The first thing I noticed was the taste of blood in my mouth.
Not the metallic tang you get from biting your tongue—thicker, warmer, like I'd been gargling copper coins. My head throbbed in time with my heartbeat, each pulse sending fresh nausea rolling through me. I tried to sit up and immediately regretted it. The world tilted, spun, then slammed back into focus.
Stone ceiling. Cracked. Mold in the corners. A single flickering oil lamp hanging from a rusty chain. The smell hit next—sweat, old incense, and something sour like rotting fruit. My body felt wrong. Too small. Too light. Hands too delicate.
I lifted them. Pale. Thin fingers. No calluses from years of keyboard mashing. Nails bitten short.
"What the actual fuck," I muttered.
My voice came out higher than expected. Younger. A teenager's voice.
Memories crashed in like someone had dumped a bucket of ice water over my brain.
Ryan Keller. 29. Dead in a gaming chair. Heart gave out mid-raid.
Now… Xuan Mo. Seventeen. Outer disciple of the Nine Nether Demon Sect. Talent rating: Trash. Cultivation: Qi Gathering Stage 1 (barely). Reputation: The useless son of a fallen branch family who only got in because his uncle once saved the sect master's life. Everyone knows he'll be kicked out at the next evaluation.
And the cherry on top—
A translucent red window floated in my vision, edges flickering like dying embers.
[Demonic Overlord System – Initialization Complete]
[Host: Xuan Mo (Soul: Ryan Keller)]
[Current Cultivation: Qi Gathering Stage 1 (0.3%)]
[Demonic Points: 50]
[Main Objective: Survive the Outer Disciple Purge in 90 days. Reward: 5,000 DP + Random Heaven-Grade Technique]
[Side Quest (Active): Steal the Crimson Lotus Pill from Senior Brother Huo Yan before tomorrow's morning lecture. Reward: 800 DP + Huo Yan's Storage Ring (contents unknown)]
I stared at the words until they blurred.
This was it. The cheat. The golden finger. And it was giving me a goddamn heist quest on day one.
I laughed. It came out ragged, almost hysterical.
"Okay," I said to the empty room. "Okay. Let's play."
I swung my legs off the narrow wooden bed. Bare feet hit cold stone. No shoes. Of course. Trash disciples don't get luxuries.
My "room" was barely a closet—stone walls, one shelf with a single tattered robe and a chipped jade slip. A cracked basin in the corner served as a washstand. I splashed water on my face. The reflection in the basin showed a kid who looked like he'd been starving for weeks: hollow cheeks, sharp jaw, dark eyes too big for his face, long black hair tied messily with a frayed cord.
Not bad-looking, actually. If I fed him properly and put some muscle on him, he could probably pull the brooding villain aesthetic.
But right now? I looked like prey.
And in a demon sect, prey didn't last long.
I pulled on the robe—thin gray cotton that smelled faintly of mildew—and stepped outside.
The outer disciple area was a sprawling maze of crumbling courtyards and narrow alleys. Dawn light barely reached the ground; everything stayed in perpetual twilight. Disciples moved like shadows—some practicing forms with wooden swords, others huddled in groups whispering. A few glanced my way and smirked.
"Hey, Little Mo!" someone called. "Still alive?"
I recognized the voice before I saw the face. Zhao Kun. Qi Gathering Stage 4. One of Huo Yan's lackeys. Built like a brick wall, face like a pissed-off bulldog.
I forced a smile. The kind that doesn't reach the eyes.
"Barely," I said lightly. "You?"
He snorted. "Better than you. Heard the elders are doing another purge soon. Better start packing."
I shrugged. "Maybe. Or maybe someone else will get unlucky first."
His eyes narrowed. "Watch your mouth, trash."
I kept walking. Heart hammering, but face calm.
Inside I was screaming. Don't poke the bear on day one, idiot.
But the system had already marked Huo Yan's courtyard on my mini-map (yes, the damn thing had a mini-map). Red dot pulsing like a heartbeat.
I needed that pill.
Why? Because according to the memories I inherited, the Crimson Lotus Pill was a mid-grade spirit medicine that forcefully opened two meridians. For someone stuck at Stage 1 like me, it was basically a cheat code.
Huo Yan kept his in a jade box under his bed. Arrogant prick never bothered hiding it properly because who would dare rob him?
Me, apparently.
I spent the morning doing what every bullied disciple does: menial chores. Hauling water, sweeping courtyards, bowing when seniors passed. All the while watching. Listening.
By noon I had three useful pieces of information:
Huo Yan always took a two-hour nap after lunch.
His two guards (both Stage 3) liked to sneak off to gamble during that window.
There was a blind spot behind the bamboo grove where the formation array flickered every day at the same time.
Sloppy security. But that's what happens when you're the big dog—no one challenges you.
I waited until the sun was highest, heat making everyone sluggish. Slipped into the bamboo grove wearing a stolen outer robe two sizes too big. Face half-hidden by the hood.
The formation shimmered—then stuttered. A tiny gap, barely wide enough for a skinny teenager.
I squeezed through.
Heart in my throat.
Huo Yan's personal courtyard was nicer than mine. Stone path. Small spirit pond. Red doors with gold trim.
I crouched behind a fake rock, waited.
Sure enough, the two guards wandered off muttering about dice and easy spirit stones.
I moved.
Door wasn't even locked. Arrogance again.
Inside: incense burner still smoking. Silk screens. A low table with half-eaten roast duck.
And the bed.
I slid underneath like I'd done it a thousand times (I hadn't, but adrenaline makes you graceful). Reached up, fingers brushing cool jade.
The box was heavier than expected.
I pulled it out slowly.
Opened it.
There it was—crimson pill the size of a grape, glowing faintly, veins of gold running through it like lightning.
I almost laughed out loud.
Then the door slammed open.
Boots. Heavy.
Huo Yan's voice, lazy and amused.
"Well, well. What do we have here?"
I froze.
He stepped inside, robe open at the chest, hair loose. Qi Gathering Stage 6. Strong enough to crush me with a finger.
He sniffed the air. Smiled.
"Little Mo. You smell like desperation."
I rolled out from under the bed, box clutched to my chest, and scrambled to my feet.
He blocked the door.
"Stealing from me?" He cracked his knuckles. "That's bold for trash."
I swallowed. Mind racing.
Option one: fight. Die.
Option two: beg. Humiliating, and he'd still kill me.
Option three: lie.
I forced my shoulders to relax. Let my lips curve into the same smile I used when I knew I was fucked but refused to show it.
"Senior Brother Huo," I said, voice steady. "I came to apologize."
He raised an eyebrow.
"Apologize?"
I held up the box like an offering.
"Yesterday… I said something stupid in the dining hall. Called your mother's cooking 'adequate.' I was drunk on cheap spirit wine. I came to return this pill as… compensation. I stole it from the alchemy storeroom last night. Thought I'd frame you for theft, make you lose face. But I couldn't go through with it. My conscience got the better of me."
His eyes narrowed.
I kept talking, fast.
"So I brought it back. To confess. To beg forgiveness. I'll take whatever punishment you decide. Whip me. Break my legs. Just… don't tell the elders. My family can't afford another black mark."
Silence.
Then Huo Yan laughed. Loud. Cruel.
"You think I'm stupid?"
"No," I said quietly. "I think you're smart enough to see an opportunity."
He tilted his head.
I stepped closer. Slowly.
"The pill is yours again. But imagine if someone else stole it. Someone who hates you. Say… Zhao Kun. He's been jealous for months. If the elders found the pill in his room…"
Huo Yan's smile faded. Replaced by interest.
"You're offering to frame Zhao Kun."
"I'm offering to solve a problem," I said. "He's been spreading rumors about you. About how you bribe elders for resources. If he gets expelled—or worse—your path becomes smoother."
I placed the box on the table between us.
"Your pill. Your decision."
He stared at me for a long time.
Then he picked up the box. Opened it. Closed it.
"Get out," he said.
I bowed. Deep.
"Thank you, Senior Brother."
I turned to leave.
"One more thing," he called.
I paused.
"If this goes wrong," he said softly, "I'll skin you alive. Slowly."
I looked back over my shoulder.
"Understood."
I walked out.
The moment I was clear of the courtyard, I ducked behind a wall and threw up.
Then I opened my status.
[Side Quest Complete: Steal the Crimson Lotus Pill]
[Reward: 800 DP + Huo Yan's Storage Ring (transferred via subtle swap during conversation)]
I looked down.
On my finger—his ring.
I almost laughed again.
Inside: 300 low-grade spirit stones. Three minor healing pills. A manual called "Blood Flame Fist (Earth Grade)". And—most importantly—the real Crimson Lotus Pill.
I'd swapped them mid-conversation. While he was laughing at my "confession."
Sleight of hand learned from too many card tricks on Discord.
I slipped back to my room, locked the door, sat on the bed, and swallowed the pill.
Heat exploded through my veins.
Meridians tore open. Qi rushed in like floodwater.
Pain. Ecstasy. Power.
When it faded, I exhaled.
[Cultivation: Qi Gathering Stage 1 → Stage 3 (Mid)]
[New Passive: Cunning Fox (Lv.1) – +15% success rate on deception-based actions]
I leaned back against the wall.
Smiled for real this time.
Ninety days until the purge.
I had eighty-nine to turn trash into terror.
And the first step was already done.