When Eli woke up the next morning to his alarm clock, he remembered what happened last night. He got a quest given by a powerful entity named Asmodeus, a figure of immense power. In some sources, it is the demon prince of lust. In earlier works, however, it is actually the demon of wrath. From how the powerful entity convinced him to murder out of revenge, and the later... Kink? He guessed that it was a mixture of the two.

To his surprise, however, he didn't panic that he got contacted by such an entity. He even strangely felt a sense of familiarity with that entity, almost as if he knew it before.

He shook his head, mocking himself in his mind - There is no way I would know someone like that. I must be hallucinating. Now then, let's check the items I got.

Checking his inventory, he immediately found two new items, a cloak, and a ring. The cloak was grey and had a hood. The ring was black, made out of an unknown material. Those were probably the cloak of minor null existence and the ring of evidence erasement.

He didn't take them out, however, since Trinity also woke up next to him.

"Eli, aren't you getting up? You have work, don't you?" - Trinity said as she yawned and stretched, no sign of her weeping the night before.

Eli got up and said, "Yeah, I'll get ready now. I'll prepare us something to eat."

Trinity shook her head, "No, I will make breakfast. I don't want to be freeloading."

Shrugging, Eli replied, "Suite yourself. You can use that portable gas stove there. There are ingredients in the fridge and condiments in that drawer over there."

After they both brushed their teeth, Trinity prepared breakfast while Eli took a shower and dressed up. When he was done, he went to the table, food ready and Trinity waiting for him.

When Eli saw the food prepared, french toast with butter and some fruit on the side, he smiled.

"Looks great." - He commented.

"If I had more ingredients and time, I would have made you something even better." - She said that, but she had a contented smile on her bruised face. She missed getting praised for her cooking, as Gavin cursed her for even her good recipes, making her doubt her own cooking skills.

As she watched him it with ravish from time to time, she felt slightly at peace.

After they enjoyed their meal, Eli looked at Trinity's face, and his gaze landed on the bandaged part.

Eli asked, "Do you need help replacing it?"

Trinity hesitated for a bit before agreeing. She was uncomfortable about the injury, but not enough to reject the help of her ex.

Eli brought his first-aid kit and removed the bandage, revealing a scabbed-over nasty cut. He narrowed his eyes, knowing full well who was responsible for it, but he didn't stop treating her, soon replacing her bandage and applying a new antiseptic.

When he was done, it was soon time to go to work. He forked out his spare apartment key and gave it to her.

"Call me if you run into any trouble. Also, go to the police and show them your injuries, so it gets documented." - Eli said.

"Thanks, Eli, I will." - Trinity nodded.

She followed him all the way out to the door. Before he left, she suddenly grabbed him, tiptoed, and kissed his cheek, a smile on her face.

"Thank you for being such a sweetheart, Eli. See you in the evening." - She smiled and bade farewell, gently closing the door.

Eli had a small smile on his face, rubbing the place she pecked him. It was only then that he noticed Chloe standing in the hallway staring at him with blinking eyes. She looked a bit tense.

"Is that your girlfriend?" - She asked with a smile, her small hand clenching her pants.

"My ex. She has problems with her husband right now, so she is staying with me for now." - Eli answered, not noticing her odd behavior.

Chloe seemed to relax a bit, but she still held some suspicion, "Are you sure there isn't a thing going on between you two? You seemed a bit too chummy to me."

Eli shook his head, "No such thing. I am just helping her out."

Chloe seemed to relax a bit and offered, "She can stay with me at night then. It would be awkward if she stayed alone with a guy at night."

Eli thought for a bit and then agreed, "Alright, but only if she agrees. Let's go, or we're gonna be late."

As they walked, Chloe scolded herself - What's wrong with me? Why did I feel so uncomfortable watching Eli with another girl? I should be happy for him if he got together with a girl, not feel so uncomfortable... So...

{Jealous?}

"EEP!"

A female ghostlike voice, one that sounded pleasant like a bird's chirp yet unpleasant like the grating of nails, sounded in her head in a foreign yet understandable language, causing her to yelp.

Eli, along with some nearby pedestrians, cast a strange glance at her. While the pedestrians ignored her, Eli asked in concern, "Chloe, are you ok?"

Chloe asked, looking around, "D-Did you hear that?"

Eli raised an eyebrow, "Hear what?"

Chloe did not hear the voice anymore and felt embarrassed.

"Nothing, nothing. I must be hearing things..."

Eli shrugged, "If you say so."

Chloe sighed to herself, trying to forget this episode ever happened.

Eli, oblivious of what just occurred to Chloe, rode the streetcar like normal before arriving at work. After finishing another grueling day at work, he had now accumulated a total of 16 points.

Instead of going straight back home, Eli took a detour, bought ten sandwiches in a nearby shop, and put them inside his inventory. He remembered Saturn telling him that using points to evolve, unlike using supplements, will require food.

After taking the streetcar and coming home, Eli heard chatter from inside his apartment. Opening the door, he saw Chloe and Trinity in the kitchen, cooking.

When they heard him entering, both Trinity and Chloe smiled and greeted, almost in unison, "Hey Eli!"

"Hey, girls, I see you are getting along well."

"Yeah, we had a small talk and became fast friends. Right, Trinity?"

"Mhm. It is nice to chat with Chloe too. We are making dinner together, and it would be ready in about an hour."

Eli nodded and asked, "Alright, you girls keep at it. I'm gonna do my daily training."

Trinity said, "Alright, see you later."

After Eli got into his gym clothes, he did as the system told him and finished his daily quest.

Basic training(13/30)

Unlike previous days, he didn't immediately take the potions, as he had dinner to attend.

Going back inside his house, he saw the small table filled with food, and sitting next to it were Chloe and Trinity. An extra chair was in the house, most likely from Chloe's house.

"Wow, looks great! Say, did you buy more ingredients? I don't remember having some of those vegetables."

Trinity nodded, "Yeah, I bought some groceries. Your fridge had a serious lack of vegetables ."

Eli acknowledged, "I agree with that. I don't really have much time to cook, so..."

"Eli, nobody is blaming you. Just remember to eat healthy food from time to time. Now, let's eat. The food is getting cold."

What they ate was some salad, sausage, and mashed potatoes. It was, by all means, a simple meal, but it was sufficient and better than what he ate normally.

After they finished eating, Eli asked Chloe to go back to her house for a bit because he wanted to talk to Trinity in private for a bit. After Chloe left, he asked her a series of questions about her day.

"How did it go in the police station? Did you get your injuries documented?"

"Yes, one of the female officers recorded every one of the injuries I suffered, including the bruises on my body and face. After they concluded the injuries, they said it is a 2nd-degree battery, and he can spend up to five years in prison based on this alone. I also threw in psychological, marital rape, and financial abuse charges. Oh, right, are you acquainted with the police? When I told them I am staying at your house, they treated me much better and told me to say hi to you."

Eli waved his hand, "Don't ask me that. Ask Chloe. She will tell you if she wants to. Now tell me, did you get your rape evidence collected at the hospital? What about a lawyer?"

Trinity nodded her head in confirmation, "Yes, I got it collected. It took a whole 5 hours, but I used that time to contact a good lawyer that the police provided. He is a bit on the expensive side, but they said he was worth it. After I talked to him and explained everything, he said that I could potentially sue Gavin for 60% of his total assets. Both marital and separate. Since his net worth is about $2.7m through gifts and inheritance, I could get about $1.6m in the divorce settlement. Since it is settlement money, it is considered income, so I only get about $0.94m after taxes. And that is not even including putting him in prison. That is a separate case."

Eli raised an eyebrow, "Wow, that's a lot! How much would you get if you have only divorced him, then? Without the allegations."

Eli didn't really know much about these things. He was never married, nor did he learn much about law. His knowledge barely scraped the surface area.

"Let's see... I married him almost penniless, had no part in anything financial, and was basically a housewife. The house is completely his, and everything in the house is also his, except for a paltry of my own belongings. There is nothing on my name. In other words, I can only get half of the marital assets. Since we were only married for three months, and he used the marital assets for almost everything...  I would have gotten $5,000, more or less." - She said as a matter of factly.¹Yep, you read it right. a 200 times difference. I was also shocked when I learned this. There are actual cases where this happened.

Eli was shocked! That was a 200 times difference. 300 times difference before tax. And that doesn't even include jail time. He learned a moral from this ordeal. Never abuse anyone, especially your spouse, and even more so before a divorce.

After he got over his shock, he asked with a bit of concern, "How are you holding up?"

Trinity sighed and said, "Surprisingly well, considering all I went through. Some things time might never heal, but I guess I can get over it. While the settlement is great and getting Gavin in prison will be satisfying, I would prefer that this never transpired. I prefer I just kept working in that shitty gas station."

Having said that, her eyes misted up. This whole ordeal was emotionally painful for her, and it encumbered her greatly. She was only 21, her life ahead of her, yet when others her age were finishing college and having a life, she had to struggle through life by tooth and nail. Her parents divorcing, basically abandoning her without money or care, more than happy to get rid of a burden. Working at a shitty job, needing to deal with all the dregs the city could throw at her daily. Marrying an abusive asshole, losing her friends, job, and getting scarred in various ways, now suing him for those very reasons and on the verge of divorce. It was hard, oh so very hard.

When Eli saw this, he couldn't help but go up to her and give her a warm hug, "Everything will be alright, Trinity. Stay strong."

Trinity felt warm and returned the hug, Finding a bit of solace in his embrace... That was until his stench, honed by his day at work, as well as his earlier workout, hit her nose like a sledgehammer.

Pushing him away, she scolded, "Eli, get a bath! You reek to high heavens!"

Eli burst into a small fit of laughter, like a child whose prank has succeeded, "Alright, alright, I will."

He then asked, "So, are you staying with Chloe tonight?"

She smiled sweetly, "Yes, she asked me if I wanted to stay with her tonight, and I agreed."

Eli also smiled, "I see, have fun."

"Thanks. Good night."

After taking her toothbrush, some clothes she bought during the day, and a bag, she went to Chloe's apartment. Now, Eli could finally start using his potions.

[Vitality LVL 0](9/20)

After taking both potions, he didn't immediately go and take a bath. Instead, he opened his refinement menu.

Refinement:

Please concentrate on a Stat to start funneling points into it.

[Current Points: 16.10]
[Strength LVL 0][(0/10)]
[Vitality LVL 0][(9/20)]
[Toughness LVL 0][(0/10)]
[Agility LVL 0][(0/10)]
[Dexterity LVL 0][(0/10)]
[Cognition LVL 0][(0/10)]
[Senses LVL 0][(0/10)]
[Immunity LVL 0][(4/10)]
[Mana Core LVL -][(0/1)]

It was the first time he was about to use refinement, and he did not know what to expect. He was tempted to put 10 points in strength, or any other stat, just for the heck of it, and see what happens. However, logic dictated that it would be a waste, as the system would most likely cover him in stats with quests.

He then checked mana core, which the entity told him to raise to use the items.

Mana Core: Creates the mana organ called the mana core, and it is usually located in either the center of the brain or the heart. It allows the accumulation, storage, refinement, and usage of mana. It also affects the body's magical conductivity and resistance to harmful magical effects. Warning: If the user's ecosystem does not possess mana or is insufficient, the mana core will use the user's accumulated food energy and life energy to produce mana instead.

"Eh... That makes sense, I guess, but the center of the brain or heart? Will it cause problems? Nah... If it caused problems, the system wouldn't even place it there. What is life energy, anyways? Is it that energy from vitality I couldn't grasp? Alright, here goes..."

Resolving himself, he placed a single point in mana core.

[Mana Core LVL -][(1/1)]

[Creating mana core, entering a temporary coma. Please stand by...]

Temporary what?!

The moment he placed the point in mana core, the system gave him a prompt. Following the prompt, his mind went blank as he collapsed on the floor, spasming and foaming from his mouth, eyes rolled to the back of his skull, having a seizure. He felt no pain or anything. He just spasmed on the floor like a fish out of water, like a man suffering from stroke, like a heroin addict suffering from withdrawal.

Deep inside his brain, a gelatinous substance, bluish and transparent, was quickly formed.

The dinner that was still in his stomach, digesting, was quickly absorbed by his body, but it seemed like it was still not enough. The strange energy in his body, life energy, was also being consumed at a steady rate. In just ten minutes, Eli was down to less than 30% of the life energy in his body. Only then, after the gelatinous substance reached the size of a pebble, did the change stop.

[Mana core created. Exiting coma.]

[Mana Core LVL 0][(0/10)]

Eli slowly woke up from his short coma, having a killer headache, and also drained. He felt as if his brain was split open by an ax and that he ran a marathon. It was certainly an unpleasant sensation.

Barely supporting himself off the ground with one hand and holding his head with another, he couldn't help but curse, "Fuck, that was one heck of a ride... Even a hangover cant compare to this... I could really use a shower right now."

Gurgle*~

Holding his gurgling stomach, he pulled out a sandwich from his inventory, "But first, food."

After eating the sandwich, he still felt hungry, so he ate another one. Only then was his hunger abated. He felt that his life energy was slowly regenerating, but it would take a few hours before it got restored. However, life energy was not the only thing that got produced in his body. He felt it inside his head, his brain, a foreign energy was being actively produced, most likely mana.

He thought to himself - So this is mana, hah? Will I be able to shoot fireballs out of my arse now? 

After the small bad joke, Eli took a quick shower, removing the day's grime and sweat. After he was done and in new clothes, he noticed that he got hungry, again, so he ate another sandwich.  By this time, his life energy was about 60% full, while on the other hand, his mana core was barely 20% full.

He couldn't help but curse out loud, "Jesus of fucking Nazareth, how much energy did it need to create just a single LVL 0 mana core? The mana regeneration rate is also slow and energy-consuming... Screw it. This is gonna take a while. Let's check the items I got from Asmodeus."

{You called?}

"Ek!"

The moment he said the entity's name, a familiar female ethereal voice sounded in his head, startling him. The entity seemed to be amused by his reaction.

{Are you surprised that I would react to you calling out my name oh so passionately?}

Eli stammered for words, "I-I eh... Sorry..."

{Do not fret. I won't harm you or anything of the sort. I am a casual whisper just to guide you. When you look over your shoulder, I am gone. If I so choose to react to your call, I shall react. If not, I shall not.}

Although he was still startled, Eli relaxed a bit by those words and was also a bit intrigued, "Then why did you react? Are you not an almighty entity? Why give a weak mortal like me such intimate attention, even giving me such a convenient quest?"

{Intimate attention? Perhaps. I am but a tiny fraction of the entity called Asmodeus's collective consciousness, although even receiving that is a feat of its own, considering your current lowly level of being. The reason why I react to you is, strictly speaking, because of my relationship with Saturn. Ask him yourself for the details, if you so wish, for I shall not answer it. As for giving you a quest... Let's just say that you could use the... Preparation...}

Although he had many a question, he held himself back. Instead, he asked, "So, why did you contact me now, then? You could have ignored me."

{Smart question. Since you just created your mana core, you have unlocked your ability to produce mana. However, you have a lack of control over the said energy. This means that you will find it difficult to use the items I gave you on short notice, which is why I shall teach you how to use mana.}

Eli thought for a bit and thought the explanation was logical enough, "Alright, so do we start now?"

{Yes. First, sit or lay down somewhere, in whatever position you deem comfortable.}

Eli nodded, and went to his bed, and laid down face up. "Ok, what's next?"

{Close your eyes, and try to feel your mana core. Once you feel it, try and sense the energy inside it.}

Eli closed his eyes and started to feel for the mana core. After a few minutes, he got a firm grasp on its location. He then tried to feel the mana inside it.

Once he felt the mana, he asked, "Ok, I got it. What's next?"

{Now try to tug on it, gently. If you tug on it too roughly with your unskilled and weak self, you will suffer a backlash.}

Eli heeded the warning and tried to tug on it gently. After a few minutes of trying, he managed to tug on it.

{Good. Now, try and draw a single strand of mana out of the core. When you manage it, lead the strand through your body, like how you would drag a ribbon.}

Eli tried to do this for some time but did not manage to do it.  When Asmodeus saw this, it changed the approach.

{Try imagining a network of tunnels inside your body. Then, lead a strand of mana through the tunnels.}

Eli tried the new approach, and this time, he succeeded. Leading a small strand of mana around in his body, he finally returned it to the core. At this achievement, he got excited. He could use mana!

{Congratulations, you now know how to use mana in its most primal and unrefined form. In a mana-filled world, you are now qualified as a 5-year-old and can barely exit the immediate confines of your house, into your yard, without being monitored.}

And with those stinging words, the previous excitement vanished with the wind. Being compared with a 5-year-old was embarrassing at best.

After sighing, he asked, begrudgingly, "Ok, so, how do I use the items then?"

{It is simple enough. Just take a strand and connect it with the item of your choice. Once the connection is established, mana will get constantly siphoned to the item, powering it up. Currently, you should be able to use two strings at the same time without much problem. While the two items I gave you are unbelievably expensive for their LVL, they require but a pittance of mana to operate. When your reserves are at full capacity, excluding the mana you regenerate naturally, you can operate both items for three hours. If you include your own mana regeneration, and as long as you have enough food energy, you can potentially operate it forever.}

Eli took a bit of time to digest this and then asked, "So, I can start the quest, right?"

{Yes, you can. Have fun! Oh, and remember to go on foot and not use public transportation or anything, unless you want to leave a lead to yourself. Tah tah~}

And with that, the voice stopped sounding in his head. After taking a deep breath, Eli took out the two items in his inventory.

Cloak of minor null existence: Upon activation, it allows the user to evade the unenhanced five senses of all objects and entities below LVL 2. It cannot bypass mana-sensing or enhanced senses. It requires mana to operate. 

Ring of evidence erasement: Upon activation, it prevents the leakage of DNA samples from the body. It prevents the identification of any type of print from the body. It prevents the drop of equipped material samples. It prevents foreign DNA and material samples from sticking to the user's body and equipment. In case it cannot prevent a print, it will cover it instead. Making it less recognizable. Does not affect carcasses. It requires mana to operate. 

After putting the cloak and ring on, Eli went to the bathroom and looked at his reflection in the mirror. What he saw in front of him was a slightly pudgy bearded guy in a grey cloak who had long, unkempt onyx-black hair, brown eyes, and of slightly below average height. His skin was relatively good and healthy, with barely any signs of flaws seen on his white skin. If he held a bow in one hand, he would probably look like a generic ranger from some third-rate game character generator.

Eli sighed to himself, "Minus the cloak, beard, and long hair, I reckon I would look just like how I looked after high school... Albeit taller."

Eli tried to channel mana to his cloak. After a few attempts, he managed to establish a connection to the cloak, activating it. In just a blink of an eye, his body seemed to have vanished from in front of the mirror. Raising an arm, he could see it, although it was transparent. For some reason, he could see himself with his direct vision, but indirect vision will not work.

He tried to channel mana to his ring next, and on the second attempt, he managed to succeed. However, he also felt that it was his limit, and he couldn't make any more connections. And just like Asmodeus said, his mana was more than sufficient to support both items. He even felt that his regeneration was greater than the consumption.

Nodding to himself, his preparations finished, he narrowed his eyes, a deadly glint in them.

Gavin, tonight, you die.