Forsaken By The Gods, I Made A Contract With the Demon King

Consciousness returned to Levi slowly, accompanied by a strange sensation.

— Crow!

Something pecked at his face, persistent and irritating. Levi tried to ignore it but he couldn't.

His eyes fluttered open and met by the ominous glow of a red moon looming in the sky- it was as beautiful and sinister as always.

"Ha!"

It took a moment for Levi's mind to catch up, to recall what had happened before he passed out.

"The Black Wing... it's dead."

The memory of the messages and his battle with the black wing of lunacy flashed in his mind and he slowly realized his situation.

Then he tried to sit up, which was a bad decision because pain shot through him, every muscle screaming in protest, a reminder of the battle he had endured.

"Fuck!"

Gritting his teeth, Levi forced himself upright and looked at his fral body.

His body was a wreck—covered in scars, bruises, and clots. But thanks to his demonic transformation, most of the blood loss had been halted, and his wounds were already closing.

It wasn't on the level of superhuman regeneration, but his recovery had begun. It might take days before he regained his full strength.

The government-issued clothes were now in tatters, barely clinging to his body. Their quality meant nothing against the Black Wing of Lunacy, whose power was enough to shred them with a single claw.

Nevertheless, as his vision cleared, Levi's gaze fell upon a small black bird perched on his lap. No larger than his fist, it stared at him with beady eyes.

"Huh...?"

Confusion clouded his mind.

The bird resembled the ravens he had seen in the slums, though smaller, and its eyes gleamed with intelligence,

Levi's instincts screamed danger as soon as he laid his eyes upon the small bird and numerous thoughts began to form in his mind.

Was this another monster? Had he missed a cocoon, which managed to evolve? Could the Black Wing of Lunacy have another form, maybe a skill to change its body?

A flood of thoughts ran through his mind and all of them seemed equally possible!

But as the tiny creature hopped from his leg, tilting its head inquisitively, those notions instantly faded to the back of his head.

'Why is this thing so cute?'

Levi couldn't help but think.

The creature on his lap was definitely a monster, he could tell from the essence that was leaking out of its tiny body and the intelligence that nestled in its eyes.

However, the bird, with its tiny black wings, glossy feathers, and round red eyes, looked almost... adorable. If it weren't for the grim situation, he might've mistaken it for a doll.

"What are you?" Levi rasped still not daring to touch the black bird.

The bird blinked, offering no response. Of course, it wouldn't—unless it had the rare ability to speak- which Levi doubted.

It simply hopped around him, running aimlessly.

Shaking off his confusion, Levi turned his attention to where the Black Wing's corpse should have been and his eyes widened in shock.

"Huh?"

The monstrous body of the black wing of Lunacy which he had managed to kill after an exhausting battle had vanished!

And its place, only a pendant lay on the ground, emitting a faint, shimmering glow.

It was an artifact!

Levi's breath hitched.

One part of him wondered where the corpse had gone, while another urged him to check out the artifact immediately.

But he did neither.

Instead, he recalled the messages that the Providence had shown before he lost consciousness, and with his thought, the messages began to reappear.

As they reappeared before him, Levi noticed that there were more than he had anticipated.

[You have killed a Nascent-Fallen monster—Black Wing of Lunacy.]

[You have gained an artifact—Eternal Vigil.]

These were the messages Levi had seen earlier and what he had expected - after so much trouble, he had finally gained an artifact!

His first artifact was a consumable item so this could be considered the first proper artifact that he had got his hands on.

The name itself made him curious and the fact that this has come from a Fallen rank monster only increased his expectations!

But before he could check out the artifact, the messages that followed caught his attention.

[Your trait ability—Domination has been activated.]

[A suitable soul for the creation of a Dominion has been found.]

[The body of the 'Black Wing of Lunacy' will be used as fuel.]

Levi's gaze involuntarily shifted to the small bird darting around him.

He glanced back and forth between the word 'Dominion' and the black bird, piecing things together.

He didn't have to be a genius to figure out that this bird and the dominion mentioned had some connection.

And he also understood where the Black Wing's body had gone, but the concept of a 'Dominion' was still a mystery to him.

To be precise, Levi didn't even know what his second trait ability did - all it had in its description were three words [Submit or Perish] and regretfully, he didn't have a high enough IQ to decipher something like that.

So instead of wasting his time on useless thoughts, Levi moved on to the next messages.

[Your Dominion has taken shape.]

[You have taken the first step toward the path of the Abyss.]

The Path of Abyss.

This word rang a bell in Levi's mind - he had seen this in the contract he made with the demon king.

The Contract said that the Demon Sanctuary he would build would serve as a beacon for those who follow the Path of the Abyss.

But there was nothing about what exactly was this path of the abyss nor did it mention anything on who the followers of the abyss are.

Levi was once again troubled, none of this made any sense to him and the messages also ended there.

Curiosity gnawed at him, and Levi wasn't one to take things at face value. He did what he knew best—he opened his status.

-----------[Status]-----------

Name: Levias Drake

Rank: Demonic Follower

Patron: The Darklord of the Endless Abyss

Affiliation: Mercenary Federation (F-rank)

Crest: —

Demonic Core: Nascent-Essence

Demonic Essence: 77/1000

Trait: Demonic Soul

Trait Ability: Demonic Transformation | Domination

Dominions:  --- (Black Wing of Lunacy)

Innate Ability: Shadow Self | Lunacy

Artifacts: —

Avatars: —

-----------[Status]-----------

Just below his trait ability, a new field had appeared as 'Dominions.' Levi instantly realized it was connected to his newly activated trait ability.

But what he saw there didn't make him feel any better.

He glanced from the small bird to the text, back and forth a few times before letting out his thoughts.

"How is this the Black Wing of Lunacy?"

The creature he had fought was a nightmare—something he'd avoid if given the chance. But this little bird? It was just a small raven.

Levi couldn't fathom how Providence judged this tiny creature to be the Black Wing of Lunacy. But that wasn't his concern - right now, he wanted to know what this Dominion was and what it would do.

Everything felt so muddled and his mind was clouded with confusion.

Shaking his head, Levi focused on the Dominion field and was startled when a description of the dominion and the status of the small bird appeared before him.

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