Ex rank talent Awakening: 100\% Dodge rate-Chapter 180 - : LILITH’S INSANE DECISION

"Come on, Thomas. It's not that difficult to think about," Will said, joining in the cajoling. "You don't have to worry about how you handle your guild. We're going to be the big dogs that run Apocalypse. Leveling up will be much smoother if we join forces."

"I have no problem with the guild," Thomas replied calmly. "But am I supposed to just dissolve a guild I've already grown a bit attached to?"

His answer caught both Aaron and Will off guard.

"Attached to? What do you mean, attached to? You?! You get attached to people?" Aaron asked with exaggerated disbelief, as if Thomas had just confessed to loving rainbows and butterflies.

Thomas remained silent. He knew better than to exchange words with the two jokesters. Getting into a verbal back-and-forth with them would either leave him speechless or force him to overexplain and spill more than he intended.

Aaron and Will waited, anticipating a reaction, but when none came, they both clicked their tongues in frustration. Thomas hadn't taken the bait.

"Well," Will said, shrugging, "whatever—or whoever—is attaching you to your guild, just bring them along. If their skills are elite enough, they can join our new guild. If not, then there's no place for them. We're building something elite, not a makeshift guild like last time."

He gave Thomas a slight grin.

"Decide what you want to do. We'll finalize everything with Greg once we log out."

Switching gears, Aaron spoke up. "Now, the matter at hand. Are our guilds sticking together for the demon wave, or is everyone doing their own thing?"

"I think we should stick together," Thomas replied without hesitation. "We never know how tough the demon wave might be."

"I agree with him," Aaron said, nodding in support.

"That's settled then," Will concluded. "Now, where do we set up our defense? Considering Greg's… less-than-smooth relationship with the Grey Empire, that territory's probably off the table. So where else can we go?"

"Any other kingdom should do," Aaron suggested. "Or better yet, the Beast Forest. That way, we can maximize both our rewards and the number of demons we encounter."

"And when it gets too hard, we'll get overrun and respawn. Great idea," Thomas said sarcastically. "Definitely a bad call."

Will groaned and rubbed his temples.

"Ugh. This is giving me a headache. Fine. We'll pick a kingdom territory—one likely to receive a lot of demons during the wave, but strong enough to prevent us from getting overwhelmed."

"Smart, Tom," Will nodded in approval. "That settles it. Our next move is to scout out a kingdom that fits our criteria."

With that, the meeting ended. None of them wanted to linger—after all, in Apocalypse, every second counted.

---

*****

"I hope this works... No, it has to work. I can't die of boredom," Lilith muttered, eyes locked on the sleek gaming capsule she had secretly acquired.

Her plan was unprecedented—log into Apocalypse as a demon. A bold move no one had ever attempted. Could a demon, not human in any form, really become a player?

If it were possible, surely the Demon God would've exploited it in the previous timeline, right?

Lilith didn't care. She would rather try and be disappointed than sit idle, wondering what if.

She rubbed the capsule gently with her soft, delicate fingers, savoring the moment before stepping inside. With a deep breath, she hopped in, sealed the hatch shut, and initiated login.

---

[Welcome ????]

[You are a demon, unable to log in to Apocalypse.]

[An unknown power is bending causality for your sake.]

[The system is resisting the unknown power.]

[The system is losing the battle and has decided to compromise.]

[Congratulations! You are officially a player, but restrictions will be placed on you.]

[You will no longer be able to access the dormant power you once had, losing all of it and starting the game with the strength of a Level 75 Demon Viscount.]

[You will lose your source bloodline completely and be granted a new bloodline for achieving an impossible feat.]

[You will awaken a talent just like humans.]

[Your ties with demons will be severed. You are no longer the leader of the Lust Province.]

[You will lose all characteristics of a demon. A new race will be given to you randomly (you can regain the demon race if randomly chosen, but the chances are extremely slim).]

[Recalibrating...]

[Stripping dormant power...]

[Reconfiguring stats from Level 500 demonic being to Level 75 player...]

[Stripping demonic bloodline completely...]

[Congratulations! You have successfully become a player!]

---

The system's voice echoed through her consciousness. Her heart had been pounding, but now the tension washed away, replaced by a rising wave of confidence.

---

[Choosing a random race...]

[Congratulations! You have received the rare race with a 0.000001% chance of success—Arch Devil.]

[Choosing a random bloodline...]

[Congratulations! You have awakened the Primordial Devil bloodline—chance of success: 0.00001%.]

[Awakening talent...]

[Congratulations! You have awakened the SSS-rank talent: Ancient Summoner!]

[Congratulations!]

[The system detects interference from an unknown power in your random draws!]

[The system is displeased and wishes to re-roll your results.]

[The unknown power is preventing the re-roll.]

[The system is furious at being manipulated!!]

[The unknown force is reasoning with the system, offering ???? Essence as compensation for its interference—past, present, and future.]

[The system is reluctant but tempted.]

[The system is trying to maintain its integrity...]

[But the allure of ???? Essence is too great.]

[The system breaks its own integrity and accepts the essence, but warns the unknown power not to interfere too often.]

---

Lilith stared wide-eyed at the cascading messages. She didn't know whether to laugh or cry.

"Did… did the system just accept a bribe?" she whispered.

A chuckle threatened to escape her lips, but she held it in. Who knew how moody the system could get? Still, one question lingered in her mind, unsettling and strange.

What kind of power can interfere with the universal will—the system itself? And what sort of essence could tempt that will into submission and compliance?