Light cracked through the void.
[SYSTEM BOOTING…]
[Incoming Soul Detected]
[Warning: Vessel Memory Severed]
[Identity: Unknown]
[Species: Human → ERROR: INCOMPATIBLE]
A weight crushed what remained of him. Painless, but complete.
[Searching for Viable Host Templates…]
• Skypiean
• Fishman
• Mink
• Giant
• Three-Eyed
• Tontatta
• Lunarian
• Buccaneer
• Oni
There was no thought. No voice. Just a decision.
Oni.
[ONI SELECTED]
[MUTATING SOUL VESSEL…]
Then came the pain.
CRACK.
Muscles tore and rebuilt. Bones snapped, curved, thickened. Heat seared the nerves into new patterns.
BOOOM!!!
Two jet black horns burst from the skull.
[Mutation Complete: ONI — PHASE ONE]
[Name Generated: Wil D. Nox]
[Host Type: Prime Devil Vessel]
[Memory Status: Purged]
And then he fell.
He hit the ocean like a meteor.
KRRSSHH!!
A geyser erupted where he landed. Fishermen nearby screamed. Boats capsized. Waves surged against the docks.
And when the foam cleared…
…the body rose with the tide, face down and motionless.
He woke up coughing salt and blood, face half-buried in kelp and sand.
His muscles ached like they'd been reassembled with fire. His vision blurred. His hands shaking, dug into the wet earth.
And then he saw it.
A glowing black screen floating in front of him.
[SYSTEM SYNC COMPLETE]
[WELCOME, WIL D. NOX]
[Race: Oni]
[Level: 1]
[Status: Stable]
[Memory: Locked]
He stared, unblinking. No past. No idea how he got here.
Just a name that wasn't his… but fit.
He whispered it under his breath.
"…Wil D. Nox."
It sounded strange.
But it stuck.
[To access interface: THINK — "Open Menu"]
"…You're kidding me," he muttered.
He didn't say it. He thought it
Open Menu.
⸻
[SYSTEM INTERFACE]
[Name: Wil D. Nox]
[Race: Oni]
[Level: 1]
[Status: Stable]
[Memory: Purged]
[STATS]
STR: 18
AGI: 12
STA: 20
INT: 11
AWR: 14
WILL: 22
[TRAITS] [QUESTS] [SKILL TREE] [INVENTORY]
⸻
Wil squinted. "What the hell…"
No answers came. Only the gentle pulse of the interface, waiting on his thoughts.
Quest Log.
The screen shifted again.
⸻
[QUEST LOG]
Main Quest:
▸ Find Your Purpose
Progress: 0%
Reward: System Core Access
Side Quests:
▸ Reach a Human Settlement
▸ Engage in Combat (0/1)
▸ Consume Food (0/1)
⸻
Wil exhaled, tension rising in his shoulders.
"Find my purpose," he muttered. "Yeah, no pressure."
The menu dissolved with a thought.
The ocean breeze hit his back. His horns ached faintly.
He rolled his shoulders, bones cracking, and stood up.
There was no stiffness, no hesitation. Just fluid strength, as if he'd worn this body forever.
"Alright," he muttered, flexing his fingers like he was testing a new pair of gloves. "No name, no past, no pants… and my new imaginary friend's made of glowing text."
A smirk twitched at his lips like he was one bad idea away from enjoying himself.
He looked up at the sky and exhaled slowly through his teeth.
⸻⸻⸻⸻⸻⸻⸻
Nox's Character Stats (End of Chapter)
[Name:] Wil D. Nox
[Race:] Oni
[Level:] 1
[Status:] Stable
[Memory:] Purged
[EXP:] 0 / 100 [░░░░░░░░░░░]
[STATS]
STR: 18
AGI: 12
STA: 20
INT: 11
AWR: 14
WILL: 22
[TRAITS] [QUESTS] [SKILL TREE] [INVENTORY]
⸻