The ULTIMATE EXPERIENCE SYSTEM-Chapter 44: DEMON QUEEN

DIFFICULTY: LEGENDARYObjective: Survive for 1 Minute

"One minute? That’s all?"I scoffed. After the hell I’d just crawled through, this sounded like a break.

But then the world shifted.

The air thickened in an instant—so dense it felt like the atmosphere itself had turned solid. My lungs fought for breath. Gravity no longer played fair; it felt like someone had thrown a mountain onto my shoulders.

My knees hit the ground with a painful thud. Bones creaked. Vision blurred. It was suffocating."What the hell... is this?!" freeweɓnøvel.com

Panic surged in my veins. I instantly equipped the Blaze Armor—S-rank defensive gear I had earned during the seventh challenge. Fire wrapped around my body in a flash of brilliance—

—and shattered the next second like fragile glass.

I coughed blood, my chest aching from the backlash."What?! That was S-rank!"

Then I saw her.

A small figure, no taller than a toddler. Her skin was pale crimson, her black hair cascading down her back like shadowy silk. Two short horns curled from her forehead. Her eyes—glowing, golden, and ancient—locked onto mine.

A system prompt flickered to life:

[Demon Queen – SR Rank (Infant Stage)]Status: Very HostileDanger Level: Classified

I froze. The very presence of this... child-like creature made my instincts scream. She didn’t speak. She didn’t need to. Just being in her presence felt like standing naked in the heart of a volcano.

"She’s just a baby..." I whispered. "Then why does it feel like I’m about to die?!"

I desperately called out to the system:"Why is she so hostile toward me?!"

[Access Denied. Upgrade system to unlock hidden hostility parameters.]

"Of course," I spat bitterly. "Always when I need it the most."

I was out of time. My health bar was already flashing red. At this rate, I wouldn’t last ten more seconds, let alone sixty.

Then something in my interface flickered—dim, barely visible.

[Lawbreaker – One-Time Use Available]

My eyes widened. Lawbreaker. A mysterious function buried deep in my system. It had no description, no stats—just one condition: Use only in moments of irreversible crisis.

I hesitated. I’d never used it before. No one had. This was uncharted territory.

Then I thought of the shattered armor. My bleeding lungs. The creature before me.

If this wasn’t a crisis, nothing was.

I activated it.

[Lawbreaker Activated][Warning: This ability can only be used 3 times in your lifetime. Proceed?]

My lips barely moved. "Proceed."

Reality cracked.

I mean that literally. The system UI fractured before my eyes, code scrambling, glitching, like the universe itself was being rewritten. It was like reaching into the heart of existence and twisting it with bare hands.

Then... I saw it. The "Very Hostile" status on the Demon Queen’s profile became editable.

My heart pounded.

"This... this ability overrides the system itself?!"

Hands trembling, I changed the text.

From: Very HostileTo: Like

The moment I hit confirm, the change rippled through the air.

The crushing pressure vanished instantly. My ears popped. The tremors stopped. My lungs filled with oxygen as though I had been drowning and finally reached the surface.

I fell onto my hands, gasping for air, drenched in cold sweat.

My vision slowly returned. My limbs no longer trembled. But my mind... couldn’t comprehend what had just happened.

"...Lawbreaker," I whispered. "It rewrote the core data of an SR-ranked demon. And I’ve only got two uses left."

I looked up.

The Demon Queen was gone.

I frowned, scanning the area. "Did she disappear...?"

Then something tugged on my leg.

Startled, I looked down.

There she was.

The Demon Queen—hugging my leg. Her tiny arms wrapped around me with surprising strength. Her face pressed gently against the fabric of my pants, like she never wanted to let go.

"...What... are you doing?"

She slowly looked up. Her golden eyes sparkled now—not with rage, but something else. Something dangerous.A glimmer of warmth. Of curiosity. Of obsession.

"Wait," I muttered. "I changed her status to ’Like.’ Don’t tell me... she likes me now?"

I stiffened. "No, no, it’s probably not that kind of like. It’s just... admiration, maybe. Respect. Yeah."

Then the system chimed.

[Ding! Challenge 9 Cleared][Rewards Granted:]– Demon Contract (SR Rank)– +10 Awakening Points

I blinked.

"A Demon Contract...?"

I checked its details:

A magical pact between a host and a demon. Grants shared skills, synchronized power growth, and allows fusion of abilities. Requires mutual consent. Rank: SR.

"This is... unheard of," I breathed. "In my past life, I’ve never even heard of anyone forming a contract with an SR-ranked demon."

If I used this now... I could form a bond with the Demon Queen. Gain her powers. Turn her from a threat into an unstoppable ally.

I looked down at her again.

She stared up at me. Unblinking. Smiling.

Something in that smile made my spine tingle. It was too pure. Too innocent. Too eager.As if she already owned me.

Then it happened.

The pressure in the air, gone just moments ago, returned—not crushing, but... possessive.

And she spoke.

Her voice was soft. Delicate. Like the purr of a sleeping cat. But beneath it... something darker curled.

"Human... I’ve taken a liking to you."

I swallowed hard.

"You will be my husband."

"...What."

I wasn’t sure if I heard wrong. But she didn’t laugh. Didn’t smile wider. She just stared up at me, as if daring me to argue.

My mouth opened. Closed. Opened again.

Then she tilted her head—just slightly—her eyes narrowing. They shimmered like gold dipped in blood.

She glanced at the contract still glowing in my hand.

"Use it now," she said softly. "Or you’ll regret it."

I froze. That tone—it was gentle. Sweet, even.

But I knew a warning when I heard one.

This wasn’t a suggestion. It was a command delivered like a lullaby.

"...Fine."

I activated the contract.

A crimson light burst beneath us. Magic circles bloomed under her feet and mine, glowing with ancient demonic script. Her tiny hand gripped my leg tightly—trembling, not from fear, but excitement.

[Ding! Demon Contract Formed – Target: Demon Queen (Infant Stage)][New Title Acquired: Demon Contractor]Effect: All demons ranked below your contracted demon will fear you instinctively.

The moment the contract sealed, I felt it.

A connection.

Dark. Thrumming. Alive.

Her aura surged—then calmed like a storm pacified. She looked up at me, expression unreadable.

Then she whispered.

"Now we’re bound. You belong to me."

She said it with such quiet conviction that my heart stopped for a beat.

"No one else gets to have you."

Her fingers tightened slightly.

I didn’t respond. I couldn’t.

Because for the first time in this journey, I realized...

I might have survived Challenge 9.

But I might have awakened something even more dangerous in the process.