Alice recoiled. There it was again! I accepted a Quest…? What is this, a trick? Where is the voice even coming from? Alice tried to focus on the ramifications of the message but the Devil didn’t waste a second.

“Let’s talk business then, shall we?” Almost instantly, it slunk its head back into the shadow, resting against the base of the tree. It left its hand in Alice’s grasp though, which she took to mean she was supposed to keep holding on. “Neither of us have a lot of time. My clock is running out, and I presume you wish to be there when your sister leaves?”

“How’d you do that?” Alice demanded to know. It wasn’t normal for the time to change from early afternoon to near dawn in an instant like that.

“Hmm?” The Devil feigned ignorance.

“I’m not playing around! You did something, didn’t you? Either to me or the world. What is it?!” Alice growled, her arms shivering with barely restrained fury.

The Devil sighed. “You’re an astute one. To answer your question, it was a Technique I’ve mastered. (Luring The Prey). A handy tool for herding the sheep.”

Alice shuddered. Technique….simply saying it caused a reaction in Alice’s core, reverberating throughout her bones. There was power in that statement. Alice shook her head, fighting the urge to bow down. “A Technique? What’s that?”

“All part of the System, you shall see soon. Putting that aside, let’s focus, shall we?” The Devil asked. Alice frowned. She wanted to learn more about this ‘System’ it spoke of, but the Devil was clearly losing patience.

“Fine.” Alice said. “You said I can help you, but how?”

It chuckled bitterly. “I’m dying, but I still have a job to do. Since doing it deceased is a little out of my expertise, I need to pass my duty down to somebody else.”

Alice forced herself not to react. No matter what this duty was, Alice was determined not to lose sight of her goal.

”This task. . .well, I’m not exaggerating when I say the fate of the world depends on it. You will fulfill the duty that I was given, because quite frankly, you don’t have a choice anymore. You will undergo the worst of conditions, the harshest of trials. You’ll lose parts of yourself, the things you built up from the ground. You shall be forced to stand on the sidelines and watch the end of dreams, as friends turn against friends.”

Well, this sounds terrible. Alice steeled her nerves. ”I’m still just a normal human. What can I do to prevent the end of the world? And didn’t I say I don’t want to be a ‘hero?’ I’m not looking to be the savior that fights this ‘unknown threat’ and saves the day.” Alice insisted. She was not willing to bend her ideals to fit the desires of this creature, damn the consequences.

”You’re right, of course. No singular being can prevent the ‘end of the world’. At this point, it’s inevitable. It’s been in the works for far longer than you can imagine, and it’s already in its first stages; the time to prevent it has passed. Your job is to make sure there’s a world after the end.”

Alice raised an eyebrow. This was sounding less and less like a hero’s tale.

”The tricky thing about this isn’t power. That’s not enough. You could be the most powerful being in existence, and it still wouldn’t be enough to prevent the end. Why? Because you’re right. Defeating the big bad means nothing if the true threat is from within.” It chuckled hoarsely. “Be delicate. Every player is important, no matter how insignificant they may seem. In the end, the most valuable asset may be the most unexpected.”

Alice squinted her eyes, trying to read through the lines. What is it really saying?

“It’s all a game, really. The end goal is to preserve life, but remember this, if nothing else: saving the World means nothing if the root of the problem is not fixed. It’s only delaying the end.” It broke off into a coughing fit. “

Alice was floored. This was unreal. What were the chances the task the Devil was tasked with was almost word-for-word her own dream? The idea of it being a mere coincidence was too unbelievable to bear.

”The corruption, the schemes, they run deep in the veins of everything. A gleaming bastion of goodwill can just as easily become an impenetrable fortress of death. Ah, what am I saying? Don’t go out of your way searching for methods to prevent the end of the world. Simply do what you want to do, live out your dream, and you’ll see the effects. If I made the right choice and you really are meant to contribute, it’ll happen no matter what you do.” it said ominously.

Alice was getting dizzy from the emotional whiplash of the conversation. You’re making it sound like the world is going to end tomorrow and then you’re telling me to just do what I want! Don’t you know fixing the world is going to take more than a lifetime!? Alice inhaled deeply, just barely stopping herself from yelling at the Devil.

”Another word of advice. Ranks and titles, they don’t really matter. Sure, right now, they seem like an immovable obstacle to you but that’ll change. Maybe. Commoners, maids, vigilante, leader, general, you find that most people go through more titles in a lifetime than one might think.”

Alice’s mind was all over the place right now, trying to handle the creature’s seemingly random morsels of information but one thing stood out.

”So. . .I’ll learn magic?” Weary hope bloomed in her chest. Alice was never all that interested in magic, content with leaving it all to Charlotte. Her disinterest had bloomed from the resentment she possessed towards magic, believing it to be a primary factor of the huge gap in society. However, there was no doubting magic would prove invaluable in her quest.

“Let’s just say, I can’t give you the magic everybody else uses. But I can give you something unique. Something with both benefits and downsides other people won’t have to worry about.”

Alice clenched her fists. Of course I’m going to get an off-brand version. “Fine.”

The creature sneered, red eyes briefly shining brighter. ”Very good. Now, the secret to my power is, well, me. Myself. I. The power is nestled in my body, a part of my very being.”

Alice raised an eyebrow at the sudden psychological twist. “What do you mean?”

She could practically feel the smugness oozing off the creature as it said, “You’re going to have to eat my flesh.”

Alice’s mind crashed, akin to a train going a thousand miles per hour and suddenly halting. She rubbed her eyes, certain she misheard. Or at least misunderstood. This creature was eloquent in its mannerisms, maybe it meant ‘eat’ in a magical sense?

”A little is enough. Just a tiny portion of my flesh. I already initiated the progress when I offered the chance to fix the world and it became reinforced when you accepted the Quest. As long as you consume some part of me, I can do the rest and give you full access.”

This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

Oh god, it was exactly what she feared. She knew those messages were a bad sign! “H-hold on, wait a second-!”

”You can either have slimy roots or torched flesh. What’s your fancy?” it asked, amusement flitting in its voice. Alice shook her head frantically. Things were escalating way too fast, she needed time to go through her thoughts!

”Slimy roots it is.” There was the god-awful sound of flesh being torn and a loud squelch before its hand reappeared from the shadow, clutching a slick root in its grasp. One end of the root was jagged, clearly where it was torn off the body from; the opposite end skimmed out into a point. To make matters even worse, the root was still alive, squirming in its grasp.

Slowly, Alice reached a hand out. Alice wrapped her fingers around the root, biting her lips to prevent herself from crying out. It was wet to her touch, and it nearly slipped out of her grip from the get go.

”Tick tock, I’m getting boreeeed.” it said in a mocking tone, but there was an underlying hint of promised danger if she didn’t speed it up.

Pinching her nose with her other hand, Alice tilted her head up and opened her mouth as wide as it would go. Lifting the root directly above her mouth, she whispered a quick prayer before cramming it in.

The instant the first drop of slime touched her tongue, it was like her body briefly died and went into shock. As the root squirmed its way down her throat, Alice was overcome with revulsion at the increasingly disturbing sensation. Gulping several times as hard as she could while trying not to pass out from lack of air was difficult. Finally, with one last gulp, the root was well on its way to her stomach.

//Disturbance located. . . .Analyzing disturbance. . . .Potential [HOST] discovered. Further steps required. Commence further steps?

Alice gasped for air, nearly crying as the fresh, cool, clean air filled her lungs and cleansed her nose. That was horrible!

”Well, that was fun. Hold on for a moment while I finish up,” it said.

Alice wanted to say that was fine, but at the moment, she was too busy trying not to throw up. After gagging and dry-retching for a few minutes, she wiped her mouth and looked up.

//Prompt incoming. . . .scanning invitation. . . .scanning Potential [HOST] for all requirements. Requirements fulfilled. Initiating transaction. . . .ERROR. Lack of (Manergy Core) detected. . .circumventing problem. . . .producing new Core based off blueprint of Current [HOST]. . . .done. Confirm choice? . . . . . . . . . .activating SYSTEM and switching PRIMARY [HOST]

Only to scream shrilly and back up when she realized the creature’s face was a mere foot from hers. It grimaced, showing discomfort, most likely from her yelp.

”What took you so long? Anyhow, it’s done. You have access to all of my powers.” it said.

The idea of having powers was enough to drive off the lingering aftertastes and Alice perked up. “R-really?” Closing her eyes, she focused deeply. How was this supposed to go? Did she need to look inside of her until she found the source of her magic?

A chime permeated the chilly air and Alice gasped when a mechanical voice began speaking in her head.

//Welcome, [HOST] designated as ‘Alice’. Incorporating biological and magical data into the SYSTEM. . . .processing completed.

Alice shook her head, trying to get the voice out of her mind when a familiar ding filled the air.

//Congratulations! In the presence of an omnipotent being, you have gained the Skill [Reveal] Rank E, Level 1!

Alice found her eyes landing onto the Devil and before she knew it, words quickly began popping up next to it.

Beelzebub

Race: ? ? ?

Class: [Destroyer] God-Tier

Manergy Core Quality: EX Rank

Manergy Conversion Rate: EX Rank

Manergy Capacity: EX Rank

Level: 70

Skills:

* [Abyssal Black Arrows] Rank A, Level 50

* [Abyssal Black Rope] Rank A, Level 50

* [Anarchy Flare] Rank A, Level 50

* [All-Seeing Eye] Rank A, Level 41

* [Perseverance] Rank A, Level 40-Activated

Further Skills Blocked

Techniques:

* (Demon Crusher)

* (Soul Bearer)

* (Concealment)

* (Corrosive Blade)

* (Diamond Shell)

* (Luring The Prey)-Activated

Further Techniques Blocked

Alice blinked, dumbfounded. “What. The. Hell!?” Were these the Devil's information? That means...Alice recalled the forest set of nonsensical words she'd received and discarded. One word, in particular, stood out.

Wanderer…..Destroyer…..These were the stats Alice was most curious about. Destroyer was the same Class as the Devil, which Alice supposed made sense since she had consumed its flesh now to get its power. But Wanderer…..was that important?

”Curious. Your stats are as low as I expected, given they’re artificial. You're gaining Skills much faster than the norm, but your class…….’wanderer’, huh? There’s more to you than meets the eye.” The Devil noted.

Alice recoiled, backing away frantically. “Y-you can see it too?!”

Alice couldn’t see its face but she got the feeling it just rolled its eyes. “Of course I saw it, you’re using my power. Well, I don’t care about what secrets you’re hiding. I don’t have time to explain the mechanics, find somebody who uses magic and figure it out. There’s one last stretch of the way before you can leave,” it added.

The urge to rip out her hair had never been stronger. Alice inhaled and exhaled, forcing herself to think rationally. Relax. . .relax. . .don’t punch the Devil in the face. . .

”Hold on for a bit.” The creature seemed to be doing something with its body that remained hidden in the shadow. Alice didn’t pay much attention until something very sharp was drawn from flesh. The creature revealed the item in question, bringing it to the light.

A metal stake, simplicity in its design. It was a square on the bottom and drastically shaved down until the opposite end was a wickedly sharp point. The bottom half was a pristine silver, high-quality material to the extent that it probably cost more than her entire village. The other half was dripping with green blood.

”Was stabbed in the chest with this by those bastards. Got me good, especially considering it was a thrown blow. It should serve you in your task.” The creature stared at the stake with a chilling apathy, no emotion emanating from its eyes while staring at the weapon.

”The task?” Alice asked. Is it talking about fixing the world?

”You will stab me in the neck and end my life,” it replied easily.

Alice blinked multiple times in rapid succession. Shook her head. Rubbed her ear. Finally, she had to concede she wasn’t making this up. “Y….you want me to kill you? Like, put you out of your suffering?”

Instead of replying, the creature placed the stake into her hand and forcibly wrapped her fingers around it. The feel of the cool metal against her flesh brought a sense of forbidness upon her. This is really happening.

”The neck is the easiest place for you to strike that will ensure my death. This is your first trial. Complete this, and your journey begins. Fail, and I will kill you. Then I will slaughter your precious sister and everybody in your village.” Its face never so much as twitched during its threats.

Alice’s gaze hardened and she tightened her grip. If the creature was expecting her to falter at the thought of killing a sentient being, then it shouldn’t have threatened everybody she loved.

“So be it.” Alice said, stepping forward with the stake positioned. However, the closer she got to the base of the tree, the more she found her footsteps slowing. Wha-what? Do I feel guilty? Alice clenched her jaw, trying to rein her turbulent emotions in. It’s telling me to kill it. I have to do this for my family! If I can’t do this, how can I help the world?!

The Devil sneered, its glistening white teeth making for a sharp contrast against the dark shadows. “I guess you were too weak after all. Your precious Charlotte, your village, and your dream…” It snapped, the noise echoing across the clearing. “...are all dead.”

Her vision became awash in red. “AAAAAAAAAAARGH!!!”

The stake went up, and came back down.

//Congratulations for putting an end to [Beelzebub]!

You have done a great service to the denizens of this world and the {World} thanks you for your contributions! You have received Level Points!

Level up: You have reached Level 3!

Progress towards next Level: 89%

You have gained two new Skills! [Perseverance] Rank E, Level 5 and [Independence] Rank E, Level 4