Arayn smiled faintly. "I understand. As your teacher, I will witness your effort. Prepare yourself. I will summon the primordial thread now."

To activate the primordial crystal and awaken the class inside it, one needed to summon the primordial thread—a task that required the recitation of the magic language. However, as Arayn couldn’t speak in magic language, he opted for the ancient demon tongue, which sufficed for summoning demon-related classes.

Arayn placed the primordial crystal beside the compass within the ash-marked square. His voice deepened as he began the chant in the ancient demon language.

"Zorthal vekreth ul’mirazan, thren’kolar vashra’den. Vekarioth mal’keth draem, silthar vul’morath. Acolyteth ul’dael, keth'ranar vol'demosh ul’thrak.”

The air grew dense with unseen power as the chant resonated. Shadows seemed to ripple in the clearing, and a faint light began to shimmer above the square. Slowly, a delicate, glowing thread emerged from the center of the square, its ethereal glow pulsating like a heartbeat. The thread drifted with a mind of its own before diving into the primordial crystal.

That was the primordial thread, a fragment of the world's origin, containing the ancient record of a class. It served as the bridge that connected the crystal to the Source, unlocking the chosen class and its powers.

Arayn stepped back slightly, his smirk returning. "There it is. Now, Soren, I will awaken the catalyst."

Arayn raised his hand as he recited the summoning chant in the ancient demon language.

"Aruk'thal vorn'keth draemor, sul'verath lin'koran. Melkash ul'dralvek, thorn’ashar ven’koral. Yural'zan vekaroth, den’morak il’vashra. 32, 57, 98, 64, 32, 51, 18."

The air inside the pentagram vibrated with energy. The ashes marking the symbols on the ground glowed red, and then, in a flash of dark light, a figure materialized within the pentagram.

The demon stood tall, its form humanoid with amber eyes. He exuded a faint heat, as though he had stepped from a furnace. With an indifferent tone, he introduced itself.

"I am Veknos of the Impregnable Fortress. Who among you seeks a contract with me?"

Arayn studied the demon with an amused smile. "Oh, calm and composed, even though he is stronger than us. Not bad, Soren. You might have a knack for this after all."

Soren stepped forward, his hands clenched nervously. He took a deep breath before speaking firmly. "I am the one. I seek a contract with you, Veknos."

The demon tilted his head, his glowing eyes locking onto Soren with an intensity that seemed to pierce his soul. "Very well," he said, crossing his arms. "State your terms."

Arayn watched silently, a faint smirk playing on his lips. This was Soren’s moment to prove himself.

Soren looked the demon in the eyes and said firmly, "I want one of your abilities. The one that creates a camouflage barrier."

The demon's expression didn’t change, his tone indifferent. “You desire Veil of Mirage? An interesting choice.” He tilted his head slightly. “However, you lack anything of value to offer me as collateral. Therefore, I will set my own terms.”

Soren stiffened but kept his composure. “What terms?”

The demon’s lips curled faintly. “First, you will accept my blood after you reach level 20, binding us further. Second, before you reach that level, you will sacrifice 100 souls to me each year. Fail to meet this quota, and I will claim your soul as payment.”

Soren hesitated for a brief moment, then nodded. “I accept your terms.”

“Good,” the demon said, satisfaction flickering in his voice. “Then we are bound.”

The demon stepped forward and raised a clawed hand, pointing a single finger toward Soren’s forehead. A faint, red glow emanated from the tip, and the mark of the contract etched itself into Soren’s skin.

“You now wield [Veil of Mirage]. Manage your life wisely, or your time will run out faster than you think.”

Soren felt a rush of foreign energy coursing through him as the demon lowered his hand, the barrier ability now embedded deep within his soul.

Veknos narrowed his eyes at Soren. “Remember our contract, human. Fail me, and your soul is mine.” With that, the demon’s form dissolved into shadows, and he disappeared into the ether.

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Arayn smirked, crossing his arms. “Well done, my disciple,” he said smugly. “You’ve awakened the Demonic Acolyte class. How does it feel?”

Soren clenched his fists and grinned. “It feels… incredible. I can feel power coursing through me.” His gaze shifted as a translucent screen appeared before his eyes. “So, this is the status window accessible to class holders.” His eyes scanned the details, and a look of surprise crossed his face. “I’ve already reached level 4.”

Arayn chuckled. “Naturally,” he said. “Levels 1 to 3 are for normal humans, those without a class. Reaching level 4 means you’ve become a proper class holder. And once you hit level 11, that’s when you’ll no longer be treated as a newbie.”

Soren nodded, absorbing the information. The faint glow of the status window lingered in his vision, a reminder of the path he’d just embarked on.

Arayn glanced at Soren. “Get ready. I’m summoning the second demon.”

Soren nodded, steeling himself as Arayn retrieved another compass from his satchel. Without delay, Arayn chanted in the ancient demon language, the words crackling with power. The pentagram glowed ominously, and the air turned heavy.

A sudden explosion of energy shook the clearing as the second demon materialized, a massive frog-like creature with leathery bat wings. Its colossal size obliterated the surrounding trees, splinters flying in every direction. Arayn reacted instantly, grabbing Soren by his shirt and leaping onto a tree just as the demon’s enormous bulk crashed into the ground where they had stood moments before.

From atop a tree, Arayn exhaled sharply, a smirk creeping onto his face. “This is the demon you want to make a contract with? Bold choice. Let’s see if you can handle it.”

The frog demon’s glowing yellow eyes locked onto them, its deep voice rumbling like thunder. “So, you’re the one who summoned me. That must mean you wish to turn my clones into your familiars.”

Soren stepped forward on the branch, gripping the bark for balance. “Yes! Please grant me the [Familiar Contract] ability!”

The demon’s wide mouth curved into a menacing grin. “I will grant it, but the price is steep. Present me a dozen souls within six days. Fail, and I will curse you into a frog.”

Soren hesitated only briefly before nodding. “I agree with your terms.”

The demon extended one of its fingers, and a dark mark burned into Soren’s chest, the pain brief but sharp. “The [Familiar Contract: Zargoth Khelmar] is now yours,” the demon rumbled. “Heed my words. You will need a soul to summon a clone. Do not forget about this.”

With a final, menacing stare, the demon folded its bat-like wings and vanished.

Arayn plunged from the tree, the ground crunching beneath his boots as he unceremoniously released Soren. The younger man stumbled but quickly righted himself.

“That was Zargoth Khelmar,” Arayn said, brushing dirt off his coat. “A master-class demon from the Hybrids faction. Summoning him wasn’t just bold, it was outright reckless. Still, I’ll admit, you handled yourself well.” His tone carried the faintest hint of approval, though his expression remained cold.

Soren straightened, a flicker of pride in his eyes. “I feel confident now. If I can handle him, I can manage the next two summons.”

Arayn’s gaze darkened, and he let out a short, humorless laugh. “Confidence is useful, but don’t let it get into your head. You’re planning to summon demons from the Gourmets and Throne factions next, aren’t you? Let me remind you, those demons are leagues more dangerous. Zargoth Khelmar was unpredictable, yes, but these next ones… they won’t hesitate to kill you the moment they sense weakness.”

Soren swallowed hard but nodded. “I’ll be ready.”

Arayn studied him for a moment, his sharp eyes scrutinizing every flicker of emotion in Soren’s face. “Good,” he said at last. “Because if you aren’t, no contract will save you from what’s coming. I will summon the third demon now."

Arayn put the third compass and recited the summoning chant. The pentagram flared to life. The ground trembled, and a figure emerged from within.

The demon that appeared was a towering figure, his giant frame cloaked in a long, flowing robe. His most noticeable feature was the eye patch covering his left eye, while his handsome face was framed by long hair and a finger-length beard. Despite his imposing size, the demon radiated no discernible aura. He felt rather ordinary, almost mundane.

The demon's gaze flicked between Arayn and Soren, and a low chuckle escaped him. He eyed Arayn for a moment longer, a knowing smirk tugging at the corner of his lips.

“Protection from father,” the demon said. “I bet you’re roaming about, acting all arrogant.”

Arayn grinned back. “Irrelevant worm,” he scoffed, his tone dripping with disdain. “You can sense it because you’re the descendant of Archdemon Tyras, aren’t you? The one they call Loxyr? But still, the fact that he chooses to protect me instead of his own children means he saw something in me. Something you clearly didn’t.”

The demon didn’t flinch or take offense. Instead, his laughter rang out louder. “Oh, you’re amusing,” he said, clearly enjoying the exchange. “I didn’t want to have bad blood with you, Father's Chosen. In fact, I’d much prefer a cordial relationship.”

Arayn raised an eyebrow but said nothing, watching the demon with a calculating gaze.

“As a token of friendship,” the demon continued, “I’ll grant you an ability. But there’s a small condition. I’ll be watching you, every single day.”

Arayn's grin widened, but he shrugged. “That sounds fair. I’d be glad to accept it, but the one who summoned you was my disciple.”

The demon’s eye shifted to Soren, and his voice dropped slightly, a knowing smile curling at the corners of his lips. "I’ll give the gift to both of you, but you’ll only be able to choose the same ability.”

Soren hesitated for a moment, glancing at Arayn.

Arayn gave him a small nod. “It’s up to you, my disciple.”

Soren took a deep breath, steeling himself. “I want the [Inferno Torrent],” he declared.

The demon let out a booming laugh, clearly entertained by the choice. “Oh, an interesting choice indeed.”

He extended a hand, his fingers snapping in a smooth motion, and a surge of power manifested through the air. The ability was granted to both of them in a flash of red and orange energy. As the last traces of magic settled, the demon clapped his hands together and grinned.

“Very well, then. I’ll be watching both of you from now on,” he said, his smile mischievous. “And remember, I expect to be entertained. Keep things interesting, won’t you?”

With that, Loxyr let out a final laugh, vanishing into thin air as though he had never been there at all.