"Young Devil... you've finally awakened."
The voice echoed through Leon's room, seeming to come from every corner. Leon clenched his blanket, his heart pounding.
"That voice...?"
He remembered it clearly—the same voice that had spoken when his necromancer powers first awakened.
"The Demon King Satan?"
"Correct. Now we can speak directly, without waiting for you to faint."
"Incredible!"
"I can't believe it!"
"Your progress is truly remarkable! Level 35 in such a short time."
Leon rubbed his goosebump-covered arms. "Thank you for the praise, Lord Satan. But I know you're not here just for small talk. What do you really want?"
"Clever."
"I want to reward you with some gifts for your achievements."
DING!
[NOTIFICATION: CHOOSE 3 NEW SKILLS!]
[1 SKILL FROM EACH POWER]
A blue screen appeared:
Necromancer:
- [Soul Detection] (Enemy sensor)
Space:
- [Teleportation] (Enter/exit dimensional rifts)
Time:
- [Precognition] (See 5 seconds into the future)
Darkness:
- [Death's Grasp] (Dark energy claws)
Leon bit his lip. "I'll take Soul Detection, Teleportation, and..." His finger hesitated over the time column.
"Precognition," Leon finished.
"Reading 5 seconds into the future. Wise choice. But why not take a darkness skill?"
"Someone warned me not to use that power," Leon replied curtly.
Satan laughed. "Ah, the Belphegor family? They've always—"
"Enough," Leon interrupted.
"I just want to know—why am I getting these skills?"
"Because every time you level up by 10, you'll gain a new skill," Satan answered.
"Alright, that's enough for now."
"Oh, and Leon... I'll be waiting for more interesting developments."
One Day Later
Leon walked down the palace corridor toward the meeting room, his body fully recovered.
Suddenly—
Ding!
[PRECOGNITION ACTIVATED!]
Active Vision: An image flashed before Leon's eyes—an arrow shooting toward him from behind a pillar, threatening his life.
At the last moment...
With quick reflexes, Leon caught the arrow just before it struck him.
"Useful skill," he muttered, immediately activating [Soul Detection]. A red dot blinked behind a pillar 20 meters away.
"Teleportation."
Leon vanished into a dimensional rift and reappeared instantly behind the hooded figure who had fired the arrow, poised to strike with another arrow already nocked.
"Game over," Leon hissed, pressing a small knife against the figure's throat.
"Stop!"
Suddenly, King Zephyr appeared in a flash, gripping Leon's wrist.
"Remove your mask," ordered another voice.
The figure lowered its hood, revealing the handsome face of an elf with shimmering silver hair and wise emerald eyes.
"Forgive this rough test. I needed to see your abilities firsthand."
With dignified steps, King Aerion Silvertree entered the room and introduced himself with a warm smile. "This is my son, Prince Feyar Silvertree," he said in an authoritative voice.
"And I am King Aerion Silvertree, ruler of the Elven Kingdom."
Leon exhaled sharply and lowered his knife. "A test? I almost killed you."
Feyar smiled. "But you didn't. That's what matters."
As they approached King Aerion, King Zephyr leaned in and whispered to Leon, "Leon, there's something you should know about King Aerion."
"What is it, Your Majesty?"
"He's the one who saved your life when you were severely injured."
Shocked, Leon immediately dropped to one knee, looking up at King Aerion with deep gratitude. "Forgive me, King Aerion... I didn't know you were the one who saved me," he said, his voice trembling.
King Aerion smiled and helped Leon to his feet. "No need for apologies, Leon. I only did what was right."
Leon sighed in relief. "Thank you, King Aerion. I'm truly grateful."
King Aerion nodded. "I'm glad I could help. The reason I wanted to meet you is because there's something important we need to discuss."
"But first..." King Aerion raised his hand, and a swirling wind formed an invisible dome around them.
"Now, we can speak safely. No one can overhear us."
"It's about illegal slave trading," he whispered.
"Slave trading?"
"Yes. Our elven women and children have been disappearing ever since our war with the orcs."
"And our spies in one of the demon kingdoms—where you once lived—have uncovered clues about it."
"We've gathered critical information from our spy network operating in the very demon kingdom you used to reside in, Leon."
"The Beelzebub Kingdom?! I can't believe they'd do something like this!" Leon's expression was a mix of shock and disbelief.
"Are you certain, Your Majesty?"
Feyar pulled back his sleeve, revealing a glowing blue wind emblem on his shoulder. "We're certain because the slaves bear our kingdom's mark," he said firmly.
"We can't do this alone, Leon," Feyar said.
"We need your help to infiltrate that place. Will you aid us?"
Zephyr nodded. "I agree. But the final decision is Leon's."
All eyes turned to Leon.
"I'll help," he answered.
"But why just the four of us?"
"Because this is a secret mission," Feyar grinned.
"Only the most trusted can be involved."
"Understood, Your Majesty. When does this mission begin? I'm ready."
"The day after tomorrow. Make sure you're prepared," King Aerion said.
"With your permission, I'll take my leave now."
As Leon walked toward the training grounds, suddenly—
BAM!
A giant hammer swung at him from the side. Though Leon blocked it, the sheer force sent him crashing into a wall.
"One final test!" boomed a massive, horned demon emerging from the dust, grinning widely.
=== BAB 7 END ===