Infernal Entity: Evolving With My Demonic System-Chapter 59: One Month

"The world is changing. Our leaders are restless. The tides are changing and another major conflict might be upon us. But the question remains, are we strong enough to defend ourselves from the invaders?"

—

"Wake up... Wake up!"

Axel jolted awake, sweat-drenched and a loud beating in his chest. "Ugh..." he groaned softly, placing his hands behind his head. The migraine he had was out of this world.

"Do demons even have headaches?"

Suddenly, a voice answered. "With your stupid actions, even I, an insentient being, can get a migraine. You used an Infernal Overload to defeat your opponent and—"

"Wait! I defeated a Firestarter?" Axel asked, cutting Aurora off. "Does that mean Ares was let go? Hold on... where am I?"

Axel turned his head and took glances around his room, trying to figure out where he was. It didn’t take him long to realize. "The infirmary... what happened?"

Axel couldn’t remember much about the last 20 seconds of the fight with Luke Fern. All he remembered was accepting the use of the Infernal Overload. What came after that was a blur in his mind.

Aurora sighed in his mind. "Here’s what happened." She started.

"You used an Infernal Overload, knowing fully well what the consequences might have been. You’re lucky death wasn’t one of them. Now you might have defeated your opponent and potentially saved your friend from whatever trouble he had gotten himself into, but the question now is: was it worth it?" Aurora said, hints of frustration displayed vividly as she spoke, even without a body or a face.

"Was what worth it?" Axel asked. "System Interface..." he commanded the interface. He proceeded to navigate his way through his old system messages to see what Aurora was talking about. He then pulled up old messages that might have popped up while he slumbered.

< [Mission Complete: Defeat the Firestarter known as Luke Fern] >

< [Reward received: Instant Level up!] >

< [+10 SE] >

< [+10 Corruption] >

< [Automatic Level-Up Initiated.] >

< [System Upgrade in Progress...] >

< [Level up complete!] >

< [Congratulations! You are now a Level 4 user] >

< [Your Stats have increased] >

< [3 points have been added to all available stats] >

< [New Skill Unlocked: Stun – Lv. 1] >

< [Stun: This is a basic control skill that allows the user to momentarily disrupt an enemy’s nervous system, rendering the target completely immobile and unable to react for 3 seconds. During the stun duration, the target cannot move, activate abilities, or defend, granting the user a brief but decisive window to deliver a powerful attack.

Range: 5 feet

Duration: 3 seconds

Limitations:

Can only be activated at close range

Ineffective against targets with higher resistance or immunity to control effects] >

Additional messages began to surface one after the other, glowing faintly in Axel’s vision. This one was a different kind of message.

< [Critical Warning!] >

< [Infernal Core integrity compromised] >

< [Damage Source: Infernal Overload] >

< [Core Stability: 0%] >

Axel frowned deeply as more lines appeared. It wasn’t getting good.

< [All Infernal Skills have been temporarily sealed] >

< [Hellrand Slash — Unavailable] >

< [Infernal Bullet — Unavailable] >

< [Demonic Mind Wipe — Unavailable] >

< [Reason: Infernal Core cannot safely circulate demonic energy] >

"What...?" Axel muttered, his fingers twitching against the infirmary bed. "So I can’t use anything?"

Aurora didn’t answer immediately. Then another message appeared, slower than the rest, as if the system itself was being careful.

< [System Notice] >

< [Any attempted force use of Infernal energy in current state will result in permanent Core fracture] >

< [Probability of Death: High] >

Axel swallowed. Before he could react, the screen displayed another old message again.

< [Emergency Mission Generated] >

< [Mission: Restore the Infernal Core] >

< [Description: Your Infernal Core has sustained structural damage due to reckless overload. If left untreated, it will collapse.] >

< [Objective: Repair and stabilize the Infernal Core] >

< [Suggested Methods — Acquire Core-Stabilizing Resources. Seek an Infernal-compatible specialist. Consume or absorb Infernal-grade materials. Consume and Absorb Mythic Shards] >

< [Time Limit: Unknown] >

< [Failure Condition – Infernal Core collapse] >

< [Permanent loss of Infernal System] >

< [Death] >

The interface faded slowly after that. Axel stared at the ceiling, his jaw tightening.

"So that’s what you meant," he said quietly. "That’s the price?"

Aurora’s voice came softer this time, no sarcasm in it. "You survived," she said. "But survival doesn’t mean you walked away unharmed."

"Was it worth it?" Axel asked himself in introspection. "I’m powerless now. Was it worth it?"

"Do not worry yourself much, dear host," Aurora assured. "You will get your skills back in time..."

Axel groaned in frustration. "Where do I start? Where can I find an Infernal-grade material? I don’t even know what those are..."

"Mythic Shards aren’t hard to come by, are they? You could purchase some from Forger’s Bay."

"Mythic Shards are expensive. Very expensive," Axel explained. "Just one shard from a lesser-tier beast costs 500 CNTs."

"There are ways to make money as a student. You just need to find it."

Axel let out a tired breath through his nose. "That’s easy for you to say. You don’t need CNTs to exist."

Aurora didn’t reply immediately, which alone made Axel uneasy. There was a thought creeping in from the back of his mind since he woke up.

He frowned slightly and shifted on the infirmary bed. His body felt strange. Not weak. Not strong either. Just... unfamiliar.

"Hey," Axel said slowly. "How long was I out?"

"How long...?" she repeated.

"Yes. Do you need me to spell it out?" Axel pressed. "After the fight. After I collapsed. Was it a few hours? A night?"

Aurora remained silent for a while and Axel was getting impatient. His frown deepened. "Aurora?"

"...I do not know!" she said finally.

Axel turned his head slightly, staring at the white ceiling. "What do you mean you do not know?"

"I only perceive what you perceive," Aurora explained. "When you lost consciousness, I lost external input. No sight. No sound and therefore, no time reference."

"So you’re telling me you don’t know how long I’ve been asleep."

"That is correct."

"So... I don’t even know what happened after," he muttered. "Did Ares get released? Did the second-years keep their word? Did I—"

Before he could finish that thought, the door to the infirmary slid open with a soft hiss.

Footsteps followed, and Axel’s eyes shifted toward the sound.

A woman walked in, holding a thin tablet in one hand. She wasn’t the healer he remembered. This one was different. Her hair was tied back neatly, streaked with gray. Her movements were calm and precise, like someone who had done this job for a long time.

She stopped mid-step, and the moment her eyes landed on Axel, her expression changed instantly.

Surprise flashed across her face. "...You’re awake?" she said, disbelief clear in her voice.

Axel blinked. That reaction didn’t sit right with him.

"Uh... yeah," he replied slowly. "Is that... bad?"

The healer stared at him for another second, then quickly walked over to his bed. She tapped a few things on her tablet, her brows knitting together as she scanned the data.

"This is unexpected," she muttered.

Axel’s heart rate picked up. "Unexpected how?"

She looked up at him and asked, "How are you feeling?"

"My head hurts," Axel said honestly. "But other than that, I feel... okay. Can I leave now?"

The healer shook her head. "No, not yet. I still need to run a few tests on you and make sure your mutated genes are intact, considering you’ve been asleep for a month..."

Axel’s eyes widened in shock at her last words.

"I’ve been unconscious for a month?!"