Forsaken By The Gods, I Made A Contract With the Demon King

Rank: Demonic Follower

Patron: The Darklord of the Endless Abyss

Affiliation: Mercenary Federation (F-rank)

Crest: Demon who met God

Demonic Core: Nascent-Essence

Demonic Essence: 377/1000

Trait: Demonic Soul

Trait Ability: Demonic Transformation | Domination

Dominions:  Noir (Black Wing of Lunacy)

Innate Ability: Shadow Self | Lunacy

Artifacts: Eternal Vigil | Key of Lunacy

Avatars: —

Inheritance: Tuatha De Danann (Incomplete - 1/5)

Levi stared at his status screen—there were several new entries.

The first thing that caught his eye was his new crest. It had been such a hectic experience that he hadn\'t even had the chance to check it. Now, with some time to breathe, Levi focused on it.

----[Demon Who Met God]-----

Description: One who, despite being in a contract with a demon, dared to stand before a God. Your bravery knows no bounds, transcending into foolishness.

Effect: Divine powers are less effective against you.

----[Demon Who Met God]-----

Levi blinked at the description. For a moment, he stood still, then the realization hit him.

"Isn\'t this too powerful?"

Others might not grasp the significance, but Levi did. What was his biggest weakness as a demonic follower?

Divine power!

He hadn\'t experienced it himself yet, but he didn\'t need to know about it. Divine power was like poison to demonic followers, but now he had a crest that, while not granting complete immunity, reduced its effects.

This was huge.

Levi wondered how he had obtained such a powerful crest, but then it struck him—the event itself was significant.

How many humans had stood before a god? And how many of them were demonic followers? Levi doubted if there had ever been one.

The Providence must have deemed the encounter so special that it rewarded him with this unique crest.

His exhaustion from absorbing three demonic crystals lifted with the joy of obtaining the crest.

A grin spread across his face as he dove deeper into his status.

The next change he noticed was his demonic essence, which had increased by 300!

That meant each Fallen-ranked crystal had given him 100 essence.

Levi did some quick calculations and came to a theory on how it worked.

A Nascent-Essence crystal had granted him 1 essence, while the Inept-Fallen crystal had given him 100.

He theorized that the essence amount increased linearly with each sub-rank, and for every leap in the main rank, the essence increased exponentially.

For example:

Nascent-Essence gave 1.

Inept-Essence might give 2.

Nascent-Vile could give 10.

Inept-Vile should give 20.

Wicked-Vile should give 30, and so on.

Using this logic, a Nascent-Fallen crystal should have given him 150 essences, and an Inept-Fallen should give 300. But he had only gained 100 from the Lord of dark skies which was an inept-Fallen rank.

It was likely due to the pseudo-Fallen rank indicated by the Providence.

Levi wasn\'t certain.

He needed more time and experiments to fully understand the mechanics. It was also possible the amount of essence was relative to his rank.

When his core had been dormant, an essence crystal had given him 2 essences, but as a Demonic Follower, it only provided 1.

The complexity of the system gave him a headache.

"Let\'s leave that for later," Levi muttered, pushing the thought aside as he explored the rest of his status.

There weren\'t many other changes, except for the appearance of the Inheritance at the end of his status.

Satisfied, he closed the screen and flopped onto the ground, gazing at the twilight sky above.

"...."

How long had it been?

Levi didn\'t know.

He had entered Paradise simply to earn enough money for his journey to the Favored Ones Academy, but everything had spiraled out of control.

However, none of that mattered now.

He had cleared the sanctum, and soon, he could finally leave this forsaken place.

A smile crept across his face as he closed his eyes, letting the emotions well inside him.

Just a little longer. He would rest in the sanctum until fully recovered, then it was time to return to Earth.

"Let\'s have a grand feast after I get back," Levi muttered to himself with a tired but satisfied smile.

But little did he know what awaited him outside the sanctum.

***

Another week passed, and the situation grew even more dire.

Thousands had now gathered, and the camps were packed with experts from every walk of life, all vying for a chance to claim the Sanctum\'s rewards.

Rumors were spreading like wildfire, each more outlandish than the last. Some said that the person inside had already perished, and the Sanctum was in the process of resetting.

Others believed that the person had found a treasure of such magnitude that they were refusing to leave. And then there were those who whispered about something darker— the sanctum was so terrible that no one could emerge from it unscathed.

Roze stood in her camp, her eyes narrowing as she noticed the subtle changes in the air.

Something felt… different. The atmosphere had shifted, the tension giving way to an eerie stillness. It was as if the very land was holding its breath.

Across the way, the Mercenary Federation\'s representative straightened, his hand going to the hilt of his sword. Even the scouts from the Makalani family paused in their patrols, their eyes flickering toward the portal. Everyone could feel it—the change.

And then it happened.

The portal, which had stood unwavering for nearly more than a month, began to ripple more violently. The black mist that had swirled within it started to thin.

A low hum reverberated through the air, sending a shiver down the spines of those closest to it.

Kai rushed forward, his heart pounding in his chest. "What\'s happening?"

William followed close behind, his gaze locked on the portal. "It\'s collapsing."

All around, the gathered factions began to stir, their ranks forming up, ready to move the moment the portal gave way. The Mercenary Federation\'s representative barked orders, his men closing in around the entrance. The Makalani scouts did the same, positioning themselves for a potential fight.

Roze\'s heart raced as she watched the portal begin to shimmer, the black mist fading into nothingness. Her subordinates scrambled into formation, their weapons drawn, prepared for whatever came next.

For what felt like an eternity, the portal hung in the air, flickering, shimmering, as if caught between two worlds. And then, with a sound like tearing fabric, the portal finally began to collapse in on itself.

From the heart of the swirling darkness, a single figure emerged.

A young man, his face pale and gaunt, stepped out from the blackened void. His clothes were tattered, his body bruised and bloodied, but his eyes… his eyes burned with a fierce, otherworldly light.

Levi had returned.

---***---

Character Image of Noir has been added, show your love by adding some points to our glutton bird~