The Birth of a Monster
[Edric Windwalker]
Age: 16 years, 7 months, and 28 days
[Tasks]
[Task Number One: Ancestor of a State]
Progress: 3,313 / 100,000 - 19 / 1,000 Objective: Conceive 100,000 children within 1,000 days. Rewards: 1 Mythic Chest 2 Legendary Chests 1,000,000 XP A Mythic-rank weapon Failure Penalty: Lose 2,000,000 XP
[Task Number Two: Generous Demon]
Progress: 0 / 1 Objective: Give the Book of Weirdness to a random person in Windwalker City within the next 30 days. Rewards: 1 Mythic Skill related to the Abyss Failure Penalty: Lose 30,000 XP
[Techniques]
Legendary Knight Training: 305 / 1,500,000 Legendary Mage Training: 139 / 1,500,000
[Talents]
Knight Talent: Legendary (0 / 2,400,000) Mage Talent: Average (0 / 100,000)
[Skills]
Energy Absorption (Red) Magnetic Pull (Golden) Beast's Senses (Golden) Poison Resistance (Golden) Crystal Skin (Silver) Bloodline Sensing (Silver) Telekinesis (Silver) Steel Hair Manipulation (Silver) Extreme Yang (Silver) See-Through (Silver) Flesh Control (White)
[Cheat Ability]
Low Level – Generates 1,000 XP per day Available XP: 453,914
Edric narrowed his eyes as he stared at the system screen before him.
"A Mythic skill? Damn... and it's so easy to complete! I just have to hand the book to someone in Windwalker City."
He frowned, tapping his fingers against a table.
"Still… the Bloodstone Kingdom is dangerous for me right now. Especially Windwalker territory and its surroundings."
Even though the risk wasn't small, the reward was far too great to ignore. There was no way he'd let a Mythic skill slip away just because of a little danger.
"As long as I don't get caught, I'll be fine," he reasoned.
After all, with his Golden Mage abilities, escaping wouldn't be an issue unless the King himself or the Golden Mage in charge of the Bloodstone Order personally came after him. But what were the chances of that happening? Practically zero for the king and very low for the mage in charge of the bloodstone order.
Edric smirked.
"This might actually be fun."
Now that Edric had made up his mind, he wasted no time. With a flick of his fingers, he dispelled the Mass Replication spell and stepped out of the house.
He decided to complete the 'Generous Demon' first before dealing with the 'Ancestor of a State' task.
The Book of Weirdness was a Legendary-grade spell book. But these weren't ordinary spells—they were demonic in nature, each carrying unforeseen side effects. Just the 'Happy Farm' spell alone was dangerous enough. Edric had no intention of experimenting with any of the others.
From all his research, one thing was clear: anything related to the Abyss—whether spells, weapons, or artifacts—always came with severe drawbacks. He had no desire to entangle himself with such things more than necessary.
He had only copied the spell formation for 'Happy Farm', and that was it. He would never touch the rest.
With that settled, he set off toward the border. The sooner he reached Windwalker City, the better.
...
Traveling unnoticed wasn't difficult for someone like him. He ambushed a trader from a passing caravan, killed him without hesitation, and stole his identity.
Disguised as the merchant, Edric approached the border checkpoint.
As expected, the formation meant to detect intruders failed to react to him. His Energy Absorption skill rendered him completely undetectable, just like last time.
Once he crossed into Bloodstone territory, he ditched the disguise. With a thought, he activated Flight, ascending high—extremely high—into the sky while simultaneously activating Invisibility.
Even though Golden Knights possessed extraordinary senses, sensing someone flying at such an altitude while also invisible was nearly impossible unless they were specifically on alert.
Just like that, he made it to Windwalker City without a hitch.
It was still daytime when he arrived, so he chose to wait for nightfall.
A few hours later...
...
The deep night descended, thick with shadows. It was the perfect time to act.
Edric descended silently onto the western side of the city, the most crowded and chaotic district. This was where the largest number of homeless and vagrants gathered, people who could disappear without anyone noticing.
Perfect.
His eyes gleamed in the darkness.
"Let's get this over with."
...
In the days following the destruction of Windwalker Castle, the entire Windwalker City was plunged into a state of fear, confusion, and unrest.
A mysterious entity had appeared out of nowhere, obliterated the castle, killed Marquis Windwalker, and looted the entire treasury, all without a known reason.
For a city that had long relied on the protection and influence of Windwalker Castle, this was nothing short of a catastrophe.
The city's mayor, who operated independently of the castle's leadership, did his best to maintain order using his police force. But a few hundred officers were nowhere near enough to calm the hundreds of thousands of terrified citizens.
If it weren't for Lyria, the city would have already collapsed into chaos.
The moment she received word of the incident, she rushed to Windwalker City at full speed, leading her elite troops to restore order.
Like Marquis Windwalker, Lyria was a Silver Knight, but she was not only stronger but also more talented and with a brighter future. Her presence alone reassured the people, giving them a new pillar of hope.
It was said that she was personally leading the investigation into the incident.
Many believed that once the investigation concluded, she would be officially recognized by the king as the next Marquis of Windwalker.
Rumors circulated among the city's elites, whispering that the king had already dispatched a royal envoy—a representative with the authority to bestow the marquis title on the spot.
Over the past few days, there had been several unofficial visits from Golden Knights of the Bloodstone Family. They had combed through the wreckage of the castle, searching for clues, and had even removed a few corpses for further examination.
Lyria hadn't interfered with their work, nor could she, even if she wanted to.
All things considered, given the scale of the disaster, the current state of Windwalker City was surprisingly stable.
It could have been much, much worse.
...
Martin hadn't always been homeless.
In fact, he had once been a wealthy man, with a home, a thriving business, and employees working under him. He had a loving wife and three children, a life many envied.
But fate was cruel.
One tragic night, his shop was robbed, leaving him penniless and unable to pay his debts. The consequences came swiftly—he lost his business, his home, and everything he had worked for.
In just one week, he had gone from a respected merchant to a destitute beggar, cast out onto the cold streets.
Once, he had many friends. Or at least, he had believed so.
But when he was robbed and cast into the streets, he realized the bitter truth—he had no one.
People were selfish.
No one offered him shelter. No one lent him a hand. Not a single so-called friend remained.
His debts had been owed to the Bank of Bloodstone, an institution infamous throughout the kingdom.
Their loan terms were generous at first, but if a debtor lost the ability to repay, they became ruthless in recovering their money.
There were well-known cases where, after stripping a debtor of everything, the Bloodstone Debt Hunters went after the debtor's friends—anyone who dared to offer them help.
Their reasoning?
"You let him live in your house. You should take responsibility."
And no one could defy them.
The Bank of Bloodstone was directly tied to the Bloodstone Family itself.
There was no law, no justice that could rein in their outrageous cruelty.
Because of this, even though the Bank of Bloodstone's loans had low interest rates and seemingly fair terms, no one dared to take them lightly.
Once someone defaulted, they were treated like lepers—shunned by society. Even their families became outcasts, abandoned by friends and acquaintances who feared being associated with them.
The shock of it all shattered him.
If it had only been his wealth, perhaps he could have rebuilt. But when the debt collectors threw him onto the streets, his three small children couldn't survive.
One by one, they perished—starved, sick, or simply too weak to endure.
His wife, stricken with grief, couldn't bear the loss.
One evening, she drank poison and ended her own life.
Martin had wanted to follow her.
He should have.
But he was a coward.
Instead, he continued his miserable existence, dragging himself through the filth of the slums, hating himself every moment for it.
Martin had lost everything.
And there was nothing he could do about it.
...
"Those robbers... I should find them. Kill them. And then die myself!"
Lying on the cold, hard ground, Martin clenched his fists, his mind burning with rage.
He had spent countless nights thinking about hunting down the thieves who ruined his life. But there was one problem—he had no idea who they were or how to find them.
That helplessness ate away at him.
Just as his consciousness began to drift toward sleep, something hit him.
It wasn't unusual for a homeless man like him.
Sleeping out in the open, without even a tent, meant dealing with all sorts of discomforts—bugs, rats, cockroaches, or even small stones thrown by cruel people.
But this time... something was different.
The object that touched him had a freezing sensation.
It was so unnatural that the drowsiness instantly vanished from his mind.
His eyes snapped open.
Lying beside him on the ground was a strange, crimson-colored object, a book.
Its cover was deep red, almost like it had been soaked in blood, and on it, four eerie words were inscribed in black ink:
The Book of Weirdness.
"What... is this?"
Martin hesitated before reaching out.
The moment his fingertips touched the cover—
A soul-piercing scream exploded inside his mind.
A chorus of mad laughter, filled with chaos and insanity, followed, echoing as if countless twisted beings were laughing directly into his skull.
"AAAAAAAAAAHHH!"
Martin shrieked, his body convulsing as he flung the book away in horror.
His sudden scream startled the other homeless people around him.
Some groggily sat up, rubbing their eyes.
They looked around, but saw nothing unusual.
...
Martin's breath came in ragged gasps as he frantically looked around.
The world around him was wrong.
A dense, twisted forest surrounded him—its trees gnarled and pulsing, as if alive. The air carried a sickly-sweet scent, thick and oppressive.
Above, the sky was painted in eternal crimson, dominated by five blood-red moons, each a different size.
Yet, despite being moons, they didn't look like celestial bodies.
They looked like pupils.
Like eyes, watching him.
"This... this can't be real!"
Martin staggered backward, shaking his head.
"Where am I?!"
Panic clawed at his chest.
Suddenly, in the eerie stillness, he spotted someone ahead, a woman, standing alone among the trees.
She wore a flowing pink dress, delicate yet unnervingly pristine. Her long hair cascaded down her back, and her features were breathtaking, almost inhumanly perfect.
But something about her smile made his skin crawl.
"Who is she?"
Martin hesitated before stepping forward.
"H-Hey! You ... where are we?! What is this place?! Who are you?!"
The woman's smile widened, her eyes gleaming with mischief.
"This?" she said sweetly, spinning in place like a dancer. "This is the Weird Forest in the Abyss."
Then, she giggled.
"And I? I am the Demon of Weirdness."
Martin froze.
"A demon?!"
His blood turned to ice, yet at the same time, a strange excitement stirred in his heart.
He had heard the stories.
Legends whispered of demons granting wishes in exchange for a price.
The woman leaned closer, her voice playful yet chilling.
"Lucky man," she whispered. "You are so, so lucky! Make a wish, and I shall grant it!"
Martin's eyes widened.
He didn't understand what was happening, didn't know if this was real or some twisted nightmare.
But in that moment, one thought consumed him.
"Revenge."
His hands trembled as he clenched his fists, his voice low and filled with icy resolve.
"Make me powerful enough to take revenge."
The demon's smile never wavered.
"So it shall be."
A sudden gust of wind howled through the forest—
And the world went black.
...
Edric stood in the shadows, watching the homeless man sleep.
He had randomly thrown the book at him, making sure he picked it up.
And sure enough, the system notification had dinged, confirming his task was complete.
"Well, that was easy."
Edric had planned to leave immediately, but curiosity kept him rooted in place.
That's when he saw something strange.
The moment the homeless man touched the book, it vanished—as if it had never existed.
And then—
A violent surge of energy erupted from the man's body.
Edric's eyes widened in shock as he sensed the immense pressure radiating from him.
In just a few moments, the man's aura skyrocketed, going from a helpless beggar to a Golden Knight-level being.
And it was still climbing.
But something was deeply wrong.
The energy was chaotic, twisted, like a storm tearing reality apart.
Around them, the other homeless people started screaming, clutching their heads as their minds shattered under the influence of the growing power.
Then, one of them lunged at another, his face contorted in madness, and tore into his throat with his teeth.
Blood sprayed onto the dirt.
The scent of fresh blood triggered the others.
More screams. More violence.
They began tearing each other apart, their bodies ripping into flesh like wild animals, devouring one another in a frenzy.
"No good... I think I broke something!"
But despite the horrifying scene, he wasn't upset.
But one thing bothered him.
"Why didn't it affect me?"
He had held the book for hours, flipping through its twisted pages, yet nothing had happened.
But the moment that homeless man touched it, the book vanished, and now—
This.
"Whatever. It's not my problem anymore!"
Edric smirked.
This wasn't his mess to clean up.
King Bloodstone and his forces would have to deal with it.
Not him.
The homeless man's aura was still growing, faint traces of Legendary Rank beginning to emerge.
A chill ran down Edric's spine.
"Damn terrifying... I really hope King Bloodstone can handle this."
Without wasting another second, he activated his spells, vanishing into the darkness.
...
Sitting safely on the other side of the border, Edric opened his system interface.
His eyes gleamed as he stared at his newly acquired Mythic Skill.
A grin stretched across his face.
"With this... I no longer have to fear Legendary Ranks!"
His laughter echoed into the night.
As for Windwalker City, Lyria, or even the fate of the Bloodstone Kingdom—
None of it had anything to do with him.