You did die. Undoubtedly.

Your life was all sunshine and butterflies. Yet you just had to blow it up. Skewered and butchered under the scrutiny of societal norms before being tossed into the cesspool of death.

So how the fuck do you live?

Monika recalled the moment the crystallized blood had scrawled across the gray screen.

Wanna make a bet?

-Demon Lord of Destruction

Tempting, don’t you think? But what, why, and when weren’t specified.

I didn’t accept. Don’t get me wrong, Monika—I love risks. But never do I rely on luck.

It was a little over a bit shady, right?

You say shady, Monika, but how did you end up taking the bet then?

–Curse of Destruction |SSS+|–

Become The Demon King within a thousand years

Failure: |Soul Destruction |SSS+||

Reward: |???|

Shut up, Monika! You know very well why. You’re just a part of my imagination. That’s why I thought perhaps the screen was just a part of it, too.

It had hung atop my head throughout my whole life. So, before death, I approved the bet out of blatant curiosity, and it’s not like I was expectant.

And it worked! The thing was real!

Perhaps you, too, are real then, Monika. Maybe I’m not so deranged after all.

Marvelous! Monika? Monika!?

Where in the world are you?

My eyes shot open to the hypnotic lights. As Monika shook my head, the strands of raven-black hair obscured my vision.

To my right was a hovering white orb. Its lights shone so brightly that it illuminated the entire space.

It appears I am in a desolate cave. Where are the ones who summoned me? Not a single living being around. Well, except her, of course.

Monika was dressed in a blue-black office suit. Her bluish-gray eyes were as pale as her skin and equally lifeless. She was hauntingly beautiful… Just like me in my youth.

How?

Not only is she not dead but also younger.

Is this what one would call a transmigration? No, more like a reincarnation. Ridiculous.

“YAHAHAHA!”

How refreshing! How intriguing! The world has bestowed upon you a second chance!

I shut her mouth and she shut mine. Forget about the crazed laugh. It's just that it's not every day you get a second go at life. How unprofessional.

I slowly approach the orb.

Monika slowly approached the orb.

Oh, did I just repeat myself? Forgive me. We got too excited for a moment there.

Oi, Narrator. How about you shut the fuck up!?

What a headache. So even age is reversible but psyche not recoverable? Nonsense.

Monika beamed as she watched the sphere revolve around its axis with her reflection clear on its surface. She had no wrinkles or blemishes on her energy-brimming body, just like the orb.

What was even more gratifying was the fact that she was in a cave! There was no longer a need to adhere to societal beauty standards to hide her disease-ridden body under the facade of extravagant makeup. Fuck moisturizers. Face masks too. Takes a lot of effort to be gorgeous.

Being beautiful is beautiful. This is the first and perhaps the last time you will witness yourself without dark circles under your eyes.

I followingly put my hand on the scorching orb. No idea what the thing may be, but surely not just a thing.

They say life’s lessons come with a sting. I know. I once tried to shoo away a fly during my childhood. Turned out to be a fucking wasp. Can you imagine? That shit hurt. Curiosity kills a cat, and I mean that both literally and figuratively since I almost died from the pain. They also say that pessimism ages the face. Or do they? I’m not so sure. Maybe I’ve just come up with it.

The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.

The sphere felt strangely familiar to Monika from the get-go. It was as if it were a part of her body. She instinctively knew that the flying mini-sun-looking thingy would satiate her curiosity.

Engravings started to form as the heat seeped through her palm and converged with the cold the cave gave away.

Initializing Integration…

The orb glowed and shook in vehemence. It shot through the air and pierced Monika’s heart.

“AGHHHHHHH!”

How painful! Familiarity my ass. Don’t tinker with things you don’t understand – they didn’t say it for nothing. That wasp might as well have resurrected from the netherworld just to stake my heart. Even unrequited teenage love doesn’t sting as much! Did I revive just to perish? No!

I focus on the site that pains me the most. My heart is in its place. No hole, no blood, no harm. Just like that, the core has fused into my body.

That scared the hell out of me. Thank God. Wait, should I be thanking the Demon Lord instead? No, no. I didn’t come back to life to become a Satanist, you know.

What now? My twinkle-twinkle little star vanished while the pain ceased.

It's completely dark is what I would say, but I can see just fine. “How?”

Is what I would ask, but the orb didn’t disappoint.

Archdemon Monika and Core#666…

Integration complete

Acquired commandment over Obstruction

Acquired unique skill |Customization |C||

Acquired skill |Contract |D+||

It's very unlikely that I'm on Earth. I don’t understand these messages much since I was never into games. But things like skills and commandments are certainly not Earthly stuff. What’s a commandment anyway?

Apparently I’m an archdemon. Not sure as to what it is but it is quite badass. I mean, it gave me fucking night vision! Also, is this sphere Core#666?

But what do you mean by Monika? I’m not Monika! Did I cease to exist? Oh no!

How do I check things up? Status! System! Screen! Interface?

—Obstruction |Rank 1|—

Self

Creation

Dungeon |X 999D 23H|

Workspace |X Rank 2|

Synthesis |X Rank 2|

Ha-ha, how informative.

Where is the damn manual!?

Monika always had the same expression of crazed indifference despite sizzling inside, calm amidst the lunacy.

Her eyes were locked with an unyielding, unwavering, unblinking hawk-like focus that could burn holes in its prey contrary to their lifelessness.

She froze. Suddenly. Monika grinned. Softly.

Monika took over as her eyes narrowed. Her mind sharpened—unfettered by any obstacles and undeterred by any distractions.

“Self,” she muttered emotionlessly as she ran a hand through her messy hair.

—Self—

Soul |C-|

Status |E|

Skills |4|

Servants |0|

“Soul,” she spoke bluntly with hands habitually adjusting the collar of her garment.

Her eyes glanced sideways to take in the surroundings as the words were being formed on a translucent gray screen in front of her.

—Soul |C-|—

Race: Human Archdemon

Class: Candidate

Karma |F| |0/100|

Spirit |F+| |0/225|

Willpower |SS+|

Going from reverse alphabetical order… F, E, D, C, B, A. It seems F is the weakest. But what is SS+? Probably beyond A.

Oh, I get it. Soul is C-. If S is after A, and correspondingly, SS beyond S, then this simply means that C- is an average of Karma, Spirit, and Willpower statistics.

My customization skill is C. My contract skill is D+. Coincidence? I don’t think so. They, too, average in C-. From this, a basic conclusion can be drawn. It is highly likely that I’ve gotten those grades due to Soul being C-. Soul should be prioritized from this alone.

Monika flicked her wrist dismissively to brush the dust off her sleeves. She tapped her fingers against her thigh, definitely rhythmically, indefinitely mechanically, borderline maniacally, deep in contemplation.

Willpower is obvious. To further enhance my soul, I have to farm Karma by killing. Though it may quite as well be the opposite. Maybe both. Possibly neither. Experimentation is required.

Spirit? Some form of resource is needed. 225 to be exact. Again, unverified assumptions. Critical to assemble the pieces before strategizing a plan.

“Status,” she said nonchalantly as she stepped forward.

Her eyes scanned every nook and cranny of the dark corridor in a fast progression as she moved ahead in a quick procession with her fingers trailing the words etched onto the hologram.

—Status |E|—

Strength |E|

Stamina |E|

Agility |E|

Affinity |E|

SP: 10

Monika concentrated on Stamina while putting a sliver of her focus on the body.

She definitely felt more lively after distributing a single status point into Stamina.

Yet the grade didn’t improve.

She expended four more SP for the drug-like effect to become less prominent each and every time. Then, on the sixth, her body felt a surge of energy.

Stamina |E+|

Sp: 4

Monika then put a single SP into Affinity.

Hmm. This one is still a mystery. I feel nothing. Vague, too vague.

Head shook. Monika darted her gaze toward the unfamiliar creature that lay ahead.

How timely. A test subject.

A twisted smile spread across her face.

Her eyes glinted with unobscured madness as she advanced toward the unknown.

Steps steady yet maddening.

This is the beginning…

Of The End.

No matter what.

No matter how.

I will—