novelraw Chapter 102: Corrupt
Chapter 102: Corrupt
Axel had been far too occupied that he hadn’t even realized how much EXP he had gathered. Between the underground pits, Nexus Field, and everything in between, it had piled up quietly.
< [EXP: 750 / 700] >
< [Level Up Available] >
< [Would you like to initiate level up? Y/N] >
"Sure... I don’t see why not," he muttered. Then, selected Yes.
< [Confirming selection...] >
< [Level up initiated] >
< [System upgrade in progress] >
He just stood there in the alley, blank-faced. Like he hadn’t casually robbed three students seconds ago.
Kinsey, who was watching him, was understandably confused.
"What are you looking at?" she asked slowly.
< [System upgrade complete] >
< [Congratulations! You are now a Level 6 User] >
Just then, a slight chill ran through Axel’s body.
It wasn’t painful. It wasn’t even uncomfortable. It was just... cold. Like something inside him shifted into a better position.
"Hmm." He flexed his fingers.
He always wondered how this system actually worked. How did the system even affect his body?
No time to think about that right now. He grabbed Kinsey lightly by the arm.
"Are you okay?" he asked again. "For real."
She blinked. "Yes... I said I was."
He exhaled. "Sorry you had to see that. Robbing them was necessary. I needed the money. Now I have everything I need."
Kinsey stared at him. He sounded... different.
Axel could barely talk to girls without an awkward silence before. Now he was checking on her twice, apologizing and explaining himself. It felt unnatural. But he didn’t even notice.
They left the alley and walked back toward their dorm buildings.
Later that night, immediately after Axel crashed on his bed, he opened the system fully.
"Let’s check out the new updates."
The interface expanded in front of him.
< [User: Axel Vaelon] >
< [Age: 16] >
< [Race: Demon] >
< [Class: Shadow Imp] >
< [Level: 6] >
< [EXP: 50 / 1,000] >
< [Soul Essence: 20 / 80] >
< [Sin Path: None] >
< [Demonic Core: Active] >
< [STATS] >
< [All stats have been increased to 30 pts] >
< [Infernal Core upgraded to Level 4] >
< [Umbra Core upgraded to Level 2] >
[HP: 30 / 30]
[Strength: 30]
[Speed: 30]
[Agility: 30]
[Intelligence: 30]
[Resistance: 30]
[Infernal Core (Lv. 4) — 100% Active]
[Umbra Core (Lv. 2) — 100% Active]
Axel nodded slowly. The progress was good, but he wanted more.
Then another notification appeared.
< [Infernal Bullet Upgraded] >
< [Infernal Bullet → Infernal Cannon] >
His eyes narrowed slightly.
< [Infernal Cannon Lv. 4: The Infernal Cannon is a condensed blast of demonic fire and compressed infernal energy. Unlike Infernal Bullet, which fires a focused projectile the size of a finger, Infernal Cannon releases a wider and denser beam capable of tearing through reinforced barriers and shattering defensive constructs. Damage Output: — 4x the destructive power of Infernal Bullet. — Effective range increased by 60%. — Explosion radius on impact: 3 meters. — High energy consumption per use.] >
Axel imagined it immediately. The Infernal Bullet had been sharp and precise, good for piercing opponents, but the Infernal Cannon was different. It was meant to devastate.
A slow grin formed on his lips. "How strong can I get?"
< [New Umbra Skill Acquired] >
< [Shadow Grip — Lv. 1: Upon activation, two shadow arms emerge from the ground or surrounding darkness. They seize the target’s limbs and immobilize them for 5 seconds. You can only use this skill once in 10 minutes. Effective only on targets equal to or weaker than the user.] >
"Holy moly!" Axel exclaimed as he leaned back against his pillow.
"Five seconds... That’s a lifetime in a fight. How many matches would’ve ended instantly if I had this..." he muttered.
Still, there would come a time where he would need it.
More upgrades followed.
< [Stun upgraded. Immobilization duration increased to 30 seconds (if target is not stronger than user)] >
< [Demonic Mind Wipe upgraded. Can now erase the last 24 hours of a target’s memory] >
Axel stared at that one longer than the others.
He then closed the tab. Reaching a level made Axel feel refreshed, stronger, and way more confident.
"Speaking of confidence, I’m kinda rich now." Axel admitted with a smug grin.
Money was another thing Axel had acquired over the weeks. He had spent the first 11,000 CNT he earned at the underground pits, but he still had the 50,000 from Nexus Field, 30,000 from the casino, and now another 52,000 from those students. That was way over his 100,000 greed task.
He was rich.
Axel smirked at the ceiling, imagining what he could do with that much money.
His gaze shifted toward Rick’s bed. Rick was asleep.
It had become a habit ever since Planet Exo. Axel would glance over at him before sleeping.
Before, Axel would worry about the soul claiming, about the contract.
But tonight? There was nothing. He found himself not worrying, and Axel found that strange, but he brushed it off.
As he closed his eyes, he felt like something inside him had changed.
"Wait... something’s missing..."
Axel reopened the system and went through the user interface, and that was when he noticed that the corruption tab was gone.
Then he remembered...
< [Corruption Increased by 20%] >
It had already been at 80%.
Now it was 100%.
Understanding dawned slowly.
A soft voice echoed inside his mind.
"Congratulations, Axel," Aurora said calmly. "You’re now fully corrupted."
---
Over the next few days, the changes of being fully corrupted showed quickly.
During sparring sessions with Marc, Axel was paired with a tall student, Trev.
Trev cracked his knuckles loudly.
"I think because you got stronger than a regular Lumina you’re a match for me?" he said. "Don’t think you’re special."
Trev flexed his Spectra 3 badge, thinking it meant anything to Axel, who didn’t respond.
Marc raised his hand. "Begin!"
Trev lunged forward, but Axel didn’t give him space. No testing. No probing.
He stepped in immediately and swung his arm with nothing but raw strength.
Trev managed to block it, but not without a sharp pain shooting up his forearms. He wasn’t even given a second to think when Axel headbutted him.
"Fuckk!! My nose!!" Trev screamed.
Axel spun and drove his knee into Trev’s side, and a cracking sound could be heard.
Before he could fall, Axel brought his elbow down hard against his shoulder, and another crack followed. Axel still refused to let him fall. He grabbed Trev by the neck, driving his elbow against his head.
"UHH!" Trev groaned as his vision blurred.
Axel would have continued, but Marc intervened.
He stepped forward instantly. "Healers!" he barked.
Trev collapsed, gasping, and Axel eased his stance calmly. No emotion, no regret.
"Too easy..." He muttered.
---
At lunch, Kinsey slammed her tray down across from him.
"What the hell was that?" she demanded.
"What the hell was what?" Axel asked nonchalantly.
"Back at training."
Axel shrugged. "Hey... he was bragging too much. I just put him in his place."
"That was excessive," she said.
Axel didn’t argue. He turned to Rick instead. "Do you think it was excessive?"
Rick wanted to answer, but he found himself fumbling over words. Axel decided to change the topic and ask something else.
"Are you still getting those nightmares?"
Rick hesitated at first, then he answered.
"They don’t feel like nightmares," he said slowly. "It’s like... memories. Axel, is there something you’re not telling me?"
Axel opened his mouth, but before he could answer, three students approached their table.
They stood behind Axel.
"You think you’re tough?" one of them said. "Breaking Trev like that?"
Axel didn’t turn immediately. He just smirked. Then he turned.
"We fought," Axel said. "And I won fair and square."
"You went too far."
"Then he should’ve been stronger."
The table went silent. The three students exchanged looks but didn’t move.
After a moment, they walked away.
Later, Kinsey pulled him aside near the hallway. Away from Rick.
"You’re acting out," she said quietly. "You need to get a grip."
Axel looked at her.
"I’m fine."
"You’re not."
With a worried look on her face, Kinsey asked, "What is going on with you...?"
The next day, sparring continued like usual. After the session, Marc called Axel over for a small talk.
"You’re strong. You have potential, and you seem like a good swordsman," Marc said.
"But all you do is swing the sword and fuse it with your ability, that’s just brute force. If you actually harness proper swordsmanship, you could do a lot more."
"I know someone," Marc continued. "One of the best swordsmen in the academy. His name is Oliver Rim."
"Oliver Rim?" Axel asked, raising a brow.
"He could refine you," Marc said. "If you’re willing."
Axel thought about it. Harnessing top-tier sword skill would mean more power and more control.
"Yeah," Axel said finally. "I’ll do it."
Marc nodded.
"Good. I’ll arrange it."
Axel turned to exit the weapons chamber before Marc called him back.
"One more thing, Axel... quit drawing too much attention to yourself if you know you won’t be able to handle it. You’re naturally strong, and something tells me you’re going to keep getting stronger. Strength attracts attention. Attention attracts enemies... lots of enemies."
***