, passing its birth phase in the blink of an eye.
Then, the Lizard-Crab’s beady eyes locked onto Carlo, an unmistakably wicked glint in them.
Carlo’s heart sank. He instantly understood the creature’s intent.
It wants to eat me?!
Instinctively, Carlo took two steps back, but the Lizard-Crab lunged forward, its jaws wide open, aiming straight for him.
Carlo sidestepped, and the Lizard-Crab missed, crashing into another nearby egg. The eggshell shattered, and dark red egg fluid oozed out.
The Lizard-Crab’s tiny nostrils flared as it sniffed the air. It quickly lost interest in Carlo and focused on the broken egg beneath it.
Its long, crimson tongue slithered out, greedily licking the egg fluid.
No, Carlo thought. If this creature eats the egg and grows stronger, it’ll definitely kill me. I have to strike first!
Looking around frantically, Carlo found a stone about the size of a watermelon. Taking advantage of the Lizard-Crab’s distraction, he snuck behind it and slammed the stone down as hard as he could.
Sensing something, the Lizard-Crab tried to dodge, but the stone still struck its head.
Seeing the creature dazed, Carlo quickly grabbed the stone and continued.
“Thud, thud…” He smashed the stone seven or eight times until the Lizard-Crab’s head was a bloody mess, and it finally stopped moving.
“Huuh…” Carlo collapsed to the ground, gasping for air. He’d finally taken down the creature.
Though… wasn’t he a monster himself now?
After a vigorous exercise, the newly born Karlo had expended a great deal of energy and found himself hungry again.
Karlo noticed the broken egg shells left behind from the recent lizard crab attack. Mimicking the lizard crab’s actions, he eagerly drank the egg white from the shells and consumed all the scattered fragments on the ground.
The egg white, richer than the shell, was more satisfying.
As Karlo finished the egg, a fresh round of “crunch crunch” sounds began.
This time, Karlo was more astute. Instead of waiting for the little demon inside the egg to emerge, he swiftly crushed it underfoot and then devoured the shell.
Karlo set to work with determination. No longer waiting for new demons to be born, he took proactive measures, smashing every egg shell in the vicinity.
Most of the eggs contained only egg whites, which Karlo drank like a hearty soup. A few eggs had fully formed demons inside, curled up and surprisingly cute.
However, Karlo was aware of how fierce these demons could be once they were born. He coldly eliminated them while they were still encased in their shells.
When Karlo had cleaned up all the egg shells and egg whites in his birth area, he let out a long, satisfied burp.
“Ugh… I might have overdone it.”
By now, Karlo was nearly a meter tall, about the size of a typical three-year-old child, and his body was sturdier. If he were to encounter the lizard crab again, he should be able to defeat it with ease.
Karlo reclined by the rocks, digesting his meal. He noticed that the incessant “energy low” alarm had finally ceased.
As he pondered this, a voice suddenly echoed in his mind.
“Energy intake complete. Abyssal Descent System activated.
Host Name: Karlo S. Yabolin
Race: Abyssal Demon
Strength: Minor Demon
Evil Value: 220
Descending Plane: None
Main Quest: Conquer countless planes and become the Abyssal Overlord
Side Quest: Survive”
Karlo stared at the sudden influx of information, momentarily dazed. A system template as a bonus for crossing over? That’s promising; finally, a golden finger!
But what does the “survive” side quest entail?
A shiver ran through Karlo. He turned to see the dark red demon sea still churning relentlessly, leaving a multitude of demon eggs scattered on the beach with each tide. Deeper in the beach, more eggs were hatching, with fully formed, partially formed, or soon-to-be-formed demons crawling out, growing, feeding, and fighting...
Everything here seemed even more terrifying than he had anticipated.
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