The Power Within

Max stood beneath the towering trees, sunlight trickling through the emerald canopy in golden beams. He breathed in deeply, and his eyes widened.

The air was thick with something… different.

"Whoa... is this... mana? Magic? It's like breathing in energy." He laughed, grinning to himself. "I can feel it—this world's on a whole other level. It's like walking through a live fantasy server."

A current of power ran through his limbs. The body Lilith had given him didn't just feel strong—it felt right. Every muscle perfectly tuned, every motion filled with potential.

"Alright... let's test this out."

He stepped into an open patch between the trees, dropped his stance into a traditional martial arts form, and exhaled slowly.

Then—

Strike.

His fist cut through the air with such force it generated a shockwave, kicking up dust and leaves in a wide blast.

"Holy—!"

Another kick. Another pulse of wind. The very ground trembled beneath his strikes.

"I'm cracked! This is unreal! I feel like I could uppercut a mountain!"

He jumped back and flipped mid-air with ease, landing without a sound. The grin on his face widened.

"Okay, okay… if this is a real isekai situation, then... there's gotta be a status screen, right?"

He focused his thoughts.

Status.

A soft chime rang in the air, and suddenly—

A crimson screen blinked into existence before his eyes. Letters burned across it in infernal red.

[STATUS SCREEN - SYSTEM ONLINE]

| Name: Max Wilder

| Age: 17

| Race: High Demon (Ascended)

| Level: MAX

| Class: Chaos-Born Overlord

| Titles: Demon Goddess's Chosen, The Crimson Flame, Voidborn, Isekai'd Soul, Wrathbound Champion, Demon King Prodigy

| HP: 999,999

| MP: 999,999

| Strength: 999,999

| Agility: 999,999

| Endurance: 999,999

| Mana: 999,999

| Luck: 999,999

| Charm: 999,999

Normal Skills:

Enhanced Reflexes — Your reactions are twice as fast as any normal creature.

Weapon Mastery — Instantly adapt to any weapon as if trained for years.

Appraisal Eye — Instantly analyze the stats and properties of items, creatures, and people.

Inventory Mastery — Unlimited inventory space, mentally accessible.

Cooking Mastery — Create food that boosts stats and even heals wounds.

Beast Tamer — Instantly bond with and command magical beasts.

Sixth Sense — Danger detection and awareness of unseen threats.

Mixed Martial Artist — Absolute control and instinct over multiple combat styles.

Enhanced Senses — See, hear, and feel far beyond human limits.

Ability Skills:

Demon God Physique — Indestructible body blessed by chaos.

Godspeed Step — Move faster than the eye can see.

Supreme Regeneration — Heal from almost any injury in seconds.

Absolute Endurance — Immune to fatigue, pain, or exhaustion.

Elemental Resistance — Resistant to fire, ice, lightning, shadow, and more.

Raging Demon Fist — Strike with explosive infernal force.

Hellfire Manipulation — Command demon flame at will.

Dragon Breaker Kick — Strike that shatters even dragonbone.

Demonic Slam Technique — Slam with area-of-effect devastation.

Demonic Aura — Exudes pressure that weakens lower-level beings.

Aura Shield — Summons an auto-activating barrier of infernal force.

Magic Skills:

Primordial Inferno — Call down ancient, world-consuming fire.

Abyssal Ice Prison — Trap enemies in eternal black ice.

World Rending Lightning — Unleash planet-splitting bolts of lightning.

Shadow Marionette — Control enemy movements with living shadow.

Blazing Demonic Spear — Manifest a spear of flame that pierces dimensions.

Demon Blaze Arrows — Rain a thousand flaming arrows on your foes.

Flaming Serpent Coil — Summon a serpent made of living flame to bind and burn.

Abyss Reflection — Reflect magic attacks back at the caster amplified.

Unique Skills:

Demonic Shapeshift — Transform into terrifying alternate forms.

Soul Devour — Absorb power from defeated enemies to grow.

Sinbound Legion — Summon warriors from the souls of the damned.

Black Authority — Intimidate or command most beings below your level.

Sin Eater — Absorb and convert negative energy into raw power.

Hellfang Devastation Slash — Deliver a slash that tears rifts in reality.

Hellfire Annihilation Lance — Spear of flame that erases matter.

Wrath Emperor's Final Howl — A one-time, reality-warping attack fueled by rage.

Weapon:

Eclipsefang – The Demon Goddess's Blade

A dark, curved sword forged from voidmetal and infused with Lilith's essence. Adapts to Max's will. Capable of destroying divine barriers and cleaving dimensional space.

Items:

Starter Ring of Binding — Bound to soul, prevents body hijack.

Demoncore Pendant — Seals raw magic until controlled.

Voidstep Cloak — Enhances speed and evasion.

Lilith's Favor Charm — Increases resistance to divine attacks, grants telepathic link to Lilith.

Max stared at the screen, jaw dropping.

"BRO… I'm broken. This isn't overpowered—this is illegal."

He burst out laughing.

"High Demon? Chaos-Born Overlord?? I've got skills that sound like final bosses would be scared. I've got a whole anime move list!"

The screen shimmered faintly before fading into transparency.

Max clenched his fist, feeling magic pulse through his fingertips.

"This world's not ready. I'm OP, I'm hyped, and I've got one goal—live my best anime life."

He turned toward the horizon, eyes sparkling.

"Let's see what kind of quest I stumble into first."

Chapter Four: Goblin Ambush

Max had just begun his walk through the ancient forest, the wind carrying hints of distant adventure, when something in the air shifted.

He paused and turned his head toward the right, eyes narrowing slightly.

Then—he smiled.

"Heh. Looks like I'm about to have myself a little warm-up fight."

Thwip!

Out of nowhere, an arrow zipped through the air—dead on, aimed right at his head.

Max didn't flinch.

With a casual swipe of his hand, he caught the arrow mid-flight. The tip hovered just inches from his eye.

"Nice try."

He crushed it between his fingers, the wooden shaft snapping like a twig.

Then he looked into the woods, his senses lighting up.

"I feel like I know where that came from."

Bushes rustled violently, and a horde of short, snarling figures burst into view.

Green-skinned, sharp-toothed, with crude weapons and ragged armor—their red eyes filled with bloodlust.

"You're goblins, aren't you?" Max said with a grin.

The goblins screeched, stomping on the ground and waving their weapons, furious at being mocked.

Then Max's sixth sense tingled.

Something big was coming.

The bushes behind the goblins split open, and a towering figure stomped forward—green skin stretched over bulging muscles, iron armor strapped to its massive form, fangs protruding from its jaw.

Its eyes burned with intelligence beyond its kin, and it let out a deep, rumbling growl.

Max's smile widened.

"Appraisal Eye."

A crimson screen flashed into existence, hovering in front of him.

[TARGET ANALYZED]

Name: Grok the Goblin King

Race: Goblin (Evolved – King Class)

Level: 56

HP: 72,400

MP: 18,000

Strength: 9,200

Agility: 6,500

Endurance: 8,700

Mana: 3,900

Titles: King of the Wildfang Tribe, Beastlord's Spawn

Skills: Berserker Roar, Ground Smash, Poison Fang Axe, Goblin Command Aura, War Cry, Alpha Regeneration

Description: A rare evolution of goblin born through bloodline rituals and savage survival. Known for leading tribes to conquer small villages and devour magical beasts. Highly aggressive and territorial. Avoid at all costs… unless you're insane.

Max laughed. "Yo, this guy's got a whole résumé! 'Avoid at all costs'? Sounds like someone doesn't know how OP I am."

The Goblin King roared.

Max's eyes gleamed with excitement. He cracked his knuckles and showed an evil grin. "Bring it on, ugly green."

The Goblin King charged with surprising speed, kicking up dirt in his wake.

But Max just yawned. "This is you being fast? Adorable."

In an instant, the Goblin King appeared behind Max and swung his massive Poison Fang Axe down with a beastly roar.

"Godspeed Step," Max whispered.

He vanished.

BOOM!

The axe struck the earth, creating a shockwave that sent goblins flying, dirt and debris blasting in every direction. The goblins were knocked off their feet, groaning as they scrambled to recover.

The Goblin King looked around wildly.

"Where?!" he bellowed.

Max's voice echoed like a phantom. "You miss your swing and now you're lost? Tsk. Not very kingly of you."

Furious, the Goblin King unleashed Berserker Roar, a powerful sonic blast that shattered branches and cracked the ground beneath him.

"That supposed to scare me?" Max's voice rang again, mocking. "That roar's more like a grumpy puppy."

Suddenly—

BOOM! Max appeared directly in front of the Goblin King.

The king swung again, desperate.

Max simply smiled—and caught the axe with his bare hands.

The Goblin King froze in place.

His eyes widened. His mouth trembled.

All around them, the smaller goblins gawked in disbelief.

Max's grip tightened, and with a wicked smile, he shattered the axe in his hands like it was made of glass.

The Goblin King broke into a cold sweat.

"My turn, ugly."

Max raised his glowing fist. "Hellfire Manipulation."

Crimson flames wrapped around his arm like a living inferno, humming with demonic power. The Goblin King staggered back.

"Oh no you don't," Max said.

The Goblin King turned to flee.

Too late.

Max's fist rocketed forward.

BOOOOOM!

A shockwave of pure hellfire detonated on impact, engulfing the Goblin King in a massive eruption. The ground quaked. Trees shattered. Rocks split apart. His body was sent flying six miles through the forest, skidding and crashing through everything in his path before slamming into a cliffside.

Smoke rose. Fire crackled.

Grok the Goblin King lay twitching. His regeneration failed to activate. His body couldn't process the damage. He was dying.

Max stood in the aftermath, not a single scratch on him.

He let out a low chuckle. "Didn't even use ten percent of my strength."

The remaining goblins stared at him, terrified, paralyzed with fear.

Max slowly turned his gaze toward them.

"Run."

They ran. Screaming, scrambling, crying—they fled into the forest like frightened rats.

Max fell to his knees, laughing so hard he started tearing up.

"Bro—I turned their king into forest confetti! This world is insane and I love it."

He stood up, brushing himself off.

"Alright. Warm-up's done. Let's find something challenging."

To be continued...