Synopsis: In this modern world of magic, people use their smartphone dubbed as the "Magi-phone" as a means to summon magic. Living in this fantastical world is Bryson, a boy who is born with a low amount of "magia". Despite being born as such, the boy seeks strength, until one day he stumbles upon an application named "Demon King App". Will this mysterious app finally change his life or would it only lead him to his doom? Will the app help him fulfill his desire or is it only using him to fulfill its goal? Let’s find out as Bryson journeys this fantastical world while trying to fulfill his desire. Genre: Fantasy: Action, Adventure, Romance, Magic, Male Lead You can also check my novel on Scribblehub under the same title and on Royalroad and Honeyfeed with the title "The Demon King App." Table of Contents Prologue Chapter 1 Chapter 2
Prologue "ARRGGHH, DAMN IT!" I try to get up but my body isn't heeding my command, although I manage to escape death because of the anti-magic barrier, my body still got severely damaged from the electricity that leaks in. I managed to barely raise my head and saw one of the men pushing the wheelchair close to their car, most likely, that is their getaway vehicle. "Also finish that guy off!" The man added, looks like that guy is the leader of this group. Obeying the order of their alleged leader, the man who assaults me leisurely walks toward my position. Flashing a sadistic smile, the dagger in his right-hand glows ominously. SHIT SHIT SHIT!! I screamed internally and forced my body up trying to get up on my feet, but my numbed body refused to listen to my command and I once again fell face down on the ground. As I desperately incline my head to look upfront, a voice calls out to me. [Hey human, I have a proposal.] Declared the voice resonating directly in my head. Honestly, it irritates me that I'm starting to get familiar with that voice even though it hasn't been that long since that godforsaken app got stuck in my magi-phone. I ignore the voice, but seeing the scene in front of me shocked so much that I ask in reflex. 'Wh-what happened?!' In front of me are the kidnappers frozen like a statue, no it is not that they stop moving but they are moving very slow like a video playing in super slow motion, and not only them, everything is moving at a snail-pace even the smoke coming from the electricity burnt rubber from the sliding door. [Don't worry, human; this is my Secret Magic Art.] The annoying Demon King declares with pride. I try turning my head to look into my magi-phone's screen, but like everything else the movement of my head is snaillike. [Oh yeah, the movement of your body will be the same as everything else since {Accelerated Thought} only accelerates the thought process, not the body itself.] He explained. Hearing that, I push my eyeball to the limit and in the corner of my vision is a notification displayed on the screen of my magi-phone. [Secret Magic Art Shared: {Accelerated Thought} Activated] Seriously, that's cheating!! [Get it now?] With a prideful voice, the cheeky Demon King asked. Ignoring his remark, I calm myself down collecting my disarrayed thoughts. 'So, what's your proposal?' I ask with the most composed tone I can muster. [Good, looks like we can still communicate using telepathy. Anyway, my proposal is, surrender your body's control to me and I will save your life and that girl from those men.] Wait, something's wrong with that statement; it feels like this guy knows this would happen. 'OI BASTARD! YOU KNEW THIS WOULD HAPPEN, DON'T YOU? THAT'S WHY YOU DIDN'T WARN ME WHEN I TRIED TO BRING ALISHA OUTSIDE!' [Huh? How is that my fault? That's your fault for not realizing it yourself, I did say it's not my problem, didn't I?] 'DAMN IT!!' I hate admitting it, but the bastard is right. It's my fault for not noticing, and I've got no one else to blame for this but myself. [So, how is it gonna be BRYSON?] The Demon King asks with a devilish voice clearly enjoying this situation. I've got no other choice at this point so clearly this guy is just trying to rile me up and it's working like a charm damn it! Mustering every composure in me, I ask. '...Tell me, can you also do something about Alisha's disease?' [Hmmmm... I can't heal it completely, but I suppose I can pacify her raging magia for a while.] For hundreds of years, doctors and researchers haven't found a way to cure or delay the effect of magia burn, and yet this guy is saying he can do something about it?! It's suspicious but in this situation what choice do I have? …. He indeed got me cornered huh. 'For how long?' With no other choice I asked. [If I have to guess, about a year.] Seriously?! [So, how about it? And just to remind you, time is still flowing, albeit slowly for us. Also, it seems like you can only remain in this state for about 5 seconds, you just waste 3 seconds, so make a decision now.] It's so suspicious, but the way I see it I have no other choice. 'How can I be certain you're gonna fulfil your promise and that you're telling the truth?' I asked despite knowing I've got no other choice; it's pathetic, but this is me showing my last bit of resistance. [Don't worry, despite my nature; I honour my promises. Besides, you're gonna die either way, so why not gamble and use your life for something meaningful?] I bet this guy's showing an evil smile right now. 'Fine, but on the condition that you won't hurt my sister and you will not only save Alisha but also heal her disease.' I said resigning myself to my fate. [It's a deal then! Okay, so, when the accelerated thought fades, a notification will appear on the magi-phone's screen, and you merely have to press YES.] After saying that, time turns back in its natural flow, when I look at my magi-phone a notification appears. [DO YOU WISH TO ACTIVATE SOUL POSSESSION? YES/NO]
Chapter 1: The "Tyrant" "Hey, Ben! Stop playing with your magi-phone already!" Bryson yells at his friend while pulling him by the collar. Regrettably, Ben doesn't even flinch and seems to be rooted from his spot, maybe it's because of Ben's robust build. "Hmmmm?" Ben gives Bryson a sidelong glance. "Just let me finish this okay; it's a rank game, so I can't afford to quit." Ben reasoned and once again fixed his eyes on the screen of his magi-phone. "Huuuuh! It's almost time dude! Look, all of our classmates have already gone to the school gym!" Bryson spat narrowing his sky-blue eyes. "Hmm? Oh yeah! They were wiped out! Let's push! Time to end this!" Ben shouts with glee without even bothering to look at Bryson. "Don't hmm me! What will we do if sir comes?! Oh whatever! I'm gonna go on ahead don't blame me la---" Just when Bryson finally decides to abandon his stubborn friend and turn to leave the room, he saw a man standing on the doorway, arms crossed in his chest and looking at them ominously with his light brown eyes. "Oi Bryson, Ben. What are you two still doing in here huh?" The man asked with a tranquil but overpowering voice. "Oh, shi—" Every hair on Bryson's body stood on end when he heard that voice while Ben's body froze, almost letting his magi-phone fall to the ground. The man walks into them an ominous smile plastered on his face. "Ooooh, I seeee, you two are playing huh?" The man said, looking down at them his eyes glowing. "N-no sir, I-it's only B---" "Yes sir, WE ARE playing sir!" Ben said with conviction in his voice. "Wha---?!" Shocked at Ben's announcement Bryson looked at Ben with a mixture of confusion and anger in his eyes. "HOOH, and your proud huh?" The man said with a cold voice and a scary smile. "N-no, l-like I sai----" Bryson tries to explain, but before he finished, a fist came down to his head and Ben's. A second later the two of them are following the man into the school gym while looking down on the floor. *** Cole Moss, a former Military Magic Officer (MMO) the official name of the military force of the United Front of Human Countries (UFHC) , although for some reason, he is presently a magic instructor in Blue High Magic Academy and our tyrant but dependable class adviser. "Okay, now that EVERYONE IS HERE, we can start the magic training." He said while looking at us with a scary smile. Yeah, he's still pissed. "So, for starters let's have a review in Magical Science, since it is directly related to this subject and is the application of that said subject." That's right, this tyrant instructor is in charge of teaching Practical Magic Combat although there is COMBAT in the title it is more of a self-defense class in which they teach us the students how to defend ourselves using magic. Well, I'm certain him being a former MMO is a considerable part of the reason why he is selected for this subject. "As everyone knows, humanity can't use magic normally unlike any other races and monsters, and that is because we lack something that the other race possesses." He turns his head and looks in my way. "So, MISTER. BRYSON what is it that we lack?" Shocked by the sudden question I stuttered and failed to answer instantly. "…. U-um, t-the Magia Stone?" Magia stone, mostly located at the center of gravity of those who are born with it. It serves as the catalyst in summoning the Magia; an energy found in every living being and the energy used when casting magic. Naturally, we humanity equally possess the said energy although we lack the capacity to naturally summon it. In our history class, it is stated that our ancestors face many trials and tribulation because of this fact. Hearing my answer, Mr. Tyrant shows Ben and me a smile as if telling us to listen, although I want to complain and say I'm listening, I know better than anyone else that doing so is a bad idea. "That's right." He continues. "That's why our ancestors invent the Magi-phones. The device that enabled us the Humanity dubbed as the Impaired Race to cast magic; a feat thought to be impossible in the past." The Tyrant once again shoots a cold look in our way. "Obviously, casting magic is not the sole function of Magi-phones, with many applications out there it can be used as a communication device, we can also watch videos and play games. Isn't that right MR. BRYSON and MR. BEN?" "Eeeeek!!" "At any rate, you get my point; it is a revolutionary device." He continues nonchalantly. It's more than just a revolutionary device in my opinion though, more like a miraculous device. After all, in this day and age, not only humans but also other races utilize it because of its convenience. Mr. Tyrant takes his Magi-phone out of his pocket and waves it in front of us. "Because of the invention of this device, it becomes possible for everyone, even ordinary civilians to wield magic. Naturally, it is a different story for the other races that are naturally born to wield it, but after the Great Race Unification and with the invention of the MSA, the International Magic Council created the Civilians Magic Act. A law that prevents civilians from owning certain MSA specially the lethal ones." After the Great Unification it said that the International Magic Council or IMC is formed. The council is made up of representatives in each of the existing races, and they promoted peace to the planet. They also produced many revolutionary inventions, one being the "MSA or Magic Sequence Application" which is essentially the replacement for Magic Spells, or maybe it will be more accurate to say that it is a Magic Spell in the form a Program? "At present we use MSA as a replacement of Magic Spells since we all know how convenient it is compared to casting Magic Spells." Mr. Tyrant activates his Magi-phone. I felt the rush of Magia coming out from his body and when he presses his Magi-phone a magic circle appears in his free left hand followed by the appearance of a marble sized fire; it hovers above the magic circle. "As you all know, MSA removed the need of Chant when casting magic, and because of that, we can cast magic with just one click in our phone making the casting faster and more convenient." "Getting to my point, I'm sure you guys know about the Civilians Magic Act. Now, I sincerely hope none of you are in the possession of a Lethal Combat MSA and if anyone of you happens to be concealing one... I'm warning you now, if you are ever caught I'm not going to protect you, on the contrary I will be the first one to go after you and restrain you. I don't want to be the one responsible for ruining anybody's life especially my student, so please act accordingly. Is that clear?" He said with a look that will not accept a no for an answer. Seeing that look sent shivers down my spine and a palpable tension hung in the air. I look at my right-side where Ben is standing and just like everyone else, he is sweating profusely. We often forget it because of his nature, but this pressure is indeed worthy of the man who is a former MMO, and judging from his presence I'm sure that this man has survived many battlefields. After practically threatening us, he smiles and the pressure suddenly vanishes as if it isn't even there in the first place. "So, now we will begin the live combat training in short, a sparring match! I want you guys to form pairs and spar." He said with an amused smile as if his presence earlier is just a lie. "Now begin!" He claps his hands energetically likely trying to ease the tension still lingering in our hearts. My classmates disperse and form pairs, I choose Ben as a sparring partner, one of the reasons is because I want to get back at him for his little prank earlier. "Oh, I forgot, Ben, Bryson, you two are fighting me." Hmmm? I think I heard that wrong.
Chapter 2: Against the "Tyrant""Huuuuh?!!" "I'm sorry, what?" "Like I said, you two are going to enterta---…Ehem, fight me." Cole said with a smile. The two got so surprised that their eyes bulged and their jaws dropped. This surprise is not merely due to the sudden announcement, but also because they know how strong their instructor is. "You practically say, "to entertain" didn't you!!" Ben complained bitterly. "You guys are fighting me simultaneously meaning it's two against one, that's a huge handicap isn't it?" Cole said casually. "As if it would change anything!!" "And this is also a punishment for slacking in the classroom." Cole said with a cruel smile. "Punishment? More like torture." Ben said with an exasperated voice. "Besides, look at your partner." Cole said, beckoning Ben to look back. "Hmmm?" When Ben looked back, he saw Bryson standing in his place with a fierce smile plastered on his face." "AAAARRRRGGGHHH!!!" Ben scratches his head with his two hands while screaming. "Fine! Seriously why do I need to get involved with two-battle maniacs?!!" He complained but still gets in the position parallel to Cole. With no other choice, he prepares himself for what's to come. Bryson follows behind Ben and adopts a position at Ben's right side. He crosses his two hands in front of him while his right hand is holding his magi-phone. Cole collects a small rock from the ground and flings it in the air. When the rock hit the ground, the three of them simultaneously activated their magi-phone and a surge of magia emanated from them, pressing their magi-phones they activated magic. Ben activates {Strengthening Magic} and {Fortification Magic} administering it in his whole body, he rushes into Cole throwing a punch empowered by his {Strengthening Magic}. Cole pivots his body slightly; moving at Ben's right side dodging his attack. On Cole's back is Bryson, rushing at him with electricity dancing in his right hand. With the help of his magic enhanced speed, Bryson got in range and thrust his hand into Cole's back. In a split-second, Cole jerks his head slightly and looks back, '{Taser Magic} huh?' He calmly analyzes. Cole smiles, and before Bryson could strike him, a magic circle appears on the ground centering on his feet, the magic circle releases a spinning gust of wind that surrounds Cole's body for a moment sending both Ben and Bryson flying in a separate direction. Bryson immediately presses his magi-phone activating {Deceleration Magic} to kill his momentum while Ben, who is supposed to be in the middle of his subsequent attack, is shocked. Cole didn't overlook that chance; he rushed into the still horizontally floating Ben with a frightening speed and pummeled him in the chest slamming Ben's body into the ground before Ben could even react. Even with {Strengthening Magic} and {Fortification Magic} supporting his body, Cole's attack seems so effective that Ben spit all of the air in his lungs. With Ben still on the ground clutching his chest in pain, Cole judged that Ben was out of commission. He examines his surroundings to search for Bryson only for him to appear flying from behind trying to kick Cole on the nape. Reacting with inhuman reflexes, Cole dodges Bryson's attack by lowering his head and grabs Bryson by his right leg intending to hurl him into the ground. As if he was expecting it, Bryson bent his body forward and thrust his right hand in Cole's direction. With a magic circle on his hand, Bryson launches two {Magia Bullets} in Cole's direction. To defend himself, Cole lets Bryson's leg go and crosses his arms in front of his face clearly trying to block the two {Magia Bullets} aimed at his head. The first bullet knocks Cole one meter back while the second flings his two arms upward opening his guard. During the time that the second {Magia Bullet} hit Cole, Bryson lands on the ground immediately twirling his body sending a spinning kick into Cole's stomach only for it to be blocked by a {Physical Magic Barrier}. Successful in thwarting Bryson's kick, Cole grabs Bryson's foot, he hauls it, and kicks Bryson in the stomach four times with a bullet like speed before letting go. Bryson falls to his knees clutching his stomach and rolls to the ground in pain. Taking advantage of his friend's noble sacrifice, Ben manages to unsteadily get up on his feet, only to be shot with a {Magia Bullet} by Cole who is barely looking in his way. The only thing Ben manages to do is spat a weak "Damn it" before once again falling to the ground. While Bryson and Ben are still on the ground, Cole speaks to them. "First off, Ben you must discern to anticipate your opponent's next move, the reason you lost is because you're late to react and your attacks are predictable. Just so the two of you know, even a specialized combat magi-phone has a slight delay in activation, which means it is important to predict your opponent's next move and activate an MSA accordingly in advance." "And Bryson, while it's true you have a good combat instinct resulting in your on-point precognition, your scant amount of magia is hindering your decision making. While I completely understand that saving magia is important, allowing your fears of running out of gas to affect your decisions will cost you your life in a deathmatch. You need to overcome that, especially since you are planning to be a Collector after you graduate." *** Since both Ben and me got our ass kicked by the tyrant instructor, we are dismissed earlier compared to our other classmates although he still sends us both in an errand with the pretext of "punishment for our action," truly living up to his name as a tyrant. Anyway, he dispatches Ben to our classroom with the task of cleaning it up while I am tasked with cleaning the unused equipment in the school storage room which is apparently a task he is supposed to do. Observing the state of the room, I let out a deep sigh. I'm certain he just doesn't want to do this boring task that's why he dumps it on me. While thinking about that guy's satisfied expression, I start doing the job. While performing the task that the tyrant "commands" me to perform, I think back to what the tyrant said after our "supposed sparring match." While what he stated makes sense, what he suggests is easier said than done. After all, I'm born with an unusually low amount of magia. Indeed, like he said I have a naturally better battle instinct than the others, but no amount of prediction can surpass a formidable magic, if that is merely what it takes to beat magic then our ancestors would not go through all that hardship in the past. I'm certain I'm not the only one that believes that way, I mean, come on! If precognition can beat magic, why would they even invent the magi-phones? Clearly that is because the only way to beat magic is also through magic. Seriously I'm just getting depressed with all these thoughts. While wallowing in my depression, I happen to see an old computer set. Examining it, I come to the realization that it is a relic from the past, an "electricity powered computer." "Hmmm, this is my first time seeing one." It's only reasonable though, since after the formation of the IMC, the technology of the world shifted from consuming electricity as a power source to using magia as its replacement, and it goes without saying that every machine and device now uses magia to power them up. Looking at it intently, I felt as if it was inviting me. Out of curiosity I approach the computer, but in the next second, I'm already trying to turn it on. Looking at my right hand, I'm holding my magi-phone and it looks like I cast taser magic to provide it with the necessary electricity to run without me realizing it. "HUUUH?!" Surprised, I unconsciously let go of my magi-phone and it fell just beside the computer's CPU. As my vision hovers back into the computer screen, I gasp. The computer's screen gives out light signifying I successfully turn it on, but the shocking thing is the magic circles forming into the screen. My pulse rises and my instinct screams at me that whatever's this is, it's dangerous. I look at my magi-phone with the intention of snatching it and rushing out of the room only to witness it executing the same exact thing, after a few seconds, the screen on my magi-phone displays a notification. [DEMON KING APP INSTALLING...] For a moment I stare at my phone confused. As I gather my senses back, I seize the phone with a sense of urgency fully intending to prevent whatever is happening. [DEMON KING APP INSTALLED] Realizing it is already too late, I decide without hesitation to uninstall it instead. [Initializing...] "WHAT?!! IT ACTIVATES INSTEAD!!" I unconsciously scream, cold sweat flowing down my face. [Soul connection establishing...] Recognizing the word "SOUL," my eyes practically leap from their socket. [Soul connection established] "SHIT!!!" [Assimilation starting now] I lift my hand fully intending to throw it, but before I even manage to, my consciousness is pulled out from my body, followed by excruciating pain. It feels as if my soul is being ripped apart, a sensation of it being stitched back again followed. "AAAAAARRRRRRGGGHHHHH!!!" I scream as the process repeats itself over and over again, I feel as if each second is stretching into decades and every minute is spreading into eternity. All the pain makes me lose my sense of time, losing myself in the hellish sensation, the world is painted black.