Gonna Be a Demon King!

The skill description gave him a general idea of what he could do with it, and by using it every day, he was able to do some basic stuff.

After eating his hunt for breakfast, he stepped out and moved towards a rock hill to start his daily training.

"First, a normal punch."

He balled his right fist and threw it forward, punching the rock.

As Xaren's fist collided with the rock, the force of the impact reverberated through the stone with a dull, resonant 'thud'.

The surface of the rock yielded under the pressure, splintering outward in a cascade of jagged lines. Thin, web-like cracks spidered across the rock's surface, radiating from the point of impact in a chaotic pattern.

"Now, with the skill."

Taking a deep breath, he circulated his energy through his circuits and activated the Unique Skill, sighing as he felt 30% of his energy disappear.

Reminding himself it was the cost of the power boost, he infused demonic energy into his arm and in seconds, a dark red aura covered his forearm.

He repositioned himself and unleashed a powerful punch against the rock.

**BOOM!

The impact was explosive. Birds on trees flew away and wild monsters scampered out of the area as the sound echoed through the air.

The surface of the rock buckled under the force, and spiderweb-like fissures erupted from the point of contact, quickly expanding and deepening. The concentrated energy from his strike drove through the cracks, creating a deep, gaping hole in the rock.

Chunks of debris were blasted outward, and the surrounding area was showered with fragments as the once-solid barrier crumbled into a jagged opening.

"Is this really the power boost from doubling gravity?"

Xaren understood that gravity was the force keeping him grounded and preventing him from floating away. With his skill, he could amplify this force up to twice its normal strength.

He surmised that as he grew stronger, he might be able to achieve even greater feats, but for now, his maximum increase was 2x, while his decrease was limited to 0.5x and it was only for a few seconds.

"I can use the reduction to achieve speed bursts, and the increment to increase my power at the point of impact."

When he activated the 0.5x gravity reduction, he felt a sudden, disorienting lightness in his body. His movements became more fluid and effortless, and he experienced an odd sensation of floating slightly with each step.

It was easier to leap and he could manoeuvre with less effort, however, keeping his balance became harder due to his altered weight.

"Need to get used to this."

As Xaren continued his tests, he noticed an unsettling sensation above him. A surge of demonic energy rippled through the air, drawing his gaze skyward.

He saw a massive vortex forming in the sky, its dark, swirling tendrils stretching ominously from a distance. Surrounding this central vortex were multiple smaller whirlpools of energy, creating a dark swirl in the skies.

Suddenly, the loud roars of countless demons filled Xaren's ears and he saw as they began to be violently pulled toward the vortex, like leaves caught in a whirlwind.

Xaren watched in shock as the vortex's pull intensified, drawing in only the older and stronger demons, those behind a translucent barrier.

The weaker demons outside the barrier, even those right at its edge, seemed unaffected, their panicked movements trivial in comparison.

'So, it's after those guys? Even so, let's move further away.'

Xaren had just made that decision when he felt a peculiar lightness in his body and furrowed his brow.

"I switched off my skill, didn't I?"

He checked again, confirming that his gravity manipulation was indeed deactivated. But why did he still feel so light?

Xaren had a bad hunch, and unfortunately, they usually tended to be correct. A sinking feeling gripped him as he turned back to the vortex.

"No way, right?"

As if replying to him, a sudden force began to drag at him.

"Fuck!"

Xaren cursed under his breath and swiftly activated his gravity skill, trying to increase his weight to counter the pull.

For a few desperate seconds, the increased weight resisted the force, but it wasn't enough. The pull continued, dragging him toward the swirling darkness.

Instinctively, Xaren grabbed onto a nearby tree, his hands gripping the bark with white-knuckled intensity.

He used his skill intermittently, boosting both his and the tree's weight in a frantic bid to stay anchored.

Still, the vortex's force was relentless, and the roars of the demons being sucked from the forest behind the barrier became a harrowing soundtrack to his struggle.

'I was planning to wait for the other demons to level up so I could kill them and gain EXP to reach level 100 before trying to leave. There's no way I'm letting myself be dragged into some unknown place before that!'

He clenched his teeth, every muscle straining against the overpowering force, determined to hold his ground.

Xaren's persistence paid off as after a few minutes, when his energy could barely hold up any more, he noticed the vortex begin to shrink.

'Good!'

For a moment, he glanced back and in that second, he caught a flash in his peripheral vision.

'What was that?!'

Answering his thoughts was a deep voice that came from behind.

"Oh wow, look at this little one struggling."

"?!"

Xaren slowly turned his head and came face-to-face with a towering figure that loomed over him, twice his height.

Standing over 7 feet tall, the behemoth had a hulking frame, a beard of flames, and two curved horns protruding from its head.

Its powerful legs, ending in hooves, supported its bulk, while a pair of reversed wings sprouted from its back.

Crimson eyes filled with mirth stared at him and Xaren felt his blood run cold.

'A Higher ranked demon!?'

The demon arched a brow when he saw the realisation in Xaren's eyes, before chuckling as he raised…a finger.

Moving the finger towards the tree Xaren was holding onto, the demon flicked his finger and this casual flick shattered the tree trunk into splinters.

"??!!"

Xaren lost his hold and the vortex's pull took over, pulling him towards the sky.

Suddenly, he felt a firm grip on his arm. Turning his head, he saw the demon who had shattered the tree clutching him tightly and propelling them both towards the vortex.

In mere moments, they were pulled inside and the world around Xaren swirled into a dizzying blur, a kaleidoscope of colours and shapes that twisted violently, making his head spin.

For an instant, his vision went blank, then it snapped back into focus in the next.

He found himself in a sprawling clearing, surrounded by a sea of thousands of demons. Looking around, he spotted some of those who had been pulled through the vortex alongside him.

Before he could fully grasp his new surroundings, the demon who had seized him took to the skies and flew forward with a speed that made Xaren's head reel, and the ground below rushed away at a dizzying speed.

When his senses finally stabilized, he was faced with a grim scene: four imposing, higher-ranked demons now stood in front of him.

The one who held him, raised his body to face the new four faces as he spoke.

"Hey, guys, check out this little one I found."

The demon's voice was filled with amusement and Xaren felt his heartbeat rapidly accelerate.

'What's with this situation?! Was resisting the vortex some kind of crime!?'

Ignorant of Xaren's inner thoughts, one of the demons who held a box of weapons turned towards the fire demon holding Xaren and spoke with an exasperated tone.

"Floch…what the hell? Put that guy back with the others."

"Dude, at least hear me out. You certainly wouldn't say that when I tell you how I found this guy."

The fire demon called Floch spoke to his weapon-carrying friend, shaking Xaren's body as he continued.

"I found him in the newborn section. And yet, the vortex was pulling him!"

"The heck are you talking about? The vortex only pulls Level 50s and above.

It's been barely two weeks since the last batch should have hatched. There's no way he got to level 50 in two weeks."

The only demoness among the four replied to Floch, before turning her eyes towards Xaren.

"My Partial Appraisal shows he's Level 52…"

From the words of these demons, Xaren realised the reason for the barrier that separated the forest. The demons beyond that barrier were from a previous batch that had hatched and they'd been there long enough to surpass Level 50.