Against his better judgment, Dylan reached out, picking up the orb carefully. Water dropped from his palm as he brought it closer to his face, eyes narrowing in curiosity.
"Some kind of crystal ball…?"
It was warm on his fingers, and had this soothing vibration, almost like there was an energy inside of it.
But then he saw it splinter. And before he could react, the splinter spiderwebbed through the orb and it shattered.
In a sudden moment, the orb was no longer, but its pieces were now floating in the air, shining with a purple light.
"Woah…" Dylan mumbled in awe.
The crystal pieces spun around, forming a long line of purple energy that shot straight into his chest.
"…Nrrkkk!!!"
Pain exploded inside him.
Dylan shrieked, clutching his torso as the raw power burned through his veins. He stumbled backward, slamming into the door of one of the toilets.
'What the hell kind of pain is this?!'
It was as if his heart was pulling out of his body, his veins were stretching, his muscles clenching. Even his head began to ache.
But just when he was about to let out a scream of agony, it stopped.
Dylan collapsed onto the floor, gasping for breath. Sweat dripped from his forehead as he gripped the sink, hauling himself up.
His heart was beating like a drum. His breathing was difficult. But at least the pain was gone.
However, what came next was just as disorienting.
The bathroom suddenly disappeared.
Dylan stepped back, stumbling almost. "What is happening now?!"
What filled his vision was an ominous scenery. A very dark throne bathed in the flickering glow of torches. Atop it, a man—or rather, something beyond a man—sat with the effortless authority of a god.
He bore horns. Powerful, glorious horns that curled from his temples like a crown of darkness. And even though he had no face, his crimson eyes were smoldering. Like eternal fire.
Around him were dozens of women, their beauty beyond mortal comprehension. They knelt in reverence, caressed him, licked him, kissed him.
Adored him.
Dylan's body trembled, overwhelmed by the vision. He wanted to move, to look away, but he was frozen in place.
Then, just as suddenly as it came, the vision vanished.
He lowered himself weakly to the bathroom floor, panting. His hands were still clutching his chest as sweat trickled down his forehead.
Was he hallucinating? Was he dying?
'That orb! Was it some kind of secret weapon that caused death hallucinations?'
He paused, realizing how ridiculous that sounded. 'Ha ha. I've been watching too many spy movies.'
A sharp sound cut through the silence.
Ding!
Dylan was almost certain the sound had come from his mind, but before he could know for sure, something else had caught his attention.
There was a computer screen in front of him.
Dylan froze.
It was more like an interface. Red and dark with a pulsing effect to it like it was actually alive.
[WELCOME, 212TH REINCARNATION OF THE INCUBUS KING.]
Dylan raised one brow. "Incubus King?"
His eyes darted over the interface, his mind struggling to comprehend the words. It was like something straight out of a game or one of those ridiculous light novels that he wasted his income on.
But so far, this seemed real.
More text appeared, as if the red interface was responding to his disbelief:
[INCUBUS KING SYSTEM]
[You have awakened the soul of the Incubus King within you]
[Full synchronization with the Soul is required to transcend fully as the Incubus King]
[Power, charm, wealth and dominance will be yours as long as the path set aside for you is followed faithfully].
Dylan read with befuddlement. "A path set aside for me?"
Ding!
There was that sound again.
[STATUS WINDOW]
He narrowed his eyes as more texts scrolled rapidly, forming structured data.
[Host Information]
[Name: Dylan Lee]
[Title: Incubus King (Dormant) | Mortal Host]
[Race: Human (Transitioning…)]
[Level: 1]
[Mana Points: 0]
[Dominance Gauge: ★ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ]
[Soul Calibration: 1%]
[Brides: 0/5]
[Stats]
[Strength: 30 (100)]
[Agility: 33 (100)]
[Vitality: 57 (100)]
[Perception: 47 (100)]
[Charisma: 22 (100)]
[Mana: 45 (100)]
[Dexterity: 27 (100)]
[Allure: 11 (100)]
[Persuasion: 37 (100)]
[Insight: 44 (100)]
[Luck: 60 (100)]
Dylan's eyes quivered as he read the columns of words. 'This is an actual full on system?'
'And these are actual stats that I have?'
Some of them—STR, AGI, VIT—were recognizable to him. But the rest of them…
What exactly was the goal of this system?
[SKILL MENU]
A second menu flashed open, revealing his initial skills.
[Sovereignty: Your presence naturally draws attention] [Passive]
[Charm Immunity: You are immune to seduction, manipulation and the charm of others] [Passive]
[Demon Tongue: Your words carry natural cunning, infernal wit, and seductive malice, turning even casual remarks into memorable weapons] [Passive]
[More skills: Locked]
"Just three passive skills?"
Ding!
[QUEST LOG]
A final panel flickered open.
[SYSTEM QUESTS]
[Pilot Quest: Claim your first Bride]
[Reward: +2 on all physical stats, +3 on all abstract stats, unlock 3 Skills].
Dylan stared at the quest with utter disbelief. 'A bride. Is it asking me to actually make a woman mine like in those hentai comics?'
He almost chuckled despite himself. This was way too absurd to believe any of it.
'How can a guy like me get a girl to be my 'bride' when I can't even get one to sleep with me?'
He looked at the system. 'But I guess that's what those stats are for, isn't it? My Persuasion is 37 which is way higher than I expected. Maybe it's this Incubus soul thing that increased it… increased all of them.'
He pondered for a moment. 'This has to be the sign that I asked for. The orb came just after.'
Ding!
[SYSTEM MESSAGE]
A final message box appeared, glowing in ominous crimson letters.
[Do you accept your fate, 212th Incubus King?]
[YES] | [NO]
Dylan looked at the options with his shadowy eyes and clicked his tongue. 'It's either this or continuing with my boring life. Are you kidding?'
He tapped [YES].
[SYSTEM CONFIRMED]
[Soul Calibration progress… 1.2%]
Dylan stared at the interface, his mind blank. He blinked. Then again. He even rubbed his eyes, but the burning red text remained.
"This is really happening then, huh? I've unlocked a system, and a demon's soul is inside of me..."
Someone entered the bathroom and saw him just sitting there on the floor.
"Director? Are you alright?"
Dylan turned toward the entrance, where a male worker stood with a puzzled expression.
For a moment, he couldn't even answer. He felt exposed, as if caught doing something he wasn't supposed to.
"I... I'm fine," he muttered.
He slowly got to his feet, gripping the sink for support. Thankfully, his reflection in the mirror looked the same—no horns, no glowing red eyes.
He had been slightly worried with the way that guy was staring at him. But it was still Dylan Lee, a tall but otherwise unimposing man in a suit, looking like he just had a mental breakdown.
He brushed past the worker and stumbled out of the bathroom.
The man watched him leave, shaking his head. "That guy is so weird."
Dylan hid himself in the storage room, surrounded by stacks of old company files. He couldn't be in his office for now, everyone's eyes would be drawn to him, Lacey would interrupt, and he'd be barely able to find out more about this system.
He leaned against the metal shelving, pressing his fingers to his temples. The interface still hovered before him, the quest waiting.
"How exactly do I make a woman my bride?" he muttered.
Like it was responding to his question, the interface blinked, revealing another panel.
[Affection Radar]
[0%…25%…50%…75%…100%]
[The Affection Radar measures a woman's affection and loyalty toward the host. A higher score indicates a greater willingness to obey and please].
[A woman officially becomes a Bride when her score reaches 25% on the Affection Radar]
Dylan read the words blankly. "Oh okay… but how do I increase the Affection of a woman?"
The answer was direct.
[Sex].
Dylan's eyes widened. "Wha—?"
However, he instantly fell shut. Not because he had been loud, but he was certain he had just heard another voice inside the dark store room.
Slowly, he turned away from the floating screen and looked in between the iron shelves of dusty boxes.
Behind one of the shelves, he could make out a tall man in a suit, hands in his pockets which meant he was likely a powerful person here in the company, especially with such an expensive suit.
He was speaking to a woman in front of him in a hushed tone, likely calming her down.
Dylan narrowed his eyes, recognizing that grey pencil skirt and the dark blue top tucked into it. Not only that, he recognized the woman's curves.
It seemed wrong but he could recognize those curves anywhere.
That woman was the Senior Executive of the Investments Division. Diana Miller.