My Demon System : From Outcast To Hunter

["I commend your intelligence and sharp observation, player. Let's proceed to the first quest."]

A notification from his system appeared as Itaru walked through the vast lands.

So far, no monster or harm had come his way. Itaru smiled after reading the system's comment. Of course, he was smart—how else would he have managed to read the entire library of the Holy Knights in one night?

[Task: 001 — Normal Quest:

Defeat 1 Akkor.

Reward: Demon Blood Traits.

Time Limit: 4h]

'The Akkor's weakness is in the feather on its head,'

Itaru thought, according to his knowledge, the Akkor beasts only existed in flocks. They weren't strong when scattered—any weak man could take them down.

The question that consumed him was, "Where would I even find those creatures? System, don't you have a map, a guide, or something? I'm new here!"

He muttered in frustration. He did possess some information about the demon world monsters that had previously invaded the human realm and were fought off by the Holy Knights.

 [You want to become the Demon King and yet complain for convenience? I enjoy watching you struggle. So entertain me. Suffer like a man who seeks power.]

Itaru clenched his fist. If only this system had a physical form—he would've beaten it senseless.

He dashed off in search of the Akkor beasts. His increased speed was impressive, moving with great agility. He stopped at a tall hill, where below, a number of monsters were working. They seemed low-level.

They were shackled and digging non-stop, as if searching for something. His foot slipped, and he tumbled down the hill, crashing hard into one of the monsters.

It had rough skin and a massive body. All the creatures turned to look at him when he cursed under his breath: "Damn it."

Most of them stopped digging and approached him with glowing eyes, as if they intended to tear him apart.

Itaru stood up and dusted off his pants. His shirt was ripped, and any scratch now would ruin his perfect chest. But then, he was shocked—the monsters lowered themselves before him.

"Help us, O Dragon Slayer!"

So, his reputation had spread. Itaru took a step back—he had a quest and no time to help.

"Free us from the Akkor's control. Please—we haven't rested in twenty years!"

Spoke one of the monsters, trembling from exhaustion. Itaru straightened his posture upon hearing the name "Akkor."

"Since when did the Akkor have authority over other demons?"

From behind came a monster with multiple tubes dangling from its head. His chains were heavier. He seemed different. The aura of power restrained by his shackles was palpable.

"Why ask him to help us?"

One of the demons whispered to another.

Then another system prompt appeared:

 [You have received a side quest request from the prisoners. You may accept or reject it.]

No rewards were mentioned if he chose to help them. A part of him felt guilty—he remembered how he used to help his people, only to be abandoned in the end.

"The Akkor tribe joined Prince Kairon's banner. He controls this borderland between his territory and the dragons'. He's long been at war with them… They're the ones who forced us into labor. Damn, I shouldn't even be telling you this..."

Itaru wanted to listen to their stories, but he had already wasted two hours getting here. Failing the first quest wasn't an option.

Suddenly, a hammer slammed into the ground. The chained monsters began to panic, rushing back to their places. They were terrified to their core.

All Itaru needed to defeat an Akkor was to remove the feather from its head.

Itaru stood firm, staring at the monster with a hammer bigger than its own body. It had black crystalline eyes set deep in a rectangular head.

It wore a skull emblem on its sash—an obvious sign it served Prince Kairon.

"Why did you stop working, you bastards? Didn't you take a break seven years ago? Want to be punished again? Prince Kairon needs these lava crystals for his fiancée! Hurry up and get back to work, you morons!"

The Akkor's voice alone made the others tremble.

Itaru noticed that the sound waves of the monster's voice interacted with the cuffs. The Akkor turned to him and said,

"A stray fly or a flea that wandered out of its burrow?"

It raised its hammer to strike, but Itaru stepped back, and the ground took the hit instead.

"You're as slow as your brain," Itaru mocked, weaving around the Akkor, dodging its attacks.

The Akkor began to lose its temper as Itaru kept moving unpredictably. The prisoners watching him made the monster even angrier.

"Shut up, you filthy insect! You're too weak to speak to me!"

The Akkor tried to hit him again, but Itaru flipped backward in a somersault, landing gracefully in front of the prisoners like a circus performer—just as he used to do for the orphanage kids every Friday to entertain them, since they couldn't go outside.

The prisoners laughed at the sight of the Akkor—who had mocked and ruled them for years—being made a fool of by a mere human boy. This was humiliation for the Akkor.

"You'll never defeat me!"

He gripped his hammer tighter—it began to glow and emit pulses of energy.

Itaru remained unfazed.

"Not only is your brain smaller than a grain of dust, but you rely on cursed power from a petty energy stone. You're a pathetic Akkor. A blind toddler could beat you."

Each word infuriated the Akkor more. It finally snapped and hurled its hammer to the ground, charging directly at Itaru.

Foam bubbled from its mouth as it leapt into the air. Itaru flipped mid-air, brushing the Akkor's head as he landed. The Akkor struck Itaru in the stomach.

All the prisoners gasped—yet the blow didn't affect him.

Instead, the Akkor's body began to crumble into ash.

Itaru stared at the feather he had taken from the creature's head.

 [Congratulations, you have completed the Normal Task.]

[Demon Blood Traits Unlocked: You can now form any weapon using the blood of demons you've defeated. The stronger the monster, the more powerful the weapon.]

 [Speed +2]

[Fame +2]

[Agility evolved to 5]

Itaru glanced at the ash-covered hammer, then at the trembling slaves below. If this was just the first task… what kind of hell awaited him in the next?