The blasted imp was nothing else if not fast- making me have to sprint behind him before I entered a rectangular cavern. Surprisingly, I found the imp sitting down in a crude stone chair behind a similarly crude stone table. On the table, however, there were a few articles of dull brown cotton clothing, a pair of worn-out boots, and a small leather sheath.

"Let it not be said that I let you embark on your conquest 'au naturel', get dressed and I'll explain a few things that you need to know"

While listening to his words I had already reached for the clothes, the feeling of being naked around another man- no matter how baby-like- wasn't really my cup of tea. The underwear and other pieces of clothing fit me a little loosely, but the shirt I thought to be a tad too big for me had surprisingly fit my new bigger frame almost perfectly. The boots had given me a minor surprise as well as it apparently had 'built-in socks', though I could see that becoming a problem quickly if they got dirty or wet.

"Right- so the general explanation first then. The world as you know it has already ended Jeremey. It has already been integrated by the Ether and your species is now exposed to all of its glory."

"I'll have to stop you right there- what is this Ether and what does it do?" while I fired off my questions, I meditated upon the fact that I had so easily come to accept all of this. The world had ended and now, Earth had become part of some psychopathic larger entity that encouraged violence and death- 'Heck! I had horns now' my hands reaching over my head to verify if I actually did, and sure enough, they were there...

"Oh, how could I forget! Well simply put Ether is the fuel responsible for the changes you'll come to see; for example, your new form is possible through the courtesy of Ether. To tell you the more 'fancy' definition of Ether would be out of my jurisdiction... Just know that without Ether to improve and ignite the necessary changes in your race, you and the rest of your species would be facing extinction..." Ashby was visibly conflicted with that definition, but the solemness present on his face let me know that's all I would get out of that question.

"Hmm- that just left me with even more questions... What kind of changes if you don't mind me asking?"

"That, I can tell you- but first I'll need to explain how it changes you. There are 3 means by which Ether interacts with lifeforms: their Mind, Body, and Soul. I think you have a preliminary grasp of how it affects your body, but it can do so much more; Say you wanted to be a few hundred feet larger, Ether could make that happen. Though the necessary amount would be well beyond anything you'll come across in the tutorial. Explaining how it affects the mind is a little bit trickier, but let's just say the reason you're so open-minded about everything happening is because of Ether-"

"What!! I'm being mind-controlled?!?!" I couldn't help but take a step away from the imp in dread. This fu*king bullsh*t energy was turning me into the ideal prisoner! No wonder I felt unnaturally calm, this wasn't normal- None of this was Normal! I need to get rid of it! I need to esc-

"Calm down Jeremy! Don't get your knickers in a knot- I never said you were being mind-controlled... Ether is unable to directly influence any of your thoughts 'directly', it just kind of reinforces your mind. I did not doubt without its influence that your mortal mind would have collapsed in on itself already due to the unbelievable and rapid changes you've been exposed to. So don't try and discard its hold just yet- I wouldn't want to have a drooling mess on my hands so soon."

"...okay- So my mind isn't being controlled... just reinforced...? Why? What does that mean exactly? And next time something like that is forced on me, a heads up at least would be nice..." as much as it irked me to admit- Ashby was right. The moment I had identified its hold on me and tried to get rid of it, I felt myself falling into a rabbit hole of dark emotions. And I had no plans on becoming the demented version of a yellow blonde girl in a blue Victorian dress.

"Yes precisely, but how do I say this in the nicest way possible... Jeremy, you're a pussy. The Ether doesn't control your mind, it just enhances your mind so that you don't crack under pressure and can withstand more stress demanding situations, in essence, it just makes you less of a pussy. " Ouch- once again it pained me to say but this man-baby was right. My brain would be doing backflips without the reinforcement, the kind of backflips that end up in a broken neck...

"Oh okay, well that's not as bad as I thought- Once it doesn't make me into some deranged violence-lusting freak or anything, I appreciate the mental support..."

"... yes... once it doesn't do that... Anyways back to what I was saying- the soul. Ether allows your soul, which would be otherwise inert and unable of interaction to play a more active role as your 'Status'. It also serves as an anchor of sorts for your body and mind as the soul translates their attributes numerically, but the creme de la creme of Ether's interaction with your soul is the ability to use Skills!." Ashby was zealously explaining to me with so much fervor I suspected him to be a fanatic.

"What are skills exactly? And how do I get them?" I had seen the word mentioned in my Status before, but it didn't look like I had any.

"Skills are abilities or characteristics that have been recognized and recorded into your soul by Ether. Say you're a farmer right, you can gain a farming skill because it's an ability that Ether has recognized through your effort. It doesn't make you better at farming per se, it's more of an ease in operation cost. So someone who has much more experience than you but doesn't have the skill could be a better farmer overall, but in terms of efficiency and consistency, you'll outperform them-"

I could feel a headache incoming. So a skill couldn't necessarily make you better than someone at something if they have a substantial amount of experience in that field compared to you but it would make me superior to them at a base level? That was quite an interesting concept and in practice quite a broken feature. I could think of numerous ways 'Skills' could be abused if my assumptions were true and I was eager to test them.

"-In addition Skills can be leveled, meaning at some point you'll be able to surpass the boundary of experience utilizing them. They're optimally taken advantage of with theoretical knowledge, experience plus repeated use, however. Concerning how to acquire them, it varies among lifeforms, unfortunately. In rare cases, some acquired them in next to no time while performing an action, while generally others had to spend a considerable amount of time before getting them, and in extreme cases, they weren't granted at all. It all depends on your affinity to it and whether or not the Ether determines your effort sufficient..."

I felt my building excitement after being told skills could 'level up' simmer away after learning I couldn't just amass skills for everything and turn myself into the perfect human.

"Worry not, however, my dear Jeremey. You'll find yourself falling into the first category by virtue of your class..." Oh, sh*t! Glee suffused my body upon hearing I was part of the 1% and I couldn't help but mentally fist pump. That reminds me, I haven't looked at my Status since I 'hatched' and I was eager to see my 'destined' class, the one that would allow me to finally separate from the label of average...

'Status Open'

Name: Jeremy Silvertone

Level: 1 [0/10]

Class: Demon King

HP: 100/100

MP: 10/10

Strength: 10

Agility: 10

Endurance: 10

Intelligence: 10

Skills: Inspect Lvl 1

Huh? Wh-What does that mean? Demon as in fire and brimstone, flesh-eating, demon..? As in the enemy of all hero-type characters? Demon King as in the ultimate goal of a reincarnated Hero's journey? My face instantly paled as I felt all the blood drain from it. I-It couldn't be, right? This had to be a mistake right? A joke the silly imp was subjecting me to for his own self-enjoyment... it had to be.

"Ha Ha- That's not funny Ashby, you got your kicks. Now let me see my real class please" I cast my gaze toward the man-baby and found his expression being stuck between disbelief and slight amusement.

"Oh, what could you mean my dear Jeremey? No one is capable of interfering with your interface? Frankly, I'm hurt to think you would even view a noble creature such as myself to be one with such poor character. I assure you this is no joke, what you see is simply the result of your actions. I welcome you to the tutorial Demon King Jeremy."

'What the fu*k?!? What do you mean the result of my actio-' wait why can't I hear myself?

"It's because I silenced you. I would whole-heartedly enjoy having a conversation with you about your fate while you whole-heartedly deny it, but time is of the essence. Now that you've been granted your Class and your equipment you'll be transferred into the zone designated for the tutorial. I would not be able to contact you during the tutorial due to an agreement I made with a moderator, but in return, you were granted the maximum base stat points for your species as well as another gift you'll receive in the zone"

'What the hell? What kind of messed up fu*king sh*t is this? Bullfuc*kingsh*t. I refuse, I don't want to be the universal bad guy. No matter how much power I would receive I don't want to be the Demon King. When did I even agree to this? It's obviously an excuse to force me into the role! What kind of idiot would agree to be the goddamn Demon King!' as soon as I thought of that I was once again reminded of those striking blue irises. 'Fu*king Ricky! That piece of sh*t! To think that's how he would repay me for all those free meals and my companionship!'

"Death is not permanent, but I'd advise you to try your best not to die because the reward for that is very attractive, even for me. You were granted Inspect free of charge so you'd be able to do some basic analysis so you won't stupidly die from eating a poisonous mushroom or something. You just have to think of the words to be able to use the skill."

I had noticed the skill there when I accessed my status earlier, it's just that the gravity of the nature of my class distracted me from it, but thinking of the words I looked at the sheath I had around my waist.

Basic Iron Dagger

Damage: 8-11

Durability: 100

Special Effects: None

Just a simple dagger, good for stabbing and slicing things; Preferably the flesh of your enemies.

"Finally, you'll be able to access a few other functions of the system thanks to your class, things such as the 'Map', 'Faction Status' and 'War' features. I wish you all the best on your road to world domination or destruction, whichever one tickles your pickle. Oh- also when you kill things you gain experience to level up, and upon leveling up, you'll receive some stat points that you can distribute. Your species has a great growth potential so they'll receive 4 stat points per level, but as a Demon King, you'll receive 50% more, meaning you get 6 stat points per level, so use them wisely." the fact that I was practically set to be one of the strongest beings among my species didn't diminish the regret I was feeling, however. I still didn't want to be the goal of everyone's animosity and hate, no matter how deliciously the extra stats and perks sounded...

"You might have no idea how insane that is, but as a reference, my species growth rate is 2 stat points per level... so yeah, you're one lucky lad. I think that's everything of importance, as anything else you'll learn in the tutorial. Do you have any questions?" I felt whatever was stopping me from speaking disappear.

"Yeah, why the fu*k do I have to be a Demon King? Couldn't you like- you know, give someone else this privilege? Someone who actually wants to be the 'Demon King'?"

"Jeremy, Jeremy, Jeremy, you need to stop being so impulsive with your words. But no, it is impossible to give someone else the class, at least impossible if you wanted to remain alive after... Plus, you'll soon find out that millions would kill to be in your position- and they literally will try to kill you for your position, but that's beside the point. With that it seems our time together is up, try not to die Jeremy." I felt my consciousness once more being sucked into oblivion but I still had so many questions!!

"Wait! I still have questions! What happens to me if I die? Will I still be myself after? How do I survive with no food and water?!?!-" I gritted my teeth trying to resist the pull while looking to him for answers, but the last thing I saw was his smirking face and a smug look was aching to wipe off with my fists.