The Demon King's fortress wasn't just imposing—it was rude.
Towering black spires stabbed the sky like jagged teeth, their peaks lost in swirling crimson clouds. The air smelled of sulfur and bad decisions. Every step closer made Li Wei's skin crawl as if the stones themselves were judging him. Beside him, Ting Feng trembled like a leaf in a hurricane, yet still clutched his training sword like it might actually help.
"V-Venerable Li," the boy whispered, "what's our plan?"
Li Wei's mouth moved before his brain could stop it. "Step one: don't die. Step two: improvise."
The massive iron gates groaned open before they could knock. No guards. No challenge. Just a yawning hallway lit by torches that burned with eerie green flame.
*Oh good*, Li Wei thought. *Absolutely not a trap.*
---
The throne room was worse.
Polished bones paved the floor. The walls pulsed like living flesh. And atop a dais of skulls sat the Demon King—a figure wrapped in shadows, his eyes two smoldering embers in the dark.
**"So."** His voice vibrated Li Wei's ribs. **"The 'Sword Saint' arrives."**
Li Wei's System chose that moment to panic:
**[WARNING! Host's 'fake aura' ineffective against Demon Kings!]**
**[Suggestion: Cough dramatically?]**
He coughed.
The Demon King leaned forward. **"Are you dying?"**
"Merely clearing my throat," Li Wei lied. "Your decor is… dusty."
A beat of silence. Then—the Demon King *laughed*, the sound like boulders down a staircase. **"I like you."**
This was not the reaction Li Wei had braced for.
---
A snap of the Demon King's fingers summoned a feast: roasted meats dripping with blood-red sauce, goblets of wine darker than sin, and—alarmingly—a single boiled egg placed pointedly in front of Li Wei.
**"Eat,"** the Demon King commanded.
Ting Feng made a tiny whimper. Li Wei's System flashed:
**[PROTOCOL: Demon Kings never poison food. They prefer stabbing.]**
**[Translation: Host is probably safe. Probably.]**
Li Wei took the egg. Peeled it. Ate it in one bite.
The Demon King watched. **"You're not what I expected."**
"Disappointed?"
**"Intrigued."** A clawed finger tapped the armrest. **"Join me."**
Li Wei choked on egg yolk. "What?"
**"My lieutenants are idiots. You? You've fooled an entire sect."** The ember-eyes gleamed. **"Serve me, and I'll spare your little disciples."**
The air left Li Wei's lungs. This wasn't a test—it was an offer. And the worst part? It was smart.
The System vibrated:
**[MORAL CROSSROADS: Accept = Survival. Refuse = Death + Sect annihilation.]**
**[Reminder: Host is still holding a 'legendary' sword that's actually Elder Zhu's dinner knife.]**
Li Wei set down the eggshell. "And if I refuse?"
The torches flared. **"Then I'll peel the flesh from your bones and hang your skeleton in my courtyard."** A pause. **"The egg was a test, by the way. You passed."**
Ting Feng made a sound like a stepped-on mouse.
Li Wei exhaled. Time to bluff harder than a street gambler.
"I'll consider it," he said, "if you answer one question."
The Demon King waved a clawed hand. **"Ask."**
"Why me?"
The shadows stilled. Then—**"Because the System chose you."**
Li Wei's blood froze. *He knows about the System?!*
The Demon King stood, his form stretching to blot out the torches. **"You think it's a glitch? No. It's a key. And you, 'Venerable Li,' are the only one small enough to turn it."**
A door slammed open. A bloodied cultivator was dragged in—a man Li Wei recognized: **Sect Master Bai.**
**"Your 'ally' came to rescue you,"** the Demon King crooned. **"How… *pathetic*."**
Sect Master Bai lifted his head. His gaze locked onto Li Wei's. Not with hope. With pity.
*He knows*, Li Wei realized. *He knows I'm a fraud.*
The Demon King's claws flexed. **"Choose. Serve me, or watch him die."**
The System's message burned red:
**[WARNING: Host cannot win this fight.]**
**[Option 1: Betray sect → Survival + Power.]**
**[Option 2: Refuse → Heroic death (80% chance of reincarnation plot).]**
Li Wei looked at Sect Master Bai. At Ting Feng. At the eggshell on his plate.
Then he smiled.
"How about… option three?"
He kicked the table into the Demon King's face.
---
Chaos.
Wine splashed. Bones shattered. Sect Master Bai headbutted a guard while Ting Feng bit another's wrist. Li Wei grabbed both and ran for the nearest window—because *doors were for people with survival instincts*.
The System screamed:
**[HOST THAT'S A 200-FOOT DROP—]**
They jumped.
Wind roared. The ground rushed up. Then—**SPLASH.**
They hit water. *Black, churning, nightmare water* that stank of rotting souls.
The Demon King's bellow shook the cliffs above: "FIND THEM!"
Li Wei surfaced, gagging. "Why—why is there a moat?!"
Sect Master Bai spat out a dead fish. "Focus! Swim or die!"
They swam.
---
Dawn found them shivering on a riverbank miles away. Sect Master Bai's robes were in tatters. Ting Feng had lost a shoe. Li Wei's legendary sword was now legendary driftwood.
The Sect Master turned to Li Wei. "You're not a hidden master."
"No."
"You're a janitor."
"Yes."
"And the System?"
"Glitched."
Sect Master Bai exhaled. Then—he laughed, raw and weary. "The Demon King's right about one thing. You are the key."
Li Wei blinked. "What?"
"The System didn't glitch. It chose you—because only a true outsider can break this war." The Sect Master gripped his shoulder. "So. What now?"
The System's notification glowed:
**[NEW QUEST: 'Become What You Pretend to Be']**
**[Reward: The Truth.]**
**[Failure: Eternal damnation (standard rate).]**
Li Wei looked at his shaking hands. At Ting Feng's hero-worship gaze. At the rising sun.
"Now," he said, "we go to war."
**--- CHAPTER END ---**