Volume One: "The Nature of the Devil Does Not Change"
Scarlet King stared at the princess. Beneath the black cloth, a faint, quiet laugh flickered. His hands were clasped as he leaned slightly toward her and spoke.
"Alright, Princess… do you want me to help you create a body?"
The princess sprang up from the ground and answered with deadly calm. Distrust and aggression were written plainly across her face.
"We'll make a Heavenly Pact."
Inside, Scarlet King felt a faint jolt of surprise.
(The Heavenly Pact is a binding contract—both sides are forced to fulfill the terms, and whoever violates it dies. And in this life, I'm currently ahead. I don't want to die right now… though maybe in the future.)
[The Grassy Region]
Green grass and small hills filled the area. Many disciples lay scattered across the ground—some in brown sect robes, others in blue, others in white. Those still standing were helping the fallen.
Lin Yuan wore a wide blue-and-gold robe. Ikalat wore black military clothing.
Lin Yuan stood and looked toward Ikalat.
"Where's Scarlet King?"
Ikalat scanned the surroundings.
"I don't know… he isn't here. Do you think the black hole crushed him and killed him?"
At that moment, the System suddenly appeared before them. On its screen:
The Master is still alive.
Vitality: 89%
Location: East / 1,000,000 km
Danger Level: 55%
Win Rate vs. Enemy: 12%
Suddenly, a pack of wolves emerged from the hills—fast, violent beasts crackling with lightning. They slaughtered several disciples instantly.
Ikalat shouted:
"Earth Chaos Technique!"
Daggers erupted from the ground, slicing the wolves apart and pinning their corpses onto stone pillars.
Lin Yuan roared:
"Explosive Hole Technique!"
A small black hole formed, dragging in several wolves—then detonated with brutal force. Shards of bone shot out at near-light speed, killing more of them… but the pack was still terrifyingly large.
Lin Yuan yelled, his voice tight with tension as the wolves kept coming.
"Damn it! What are these wolves?!"
The System appeared again:
"These are Lightning Wolves. They use electrical energy to increase their strength and speed. They are classified as Eighth-Grade beasts—considered weak, because each dimension has nine beast ranks. The problem is their massive numbers and their frightening reproduction rate.
"They are 'weak' because in beast ranking, Rank One is the strongest and Rank Nine is the weakest. There are many categories of beasts as well, such as Element Beasts, Heavenly Beasts, and Dao Beasts. Lightning Wolves belong to Element Beasts."
The Lightning Wolves surged forward in a wave, moving like flashes of light as they tore into the disciples. Still, some disciples were strong enough to kill a few, and Lin Yuan and Ikalat joined the slaughter as well.
[Inside the Wooden Trunk]
The princess spoke.
"The Heavenly Pact will force both of us to follow the conditions I write and the conditions you write. If either of us violates a condition, we die. Now—give me your hand."
Scarlet King gave a soft laugh.
"And why would I agree to a Heavenly Pact?"
The princess smiled with nervous sarcasm.
"Because I'll kill you afterward. And I also know you want certain things in the end, and during our journey to create my body, we might find some of those items… and you know I'll try to take them too. So accept the pact, and I won't fight you over resources."
Scarlet King extended his hand and took hers. Each of them began forming the terms of the contract in their mind.
A powerful light appeared before them.
Then a voice echoed in both Scarlet King's and the princess's head, announcing the terms.
Inside Scarlet King's head:
The princess's conditions are: Create a body for her and help her return to the Eleventh Dimension. Do you agree?
Scarlet King thought:
(Hah… simple terms. Agreed.)
Inside the princess's head:
The conditions of [Information Deleted] are: You must not compete with him for any resources or items you find during the journey to create your body. Do you agree?
The princess answered in her mind:
(Agreed.)
A powerful light flared again. Then Scarlet King and the princess both felt as if invisible chains had wrapped around them—binding them to the pact's conditions.
"Power Stones + rating, please"