"Still ignoring me then? I thought you planned to use me?" the mysterious voice was resounding in Michael's head.

Michael heaved another sigh, as his memory was jogged. 'I knew it wasn't a bad dream.'

"Yes not a dream, what happened was very real" the voice was very confident and right now, very condescending.

"What's your name?" Michael sets the magic focus down as he asks.

"Hmmm you are the second to ask me of my name. Very peculiar, usually my hosts would only want to know what I can do, not who I am."

"Lack of money and food is not a reason to not have manners."

 "Demiurge" Demiurge replied calmly, a little surprised but not too affected.

"Demiurge... A weird name for a devil."

"Creation is not limited to gods nor celestials, but not all fiends are like me."

"Gods? Angels?" Michael was flabbergasted, in all his life, he has never heard of angels or gods. Not that Michael didn't know of them, but simply because they were myths. Even though hell was discovered, other realms have not yet been found.

Demiurge chuckles a little.

"Yes, gods and angels. The first thing my hosts usually asks, but in your case, the second thing. They exist... although on a different level. They're quite powerful, so let's not bother talking about them. I'm sure you'd die first, before we get a chance to meet even the lowliest of gods."

Michael nods.

"So let's get started. Hmmm you have pitiful natural magic, and only the basics in magical item creation."

Michael picks up the magic focus and starts tinkering with it, all the while listening to Demiurge.

"Strong mental fortitude but... a weak physical body."

"Hey, my body is not weak."

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"I'm comparing you to soldiers, don't be offended" 

Michael continues to tinker with his tools, while Demiurge is studying Michael's body. 

"Although crude, you have some talent in magical item creation but very sloppy."

Michael shakes his head. 

"I can't argue with that. I only learned due to the monthly government-mandated lessons. Deeper in the slums, away from this junkyard, is a government training center. Everytime there are lessons, I went there to study and when there were free books, I took them."

Demiurge is silent but Michael could sense approval.

"Has the motivation to try and better one's life, good. I've had hundreds of hosts and dozens of them are lazy and pathetic, and they refuse to try and better themselves. And not only that, you're at the bottom of the bottom."

Michael doesn't say anything, believing that improving one's self is natural.

"I've had the liberty to look in your memories." Michael goes silent and slight anger rises in his heart.

"Demiurge, I will respect your wishes and not pry on your goals, but in exchange, respect mine."

"So you're doing this for her then? Revenge is your motivation?"

Slight anger flares inside Michael but he breathes slowly, calming himself. Michael also stops his work, for fear of breaking his tools and his newfound treasure. 

"Yes... I cannot allow the people who ruined my life... no, our life to go free."

"These people are powerful, how do you plan on taking revenge? How old are you?"

Michael sighs but he answers immediately.

"I'm 20 years old, I'm attending a public college. The tuition is cheap and if I pay a fee, I can buy cheap materials for magical items. One day I plan on reenacting revenge on them, all of them"

Once calm, Michael returns to the magic focus, testing it's magical ability. This time, his hands form small icicles. 

"Low natural magic, even with a magic focus, it is just trash."

Michael looks down.

"I know, even the teachers in college, who were below average, mocked me of my pitiful talent." Michael sets down his tools once more and he grips his hands in frustration. "But what can I do! My talent is trash, so I can only overcome it with sheer hardwork"

"Sometimes hardwork is not enough"

"I've heard that thousands of times! You think you saying it will change my goal!"

"Of course not. I only wish to make you realize that hardwork will not be enough."

"Yes! That's why-" Before Michael could continue Demiurge immediatly replies.

"So we have to find another way."

Michael goes silent, waiting for an answer to his largest problem.

"All humans have weak natural magic and it could still be improved but that depends mostly on their talents, or some freak situation which helps them boost their magic. A very famous mage in ancient times, called Carlos, had horrible talent just slightly better than yours, but due to some very specific situations, he became one of the most renowned archmages in time. I admit, he was lucky but in your case we cannot depend on luck."

Michael nods and asks. 

"How about taking magic enhancing pills? They're very expensive but some have shown to be effective."

"Have you take any magical enhancing pills?"

"No, they're too expensive. Even if I manage to sell this magic focus, I'd only be able to buy a weeks' worth of low quality drugs."

"That's good, magical enhancing pills are not optimal. They have hidden side-effects unless it is a pure pill. While it will increase one's mana, it becomes impure. Impure mana makes it harder for humans to cast their magic. Even if one has a large amount of mana, if they have a large amount of impure mana, the cost inefficiency of magic grows. Your mana is relatively pure, you only have 2% impurity." 

Michael was listeing attentively, this was the first time he heard of such knowledge. He feels that even if he asked all the professors in the college, none of them would have such a profound understanding of magic, unlike Demiurge.

"Humans improve their mana pool through meditation and practice. You only know the basics of magic and thus your practice is slow. You currently know the erroneous spells, ice formation and fire formation. I say erroneous, because they are extremely inefficient, this is probably due to the greediness of humanity. They created lesser spells for the lesser people, so they would have a hard time rising to the top." Demiurge speaks as if this was natural.

Michael grits his teeth, remembering the cruelties that humanity is capable of. 'Sometimes I think we aren't too different from demons.'

"I agree, the only difference is that demons are naturally more powerful. Now concerning those trash spells and that trash talent, let's fix it."

Michael sighs and nods.

"Let's start."