Demons Within: I level up endlessly-Chapter 31: Master of Deception

The fire had burned down to glowing red coals.

Daniel was sitting on a log. He was a vigilant guardian, protecting his ’little brother.’ Bran lay on the ground, wrapped in a thin blanket.

His breathing was slow and steady, the rhythm of deep sleep. But Bran was not asleep. Inside his mind, he was wide awake.

He was replaying everything that had happened in the last few days, savoring every moment of Daniel’s confession. SSS-Grade. Soul Assimilation.

He closed his eyes tighter and let his mind drift back. He went back to the beginning. He went back to the day this whole thing started.

Flashback

On the day of the awakening, thousands of aspirants were looking at their Databands. Some were cheering with joy. Others were crying in despair.

Bran stood in the middle of the crowd. He looked small. He looked terrified. He was chewing on his fingernails.

Bran looked down at his own wrist. The blue holographic screen flickered to life. He read the text, and for a split second, his heart stopped.

[Talent Awakening Successful]

[Name: Bran Pegasus]

[Awakened Talent: Master of Deception (Grade A)]

[Sub-Talent: Innate Sorcery (Grade B)]

[Hidden Skill: Mana Concealment] A-Grade. He had awakened an A-Grade talent.

It was incredibly rare. In this entire crowd of two thousand people, maybe only one or two others had something this strong.

"Master of Deception," Bran thought. "Perfect." He read the description quickly.

[Master of Deception: The user can manipulate truth and perception. Includes the ability to mask true stats, falsify status screens to observers, and act with flawless conviction.

Lies become harder to detect.]

[Innate Sorcery: Grants the user natural access to a wide range of basic magical spells without the need for skill books.]

Bran felt a smile trying to creep onto his face. He crushed it instantly. He replaced it with a look of panic. If he showed everyone he was an A-Grade, what would happen?

The powerful gangs like the Iron Vultures would force him to join. What would his teammates say? He would be a target.

"No," Bran thought. "It is better to be a sheep than a wolf. Wolves get hunted. Sheep get protected."

He looked at the list of common spells provided by his [Innate Sorcery]. He saw one called "Minor Fortification." It was a C-Grade defensive spell.

It created a weak shield. It was useful, but boring. It was the perfect disguise. He used his [Master of Deception] talent.

He focused on his Databand. The text shimmered and changed.

[Name: Bran Pegasus]

[Talent: Barrier Support]

[Grade: C]

[Skill: Minor Fortification]

"What did y’all receive?" Bran inquired his voice tinged with anxiety as he observed his databand screen.

I got a C-Grade... ’Minor Fortification’. This technique allows me to use raw life energy to form a shield around myself for a brief period before it fades away. It’s not much but I t’s something.

Ragnar let out a hearty laugh, slapping his chest with a sound similar to raw meat hitting a surface.

Another Flashback!

Three Months Ago...

The flashback shifted. Time moved forward to the brutal training months at the Academy. While Daniel was sweating in the training field, Bran was busy too.

But Bran wasn’t working hard with his body. He was working with his mind. It was late at night.

The Academy library was restricted to most aspirants. Not all aspirants were allowed in the ’Historical Archives’ section.

Inside, the library smelled of old paper and dust. Bran moved quickly. He wasn’t looking for history books.

He was looking for power. He used a small magical light to scan the titles.

Monster Anatomy, Portal Physics, Basic Combat... Useless. Then, he found the restricted section. It was behind a glass case.

Bran broke the lock. He pulled out a black book. The title was faded, written in a language that pre-dated the invasion.

’The Arts of Essence Transfer and Dark Rituals.’

Bran sat on the floor and began to read. His eyes moved fast across the pages. "To steal the power of another," the book read, "the victim must be alive.

The soul cannot be taken from a corpse, for the essence dissipates instantly upon death." Bran frowned.

That made things harder.

"However," the book continued, "if the victim is incapacitated, unconscious, paralyzed, or in a deep sleep, the ritual can be performed.

The circle must be drawn with the blood of a powerful beast.

The transfer takes ten minutes." Bran smiled in the darkness of the library. It was possible. He could steal a talent. He could steal stats. He didn’t want to be a [Master of Deception] forever.

He wanted combat power. He wanted to be able to crush people like those brutal aspirants. But he didn’t want to work for it.

He needed someone else to do the hard work, to build up their stats, to level up. And then, when they were fat and juicy with power, he would harvest them.

He put the book back and slipped out of the library, leaving no trace.

He went back to the dorms and practiced his ’scared face’ in the mirror.

- - - - - - -

Another flashback!

The flashback shifted again. It was the rocky path in the Aurora Vale. Daniel had just left the team.

Sophie, Ragnar, and Bran were walking alone. The mood was bad. Then, the stranger appeared.

The tall, thin man stood there, wrapped in a long cloak. Ragnar and Sophie were tense.

They gripped their weapons. They saw a threat. Bran saw something else. He saw the way the man walked. He saw the subtle hand signs the man made near his chest.

Those signs were made by people who practiced sorcery or witchcraft, and it happened without their control because it was an involuntary action.

The stranger walked past them. He stopped next to Bran. He grabbed Bran’s arm. To Sophie and Ragnar, it looked like a threat.

But the stranger’s grip was a handshake. A secret handshake. "How long will you continue?" the stranger whispered.

It was a code phrase. It meant, "How long will you hide your true nature?" Bran looked up. His face was a mask of fear for his teammates, but his eyes were cold and sharp for the stranger.

"Just playing the long game," Bran whispered back, his voice barely audible. "The sheep are fattening me up."

The stranger smirked. He understood. He nodded and walked away. When Sophie asked what happened, Bran lied effortlessly.

"Just an old friend." And because he was the Master of Deception, she believed him. Even Sophie, with her B-Grade tactical mind, couldn’t see through an A-Grade lie.

- - - - - - -

Another flashback!

The final memory was the sweetest. The outpost. The Mindshroud.

Daniel thought he had saved Bran. He thought he had broken the connection. He was wrong. His [Mental Fortitude] wasn’t strong enough to fully cut it. His Spirit was too weak. Trying to sever a connection like that with so little strength could have driven him insane. Still, thanks to his SSS-grade talent, he managed to break it a little.

The Mindshroud had attacked Bran’s mind, yes. But Bran’s [Mental Fortitude] was not F-Grade. It was hidden, but his high Spirit stat from his A-Grade talent protected him.

When the Mindshroud tried to enter his head, Bran didn’t fight it. He opened the door. "Come in," Bran had thought to the monster.

"Let’s make a deal." The Mindshroud was confused. It was used to resistance. It was used to fear. Bran fed the monster false thoughts.

He projected images of Ragnar being weak. He projected images of Sophie being a traitor. He twisted the monster’s own psychic energy.

"Attack them," Bran suggested to the monster. "Use my body. I will let you."

So, when Bran attacked Sophie with the metal shard, he wasn’t fully possessed. He was the co-pilot. He let the monster give him strength, but he guided the hand.

He wanted to test his teammates at that point, especially Daniel. He wanted to see how they’d react.

Daniel had special powers but he wasn’t a physical fighter. When Daniel severed the connection, Bran simply kicked the Mindshroud out of his head and pretended to faint.

It was perfect acting.

- - - - - - - -

Final flashback!

And then, the finale. The stone slab. He remembered Sophie’s face looking up at him from the hole.

He remembered the hope in her eyes turning to horror.

"Die, Bitch," he had said. It felt good. It felt so good to drop the act for just one second. To show her who was really in charge.

He listened to the screams. Ragnar dying. Sophie dying. He didn’t feel guilt. He felt... lighter. Dead weight was gone. And now, he was free to find the ultimate prize.

Present Day

Bran opened his eyes. The fire was dying. Daniel was still sitting there, keeping watch.

The fool. The noble, heroic fool. "SSS-Grade," Bran thought again. A shiver of excitement went down his spine.

He checked his own status on his Databand, keeping the screen dimmed so Daniel wouldn’t see the real stats.

[Name: Bran Pegasus]

[Level: 2] [Attributes: Unknown to others] [Inventory: Ritual Chalk, Sleeping Powder (Crafted from herbs)]

He had prepared. While Sophie was teaching them about healing herbs, Bran had been looking for something else.

He found ’Dream-Leaf.’ It was a rare plant that caused deep, coma-like sleep. He had crushed it into powder while Daniel went on patrol around the camp.

It was in his pocket right now. He just needed the right moment. He needed Daniel to eat. Or drink.

"Few hours left," Bran thought. "I still have enough time to do this."

Daniel turned his head. "Bran? You awake?" Bran quickly rubbed his eyes, putting on his sleepy, innocent face. "Yeah... I had a nightmare. About the spiders."

Daniel smiled sadly. "It’s okay. You’re safe now. Go back to sleep." "Thanks, Daniel," Bran said.

He rolled over, turning his back to the fire. He smiled into the darkness. Daniel was growing stronger every hour. Every beast he killed added to the pot. He was like a piggy bank, filling up with coins.