Demons Within: I level up endlessly-Chapter 42: The Land of No gods

The notifications flashed on his Databand, and then it went off. The blue light that Daniel had grown so used to flickered and died.

The screen turned completely black.

Daniel stepped forward. His foot landed on the ground, but it did not feel like the smooth stone of the Academy. It felt soft and loose.

He opened his eyes. The world had changed. Daniel blinked against the harsh light.

The sky above him was not the familiar blue of Earth, nor was it the violet swirl of the Aurora Vale.

There was no sun that he could see, it was just a dull orange color.

He looked down at his hands. They looked the same, but they felt different. He tried to clench his fist, but the movement was slow.

The explosive power he had felt just minutes ago was gone. His muscles felt soft. He was just flesh and bone again.

"System," Daniel whispered. There was no answer. No chime. Absolutely nothing.

"It’s true," Daniel thought. Fear crept in. "I am empty." He looked around. He was standing in a vast wasteland.

The ground was cracked and dry. There was no water. There was only dust and heat. He was in Purgatory.

Daniel took a step forward. His boots sank into the red sand. He was wearing only his torn shirt and pants from the fight with Bran.

"Well, look at this," a voice came from behind a large rock. Daniel turned around. He tried to move fast, but his feet dragged in the sand. He almost lost his balance.

Three men stepped out from the shadow of a boulder. They did not look like students. They looked like wild animals.

Their clothes were rags, stained with dirt and old blood. The man in the middle was the leader. He was tall and thin, like a skeleton wrapped in skin.

He held a rusty metal pipe in his hand. The other two men were shorter but wider.

One of them had a rough scar running down his face. The other one was missing an ear.

They held sharp rocks in their hands.

"The portal spit out a new one," the leader said. He smiled, revealing yellow, broken teeth.

"He looks soft," the scarred man said. He licked his lips. "He looks clean."

Daniel took a step back. He instinctively reached for his belt, looking for his Vibro-Knife. But his belt was empty.

"Looking for your toys?" the leader laughed. It was a dry, hacking sound. "The portal takes everything, boy. No magic swords here. No fancy armor."

The three men fanned out. They moved slowly, circling Daniel. They knew he was fresh. They knew he was confused.

"I don’t want trouble," Daniel said. His voice was rough. The dry air was already drying out his throat.

"Nobody wants trouble," the leader said, stepping closer. "But we all want things. I want your boots. They look new. My feet are sore."

"And I want his shirt," the man with no ear added. "Mine is full of holes."

"Strip," the leader commanded. He slapped the metal pipe against his palm.

Thwack! Thwack!

"Give us everything, and maybe we will let you live for a day."

Daniel looked at them. He saw the hunger in their eyes. He realized something terrifying. Here, in this red desert, he was just meat.

"No," Daniel said. He clenched his fists. Even without his stats, he still had his pride. He still had his training.

The leader sighed. "They always say no. Get him, boys." The two shorter men lunged at Daniel.

Daniel’s mind reacted instantly. He saw the man on the left coming. He saw the sharp rock aimed at his head.

His brain screamed, [Shadowsteps]! He tried to trigger the skill. He waited for the world to slow down. But the world stayed the same speed.

His legs did not explode with power. Daniel tried to dodge to the side, but he was too slow.

THUD!

The man with the scar slammed into Daniel’s shoulder. The impact sent Daniel stumbling backward.

He fell onto the hard, red ground. Pain shot through his shoulder. It wasn’t the dull pain he was used to when his Defense stat absorbed a blow.

This was real pain. "He’s weak!" the scarred man shouted. He jumped on top of Daniel. Daniel tried to throw him off.

He pushed up with his arms. The man was heavy. Daniel pushed, but he couldn’t lift him. The man raised his sharp rock and brought it down.

Daniel barely managed to roll his head to the side. The rock smashed into the dirt right next to his ear.

Dirt flew into his eyes.

BAM!

The second man kicked Daniel in the ribs. Daniel gasped. He felt something crack.

A rib.

The pain overwhelmed him.

"Hold him down!" the leader shouted. He walked over slowly, swinging his pipe.

The scarred man grabbed Daniel’s hair and slammed his head into the ground.

Daniel saw stars. His vision blurred.

He tasted blood in his mouth. He had bitten his tongue.

"Welcome to the land of no gods," the leader sneered. He raised the metal pipe high.

"Now, stay still." Daniel lay in the dirt. He was going to die. He was going to die right here, just few minutes after arriving.

"No," a voice inside him whispered. "Not like this." He didn’t have his skills. But he remembered what Instructor Jason had taught him back in the training hall, before he got his powers.

He remembered the basics.

The leader brought the pipe down. It was aimed at Daniel’s knee. He wanted to break his leg so he couldn’t run.

Daniel ignored the pain in his ribs. He waited until the last second. He threw his left hand out, scooping up a handful of the red, powdery sand.

Just as the pipe came down, Daniel twisted his body. The pipe hit the ground, missing his knee by inches.

The leader stumbled, off balance. He leaned forward to strike again.

"NOW!"

Daniel screamed in his mind. He threw the handful of sand straight into the leader’s face.

"ARGH!"

The leader dropped the pipe. He clawed at his eyes. The gritty sand blinded him instantly. Daniel didn’t wait. He used every ounce of strength he had left in his normal, human body.

He kicked the scarred man in the groin. It wasn’t a good move, but a desperate one.

The scarred man screamed and rolled off him, holding his private part.

Daniel scrambled to his feet. The leader was still rubbing his eyes and cursing.

Daniel saw a rock on the ground. It was the size of a grapefruit. It had sharp edges.

He picked it up. It felt heavy in his weak hand.

The leader blinked, tears streaming down his face, trying to clear the sand. He opened his eyes just enough to see a shadow looming over him.

Daniel didn’t hesitate. He swung the rock.

CRACK!

He smashed the rough edge of the stone into the leader’s windpipe. It was a wet, crunching sound that was far worse than any sound a monster made.

The leader made a gurgling noise. He dropped to his knees, holding his throat. He couldn’t breathe.

He fell face-first into the red sand. He struggled for a few seconds, then stopped.

Silence fell over the small patch of desert.

Daniel stood over the body, his chest heaving. He held the bloody rock in his hand. He looked crazy. 𝚏𝐫𝚎𝗲𝕨𝐞𝐛𝕟𝚘𝐯𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝗺

He turned to the other two men. The man with no ear was staring at his dead leader. His mouth hung open.

The scarred man was still on the ground, groaning, but he had stopped moving when he heard the crunch.

Daniel took a step toward them. He raised the bloody rock. He didn’t say a word. He just breathed, a rough, wheezing sound.

Fear took over. These men were bullies. But they had just watched this weak boy kill their boss in three seconds.

"He’s crazy!" the earless man yelled. He turned and ran. He scrambled over the rocks, kicking up dust as he fled.

The scarred man forgot about the pain in his groin. He crawled backward, terrified of the look in Daniel’s eyes. Then he scrambled to his feet and ran after his friend.

"Stay the fuck away from me!" he screamed as he ran into the wasteland.

Daniel watched them go. He waited until they were just small dots in the distance. Then, his legs gave out.

He dropped to his knees. The rock fell from his hand. He coughed, and blood splattered onto the red sand.

He touched his lip. It was split wide open. He touched his ribcage side. It was tender and swollen.

He looked at the dead man in front of him. This wasn’t a monster with a health bar. This was a human being and he had killed him with a rock.

He felt sick, but he forced it down. If he hadn’t done it, he would be the one lying in the sand. He would be the one naked and dying.

"Six months," Daniel whispered. His voice was weak.