Salvos Volume 1
Curious Beginnings

delta201

Acknowledgements

To my friends Bobo Plushie , gueenee, and PiMs who supported me throughout the writing of this book. I wouldn’t have gotten this far without your support. Thank you.

To my patrons on patreon  who have supported my writing career, especially those from the very beginning. The fact that anyone is willing to pay to read what I write motivates me more than anything. Thank you.

To the various authors who helped me with publishing my first book. Thank you, Casey White (Inorai) , Ravens Dagger , and Selkie Myth .

To pirateaba , the author of The Wandering Inn , for creating such a compelling and inspiring story. Without reading your story, I never would have ever considered writing as something I would do. Thank you.

And to my most wonderful mother. I wouldn’t even be anywhere without you. Thanks mom!

Disclaimer

Copyright © 2020 delta201 / V.A. Lewis

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form possible without permission from the author or publisher. For permissions, contact the author or publisher through email at delta201@melaswebserial.com

Cover art Version 1 by Vitaly S. Alexius .

Cover art Version 2 by Bobo Plushie .

Typography by Mike We.

https://melaswebserial.com/salvos/

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Table of Contents

Contents

Preface

I’d just like to quickly preface before you begin this book that it is a fantasy LitRPG, or a Literary Role Playing Game. This means it is set in a game-like world with RPG-like mechanics. There will be things like Status screens, Stat Points, and even character Levels. However, this does not mean the world is set inside a video game. The world depicted in the story is as real to the characters as real life is to you and I.

You do not have to read every Status screen or notification that will be shown, but I do encourage that you at least take a quick look at it before moving on. Now to the real story.

0. Advent

“The cycle of Advent has begun.”

Regnorex spoke into the nether; the Demon King turned his fiendish gaze toward the swirling sable clouds forming in the far distance. His servants awaited in terrified reverence for his next words, clinging onto each one as though their life depended on it.

“Genesis shall come, but only Desolation awaits them.”

He withdrew from his high balcony, returning to the grand throne that was carved in resemblance to the mortal kings he had once met and envied. Now, he laughed at the lavish wants of such short-sighted men, content with only the luxuries of life.

“The Devil will play his tricks on the fools, and the Beast shall once again feast upon the weak that invade its lands. All will be destruction . All will be death . They will learn quickly that there is only hell.”

The first of the black raindrops fell from the sky, the precipitation wetting the barren lands with life, yet corrupting the pure, white surface into a dark, wicked ooze.

Settling onto his throne, Regnorex finally addressed his servants gathered before him: the Archdemons, the Greater Demons, and even the Lesser Demons. They were all below his station. Of course they were. To them, he was their master.   To them, he was their god.

“There shall be chaos. There shall be death. But there shall be survivors.”

The Demons stirred at his speech— one which he had delivered a thousand times before. Yet, they treated it with the same awe and fear they did when they first heard it.

The black torrent was now violently raging on, almost as if precluding what was to come. The Demon King ignored it, focusing only on what had to be done. The room darkened as the storm swept over the Netherworld, yet Regnorex’s eyes still lit ablaze in the color of the bloodied sky above.

“Find the survivors, bring them to my demesne, for all who obeys my will shall be rewarded.”

And they did. The Demons scoured the lands, searching, finding all those who survived. It was not a kindness— those who survived were the only ones who were worthy. The only ones who were special among the masses born from the Genesis.

No one would escape: they would either live under the Demon King’s rule, or die under the harsh landscape of the Netherworld.

No one.

***

As the Genesis came to an end and the final stage of Advent began, the dark clouds above slowly faded away; the pools of black slowly receded into nothing. And out from the last of these pools, a survivor came into existence.

Salvos was born.

1. Rocks

A sea of infinite void engulfed me; I found myself wriggling, struggling to break free of the eternal darkness. I pushed myself forward, closer and closer to the edge of the dome that encapsulated my very world.

I had thought it would be hard to break. I had expected it to be a hardened shell, tempered by the eternity of its existence. I never hoped to escape from the boundless abyss— drowning in the ocean of nothingness, forever trapped to unbirth.

And yet, I broke through the surface so easily, I didn’t even realize I was finally free. Only the words that filled my head made me realize I was finally alive.

Salvos

Species: [Infant Demon]

Subspecies: [Demon Larva] - Lvl. 1

General Skills:

[Identification] - Lvl. 1

[Racial Skill: Universal Language Comprehension] - Lvl. 1

Stats:

[Available Stat Points: 0]

[Vitality]: 5

[Strength]: 5

[Endurance]: 5

[Wisdom]: 5

[Agility]: 5

Skills:

[Available Skill Points: 0]

[Unused Skill Slot] x5

These words resounded not as a voice, but as a breadth of information that I intuitively knew: I did not have to be told that my name was Salvos— I was simply Salvos.

I lay there for what felt like an immortal moment, choosing not to move, choosing to revel in my existence . Finally, I opened my eyes, taking in the world around me.

Up above, darkling clouds blotched out the crimson sky. The red glow of the heavens itself came down mostly unimpeded; only a piece of it was covered by the eddying overcast that seemed to grow fainter through the passage of time.

I was floating atop an inky, black liquid; what I had thought to be a vast ocean proved now to be nothing more than a mere pool— a puddle that I couldn’t even sink myself into.

I flopped my way out of the sable water, hoping it wouldn’t open up and swallow my being back into nonexistence. My body finally reached the pure, white surface of solid ground, the black liquid dripping off my body almost too easily, returning to whence it came.

The mass of land was far more expansive than the tiny pool of my birth; I looked curiously at the world around me, seeing distant sinuous crests and jutting peaks that piqued my interest. What is that?

I had an inkling of an idea of what they could be: I could comprehend the rough concepts of these shapes, but their true nature evaded me. I was captivated by it. I was drawn towards this strange, new world I had found myself in.  

I glanced one last time back at the void that had borne me, and saw nothing staring back at me. I no longer belonged to that world. Somehow, someway, I had squirmed my way out of it. And I would never go back.

—--

I dragged myself through the barren landscape, stopping every so often to investigate anything that I took a fascination to. The black clouds overhead were now nothing more than a speck in the distance, but strangely enough, the place of my birth had receded and vanished altogether.

It was gone. I was not sure why it was gone. I vaguely understood that it was possible for objects to disappear but still remain in existence. However, something told me that that was not the case here.

It mattered not to me. I continued my crawl across the chalky and rocky floor. It was not the most comfortable thing I had experienced— certainly, having no senses meant such disagreeable feelings would never be felt.

This was not something I just knew. This was something I had just learned for myself.

I did not enjoy the poking sensation that came when I was crawling over these tiny rock bits that were scattered all throughout the floor. It almost made me want to return to the puddle— simply floating as time passed was an absolute bliss, unlike this.

But I remembered the overwhelming fear I had of falling back into the abyss. It was not something I wanted. I was alive now, and I treasured that. So I made do with these minor inconveniences, choosing to bear this burden that came with life, pressing forward into the unknown.

...

I only got a little bit further before it got too much for me.

These small objects did not exactly hurt me; they did not pierce through my skin, leaving only brief indents before falling back off onto the floor. My health did not drop from this, yet I was sick and tired of navigating through this rough terrain.

I lowered my face down to one of these rocks, investigating its features and anything else that stood out to me. Surely something about it would clue me into a way to crawl over them without hurting!

I stared at the first rock, studying its every protrusion on its uneven surface. After pondering it over, I decided this rock was useless on its own— I needed a wider array of observations before a conclusion was made— and moved on to the next.

The second rock was bigger than the first, but just as haphazardly arranged in its shape. I looked over it for another indefinite period of time before looking over the third.

I was contemplating how the third was seemingly as rugged as the first and second on one side of its surface, yet completely smooth on the other, when more words suddenly filled my head.

General Skill [Identification] Level Up!  

[Identification - Lvl. 1] -> [Identification - Lvl. 2]!

Experience is awarded for the leveling of a General Skill!

I jerked, immediately losing concentration as I considered the implications of what the words meant. I had… leveled a General Skill? How did I do that? I was just trying to understand a rock—

My vision snapped back at the smooth yet rugged rock I had been eyeing. Whatever nuance that made the third rock distinct from the first and second was beyond my current understanding of the world. But of course, I had Skills I could use. Skills that were supposed to aid me in accomplishing certain tasks.

I barely parsed the use for [Identification] beforehand; its purpose was not something I truly understood. Now, however, I realized it was for identifying objects. It was to give me a better grip of things that were unknown to me.

So I focused onto the rock, my eyes never leaving the specific rock I had picked out as I activated the Skill.

[Identification]!

The word flashed through my mind. Whether it was by choice or whether it came from using the Skill, I did not know. However, information flooded my head as finally, I could unfurl the mysteries behind this peculiar object.

[Rock - It is a rock.]

...was that it?

No, that couldn’t be. There had to be something more to it than that!

There was a secret here— there was a reason why it was not like the other two rocks I had seen. It was special. It had to be special.

But why did [Identification] not tell me what this secret was? It made no sense. I felt uneasy about my understanding of the Skill, doubts forming in my mind that it was what I thought it was. However, I had been certain I used it right.

Something had told me that [Identification]’s purpose was to identify things. It was the same thing that had told me what I was. It was the same thing that told me what I was capable of.

Perhaps…

I trailed off. Connections were being formed in my head. An epiphany was being made. I finally understood what I had gotten wrong.

The problem is not in the Skill itself, but in the Skill’s level!

That was the only conclusion I could come to. That was why it did not tell me more information than I had already known. If I leveled the Skill, it would surely reveal the truth behind rocks!

I turned my attention to another pile of rocks to my left. These ones were significantly smaller. They were pebbles— miniscule rocks with fine features that were hard to make out without getting extremely close to it. But that was fine. I had chosen those to investigate since I knew I could learn more from them.

I had gone through two dozen of these pebbles before the words I had been anticipating came.

General Skill [Identification] Level Up!  

[Identification - Lvl. 2] -> [Identification - Lvl. 3]!

Experience is awarded for the leveling of a General Skill!

Subspecies [Demon Larva] Level Up!

[Demon Larva - Lvl. 1] -> [Demon Larva - Lvl. 2]

Gained 5 Stat Points and 1 Skill Point!

I… finally did it! And I also leveled as a [Demon Larva] thanks to the experience gained from leveling [Identification]! It was a total success!

I could distribute my Stat Points and Skill Point later. For now, I focused on what was important. I glanced at the pebble closest to me and activated my [Identification]—

[Rock - It is a rock.]

...what?

That couldn’t be right. [Identification] had just hit its second level. It should be telling me more than before, not the exact same thing. Unless…

I looked at another pebble, once again using [Identification] on it.

[Rock - It is a rock.]

No!

[Rock - It is a rock.]

No! No! No!

[Rock - It is a rock.]

Everywhere I checked— every pebble, stone, and rock I used [Identification] on— all produced the same result. It was all the same. All of them except for that third rock. The special rock.

I hadn’t checked it yet, but it had to be different. It was different. I saw it with my own eyes.

I cast my gaze back to where I had once been, but was only met by an endless sea of small pieces of rocks spread throughout the empty landscape. I couldn’t make out the rock that had me pondering over what made it different. Over what made it special.

It should be here! It has to be…

Then the realization sunk in. The bits of rock and pebbles uniformly crinkling the ground all around me were just that: rocks.

Nothing set one apart from the other. Rocks were rocks, even if there were some minute differences from one to the other. It  is a rock, the words echoed in my mind.

Slowly but dejectedly, I accepted this piece of information; I had spent so much time chasing after an answer that had always been in front of me. It felt like a waste.

I crawled away from the spot I had hovered over for so long, wading through the rocks despondently. I paused.

Wait, rocks?

Yes, there were rocks all around me. Rocks that had been so meddling. Rocks that made every movement so uncomfortable.

Rocks that I didn’t even register are there anymore.

I had been moving through rocks for such an extended period of time, it was not an issue anymore. I no longer felt the pokings of the rocks on my body. It was just like the dichotomy between the cool stone surface and the strong heat radiated from all around me which I initially felt when I left my puddle, but I had gotten used to it.

I thought such an accustomance applied only to that specific circumstance. Now I understood it could apply to a wide array of things— possibly more than the two I had just experienced. So I didn’t care anymore.

I happily continued my squirming through the white ground, unsure whether I should head to those small hillocks or tall mountains in the distance which my [Identification] didn’t work on for some reason, but stopped when I noticed something.

Firstly, I felt my gaze was sharper than before. It was subtle, I would not have been able to tell the difference if I didn’t spot them in the distance.

I had been musing about what I would do with my Stat Points and Skill Point. But now, all of those thoughts were gone as my attention was drawn to the bright colorful shapes moving in the otherwise desolate and plain world.

It was the others.

Just like me.

And there were a dozen of them.

2. The Others

I saw the others for the first time. There were many of them, all grouped together and wandering mindlessly through the empty landscape. They stood out in the white background— their vibrant colors stood out in sharp contrast to the blandness of the landscape, making them almost seem inviting. But I did not approach.

I waited in the near distance, watching to see what they would do. There were all sorts of them— most of them like me, but with slight variations in their forms. One of them had black and yellow spots on its back, despite the rest of its writhing mass of a body being red in color.

Another one had only a single eye on its face instead of the two I had, with a pair of long protrusions right above it. And another one had multiple small protrusions at the bottom of its body, wiggling and moving in a way that somehow made it faster than the rest.

It almost reminded me of the rocks wrinkling the ground— we were all the same, only slightly different. Was I then just like a rock with absolutely no individual characteristics to me? Was I not special in any way? Somehow, the very thought of that terrified me.

At first, my interest had been piqued from encountering these other creatures, but now I wanted to run away from them. I had to be different. I had to have something that differentiated myself from the others!

I was just about to flee from the group of colorful beings that looked just like me when I remembered the words that resounded in my head when I was first born. No— I wasn’t remembering the same words. It was different now, but I knew it was the words that defined me. And it was…

Salvos

Species: [Infant Demon]

Subspecies: [Demon Larva] - Lvl. 2

That was right. I had leveled up, which was why I was Level 2 now. But that wasn’t why I checked my Status. I did it because I could use it to compare myself with the others. If I used [Identification] on them, would the results be the same just like with the rocks?

I was uncertain, but I had to know. I felt my entire body quiver as I focused on the nearest of the others— the one with the colored spots patterned throughout its body. I hesitated for a moment, however went ahead with activating my Skill anyway.

[Identification]!

The words appeared in my head: the information that described the being for what it was. My entire body tensed as I processed it all—

[Demon Larva - Lvl. 1]

I found my entire body sagging, feeling the tension that once held me disappear. This sensation, it was… relief? I wasn’t entirely sure just yet what it was, but I liked the feeling. It was nice.

This Demon— [Demon Larva]?— or whatever it was, was evidently the same Species and Subspecies as me. And yet, I was higher leveled than it. It was different from the rocks which all produced the same results. There was a distinction between myself and the others. I was not an object, but a subject— just like I thought I was. And somehow, that thought calmed me down.

Wait, that means…

I carefully approached the group of Demons that had taken notice of me and were now just staring at me; some of them had a curious look on their face, almost as if they were waiting to see what I would do, while others seemed completely uninterested and were just following whatever the group was doing.

I got closer to them and began using [Identification] on each and every single one of them. I might have been unlike a rock in that I was unique, but I was not sure if that applied to these Demons too. Perhaps they might have all been the same, which in that case, meant they were just more rocks. That was almost the conclusion I came to where I checked the first three Demons.

[Demon Larva - Lvl. 1]

[Demon Larva - Lvl. 1]

[Demon Larva - Lvl. 1]

I was just about to stop using my Skill, deciding that these Demons were all the same, when I saw the Demon with the protrusions… the legs… take a step closer to me. I met that Demon’s eyes and used [Identification] on it.

[Demon Larva - Lvl. 3]

It was Level 3? It was higher leveled than me!

I stared at that Demon in shock and another feeling for a moment. Why was it Level 3 and I was only Level 2? That was unfair. I wanted to be Level 3 as well!

For some reason, I was discontent with being lower leveled than this Demon. I wanted to possess the same or better qualities than it— her!

She was a her.. I intuitively knew she was a her. And she was better than me.

However, she seemed to pay no mind to that fact, and was instead moving her legs, gesturing between herself and me. She... wanted me to go with them?

I glanced about at the others, again taking in their stats with [Identification]. In that group of a dozen, there were three other Demons at Level 2— the same as me— and one more at Level 3. The rest were Level 1, and apart from the one with colored spots on its back, they didn’t seem too interested in anything really.

They were just following the group. But why were they doing that?

I pondered it over for a moment, as the group began to head off, led by the other Level 3 Demon. The one with legs waited for me as I lay there, considering these questions in my mind.

Perhaps, I thought, as the Demon finally started after her companions. Perhaps they’re following the Level 3 Demons to learn how to get to that level too?

That was the only line of reasoning that made sense to me. I could not rationalize any other train of thought that would lead them to group up like that. After all, the moment I met that Demon, I immediately wanted to reach the same level as her, so it made sense that the others felt the same way!

I hurried after the group as they got further and further away. They didn’t slow down for me, even though a few noticed me trailing after them. Not that it mattered. I was still with the group until they once again gathered as a group, attracted to something new and interesting.

They huddled around something that was lying motionless on the ground, just at the foot of a small hill; I tried to see what it was, but they were blocking my vision. I had to go around them— up to an elevated position— to clearly see what they were investigating.

Was this how they leveled up? I did level up from inspecting rocks on the ground. Perhaps simply going around and poking at whatever new thing you came across was what helped you to level. Maybe the more peculiar an object it was, the more experience you gained from looking at it?

I peeked down at what the others were studying, when I realized I had been mistaken as to what it was they say. Instead of seeing a weird rock like I had imagined, I saw another [Demon Larva] lying on the ground, motionless.

The others had formed a circle around it, curiously looking on at it, but still keeping a small distance away from it. It was almost a repeat of when they had met me, except that they didn’t approach it any further. Why was it not moving? Why was it just lying there? These were questions that crossed my mind, and I was sure they held similar thoughts to these too.

Suddenly, the [Demon Larva] jerked. It straightened its body, snapping its head up as the others backed away from this sudden movement. This [Demon Larva] looked different. It was not like the ones in the group— the ones that were about my size with small variations in form. Instead, it was thicker than us, it was larger  than us, and it had a longer   body  than us.

Noticing this fact, I had my interest piqued and I decided to inch closer to it. I got till I was about as far away from it as the others before I used [Identification] on it. The results it produced surprised me.

[Demon Larva - Lvl. 5]

It was Level 5? That was more than twice my level! It was 2 levels higher than the highest leveled Demon in the group!

I had to know its secret; it was so huge— almost twice my size— and so high leveled as well. I didn’t want to be Level 3 anymore— I wanted to be Level 5 if it meant I could get that big!

The others must have shared the same thought. One of the Level 3 Demons— the one with the legs— slowly stepped forward to the Level 5 [Demon Larva]. The only thing that stopped me from rushing up to it as well was a sudden thought.

It was a random thought, but I wondered to myself: why was it alone? Did it not follow any other Demon to reach its level? And did it not encounter any other Demon that wanted to follow it to reach its level?

It was these thoughts that made me a moment slower than the legged Demon to reach the large Demon. She stopped right in front of it as it loomed over her. She tilted her head slowly, and proffered one of her tiny limbs out—

And it crushed her.

In a single motion, the large Demon crushed her with its head. The Level 3 Demon— the one that had waited for me as the rest of her group left me behind— was squished in an instant. All that was left of her was a broken body with black liquid oozing out of it.

I stared in shock for a moment, still trying to process what had happened. And I wasn’t the only one. The others were as taken aback as I was. The only thing that saved us from being immediately killed as well was the change that went over the large Demon’s body.

The large Demon wriggled as it began to morph and grow bigger in size. That brief reprieve was what allowed us to finally react to this unexpected development. Three of the Level 1 Demons and one of the Level 2 Demons charged at the large Demon, throwing themselves at its body in a combined attack.

It reeled back from the hit, bruises forming on its body where it had been struck. They continued to assault its body as the others began to join in. For some reason, I was also compelled to help them fight the large Demon, but that feeling was quickly squashed as it crushed the Level 2 Demon. It swiped its body at two of the Level 1 Demons, breaking their bodies and sending them flying.

Upon seeing that, the rally against the large Demon quickly turned into a retreat; I watched as the Level 1 and Level 2 Demons that started at the large Demon in a charge scramble away from it as it crushed the last of the Demons that had attacked it.

It was too high leveled for us to take down! We were less than half its level, so of course it would be able to take us out with ease. But there was still the other Level 3 Demon, the one with the feelers on its head—

I cast my gaze around, looking for the Level 3 Demon. He was… running away? No— he wasn’t just running away, he had been running the entire time.

I must not have noticed because I was distracted, but the moment the large Demon killed the first Level 3 Demon, he turned tails and ran for it. That was why he was already disappearing into the distance while the others were still within the vicinity of the large Demon.

I panicked. I was going to be crushed too! I didn’t want to be crushed! I didn’t want to… die. I had just been born. Dying now was something I absolutely did not want!

I started after the Level 3 Demon, trying to catch up to him. But he was faster than me— barely faster, but definitely faster. I crawled alongside the other fleeing Demons as we tried to get away from the large Demon. I craned my head around as I did, just in time to see it catch and crush another Level 1 Demon.

It was faster than us too! For some reason, even with such a large body, it moved quicker than me. Why was it so fast? Why was it so strong? I didn’t know.  I don’t know—

Then, as if by instinct or by deduction, I realized why it was faster than me. It had a higher [Agility] than me. That had to be it.

It had leveled up and used its Stat points to raise its [Agility]. And that was probably why it was its size too. One of its Stat points— either [Vitality] or [Strength]— was also raised to make it bigger. The large Demon was about to catch up to me when I hurriedly recalled my Stats.

I had received 5 Stat Points and 1 Skill point from leveling up. I had nothing to spend my Skill Points on, so I ignored it and focused only on my Stats.

Each of my Stats already had 5 points in it, but I now had 5 more I could distribute amongst them. I had a rough idea of what each did, but only two of them would help me in the moment: [Strength] and [Agility].

If I spent my Stat Points on [Strength], perhaps I could match the attack power of the large Demon. However, that still meant it outmatched me in speed, so it would land more hits on me and kill me faster. So that was out of the question.

So I decided. [Agility] it is.  I spent all 5 of my Stat Points straight into [Agility], and instantly felt an odd sensation wash over my body.

I didn’t sprout legs, per se, though I did gain small limbs that helped push me forward. I also felt lighter. My body was more slick. Like even if I didn’t use my limbs and just crawled ahead, I would still move twice as fast as I did before.

I wasted no time trying to accustom myself to my body and sped ahead. I ran past the other Demons ahead of me, feeling relief knowing that I would escape with my life. That was, until I heard the crunch that came from another Level 1 Demon being crushed by the large Demon.

I stopped in my tracks and turned around. The large Demon was catching up to the others. It was going to kill them all— none of them, except for the Level 3 Demon, were going to escape. They were all going to die.

That didn’t bother me so much. As long as I lived, why did it matter if they died? And yet, I was running from this large Demon. This large Demon that attacked and killed us for no reason. The others were running from it, fearing for their life, when they probably would have been able to take it down if they worked together from the very beginning.

In fact, one of the Level 2 Demons realized this. He realized that they could not escape, and the only chance they stood was if they banded together. He tried to rouse the others to turn around and fight. Squish. He died as the others ignored him and continued to flee.

Was I really like these other Demons, running like a coward from something I could beat? Surely I was not just a rock that the large Demon used to level up before tossing me aside like the other dozen rocks it looked at, right? And if I really wanted to reach the same level as that large Demon— if I wanted to hit Level 5… no, Level 6 like it— I shouldn’t be running away from a fight like this, should I?

So I stopped running away from this large Demon and charged back at it. It was about to crush another Demon— the one with the colorful spots in his back— when I tackled it, striking it across the face.

The large Demon turned its attention to me as I struck it with my entire body once again. This time, it took the brunt of the hit and brought its head down to squish me like it did the others. However, I skittered away from the attack, dodging it with relative ease.

I backed up as it tried a follow up attack, swiping at me from the side, trying to use its size to its advantage. I barely avoided this attack. If it had hit me there, I probably would have been squished. But I survived it, and saw a wide opening.

As the large Demon tried to reorient itself, I saw the perfect chance to strike once again. I aimed for the bruise that had already been made by the first of the others that attacked it, smashing my head down into it.

This proved effective as it staggered from the blow, pulling itself back to try and gain some distance between myself and it. I did not let up, however. I used my new limbs to hold onto its body as backed away, continuing to hammer my head into its body.

It lurched from the repeated strikes, trying to shake me off. When it couldn’t do that, it straightened its body and brought its head up and over me. It tried to smash me, but I easily slithered away as it hurt itself. But instead of getting off the large Demon, I made my way up onto it.

It twisted its body in confusion as I climbed up to its head. It was wary of attacking me now that it realized it was able to inflict damage on itself with me on it. And in that moment of uncertainty, I seized the large Demon by the head.

I wrapped my body around just below the head of the large Demon. It thrashed about to get me off it, but I simply squeezed my body tighter, using my limbs to stop myself from falling off. It spun and squirmed in a panic, but I did not let go.

I wasn’t sure how long I held that position— I wasn’t sure how much harder I tried to curl myself under its head— but eventually, there was a pop. The head of the large Demon fell limply off its body, its black blood getting all over me.

I collapsed alongside the body of the large Demon, and I lay there triumphant as the words of victory rang in my head.

Defeated [Demon Larva - Lvl. 6]!

Abundant experience is awarded for defeating an enemy three times your level!

Subspecies [Demon Larva] Level Up!

[Demon Larva - Lvl. 2] -> [Demon Larva - Lvl. 3]

Gained 5 Stat Points and 1 Skill Point!

Subspecies [Demon Larva] Level Up!

[Demon Larva - Lvl. 3] -> [Demon Larva - Lvl. 4]

Gained 5 Stat Points and 1 Skill Point!

I did it! I leveled up twice! I...

Wait, why am I only Level 4? It was Level 6, right? I beat it! It was Level 6! Shouldn’t I be Level 6 now too?!

3. Learning Experience

I evaluated my Status after having killed the Level 6 [Demon Larva] by myself. The others— the survivors from the encounter— had left without me. None of them turned around to try and help me when I confronted the large Demon.

Not that it mattered to me; somehow I knew that if they had helped out, I would have gained less experience from killing it, which would have given me less levels too. So I actually preferred that they stayed out of the fight.

Anyway, it was not like I was happy with the amount of levels I gained in the first place. I had doubled my levels, going from Level 2 to Level 4. And while that seemed like quite the achievement at first, I still wasn’t satisfied. The large Demon was Level 6— since I killed it, shouldn’t I be at least Level 6 too?

Something told me that that wasn’t how it worked. But it should!

I might not have been as big as it, and I might not have had as many levels as it, but I killed it when the others failed or fled. The fact that I deserved more of a reward than what I got led me to conclude that the world wasn’t fair. Which was unfortunate, but it wasn’t something I was going to dwell on. Instead, I focused on my Status.

Currently, I had 3 available Skill Points and 10 available Stat Points. I still had no Skills for me to invest my Skill Points in— which confused me in more ways than one. For example, how was I supposed to gain a Skill? How was it different from a General Skill? Why couldn’t I use my Skill Points on my General Skills?

Unable to solve this mystery behind Skills, I then decided to simply look at my Stat Points for now. As I had figured out earlier, [Agility] was something that made me faster… in addition to other things I couldn’t parse right now. When I had spent all 5 of my Stat Points on [Agility], my body changed— kind of like how the large Demon’s body changed after it had leveled.

I grew these… limbs. They ran down the side of my body, not exactly forming full rows of them, but still rather numerous. It was a strange feeling, suddenly changing forms. It was something I was probably going to have to get used to for now, whenever I spent Stat Points.

I considered the other Stats I had: [Vitality], [Strength], [Endurance], and [Wisdom]. I could guess vaguely what each of these Stats did by themselves. There were other facets to these Stats, but I was certain [Vitality] would give me more health, [Strength] would make me stronger, [Endurance] would increase my durability, and [Wisdom]... would grow my magic  power?

I puzzled over this idea of magic for a moment, until my mind drew a link between magic and the Skill Slots I had available. Apparently, magic was something every living being was capable of doing, but was aided by the Skills and General Skills they learned.

That was interesting. I had been curious about what these Skills were just a moment ago, and now knowing that having more [Wisdom] was somehow connected to them made me decide to experiment with it. For now, I was going to spend 3 of my Stat Points on [Wisdom], 2 on [Vitality], and keep the remaining 5 to figure out for later.

Immediately after using the Stat Points, my body began to quiver. It started to shift, changing in size as I grew slightly bigger. It wasn’t as drastic as a growth the large Demon went through— something told me that not only would different combinations of Stats result in different changes to the body, but the individuality of myself and the others made the changes we underwent specific to us as well.

However, while the change that came over me from increasing my [Vitality] was made apparent to me in more ways than one, I was left confused by my [Wisdom]. I did not feel smarter or anything too blatant like that. In fact, I almost thought that nothing had happened from growing my [Wisdom] for a moment.

That was until I stopped focusing on myself, and turned my attention to the world around me. After I became Level 2 from leveling in [Identification] twice, I had thought my perception of things was more sharp. And while that didn’t change this time, I felt like my vision was now piercing through some veil that I didn’t even know was there before.

There were… lines? Or something else. A thing called mana  was cutting through the world. It was not doing so intrusively, but rather in a way that kept it together. It was like strings woven together and into each other to create something that was whole.

I tried to reach out and grab one of these strings, but found my physical limb simply passing over through it. It was hard to touch; I knew my body would not be able to interact with it in this simple of a way. I had to understand it more. I had to learn about them— follow these strings— to get a better grasp of what they were, so I could actually touch and move them.

So that was what I did. Very quickly, I spent the rest of my Stat Points between [Strength], [Endurance], and [Agility]. For now, I was content with my speed so I only increased it by a single point, while splitting the rest equally between [Strength] and [Endurance].

Once again, the changes from these Stats were more tangible and obvious at first, but I intuitively knew that the changes I experienced went beyond simple physical changes.

—--

I would have thought it would take a while for me to get used to my new, bigger body; with extra parts to me coming in the limbs as well as a longer form, it was quite a significant change to what I was before. And yet, I did not find it uncomfortable using my limbs to move through the rocky terrain.

The bits and pieces of rock sticking out of my limbs were barely a nuisance, and I could even move faster now. And while that sped up my process of simply moving, apparently moving faster somehow correlated with meeting other Demons faster. Unfortunately however, these Demons I met weren’t like the first group I had encountered.

Defeated [Demon Larva - Lvl. 3]!

Experience is awarded for defeating an enemy!

Subspecies [Demon Larva] Level Up!

[Demon Larva - Lvl. 4] -> [Demon Larva - Lvl. 5]

Gained 5 Stat Points and 1 Skill Point!

That was the third Demon I had seen since I defeated the large Demon, and just like the large Demon, all of these Demons attacked me mindlessly. I had approached the first one— a Level 2 Demon— because it didn’t seem too dangerous.

And while it wasn’t dangerous per se, it did try to tackle me. I didn’t have much difficulty dodging the surprise attack, although dispatching it wasn’t as quick of an endeavour. With my relatively low [Strength], I couldn’t crush it in a single blow and relied on multiple strikes to beat it.

After that, I approached the other Demons more cautiously, but still they charged at me. And while they were all lower leveled than me, they didn’t even hesitate in their attack. At first, I had considered it to be a bit of a nuisance, but after I leveled, I decided it was a good thing— in a way.

While I risked dying whenever these Demons came after me, if I defeated them I gained experience which would help me level up myself. And not only was leveling up a satisfying thing, it made me stronger.

With this strength, I could defend myself better. With this strength, I could survive!

But that was boring. There wasn’t really anything for me to do; I had tried investigating more strangely shaped rocks, but I lost interest in them far faster than before. Eventually, I turned my attention to those large rocks in the distance— those mountains.

It was strange. These tall, massive shapes became smaller as I went further away from them— they didn’t sink into the ground, but instead appeared to almost simply shrink in size. I had not traveled to one before, however after making this observation, I decided to traverse up one of the smaller hills.

I had known that a hill became larger as I approached one, but it was still such a jarring sight seeing it turn from this vague outline into this towering shape before me. Putting 2 of my Stat points into [Wisdom] and [Agility], with the last remaining point into [Strength], I scurried my way up.

I didn’t do nothing  on this trek; I was being productive. I raised one of my limbs up, running it through the invisible strings of mana as I continued trying to acquaint myself with it. It wasn’t exactly telling me anything in specific, but I felt like I was learning more about it. My vision of the mana wasn’t completely clear just yet, however—

General Skill [Basic Mana Manipulation] Learned!

Experience is awarded for the learning of a General Skill!

I stopped right in my tracks as the words resounded in my head; I tilted my body, trying to figure out what just happened. I… learned a General Skill? That was right, it was still a Level 1 Skill. But that was better than nothing. Now I knew I was capable of learning General Skills— that was how I gained them.

It might not have been the exact same process for Skills, but it was probably a somewhat similar one. I lifted one of my limbs and tugged at the mana strings, and instead of just passing through nothing, I felt the barest sense of something being there.

It was a slight feeling— something that showed me nothing, while opening up endless possibilities at the same time. And it happened just as I crested the top of the hill.

I rested there, at the peak of this massive rock. I cast my gaze around the landscape, at the flatlands down below, and at the other mountains that rose above the one I was on. I was Level 5, and while it was satisfying to know that I had reached a level similar to the large Demon, it still frustrated that I was not at its level yet.

In a way, I was like this hill. Tall, but not the tallest. Not anywhere close. Something blazed within me; a decision that I came to naturally. I wanted to level— not just to Level 6 or some other arbitrary level. I wanted to keep leveling until I could not anymore.

I wasn’t sure if there was a limit, and if there was one, I did not know how high I could even go. And yet, it gave me something to do. I wanted more in my life than to simply exist. The rocks and the land— they were interesting at first, but they lost their novelty after a while. Seeing the same thing over and over again became dull over time.

So I gave myself a goal. It was my will. And when I went down the hill, back to the flat landscape, I was not just wandering aimlessly anymore. I was on the hunt. Searching for those mindless Demons that destroyed everything they saw.

And it wasn’t long before I saw the next ones ahead. I let go of the strands of mana I was holding onto the entire time— apparently [Basic Mana Manipulation] was a hard General Skill to level since it was still at Level 1— and focused on the lumbering Demon. It charged me, of course. That was what all these wild Demons did.

Me, on the other hand? I leveled.

Defeated [Demon Larva - Lvl. 3]!

Experience is awarded for defeating an enemy!

Defeated [Demon Larva - Lvl. 4]!

Experience is awarded for defeating an enemy!

Defeated [Demon Larva - Lvl. 3]!

Experience is awarded for defeating an enemy!

Defeated [Demon Larva - Lvl. 2]!

Less experience is awarded—

4. Magic Attack

Up until now, all of the mindless, lumbering Demons I had seen were alone. It was odd; the only time I had encountered a group of Demons had been shortly— relatively speaking— after I was born.

So based on this single observation, I came to the broad conclusion that only others like me would clump up together. And while applying that general rule too hastily might seem like a bad idea in retrospect, the logic made sense to me when I decided to approach the four Demons traveling next to each other.

Well, I knew better now.

I skittered around the large boulder as the remaining three Demons chased after me. They had caught me by surprise by attacking me when I had thought they were friendly, but I still managed to take one out.

The Demons weren’t as fast as me, although they still managed to keep up with my speed. They followed after me, whirling around the corner—

And I was not there. The Demons paused, confused at my sudden disappearance. They cast their gazes around, scanning the landscape for any signs of me to no avail. Slowly but surely, the three began to spread out, slightly further away from each other.

From atop the boulder, I leapt down at the closest Demon. I wriggled below my feet as I struck it twice with my forefront limbs. The other two Demons noticed this and tried to rush me. I pushed myself off the first Demon as something bright went off right at its antennae.

Circling around them, I easily put distance between us as they tried to tackle me. Instead, I swung my entire body around, knocking one of them back, before charging the second. The Demon struggled as I jabbed all my limbs into it, forcing its black blood out of its body. I brought my head down on it once, twice—

Defeated [Demon Larva - Lvl. 3]!

Less experience is awarded for defeating an enemy half your level!

Once I received the words in my head, I quickly pried myself off the Demon and just barely evaded a strike from its companion. Pushing it back with my limbs, I was just about to do the same thing to it when I felt a sharp shock run through my body.

I spun around and backed away as fast as I could from the Demon I had dropped on. That was… electricity? Light was flashing between its antennae, sparks dangerously dancing off the side like the splash of blood that came from being crushed. It hurts!  

I warily regarded the last two Demons as they approached me. There was no coordination between them. They had no thought behind their actions. So when they charged me again, one after the other, I shoved the first one back to the other.

It did not matter which came first. What ended up happening either ways was the Demon using magic shocking the other. And in that moment where the non-magic Demon was incapacitated, I threw everything I had at the magic Demon, wrapping my body around it and crushed it.

Defeated [Demon Larva - Lvl. 5]!

Experience is awarded for defeating an enemy!

Then it was just me and the last remaining Demon. It got back up, and I waited for it to charge me. I would have expected it to continue foolishly attacking me like it had before— as others like it had always done. But instead, it spun around and ran away.

For a moment— just a brief moment— I was left stunned. Not because I had been zapped or anything. But because it was running.

Why was it running? They never ran!

I was puzzled by this. That had never happened before; it was another thing that went against the norm established by observations I made in the past. By the time I thought to chase after it, it was already long gone.

I felt my entire body vibrate, slightly annoyed that I didn’t get the experience from defeating it. It wasn’t as high leveled as the magic Demon, but when I evaluated my status, something told me it might have given me enough experience to level up again.

Ever since I had decided to focus on leveling myself up, I had only gained a single level, going from Level 5 to Level 6. It wasn’t easy leveling up when everything I fought was lower leveled than me.

It didn’t bother me too much— I was still making steady progress. It was visible both in my Status as well as on my physical body: as my [Agility] increased, some of my limbs grew longer. In fact, I would have been wholly satisfied coming off this encounter in spite of letting one escape, had I not realized that one of those ‘mindless’ Demons was capable of using magic and I still was not.

That frustrated me. Perhaps I wasn’t trying hard enough? Sure, I was focusing more on fighting now than trying to do magic. But the periods of reprieve in between were all spent with my frontal limbs pointed up to the red sky, trying to touch the intangible lines of mana all around me.

I was lacking something. Every single time I raised my [Wisdom], I knew something was changing within me. However there was a component of magic that I just wasn’t grasping right.

I tried once again grabbing at the mana in my surroundings, but nothing happened. I pushed at it, pulled at it, and even tried chasing after it. Still, I wasn’t able to do magic. After I had expended my Stat Points into [Wisdom], it wasn’t working. I… stopped caring after a moment.

It was infuriating, sure. But I was close to a level up! So instead of wasting my time lying here and accomplishing nothing, I decided to mull over it as I scurried in search of a potential enemy.

It didn’t take long. At least, compared to how much time passed before I met the first group of Demons. It seemed that wherever I was was more populated than where I had been born.

When I spotted the Demon from a distance, I had almost assumed it was only a single one. Great! It was more likely to be one that would attack me, rather than approach me out of interest. And yet, when I got closer and closer to it, I soon realized it wasn’t a single Demon— but two wrapped together in a battle.

I stopped a ways away from the fight, choosing first to survey what was going on. Of course, the first thing I did was use [Identification]— which required me to get to a certain distance from the target of the Skill.

[Demon Larva - Lvl. 4]

[Demon Larva - Lvl. 6]

The higher leveled Demon was, as expected, winning the fight. It had pinned the other Demon to the ground, and was smashing its head onto… him? I paused, noting the distinction. He was certainly not an ‘it’, but a ‘him’, like how I was a ‘her’.

That was a peculiar observation. What exactly about him made him a ‘ him’?  I had met other ‘hims’ and ‘hers’ before, however only at the beginning, and ever since then all the other Demons I had met were ‘its’. What made the other Demons ‘its’?

It was fascinating. It was something for me to ponder about. The implications of which I had to take time to absorb and parse. And as I was busy with this revelation, the Demon continued smashing him on the head.

Was it because they were incapable of thought?

Smash.

Certainly not. The most recent Demon I had encountered thought to run away instead of fighting me once it realized it was outmatched, and it was an ‘it’.  

Smash. Smash. Smash.

So clearly it could think, but an instinctual drive—

Smash.

You’re too loud! I can’t think! Can you stop?

Smash.

I snapped. I had enough of this. The other Demon had a lot of health. He probably had raised his [Vitality] incredibly high so he could take a lot of hits. He was struggling, landing a few of his own on hits back on it. But it was winning, and it was making a lot of noise.

So I finally decided to intervene. I threw it off of him, tackling it to the ground and striking it with my own limbs. I aimed for its weak spots— where it had already visibly taken damage from fighting the other Demon. And yet, it wasn’t falling.

It flailed back at me, thrashing its entire body about, before managing to pry me off it. It charged me with its head, knocking me into a daze as I staggered back away from it. That’s hard! It had a hard head— possibly having a high [Vitality] too? Whatever the case was, I was angry.

It managed to land a hit on me! No one had been able to hit me before— by themselves. Sure, it was because I decided to carelessly attack it, and sure, it was the highest leveled Demon I have seen since the large Demon. But still, it hit me!

I backed up as the Demon whiffed two swings with its body, before it tried rushing me with its head again. I went around it, going for its back and landed a quick strike on it. Once again, my limbs barely left a dent on its tough skin, less so than before since I hadn’t aimed for a bruised spot.

I could hurt it. Just barely hurt it. I couldn’t wrap my body around it and squeeze it since it was about my size, it would easily be able to throw me off it. So there was no quick way for me to defeat it. All I could do now was whittle it down with multiple strikes, until I won. Perhaps if I had a higher attack…

I dodged another charge, just barely this time, as I realized that I actually did have a way to hurt it. That was the reason I had been raising my [Wisdom]. A magical attack.

But I didn’t know how to do one. I had been trying to figure it out, but it was difficult. It was like I was paying attention to the wrong thing. To the magic around me?

That seemed wrong, didn’t it? There was no magic in the empty space filled with mana. The mana was just there, but it wasn’t magic. Instead, the magical attack created by the Demon from earlier came from within it, did it not?

I tried to think back to my previous fight; it was an intense moment, but I did pay attention to how the magic Demon created the electric shock. I saw the magic— the mana around it moving, like strings manipulated by it. And yet, it wasn’t actually coming from around it. It was coming from inside the magic Demon.

It was like the magic Demon had attached its own strings onto the lines of mana. It exerted the mana inside of it to do magic, and the mana in the surroundings only served as an assisting medium. So instead of tugging at the mana strings there, I pulled the mana from inside of me with my front limbs. And it worked.

Instantly, I felt something leaving my body and a slight exhaustion sink in. However, there was now also a power right where I concentrated the mana into. I could do magic now.

The Demon once again charged me, but this time I did not even pay attention to it. I focused on the mana, trying to shape it into something I wanted. Right now, I was frustrated. I was burning with anger against the annoying Demon as well as burning with excitement now knowing how to cast magic. I also wanted to hurt it— I wanted something with the power to penetrate its strong defenses.

And from that desire, I shaped the magical attack. Fire plumed into existence on my front two limbs, covering it with an intense heat I could feel but did not burn me. The mindless Demon did not even stop to take this in, and continued its attack. Instead of trying to go for a counterattack, I decided to be reckless once again.

I swung my two limbs forward at it as it came at me. I struck first into its head, which normally would have done nothing to stop it. But the fire blazed upon impact, and the Demon recoiled. Again, I brought my two fiery limbs down at it, and again it was hurt from the strikes.

I was actually doing damage to it! This magical attack was doing far more than I possibly could have with just my limbs alone. The Demon recognized this and tried to back up, but I was relentless.

I pressed the Demon with my new magical attack, continuously hitting it until its defenses gave in and black blood finally poured out. At that point, it had failed in trying to escape due to my significantly faster movement, and weakly tried to fight back. I took a few strikes due to how wildly I was attacking it, but it didn’t matter. I won in the end as the words filled my head.

Defeated [Demon Larva - Lvl. 6]!

Experience is awarded for defeating an enemy!

Subspecies [Demon Larva] Level Up!

[Demon Larva - Lvl. 6] -> [Demon Larva - Lvl. 7]

Gained 5 Stat Points and 1 Skill Point!

Skill [Basic Fire Conjuration] Learned!

Experience is awarded for the learning of a Skill!

Skill [Fire Strike] Obtained!

General Skill [Basic Mana Manipulation] Level Up!  

[Basic Mana Manipulation - Lvl. 1] -> [Basic Mana Manipulation - Lvl. 2]!

Experience is awarded for the leveling of a General Skill!

I gained two Skills and leveled up? That was amazing! Although I didn’t gain any experience from learning the second one, which was odd.

Perhaps it was because I gained the Skill from leveling? That might have been the difference between learning a Skill and obtaining one; so there was no experience to be gained from the latter.

I quickly looked over my Skills and Stats in my Status as I considered what to do next.

For my Stats, I put 2 Stat Points into [Vitality] and the remaining 3 into [Agility] because I was unhappy with how much damage I took from this fight. I had to be faster, and I had to be able to take more hits. If not— I would die.

I wasn’t able to take blows like that Demon had been able to, nor did I plan to do so. But I would rather not lose because I wasn’t able to survive a single blow. And I could put off raising my [Strength] and [Wisdom] for now, since I just gained these brand new Skills which would significantly alter the way I fought.

I had considered increasing my [Endurance]— I was absolutely exhausted right now, something which I commonly found myself suffering from after a fight, but even more so now that I used magic. But that was something I could raise later. I did not think I would be able to die from exhaustion.

As for my Skill Points...

The Skill names were rather self explanatory, and I had just used them for myself. But I was not exactly sure how much of a difference a Skill Point made. Was a Level 2 [Fire Strike] twice as powerful as a Level 1 [Fire Strike]? And wasn’t it possible for me to gain a more powerful Skill than [Fire Strike] in the future? For now, I simply raised both my new Skills by 1 Skill Point each, choosing to save my Skill Points once I understood my Skills more and had a wider array of them.

Satisfied, I looked back down from where I had been distractedly staring at in the sky while in thought, and found myself jumping as a pair of eyes stared back at me. The other Demon— the one that had been losing the fight prior to my intervention— was just standing in front of me. And he was not moving.

...do I fight you too?

5. Not Like Me

I stared down the [Demon Larva] that I had just saved as he stood in front of me. At first I had thought he was about to attack me too, but when he did not move, I concluded that that was not the case. However, as to what he was really trying to do? I had no clue.

He had been on the verge of death before I interrupted his battle with the other Demon— the one that I recognized as an ‘it’ and not a ‘him’ or ‘her’. I still didn’t fully parse this distinction, but that did not matter at the moment. Because right now, I was trying to figure out what to do with this Demon.

It was odd— for some reason, he seemed to have recovered from his injuries rather quickly. I would have thought earlier that I would be able to defeat him with a few regular attacks, but with the way he was looking now, it would probably take more than just a [Fire Strike] to take him down.

In fact, he was not only looking better than before, he was also slightly bigger. His body appeared to be more solid. Perhaps…

I used [Identification] on him.

[Demon Larva - Lvl. 5]

It seemed that my musing had been right; this Demon had leveled up, which healed him somewhat from his injuries. Not only that, he had probably spent a significant amount of his Stat Points on his [Vitality], further regaining his health, as well as giving him a bigger form than before.

But how did he level? Was it because he had contributed in hurting the other Demon before I had defeated it? Was my experience shared with him because he damaged it beforehand?

I intuited that that was probably the case. And that irked me somewhat.

This Demon, who barely did anything and who I had inadvertently saved, had taken some of the precious experience I deserved from me? I had fought and struggled to gain that experience, and he reaped part of that reward? That was ridiculous!

I was irritated at him. He was simply just standing there uselessly in front of me, as if he was gloating that he was able to... to... steal from me. If I… defeated him, I’d get the experience back from him, right? That made sense, did it not?

But— something held me back; I… recognized him?

That was right. He looked slightly different now— he had limbs where he did not before. His entire body was red, which was not an unusual color; I had seen others of that color before. But the black and yellow spots on his back were what clued me into the fact that I had met him before.

He was one of the others! The ones in the first group of Demons I had met!

If I recalled correctly, he was only Level 2 back then. And now he was Level 5, after having escaped that large Demon that slaughtered the others...

Apprehension seized me, stopping me from raising my limbs at him. Wouldn’t I just be like the large Demon if I attacked him now? It attacked us without reason, other than maybe the desire to level and grow. Just like the other corybantic Demons. I did not want to be like them! I wasn’t an it. I was a she!

They were not like me!

I felt my irritation dissolve as a slight fear stopped me from doing anything to him. I took a look at his clueless face one last time before I whirled around. I’m not doing it. I started away from him. I will not do it!

With that resolve ingrained within me, I began my search for the next group of corybantic Demons to fight. As I did, I decided to test my new Skills out. First of all, I had leveled in [Basic Mana Manipulation]. It was now Level 2, which I could infer meant that I could manipulate mana better?

Sure enough, I could feel the flow of mana within and around me far better; it wasn’t the most drastic change, but it was noticeable. I decided to leave it be for now— I looked over at the first regular Skills I had. These weren’t General Skills, but Skills I gained because they came with my Subspecies? I wasn’t entirely certain, however there was a limit to how many I could have.

Right now, I had two of them. [Fire Strike] and [Basic Fire Conjuration]. I had distributed a Skill Point to each of them, and they were now both at Level 2.

[Fire Strike]. It wasn’t exactly what I used to defeat that Demon from earlier. It was similar, but while what I did was rough, simple, and differed with each hit— I could tell that this Skill was a lot more refined and consistent.

I raised a single limb, activating the Skill as I thrusted it forward. For a moment, red fire surrounded the nub I had swung, and with it came a power. A force that I knew dealt more damage than I could do just by swinging my limbs by itself. At the same time, I felt an equal amount of energy deplete from within me; the mana I had just felt surging through me earlier was less now by a small, but significant amount.

Alright, I already knew what that Skill was and could do. What I was more fascinated by was the other one— [Basic Fire Conjuration]. Judging from its name, I could extrapolate that it allowed me to conjure fire?

I had to test that out. I was almost giddy in excitement as I brought my forefront limbs out and focused. [Basic Fire Conjuration]!

I tried to create a fire. I was curious, but still reserved. So at first, I conjured a small flame. A tiny bead of crimson flame came to life between my limbs, staring up at me like a glowing eye. It reminded me of my own eyes— red, blazing.

Seeing what I had been able to create, I felt emboldened to do more. I was capable of more! I didn’t want a small fire anymore, now I wanted a big fire! One the size of me!

I felt a large chunk of mana leave my body into the surroundings, before it connected to the fire I held. The fire flared—

And my entire body sagged. I stopped in my tracks, feeling utter exhaustion set in. I could barely even hold up my limbs to keep the flames from falling onto me. And it was not even like the fire was that big. It was only about half the size of my head now, not anywhere near as large as I wanted it to be.

This was bad. I was so completely tired, I could barely even move. If I was attacked now—

Something bumped into me.

I spun around in a panic, throwing the fire at whatever had hit me. The fire simply fell to the white ground, lighting the rocky floor up for a moment before it was snuffed out. I stared at where my fire once was. This Skill was useless! I couldn’t even use it as an attack!

I stomped my limbs on where it had once been, more annoyed than anything that it had been a dud. I almost completely forgot that I had been bumped, and only remembered that happened when I saw the Demon from earlier tilting his body at me.

He had followed me. Why did he follow me? I glanced up at him curiously; was he planning on attacking me? I did not think so. Not only had I never been attacked by a Demon like him before, but he clearly did not mean to bump into me since it was so light I hadn’t even taken damage from that.

I dragged my tired body a tiny bit closer to him, and he did not move. He did not prepare to fight. He was just staring at me— at every one of my movements. I paused for a moment, considering this. Only a single logical conclusion crossed my mind.

He must be following me to learn how I became Level 7!

That had to be it. I remembered following the Level 3 Demons because I wanted to find out how they reached the level. It only made sense that he was doing the same here.

I looked at him— at his levels and his appearance— and decided that there was no harm if he followed me. So I waited there with him until I felt the exhaustion leave my body; that was something I had to deal with later. I had an inkling of an idea that I could increase the mana capacity in my body by raising my [Endurance]. But to do that, I had to level.

So once I was well rested, I turned once again, facing away from him, and continued my hunt for those wild Demons.

—--

Defeated [Demon Larva - Lvl. 5]!

Less experience is awarded for defeating an enemy with the help of others!

Defeated [Demon Larva - Lvl. 6]!

Less experience is awarded for defeating an enemy with the help of others!

Defeated [Demon Larva - Lvl. 3]!

Less experience is awarded for defeating an enemy half your level or less!

This wasn’t working out.

I had defeated a lot of Demons, many of them close to my level, and yet I still hadn’t leveled up yet. Normally, I would’ve probably reached Level 8 by now, and would be on the way to Level 9. But because of that Demon with the black and yellow spots following me, I was still at Level 7!

He would always rush in to attack any Demon that charged at me before I could defeat them myself. And maybe it was because he raised his [Strength] or something, but he was doing enough damage to them that I was apparently only getting ‘less experience’ from these encounters.

Of course, I was faster than him, so I would always be able to reach a Demon before him. But I would only be able to quickly defeat the lower leveled ones before he came— which made no  difference since those gave me less experience anyway!

Because of this, my progress had slowed. And I really didn’t like that my progress had slowed. I needed to get rid of him somehow. But he was relentless.

Even if I moved at my top speed, trying to get away from him, he would always eventually catch up to me. And what was worse was that he realized that he had to keep up with me, so when he eventually leveled from these encounters against Demons more powerful than him, he increased his [Agility]. Now it was even harder to put distance between us!

It was almost like he was just following me to siphon free experience from the Demons I defeated.

I had been at a loss on what to do. I had contemplated maybe injuring him badly, letting me get away from him before he could catch up. But I remembered he had a lot of health. I would have to attack him for a while— and what would happen if he fought back?

These were difficult questions for me: I did not like having to think about this. So I put it off for the moment, having spotted a group of Demons in the distance. There were about five of them, and they were gathered at the foot of the small hill I had just finished cresting.

I was nearing a level up. I could tell I was almost there. So I approached them, looking to at least hit Level 8 before I decided on how to deal with the Demon following me.

However, as I got closer— close enough to use [Identification] on them— I realized these weren’t wild Demons. They were Demons like me.

He— no, that’s a she— is Level 5. She is Level 4. He is Level 6. She…yes, she’s Level 6. And he’s Level… 9?!

The highest out of all of them was even higher leveled than me. I was impressed, as well as curious. What did he do to get so high leveled? I knew now how to level unlike before, but still it struck me as odd that he was able to reach that level even with a group following him. Was there a special trick to it?

I wanted to go down there— I wanted to follow him to see what he did differently from me. But then, from my peripheral vision, I saw the Demon with black and yellow spots sidle up next to me. Then I remembered how little experience I would gain if I joined and fought alongside this group.

So I thought to leave; I thought I had no reason to approach them any further, since I was neither planning on following them or attacking them. However, as I was about to scuttle around the Demon with black and yellow spots, I realized he was looking longingly down at the group. Then I had a brilliant idea!

I had been about to go and he had begun to follow after me, but now I turned back around. I started down the hill, making sure that he came with me as I approached the group of Demons down below.

They all looked up as I arrived with him, turning to face me with slight confusion in their faces. A Demon, the highest leveled one who had a pair of odd, jagged protrusions on his head— were they horns?—  stepped forward, glancing between the two of us.

I wasn’t sure what he was thinking, but that did not matter. I scurried behind the Demon with black and yellow spots, ushering him forward. The horned Demon cocked his head, as his group exchanged glances with one another.

I stopped right in front of him, raising my front limbs and pointing them at my unwanted companion. Take him! He can join your group! That was what I tried to convey.

I wasn’t sure if it worked. In fact, I thought it didn’t work when the Demons at the back just stared at the Demon with black and yellow spots, unmoving. He didn’t move forward either; he just looked at me with the rest of them.

I was left frustrated, frantically gesturing at him and at the group, until the horned Demon raised one of his long, sharp limbs. He held it there until I took notice of it and stopped moving, then he slowly aimed it in the direction of the Demon with black and yellow spots.

The horned Demon made his way towards him, as I backed up, and gently rested a limb on him. He patted him on the back once, and raised a limb in the direction of his group.

My unwanted companion looked back at me hesitantly. He pointed at me, but the horned Demon just nodded in my direction— as if he understood what I had been trying to do. I eagerly copied that gesture, nodding my head in return.

Three of his Demons came forward and began to lead the Demon with black and yellow spots to the rest of his group. I continued my enthusiastic nodding, as I watched my unwanted companion join the group.

I was overcome with relief— I could finally level myself without any trouble from him. It could go back to gaining regular amounts of experience for defeating the wild Demons. I was just about to leave, when the horned Demon raised his limb again as if asking me to stop.

I was grateful for what he did for me, so I halted as he approached me. He began making weird signals with his limbs, ones that I did not understand this time. I stared at him in confusion. What does he want? I wasn’t entirely sure.

I had been trying to decipher the meaning behind his actions when he finally reached me. He brought two of his limbs up—

And he struck me.

His sharp limb cut through my skin, spraying black out at him. I jerked in pain as he drew his limbs back up, as if to attack me once again. I just barely dodged it, putting a small distance between me and him.

The Demon with black and yellow spots had been staring in horror at what had happened, when suddenly the Demons at his sides assailed him too. My gaze snapped between the horned Demon and his group of Demons, as my mind slowly registered what was happening.

They weren’t the wild Demons who attacked everything without thought. They were Demons capable of thought. They were Demons like my companion. They were Demons like me.

And they had just attacked  us.

6. Red Fire

My body was aching; I had just been attacked, and it hurt a lot. Black liquid— blood— was pouring from the cut running down the side of my face to my body— I had been injured before, but not this badly. And worst of all, I was being attacked by Demons like me.

Why did they attack me? Was it an accident—

There was a loud thud. The Demon with black and yellow spots was knocked back by the three Demons that were next to him. This was no accident; this was done with intent. But I could not understand why they were doing this. And I didn’t even have time to try and understand it.

The horned Demon rushed at me, all of its spiky limbs lashing out at once. I evaded it, pushing myself off the ground and back with all my strength. He pressed forward, continuing slicing out in all directions as I kept my distance between him.

I was faster than him, but the way he was moving, I couldn’t get close. And I almost didn’t want to want to get close. I didn’t want to fight him! I didn’t want to fight them! I was just giving them a new companion— did they not like the Demon with black and yellow spots either?

Perhaps they knew he stole experience from others. Maybe that was why they were angry and attacking me now. But I was not like that!

I tried to get the horned Demon’s attention; I waved my limbs up and down like had done earlier, frantically nodding my head to him. He did not let up.

He swung and missed me by just a tiny bit. I was only barely able to keep him away from me. Why isn’t it working?  I dodged another attack, and from the side, I saw something white flying towards me at high speeds.

A rock struck me on the face, where I had been wounded, and I recoiled. More blood spurted out, as I defensively covered the injury with my limbs. As I did, the horned Demon closed the distance and sliced at me.

I couldn’t dodge it in time, but I wasn’t completely unprepared like earlier. I managed to react by bringing one of my limbs to block the attack, and instead of being cut on my body, the limb was lopped off. I stared in horror as more blood oozed out of that nub where my limb once was.

Reflexively, I struck out. [Fire Strike]! I managed to land a hit back at the horned Demon before he could follow through with his next attack. He staggered for a moment, before recovering himself and charging at me with more vigor. Instead of using his limbs however, he lowered his head, pointing his horns in my direction, and rushed forward.

I drew myself to the side and he missed me. But another rock struck me to the side, and I turned to face where it came from. Next to where the three Demons were fighting with my companion, I saw the last Demon in their group pointing his antennae at me.

The antennae swayed, then glowed. A rock twice the size of my eyes flew up and shot out at me. This time, having seen it, I managed to evade the attack. I whirled back to the horned Demon, expecting him to follow up from this attack, but only saw him glaring at the magic Demon.

He swung one limb down, stabbing the ground, and pointed another at her. She flinched, nodded, then turned to help the other two Demons in their group fight the Demon with black and yellow spots. I looked at this, confused.

He was… ordering her to not help him? But why would he do that? He wasn’t able to hit me without her help! If he wanted to kill me so badly, he’d have her pelt me with rocks as he engaged me up close. That was unless…

He wanted the experience from defeating me all for himself.

I glanced between the horned Demon and his group. They were attacking us for experience. They weren’t mindless like the wild Demons, nor were they angry at us. They did not care that we were like them, and only saw us as an opportunity to level themselves. That— that— was ridiculous!

I felt a flash of anger burn within me. Here I was thinking they were like me, but they were not. They only cared to level. I wanted to level, but I didn’t attack them! We were different— we weren’t the same after all.

The horned Demon slashed at me, and I went under the attack. I landed a [Fire Strike] to his side, before backing away from his follow up swing. It nicked me, leaving a small cut where it touched. I wasn’t able to completely dodge it; my missing limb made me significantly slower than before.

I had come to these Demons, seeking to help them. I mean, sure, I was trying to get rid of an unwanted companion, but I had no intentions to harm them. But they saw me, and they thought only of the experience . If that was how they were going to think of me, then I was going to do the same to them!

I skittered away from the horned Demon’s subsequent attacks, glancing back at the group fighting away from us. I saw the Demon with black and yellow spots struggling as they held him down and struck him. He had a high [Vitality], but I did not think he would be able to hold out much longer.

He pushed one of the Demons off him then lashed out at the other two twice. Before he could fully right himself, rocks hit him at the side, knocking him back down. They continued beating him as he was down, squirming to get away from them.

I focused on the magic Demon, hurling rocks at the side, then back to the horned Demon. My attacks were barely hurting the horned Demon— I would have to use a lot of mana just to deal with him, let alone the others. But I had noticed something earlier. I had seen all their levels, and I realized something now. A plan quickly formed in my mind.

The horned Demon approached me, but instead of backing away, I raised my limbs. A small ball of red fire was conjured right in front of me. He paused, just for a moment, as the fire grew slightly bigger. I drew my limbs back, and he braced himself. I threw the fire as he tried to dodge to the side.

He stared as the fire limply dropped just in front of me.

I rushed the magic Demon before he could react. She glanced up as I scurried up next to her, and hit her with a [Fire Strike]. She lurched back, and I struck her with the Skill once again. Her skin changed color. It was burned where she had been hurt. But I did not let up.

One thing I had noticed earlier— even before I decided to approach the group— was that she was Level 4. And despite being barely more than half my level, she was capable of using magic. I hadn’t even been able to use magic until I was Level 6. I smashed my head on her.

Defeated [Demon Larva - Lvl. 4]!

Experience is awarded for defeating an enemy!

Subspecies [Demon Larva] Level Up!

[Demon Larva - Lvl. 7] -> [Demon Larva - Lvl. 8]

Gained 5 Stat Points and 1 Skill Point!

And that meant she had to have used a significant amount of her Stat Points on [Wisdom] instead of [Vitality].

I whirled around, quickly backing up and away from the horned Demon as he swung for me once again. The words I had been waiting for came, and I hurriedly distributed my Stat Points out. I raised my [Agility] by 2, my [Endurance] by 2, and my [Vitality] by 1. Then I spent the single Skill Point I gained on [Fire Strike].

I could’ve used more Skill Points on my [Fire Strike], but I decided against it, since I wasn’t entirely sure how it would affect the Skill. If it made it more powerful, it could’ve used up more mana, and that was something I couldn’t afford to waste right now.

That was why I had raised my [Endurance] instead of my [Vitality]; if I had given myself more health, I was sure some of my injuries would have been healed— perhaps even my missing limb would have grown back. But having more health wouldn’t matter if I couldn’t deal the damage necessary to beat them.

And strangely enough, raising my [Agility] shifted my body to adapt without that missing limb. Some of my limbs grew longer, more sturdy, while the others almost seemed to have sunk back inwards to my body. So even in spite of my injuries, I was able to move faster than before.

The horned Demon swung at me once again, and I managed to counter him with a [Fire Strike] to the face, followed by a regular attack. He drew back and I pressed forward. I landed another of my [Fire Strike] on him, before pulling his body up and closing all of his sharpened limbs on me.

I pulled away just in time to avoid getting caught by him, but still suffered a dozen scratches on my sides from that. If he had caught me with that, I definitely would not have survived. He dealt a lot of damage with each hit, while I was only just hurting him with each of my attacks. I had to whittle him down to beat him. But...  I glanced at the fighting happening a small ways away from me. I can’t do it on my own.

I readied myself as the horned Demon prepared for another charge. We repeated the same moves as earlier, with me landing two hits on him. Then when he backed up to bait me in, I turned around and rushed to my companion’s aid.

I got there as quick as I could; the three Demons were beating him as he curled up in a defensive position to protect himself. I pushed myself off the ground, landing on the back of the closest Demon I could. Immediately, I jabbed two limbs forward, hitting him with two [Fire Strikes] at once.

I managed to get one last hit in before the other two Demons whirled around to engage with me. I hopped off the Demon I had been on, and backed away as they came at me. The two Demons spread out, trying to prevent me from going around them to the Demon I had injured, and when I turned around to flee, I saw the horned Demon closing in on me too.

I was surrounded. Trapped by them. If I tried to flee, one of them would surely catch me. Then it would be me against three of them at once, and I couldn’t possibly win. My best option would be to charge either side, to fight as few of them as possible before I had to fight them all. They knew this too, so the horned Demon started forward, making his two minions wait behind me to cut off my escape.

Unfortunately, he forgot about his third minion.

Defeated [Demon Larva - Lvl. 6]!

Less experience is awarded for defeating an enemy with the help of others!

The Demon with black and yellow spots crushed the head of the fallen Demon, and immediately his body shifted. Did he get a level up? It was possible— in fact, that was what I had been hoping for.

He grew larger once again, his body more tough and his limbs more hard. I wasn’t sure what he raised, but I had hoped he used his Stat Points on his [Strength]. Because I needed him to take out at least another one of the Demons for us to win this.

While I was staring triumphantly at my companion’s new level and the two minion Demons were caught in surprise, the horned Demon took this as an opportunity to attack me. He charged me with his horns, trying to skewer me.

I backed up to dodge it, but as expected, the two minion Demons intercepted me from behind. I found one of them directly at my back, and the other a little off to the side. The horned Demon reached me—

And I threw myself to the side at the last moment. I landed right next to the other Demon at my flank, and was met with multiple blunt strikes to the face. However, I saw blood pouring out from the Demon that had been behind me as the horned Demon rammed into her with his horns instead.

I fought back with three uses of [Fire Strike], as the horned Demon pulled himself off his minion. I was down half my mana now, having used my Skills so much, and I had meant for that to at least serve as a moment’s distraction to keep him away from me. But he didn’t hesitate. He ignored his injured minion and rushed me.

I was locked in combat with this Demon in front of me. She and I would have probably fought for longer if I didn’t decide there and then to use [Fire Strike] for every single one of my attacks on her. She dropped as I felt my mana rapidly deplete.

Defeated [Demon Larva - Lvl. 5]!

Less experience is awarded for defeating an enemy with the help of others!

I was completely exhausted now. I didn’t manage to dodge the horned Demon’s next attack, taking most of it head on to land my own hit on him. I backed up, blood spilling out of another wound just below my face.

I stared into the red eyes of the horned Demon, as he prepared to charge me once again. I was tired. He knew I was tired. This would be his win. If I used my [Fire Strike] again, I would truly be out of mana. And while using up my mana regularly didn’t exactly drain me of my energy— my stamina— it started to take a toll on my body when I used up too much. It made me more sluggish.

He was just about to come forward, when he suddenly stopped. Words appeared— notifications of defeating an enemy came. But it was not for me. It had resounded in his head.

The horned Demon turned slowly, to the corpse of where his last minion had been. The Demon with black and yellow spots— my companion— had finished her off, and he, having injured her, was notified of it. I didn’t receive any experience, because I hadn’t done enough damage to her. But that didn’t matter to me.

Because now, it was just him and the two of us left.

He was still looking at my companion in surprise when I threw myself onto his back. With my now-longer limbs, I was able to leap even further and higher than before. I wrapped my two front limbs around his horns, keeping me from falling off him as he struggled to get me off him. He couldn’t get a proper hit on me with his sharp limbs, although he was able to cut and scratch at me.

I brought my head down on him a few times as we squirmed around on the spot. I wasn’t sure how much damage I was doing to him, but I didn’t have to use mana for this. Then, when he had almost gotten a good grip of me on his back, my companion arrived.

He swung his blunt limbs at the horned Demon’s face twice as I followed up with my continued attacks. The horned Demon tried to fight back against him, but I wrapped enough of my limbs around the base of his to keep him from landing any proper hits. And even if he did, my companion had enough [Vitality] to survive them.

The horned Demon continued to struggle as the two of us laid into him, until finally, he couldn’t move anymore.

General Skill [Basic Mana Manipulation] Level Up!  

[Basic Mana Manipulation - Lvl. 2] -> [Basic Mana Manipulation - Lvl. 3]!

Experience is awarded for the leveling of a General Skill!

Defeated [Demon Larva - Lvl. 9]!

Less experience is awarded for defeating an enemy with the help of others!

Subspecies [Demon Larva] Level Up!

[Demon Larva - Lvl. 8] -> [Demon Larva - Lvl. 9]

Gained 5 Stat Points and 1 Skill Point!

7. Rest Time

Salvos

Species: [Infant Demon]

Subspecies: [Demon Larva] - Lvl. 9

General Skills:

[Basic Mana Manipulation] - Lvl. 3

[Identification] - Lvl. 3

[Racial Skill: Universal Language Comprehension] - Lvl. 1

Stats:

[Available Stat Points: 0]

[Vitality]: 11

[Strength]: 8

[Endurance]: 11

[Wisdom]: 13

[Agility]: 22

Skills:

[Available Skill Points: 4]

[Basic Fire Conjuration] - Lvl. 2

[Fire Strike] - Lvl. 4

[Unused Skill Slot] x3

After having spent the Skill and Stat Points I had gained from my most recent level up, I slowly straightened, satisfied. Needless to say, I wasn’t exactly feeling too adventurous with distributing them, considering the battle I had just fought— I could have died!

So looking at where I had lacked during combat, I decided to raise my [Agility], [Endurance], and [Wisdom], in addition to increasing the level of [Fire Strike]. My [Basic Fire Conjuration] did help as a distraction, but I did not think it would be useful for the time being. Maybe I would use up the Skill Points I had been saving up on it in the future, but for now, I saw no practical use for it.

Slowly, I turned to the Demon which had also been lying immobile next to me: the Demon with black and yellow spots had leveled up too. I had used [Identification] on him earlier, and saw that he was now Level 8.

Yes, he was Level 8: a single level below me. I felt that it was a bit unfair that he had gone from Level 4 to Level 8— doubling in levels— since I had saved him, while I had only gone from Level 6 to Level 9.

It was probably due to the fact that he had been mostly defeating enemies higher level than him; even if he had gained less experience because I was there, it would be subtracted from a larger experience pool than he would have gotten from fighting an enemy his level. Meanwhile, not only did I not get experience from one of the Demons in our last battle, but I got less experience because most of them were lower leveled than me.

And while I was envious of my companion’s rapid growth, I took some consolation knowing that we were both Level 2 when we had first met— before the large Demon attacked our group— and I was still higher leveled than him. Furthermore, my envy was stymied because of what had just happened.

Those Demons— that I thought had been like me— attacked us because they wanted experience. It was… like those wild Demons!

But unlike those wild Demons who were incapable of acting beyond their instinct, they did it after putting careful thought into their actions. Somehow, that made it worse to me.

So my disdain for the horned Demon and his minions made me put thoughts of levels away for now. I pushed my limbs on the ground, trying to get up—

When the Demon with black and yellow spots jerked. He raised a limb and I panicked, thinking he was about to attack me too. However, instead of swatting at me with his large limbs, he simply waved them at me.

I found myself staring at that gesture, confused. I continued getting up, but he began to sway his limbs faster. Examining his body language inquisitively, I saw him… pointing at the ground?

He was trying to tell me to stay. To not… move? But why?

Then upon closer inspection, I noticed something about his body; when he had been badly wounded earlier, most of the cuts and marks on his body were now gone. I glanced back down at myself, then noticed that most of my wounds were still there.

How was he able to recover that quickly, while I was still hurt and low on health. Sure, I had leveled and regained some of my lost health, but not a significant enough amount to close the injuries I had sustained. The Demon with black and yellow spots must have read the confusion in my face as he began shaking his limbs harder, clearly indicating the ground.

Deciding that there was no harm listening to him, I lay back down and simply stayed there. As time passed, I tried getting up twice, but each time he stopped me and forced me back down. Eventually, when I had gotten bored and was counting the rocks on the ground, I heard words appear in my head.

General Skill [Rest] Learned!

Experience is awarded for the learning of a General Skill!

I perked up excitedly. I had just gotten a General Skill! I wasn’t sure what it did at first, until I realized that half of my wounds were gone. Gradually, without me noticing, I had healed up during that period I had been motionless.

The Demon with black and yellow spots looked over at me, realizing I had finally gotten the General Skill. He must have gotten it somehow before, and was trying to get me to learn it too. I gratefully nodded my head in his direction, to which he nodded back.

Feeling a sense of… happiness  within me, I lowered my body once again. While he had mostly regained his health, as evident by his fully healed body, I was still halfway there. So he waited for me to finish recovering, until finally we were ready to go.

—--

Defeated [Demon Larva - Lvl. 4]!

Less experience is awarded for defeating an enemy with the help of others!

Defeated [Demon Larva - Lvl. 6]!

Less experience is awarded for defeating an enemy with the help of others!

Defeated [Demon Larva - Lvl. 6]!

Less experience is awarded for defeating an enemy with the help of others!

Defeated [Demon Larva - Lvl. 5]!

Less experience is awarded for defeating an enemy with the help of others!

After I had fully recovered my health, the two of us left the foot of the hill back into the flat, white lands ahead. The moment we had put ourselves in the open, a group of wild Demons attacked us; I wasn’t even prepared for the encounter, but it happened quickly.

Because neither of us had been ready for it, we suffered more damage than I felt comfortable fighting with. So I led my companion back to another hill— one that had a flat top. I realized now that being in the open would lead to being noticed, especially with his vibrant colors, so I wanted to [Rest] up in a place we were safe.

We crested up the plateau, and after taking a quick look around at the top and seeing no one, I decided we would stay there for a bit. I had only recovered some of my health when I heard a noise.

It was an unusual sound— not especially since I didn’t often hear anything when there was no fighting. Curious at this, I listened carefully, trying to pinpoint where the sound was coming from. After a moment, I realized it was coming from over the edge across the plateau. Gesturing at my companion to follow me, I made my way over to see what it was.

He didn’t seem interested in it, although he did follow me as usual. The closer I got to the edge, the louder the noise became. And it wasn’t like the sound of fighting— it was a lot more… repetitive. There was a short interval between each time the sound was made, and it was almost always the same noise or something similar.

Peeking over the edge, I looked down at what was a narrow passage between another hill. It was a valley, and down in the valley were moving shapes. Figures, not ones I had ever seen before, were entering this valley.

I heard the noise again, and this time, not only was it clearer, but I felt something happening inside of me. As if the noise was affecting me somehow. I felt my mind whirl— as if a Skill was being used…

[Racial Skill: Universal Language Comprehension]

“Keep on moving! If you break, you will be killed!”

These words registered in my head, and unlike the words that simply appeared in my head, I was hearing them. Someone was speaking— shouting, even. And I could understand them.

I looked at the source of the voice, focusing on a large, gray figure at the front of the group. He wasn’t like any other Demon I had seen before, but I intuitively knew he was one. He only had four limbs— unlike my dozen— and only needed two of them under him to walk. He had a long head, with two crooked horns protruding out of the side. And behind him, were other Demons, ones that walked on four limbs, ones that held strange items— weapons— with them, and ones of different stature. But still, they were mostly the same— most had four limbs, and most were nearly the same height, with only some outliers. Although, even from this distance, I did notice that they all had a weird ringed object attached to them somewhere.

I was immediately drawn to these Demons. This was something new! I wanted to know what they were— I wanted to get close enough to use [Identification] on them.

However, as I placed a limb forward, I felt my companion hold me back with one of his large limbs. I angrily turned to him for stopping me, almost swinging at him in the process, but stopped when I realized he was pointing past me.

I followed it, finding my eyes landing on a second group of Demons— ones that I was more familiar with. They were [Demon Larvae], traveling together as a pack right behind the first, new group of Demons. I immediately felt my curiosity and anger disappear and felt relief that I hadn’t gone forward to investigate the Demons.

These Demons could attack me! Maybe those new Demons wouldn’t, but I knew now to be more cautious around [Demon Larvae] for they were willing to attack me even if they could think. So I held back, instead choosing to observe the interaction of this group from afar.

The Demon with the crooked horns at the front of the group continued his shouting, as they made their way through the valley.

“Keep on moving! Keep on—”

Suddenly, he was cut off as a loud piercing noise. It was very high pitched, sounding almost like a screech. Immediately, all the Demons turned their attention to the source of the noise that seemed to come from the other side of the valley. The first group of Demons seemed more alert to this sound, while the second group of Demons just looked around in confusion.

I also found myself staring down the valley. What is that noise? It continued for a moment, before being followed by more sounds. More noises. And they came at different pitches: some were deep and long, others were high and fast. Whatever was making the noise, I did not think it was only one thing.

And it wasn’t.

From the other side of the valley came pouring Demons. Wild Demons. Ones that were also new to me, but unlike the mostly uniform group of Demons, these ones were truly distinct. They came in all shapes and sizes, with very little consistency among them. Some had long, sinuous bodies with dozens of limbs, while others had bulbous bodies and only a quarter as many limbs. And mixed among them too were what I recognized to be wild [Demon Larvae].

These wild Demons charged down the valley, rushing at the Demons that had been traveling down that path. They roared, they howled, they growled, and they made all kinds of noises— none of them making any sense to me, despite my Racial Skill.

I watched as these large, terrifying Demons reached the first group of Demons. I had expected a slaughter. The wild Demons were huge. They outnumbered them. And yet, before they could even clash, I saw the Demon with crooked horns raise his two hanging limbs— his arms.

A ball of flames appeared in front of him. A massive one that shot forward, and instantly obliterated half of the coming wild Demons. Then once the explosion had gone away— when the bright light had disappeared and the reverberation through the ground had stopped— I looked up and saw something else appear in his hand.

It was a long pointed object. One that was burning, with wisps of flame coming off it. He swung this spear at the closest wild Demon, skewering it in an instant, before pulling it off and slicing another one in half. He kicked the next, before pointing his spear forward and bellowing.

“Slay these Lesser Demons!”

Behind him, the other Demons of his group yelled out and charged the remainder of the wild Demons. The ones with weapons swung their weapons, and the wild Demons died; the ones with extra limbs conjured out fire and stone, and the wild Demons died; and even the ones that were simply large— looking as though they had nothing special to them— attacked, and the wild Demons died.

It was a complete slaughter, except for the other side. The wild Lesser Demons fell in droves, only managing to bring down half a dozen of these Demons with them. And finally, when the last of the wild Demons— whether they had been Lesser Demons or Infant Demons— died, these Demons returned to the second group. The [Demon Larvae].

I paused, staring at the second group. There was less than before, even though they hadn’t taken part in the fighting. Where did the others go? I glanced around the valley, before spotting a small group of the [Demon Larvae] had broken off, and were heading for the valley’s exit.

I looked at them in confusion. They were… running? Had they been scared off by the attack of wild Demons? But they had won now, so why were they still trying to flee?

I spotted a Demon, and felt my question had been answered. Even amongst the group of [Demon Larvae] did he stand out, because I recognized him. He was only slightly different from when I had last seen him, but he still had his feelers on him.

He was the Level 3 Demon who instantly fled from the large Demon back when I had been with the others.

So he once again ran when he saw an enemy; he never wanted to fight. He was a… coward. Of course he would have taken any opportunity to escape, even if they won—

I watched as a spear shot through him, pinning him into the hill wall.

It was the fire spear the Demon with crooked horns had. He had thrown it at the coward Demon, instantly killing him. I stared in shock at this turn of events. Weren’t they on the same side? And continued to watch as he raised a hand and pointed at the rest of the fleeing group.

“I had warned you! I warned you you would be killed! Learn this lesson, the rest of you— the survivors. Know that you can not run from me!”

And a ball of fire shot out at them. It wasn’t as big as the one he conjured up against the wild Demons, but it was enough to instantly wipe out the dozen [Demon Larvae] that had been trying to flee.

I watched as the flames detonated, engulfing the Demons, killing them all before they could even leave the valley. Then I slowly turned back to the Demon with crooked horns in fear. Wha— why?!

He had killed them too easily; they didn’t even— couldn’t even— put up a fight. That meant he wasn’t gaining much experience from this. And yet, he killed them.

He walked back to the remainder of the second group of Demons, creating another spear with what I could tell was a Skill, and slamming its bottom on the hard, white ground.

“Now move! For if you break, you will be killed!”

And the [Demon Larvae] obeyed. They continued following the first group of Demons led by the Demon with crooked horns, as they made their way through the valley. I just watched this procession pass through from atop the plateau, trying to register what had happened.

Only when they finally left, did I feel the tension in my body leave, and I could slump over to the floor. I wasn’t sure what was going on, but I knew that if I had carelessly decided to approach those Demons, I would have been forced into following them against my will.

I turned to my companion, the Demon with black and yellow spots, and once again nodded gratefully at him. Thank you. I tried to tell him.

He only seemed to have been terrified by what he had just witnessed; he looked at me as well, and even though neither of us could speak like the Demon with crooked horns could, I felt that we could still read each other’s thoughts.

Those Demons are dangerous. Avoid them no matter what.

8. Lesser Demon

It was a while before either the Demon with black and yellow spots or I dared to move; we had seen those new Demons headed by the Demon with crooked horns force other Infant Demons— those just like us— to follow them. Neither of us knew where they were being herded to, but we did not want to follow them.

Because they were dangerous.

They slaughtered the other Infant Demons that tried to escape. Wherever they were being led to, I did not think they wanted to go there. And knowing that, I decided that I did not want to go there either.

I had been tense after having watched what happened, but after those Demons left, my companion and I were able to [Rest]. So we had recovered our health and were ready to leave. However, I glanced one last time back at the valley where the wild Demons and Infant Demons were killed, resolving not to end up like them—

What’s that?

I spotted an object amidst the corpses and black blood. It stood out even amongst the colorful bodies because of what it was— glowing.

It was… a spear!

It was the spear the Demon with crooked horns created out of fire and threw!

How did he do that? I wasn’t entirely sure how he did that— probably a Skill— but I was still curious about it. Why did he use it? Was it more effective than simply swinging his hands at his enemies like I did with my limbs?

I wanted to know. So I glanced surreptitiously down either side of the valley; I saw no Demons on either side, and decided that it was safe. I wanted to know more about the spear. And maybe, if it was really special, I wanted to use it for myself.

I started forward down the hill. The Demon with black and yellow spots gave me a look— a warning look— but did not stop me; he followed me apprehensively down the side of the valley, as we struggled to crawl down the steep incline.

We were halfway down the slope when part of the ground gave way below my companion. He was too large to take the same path as me apparently, and neither of us considered that. He rolled the rest of the way, taking bits of white rocks with him before he crashed to the bottom. I had gotten out of the way just in time, but quickly scuttled over to him to check if he was fine.

He was already getting up when I reached him; I looked him once over, seeing no obvious cuts of scratches on his body. I nodded at him for confirmation that he hadn’t taken damage and he nodded back.

Having been reassured, I decided to leave him to check on the spear. It was still protruding from the rock wall, where it had skewered the Demon with the feelers. I stopped right before the body, looking it over to investigate it momentarily before I came to a conclusion.

He’s dead, I made the diagnosis.

I confirmed it with a quick use of [Identification]. It told me that it was a body. And while it did not specify whether he was dead or alive, I was fairly certain that I was right in my observation. So I turned my attention to why I had come down here— the spear.

I inspected it carefully, noting every detail I could. It was almost as if it were made of fire, except solid; specks of embers flaked off it as if it would be snuffed out over time, but after a moment of staring at it, I saw that it had not diminished in size at all. Finally, I decided to use [Identification] on it.

And for the first time, the results of the Skill surprised me.

[Spear of Flames: Medium Grade - ???]

...

What?

What was ‘???’ supposed to mean? That told me nothing!

I stared at the Spear of Flames, mildly annoyed. What secret are you hiding? I reached out to touch it, only to realize too late that I might get burnt—

And nothing happened. I wrapped one limb around the spear carefully, afraid that it might suddenly burn me despite not having done so thus far. But again, I did not feel the searing pain of fire on my limb. Realizing that I would be fine with trying to use it, I pulled at the spear to dislodge it from the wall.

My limb slipped right off.

...huh?

I wrapped two limbs around the spear and pulled at the spear again, and again, it slid right through my limbs. I… couldn’t get a proper grip on it!

I was no longer irritated now. I was confused. Perplexed. I wrapped more limbs around the spear and failed once more. I glanced up at it, peeved at my inability to use the spear. Was it somehow related to me being unable to identify it?

I eyed the spear again. Maybe if I used [Identification] again, this time it would not hide information from me.

[Identification]!

[Spear of Flames: Medium Grade - ???]

It didn’t work. But I tried again.

[Spear of Flames: Medium Grade - ???]

Again!

[Spear of Flames: Medium Grade - ???]

It should be working! Maybe if I did it one more time—

General Skill [Identification] Level Up!  

[Identification - Lvl. 3] -> [Identification - Lvl. 4]!

Experience is awarded for the leveling of a General Skill!

I jerked as those words registered in my head, followed by results from the spear.

[Spear of Flames: Medium Grade Weapon - A spear made of magical flames that allows the wielder to inflict additional damage.]

Wait, what? I leveled my [Identification]! I hadn’t done that in a while, so I was completely caught off guard by it! And wait, I was— yes, I knew now what the spear did!

So my [Identification] wasn’t at the needed level to learn about its abilities; that was interesting. If I had to guess, it had something to do with the ‘Medium Grade’ label on the spear. Nevertheless, now that I knew the spear’s information, I would be able to pull it off the wall, right?

Wrong.

I failed once more to pry the spear of the wall. Why wasn’t it working? I saw the Demon swing the spear around without a problem! All he did was hold it with… his… hands.

I stared down at the nubby protrusions that were my limbs. Then I slid it along the spear’s body, feeling how little resistance my limbs were met with. I was simply unable to grasp the spear, which was why I couldn’t pull it out.

I backed away from the spear, unsure of what to do. My companion came up to me, and when I turned to him for some help, he didn’t seem like he even understood what the problem was. Well, that wasn’t any help.

I carefully considered this problem: I couldn’t pry the spear out of the wall because I couldn’t get a grip on it. So the solution would be to find a way to do so without gripping it.

Then, from where I was, I saw a way to do it. If I could push the edge of the spear that was sticking out down, I could swing its tip upwards, forcing it out of the wall!

That would work. I was certain that would work— that was simply how swinging things worked. It was using the fulcrum to pivot it upwards. So I would do it. In fact, I was just about to do it when I heard thud behind me.

My companion and I whirled around, looking in alert at what had made the sound. I didn’t see anything come from either side of the valley! How did something get here?

And my question was immediately answered as I heard another thud. And another. And another. Before finally, I saw the figure rise up from the ground— from amongst the pile of bodies and black blood.

A Demon had survived the battle— one of the wild Lesser Demons. It had stayed hidden as the other wild Demons were killed, healing up by itself. It emerged from the corpses, standing up on all four of its feet, baring hundreds of sharp teeth at us as its dark red body flared wide open threateningly.

It howled and charged us .

My first instinct was to stand my ground and fight, but my second instinct immediately called my first instinct out for its stupidity and tossed the first instinct aside.

I knew my companion wouldn’t be able to move out of the way in time, so I threw myself at him, shoving him and myself away from the Lesser Demon’s path. We just barely dodged out of the way of its attack, its sharp claws missing its mark as it sped past us.

I whirled around as it stopped itself, readying for another charge. I quickly gathered myself, using [Identification] on it as I did. The results of the Skill, however, was not something I wanted to know.

[Hellhound - Lvl. 15]

It was Level 15! The largest numerical gap between myself and an opposing Demon so far!

Sure, it wasn’t three times my level, as the first wild Demon I encountered had been. But this wasn’t even an Infant Demon anymore— it was a Lesser Demon! Somehow, I was able to intuit that that meant it was a superior kind of Demon to myself or my companion, making the gap between our levels even more wide than it appeared to be.

The [Hellhound] growled as it pawed the ground once, then came bounding at me once again. This time, I couldn’t even push my companion out of the way. It was suddenly fast. Even faster than I was now.

It struck out with its two front claws— the attack turning to a blur, moving far more quickly than it should have— barely grazing me while sinking its sharp talons into the skin of my companion. I backed up warily, reading a [Fire Strike] as I prepared for it to press me further. It, however, had other plans.

It decided that my companion who was staggering back from it was an easier target, so it lashed out at him as he tried to strike back. He landed a few hits in as the [Hellhound] as it tried to ravage his body, managing to keep it from closing its mouth on him. But it was still digging its claws into him.

Black blood sprayed all around him, even as I came rushing to his side to attack the [Hellhound] from behind. I repeatedly swung at it with [Fire Strike] before suddenly, it produced a fifth limb— a… tail— and whipped me flying back to a pile of bodies behind.

My companion managed to strike the [Hellhound] one more time, landing it cleanly across the wild Demon’s face, before it snapped its teeth around the limb. It pressed his body down to the ground and pulled with its head, tearing his limb straight off. He struggled as blood poured out of the wound, but his attacks were much weaker now. He was barely wriggling as it raised its claw up at him.

I saw this happening and realized it was about to finish him off. I leapt forward, further than I ever had, closing the distance between myself and the [Hellhound] in an instant as I crashed into it just in time. I used [Fire Strike] once again when we landed, but it struck out at me too.

My attack reached it at the same time as its attack reached me, and while it was only just hurt from my Skill, I went flying back and landed in a shower of my own blood. I was lucky. Its paw came into contact with me first so its claws couldn’t fully shear into my skin— and yet, I was already this badly injured.

I glanced up at the [Hellhound] as it got up. I could barely hurt it. My companion could barely hurt it. Neither of us could do enough damage to it to kill it. But— neither of us had to be able to do that.

I looked back at the spear, still sticking out of the rock wall. I remembered what my [Identification] had told me— it was a Medium Grade Weapon capable of doing more damage. What that meant, I wasn’t entirely certain. However it definitely did mean it would let me hurt this Lesser Demon more than I was currently able to.

But even if I pulled it out, that didn’t mean I would be able to use it. Then, I had a thought. And I realized I didn’t need to use it myself.

The [Hellhound] bounded for me once again, but I dodged to the side. It was keeping pace with me. At its current speed, it was probably as fast as me. And with the physical distance between us, it wouldn’t be able to reach me as long as I wasn’t distracted.

I had noticed earlier that it was able to increase its speed drastically. I recognized it then to be a Skill. Now, I just had to wait for it to use the Skill again.

I positioned myself in front of the spear, waiting for the sign. And I saw it. The [Hellhound] scraped its front right leg against the ground, before speeding up. It charged me. It would reach me before I could even dodge. But I didn’t have to dodge.

I simply backed up, lowering my body below the spear. The wild Demon crashed into the back edge of the spear. It went staggering back from the self inflicted blow, exacerbated by whatever effects the Spear of Flames did.

And the spear didn’t just stay rigid against the wall either. The spear tilted up from the impact, before detaching itself off the wall and flew up above me. I saw it spinning and turning as the [Hellhound] was still reeling from its injury. I took this as my chance.

I hurriedly skittered up the slope of the hill before hurling myself up after the spear. I could have missed, but I didn’t. I caught the Spear of Flames with my entire body, hugging it with all the limbs I had so it would not slip out of my grip. Then as I fell, I aimed for the Lesser Demon that was just getting up.

It looked up, seeing me fall from the sky at it. The [Hellhound] growled, baring its dangerous maw at me. And the spear went through the open mouth, skewing it whole as I fell on it.

I felt myself losing grip of the spear as I landed, rolling on the ground as the [Hellhound] exploded into a pool of black ooze. I got up triumphantly, feeling the victory rush as its defeat was vocalized in my head.

Defeated [Striker Hellhound - Lvl. 15]!

Less experience is awarded for defeating an enemy with the help of others!

Subspecies [Demon Larva] Level Up!

[Demon Larva - Lvl. 9] -> [Demon Larva - Lvl. 10]

Gained 5 Stat Points and 1 Skill Point!

Subspecies [Demon Larva] Level Up!

[Demon Larva - Lvl. 10] -> [Demon Larva - Lvl. 11]

Gained 5 Stat Points and 1 Skill Point!

It was less experience, because I had my companion’s help in the fight against it, but I somehow knew it was still a lot more experience than I would have gotten for even defeating a Demon at my level. It showed in how I leveled not just once, but twice from this encounter.

I turned to check on my companion, and saw that he was already up and crawling towards me. I checked his level, as I usually did, and found that he had only leveled once to Level 9. He probably didn’t do enough damage to gain enough experience to level two times. And I also managed to level as much as I did because I was halfway to leveling in the first place.

So as he laid himself down to [Rest], I decided to quickly distribute my Stat Points before I noticed something. It wasn’t too blaring, but there were words hanging in the back of my head, waiting for me to spot it.

And I found myself curiously inspecting it, before I realized what it was.

[Evolution Available]

9. Evolution

Salvos

Species: [Infant Demon]

Subspecies: [Demon Larva] - Lvl. 11

General Skills:

[Basic Mana Manipulation] - Lvl. 3

[Identification] - Lvl. 4

[Racial Skill: Universal Language Comprehension] - Lvl. 1

[Rest] - Lvl. 1

Stats:

[Available Stat Points: 10]

[Vitality]: 11

[Strength]: 8

[Endurance]: 11

[Wisdom]: 13

[Agility]: 22

Skills:

[Available Skill Points: 6]

[Basic Fire Conjuration] - Lvl. 2

[Fire Strike] - Lvl. 4

[Unused Skill Slot] x3

I lay next to the Demon with black and yellow spots as we both restored our health slowly with [Rest]. He was healing faster than me— probably because he had gotten the General Skill before me and had already leveled it.

But that didn't matter to me. All that mattered to me was the additional option available in my mind now. The option for me to evolve.

[Evolution Available]

I sidled up to my companion before I decided to see what the option would provide me with; I didn’t want to be distracted and snuck up on when I was investigating this new intriguing thing. I had an idea as to what it would do— I was an Infant Demon now, and the [Hellhound] I had just killed was a Lesser Demon. Considering that I was now past Level 10, I assumed I now had the chance to become a Lesser Demon too.

I couldn’t wait any further— I trusted my companion to guard me as I focused on the words. Then it expanded.

Species Evolution:

[Infant Demon] -> [Lesser Demon]

Requirements for five Subspecies evolutions have been met!

It seemed that I only had a static option for my Species; I could only go from an Infant Demon to a Lesser Demon, and nothing else. However my Subspecies had various distinct evolution paths to go.

A list of options made itself available to me and I carefully studied each one.

Subspecies Evolution:

[Fiend]

A [Fiend] is a Subspecies of Demon that comes in many different forms and has a diverse set of abilities. Mostly well rounded, a [Fiend] would be able fight most foes without a significant disadvantage.

+2 to [Vitality]

+2 to [Strength]

+2 to [Endurance]

+2 to [Wisdom]

+2 to [Agility]

That was an enticing evolution for me to pick. Although it kept vague the kind of form I would take— I wondered what I would become if I picked this?

I almost chose it right away, but held back as it didn’t feel like it was describing me. It was advantageous, but there was a dissonance between the Subspecies and me. So I decided to see the other options available to me first.

[Fire Fiend]

A [Fire Fiend] is a specialized Demon Subspecies form of a [Fiend] that focuses on fire magic. A [Fire Fiend] departs from the traditional [Fiend] early on, but has the advantage of being specialized with only a minor disadvantage in other areas.

+5 to [Wisdom]

+3 to [Endurance]

+1 to [Vitality]

+1 to [Strength]

+1 to [Agility]

So this was a [Fiend], but just more suited for magic? This evolution appeared better than the last at first, but the more I thought about it, the more I thought it didn’t suit me even more. Magic was one of my main modes of combat, but I felt that this Subspecies would overemphasize it.

I moved on to the next.

[Hellhound]

A [Hellhound] is a Demon subspecies that is fast and has a ferocious way of fighting. A pack fighter, a [Hellhound] makes up for their overspecialization by relying on a group.

+5 to [Agility]

+3 to [Strength]

Bonus: 20% of [Wisdom] Stat is permanently removed and added to [Strength]

…

Absolutely not!

Losing my [Wisdom]? Relying on others? Sure, I had the Demon with black and yellow spots as my companion, but I did not want to be dependent on him for my survival. If I was ever separated from him, I would like to be able to be perfectly capable of defending myself.

Also, I had just beaten a Level 15 [Hellhound]. It did not seem too impressive to me. So I mentally placed aside this option as a ‘never’, and checked the next.

[Imp]

An [Imp] is a Subspecies of Demon that is mischievous and has a natural affinity to fire. Small and weak due to its nature as a Lesser Demon, an [Imp]’s greatest strength is their magic.

+5 to [Endurance]

+5 to [Wisdom]

I found myself feeling the same way about this as I did for the [Fire Fiend]. First of all, I did not want to only cast magic to fight. Even against the [Hellhound], my magic attack wasn’t what defeated it. It was only because I had investigated the spear earlier, did I know to use it against the wild Demon.

So far, only the [Fiend] really interested me, and even then, I was not fully convinced it was the best one for me.

I had one last evolution available which I had not yet seen; I hoped it would be a good one as I focused on it.

[Zelus Imp]

A [Zelus Imp] is a Demon Subspecies form of an [Imp], carrying the same affinity to fire, but with a greater resourcefulness due to their intelligence. Still small and weak, a [Zelus Imp] replaces their mischievousness with a zeal that drives them above situations with unlikely odds.

+5 to [Endurance]

+5 to [Wisdom]

+3 to [Agility]

That… actually described me! At least, somewhat. I did not think I was small or weak! But I was certainly capable of overcoming more powerful Demons than me— as evinced by the dead [Hellhound] lying just ahead of me.

I considered each evolution path I had once again: [Fiend], [Fire Fiend], [Hellhound], [Imp], and [Zelus Imp]. None of them seemed more suitable for me than [Zelus Imp]. And it offered me the most Stats too. So I made my decision.

I concentrated hard on the option for [Zelus Imp], then suddenly I felt my head going light. My  body went numb as I slumped over on the ground, limp. I tried to get up, but all my senses were so far away from me. I couldn’t move. I couldn’t think.

I was not sure how long I lay there as I grappled to get control of myself once again. Before finally, I got hold of something and pushed myself up. I sheared through the invisible barrier separating me from my body, tearing my way back to consciousness.

Evolution Complete!

Species [Infant Demon] evolved to [Lesser Demon]!

Subspecies [Demon Larva] has evolved to [Zelus Imp]!

Gained 5 Stat Points!

[Endurance] +5

[Wisdom] +5

[Agility] +3

Gained 2 Skill Slots!

Gained 3 Skill Points!

Skill [Basic Fire Conjuration - Lvl. 2] becomes [Basic Fire Creation - Lvl. 1]!

Skill [Double Step] is now available.

Skill [Fire Blast] is now available.

Skill  [Passive - General Tool Proficiency] is now available.

I stood up, blinking away the black liquid partially obscuring my vision; I looked down at the puddle in the silver skin I had shed, oozing with the same black liquid that was dripping off my body. Slowly, I lifted a short clawed hand up and inspected it.

I was an [Imp] now. A [Zelus Imp]. I had become something else while inside of my old body, before breaking out of it to attain this new form. This form with four limbs, that only needed to stand on two of them.

I was almost like one of the Demons in the procession I had seen earlier— except much smaller. And yet, I was still bigger than I had been as a [Demon Larva]. I patted my body down, feeling the much rougher skin I now had.

I was a Lesser Demon! I finally evolved! I threw myself up in the air, pushing off the ground with my brand new feet. I hopped around excitedly, accustoming myself to my new body at the same time. I paused as I realized my companion was just staring at me.

He looked confused— almost shocked to see that I had changed. He glanced down at my old body, poking it a few times, before turning back to me. Did he… did he think that I was just killed? No, no, no, no. I waved my hand at him, pointing back at myself.

“I’m your—”

I jerked, surprising myself as I spoke for the first time. I glanced down at myself, feeling my mouth open and close, touching the side of my cheeks as I moved it. I could speak! I could now communicate with my companion with more than just gestures!

My companion backed up as I approached him, offering a hand out. I spoke slowly, trying to coax him forward to me.

“It’s me. Your companion! .”

I nodded at him, and he stopped cowering. The Demon with black and yellow spots mimicked the movement we had learned together, and I did it once again for him to see. We nodded at each other a few more times, before he finally crawled towards me.

“See? Companion!”

He nodded one last time, finally at ease around me; I felt my lips curling up, satisfied that I hadn’t scared him off, before remembering the other words that were now hanging in the back of my head.

I had three new Skills available for me— I didn’t just obtain them, like the ones I had gotten the last time I obtained a Skill. Instead, it was just waiting for me to choose whether I wanted to actually have them or not.

Not only that, my 15 available Stat Points were just waiting for me to spend them. Very quickly, I distributed 4 to [Strength], 4 to [Vitality], 4 to [Agility], and 3 to [Wisdom]. I was content with my [Endurance] for now, and decided to focus on the other Stats which I was currently lacking in just a bit.

Then I went back to the Skills that I had available. I considered each of them carefully: [Double Step], [Fire Blast], and [Passive - General Tool Proficiency]. I could kind of infer what the first and third Skills did— [Double Step] was probably a similar Skill to what the [Hellhound] I fought used, while [Passive - General Tool Proficiency] would help me use tools better. But [Fire Blast] was… vague.

Did it mean I just sent a blast of fire out in all directions? Or was it a concentration of flames that would blast out when it came into contact with something? I wasn’t entirely sure, but considering that I had more than enough Unused Skill Slots for all these Skills, I decided to obtain them all anyway and figure it out myself.

Skill [Double Step] Obtained!

Skill [Fire Blast] Obtained!

Skill  [Passive - General Tool Proficiency] Obtained!

I didn’t feel any immediate changes overcome me. It wasn’t like an evolution— or even leveling up as a [Demon Larva]. But I knew that the effects of these Skills would be made apparent later on.

I was just about to start testing out the abilities of each Skill, before I distributed my Skill Points out, when I heard the sound of moving rocks from behind me. I whirled around, facing past the body of the dead [Hellhound], to the end of the valley.

I heard a light growling noise as a figure made itself visible, entering the valley slowly, one paw after the other.

[Hellhound - Lvl. 13]

It was another one. A live one. I wasn’t sure why it was here, but I saw this as the perfect opportunity for me. I could test my Skills out on a proper opponent to determine which is the best.

I raised a hand up, indicating to my companion to stay back and continue his [Rest], as I picked up the Spear of Flames twice as tall as I was with my other hand. I stepped forward, swinging the spear around and accustoming myself to it— the Passive Skill I got really did work!

I was just about to use [Double Step] to rush at the [Hellhound], when I heard more growling. Another [Hellhound] stepped forward from behind the first, baring its teeth at me as well. Then another. And another. And another.

[Hellhound - Lvl. 10]

[Hellhound - Lvl. 11]

[Hellhound - Lvl. 10]

[Hellhound - Lvl. 12]

…

Why weren’t they stopping?!

More and more [Hellhounds] appeared from behind the first. All of them were around my level, and none as high leveled as the first. But where did they come from? This was an entire pack of them!

I stopped, glancing down at the dead [Hellhound]. The Level 15 [Striker Hellhound]. When it attacked us, it came alone despite supposedly being a Demon that relied on numbers. But what if it wasn’t alone— what if it came first by itself, and alerted its pack to come to it with a howl?

I realized that now, too late to do anything about it. The [Striker Hellhound] had called its pack to it, and we should have left before they arrived. But we didn’t.

The first [Hellhound] bounded forward at me, slashing its claws as they glowed red. I backed up, swinging the spear as I did and knocking it aside. More came forward, and in the heat of the moment, I used [Fire Blast] in hopes that it would do something to help.

And it did do something.

An arc of fire burst out at where I had pointed, knocking three of the charging [Hellhounds] back. It had repelled the first line of them, but did little else. I did not think they were heavily injured— they had just been stunned momentarily.

The first [Hellhound] gathered itself and leapt at me. Its claws sank into my shoulder, inflicting some damage. I swung back at it with my left claw, using [Fire Strike] as I did. It reeled from the hit, allowing me to follow up with a second attack.

I used [Fire Strike] on instinct as I stabbed the spear forward, and suddenly the already flaming spear was engulfed in even more flames. The tip of the weapon plunged straight through the [Hellhound], far deeper than it did before.

Defeated [Spiked Hellhound - Lvl. 13]!

Experience is awarded for defeating an enemy!

I blinked, surprised at how easy that was; the spear had allowed me to inflict more damage than I would be able to alone, and combined with my Skill, it finished off the [Hellhound] quickly.

Once again, my lips curled up into a grin, as I prepared for the next attack. I swatted a [Hellhound] away with a [Fire Strike] from my spear, and ran through another one. It did not die instantly, but it was injured enough for me to finish it off with a regular hit. Before I could land the blow, however, two more [Hellhounds] pounced at me from the side.

I kicked the first one off of me, but struggled to get the second one as it bit at my spear. I pointed at it, unleashing a [Fire Blast] that knocked it away, but was then clawed from behind by another [Hellhound].

I backed up as the pack of wild Demons pressed me. I swung my spear, keeping them back and used [Fire Blast] on those that dared jump in. It seemed like the perfect way to win this fight, until I realized how much damage I had already taken in such a short amount of time.

Defeated [Hellhound - Lvl. 10]!

Experience is awarded for defeating an enemy!

Subspecies [Zelus Imp] Level Up!

[Zelus Imp - Lvl. 11] -> [Zelus Imp - Lvl. 12]

Gained 5 Stat Points and 3 Skill Points!

One of my [Fire Blasts] actually managed to kill a lower leveled [Hellhound], but that was one out of over a dozen. I was getting overwhelmed from their sheer numbers. And I was already running low on mana.

I was going to lose, even with the level up. I could not win. I glanced back at my companion who was hiding behind me, having listened to me when I told him to stay back. He was still injured— he could not help me here. Our only option now was to flee— flee down the valley, out of the exit at the other side.

But I hesitated. That’s where the Demon procession went! I did not want to go after them, yet I was left with no choice. I sent another [Fire Blast] out as the [Hellhounds] tried to leap at me again, before I spent all my Stat Points on [Agility], whirled around, and ran.

I lowered a clawed hand as I passed my companion, picking him up and throwing him over my shoulders. He had been bigger than me when I was a [Demon Larva], but not anymore. I gripped him tightly with one arm wrapped around him and the other holding the spear, and quickly spoke out.

“Hold on. Don’t let go!”

I placed one foot ahead of me and used [Double Step]. Instantly, I sped up, traveling far faster than I had before. I managed to double the distance between me and the chasing [Hellhounds] by the time the Skill ended.

I felt my stamina drain as I returned to my regular speed, running as fast as I could away from our pursuers. They were slowly catching up, but if I could just get out of this valley, I’d be able to lose them in the hills and mountains on the other side.

But just before I could reach the exit, I saw a figure appear. Another wild Demon entered the valley from this side, blocking my path from escaping. It was big— nearly four times the size of me.

It places its two clawed arms down in front of it, lowering its neck and head as it opened its gaping maw to roar.

[Hellbeast - Lvl. 22]

I stared at this massive wild Demon that suddenly appeared. I was trapped. It began walking slowly forward, blocking my exit completely.

I glanced back at the bounding [Hellhounds], then forward at the lumbering [Hellbeast]. Either side was death. But one side was perhaps slower than the other.

So I pressed forward. I tried to dash past the [Hellbeast] using [Double Step] once again, but it crashed one of its massive claws down onto the ground, sending white rocks flying everywhere. I circled around the attack, but saw it ready another swing. This time, I couldn’t dodge. My Skill’s effect had worn off once more, and I couldn’t use it so soon after using it again.

I brought my spear up to parry the hit once, then twice. Each time the spear came into contact with the [Hellbeast]’s claws, I found myself reeling back, barely keeping myself from flying to the rock wall. The [Hellbeast] raised two of its claws and I helplessly raised my spear. It was going to crush me—

And the [Hellhounds] leapt onto the [Hellbeast]. Four [Hellhounds] jumped straight onto it, and began clawing and biting at it. I stared at this for a moment, almost thinking that they were helping me, before one of the [Hellhounds] bounded at me as well.

Nope, they’re just out to get everyone, I quickly surmised.

I ran the [Hellhound] through with the spear enhanced by [Fire Strike], almost instantly killing it. It tried to claw at me, still stuck on the spear. Before I could finish it off, a red limb struck it across the face, killing it for me.

Defeated [Hellhound - Lvl. 11]!

Less experience is awarded for defeating an enemy with the help of others!

I looked down at my companion who did that while still on my shoulder. And I watched his body begin to change. He must have leveled up from that— he must have known he was close to leveling up. So he went for what little experience he could get.

He would evolve and help me. But I locked eyes with him.

“No.”

My companion paused, as I knocked back another [Hellhound]. I looked over at the [Hellbeast] which crushed two of the smaller wild Demons easily.

Defeated [Hellhound - Lvl. 12]!

Less experience is awarded for defeating an enemy with the help of others!

Defeated [Hellhound - Lvl. 10]!

Less experience is awarded for defeating an enemy with the help of others!

I was gaining experience from it doing all the work, but only a little bit. It would wipe out this pack of [Hellhounds], and when it was finished, it would kill us too.

“We run. We can’t fight. We will die.”

I made the decision for us. If he chose to evolve now, I would have to put him down— I couldn’t carry him with me anymore. So we had to flee.

Defeated [Hellhound - Lvl. 11]!

Experience is awarded for defeating an enemy!

I killed another [Hellhound], as I felt my [Double Step] make itself available for use.

I placed a foot forward, feeling more of my stamina drain as I ran away from the fighting. Some [Hellhounds] chased us, but others stayed back to fight the [Hellbeast]. I was not sure how the battle would go, however all I could focus on was surviving for now.

We ran into more Demons, of course— into more fights. But we survived.

10. Gratitude

Defeated [Spindly Hellhound - Lvl. 11]!

Experience is awarded for defeating an enemy!

Defeated [Hellhound - Lvl. 13]!

Less experience is awarded for defeating an enemy with the help of others!

Subspecies [Zelus Imp] Level Up!

[Zelus Imp - Lvl. 12] -> [Zelus Imp - Lvl. 13]

Gained 5 Stat Points and 3 Skill Points!

…

Defeated [Gadarenes - Lvl. 14]!

Less experience is awarded for defeating an enemy with the help of others!

Defeated [Bone Breaker Gadarenes - Lvl. 15]!

Experience is awarded for defeating an enemy!

Subspecies [Zelus Imp] Level Up!

[Zelus Imp - Lvl. 13] -> [Zelus Imp - Lvl. 14]

Gained 5 Stat Points and 3 Skill Points!

I pried the spear off the body of the last of the [Gadarenes]. I stared at the pile of bodies— at the trail that stretched back as far as I could see. After I left the [Hellbeast] behind, the half of the [Hellhounds] that chased me attracted more Demons with their constant growling and howling.

I tried to lead them to some [Demon Larvae] I had spotted, but those were quickly defeated before they could escape. Then came a single [Fiend], which attacked both me and the [Hellhounds] without distinguishing a target. The [Hellhounds] tore it apart, giving me an opportunity to flee— until the [Gadarenes] showed up.

An entire group of them, all of them taking on different forms, attacked me. Then the [Hellhounds] caught up to me, and it was an all out battle from there, which I somehow survived. I had to thank my companion— even though he was still on my shoulder, he saved me a few times by knocking any Demons that got too close to me. And now that the fighting had finished— I had leveled twice to Level 14.

I placed my companion down, nodding to him to begin his evolution. He had leveled as well, and was now Level 11. He started to shift— his body morphing— and as he did, I started to distribute my Stat Points.

When I leveled the first time, I spent 2 Stat Points on [Vitality] and [Endurance], and 1 on [Wisdom]. It was out of necessity. My health, stamina, and mana was running too low; if I had not done that, I wouldn’t have survived.

Now though, I was able to distribute them however I wanted. And I… still spent 2 on [Endurance]. I needed it for the future— in case I had to fight for such an extended period of time again. Then I spent 2 on [Wisdom] and 1 on [Agility].

Satisfied with that, I moved on to my Skills. I didn’t have time to decide what to expend my Skill Points on, so they were still untouched. So I had known I would have quite a few available— even still, I was shocked to see just how much that was.

Skills:

[Available Skill Points: 15]

[Basic Fire Creation] - Lvl. 1

[Double Step] - Lvl. 1

[Fire Strike] - Lvl. 4

[Fire Blast] - Lvl. 1

[Passive - General Tool Proficiency] - Lvl. 1

15 Skill Points?! How did I get that many? Last I remembered, I had 6 Skill Points!

Then I paused. I tried to think back to all the times I had leveled after getting my evolution— before that, I received 3 Skill Points for evolving, which I thought was just a one time thing. But apparently… I was getting 3 Skill Points now that I had evolved.

I was happy about that. I didn’t need to be so sparing with my Skill Points now, and could experiment more. But wait—

If I started to receive more Skill Points now that I was a Lesser Demon, did that mean I missed out on getting 2 additional Skill Points by going from Level 9 straight to Level 11? That sucked!

Oh well, I couldn’t do anything about it. Something told me that the next time I evolved wouldn’t just be ten levels from now. It felt like… I would get my next evolution somewhere around Level 40. So I made sure to keep that in mind the next time I had an evolution available.

For now, I considered the Skills I had. Four of them were at Level 1, with only [Fire Strike] at Level 4. That was a useful Skill— if not for it, I probably wouldn’t have survived. The Spear of Flames was a good weapon, but by itself it wouldn’t have done as much damage as with the Skill. I decided to figure out what to do with it last, going to the new Skills I had available.

I had tested most of the Skills I had obtained in battle, so I felt like I knew what I wanted to do with them. First was [Double Step]. I liked what it did, but the cooldown between uses made it lose some of its effectiveness. I was already faster than most Demons I met, after all. I raised it by 2 Skill Points, bringing it to Level 3 before moving to the next.

Next was [Fire Blast]. It helped me quite a lot earlier— if not for it, I wouldn’t have been able to hold off the [Hellhounds] for as long as I did. However, it didn’t do much damage, and could serve its purpose at its current level. But maybe it would increase in damage if I raised it, so I decided to raise it by 2 Skill Points, also bringing it to Level 3.

Then came [Passive - General Tool Proficiency]. It wasn’t exactly the best Skill I had, even though it let me use the spear better. But even if I didn’t have this Skill, I was pretty sure I knew how to swing the spear, just from seeing the Demon with crooked horns swing it around. So I gave it less Skill Points, only raising it to Level 2 with 1 Skill Point.

After that was [Basic Fire Creation]— the only Skill I didn’t use in battle. I could infer what it did based on its name, but I wanted to test how useful it was rather than wasting Skill Points on another useless Skill like [Basic Fire Conjuration] had been.

I brought my hands forward, trying to create a simple ball of flames. I focused— and even though I did not try to create anything too complex— I felt a significant amount of mana disappear. I had thought it was enough mana to create a ball of flames the size of my head, but when I looked down at it, all I saw was a tiny blaze floating on the palm of my hand.

I stared at it, disappointed. That… wasn’t impressive at all! It was worse than [Basic Fire Conjuration]! Why would my Skill change to that?!

I tossed the small ball of flames aside, annoyed. I had expected it to extinguish the moment it left my hand, but to my surprise, it dropped on the ground intact and rolled. I paused, looking down at the small ball of flames.

Then I quickly picked it up.

Amazing! I held it between two of my clawed fingers, inspecting it carefully. It was… a ball of flames. A solid ball of flames. It wasn’t acting like how fire normally acted at all— almost like the Spear of Flames! It was not completely solid, although it felt solid enough that my clawed finger couldn’t just pass through it. But it was fragile. I felt that if I pressed too hard on it, it would break.

I wasn’t sure what would happen when it broke, but I wasn’t going to just crush it on the palm of my hands. That was dangerous! I could burn myself if it decided to become regular fire, no longer under my control. So I decided to throw it.

Aiming at a large rock a small distance away, I hurled the small ball of flames with all my strength. It broke on impact, just as I had expected. But as I watched it break, I saw it staying solid for just a moment as it shattered into dozens of large pieces, before losing its form and turning to normal embers.

I stepped forward to the large rock, investigating the damage. It seemed that there was a slight burn from when the small ball of flames was still solid, before leaving proper scorches when it turned back to embers. That was a good Skill.

I wanted to test it out further. I tried to conjure a spear— one similar to the Spear of Flames I was carrying with me. To my disappointment, all I could create was a small spiked object, and it cost a lot of mana once again.

I decided to use 3 Skill Points on it for now, bringing it to Level 4. I liked what it did and it seemed useful. However the main reason I spent more on it was because I was hoping to possibly create my own Spear of Flames in the future.

That Skill had been the best one so far, and it made me excited to level more in the future. And now that I was done experimenting with it, I could finally go back to [Fire Strike].

I still had 7 Skill Points. 7 Skill Points I could use. I had seen how effective [Fire Strike] was combined with the Spear of Flames, let alone how useful it was by itself. And if it worked on my own fire creations— then it was best to keep it as strong as possible.

So I made a rash decision. I chose to spend all of my Skill Points onto [Fire Strike], knowing full well I couldn’t reverse it. I raised to Level 5, then Level 7, then Level 10—

And it stopped. I still had 1 Skill Point left, but I wasn’t able to use it on [Fire Strike]. But why? I checked my Skills, confused— then I saw the reason why I wasn’t able to increase it any further.

Skills:

[Available Skill Points: 1]

[Basic Fire Creation] - Lvl. 4

[Double Step] - Lvl. 3

[Fire Strike] - Lvl. 10 (Maxed)

[Fire Blast] - Lvl. 3

[Passive - General Tool Proficiency] - Lvl. 2

[Unused Skill Slot] x2

It was ‘maxed’. It had reached its maximum level— at Level 10— and I couldn’t raise it any further. I felt my lips curling down as I realized this. I slowly raised my hand, then quickly struck forward with the Skill.

[Fire Strike]!

I watched as flames lash out along with my claws. The fire seemed almost sharper than before. And it took up less mana too. But other than that, it didn’t change much.

It was more powerful, sure. However, that was it. It didn’t cause immense destruction like that Demon with crooked horns had been able to do— it was just a stronger version of [Fire Strike]. I had thought a maxed Skill would be more significant than that.

So this was the limit of that Skill? If that was it, I could have just tried to learn a more powerful Skill and replaced [Fire Strike] with it, before maxing it out. Unless…

Intuitively, I realized that I could upgrade my Skill. Just like how [Basic Fire Conjuration] had changed to a more powerful Skill, I could also change, or even upgrade, [Fire Strike] to something else. But that required more than just spending a Skill Point on it.

It was an interesting thing to learn. I felt my annoyance disappear as I decided to keep my 1 Skill Point for the future— I didn’t know what to use it on now, and could use it later. It was not like I had to spend it immediately. With that settled, I finally turned my attention to my companion just in time to see his evolution finish.

A tall red figure emerged from the lump of flesh that had once been his body. He stood on two feet, just like me; he raised his arms inspecting them as he closed and opened them. He didn’t have any claws, although the size of his arms made me think that a hit from that would be able to do more damage than whatever my short claws were capable of inflicting.

He was over half my height taller than me, with a broad chest that was almost as wide as me if I held up both my arms to the side. His long black hair with yellow streaks swayed as he turned to face me, and his lips curled up into… a smile .

“Hello.”

I knew he was my companion. I had gone through drastic changes myself, but even still, I approached him cautiously. It was apparently different from knowing something and experiencing it myself.

“Hi…?”

He looked at how I was approaching him, then nodded his head as we did to each other. I checked him with [Identification], just to make sure one last time that he was my companion.

[Fiend - Lvl. 11]

He was still the same level as I had last remembered, so that was good. Slowly, I stepped next to him and lifted one claw to poke him with. He made a sound and I jerked back. He continued making the sound as I edged away from him, thinking that I had either hurt him or angered him. It took me a moment to realize what sound he was making.

He was laughing!

He was laughing at me for the way I was acting. I glared and pointed a clawed finger at him.

“You were the same way too!”

My companion continued to chuckle as I drew my lips down— into a frown— and huffed.

“Stop laughing!”

“Alright, alright.”

That was all he said as he straightened his body. I continued eyeing at him, slightly annoyed, as he finally stopped his laughter. Then he pointed a finger at me.

“You’re Salvos.”

“Yes I am.”

I replied matter-of-factly. I was Salvos and no one else was Salvos. That was what I had concluded the moment I was born. And I was happy to see him affirming that belief of mine by nodding in agreement.

Slowly, he jerked a finger back at himself. I cocked my head, confused by this gesture before he spoke out.

“You’re Salvos. But me? I’m Haec.”

Blinking, I slowly raised a hand and pointed at him too.

“You’re Haec?”

“Yes. My name is Haec.”

I looked at my companion— at Haec— trying to parse him. He gave me a confused look, uncertain as to why I was having difficulty understanding this. And it was not like there was much to process. He had a name— of course he had a name. I just never once considered that he had one, only referring to him as my companion.

“What’s wrong?”

He asked me the question almost worriedly. I hesitated, almost wanting not to answer it to seem stupid. But as the concern on his face grew, I forced a reply out.

“I didn’t think you had a name— I didn’t even think of giving you a name. I always just thought of you as my ‘companion’.”

I looked up at him guiltily. I wasn’t sure why I was feeling guilty— perhaps it was because I hadn’t fully recognized him as separate from me until now. I knew I would be upset if someone treated me that way. However instead of getting mad, Haec just laughed again.

“As your companion huh? That’s fitting. You are our leader, after all.”

“Leader?”

I gave him a blank stare. I knew what that word meant— a leader was someone in charge of others. Like the horned Demon or the Demon with crooked horns had been. Those were leaders. But me? I didn’t think I was a leader.

Yet, Haec seemed to disagree.

“Yes, you’re my leader. I follow you and do what you tell me to do. Then you protect me and we both level.”

That… was perfectly logical. When he put it that way, I was definitely the leader in this relationship, even if I never thought of it like that. But in the first place—

“Why did you follow me in the first place?”

I had wanted to ask him that from after I saved him from the wild Demon. In fact, I wanted to know why some Demons followed each other, even back when I first met him in the group with the others.

Haec seemed to consider the question for a moment, raising his head up to the crimson sky. He spoke slowly, choosing each word carefully.

“Because I am grateful to you— you saved me. You saved my life. So I follow you to help you in return.”

“But you followed the others too! Remember? Before we were attacked by the large Demon.”

I wasn’t sure if he understood what I was referring to; now more than ever, I was aware that my labels for everything I had encountered was my label. It was my perspective and not his. So he might not have thought of them as the others. Fortunately, it didn’t take him long to realize what I was talking about.

“Ah.”

Haec’s eyes lit up in comprehension. His face twisted, growing… somber.

“Yes, the others. I… followed them because I was born with them.”

“Wait, you were born at the same time as the others?”

He shook his head.

“No. Not all of them. But with most of them. I can’t tell you why more joined our group, but we were already a group from the start. Only you joined us by yourself.”

“Huh.”

I had no other comment on that. It seemed that I wouldn’t be able to learn why some Demons formed groups while others didn’t. I decided to just ascribe it to their natural instinct.

And it was not like they were alive anymore, anyway. So it didn’t matter; I was curious, but after so long, my curiosity was gone. But still, it seemed to bother Haec as he still had a grim look on his face. Slowly, I poked him.

“Are you ok? Why are you looking like that?”

He jerked, looking up at me.

“Oh, I was just… feeling sad.”

“Why?”

I eyed him inquisitively. Why was he sad? He seemed happy just earlier, but now he was suddenly sad. He shook his head as he answered.

“Because I was thinking of the others. They were my group— but now we aren’t anymore. They’re gone.”

I still wasn’t sure why he was sad— he told me that as if it would make sense, however I was just as lost as I had been before he replied. But he was sad and I knew he was sad. So I decided to reassure him, poking him again so he would face me, then I smiled.

“The others may be gone, but I’m still here. I’m your leader— follow me and you’ll be safe, right?”

I gestured around us, at the bodies on the ground; then picking up the Spear of Flames, I pointed past them.

“So don’t be sad, because wherever we go, we’ll be together. We’ll fight together. We’ll level  together.”

I looked at Haec expectantly. I wasn’t sure if what I said would work. Perhaps it would only anger him, or make him even more sad. But I saw him smile just slightly.

“You’re right. As long as we’re together, we’ll be fine, right?”

I stepped backwards, walking without looking as he followed me. I wasn’t even sure where I was going— I couldn’t see ahead because my back was turned, after all. But still, I felt my smile turning into a grin.

“Of course. We’ll be fine no matter what. I’m the leader, after all. I will protect you—”

I wasn’t able to finish what I was saying and stopped. I had been interrupted, not by anything made by any Demon around us, but by the words in my head.

Now Entering [Demon King’s Domain].

11. Companion

“Now!”

I yelled at Haec as I flung myself out of the way of the large fangs bearing down on me. My companion struck the [Arachne] on its hind legs. The giant Demon with eight jointed appendages fell, its two back legs broken by his [Crushing Blow].

I leapt up to the head of the wild Demon as all of its dozen eyes snapped towards me. It tried to lash out with a spray of a dangerous liquid that melted through even the rocks on the ground. This acid went past me as I landed on its face, slicing down at its neck with my Spear of Flames. The spear jammed halfway through before I activated [Fire Strike], allowing me to shear the rest of it off before I lost grip of the weapon.

The [Arachne] collapsed, dead.

Defeated [Succo Arachne - Lvl. 17]!

Less experience is awarded for defeating an enemy with the help of others!

Subspecies [Zelus Imp] Level Up!

[Zelus Imp - Lvl. 14] -> [Zelus Imp - Lvl. 15]

Gained 5 Stat Points and 3 Skill Points!

I landed nimbly on my two feet, having completely accustomed myself to this body now. Black blood spilled behind me, pouring out of the decapitated Demon’s head in a deluge. I turned to Haec as he approached me.

“Did you finally level?”

“Yep!”

I replied, grinning at him. Then I narrowed my eyes.

“You leveled too!”

I pointed out. He nodded eagerly, smiling and gesturing at himself.

“I’m Level 13 now, after that last encounter.”

I folded my arms instinctively, in what I recognized was a petulant action. I saw no reason not to act that way, so I did it.

“Hey! You leveled twice while I only leveled once! And in only two encounters too? That’s unfair!”

Haec simply raised his shoulders in a shrug.

“Those [Gadarenes] were all higher leveled than me, and so was this [Arachne]. Even though we beat them together, their experience is worth more to me as I was only Level 11 and 12.”

“I know.”

I lowered my arms and picked up my spear. I spun it around and inspected it— it seemed weaker now. It was still considered a Medium Grade Weapon, yet I knew it was degrading with each use, probably as a result of it being a fully magically created weapon.

I shook my head and turned to my companion.

“I just want to level faster.”

I was still higher leveled than him, but I couldn’t help but feel slightly envious that his rate of leveling was faster than me once again; I had felt this way before, and now I felt that way again. He would probably slow down in leveling speed once he was close to my level, but for now, he would level twice for every level I gained.

“Maybe we should leave this place then?”

My companion opined, glancing at the distant mountains behind us.

“We’ve barely encountered any of those ‘wild Demons’ as you call them, since we’ve come here.”

“But we’ve barely even explored this [Demon King’s Domain]!”

I protested, waving my hands up and down. I gestured at the hillocks— the sinuous landscape— around us.

“Come on! Aren’t you curious about what makes this place different? It’s a new area— it has even got its own name!”

“I know where you’re coming from, Salvos—”

I perked up as he mentioned my name.  

“—or at least, I can try to see what you mean. But look at this place.”

The two of us looked at the ground around us. At the place we were at, and at the place we had come from.

“So far, there hasn’t been anything different about this [Demon King’s Domain] and out there. It’s all the same landscape— all the same hills.”

Haec turned back to me, a worried look drawn on his face as he continued.

“Don’t get me wrong. I’ll do whatever you want to do. You’re our leader. But I don’t know— I just don’t have a good feeling about this place.”

I considered this for a moment, torn between finding what made the [Demon King’s Domain] so special that it had its own name, and going back to a place where I could level faster. I rested the butt of my spear on the ground and huffed.

“Fine.”

My companion brightened as I spoke hesitantly.

“You’re right. I just wanted to see what made this place different, but I guess so far that’s nothing. Anyway, it’s probably dangerous here. I had a feeling this might have been where that procession of Demons went— and if they find us, they’ll force us to follow them. And I don’t want that.”

Haec paused, staring at me. I cocked my head.

“What?”

“Oh— I just never considered that.”

I stared up at the Demon with black hair and yellow hair as he shifted his feet.

“Wasn’t that why you were apprehensive of this place?”

“No. I just didn’t like it because it was… different.”

“Huh.”

I wasn’t sure how to respond to that, so I just made a noise. I turned around, picking up my spear and gestured for him to follow me.

“Come on then. Let’s just go.”

He was fain to do that, having stood there and averting his gaze from me for a bit. We left the body of the [Arachne] as we started back to the distant valley we had come from— or at least, I thought that was what that place was. Everything looked the same to me, so I wasn’t entirely sure if this was the right direction. Fortunately, the words in my head informed me that we were at least heading somewhere else.

Now Leaving [Demon King’s Domain].

I swung my spear around casually to accustom myself to using it— and also because it was fun. As I did, I began distributing my current Skill Points and Stat Points, having just leveled up again.

Alright, so I have 4 Skill Points and 5 Stat Points to use. I want to raise [Basic Fire Creation] because that’s good, so I’ll add 1 Skill Point to it. Hm, I also like [Fire Blast]— it’s useful when fighting packs of [Hellhounds] or groups of [Gadarenes], so I’ll give it 1 as well. I haven’t had a need for either [Double Step] or [Passive - General Tool Proficiency], so I’ll leave those for now. I guess I’ll just keep 2 Skill Points for later. And as for my Stat Points—

“Oh, I got a new Skill.”

I looked back at Haec as he spoke up. My companion stopped in place and I gave him an eye.

“Really? What’d you get?”

“[Passive - Tough Body]. I feel like I can take more damage now with it. And my skin feels more rough. It’s my fourth Skill— I got it from leveling up.”

“Wait, you got it from a regular level up?”

I gaped at him as he nodded slowly. He had a confused look on his face.

“Yes. What’s wrong?”

“I’ve only learned Skills or gotten them from my evolution! That’s unfair! How’d you get that?”

“I don’t know. It’s the second one I got from leveling up— the other two came from my evolution.”

I found myself frowning, but he went on.

“I’m just a [Tank Fiend]. Your Subspecies seems far more rare than mine— almost like that [Arachne] we had just killed. Perhaps that’s why you aren’t getting Skills from regular level ups? Because you’re learning them on your own, which lets you get a rarer Subspecies, which in turn gives you only the rare opportunities to get better Skills?”

I gave him a dubious look . I wasn’t sure if that fully made sense, but I accepted the explanation as I had none of my own.

“Maybe.”

He was probably telling the truth— or at least, believed that that was the truth. He did tell me he got [Tank Fiend] from his evolution, even though I only saw him as a [Fiend]. But that had been how my [Identification] had worked against those wild Demons as well. So I believed him.

He was my companion, after all.

We continued cresting up the small hill we were on as I glanced up to the sky, a thought crossing my mind.

“Hey, ever wondered what makes us different from those wild Demons?”

“Different?”

“Like are we different just because we’re different? What makes me Salvos, and what makes them… them?  If it’s just instinct—”

I paused as a shadow loomed over me. I glanced up at the top of a hill, seeing a large light blue figure standing there. He was huge— twice the size of Haec, even. As large as the [Arachne] we had just killed.

The figure had straight black hair tied around the back of his head and facial hair that only ran down his chin. He was also wearing a strange piece of cloth around his legs and chest, an odd glowing ringed object around his neck, and he had on his hand a spiked weapon— a mace.

I took a step back as the figure spoke.

“Oho, what’s this? Two survivors— and Lesser Demons at that? That’s quite a feat, evolving even before the Desolation has come to an end.”

Haec backed up behind me, speaking in a warning voice.

“That Demon— I can’t see his level. What is he?”

What? I whirled around and to face the blue Demon, quickling using [Identification] on him as I raised my spear warily.

[Djinn - Lvl. 42]

I can see his level just fine? What is Haec talking about?  As I glanced back at my companion, confused, the [Djinn] bellowed in laughter.

“Of course not, measly [Fiend]. I am a Greater Demon— far above your level. You can’t fathom the power I hold as opposed to you.”

Haec tensed, but I spoke reassuringly to him.

“Don’t worry. I can see his level. He’s a Level 42 [Djinn]. I— I don’t think we can fight him.”

The [Djinn] cast his gaze to me, eyeing me with sudden contempt.

“You— I see, you must’ve spent quite some time raising the level of your [Identification]. Hrmph, an unexpected ability to level. But it would only make you more valuable.”

I jabbed my spear in the direction of the Greater Demon, bringing a hand out in front of my companion as I shouted at him.

“What do you want, [Djinn]? We do not wish to fight you, and you have no reason to fight us. Even if you defeat us, the experience you gain will be meager. Leave us— we will not bother you.”

“Bother me?”

He laughed once more, this time placing his hands on his rotund belly and bending over.

“You won’t even be able to harm me if you tried. No— I have no reason to fight you either, imp. So follow me, or I will make you.”

“I'm not just an imp. I'm Salvos."

I bared my teeth dangerously, mimicking a [Hellhound].

"Where will you take us if we go with you?"

“I was on my way to a contract. So first, I’ll bring you to my lair. Then I shall bestow you to our King, Regnorex. He shall greatly reward me if you prove yourselves useful to him.”

King? As in Demon King? So he wanted to take us back to the [Demon King’s Domain]. I had my interest slightly piqued by this: I wanted to ask this Demon King what he did to get such a vast piece of land to himself.

I felt a tap on my shoulder. I looked over at my companion as he whispered to me, panic in his voice.

“Maybe we should just listen to him, Salvos. He’s more than twice our level— and perhaps this Regnorex will be nice to us.”

I was tempted to agree, although I had a warning voice in the back of my head telling me not to, because the Greater Demon might have been with those dangerous Demons we had seen in the valley. I was still in thought when I snapped my head to the side. The [Djinn] blurred forward, suddenly towering over Haec.

“Wretch!”

The Greater Demon struck down at my companion, striking him across the chest with a fist and forcing blood out of his mouth. I stared at this, aghast.

“Haec!”

I sliced my spear at the [Djinn], but even at his size, he managed to dodge it. I ran over to Haec as the [Djinn] backed away.

“Are you alright?”

“I’m… fine. I just… agh.”

He coughed up more blood as I held him by his back. The [Djinn] simply shook his hand as he muttered.

“Hrmph, more durable than I thought.”

I glared up at him.

“Why did you do that?! We said we would go with you!”

I raised my Spear of Flame in his direction, yelling at him.

“You did. But you disrespected our King. That is a sin  deserving of death. Be grateful that I only struck you once. Perhaps you shall remember to never refer to King Regnorex with familiarity.”

“You attacked us for that?”

I looked at the [Djinn] disbelievingly. Then I turned back down to my companion who was struggling to stand up.

“Yes. Now come. We don’t have time to waste— I shall complete this contract quickly, and you shall present yourselves to our King.”

I slowly turned away from Haec as he got on his feet. He tried to say something, but clutched his chest as I patted him on the shoulder. Then I stared up at the [Djinn] with defiance.

“No.”

The [Djinn] narrowed his gaze. Then he sighed.

“I see.”

The Greater Demon crashed his mace to the ground, sending a plume of smoldering gas in my direction. I leapt to the side, going around it and rushing in at him. I closed the distance as fast as I could, then slashed at where he stood—

And he wasn’t there.

I whirled around as the [Djinn] appeared behind me.

“Fast, but not fast enough.”

He swept the ground with his giant mace, cracking the ground as it came at me. He was faster than me. I watched the weapon come at me, too fast for me to dodge.

[Double Step].

I just barely moved out the way in time. But the [Djinn] wasn’t finished. He charged after me, swinging his mace wildly. I tried to parry the attack with the Spear of Flames— and while the weapon absorbed most of the impact, the hit still sent me flying.

I landed at the bottom of the hill, rolling for a moment before I forced myself up. I glanced up to see the [Djinn] running down after me. I pointed and sent a [Fire Blast] at him. The Greater Demon just laughed.

“Pathetic.”

He didn’t block the attack. He let the fire burn at his skin, only leaving a slight mark on his exposed stomach. I stepped back, creating a small ball of fire and threw it at him instead. He frowned, then knocked it aside.

“A fire creation Skill? Hrmph, so a rare evolution then.”

He then reached to grab me.

“Come now, or I shall have to break your legs.”

The [Djinn]’s palms hovered over me, about to close on me. Then I stabbed it with my spear and he howled, backing up.

“What is that?!”

I spun the spear around, grinning.

“A Spear of Flame. And [Fire Strike]. Also, you talk too much.”

“Wh—”

He didn’t get to finish his sentence as Haec leapt on him from behind.  

“[Crushing Blow]!”

The Greater Demon recoiled, staggering forward as I rushed forward at him, aiming for his eyes—

“[Burning Haze].”

An explosion of fiery smoke burst out around him, sending Haec and I flying back. I tumbled on the ground, skin flaking off from the heat. I finally came to a stop, but as I tried to stand up, the [Djinn] was there. He swung out at me once again and I tried to dodge—

And I did, but the Spear of Flames went sailing away as the mace struck it out of my hands. My eyes widened as I saw this, and before I could run to get it, he picked it up slowly.

“A Medium Grade Weapon— how did you get this?”

“As if I’ll tell you!”

I flung another small ball of fire at him, and this time he took it. He actually flinched  as it broke on his chest, leaving burn marks where it struck. But other than that, he was unharmed.

“Fine.”

He gripped the spear which seemed relatively small on his hand and pointed it at me.

“If you won’t come— I’ll just kill you and take the [Fiend] instead. One is better than none.”

A ball of smoke shot out at me. I used [Double Step] to dodge to the side, but the impact still knocked me back. It felt almost physical— no, it was physical. Ash? It was ash! And it was burning off my skin!

The [Djinn] was preparing another attack. I saw it, but I was already hurt. Even when it missed, it damaged me significantly. If it actually hit me— I would die. I didn’t know what to do. I almost stood there, frozen, when a voice broke me out of my stupor.

“Run, Salvos!”

Haec leapt onto the back of the [Djinn], knocking him off balance and making the ball of ash go wide. I blinked, unsure of what to do for a moment. Then I saw the Greater Demon struggle to pull my companion off his back as my companion pointed.

“Escape! You can do it!”

I hesitated— then I obeyed.

I spun on my heels, dashing up the hill and away as fast as I could. I heard the [Djinn] shout and a loud crash as he threw Haec off his back. He tried to run after me, sending balls of ash in my direction.

But I remember. At this moment, I spent all 5 of my Stat Points on [Agility] and all 2 of my Skill Points on [Double Step]. I activated the Skill as enough time had passed, and crested the hill, escaping from the ash balls flying over my head.

I continued running even when the attacks stopped. Even when I turned around and saw no one there, I continued to run. Then finally, I stopped.

—--

I had escaped the Greater Demon’s pursuit. I wasn’t sure when he stopped chasing after me, but he did. And he had taken off with my companion— Haec.

I walked around in a daze, as though a veil were hanging over my head, and at a loss of what to do. Was [Rest] working at the speed I was moving? I didn’t really know. All I knew was that I was alone now.

Was that so bad? I had been alone for most of the time I had been alive. Even the time I had spent with Haec was minute in comparison to the time I had spent on my own.

He did save me. He helped me escape. And now he would be taken to some king— Regnorex. Perhaps it wasn’t so bad. Perhaps the Demon King would help him become a Greater Demon too. That was always a possibility, right?

But then, what would I do? That seemed simple, right? I would just level, like I had always done!

And I saw myself— an [Imp], just standing there alone. I was throwing fire at my enemies, killing them solely for their experience. Just to level up, again and again. There was nothing else to my actions. To my existence.

Was leveling all there really was to my life?

No— I had to have a better reason than that. I enjoyed leveling. Everytime I evolved, I felt more complete. But that was not   me. I was already me. If I were to act only on my instinct to become something else, I would be no different from the mass of wild Demons.

I had to have some sort of discerning quality beyond my physical appearance that distinguished me as myself. I was not just another rock lying amongst an endless sea of rocks. I would not drown in my own revel that came from evolution. I had to become more than another piece of the rubble that came from the mindless breakings of life .  That was why I decided not to kill Haec in the first place.

He was my companion. I didn’t really think of myself as his leader— but perhaps I had been. Whether or not that was true didn’t matter. We both agreed that we were companions, and he was the only one who ever recognized me as… me.

Salvos.

Maybe we would not always be together. Maybe something could happen in the future that would separate us. But that didn’t matter, because he had acknowledged me, I, too, would have to acknowledge him.

I slowly felt myself regaining control of my movements, no longer in a thin-stringed trance. I stepped forward and finally sheared the [Imp] in half, my claws breaking into its face as it struggled, trying to burn me. I finished the wild Demon off, and got up.

Defeated [Imp - Lvl. 20]!

Experience is awarded for defeating an enemy!

Subspecies [Zelus Imp] Level Up!

[Zelus Imp - Lvl. 15] -> [Zelus Imp - Lvl. 16]

Gained 5 Stat Points and 3 Skill Points!

With those words of victory in my head, I started back in the direction I had come from, searching for Haec.

12. Two of Us

I returned to the scene where I had left Haec behind, fleeing to save my own life from the [Djinn]. The magical ash on the ground was still there, but it was vanishing— the magic holding it together diffusing back to the surroundings. My footsteps dispersed what was left of the ashes as I stepped to the small pool of black liquid at the base of the hill.

There was a trail here; the wound I had left on the Greater Demon, while not severe, drew enough blood to leave a path to follow. So I followed it, distributing my Stat and Skill Points as I did.

I thought about it, just barely. I had been as fast as the [Djinn] was— or maybe even slightly slower— before I raised my [Agility] as I fled. But I spent everything I had on it, and while I was probably faster now, it couldn’t hurt to raise it even more. So I spent another 2 Stat Points on it.

[Strength] was useless here. And so was [Endurance]. That left [Vitality] and [Wisdom]. Which would I spend more on?

[Vitality] seemed tempting— I was fain to raise it after having nearly died just earlier. But then I wouldn’t be able to harm the [Djinn]. And I did have a way to harm him.

[Basic Fire Creation].

It was a taxing Skill. And I couldn’t conjure up as large of a flame as I was able to with even [Basic Fire Conjuration]. Yet it could hurt the Greater Demon, even if slightly. With that in mind, I decided: I added all of my Skill Points to [Basic Fire Creation] and 2 Stat Points to my [Wisdom], leaving the last Stat Point to [Vitality].

Satisfied, I glanced back up at the terrain around me, still following the trail of blood the [Djinn] had left behind. It was more difficult to track now. But I was getting close.

Now Entering [Demon King’s Domain].

I continued my run even with the notification in my head, not even pausing slightly as the words settled in and phased out. And finally, I arrived.

The trail of blood led to an opening on the side of the hill. I stopped right outside of it, staring into the illuminated cavern; crystals of light hung on the side of the white walls, shining as bright as a fire. Taking one last look around to ensure the same trail I had been following led me into the cave, I entered it.

Now Entering [Lair: Lucerna’s Lamp].

This place was… a lair? I eyed the side of the seemingly natural walls dubiously; it definitely seemed to be smoothed out— but refined, not made. The [Djinn]— was his name Lucerna?—   had appropriated this place as his own. I thought for a moment to ask him how he did that, but dismissed it quickly.

No, I told myself, materializing a small spike made of fire. All that matters now is I get Haec out of here.

Maybe we could have our own lair to ourselves in the future. But that wasn’t important at the moment. I could not lose focus. And I was glad I didn’t.

My ears perked up as I heard a distant voice echoing from the end of the tunnel. I tensed, backing up thinking that Lucerna had found me out. But then I realized he was not calling me out— he was talking to someone.

I hugged the side of the wall and crept up slowly to the end of the tunnel before it expanded into a large cave chamber. I stopped as I saw a large shadow moving just ahead of me. The shadow stopped as a booming voice spoke out.

“Yes, yes. This is certainly a weapon fitting a Greater Demon such as I. Smaller than I’m used to, but its advantages— it is terrific.”

There was a pause— a moment of silence. Then a second, more familiar voice came.

“...Salvos told me it was a ‘Medium Grade Weapon’. Doesn’t sound too ‘terrific’ to me.”

Haec. I tried to peer over the corner— to get a glance of my companion. But I moved back as the large shadow of the [Djinn] moved.

“Hrmph, perhaps to a simpleminded fool such as you.”

Lucerna harrumphed as he moved further away from me, his shadow disappearing towards the end of the cave chamber. I edged closer as he continued.

“Tell me, [Fiend]. When you pick up a rock and identify it, does it tell you the Grade of the rock? Or does it simply describe it as it is— a rock?”

I peeked over the corner and caught a glimpse of my companion, confined inside of a structure of bars made of… metal. It was a cage— a cell to hold him in. While the [Djinn]’s back was turned, I waved at my companion, getting his attention. Haec’s eyes widened as he saw me.

“No response? Maybe I’ve overestimated even your intelligence. It is expected for a newborn to be ignorant, but as undiscerning as you?”

I backed up as Lucerna dropped something heavy loudly onto the ground. He turned back to Haec, strutting up to the cage.

“Think, [Fiend]. A rock can be used as a weapon, yet it has no Grade. No— only a weapon crafted with at least a modicum of skill and mastery would be qualified as a Low Grade Weapon. A simple mass produced sword by a low leveled [Blacksmith] wouldn’t ever get a Grade.”

My companion just stared up at the Greater Demon, staying silent. Lucerna scoffed, stepping back and away from him.

“My Burning Mace has been a useful weapon. A rather powerful weapon for being Low Grade. But even compared to this—”

The [Djinn] held up the Spear of Flames, admiring it against a crystal of light.

“To think someone was capable of magically creating such a weapon. It will last till the end of the Desolation, even as it degrades to below a Low Grade Weapon by then. Is it… is it perhaps the work of an Archdemon?”

He mused to himself before shaking his head. As he did this, I finally stepped into the room and ducked behind the cover of some tall rocks.

I poked my head out briefly, getting a full view of the room for once. There was a stack of cages to the right of the room, closest to me and where Haec was being held in. To the left was where Lucerna was standing, by a large table of stone with a pile of objects strewn all over. There were clumps of small items made of gold and silver; weapons of various shapes and sizes; and… other cloth things that seemed similar to what he wore— clothes?  

I ducked my head back down as the [Djinn] looked back down. I kept my head low as I slowly edged around the side to more rocks, getting close to my companion. As I did, I caught a glimpse of what was at the end of the room. There was something drawn onto the ground. A black kind of ink forming a circle with symbols within— was it blood? I couldn’t really tell. But it was there.

Haec turned to me as I stopped a few rocks away from him. I gestured at him to remain quiet as the [Djinn] walked to the end of the room. There was something on the bars of his cage— something that I could tell was preventing him from just swinging it open. I gave him a look and he pointed towards a ringed object with a glistening object on it. It was a key.

I could sense the mana emanating off it. There was something about it that made it magical. And so was there something that made the cage magical. Well, there were a lot of magical things in the room, like the circle that was on the ground. But it was my companion’s insistent nodding that made me decide that the key was necessary to open the cage.

I started to the left side of the room, still keeping low and hoping that Lucerna didn’t see me. The Greater Demon was now standing over the circle, inspecting the symbols on it. The ringed object around his neck suddenly glowed. He nodded to himself.

“Well then, let’s see what contract there is for me.”

Lucerna tapped on the object and it stopped glowing. Suddenly, the circle flashed. I felt an immense amount of mana— more than I had ever felt before— tear into the ground. Then the symbols on it shifted. It spun faster and faster, the circle seemingly sinking into the ground, until finally it stopped. The circle vanished, and in its place was suddenly an image.

The [Djinn] looked down at the image and I could almost hear him frown.

“What’s this? This is the contract that I had been offered? The sacrifice that I had come back here for? Ridiculous.”

I had just reached the table and was about to grab the key when he whirled around. I caught myself, ducking back into cover just time.

“Do they really believe that such a sacrifice is worthy of me — a Greater Demon?  As if being a virgin makes a woman give any more experience or mana. No— I require more. A family, at least. And even that is an offering to a Lesser Demon. Or perhaps if she were higher leveled. But alas, it was a waste of time to come here. Come, [Fiend]. You get to meet your King sooner than expected.”

I panicked as I realized the [Djinn] was heading for the key. What do I do? He could discover me. And even if he didn’t discover me, he was going to just grab Haec and leave once again. Did I attack him once he let my companion go? I didn’t think things would go differently from last time if it came down to that. Luckily for me, I didn’t need to do anything as my companion spoke out, stopping him in his tracks.

“What are you going to do to me?”

The Greater Demon paused, just before the table. Then he turned around and started back in the direction of the cage. Haec must have realized my dilemma and was trying to distract him. This was my chance!

I got up and quickly grabbed the key before disappearing back behind the rocks as Lucerna stopped right in front of the cage.  

“What am I going to do to you? Are you not listening, fool? I will take you to our King. And when you meet him, make sure that you’ve learned your lesson and address him with respect. King Regnorex is sure to reward me if I bring back even a single Lesser Demon— but if you prove your worthlessness by insulting him? You will be killed on the spot, and I shall be punished too.”

My companion didn’t respond immediately, which seemed to anger the [Djinn]. The Greater Demon banged once on the cage, rocking it and knocking the stack of cages behind him onto the ground.

“Do you understand? Or will I have to make you understand again?”

“...I understand.”

“Good.”

Lucerna left my companion and went back to the stone table. The moment he did, I leapt out from behind the rocks and started to fumble at the rocks with the key. I nodded at Haec to not say a word as I tried to get him out, as the Greater Demon was angrily muttering to himself.

“Now where did I leave it? I know I left it here somewhere—”

Click.

The key turned and the door swung open. But before that could happen— as I unlocked the cage— there was a sound. A sound that alerted the [Djinn]. He whirled around as I yelled.

“What’s—”

“Run!”

I threw the flame spike I had on my hand at Lucerna, aiming for his eyes. I wasn’t sure how, but I somehow knew how to throw it in a way that made it dart through the air faster than even I could move. He blinked then reached up to cover his face. But he was too slow. He screamed in pain as the small spike pierced into his eye.

“Aggggggggggghhhh!”

Haec burst out of the cage behind me, sprinting as fast as he could for the tunnel that would lead to the exit. He had a brief head start, but even then I caught up to him quickly enough. I grabbed him by the hand and pulled him as I ran ahead, trying to make him go faster.

A ball of ash flew over our heads, exploding right before the tunnel. I stopped just in time to avoid the impact of the blast. Even if I had healed somewhat, that would have still killed me. Before I could try to continue past the cloud of smoldering ash left behind from the attack, a large mace came crashing between me and my companion.

I rolled to the side, picking myself up as fast as I could while Haec rubbed at his bloodied arms.

“You—”

The Greater Demon grabbed his stone table, lifting the entire thing with everything still on it, and flung it at me.

“You dare come to my lair and attack me? I will make you pay!”

He backed up and almost stumbled onto the image on the ground. The [Djinn] caught himself and I narrowed my eyes. But before I could do anything, the table crashed to the side of me, just barely missing me.

He wasn’t able to see well— I had blinded him in one eye. If we wanted to escape… I spun to my companion.

“Go! I’ll catch up to you!”

“But—”

Haec stopped himself. He eyed me hesitantly, but eventually nodded. He ran for the door as the [Djinn] raced to stop him. I flung another two more fire spikes at the Greater Demon, stopping him as he successfully blocked his face this time.

Lucerna angrily turned his gaze to me. His one remaining eye was bulging with hatred, almost as if it were about to explode. He brought his spear to the ground, sending a line of burning smoke at me. I jumped over it, landing amongst the scattered pile of cages.

The Greater Demon sent more balls of ash at me, but I weaved between the cages. The accumulation of ash formed a light haze where I was. I grinned as my plan began to work.

“Where are you?!”

He bellowed, stopping after he sent one last ball of ash. It exploded, but this time, not anywhere close to me. I lowered my body behind some rocks, away from the cages. He wasn’t able to see me anymore, his vision too obscured by his own ash.

I saw Haec begin to turn the corner, finally reaching the tunnel. Lucerna’s gaze snapped to this and I threw a fire spike at him. The Greater Demon jumped back, having anticipated this. Then I leapt out of my cover, running across the room to my companion’s side—

The [Djinn] grinned.

“[Burning Haze].”

Smoke burst out in all directions around him. I was thrown back as the hot smoke burned my skin. I screamed as I felt the scalding heat exacerbate the wounds I had previously suffered. I collapsed to the ground, my vision a blur and ears ringing.

I thought I heard Haec call out to me, but everything was spinning. I struggled to get to my feet but a shadow loomed over me. I looked up and saw Lucerna raising my spear at me.

“Goodbye, imp.”

I saw the ash appear and begin to form a ball. My eyes widened and I almost went straight to what my instinct told me to do. [Double Step]! Get out of the way— no, I wouldn’t be able to get far enough to avoid the impact. The blast would still reach me. And if it didn’t kill me right off, whatever came next from him would.

There was a scream from behind me. My companion was shouting and running to help me. But he would be too slow. There was nothing I could do. I would die here. At least, that was what I thought until I looked between the [Djinn]’s legs.

Behind him was the image on the ground. The circle that became a hole. It was the reason he had come back here— except he didn’t think it was worth coming back over now. And when he almost fell into it, he panicked, even for just a moment.

I glanced back up at Lucerna, the ball of ash finally finished forming. Then back at my companion who was still halfway to me. Then I made my decision.

“[Double Step]!”

I pushed myself off the ground, charging forward at the Greater Demon. I struck him across the chest with all my shoulder, throwing my entire body behind it together with my increased speed. The [Djinn] went staggering back, losing his balance as I pushed him with what little strength I had.

There was a forced exhale as his ball of ash launched to the ceiling of the cave. He stumbled as he tried to regain his footing on the edge of the circle— and I ran into him once again, this time unaided by Skill. He slipped— and fell into the hole on the floor.

I wasn’t sure if it would work. I had no idea what it would do. But as the Greater Demon went falling into the hole, the image vanished and was replaced by a void of darkness. The ring around his neck flashed as he screamed at me.

I tried to back up— to get away from the hole before it would consume me too. But suddenly a hand grabbed me by the leg. I looked down, and to my horror, I saw Lucerna clutching at my leg.

He was pulling me with him. I tried to claw at the ground— stop myself from falling with him. But he was bigger than me. He was heavier than me. And he dragged me with him.

I went falling through the hole too. I tried to claw the Greater Demon’s hands off me, but he was laughing— cackling like crazy. [Fire Strike]! [Fire Strike]! [Fire Strike]! Eventually, he lost his grip. Then from the top of the hole, I heard a voice.

“Salvos, grab my hand!”

I glanced up and saw Haec reaching for me. I tried to swim out of the darkness— out of the black ocean that was closing in on me. My companion reached out for me and I reached for him—

And the circle closed.

Everything went black. There was no more light. I felt like I was being born once again, stuck in an infinite void. I tried to break out of it. I swung my arms, scratching at the surface, but nothing broke. Nothing except for the silence in my head.

Now Leaving [Lair: Lucerna’s Lamp].

Now Leaving [Demon Lord’s Domain].

Now Leaving [Nexeus: Netherworld].

After those words came, there was nothing for a moment. Just a moment. Then I heard a crack.

Now Entering [Nexeus: Mortal Realm].

I suddenly found myself on solid ground, bent over on my hands and knees. I was staring at a circle on the floor— a black circle with some red liquid spilling by my claws. I glanced up at the [Cultist] who was spreading his arms wide in a declaration.

“Oh mighty Lucerna! Greater Demon of the Netherworld! You’ve accepted this offering, and now we implore you—”

The man paused. He looked down at me, then looked past me. He blinked.

“Wait, why are there two of you?”

…

“Did we just get two for the price of one? Awesome!”

13. Awesome!

I stared at the group of people gathered in front of me. They were people— but not Demons like me. They had pale, fleshy skin, with dark hooded robes covering most of their body. They were… Humans.

The lead Human stepped forward and I tensed.

[Cultist - Lvl. 45]

He was high leveled. Very high leveled. And I was exhausted— my entire body ached from having fought and ran nonstop since I had first encountered the [Djinn]. I did not get a moment of rest or [Rest] at all, and my health was running dangerously low. Fortunately for me, it didn’t seem like he was about to attack me.

The [Cultist] turned around, spreading his arms wide to address the others in the room with him.

“I told you all it would work! A virgin sacrifice. Yes, yes. Demons love it. That’s why we’ve been bestowed with two of them, and not just one!”

The other Humans— all of them were [Cultists] as well, just lower leveled— nodded their heads. They spoke hushed whispers, almost as though they were chanting some sort of praise to the lead Human.

Satisfied with their reaction, he turned around and approached me. I warily raised a claw as he pointed a finger at me, then past me. I followed it to see the [Djinn], Lucerna, bent over behind me staring at something in his hand.

“Great Lucerna— and your minion [Imp]— I have given you this sacrifice and accepted the terms of our contract, now I ask you to fulfill my bidding!”

The Greater Demon didn’t respond, continuing to look down at the object in the palm of his hands. I narrowed my eyes as I realized what it was. That’s… the ring around his neck? It had been glowing early— it shone when it sucked me in together with him to this place. But now, it was  broken .

The [Cultist] went on, ignorant of this, as his followers bowed down together in sick reverence.

“You see, in the town of Dawnwind, there was this girl, Lucy. She was a pretty little thing who always knew how to steal a boy’s heart, but no boy could ever get her because they’d have to get the approval of her father, the [Baker]. And if you tried and failed, well, let’s just say you won’t be getting any bread for the rest of the year, which was actually really good. You know, he made this delicious cheese bread that…”

He trailed off, blinking as he realized he had lost his audience. Even his followers were giving him looks. The man cleared his throat and quickly turned back to face the [Djinn].

“Sorry, I went on a bit of a tangent. Anyways, as I was saying, Lucy would play with the feelings of all the boys in town, and I was one of them. Luckily for me, I had been an errand boy for the [Baker] and was able to get on his good side. I eventually worked up the courage to ask for his approval and I got it. I was elated! I was going to ask Lucy out the very next day, but…”

He took a deep breath as his brows arched darkly over his eyes.

“The next day, a group of Gold Ranked adventurers passed through our town led by the ‘mighty warrior’ Nolan, and Lucy fell for him! The [Baker] didn’t approve of this relationship, but she ran away with his party instead, leaving me behind and with a broken heart. Now, mighty Lucerna, I ask of you to destroy Nolan and his band of Adventurers. Make him pay for what he did to me!”

He made this declaration, dramatically pointing at the [Djinn] behind me. I wasn’t sure why I was listening to this man’s story. Perhaps it was because I was tired and this gave me a brief reprieve. But now, Lucerna finally moved. He stood up and I jumped back. I spun around, about to make a break for it.

But the [Cultists] were blocking my path! There were over a dozen of them, all within my level range. I couldn’t just get through all of them, especially if they expected me to kill this Nolan man like I had been asked to do. However, a voice spoke out from the side.

“Wait, Chris, didn’t you tell us that we were doing all this so we could get revenge on King Hale for the unfair tax he has put on us?”

The lead man, Chris, scoffed and folded his arms.

“Come on, did you really think that would work? A Greater Demon may be powerful, but there’s no way one can destroy an entire—”

A ferocious roar cut him off from behind. Lucerna turned an angry gaze towards me, smoke billowing out of his body as he pointed.

“You— you broke it! I will— I will—”

He didn’t even finish his sentence. There was nothing left there but hate in his one open eye. He had no words left to speak— only a guttural scream left his mouth. He swung at me with the Spear of Flames, but I backed out of the way. I whirled around and dashed past Chris to leave the room.

As I had expected, the lead man moved to block my way.

“Hey, what are you doing—”

I slashed my burning claws through his chest and he recoiled. Blood poured out of the wound as he staggered back, injured by the attack. I had expected him to do something to me, but he simply shouted.

“I said, I command you to—”

An explosion of smoke interrupted him. He erected a red barrier around him, stumbling back in confusion as Lucerna charged at me. He spun in the direction of the [Djinn] and raised a pointed object at him.

“Halt!”

Once again, his words did nothing and he was left with a confused look on his face. Then in frustration, he conjured a ball of fire and threw it at the Greater Demon.

“Obey me! Your contract obligates you to listen to my commands!”

The other [Cultists] huddled up beside the lead man, chanting with their hands held together. A crack opened on the ground just in front of Lucerna, forcing him to a halt as a wall of fire burst out. Chris shouted at the rest of his followers.

“Stop the [Imp]!”

Three [Cultists] moved to block my path. Light crackled between the fingers of the first and zapped in my direction. I dodged away from this electricity, meeting the other two as they raised their swords.

[Fire Strike]! [Fire Strike]! [Fire Strike]! [Fire—

I stopped myself as I realized two of the ones blocking me were lying on the floor and bleeding, and the last was stumbling away from me, clutching at his shoulder.

They were not dead just yet; I was about to finish them off for the experience when more ran at me from behind and I sent a [Fire Blast] at them, keeping them back. I backed up, finally reaching the only exit in the room as Chris was creating another ball of fire and aiming it at me. Then the wall of fire exploded.

The Greater Demon tore through the barrier blocking his path and roared. The lead man hurriedly turned his attention to the [Djinn] as three of his followers were crushed in a single swing.

My pursuers stopped, going back to help their allies as Lucerna rampaged through the [Cultists]. I saw this as my only chance— my opportunity to escape. Using the last of my energy, I sprinted out of the room and down a winding tunnel with [Double Step]. And I continued running and running as fast as I could, even as my feet bled and my body screamed for me to stop, I continued to run.

I burst out of the cave, into a dark and cold world, escaping into a dense group of brown and green protrusions from the ground. I ran and ran until only these trees surrounded me, but I did not stop even as the words no longer filled my head. With one last [Double Step], I broke into a small opening within the forest and collapsed.

Defeated [Cultist - Lvl. 19]!

Less experience is awarded for defeating an enemy with the help of others!

Defeated [Cultist - Lvl. 23]!

Less experience is awarded for defeating an enemy with the help of others!

Defeated [Cult Acolyte - Lvl. 20]!

Less experience is awarded for defeating an enemy with the help of others!

…

Defeated [Cult Leader - Lvl. 45]!

Less experience is awarded for defeating an enemy with the help of others!

Subspecies [Zelus Imp] Level Up!

[Zelus Imp - Lvl. 16] -> [Zelus Imp - Lvl. 17]

Gained 5 Stat Points and 3 Skill Points!

Subspecies [Zelus Imp] Level Up!

[Zelus Imp - Lvl. 17] -> [Zelus Imp - Lvl. 18]

Gained 5 Stat Points and 3 Skill Points!

Bonus Stats is awarded for the following feats:

Surviving at near death for a prolonged period of time!

+2 [Vitality]

Performing feats of strength far greater than your physical limits!

+2 [Strength]

Showing physical and magical durability even when stamina and mana are depleted!

+2 [Endurance]

“...huh.”

Then everything went black.

—--

It was an odd feeling, passing out. I had been awake ever since I was born, but for the very first time, I lost my consciousness. I didn't even know I was physically capable of doing that, but apparently I was.

So when I woke up, I was confused. Extremely confused at why everything went dark, and extremely confused at the blue sky overhead. Where was I? What happened?

It took me a moment to regain a sense of my surroundings. I last remembered leveling up— gaining additional Stat Points— and collapsing. But before that I had been…

Haec.

I jumped to my feet, glancing around for my companion. He wasn’t here, of course. He had been at the Lair— Lucerna’s Lamp. And that had been in the Demon King’s Domain, which was in the Netherworld. And I? I wasn’t in the Netherworld anymore.

I was currently in the Mortal Realm— wherever that was. And all around me were things I had never seen before; things I intuitively knew, but had never actually known about it before now. It was like seeing a rock again for the first time, except so much more.

There were trees, there was grass, there was dirt. There were clouds in the sky, and above that, a bright source of light that shone down brighter than the red sky of the Netherworld ever had— the sun. It was too much information to process all at once, so I stood there for a moment, just taking it all in.

Then I heard a sound— a rustling of the bushes. I snapped my gaze at the source of the noise, only to see tiny winged creatures flapping their wings and flying off to the sky. Birds. I felt my shoulders sag as I realized that it wasn’t the [Djinn] catching up to me.

If it had been Lucerna, I would have to run as fast as I could once again; I didn’t have a chance of defeating him as I was now. Even though I had leveled twice, I would still be less than half his levels. And that was assuming he had not leveled from slaughtering those Humans.

I slowly sat down on the dirt ground, feeling myself relax as I decided to distribute my Skill and Stat Points, since no one was actively coming after me.

Stats:

[Available Stat Points: 10]

[Vitality]: 20

[Strength]: 14

[Endurance]: 22

[Wisdom]: 26

[Agility]: 42

Skills:

[Available Skill Points: 6]

[Basic Fire Creation] - Lvl. 8

[Double Step] - Lvl. 5

[Fire Strike] - Lvl. 10 (Maxed)

[Fire Blast] - Lvl. 4

[Passive - General Tool Proficiency] - Lvl. 2

[Unused Skill Slot] x2

First thing I noticed that my [Vitality], [Strength], and [Endurance] was indeed higher than it had been before; the feats I did— running, fighting at the brink of death, and overpowering the Greater Demon briefly— seemed to have been what determined the boost in Stat Points.

Regardless, I was already quite fast, so I decided to only raise my [Agility] by 3 Stat Points this time, while putting 4 into [Wisdom] to further raise my attack power. I split the remaining 3 evenly between [Vitality], [Strength], and [Endurance], deciding that it didn’t hurt to have those raised, even after their increase.

As for my Skill Points, I added 2 to [Basic Fire Creation], thinking that it would have been maxed out at Level 10, but was surprised to find that I could raise it even more. Hesitantly, I added another Skill Point to it, before adding 1 Skill Point to [Double Step] and [Fire Blast], saving the last Skill Point for any future needs.

With that settled, I got back up and looked around. I was in a strange place— a different… world? Somehow, that didn’t seem completely right, even if it was technically correct. This wasn’t the Netherworld. This wasn’t where I had been born, I could tell that much.

But even though I had no real attachment to the Netherworld itself, I still left my companion behind to himself.

This was a new world: a new place for me. And while I was curious about it— while I wanted to explore it, like I had done in the Netherworld— I had a reason to go back. So as the wind blew at my face and I took in my surroundings, I made my decision.

I need to find a way back to the Netherworld!

14. Wolves?

Find a way back to the Netherworld.

I made the decision to return to Haec— somehow find my companion who was deep inside the Demon King’s Domain. I had to cross planes to this; somehow carry out the same ritual that the [Cultists] did to bring myself and Lucerna over here. But right now, I was chasing butterflies.

“Ooo!”

I watched as the insect with brightly colored wings flitted over to a flower and rested on it for a moment. It stuck its proboscis deep within the petals until it was satisfied, before flying off to another bush. I started after it but paused as I passed by a small tree and saw something moving on the leaves.

“Looks like mini Demons!”

I observed, peering at the squishy blobs crawling over the leaf surface. These larvae were not nearly as colorful as the [Demon Larvae] I had met in the Netherworld— they were mostly green, like the color of the leaves. Was it to disguise themselves from any wild Demons? Or rather, wild butterflies  that would try and kill them to level?

I wasn’t entirely sure, but it was interesting to think about. After a while of staring at these larvae crawl along, I eventually got bored and walked away. I glanced up as a white cloud covered the sun in the sky, casting a brief shadow over me as the wind blew at my face.

“Why is the sky blue? Shouldn’t it be red?”

I wondered aloud, continuing through the forest bursting with life. I had hoped my voice would attract someone— anyone— to me; perhaps they would be able to tell me the way back to the Netherworld, as I had no idea where to even start.

And it was not like making a lot of noise was dangerous. I had been careful at first to be as quiet as possible— to not attract any wild Demons to me. I didn’t know the level of the Demons in the area, and it would be bad if they were all Greater Demons that wanted to capture or kill me like Lucerna had been. However, not only have I not encountered any Demons thus far, nothing here seemed interested in attacking me.

And on the flip side, nothing here seemed interested in answering my question.

I looked back down, staring ahead through the endless thicket of trees all around me; I had no directionality— I was more lost than I had been in the Netherworld. There, everything looked the same to me so there was nothing to be confused about. But here, everything kept changing— nothing seemed the same, which made me think I was at a different place, but I couldn’t even be sure of that.

Sighing, I collapsed to the floor and spread my arms open wide. I saw a bird soaring through the sky above me— but I had no interest in it anymore. I had already chased after one until the bright blue sky became a dark blue sky, before it became a bright blue sky again. Speaking of which…

“Why does the sky keep changing colors? First it’s blue, then it’s orange, then it's blue again but darker, then it’s orange again but more red, then it’s blue again— can’t it stick to one?!”

The sky of the Netherworld never once changed its hue, even though I had been there for a long time. I had been here for a short amount of time, but it had already changed a dozen different times!

I didn’t— I couldn’t— understand this Mortal Realm. It was a complete mystery to me. And while that would be enough to pique my curiosity most of the time— and it had for a bit— I was currently looking for a way to leave this place. Maybe once I found a way to do that, I could return with Haec and properly explore and try to understand everything here.

I exhaled deeply once again, an act I knew meant I was frustrated.

“Can’t somebody help me?!”

I called out, my voice echoing through the suddenly empty forest. I looked around and saw no one approach— no one answered my call. I waited for a moment before getting up.

“Maybe this place just has no intelligent people.”

I paused, remembering the Human [Cultists] that had brought me here.

“Or maybe no one likes me.”

I corrected myself with a click of my claws. I was just about to start in a random direction, hoping that it would lead me somewhere, when I heard a sound from behind me.

It was a light sound. A very soft sound. It was like the rustling of the leaves that came whenever a strong wind came pushing at me— except, the wind was gone. I narrowed my eyes and turned around.

“Who’s there?”

I saw a slight movement from a bush— an almost glowing eye sink back into the darkness— before the leaves fell to the ground and three figures stepped out from it.

[Dark Wolf - Lvl. 18]

[Dark Wolf - Lvl. 17]

[Dark Wolf - Lvl. 23]

These creatures— these wolves— looked almost like [Hellhounds]. But they were smaller, and they had a coat of fur dark colored covering their body. They growled at me and took a step forward closer to me.

I raised my hands up defensively and spoke out.

“I don’t want to fight you. If you can speak, just tell me where I can find the Netherworld and I’ll leave you alone.”

It was probably a stupid thing to say; I had already noted these [Dark Wolves] similarities to the wild Demons back in the Netherworld. And yet, they were still not completely the same, which was why I tried to talk— wild Demons had no… sex, but these creatures did.

Nevertheless, these creatures still didn’t back down. They approached me slowly, encroaching around me from all sides. They weren’t like the wild Demons that came at me without thought— these monsters could think and coordinate. And they were all around my level or higher. This would be a dangerous fight. I might have to run if they overwhelm me—

Defeated [Dark Wolf - Lvl. 18]!

Experience is awarded for defeating an enemy!

Defeated [Dark Wolf - Lvl. 17]!

Experience is awarded for defeating an enemy!

Defeated [Hunter Dark Wolf - Lvl. 23]!

Experience is awarded for defeating an enemy!

“Huh.”

I blinked as I lowered my hands.

“That was easy.”

I remarked as the magical flames left my claws, leaving a searing cut across the wolves’ corpses. I looked down at the blood on my hands— red blood— and flicked it off. Why is the blood red? I mused to myself, but dismissed the thought. Blood is blood, doesn’t matter what color it is.

It still meant I had killed a thing— or hurt them, at least— although these [Dark Wolves] were almost certainly dead. I wondered why they were so weak— in fact, I was expecting those [Cultists] to be stronger when I fought them, but even the Level 45 [Cult Leader] was hurt from a single [Fire Strike]. He seemed like the type to neglect [Vitality] in favor of [Wisdom], but still— I did not expect to damage him as much as I did.

I shrugged and continued on my way, in search of… anything, really.

—--

Defeated [Dark Wolf - Lvl. 14]!

Experience is awarded for defeating an enemy!

...

Defeated [Stalker Dark Wolf - Lvl. 20]!

Experience is awarded for defeating an enemy!

General Skill [Basic Mana Manipulation] Level Up!

[Basic Mana Manipulation - Lvl. 3] -> [Basic Mana Manipulation - Lvl. 4]!

Experience is awarded for the leveling of a General Skill!

Subspecies [Zelus Imp] Level Up!

[Zelus Imp - Lvl. 18] -> [Zelus Imp - Lvl. 19]

Gained 5 Stat Points and 3 Skill Points!

These [Dark Wolves] won’t stop coming.

I sat on a rock, letting go of the small fire spike I had created as it dissipated into nothing. Wisps of ember were carried away by the light breeze, extinguishing whatever remained of the temporary crude weapon.

I finally leveled [Basic Mana Manipulation] again. It had been a while since it last gained a level— was it because of my use of [Basic Fire Creation]? The two seemed intrinsically tied, considering I had used the former to gain the basis of the latter. I shook my head as I decided to distribute my Skill and Stat Points.

I decided to give [Endurance] and [Wisdom] 2 Stat Points each, giving the remaining 1 Stat Point to [Agility]. As for my Skill Points, I gave 1 Skill Point to both [Fire Blast] and [Passive - General Tool Proficiency].

I didn’t put as much thought into it as I usually did; these [Dark Wolves] really were not that much of a threat to my life. I might have to decide on some sort of a basic distribution for the future, when I didn’t feel like I was lacking in anything specifically. But for now, I just raised what I felt was right.

I got up from the rock, walking past the half a dozen bodies strewn all around me. It was dark now, the sun had set and it was now night. I had been encountering these [Dark Wolves] all day and only now did I level. It seemed to me that even though these monsters were far weaker than the wild Demons in the Netherworld despite being the same level, they gave out far less experience too.

It wasn’t something I was explicitly told, but something I had inferred from fighting them. If these had all been [Hellhounds] of the same level— I’d probably be Level 21 or higher by now.

But it was good that these weren’t [Hellhounds]. Even though I wasn’t gaining as much experience, I was not taking as much damage either. I had only been struck a few times in all these encounters, and none of their attacks dealt as significant damage as [Hellhounds] did. That was not to mention the [Arachne] which probably could have killed me in two hits back when I fought it, or the [Gadarenes] which were slower but stronger than the [Hellhounds].

I did take damage though; that was why I had stopped to sit for a moment. I needed to [Rest] to heal the accumulation of cuts and scratches I had taken from these [Dark Wolves]. I was once again about to start heading in a random direction when I heard a light growl.

I spun around, expecting to be pounced at, only to see a smaller, lighter wolf baring its teeth. It— she— howled in my direction, but stayed back, never once trying to attack me. I cocked my head.

[Wolf]

She… had no levels? No— she wasn’t a [Dark Wolf] either. But why couldn’t I see her levels? I wanted to approach her and ask her the question, but the moment I opened my mouth, she whimpered, turned tail, and ran away.

“Wait, don’t go—”

I paused as I heard another, louder growl coming from behind me. I whirled around and this time, I was faced with a [Dark Wolf]. He was larger than the ones I had encountered previously, and he had a keen look in his eyes that almost seemed to challenge me. He came with a dozen others, following him from behind.

[Dark Wolf - Lvl. 30]

He seemed like a leader. A pack leader. And he was furious.

His gaze glazed over the dead [Dark Wolves] surrounding me, before snapping in my direction. I tensed, raising my hands up and creating two fire spikes.

“They attacked me first. Like wild Demons!”

I tried to argue, but he didn’t care. He stepped forward and howled, raising his head up to the night sky illuminated by the dim light of the moon. His pack charged at me all at once.

I threw my two spikes at the oncoming monsters. I backed up, sending two [Fire Blasts] at once.

Defeated [Hunter Dark Wolf - Lvl. 21]!

Experience is awarded for defeating an enemy!

Defeated [Dark Wolf - Lvl. 15]!

Experience is awarded for defeating an enemy!

The [Dark Wolves] encroached on me, surrounding me from all sides. They leapt at me all at once and I jumped into the air above them. I spun over the head of one of the leaping wolves and clawed its back as flames wisped off my sharp claws.

Defeated [Dark Wolf - Lvl. 17]!

Experience is awarded for defeating an enemy!

I landed nimbly on the ground as the monsters turned, and sent another [Fire Blast] at them.

Defeated [Dark Wolf - Lvl. 12]!

Experience is awarded for defeating an enemy!

Defeated [Dark Wolf - Lvl. 14]!

Experience is awarded for defeating an enemy!

The rest charged me as I created another, longer sharp blade of fire. I stepped to the side and slashed my blade across the thick pelt of a [Dark Wolf]—

Defeated [Dark Wolf - Lvl. 13]!

Experience is awarded for defeating an enemy!

And whirled around to jam the fire dagger through the face of another.

Defeated [Dark Wolf - Lvl. 15]!

Experience is awarded for defeating an enemy!

One struck me from behind as another tried to jump on me. She snapped at my face as I held her maws back with my claws. I aimed at her neck. [Fire Strike]!

Defeated [Dark Wolf - Lvl. 14]!

Experience is awarded for defeating an enemy!

I pushed the body off me as blood splashed across my face and grabbed the other [Dark Wolf] before he could pounce on me, before hurling him at another charging wolf. I threw two small balls of fire at them as they tried to get up, only killing one.

Defeated [Dark Wolf - Lvl. 12]!

Experience is awarded for defeating an enemy!

Before I was scratched across the chest. I stumbled back as the [Dark Wolf] yanked his claws off me. I whirled around and struck it across the face without a Skill.

Defeated [Dark Wolf - Lvl. 10]!

Experience is awarded for defeating an enemy!

These ones were low leveled! But still, they overwhelmed me. And there was still the pack leader—

I found myself staggering forward as a black blur pounced one me. The pack leader swung two rapid shadowed claws at me. I parried the first but was knocked back by the second, black blood pouring out of the wound on my face.

The pack leader stepped forward, his last two remaining pack members behind him. One was injured with a limp, while the other had not been hurt at all. I felt my eyes burning as I created two more fire daggers.

“Is this the last of your pack?”

I asked him as I backed up while the three spread out around me.

“That’s why they’re so low leveled, isn’t it? I killed the rest of your pack.”

He didn’t respond. Of course he didn’t. He stared at me with a hate filled gaze. But I grinned.

“You shouldn’t have sent them after me in the first place. That’s why they’re all dead. And that’s why you will all be dead.”

The pack leader barked and was about to rush me with his two last pack members, when suddenly a figure burst out from the bushes. The wolf from earlier returned and pounced onto the injured [Dark Wolf]. The instant I saw this happen, I turned to the other pack member to my right.

[Double Step]!

I rushed forward, jamming both my daggers to the side of the monster’s head. She struggled for a moment, trying to bite at me, but I brought my claw one last time and finished her off. The pack leader leapt at me from behind, letting off a guttural howl.

I whirled around and knocked him back with a small ball of fire. He got up, body turning black once again as his speed increased. I didn’t need to track where he went. I sent a [Fire Blast], knocking him back and the darkness off him.

The pack leader picked himself up but I was on him in a moment. I knocked one of his shadowed claws to the side countered with my own [Fire Strike]. My claws dug into his skin but I didn’t just shear through. I closed my hands, gripping into his body as I pulled myself into him.

He landed one last hit on me, drawing blood, as I pulled myself on top of him. I grasped myself firmly on his back and produced a fire dagger with a serrated edge. I slashed the magically created weapon across his neck, cutting open his skin. It didn’t dig all the way through but that was enough. Raising my claws up, I struck it down with a [Fire Strike], tearing into the [Dark Wolf]’s neck slowly as he struggled underneath me, until finally…

Defeated [Alpha Dark Wolf - Lvl. 30]!

More experience is awarded for defeating an enemy at least 10 levels above you!

Subspecies [Zelus Imp] Level Up!

[Zelus Imp - Lvl. 19] -> [Zelus Imp - Lvl. 20]

Gained 5 Stat Points and 3 Skill Points!

I collapsed to the ground, exhausted and injured. I lay there for a moment, letting [Rest] take over me as the wolf that came to help me walked off from the last [Dark Wolf]’s corpse.

Defeated [Dark Wolf - Lvl. 13]!

Less experience is awarded for defeating an enemy with the help of others!

I looked at her with a defiant gaze.

“Do you want to fight too, huh?”

I challenged her, but then she lowered her head and her body, almost… gratefully? I wasn’t sure how intentional the gesture was— did she even know about how Haec and I would nod at each other? I didn’t think so. But I still interpreted this action this way.

“These [Dark Wolves] were threatening you, weren’t they?”

I smiled as the wolf simply looked up to me, panting with her tongue sticking out. I nodded at her.

“Well, it’s no problem— they were attacking me too, so I beat them. That’s all. But if you could help me, do you know where I can find the way back to the Netherworld?”

She stopped panting and stood up. I was expecting her to start leading me somewhere, but she simply stared at me.

“Oh, you don’t.”

I deflated, feeling my shoulders sag. I sighed, before giving one last attempt at speaking to her.

“Do you at least know where I can find someone who does?”

She didn’t react at first. In fact, she started walking around in circles with her face to the floor— something which greatly confused me. Finally, she stopped and she turned to her left, her gaze sharpening as it faced a thinner thicket of trees. Then she howled.

“Why are you howling? Is that— can I find someone who can help me there?”

The wolf barked once, before she ran off. I stared at her as she went, then looked back at the direction she had pointed out. I shrugged.

“I don’t really have anywhere else to go, so I guess I’ll trust you. Thanks!”

I waved at her as she left and she stopped. She looked back at me once, before disappearing back into the forest. I stayed there for a moment, healing up and distributing my Stat Points and Skill Points. Finally, when I was ready, I headed into the thin thicket of trees.

15. An Attack

Salvos

Species: [Lesser Demon]

Subspecies: [Zelus Imp] - Lvl. 20

General Skills:

[Basic Mana Manipulation] - Lvl. 4

[Identification] - Lvl. 4

[Racial Skill: Universal Language Comprehension] - Lvl. 1

[Rest] - Lvl. 1

Stats:

[Available Stat Points: 0]

[Vitality]: 21

[Strength]: 16

[Endurance]: 26

[Wisdom]: 33

[Agility]: 48

Skills:

[Available Skill Points: 2]

[Basic Fire Creation] - Lvl. 11

[Double Step] - Lvl. 8

[Fire Strike] - Lvl. 10 (Maxed)

[Fire Blast] - Lvl. 7

[Passive - General Tool Proficiency] - Lvl. 3

[Unused Skill Slot] x2

The sun was rising up into the sky by the time I saw the opening beyond the trees; I had fully healed after some [Rest], and had already distributed my Stat and Skill Points accordingly, before going down the way the wolf directed me in. I wasn’t sure at first if she understood me, but now that I could see the dirt path ahead, I knew she did.

I stopped right by the edge of the trees as I saw some figures moving through a road. They were [Traders]! Humans!

“How has it been two months since those invasive  Dusk Wolves came to Falisfield, and not a single adventurer has taken them out yet!”

“Can’t blame them. They tore up the last two parties sent to exterminate them. [Dark Wolves], I hear. Not as dangerous as their [Shadow Wolf] evolution, but still— there has to be dozens of them around the area!”

“Silvers. Don’t they know they’ve gotta earn their pay if they wanna move up to Gold or Platinum?”

“If they’re Gold, they wouldn’t even be anywhere near our country— let alone Platinum. Most of our Gold Ranked adventurers are already hired out by the Inoria Empire and Elutra Kingdom because of their war, remember? Any adventurer with a brain would stay away from Nixa and go straight there.”

“Why’re they hiring adventurers again?”

“To protect their towns and cities from monster attacks. All their soldiers and able bodied men are at the front lines, so they have to rely on adventurers to protect their citizens.”

“Bah, of course. And it’s not like the stupid [King] is doing anything to draw them here— what’s the point of all this tax if he’s not even going to secure our roads?!”

“There, there.”

The second [Trader] leaned over and patted the shoulder of the first, as the first grumbled under his breath. I waited for a moment, following right in between the two wooden vehicles pulled by those brown animals as they trotted along at a meandering pace. When the lull in the conversation seemed like it would last, I finally decided to speak up.

“Hey!”

“Hm?”

The second [Trader] pulled his hand back from the first— who still had his face buried in his knees— and turned around. He blinked, before his face immediately paled. He failed to work his jaw as he pointed at me and hurriedly tapped the other man’s shoulder.

“D-D-D-D-D-D—”

“Do you know where I can find my way to the Netherworld?”

I eyed the second [Trader] as three quarters of his body was reaching out of his wagon, trying even harder to get the attention of the first [Trader].

“What? Huh? D-D-D-what? The Nether-what? What are you two talking about?”

The first [Trader] finally turned around, shrugging off the constant tapping of the second [Trader]. He stared at me with a narrowed gaze, then his face lit up in comprehension.

“Oh. I get what you mean now.”

I brightened as he took a deep breath.

“You mean you know where the Netherworld is?”

He screamed.

“Deeeeeeeeeeeemmmoooonnnnn!”

I jumped back, startled by the sudden shout. Was that some sort of battle cry? Was he trying to attack me? I created two fire daggers and warily raised my arms as the [Traders] jumped off the side of their wagons.

The first [Trader] was Level 16 while the second was Level 25. If they try to flank me from both sides, I’ll rush the first with [Double Step] and—

Blinking, I lowered my hands as I watched the two [Traders] scurry away on foot. They fled down the road, screaming and shouting as they abandoned their horses and carts behind.

“I knew it! That bitch has finally snapped and summoned a Demon to kill me—”

“I don’t want to die! I don’t want to fucking die—”

I was about to chase after them— I would have very easily caught up to the two. But I stopped myself as their words slowly sunk into my head.

“...did they think I was attacking them?”

That made no sense: if I had wanted to attack them, I would have just done so and they would be dead. Yet, that was the only thing that I could infer from the way they reacted and the things they said. So I was perplexed by this.

I slowly walked forward past the wagon, annoyed that the only people I met that could talk ran away from me. Then I paused and turned back to the horses just standing there.

“Do you know the way to the Netherworld?”

They just snorted and kicked some dirt with their hooves.

“Didn’t think so.”

—--

I followed the dirt road all the way down, hoping that I would run into more people. And I did. But every single one of them reacted in the same way the first two [Traders] did, which left me even more irritated.

I folded my arms, fire daggers still in hand as it did not cost me anything to keep them there— mana was expended when they were created, so I might as well have had it on me until they dissipated. Is this some sort of Human thing? Do all Humans act like this when they meet a Demon?

That wasn’t true, of course— I knew it wasn’t true myself. I had met those [Cultists], and they showed no fear towards me or even Lucerna. In fact, they were so fearless that they still kept trying to order him around when he was killing them all. But perhaps that was just an isolated incident— an… outlier?

I didn’t entirely parse this concept, but I could see it somewhat. I saw myself as an outlier too— distinct from all the other Demons I had met so far. Even Haec was not the same as me, and this applied especially to the wild Demons. Maybe that was why Humans were so scared of me: they thought I was a wild Demon.

I shook my head, deciding that the first thing I would do when I saw the next Human was explain that I wasn’t a wild Demon. Then they wouldn’t run from me and would be able to tell me how I could go back to the Netherworld.

Determined to make myself heard by the next person I saw, I hurried down the road in search of someone. That was until I saw those tall structures in the distance.

Things made of stone and wood rose up from the ground above the trees. It was a monument— no, a wall. A large wall that encircled even more structures made of stone and wood within. Buildings.

This was… a city? Or was it a town? For some reason, I wasn’t entirely certain. My intuition told me it was one or the other as the definitions weren’t so concrete.

Either way, seeing a city for the first time distracted me long enough to not notice the group of Humans gathered around the front of it.

“...and are you sure what you saw was an [Imp]? Our reports indicate that a large Demon was the one responsible for destroying Fairdale.”

“Yes, yes! It was an [Imp]! It was swinging two bloody daggers wildly as it chased after me— look there it is!”

The Human in metal armor looked up and nearly dropped his spear. He reached for it in a panic and whirled around as he shouted at more armored Humans.

“Demon! A Demon is attacking Silvergrove! Sound the alarm! Call the guild to send adventurers!”

I tried running up to the group of Humans as the [Trader] I had spooked earlier screamed and ran into the city. I waved my hands in the air as I called out to them.

“Hi! Stop shouting— I’m Salvos, an [Imp] trying to find her way back to the Netherworld. I am not a wild Demon, so you don’t need to worry. I will not attack you… why are you still shouting?!”

I narrowed my eyes and halted in my step as the man with the spear pointed it at me.

“Stay away Demon!”

[Warrior - Lvl. 28]

I tried nodding at the man to defuse the situation. I walked slowly towards him, speaking slowly.

“I will not attack you unless you attack me. So if you will just help me—”

He jabbed the spear in my direction and I parried it.

“Fine then!”

I stepped forward and dipped down under his followup strike. He backed up as other armored Humans ran to his aid. I pointed at them, sending a [Fire Blast] to keep them back. I rushed up to the [Warrior] and raised a dagger.

“[Piercing—”

[Fire Strike]. I swung the dagger down, slicing his spear in half. He recoiled as the wooden shaft splintered, before I jammed my claw through his stomach. He doubled over as I was about to finish him.

“[Power Shot]!”

I glanced up as I saw a glinting projectile zip at me. I dodged my head out of the way just in time as the arrow whizzed past my face, only slightly grazing my cheek. I easily moved out of the way of three more slower arrows as the armored men on the walls loosed shots at me.

I eyed the Human who had managed to hit me.

[Archer - Lvl. 21]

He nocked another arrow on the strings of a curved piece of wood. He pulled the bowstrings back—

And screamed as a fire dagger stuck out of his shoulder. He collapsed to the floor, writhing in pain as I knocked another armored man charging at me away, before two more tried stabbing at me. I ducked under their spears, bending forward as I noticed a glow just ahead.

[Mage - Lvl. 18]

[Double Step]. I ran straight at the woman conjuring a sphere of sparks, striking her across the face and dispersing the magical attack. She let out a guttural scream as I kicked her away, flipping through the air and landing on the back of a spearman with a [Fire Strike] infused step.

The man groaned as I got off him, grinning at how easily it had been going. There was a dozen of them and I had barely taken any damage. And now I had already taken down five of them, leaving only—

I frowned as I counted the number of Humans I was now engaged with. There weren't this many before, was there? And then I saw more coming, pouring out of the walls and the gates of the city.

[Warrior - Lvl. 15]

[Warrior - Lvl. 17]

[Warrior - Lvl. 13]

[Warrior - Lvl. 10]

[Warrior - Lvl. 12]

[Archer - Lvl. 13]

[Archer - Lvl. 11]

[Archer - Lvl. 16]

[Archer - Lvl. 13]

[Mage - Lvl. 10]

[Mage - Lvl. 12]

And that wasn’t just it either. I looked past these uniformly dressed Humans, at the small but separate groups of Humans coming over wearing vibrant clothing and armor.

“Adventurers! It’s time to protect Silvergrove! The one who kills the Demon gets 50 gold coins!”

[Warrior - Lvl. 25]

[Warrior - Lvl. 16]

[Archer - Lvl. 23]

[Mage - Lvl. 17]

[Warrior - Lvl. 14]

[Rogue - Lvl. 12]

[Archer - Lvl. 14]

[Mage - Lvl. 16]

Wha— where did all these Humans come from? There are so many of them! I created a ball of fire as my gaze warily swept over all the new enemies coming at me. Can I even win—

My thoughts were interrupted as a blast of electricity knocked me back. I staggered away from the man I was standing over, feeling my body seize up momentarily. I quickly regained control over myself as I glared at the [Mage] who did that.

[Mage - Lvl. 18]

Huh? How is she standing? Didn’t I almost kill her—

I saw the glint coming once again, and this time parried the arrow as it came at me. My gaze snapped at the Level 21 [Archer] as he rubbed at his shoulder. Why isn’t he bleeding anymore? Where is my fire dagger?

“[Piercing Blow]!”

I leapt back just in time to avoid most of the damage from the attack. The spearhead barely cut into my shoulder, but I felt more black blood pouring out of the wound than there should have been.

I looked up at the [Warrior]— the first man that I had left dying on the ground— as he drew his spear back. He held up a vial of red liquid and poured it over the back of the man I had been standing over. My eyes widened as the burn marks on the man’s skin disappeared.

“Take it easy, that’s all I can spare for now.”

I stared in horror as the man got up, almost completely uninjured, before picking up his spear and aiming at me again. I glanced around at all the Humans— at all the people I had nearly killed but were now somehow no longer injured— and had a thought.

“Hold back— it’s fast!  Wait until captain Nathan gets here. He’s Level 50—”

[Double Step]!

I spun around and made a break for it.

“Don’t let it escape!”

I weaved around the arrows and spells that flew over my shoulder, grasping at the wounds I had taken. That was unfair! Why wasn’t I able to heal myself like that? And a Level 50 Human too? There was no way I would win that fight!

I scowled as I activated the speed Skill once again, easily putting more distance between me and my pursuers. I craned my neck around, watching as the last of them disappeared behind the trees, unable to keep up with me.

I only stopped running when I noticed the sky change color again; it was now orange, soon to be dark blue. I collapsed to the ground with a thud, scaring a small gray animal into some bushes away from me. I eyed the hare as it ran far away from me and sprawled myself on the dirt.

“At least you aren’t attacking me, right?”

I sighed as I felt [Rest] take over, slowly healing my injuries over time. I lay there for a moment, thinking back about the events of the day: I had been overpowered and forced to flee… again. I had to survive, so I did what I had to do. But it was annoying— having to run away from people stronger than me.

So I sat up and dug a claw into the earth.

“If they aren’t going to tell me where the Netherworld is and attack me instead— fine! I will just have to make them tell me.”

And all I had to do to achieve that was become stronger than them.

16. Not Rocks

I wandered the forest as the colors in the sky changed; I was getting used to such a sight now. I had been fascinated by this day-night cycle at first, but now I realized how predictable it was. If there had been any variances between the amount of time it took for day or night to change— it was too minute for me to notice.

Also, I was rather preoccupied.

Defeated [Green Stag - Lvl. 24]!

Less experience is awarded for defeating an enemy with the help of others!

Subspecies [Zelus Imp] Level Up!

[Zelus Imp - Lvl. 20] -> [Zelus Imp - Lvl. 21]

Gained 5 Stat Points and 3 Skill Points!

I retracted my claw from the monster’s back, letting go of his horns as I limply rolled away from his corpse. I lay on the grassy floor, spreading my arms wide as I started my [Rest].

This wasn’t the first monster I had killed— if he was, I wouldn’t have leveled just from defeating him. No— there was an entire herd of them which tossed me around and charged me no matter what I did. Fire? Why would they be scared of that? They ran straight through it and rammed me no matter what I did.

They were relentless. So eventually, I resorted to jumping on their backs to make them hit each other. It worked out to my favor somehow; they were not apprehensive about killing their own at all to get to me. I gained less experience from doing that, but I managed to survive and even level.

I sat up, evaluating my Skills and Stats.

 I had thought about it for a while: distributing different Skill and Stat Points every single time became a hassle when it wasn’t absolutely necessary. So for my next few levels, all I would raise was [Endurance] by 2 Stat Points, [Wisdom] by 2 Stat Points, and [Agility] by 1 Stat Points. And as for my Skills, I would evenly split all 3 Skill Points I gained from leveling between [Basic Fire Creation], [Double Step], and [Fire Blast].

I would keep doing this until my Stat and Skill Points were needed elsewhere or for some other reason. For now, I did just that before resuming my leveling session. It wasn’t progressing as quickly as I hoped; I would have to defeat dozens of monsters around my level to even gain a single level. And if that was the only issue, I wouldn’t have cared as much, because the real problem wasn’t the danger but—

My head snapped to the side as I heard a crunch. I stared at the deer as she stepped over some twigs and fallen tree branches, breaking them with her hooves. I felt my lips drawing to a frown.

The real problem is that there’s no monsters!

When I had been in the Netherworld, wild Demons were all over the place. Wherever I went, I would eventually encounter a wild Demon or a group of them. Even when I was searching for wild Demons in the Demon King’s Doman— they were far more rare there, but still more plentiful than the monsters here.

I narrowed my eyes as I watched the deer— or [Deer]— hop over some rocks and into a thicket. Maybe I could gain experience from… But no. She had no levels, which I found to be incredibly odd. She was almost like a rock: no levels or interest to gain levels. I wondered why that was— maybe animals are just moving rocks. I paused, then looked at a tree to my left. Are trees like rocks too?

I walked up the tree, carefully inspecting it for a moment, until I felt a light drip of cold liquid fall on my back. I glanced around trying to find the source of what I thought was blood. Then I blinked as something splashed on my face, before placing a clawed finger to wipe the clear liquid away. This is… water?

Suddenly there was more water falling down on me. At first, it was only a few drops, but it quickly doubled and tripled as the sky darkened above my head, shadowed over by clouds. It was raining— water was falling at me like the wind!

At first, I tried to get closer to the source of this, curious at how water was just coming from nowhere. Then I started to find the light tapping feeling all over my body annoying, trying to find a way to get out of it. And finally, I got used to it.

I trudged through the muddying ground of the forest, searching for more monsters to fight. It was strange— once the rain started, it was almost like the forest became a different place. I didn’t see the same animals I did scurrying about when there had been no water, nor did I see the fluttering birds or skittering insects on the sky or earth before the rain had fallen.

I watched a rabbit hastily hop its way through some bushes, dancing around rocks and navigating around trees before he dove into a hole on the ground. Is he trying to get away from the rain? I decided to follow him and tried to stick my head into the hole.

I failed.

So instead, I decided to find holes that were large enough to fit me to shelter me from this rain. I did not think the rain was dangerous— I had been under it for quite a while and took no damage. But I thought that if everything in the forest was trying to hide from the rain, then monsters might have been doing the same too.

I found a cave shortly after as the downpour began to worsen; I entered the dank, dark environment and created a ball of fire to see as I called out.

“Hello? Is anyone there? If you’re Human, can you tell me where the Netherworld is? And if you're a monster, can you fight me please?”

I cast the fire light along the cavern wall, revealing a lichen stained surface that stretched out to the end of the cave; I could still hear the muffled patter of rain behind me as I saw all there was to see.

“Huh.”

It was completely empty— not only was the cave shallow, but it was devoid of any kind of animal or life beyond the moss growing on the walls. The only thing that stood out in here were the glistening gray rocks that lay lifeless , haphazardly scattered around me. I turned around to leave when I heard a single drop of water fall behind me.

I glanced back, cocking my head.

“Did… did the rocks just move?”

I doubled back into the cave, confused at what I had just seen. Rocks couldn’t move— not unless someone else picked them up and moved them. But I was fairly certain that rock over there had not been there just earlier. If these rocks could move— if something really made them different— I wanted to know. So I used [Identification] on them.

[Golem - Lvl. 25]

“Golem…? No— a monster.”

I jumped back as the pile of rocks suddenly shifted. It picked itself up and swung at me. I stared at the four limbed creature as it stood now— its two arms long enough to reach down its sides, halfway past its legs. It turned a single, glowing eye to me.

“You’re a monster, right?”

I asked one last time, just to make sure I was right; I had thought it was a rock, after all. But it didn’t really matter to me. If you were a monster, a Human, an animal, or even a rock— as long as you attacked me, I would attack you back!

The [Golem] brought its large arms over me. I rushed forward, dodging past the attack and slashed at its face. [Fire Strike]! My claws were wrapped in fire as it drew close to it and—

I stumbled back and grasped my claw in pain. That hurt! I stared up at the light scratch on the [Golem]’s face.

“Wait, are you actually a rock?”

It didn’t respond, choosing to simply swing once again at me. I ducked under the swing, this time creating a fire dagger and slashed at its body. The weapon bounced off, leaving a mark where it struck but doing no apparent damage to it.

I frowned as I backed up. I’m not hurting it. I sent a [Fire Blast] at the [Golem], knocking it away as it tried to charge me. The force from the magical attack sent it stumbling, yet it was still unhurt. Maybe if I try create a sharper dagger—

My thoughts were interrupted as I caught a glimpse of another rocky hand swinging at me. I went under the attack, spinning around with a kick that swept the second [Golem] of its feet. I held my fire dagger up and paused.

[Golem - Lvl. 21]

[Golem - Lvl. 26]

[Golem - Lvl. 18]

[Golem - Lvl. 25]

...

“Huh. There’s a lot of you.”

[Golems] surrounded me in all directions, coming from the end of the cave as well as barring the cave exit. I threw the fire dagger at one of the [Golems] and watched it leave nothing more than a small crack on its stone body. They outnumbered me. They were strong— unable to be damaged. And they lumbered forward, encroaching on me slowly.

Slowly, I thought, grinning. They were moving slowly, so even if I wasn’t able to hurt them, they weren’t able to hurt me either. So all I had to do was figure out how I was going to be able to defeat them before I tired out.

I threw fire spikes at the [Golems] as they came. I dodged their attacks and sent [Fire Blasts] their way. I made them hit each other, breaking themselves down so I could finish them off later.

I observed how their limbs would break first, discerning that the stone at the joints were thin to allow for better movement. So I targeted those. I tore their arms off with my claws; I kicked at them knees with [Fire Strike]. I made them fall and I made them break as my stamina drained.

Defeated [Stone Golem - Lvl. 19]!

Less experience is awarded for defeating an enemy with the help of others!

…

Defeated [Stone Golem - Lvl. 22]!

Experience is awarded for defeating an enemy!

Subspecies [Zelus Imp] Level Up!

[Zelus Imp - Lvl. 21] -> [Zelus Imp - Lvl. 22]

Gained 5 Stat Points and 3 Skill Points!

I tried striking at a [Golem]’s shoulder with a dagger. It took multiple hits, but eventually I shattered the joint. But that was too inefficient. So instead, I created a hard ball of fire and struck at them with that.

I lowered the fire ball I had created, instead picking up a broken limb from one of the [Golems]. I waved it at the [Golem] nearest to me, taunting it.

“This...  this is a much better weapon than I can create right now.”

I swung at the [Golem] hard. Rock smashed against rock and rock broke apart. I picked up more rocks and continued swinging rocks at more rocks. More rocks fell and more rocks broke. And I had more rocks to swing and to throw.

Defeated [Stone Golem - Lvl. 26]!

Experience is awarded for defeating an enemy!

...

Defeated [Stone Golem - Lvl. 15]!

Experience is awarded for defeating an enemy!

Subspecies [Zelus Imp] Level Up!

[Zelus Imp - Lvl. 22] -> [Zelus Imp - Lvl. 23]

Gained 5 Stat Points and 3 Skill Points!

I glanced out the cave, noting that the rain had finally stopped, after I finished off the last of the [Golems]. They now lay dead, scattered haphazardly around me. I threw aside my impromptu weapon, seeing that it was nothing more than a crumbling piece of stone now, and sat on the rubble.

I had barely taken damage the entire fight— I was both tired physically and magically, but relatively unharmed. But I still needed [Rest]. It did not just heal my health, but it increased the regeneration of my mana and stamina too.

It was not long after the General Skill began to take effect and I had already distributed my Skill and Stat Points when I saw a shadow coming in from the cave exit. It stopped right at the front of the cave, looking over the dead [Golems] for a moment.

“I thought I heard some loud noises coming from in here—”

The figure suddenly stopped, turning to me with a wary look. He hurriedly drew a sword on his side and pointed it at me.

“Demon!”

I stood up, suddenly on guard as I used [Identification] on him.

[??? - Lvl. ???]

... uh oh.

17. ???

[??? - Lvl. ???]

I stared up at the man who entered the cave as he aimed a sword in my direction. He wore a cloak with a hood over his head, which somehow seemed to shadow over most of his facial features from me. His blade gleamed in the sunlight coming from the outside as he tightly gripped the weapon with both his hands.

“You — an [Imp]? You’re the one who destroyed Fairdale! And you attacked Silvergrove, didn’t you?”

I took a step back, slowly trying to circle around him. I wasn’t going to attack him; I could not see his level, and that made me incredibly wary. I had been able to see Lucerna’s level despite the [Djinn] being almost 30 levels over me, but I couldn’t see this man’s level. That meant this man had to be extremely high leveled.

Plus he hadn’t attacked me yet, even if he was clearly being hostile. I tried to reason with him as I eyed the cave exit.

“I did not attack anyone! Nor did I destroy anything! These [Golems] attacked me first— just like those [Green Stags] and [Dark Wolves].”

The man almost jumped as I spoke, backing away from me and blocking my only path to escape. If I used [Double Step], I might have been able to get around him. This last level up brought it to its max at Level 10, leaving me with an extra unspent Skill Point to save. But if he was really higher leveled than Lucerna, I had no doubts he would be able to catch me easily. So I held back.

“You… you can talk?!”

He sputtered as he raised his sword even higher. I frowned and crossed my arms.

“Of course I can. I’ve been trying to talk to you Humans the entire time, but you keep running from me. And when I tried to get you all to tell me the way back to the Netherworld, you all attacked me!”

“Get back to the Nether— what?”

The man shook his head.

“Attacked you for no reason? You burnt Fairdale to the ground.”

I considered this for a moment, then I cocked my head.

“...what’s a Fairdale?”

His shadowed gaze stared at me, flabbergasted.

“The village to the northeast of here! You slaughtered the people! You left no one alive you monster!”

“...that wasn’t me.”

He paused, shuffling his feet for a moment as if in thought. Then he stepped forward and charged me.

“As if I’ll believe a Demon!”

My eyes widened as I saw him coming forward. I braced myself, preparing for his attack. And he swung wide.

I watched the blade miss me completely as I went around him. I struck him across the back, but my claws got caught in his cloak. The cloth material did not tear— it protected him from the attack as he stumbled back.

“Damn it.”

He spun around, thrusting his blade forward, overextending his shoulders. I ducked under the attack, before bringing a fire dagger up towards his face. He flinched and dropped his weapon as a ring on his finger flashed.

I found my fire dagger flying through the air, rebounding off a flickering aura as the light vanished. I narrowed my eyes. What is that? The man was still in a daze when I kicked him with a [Fire Strike]. Again, his ring flashed as an invisible barrier protected him. My attack still sent him staggering back before falling to the floor.

I glanced down at my claws, tapping them together as I felt a slight numbness that came from hitting too many hard things with them. I saw a glint of light from the corner of my eyes and grinned.

The man picked himself up, rubbing at the side of his head.

“Owowow—”

He yelped as I swung his sword at him. He leapt to the side as the blade only nicked the side of his cloak, unable to cut through whatever it was made of. Fine, I thought to myself as he raised both his hands defensively. I don’t have to cut it…

[Basic Mana Manipulation]. [Basic Fire Creation].

I just have to burn it.

A thin layer of fire wrapped itself around the blade of the sword. The man made a noise as he stepped back. I spun the weapon in my hand.

“If you tell me where the Netherworld is, I won’t kill you.”

“Kill me? Like you killed all the innocent people and children in Fairdale?!”

I growled.

“I don’t know what that is!”

I charged him and raised the blade up. I aimed for his head, looking to slice in in half. But as I got close, I heard him whisper to himself.

“Gotcha— [Quick Strike]!”

His fists blurred forward, suddenly appearing right in front of my face. I was reckless; I couldn’t react in time as I found the world suddenly spinning before I rolled to a stop. I got up, wiping the black blood off my cheek as I did. It wasn’t a lot of damage, but it still hurt a lot.

The man picked up his sword, wielding it once again.

“I… I’m not a violent person. I don’t even know why I’m doing this. But I can’t just let a monster like you walk freely. Too many people have already died by your hands. I will…”

He took a deep breath, composing himself before he raised his blade.

“I will stop you!”

I saw the air around the man shift. As if an invisible power suddenly pushed the wind around him back. Even though he was standing deep within the cave, his sword was now reflecting more light than it was before. In fact, it almost seemed like it was glowing.

“[H—”

“[Double Step]!”

I rushed forward, knocking the weapon off his hands, before throwing him off his feet. The impact knocked the air out of his lungs as he gasped, before I stomped on his stomach with a fiery blow. The last of the barrier surrounding him dissipated as I raised a burning claw.

“Please, I don’t want to die—”

I brought my claw down at his neck— then stopped, yelling as loud as I could.

“I did not kill anyone! I don’t know what a Silverdale is! And I just want to go back to the Netherworld!”

…

The man stared up at me with dark brown eyes, his hood having fallen to the side to reveal a head of black hair.

“...it’s Fairdale, not Silverdale.”

I sighed and kicked him in the back of the head— hard.

—--

General Skill [Basic Mana Manipulation] Level Up!

[Basic Mana Manipulation - Lvl. 4] -> [Basic Mana Manipulation - Lvl. 5]!

Experience is awarded for the leveling of a General Skill!

Skill [Flame Coat] Learned!

Experience is awarded for the learning of a Skill!

I lowered the sword, letting the fire outlining the sword dissipate and leaned against the cave wall. I glanced out at the blue moon hanging over the night sky. I had spent a lot of time trying to learn that Skill— I wasn’t even sure if there was a Skill for that in the first place, but I had to try.

It was a convenient Skill: one that extended beyond the uses of a [Fire Strike]. It created a hungry, raging flame that covered an object— any object— without burning the object itself. But unlike a [Fire Strike] which lasted only a moment, the [Flame Coat] did not extinguish until I stopped feeding it mana.

I laid the sword down to the ground as its metal blade clinked against the floor as I evaluated my Status.

I didn’t level from what I just did, but I still had 3 additional Skill Points carried over from past levels. I decided to expend 2 of them now for [Flame Coat], considering the current drain the Skill had on my mana, raising it to Level 3. Finally satisfied, I let [Rest] take over and began to heal.

The moon continued to make its way through the dark sky as time went on, until finally, the man lying next to me shifted, grousing as he got up.

“I’m… I’m alive?”

He rubbed at his eyes then stared at the palm of his hands. He opened and closed them slowly, before jumping up and throwing a fist in the air.

“I’m alive!”

“Yes you are.”

He yelped as I appeared next to him, almost falling back to the ground. He reached for something around his waist, but stopped himself when he saw my holding his sword against his neck.

“I… uh, I can negotiate.”

He raised his hands up, thumbing for something on his fingers. Then he stopped, glancing up at his hands.

“My— my ring!”

“You mean this?”

I held up the ring that had been on his finger, inspecting it under the moonlight seeping into the cave.

“A Ring of Lesser Protection— Medium Grade. Protects the user from a certain amount of damage. Recharges over time.”

The man stared at it, aghast. His jaw hung loose on his face as he tried to work it, but nothing came out.

“It seems important to you, huh?”

He gritted his teeth as I twirled the ring between my fingers playfully. He nodded.

“It’s important, yes. Please give it back to me.”

I continued twirling the ring as he watched, before I abruptly closed it within my palm.

“No. It’s mine now.”

“But—”

I pointed the sword at his face, swaying it from side to side.

“I won. I defeated you after you attacked me! I should have killed you and gotten an abundant amount of experience, but I did not! So if you want to walk out of here alive, you will tell me where the Netherworld is.”

I edged the sword dangerously close to his neck, backing the man up to the cave wall. He made a sound as the cool metal of his blade touched his neck, reflecting the light of the moon on its surface.

“I…  I don’t know! I really don’t know.”

“You don’t know?”

I cocked my head.

“That’s where Demons are from, right? I’ve never been there! Please, you have to believe me . Just don’t kill me.”

He closed his eyes shut as his body shook, craning his head back as far away from me as possible. I lowered the sword.

“I see. Well if you don’t know where the Netherworld is, I guess it can’t be helped, right?”

The man opened his eyes and blinked. He looked at me hesitantly as I tossed his sword aside. I didn’t need the weapon— it wasn’t anything special.

“You… believe me? You’re really letting me go?”

“Why shouldn’t I believe you? And as long as you don’t attack me again, you can leave. But if you do try to attack me again, I will  kill you.”

He apprehensively picked up his sword and cloak, holding them against his chest in disbelief as he threw wary glances at me.

“G-got it. Thank you.”

I shrugged and turned around. I started out of the cave, about to leave, when the man called out to me.

“Did you really not destroy Fairdale and burn it to the ground?”

I gave him an annoyed look.

“I told you I did not. Unless ‘Fairdale’ is what you call those [Golems] or that herd of [Green Stags] or that pack of [Dark Wolves], I did not destroy it.”

The man slowly nodded.

“I was just making sure.”

He fidgeted as he threw his cloak over his shoulders and sheathed his sword in its hilt. I watched him for a moment, murmuring quietly to himself; he seemed conflicted about something, although I was not sure what. Then I began to walk away again when he suddenly called out to me.

“Wait— I think I can help you.”

I halted in my tracks, instantly spinning around.

“You can? Wait, do you mean you lied to me?”

I narrowed my eyes, considering this. He said he had been telling the truth, but was it possible that he wasn’t? Surely not, right?  The man continued.

“I mean that I think I can help you get back to the Netherworld… that’s what you’re trying to do right? Return to your home?”

“To my home?”

I shook my head.

“No, I just need to return to my companion. Then maybe I’ll bring him here so we can explore this place together.”

“Return… but you won’t be killing anyone, right?”

The man paused as I was about to respond, but quickly spoke over me, clarifying himself.

“I mean, any Humans. You won’t be killing any Humans that didn’t attack you, right?”

“Yes.”

He nodded to himself, taking a deep breath.

“Then I’ll help you. I may not be able to get you back to the Netherworld myself, but I’m sure I can find a way. If you just come with me, I will help you.”

I looked at the man as he scratched the back of his head; he met my gaze with slight apprehension, but did not look away as I considered this.

“Sure.”

“And if you— wait, sure?”

“Yes, sure. Where are we going?”

I walked up to the man, stopping right beside him as he took a step back, before straightening himself.

“Oh, uh, we’re going to Hazelbury. It’s a city just a few miles to the north.”

I nodded as he pointed in a direction; he turned back to me, slowly putting a hand out.

“By the way, uh… I’m Daniel.”

He surreptitiously lowered his hand when I simply looked past it and at his face.

“Daniel? That’s your name?”

“It is. And what’s your name?”

He paused, then raised an eyebrow.

“You have a name, right?”

“Of course.”

I licked my lips as I spoke slowly.

“Salvos. I’m Salvos.”

I eagerly waited for him to repeat it, and found myself grinning when he did.

“Salvos, huh? That’s an interesting name. Not one I’m familiar with. Since we’ll be together until we get you back to the Netherworld, I guess l’ll have to get used to it.”

“It’s a good   name. It’s my name.”

“Right.”

He glanced away from me, at the forest just ahead.

“Then let’s get going, shall we?”

I nodded.

“To Hazelbury!”

I marched forward, entering the canopy of trees as I walked ahead of Daniel. Then I walked back to him, scratching the side of my head.

“...where’s north again?”

18. Hazelbury

“The sun’s rising.”

I turned back to Daniel. The Human man had halted right behind me and began fumbling with his cloak. I glanced over at the horizon, seeing an inkling of daylight seeping into the canvas above. I cocked my head.

“Is that unusual?”

“No— I… ”

He sighed, rubbing at his temples.

“Here, just put this on. It’ll be bright soon, and we don’t want anyone to see you.”

“Why not?”

I asked the question as he threw his cloak over me. I found myself wrapped in the dark cloth, its bottom edges folding into a wrinkle on the ground. I lifted an arm up, inspecting the strange material.

[Cloak of Shadows: Medium Grade Armor - A black cloak that obscures your face; it also has a resistance to cutting.]

Daniel hesitated as he pulled something out of his pocket. He muttered under his breath.

“Good thing I took a spare…”

He turned and handed a link of tiny metal rings interlocked to form a circle. It held on it a golden shell wrapped around a crimson crystalline object which seemed to shimmer even in the dark.

“If anyone sees you, they’ll probably freak out and try to kill you just like I did. Demons are not…uh, liked here in this world. So you have to lay low.”

The Human man unlinked the chain, before apprehensively proffering the necklace to me.

“W-wear this. Even with the cloak on, people can still use [Identification] to figure out you’re a Demon. This is a Necklace of Lesser Obfuscation. You can use it to hide or change either your Class or your levels.”

I quickly grabbed it off his hands and raised it up. I stared at it, then him.

“Is this why my [Identification] doesn’t work on you?! I thought you were Level 60 or something!”

“No I’m not— I’m barely your level. The reason you can’t see that’s because of my Necklace of Greater Obfuscation. It can hide and change both my Class and my levels in the eyes of others. Although if I make myself appear as a Level 50, it won’t do anything to actually make me stronger— it just dissuades low leveled bandits from attacking me.”

I nodded along, listening to the man’s explanation. That was why he was so weak! I was starting to think that I was actually stronger than even Level 60s and 70s here in the Mortal Realm— I was thinking of finding a monster of that level and fighting them! It was a good thing I knew better now.

“I see… what’s a Class by the way?”

Daniel blinked.

“You don’t know what a Class is? Wait— do you even have a Class?”

“Is it a kind of way to sort things by a common factor? Because if so, I don’t think I’ve ever done that.”

“No—  not that kind of class. I mean a Class. The reason you can use Skills and stuff… you have one, right?”

I gave him a blank look.

“I don’t.”

“O-oh…”

“But I do have a Subspecies though, if you’re talking about Skills. I got three when I evolved into an [Imp], and my intuition is telling me I couldn’t have gotten my first two if I wasn’t a [Demon Larva].”

The Human man frowned as I peered at him curiously. What’s he confused about? Doesn’t he have a Subspecies? But he shook his head.

“I thought only monsters had… nevermind. Just put on that necklace. Tap on it and channel mana into it until it turns blue. It will hide your Subspecies so no one can see that you’re an [Imp].”

I followed his instructions, feeling some mana pour into it. Its color shifted, turning slowly to an azure blue that gleamed like the sky during the day. Daniel gave me a satisfied look, before turning to continue on our path through the trees. I followed after him as the vermillion glow of the sun rose ever so slowly.

The Human man said nothing, although he occasionally peeked back at me with a nervous look. I waited for him to turn back before I decided to ask him a question that I suddenly had.

“Is being a Demon bad?”

He jerked, taking a few more steps forward before stopping.

“B-bad?”

I nodded as he continued to stare at me for a moment, before he slowly answered.

“No— not bad. In fact, I don’t even think Demons are considered monsters. There aren’t any open bounties for them last I checked, though I’m not entirely sure. However, Demon summoning is outlawed in most places due to the nature of the ritual.”

“So what’s wrong if people see me?”

“I mean…”

Daniel trailed off, glancing to the side as he placed a hand right below his mouth, before finally looking back at me.

“You told me yourself, right? You were attacked in Silvergrove because Humans got scared of you. Maybe that wouldn’t have happened normally— maybe, I’m not too sure— but right now, there’s a Demon on the loose destroying villages and attacking travellers. Because of that, everyone’s on edge and I don’t think they would react too… amicably to you.”

“What does that mean?”

“I mean they’ll attack you.”

“Huh.”

I considered this, casting my gaze to the sky as I tapped my chin with a clawed finger, mimicking his previous gesture. Then I crossed my arms defiantly.

“If anyone attacks me, I’ll kill them.”

“And that’s exactly what we don’t want to happen. So far, you haven’t killed anyone, right? No Humans, just monsters?”

I nodded. That was what I had told him numerous times before!

“No Humans, no animals. Just monsters. Although I should’ve killed those Humans back in that city, but they somehow healed themselves so quickly!”

“R-right, but you don’t kill them. Which is a good thing— there is no real bounty on you, so you won’t be hunted down. If that ever happens, you’ll have all kinds of adventurers, soldiers, guardsmen— everyone coming after you. Because they think you’re bad.”

“Then I’ll just—”

He quickly spoke over me.

“And that’ll be bad because then no one can help you go back to the Netherworld, right? And you don’t want that, right?”

I paused. I definitely did not want that to happen; Haec was my companion and he recognized me as such. I had to get back to him to bring him with me.

“I guess…”

“Exactly! We want to keep anyone from attacking you so you can return to the Netherworld. Makes sense, right?”

“Right.”

“So when we get to Hazelbury, make sure you keep  that hood over your head and stick close to me. Don’t leave my sight— because I’m telling you right now, you will somehow get into trouble, and you might get found out. Got it?”

I sighed as Daniel pointed a finger at me. Nodding, I felt my shoulders sag forward as I replied.

“Yes.”

He looked at me once over before lowering his arm, satisfied. I continued to follow him with the oversized cloak blocking half of my vision. He paused, suddenly having a thought.

“By the way, since I gave you my cloak and my necklace, can I have my ring back?”

I stared up at the Human man with a flat look.

“No.”

—--

“I can’t believe it’s already day. Wasn’t it evening when we fought? How long was I knocked out?”

“Not for long— after I kicked you, I thought you died so I shook you a few times and you woke up. But then you blinked, screamed, and fell unconscious.”

“...did that really happen? You’re pulling my leg, right?”

“I’m not pulling your leg. If I was, my hands would be on your leg. And yes, that really did happen.”

“Oh, well that’s embarrassing. Please don’t tell anyone about that.”

“Don’t do this, don’t do that— I might as well not do anything!”

I grumbled, walking right beside Daniel as we reached the city. He eyed me with a sidelong glance right before we reached the gates of the city and an armored man called out to us.

“You know I wasn’t actually asking you to— hey! Adventurer here. Just entering the city with my friend.”

“Adventurer, huh? You a part of the Iron Champions Company?”

“No, just an independent.”

“Then it’s 5 silver each. No company pass means you still have to pay the fee.”

“Right.”

Daniel reached into a pouch hanging around his belt, digging into it as it clinked with the sound of metal, before he pulled out a handful of glinting round objects.

“Here.”

“In you go. Come on, don’t block the way. Others are trying to leave!”

The armored man pushed Daniel into the gate as I followed behind him. He tried to reach for me— to shove me too— but I easily dodged it. I glared back at him as he scoffed, turning away from me.

“I don’t like him. He tried to attack me.”

“He’s just paid to do that— be rough with any Adventurer not part of the Iron Champions Company. It’s one of those perks signing up with them.”

“Iron Champions Company?”

“Yeah, it’s the local company adventurers. Well, I say local, but they more or less have control of all the adventurers around the area. They’re only contested by small, minor company which don’t have enough power to even challenge their authority by any substantive means.”

“...what’s an adventurer?”

Daniel stopped right next to a fountain, turning to stare at me. There was a moment of silence— except it was not silent, as the sound of splashing water filled the background. I looked back at him, cocking my head.

“What?”

“Nothing. I just have a lot of explaining to do, don’t I?”

—-

The two of us entered a building called an ‘inn’. It was apparently a place where Humans went to rest or sleep for the night, so they would not have to worry about being attacked by a monster or the weather.

“Why do you need to sleep?”

“That’s just how Humans are.”

“And so what if it’s cold?”

“We can get sick— listen, us Humans are just built differently from you, ok? These are things you don’t need to know about.”

Daniel chugged down the liquid he called an ‘ale’, before slamming it down on the wooden table. He raised the mug, swinging his hand in the air as he called at a Human woman passing by.

“You’re drinking early, aren’t you?”

“Just had a busy night.”

She refilled his mug, pouring more of the drink until the glass was filled to the brim. Then she leaned over to him, and quickly closed one of her eyes.

“How about tonight? Will you be busy then?”

The Human man shifted uncomfortably in his seat, averting his gaze from the woman.

“S-sorry, I’m… taken.”

“Aw, poor me. I would’ve liked to have been the lucky woman.”

Daniel fidgeted as she left and reached for his drink. He paused, staring at the mug for a moment, before pulling his hand back. Does he not want to drink anymore? I thought, looking at this.   He sighed.

“Salvos—”

I perked up.

“That’s me!”

“Listen, when I said I would explain things to you, I didn’t mean I would explain everything. I’m telling you right now, I’m about just as clueless you are about almost everything. The only questions I can answer right now are simple questions.”

“Like about adventurers?”

He leaned back on his chair, now turning his attention to the plate of meat in front of him. He cut a small piece of this food and put it in his mouth.

“Yes— mm,  this is delicious. Want some? No? Alright.”

He continued chewing on the food, cutting more and more meat off, until it finally disappeared from his plate. What’s he doing to it? Where’s it going?! I watched this happen in shock as Daniel spoke.

“Adventuring is a job. It’s… what Humans do to protect our cities from the monsters threatening it. We also do it to raid Dungeons and get rich off the loot in it— but that doesn’t matter right now. Basically, to be an adventurer is to put your life on the line to fight monsters.

“However, then there is the question: what does an adventurer have to gain from doing this? Well, the answer is simple. We get paid to do this. Whether it be by selling monster parts in the market or by taking up local monster bounties. But then what makes being an adventurer any different from being a mercenary or just some kind of monster hunter?”

I looked at him inquisitively. He waited for my response as I thought about it. Then I shrugged.

“I don’t know.”

“Figures.”

Daniel swallowed the food in his mouth and drank from a different cup full of water.

“That’s where the companies   come in.”

“The Iron Champions Company?

“That is one of the companies, yes. But a company is something anyone can start if they have enough funds. It’s a place where adventurers gather. It’s a place where you pay a membership fee— a certain amount of copper, silver, gold, whatever— every month or year to join a company. You’ll have access to things like exclusive contracts, exclusive markets, and exclusive locations.”

I listened attentively as he continued to delve further into the subject.

“Working as an adventurer requires you to sign with the Adventurers Guild. But there are probably tens of thousands— or even hundreds of thousands— of adventurers out there. Such a large organization can’t manage every single tiny detail when it comes to adventuring. So that’s where adventuring companies come in, all with their own individual perks and benefits. They make deals with the local government and form partnerships with local businesses, making big companies dominate the adventuring sphere where they’re located. And while there are commonalities amongst all companies, anyone can run their own company however they want as long as they sign with the Adventurers Guild.

“However, it’s not like you even have to be a part of a company to work with them. In fact, a significant portion of adventurers are probably independent like me. Most companies try to appeal to independents by offering them enticing jobs and prices which would draw them into joining the company. I had actually accepted a request from the Iron Champions Company to cull the population of Stamped Elks… which I now just realize you dealt with.”

“Stampede Elks?”

I stared at him, confused.

“That’s the Species name of those [Green Stags] you killed. They’re known for quickly overpopulating, which leads to large stampedes that can wipe out whole towns and villages. Very invasive. Very territorial.”

“Huh. You don’t have to worry about them anymore, I think.”

Daniel shook his head, sitting up on his seat as he finished his food.

“Thought so.”

He leaned forward, placing his arms on the table and holding his hands together right in front of his chin.

“So, that’s the basic run down of an adventurer and what an adventurer does. Any questions?”

I nodded and he sighed.

“Questions pertaining to adventuring.”

I slowly stopped nodding and scratched the side of my hooded head.

“Nope! None at all.”

“Good.”

Daniel stood up and placed a handful of coins on the table. They clattered on the wooden surface for a moment as I peered at the brown and silver items.

“And those are coins. Money. Do you know what that is?”

“I think so. They’re used as a medium to exchange stuff, right?”

“That is correct. Now come, let’s go up to my room.”

“To your room?”

I hurried after him as he started up the stairs of the inn, leaving behind the serving woman who gasped when she saw the money.

“Didn’t you say you would help me return to the Netherworld? Can we do that in your room?”

“Not now. I need to rest. Get some sleep because of the rough night. But tomorrow— when I wake up— I promise you, I will find you a way back to get back to the Netherworld.”

He placed a hand on my shoulder and slowly met my gaze. I looked back at him, seeing determination in his eyes. I frowned.

“Wait, are you asking me to do nothing until you wake up again?!”

“Uh, yes?”

I stared at him and he gulped.

“P-please don’t kill me.”

19. Adventurers Guild

I sat cross legged, staring at the large object sitting in the corner of the room. I ran a clawed hand down its smooth sides, feeling the texture of the material from top to bottom; I was taking in every single detail I could, going over all the creases and bumps on it. I turned it around momentarily to inspect its behind, before leaning it back against the wall.

After some time passed, I took a step back and nodded to myself in satisfaction.

“Alright, this is it.”

I squinted, focusing only on the object. I visualized the object as if it were right in front of me, imagining that I was still holding it in my hands. Then I felt my entire body tense—

[Identification]!

[Cupboard - It is a piece of furniture used for storage purposes.]

…

Nothing?

Was there no level up?

I sighed, letting my body droop to the floor. I lay there for a moment, facing nothing but the wooden ceiling above. I felt my eye twitch as I heard a light snore coming from the side as I reflected on how my efforts had been in vain.

Ever since Daniel went to sleep because it was ‘a biological necessity for him as a Human’ , I had been left with nothing to do in his room. He had specifically told me not to go out and interact with anyone without him, leading me to try and level my [Identification]. But despite doing everything I had previously done to level the General Skill, it simply refused to level up this time.

I glanced over to the window and out into the dark sky; it had turned from evening to night since Daniel had wrapped himself in that thin sheet of cloth on the rectangular framework of wood. He told me we would be leaving early in the morning to begin finding a way back to the Netherworld for me. And based on my experiences with previous nights, I could tell that it was going to be daytime soon.

So I decided to just wait the remainder of the night out, letting myself fully recover for the first time in a while.

.

.

.

General Skill [Rest] Level Up!  

[Rest - Lvl. 1] -> [Rest - Lvl. 2]!

Experience is awarded for the leveling of a General Skill!

“Huh.”

—--

“We’ll be going to the Adventurers Guild today.”

Daniel told me as he put on a gambeson over his shirt. He buttoned the padded jacket firmly so it would not fall before turning to face me. I frowned.

“Wait, aren’t we supposed to be going to the Netherworld?”

“Yes, but that requires us to go to the Adventurers Guild. I told you this, Salvos, but I don’t actually know how to send you there. If there is a ritual to do it— I can’t say. So we’ll be asking the adventurers there who know more than me some questions to gather the necessary information to help you.”

I crossed my arms, feeling as a little annoyed at his explanation, but accepting it nonetheless. He grabbed a few pieces of clothing from a closet and tossed it to me.

“Here, wear this.”

I looked down at the plain dark shirt and pants, then back up at him.

“What’s this?”

“Clothes. I know you don’t need it since there isn’t… anything to see. Honestly your body is kind of like a plain ma— marble statue. Not really any features, just kind of pale. And the Cloak of Shadows would prevent anyone from seeing your body in the first place. But it’s better to be safe than sorry.”

I blinked.

“Huh?”

“Your claws are… mostly like hands of course. Those look like long, black fingernails more than anything. Maybe you should wear gloves, but I highly doubt you’ll need it as long as you don’t wave your hands around for everyone to see. Even then, it probably won’t be too much of a problem.”

I simply stared at him. He sighed.

“Just put it on.”

“Fine.”

I begrudgingly did as I was told while the Human man adjusted the necklace around his neck.

“What are you doing?”

“Changing the appearance of my Class— it’s kind of like your Subspecies, I think? It’s what you see me as when you use [Identification] on me. Right now, you won’t be able to see anything because I’ve set it to hide both my Class and levels, but if I do this, you’ll get a different result.”

I cocked my head, not fully understanding his explanation. He sighed and gestured at himself.

“Come on, just use [Identification] on me now.”

“Ok…”

I spoke slowly and did as I was told. I didn’t level the General Skill even after an entire night’s worth of using it, so I shouldn’t have gotten anything different to the non-result of yesterday. And yet, I did.

[Warrior - Lvl. 15]

I jumped, at first surprised that I got anything more than a ‘???’, before focusing on his level.

“You’re only Level 15?!”

“No, I… I just explained it to you. I’m using the Necklace of Greater Obfuscation to make it seem like I’m Level 15. I’m actually not. I’m higher leveled than that.”

“But why would you want to hide your levels?”

“Well…”

He trailed off, glancing out the window and at a building in the distance.

“You’ll see when you get there.”  

“...why don’t you just tell me now?”

—--

I made Daniel explain himself as we made our way to the Adventurers Guild building in Hazelbury. After hearing his reason, I concluded that it made sense for him to want to hide his levels.

Apparently most adventuring companies were always trying to recruit new members into their group at the Adventurers Guild, and they made it a point to target people who were higher leveled than the local average. According to Daniel, this would usually result in being constantly pestered by some sort of recruiter, but sometimes, some companies would employ ‘dirty’ tactics to force the person to join them.

I wasn’t entirely sure what being dirty had anything to do with this. Maybe they sling mud and dirt at them, making them dirty? I thought to myself.

Anyway, the Iron Champions Company was one such company that did this sort of thing, and it just so happened the average level of adventurers in the area was 18, making anyone above that level a prime target for their mud-slinging harassment. And that was why Daniel told me that I ‘would see’  what he meant when I reached the guild hall. I was Level 23, and I couldn’t hide my level.

“Focus on the Class you want. I know you don’t have a Class, but just think of a [Rogue] or a [Warrior]. Then channel your thoughts along with your mana into the necklace.”

“But why? Isn’t it already hiding that I’m an [Imp]?”

Daniel quickly glanced around the busy street full of people going in all directions without attacking each other. I wanted to watch this massive procession pass through to learn how exactly such a large gathering could occur without there being a single wild Human, but he wouldn’t let me.

The Human man placed a finger on his lips.

“Don’t say that so loud—  what if somebody hears you?”

I blinked.

“Huh, I never considered that.”

“It’s fine, just be quieter next time.”

He took a deep breath before continuing down the road; his voice filled my ears alongside the chatter of a hundred others from my surroundings. And what’s that…? Among this eclectic of noises, I took note of the other distinctive sounds from the bleating of the herded sheep and the whinnies of the packhorses. Why are the animals just listening to the Humans?

Questions raced through my head, but I did not vocalize them as Daniel went on; I didn't focus on what he said, instead choosing to take in everything around me. I let my very being be absorbed into this web of constant, incessant social interactions, until even the footsteps were like a clamor in my head, and I missed every single word the Human man had said.

“...and that’s why you should hide your ‘Class’.”

He finished and turned back to me. I looked at him as he waited expectantly for me to give a response. I nodded.

“I didn’t hear you, I got distracted. What were you saying?”

Sighing, Daniel rubbed at his temples.

“They might think you’re trying to hide a special Class and would try to recruit you even harder, so you should just show them a fake one instead.”

“Got it.”

I felt myself pouring mana into the Necklace of Lesser Obfuscation, thinking about the Classes he listed out; a Class was different from my Subspecies, but similar enough that I could quickly grasp the concept. The Human man had told me to be either a [Warrior] or [Rogue]. I wasn’t sure what either exactly was, but since he was a [Warrior] and I wasn’t him, I chose to ‘become’ a [Rogue] instead.

We stopped right outside the building he had pointed out as the Adventurers Guild. The main hall was open for anyone to enter, but apparently there was a private area in the back reserved only for members.

“This is it. Remember— stick close to me and don’t tell anyone anything important.”

I nodded my head slowly as he took a deep breath. Daniel pushed the door open, entering the guild as I followed behind him.

Immediately, we were met with a bustling crowd. I rubbed at my eyes as I took in the number of people squeezed into the room. And it was not like it was a tiny room either— this was one of the most spacious rooms I had ever been in. It was twice as large as Lucerna’s Lamp!

[Warrior - Lvl. 13]

[Warrior - Lvl. 17]

[Table - It is a piece of furniture with a flat top and four legs.]

[Mage - Lvl. 12]

[Archer - Lvl. 15]

[Clock - It tells the time.]

[Rogue - Lvl. 20]

[Warrior - Lvl. 16]

[Rogue - Lvl. 17]

[Counter - It is a piece of furniture that is long, flat, and fixated to the ground.]

[Mage - Lvl. 21]

[Warrior - Lvl. 18]

[Archer - Lvl. 25]

[Mirror - It is a—

But still, there were so many people. I felt my hearing block up slightly as my body had to take a moment to adjust to this; I was being inundated with far too many new things I wanted to explore at once. And I tried to use [Identification] on them all! I blinked as Daniel looked back at me.

“What’s wrong?”

“I… can’t see.”

That wasn’t exactly right, but it conveyed the necessary information. The Human man furrowed his brows.

“What do you mean? D-do you need… help or something?”

He had a worried look on his face, and I wasn’t entirely sure if that was for me. It didn’t matter though; I was scratching the side of my head in a daze when someone called out to him.

“Look who it is! It’s Daniel, back from trying to hunt those Stampede Elks! And by his empty hands, it doesn’t look like it went so well, huh?”

Daniel groused, turning to face the man who approached us. I narrowed my eyes and identified him.

[Warrior - Lvl. 26]

“What do you want, Blake?”

“Just here to see what my favorite newbie is doing. What? Still stuck at Level 15?”

“I’ll have you know I hit Level 15 a year ago when I was only 19 years old.”

“And yet, you haven’t progressed at all since then, huh?”

“The average person doesn’t reach their first advancement. I’m already almost halfway there and I’m younger than you.”

“I had a later start than you, and only people who don’t have the guts to go beyond Silver make excuses like that, Dan—”

“Don’t call me Dan…”

I wandered off, steadying myself on the sidewall as I felt myself get enraptured by my surroundings. There were so many new things to take in at once! That was a cupboard… I wasn’t interested in that anymore; I already had a good understanding of what it was and what it did. But that— what were those people doing?

I wanted to know what those people lining up in front of that counter were doing. I wanted to see what was in the room in the back. I saw a group of Humans dressed in robes in the corner, discussing something as they each flipped through a thick layer of pages bound together in a leather cover, and I wanted to know what they were talking about!

And there were so many people too, busying about and hurrying around the building. Where were they going? What were they up to? I wasn’t able to fully form these questions earlier as I was overwhelmed into a trance while I was outside, but in here, things were more enclosed and I could focus more.

I stumbled up to a glinting object, forcing me to cover my eyes as I tried to see what it was. It was… the mirror from earlier? I peered at it, curious as to what it did. I wasn’t sure if I had identified it properly, so I wanted to see what it did now. But when my head crossed the wooden border holding it in place, I jerked back as I saw a figure appear on its surface.

The figure was dressed in a black hood that was slightly too big for her. She was staring at me as I stared back at her. She raised a silvery-gray hand as I did too, and we both tapped a clawed finger onto each other. I frowned, pulling my hood slightly back to reveal the hidden figure. I stared.

That’s me! Wait— what?!

I took a step back, aghast. How did she become me? Surely she wasn’t me, right? But she was mimicking me every movement and had the exact same things I had. Not only that, her skin complexion was no different from mine. But— was that what I looked like?

I had never seen my own face before, and was caught off guard to see that I had horns. Two small protrusions poking out of my scalp, unobscured by anything but the cloth over my head. I poked them, trying to see what they did, but found that they were simply just there leaving a bump in my skin.

And my eyes…  I narrowed them, seeing the pair of golden irises contract as my slit-like pupils expanded. It was almost glittering in the shadow of my hood, but there wasn’t an actual glow.

This was… this was me. But it wasn’t me either. It was an impostor! This was someone who had stolen what I looked like and was now pretending to be me! But even if she took my appearance, she couldn’t possibly have taken my name either, right?!

I wasn’t sure, but I instantly felt aggressive towards her. I raised my claw to attack— and paused to quickly identify her. If she’s higher leveled than me—

[Mirror - It is a reflective surface used to reflect a clear image.]

I blinked. Oh, I thought, lowering my claws. I felt my tension wash away as relief flooded in, reassured that I hadn’t just had myself taken from me.

Managing to recollect myself, I remembered that Daniel had told me not to stray away from him. So I turned around and started back to the Human man who was looking around for me as the other man from earlier pestered him from behind.

“Salvos— there you are. Where did you go?”

“I was looking in the mirror.”

I did not elaborate on that, feeling slightly embarrassed now that I had gotten angry at an object for doing what it was supposed to do. Daniel grabbed my hand and began pulling me out the door.

“Let’s just go—”  

“Who’s this? Found yourself a girlfriend to go along with you, huh?

I looked up at the other man who stood a head above Daniel who was also a head above me. Daniel shook his head, trying to pull me to the door but I slipped out of his grasps. The other man laughed.

“Can’t even keep a girl, huh? Too bad. But I don’t blame her— no one would want to get themselves killed with you. And it’s not like you’re even actually going to try and find that Demon. You’ll just wuss out in the last second like the coward you are.”

I glanced between the two Humans as Daniel’s lips drew into a line. I turned to him.

“Is this man a companion of yours?”

Daniel continued glaring at the other man.

“He’s Blake, and no he isn't. In fact, he’s an asshole I’d rather not be associated with.”

“Ass...hole?”

Daniel sighed and just looked at me pleadingly.

“He’s just someone I can’t stand. Look— can we just leave? I should’ve known better than to come here.”

“Why not?”

I peered at him curiously, but he just took a deep breath. Blake decided to chime in, slapping Daniel’s back as he leaned closer to me.

“Because he wanted to come here and brag about trying to do jobs he can’t possibly do. That’s why he—- wait. You’re not...”

Blake narrowed his eyes, looming over me. Daniel saw this and gulped.

“Uh oh.”

The other man immediately grasped me by the shoulders.

“You’re not just a random girl! You’re a Level 23 [Rogue]!  How old are you— no, wait. Why aren’t you a part of the Iron Champions Company yet? We’re looking for new recruits to join our company. We’re cheap— and we know special locations around Silvergrove and throughout all of Falisfield. Places you can go to train and level. What do you say? Want to join us and get access to a newly discovered Dungeon? ”

His eyes were glinting as he spoke, suddenly far more friendly towards me. I glanced over at Daniel who was breathing a sigh of relief. I cocked my head at him.

“You don’t like this man, right?”

“I— uh, what...? Oh,  yeah. I don’t like him.”

“Ok.”

I smiled at Daniel even though he couldn’t see it, then turned to Blake.

“My answer is no. I will not join your stupid company.”

Blake’s brows snapped together. He tried to pull me with him but I slipped away again. He reached for me with one hand, as the other pointed damningly at Daniel.

“Why are you with that newbie? The Iron Champions Company may not be one of the big companies, but it will be. If you join us now, you can—”

I pushed his hand aside, and finally had enough.

“I said no.”

I curled my clawed hand into a ball and jabbed it between his legs. I didn’t aim for that region on purpose— it was simply the height differential that made me do that.

But apparently it made my attack more than effective; the moment my fist plunged into his nether region, he howled and doubled over. He fell to the ground, clutching at where I had hit as he groaned in pain.

Daniel flinched, and so did a number of other Human men who saw this. I turned to him.

“Let’s go, Daniel.”

“R-right.”

He hurried after me as I left the Adventurers Guild. I heard Blake hurling a volley of words at me, which I could infer did not mean anything nice. But I ignored it.

Daniel ran up next to me as we walked down the road. He looked at me hesitantly as we continued aimlessly.

“You attacked Blake.”

He finally broke the silence by pointing out the obvious. I nodded.

“Only because he tried to force me to go with him. It reminds me of someone else, and I don’t like it.”

The Human man hesitated, glancing at me warily.

“But I thought you said you weren’t going to attack anyone.”

“I said I wouldn’t kill anyone. You didn’t say there was anything wrong with hurting them. All I did was punch him— I didn’t even use my claws.”

“I know, but you hit him in the… uh, a weak spot.”

He fidgeted as his arms moved slightly closer together at his waist. I paused, considering this.

“Huh. That’s a good thing to know.”

“Please don’t ever hit me there.”

I grinned.

“As long as you don’t give me a reason to, I won’t.”

Daniel sighed, rubbing at his forehead.

“That’s the best I’m going to get out of you, huh?”

I nodded and that was that. We continued walking for a moment longer before I finally decided to ask the question in my mind.

“So, how do I go back?”

I emphasized the last word, trying to get him to see through the subtlety of my question. He jerked, snapping his head at me.

“Oh, that.”

I gave him an annoyed look and threw my hands up in the air.

“Did you not do anything in the Adventurers Guild?!”

“I couldn’t get anything out of anyone in the Adventurers Guild because of Blake! But this was just the first stop— next up is the library. That’s a more secluded place and we could perhaps gather information. And if nothing turns up there…”

He trailed off, averting his gaze from me. There’s always another thing. I found myself getting slightly irritated that there were so many steps just to go back to the Netherworld, but coming here was so simple.

“Is that all?”

“No— there’s this place. It’s usually used for summonings, but not the kind that matters to you. And I’m not entirely sure if they can help you, and it might be dangerous.”

“If anyone attacks me—”

“You’ll kill them, right . But I’m not even sure if they will attack you. Maybe if they know what you actually are? But I don’t know

I crossed my arms, interrupting him as he blathered on.

“What is it already?”

He halted in his step and scratched the side of his head. He averted his gaze from me.

“It’s the local temple. And there are [Priests] there— which won’t be a problem unless your cover is revealed. But there’s more. There are… Spirits. They are kind of like Demons in that they are summoned into a contract.”

“So? What’s wrong with that?”

“The thing is…”

I glared at him and he hurried it up.

“If they can tell that you’re a Demon, they might attack you.”

“...huh.”

20. Temple

The library was a place of books.

A lot of books.

Lots and lots of books.

I didn’t know how else to describe it— all I knew was that we once again left it with no new information on how to get me back to the Netherworld.

“I’m sorry, Salvos. I thought they would have had some information in there about it.”

“And they didn’t?”

“They did, but nothing beyond the bare basics.”

Apparently what the bare basics meant was just ‘Human summons Demon with a sacrifice, Human and Demon form contract, Demon completes contract then goes back’. It was not something I had known prior to this, but it was just so vague that I almost felt like I was no more knowledgeable now about it than before.

So we were now headed to the local temple. Daniel had explained what they were to me briefly while we were still in the library. He compared them to be Demon-like creatures— except they were not?

They came from what he called the Spirit Plane, which seemed something akin to the Netherworld for me. I asked the Human man to describe it, but he didn’t really grasp the idea either. He just knew that that was where Spirits came from— connecting to the Mortal Realm through temples.

The [Priests] of the temple maintained this connection although it wasn’t active at all times; they simply ensured that the connection was ready to be made for whenever a Spirit summoning ritual was needed for whatever reason. And apparently, some Spirits liked to stay in these temples, choosing not to return to the Spirit Plane.

And that was what worried Daniel.

“Do you think they’ll be able to see through this necklace you gave me?”

“No— but don’t you think it’s possible they can tell you’re a Demon just by looking at you?”

I stared at him, face blank.

“No.”

“But why not? Isn’t there like, some sort of intuition that tells you whether someone is a Demon or not? Wouldn’t it be the same thing for Spirits?”

I scratched the side of my head, considering this.

“I don’t think so. If a [Fiend] wore this Cloak of Shadows and hid their Subspecies, nothing would tell me that they’re a Demon and not a Human.”

“Are you sure?”

Daniel looked at me uncertainly. I nodded.

“I’m sure. Now let’s just go to the temple. I want to go back already.”

Not much time had actually passed since we began trekking through Hazelbury in search for a way to get me back to the Netherworld. The sun was still high up in the sky. And compared to the amount of time I had spent running around fighting monsters, the morning we wasted in the Adventurers Guild and library was like a small rock in a pile of large rocks.

So clearly, my drive to return to the Netherworld wasn’t the most pressing compulsion; Haec could wait for me as long as I returned eventually. He seemed capable of taking care of himself. But there was something that drove me even harder; something that made me want to get this over with as soon as possible. And it was—

I glanced around at the [Traders] and [Vendors] lining the streets, their shouts filling my ears as they tried to sell their wares; at the [Butchers] and [Hunters], carrying the meat of dead animals with them to their shops as the scent of food wafted to my nose; and at the dozens and dozens of Humans bustling about, hustling to the things they had to do. I saw all this, and I knew...

...I was already starting to get bored of the city.

—--

We stood before the structure that Daniel called the temple. The Human man hesitated for a moment, but I just walked forward and up its marble steps and into the building. He hurried behind me, stepping up beside me as we passed the tall columns that supported its large ceiling.

“Everything’s so white— it’s almost like the… place. That place I want to go to! You know?”

“Yes, Salvos. You’re about as subtle as a hammer.”

I nodded, not really understanding what that saying meant at first. Then it hit me, and I frowned. But I was too distracted by my surroundings to respond as I found my head turning at every corner, staring at the pristine, white walls of the temple. Is this made out of the same rocks in the Netherworld? I thought, starting to feel excited at the prospect of going back. If they got this from the Netherworld, then they must be able to help me go back!

I nearly jumped as a man greeted us.

“Welcome visitors. What business do you have at our humble Sanctuary of Fauna?”

I warily backed up, identifying him.

[Priest - Lvl. 31]

He was almost 10 levels higher than me! But… I narrowed my eyes. Why is his face so wrinkly?

Daniel quickly patted me in the shoulder, not-so-subtly pushing my hands down because he wasn’t a subtle person unlike me.

“Are you the head [Priest] of this temple? We’re just here to… learn more about your summoning rituals.”

“Of course, we’d be delighted to show anyone interested in the Spirits the magnificent way they’ve become connected to and a part of our world. And while I’m not the head [Priest], I do hope my service would be to your satisfaction.”

The [Priest] gestured at us to follow and we did. We walked down the halls of the temple, entering a spacious, open area with a pond on either side of it. There was flora growing out of the rocks lining the bank of the small body of water, with buzzing insects and tiny animals fluttering or scurrying around this miniature garden.

“Every temple belonging to our sect has an area reserved to let nature flow through our sacred lands. This practice was first done to preserve nature, but now it has become a place or rest. Of recovery.”

His gaze turned to a group of Human women to the left. There were seven of them in total, all of them ranging in appearance and height— one of them was a head shorter than me. They were huddled around the pond there, all dressed in simple white robes as they quietly spoke to each other. It was the raucous conversation that defined the Adventurers Guild, nor was it just the demanding silence that filled the library. It almost felt… somber.

I glanced at Daniel as his brows arched darkly over his eyes.  

“What’s wrong with them?”

“I… they’ve just had terrible things happen to them, alright? Sorry Salvos, but could you save your questions for later?”

I nodded, not getting why he was suddenly morose; we continued following the [Priest], entering another, smaller building across from the main temple complex. As we did, we passed by a group of [Priests] helping four men out into the garden. I would have thought nothing of this sight if two of them weren’t missing their legs and the other was missing an arm and an eye.

I wanted to question Daniel, but he had just told me not to. So, I didn’t.

We walked into a large, spacious room with a blank white wall stretching around all four corners; in the center of the room, there was another body of water. But unlike the ponds outside, this one was not only large, it was also shallow.

“This, my dear visitors, is the summoning pool the Sanctuary of Fauna uses to aid us in summoning our Spirits.”

“A pool?”

Daniel stared down at his reflection on the glistening surface.

“How does that work?”

“Water is one of the most fundamental things in nature that is often overlooked, you see. Without water, life cannot sustain itself. Only the Spirits can thrive without it. So, we use water as a medium to form an understanding— to lure in the Spirits that are most concerned with life. Thus, know that those that come through our portal will be our allies.”

“You say there’s a portal— how does it work?”

The [Priest] raised an eyebrow.

“You seem awfully curious about the exact details of our summoning ritual, visitor. I will oblige your question, but before that, let me ask one of my own: why do you seek this wisdom? Is there something you wish to do with it?”

“Uh, that’s…”

The Human man trailed off, glancing down at me. He looked at me expectedly, and I just shrugged. What do you want me to say? He sighed, turning back to the [Priest].

“We’re adventurers, and we’ve been meaning to take the contract to slay the Demon that has been ravaging the towns and villages in Falisfield. But as you can see— we’re not that high leveled just yet. So we were thinking that we could maybe work around fighting it. Maybe we could banish it straight back to the Netherworld…?”

He said the last part like a question, looking unsure of himself. And I was surprised too. He was… lying? That was odd. Could you really just say that you were doing something you didn’t plan on even doing?

“I’m afraid I do not believe that is even possible. You see, the very nature of Spirit summon differs from Demon summoning greatly. Not only are Demon contracts only ever short term, the one who summons the Demon does not decide whether the Demon returns to where it came from. Only the Demon decides for itself.”

The [Priest] responded to Daniel as he asked more questions. But I didn’t hear it as I considered the ramifications of what I just learned. Is… is it possible that Daniel is lying to me right now? Maybe he isn’t actually helping me return to the Netherworld! Maybe he’s tricking me to— to— to kill me for experience!

I remembered, for a moment, the horned Demon that attacked Haec and I. But I quickly fixated on something else. And what about Haec? He’s my companion, right? What if he’s lying to me too!

My thoughts were interrupted as there was a splash, followed by a ripple forming in the water surface of the pool. I glanced up as the conversation between Daniel and the [Priest] was abruptly cut off.

“Ah, Sakura.”

I stared at the four-legged creature that was striding through the water slowly towards me. She looked like a wolf, but even larger. She had pink fur covered in streaks of red, and a white main that wrapped around her neck. I cocked my head as she approached me.

[Beastkin - Lvl. 42]

Daniel warily backed up and called my name.

“Uh, Salvos.”

I just met the [Beastkin]’s gaze as she approached, prompting the Human man to add more caution in this voice.

“Salvos.”

“Salvos. That is an interesting name.”

The [Beastkin] spoke, emerging from the shallow water and stepping lithely onto solid ground. She walked around me, her elegant tail swaying from side to side as she inspected me closely, but she never once touched me. I nodded with alacrity.

“That’s my name! Do you like it?”

“I wouldn’t say I like it, but it is unique.”

Daniel had his hand on his hilt now, as he glanced between us in a panic. The [Priest] laughed.

“Don’t be afraid. This is Sakura— the guardian Spirit of our temple. She offered her services to guard it, a long time ago when it was first established. And even when the [Priest] who summoned her passes, she yet remains. That is the contract between us and Spirits.”

She walked up to him, lying on all fours in front of him. He laughed and slowly stroked her head, before bringing his hand under one of her ears. He scratched it as Sakura kicked one of her legs back and forth.

“...are you supposed to be doing that with her?”

Daniel asked apprehensively. The [Priest] stopped as the [Beastkin] got up.

“And why not? She enjoys it. If she doesn’t she would never let me near her.”

“But don’t you guys… worship the [Beastkin]? This seems like it’s overstepping a few boundaries…”

The [Priest] snorted.

“We do not worship the [Beastkin]. We believe nature is a sacred thing, just like how the Sanctum of Elements see the essence as a thing of itself. And the only Spirits that share this view with us are the [Beastkin]. So we share a kinship through this. That is all.”

“I… see.”

Daniel stared at Sakura as she nuzzled me, bringing her head very close to me. I tried to back up, realizing this, but it was too late.

“The cloak fools eyes, but not the nose. I can still smell it. The scent of ash. The smell of your  blood.”

The [Beastkin] spoke softly into my ear, adding nothing more. I blinked as she pulled away, turning back to Daniel who she called.

“You speak of wanting to slay the Demon that is ravaging these lands, adventurer. But while you’re here wasting time searching for foolish tricks to play, he is out there, getting stronger.”

Daniel looked taken aback, opening his mouth to say something before slamming it shut. Sakura turned around, meeting my gaze slowly.

“The Demon shall not stop. He shall destroy all he can destroy, until he destroys everything, or he is destroyed. For no Demons that truly walk this plane will ever survive. It is only he, and no more. Until he is no more.”

The [Priest] was nodding along, rubbing his chin as the [Beastkin] spoke. But when she finished, he opened his mouth to ask a question and she ran.

She nimbly exited the building, returning to wherever she came from. The [Priest] put a hand out, calling to her.

“Sakura, wait!”

She didn’t respond. He sighed, rubbing at his temples.

“Sorry, she does that sometimes. She probably would’ve been able to answer any other questions you had better than I, but… she’s gone now. If you want, I can—”

—--

We left the temple shortly after, learning everything they could tell us. Once again, the Humans there were of no help to me. And yet, I remembered the brief conversation we had with the [Beastkin]. The one thing that stuck out to me.

It is only he, and no more.

No Demons lived in this world. Perhaps they were summoned for a contract, but only temporarily. This was everything I had just learned today.

Then it finally clicked.

“That Demon attacking your Human places— that’s Lucerna!”

“Uh, what?”

Daniel turned back to me looking perplexed. I quickly spoke, explaining what I figured out to him.

“Lucerna. He’s a [Djinn] that was summoned by some [Cultists] to… kill a king or something? I don’t exactly remember because I was tired and thinking of a way to escape. But he’s the one you guys keep talking about.”

The Human man frowned, furrowing his brows. He gave me an accusing glance, which I didn’t exactly like.

“How do you know this? And why didn’t you tell me this sooner? We could’ve told the Adventurers Guild— inform the guards to send word to other towns. Maybe even tell the Iron Champions Guild.”

“I was summoned with him. I didn’t want to go, but he dragged me with him. And I didn’t know! So what if I didn’t tell you?”

He folded his arms, snapping.

“How could you not know? And if you told me sooner, we’d have been able to raise a warning about it being a [Djinn] yesterday. Not only is that a Greater Demon  which no one knew, that’s a rare one. Incredibly dangerous and dedicated to their contracts. You heard what Sakura said— it’s your fault those people are dying right now!”

I started getting annoyed. Why is he suddenly talking to me like that? I didn’t know, but I didn’t like it one bit, so I punched him below the waist.

“Oh— what the fuck!”

I stared down at him as he lay on the ground, clutching his pants. I spoke casually, ignoring his grunts of pain.

“I didn’t know there were no other Demons here. I thought there were others— you Humans kept talking about Demons, so I assumed this was like the Netherworld and there were plenty of Demons around.”

“But you knew that Demons have to be summoned here.”

This time, I was the one to cross my arms.

“And why would that mean there aren’t any Demons here?”

The Human man opened his mouth, but I cut him off, jabbing a finger in his face.

“Listen, I’m telling you now that Lucerna is the one doing all these bad things to you Humans. So you can either do something about it or shut up. Stop trying to get mad at me for no reason. I do not like it, and unlike you, I will do something about it.”

I balled my clawed hands into a fist once again, waving it in front of his face. Daniel grimaced, but slowly got up. He averted his gaze from me slowly, rubbing the back of his head.

“I… right. Sorry. I got a little heated there because...”

He trailed off. I shook my head, walking ahead of him.

“Anyway, you’re the one who keeps telling me you can bring me back to the Netherworld.”

The streets were empty here, so I spoke without hiding my voice.

“And yet, here we are still as lost as we were in the beginning. Tell me: were you lying to me when you said that?”

“No— I just didn’t think it would be this difficult, Salvos. I didn’t think that no one would be able to help us.”

I narrowed my eyes.

“So you aren’t a liar then?”

Daniel flinched at the accusation. But he met my eyes as he responded.

“I did not lie to you, Salvos.”

I peered at him carefully, trying to determine whether I believed him or not. Realizing that I had no way to discern a lie from a truth, I decided that he was telling the truth.

“Fine.”

Plus, I was already over it; lying seemed bad at first, but as long as it didn’t hurt me, I saw no reason to worry over things like lies. The Human man was walking next to me once again, no longer as riled up as he was before.

“I will help you, but we just have to do this first.”

“Do what?”

I cocked my head.

“We need to go to the Adventurers Guild. It’ll take a minute, but we need to tell them about what you know.”

I looked at him dubiously, but acquiesced.

“Then let’s hurry up and do it then. As long as we don’t have to go to five different places for the rest of the day to achieve nothing, I don’t really care.”

He nodded and we changed course. We started heading back to the Adventurers Guild, turning corners and going down streets until we were back where we started in the morning. However, instead of just entering it like we did then, we stopped right outside.

“What’s going on?”

There was a crowd gathered in front of the Adventurers Guild. A tall man turned, noticing us as we approached.

“Oh look who’s back— It’s Daniel and the bitch who hit me in the balls and ran.”

I frowned, readying myself to hit the man again. But Daniel quickly stopped me.

“What’s going on, Blake? Why’s everyone out here.”

“That’s what you get for fleeing like a coward this morning, Dan. You missed out on your chance to earn some recognition for yourself.”

Blake laughed, then stopped. He placed a hand on his chin as if in thought.

“Although… if you were there, you would’ve made a fool out of yourself. And that would’ve been hilarious to see.”

“What scene? What are you talking about?”

Daniel raised an eyebrow as Blake slowly responded.

“The stupid Demon that has been attacking small villages and travelers around Falisfield? Yeah, it’s dead. Or at least, it’s going to be dead. It attacked Maplewell— just a few miles east of here. And unfortunately for it, Hazelbury got the news as soon as it happened. A Gold Ranked team left a bit ago to exterminate it.”

21. Ashes. Lots of Ashes.

“But why must we go to Maplewell?”

Daniel protested, following behind me. I did not turn around as I continued my march down the dirt path.

“Because he’s there. And if what Blake says is true and this ‘Gold Ranked team’ is going to kill him, then we have to stop them.”

“He? Do you mean the Greater Demon? Luc— Luci—”

“Lucerna.”

I stopped as the road split into two. I glanced back at the Human man as he too halted.

“Which way is this ‘Maplewell’?”

“I don’t know. And I don’t want to go there. What happens if the Gold Ranked team finds out you’re a Demon too? They’ll think you’re trying to aid it— him.”

He paused, narrowing his eyes.

“Wait, are you trying to help that Demon?”

“No! I don’t even like Lucerna. He tried to kill me and I couldn’t kill him.”

“Then why do you want to save him? Let the Gold Ranked team take care of him— it’s a win-win situation for us all!”

I stared at Daniel, trying to articulate my thoughts. It was not that I wanted Lucerna to live; he was a menace, and he should have died to the [Cultists]. But he was strong and he killed them all instead. Just like he would have killed me if I hadn’t fled in time. And yet...

 “He’s the only one who knows how to get me back to the Netherworld. You— you Humans haven’t been any help at all. But Lucerna was the one who brought me here in the first place. He would know how to bring me back.”

“And you think he’ll just tell you?”

“He won’t, but we can make him if the Gold Ranked team defeats him. Then you guys can kill him for killing all your Human companions in Silverdale and Fairgrove!”

“It’s Silvergrove and Fairdale… are you doing that on purpose?

I shook my head, ignoring his question; I cast my gaze back to the forked path. It was getting dark again. We had spent too much time asking questions in the city about the Demon attack— again. I was starting to see a pattern here, and I was not sure if I liked it.

In the far left, above the vast canopy of trees that stretched to the horizon, I spotted a speck in the twilight sky. Billowing up to the white clouds above was a column of smoke; it blew strongly with the wind, slowly being carried higher and higher. I pointed at it.

“There—  that’s smoke!”

Daniel grimaced as I excitedly ran back to him.

“That means that’s where Maplewell is. Lucerna uses smoke!”

I tried to wave him forward, gesturing for him to hurry up as he simply stood there.

“What are you doing? If we don’t hurry it up, we’re not going to make it there in time!”

The Human man hesitated, biting his lower lip. I cocked my head, confused at the way he was acting.

“I…”

He started, then stopped. I frowned.

“What? What do you want to say?”

He sighed, glancing away from the smoke and down at me.

“I don’t think that’s smoke from magic, Salvos. And I don’t think we’ll be getting the answer you want anytime soon.”

... seriously? Am I going to have to wait longer again?!

—--

We arrived at Maplewell to find it a pile of ashes. Well, the pile was specifically concentrated around the center of what once was a village. The rest of the ruined village had a small layer over it though.

“What kind of a spell did that?”

Daniel spoke, voice quivering as he pointed at the pile of ash. It rose up to my waist so it was not as high as a hill, but it was spread so wide that it was thinned out.

“Lucerna must have done that. He had a Skill that could create these big balls of ash that burnt my skin off!”

“But could it do this?”

I looked at the destruction— at the burning houses and trees all throughout. I shook my head.

“I don’t think he could have created all that ash. At least, not when we met. And I don’t think he was able to create fire too.”

Daniel glanced around, gritting his teeth.

“We need to search for survivors. There has to be someone who survived this attack.”

He started forward, covering his mouth as he stalked through the flames and smoke. I followed behind him, mimicking what he was doing, although I was unsure of what it was for.

We trudged between burnt and burning buildings, leaving a trail of footprints in the ashened floor; the fire was not raging wildly, but it tried to consume whatever it could before it would extinguish itself. Whatever Skill or magic Lucerna used to cause these flames was not a powerful one— it just so happened that no one could stop them from spreading, which made the situation what it was.

I took this all in, noting how different a place of Humans could become after a battle occurred in it; I had never seen a village before, but I had an idea based on the city.

Daniel stopped abruptly and I nearly bumped into him. I caught myself just in time and peered over his shoulder.

“What’s wrong?”

The Human man ignored me, instead choosing to bend over to the ground. He leaned over to a body on the ground, touching it slowly.

“Is he alive?”

He didn’t respond. He closed his eyes, muttering something under his breath. Then he got up and continued past the body. I glanced one last time at the body— at the small body that was flanked on both sides by two bigger bodies— and decided that I should do something as well. So I nodded at them as I would to a companion, before catching up to Daniel.

“I found someone.”

The Human man called out to me just as I reached him. He was holding a red haired woman wearing robes in his arms carefully. I identified her as he grabbed for a bottle around his belt.

[Mage - Lvl. 45]

She’s high level! I noted as he held it over her, uncorking the bottle. He poured a familiar red liquid down on her drip by drip, stopping only when she began to release a series of sharp exhales.

Her coughing died down, but she didn’t get up. He slowly laid her against the side of an intact wall. He turned to me.

“I can’t use all of my healing potion on her or I’ll run out. I’ll look for more survivors, so just wait here and watch over her.”

“Ok!”

I waved at him as he left, trying out one Human gesture I had observed while in Hazelbury. I thought I did it right— but if I did, he would have waved back. I glanced down at my hand and frowned. Do I have to do it like this? Or like this? I wiggled my hand in different ways as I waited for Daniel to return.

More time passed as the moon fully asserted itself into the sky. I watched the lingering flames around me slowly snuff out, leaving nothing but the light from up above to illuminate my surroundings. I had gotten bored of waving my hand a while ago, and was now in the process of trying to figure out how to make my fingers create that snapping sound someone in the Adventurers Guild made. All I got was a clicking sound from my claws knocking into each other.

I looked up from this arduous task as I heard a groan. The woman in robes was sitting up and rubbing her face.

“...where am I?”

“Hello!”

I greeted her enthusiastically, glad that I could finally direct my attention at something else. She jerked back, caught off guard by me.

“Wha— what’s going on? Who are you?”

“Daniel found you lying by that pile of bodies there, so he helped you get better before leaving me to look after you. I’m Salvos! ”

I pointed at the corpses strewn about where she had once been as she slowly turned. She blinked a few times as her mouth hung her open. Then she jumped up, knocking ash into the air.

“That [Djinn]!  Where is it? What happened?!”

She glanced around frantically, reaching for something at her side but found nothing.

“Where’s my team?!”

“Your team?”

I cocked my head inquisitively. She sputtered, pointing at herself.

“My team— Paul, Eloy, Silvia! Where are they?!”

“They’re dead..”

I whirled around, seeing Daniel walk over with a somber look on his face. He bowed his head slightly.

“I’m sorry. But your team was killed by the Greater Demon attacking this town. There are no other survivors but you.”

Her eyes widened as she took a step back. She looked like she wanted to deny it— to call Daniel a liar. But she stopped. She spoke softly as she nodded.

“I see...”

Daniel averted his gaze from the woman.

“I’m sorry, but there was nothing I could do. Maybe if Salvos and I had come an hour earlier… but no. The [Djinn] was long gone when we arrived.”

The woman took a deep breath, shaking her head.

“Right, I heard you the first time. Both your explanation and your apology.”

He clenched his fists as the woman looked down at the ground, a dark shadow arched darkly over eyes. I glanced between the two before pointing at Daniel.

“You did! I heard you both times too!”

The two glanced back at me as I cocked my head.

“What?”

—--

“Is this your staff?”

“Yes— thank you. At least something survived the battle.”

We were taking shelter in one of the less damaged houses in the village. It was late, and Daniel and the woman decided we should only head back to Hazelbury in the morning. They were now huddled around a fire I helped create as only the crackling flames filled the deathly silence that hung over them after her comment.

Daniel said nothing, choosing only to poke the fire with a piece of wood. I watched as it began to burn up before he threw it in where the rest of the wood lay.

“You know, I can always just create more fire.”

I pointed out, but he did not respond. I watched him quietly sit there while the woman drew her knees in with a sigh.

“...we weren’t even supposed to be here.”

She whispered, her voice cracking with the flames.

“Our company sent us here— to Falisdale— because we heard the Iron Champions had found a Dungeon. They were trying to keep it to themselves as they always do, and we heard rumors that the monsters in there were at least Level 50. We just had to investigate whether this was true, nothing else.

“It was a simple mission. A safe mission. It was not even an adventuring job. But they assigned it to me because I had just become a Gold Rank, and they wanted me to just get used to being one. Most Silvers who are promoted to Gold act recklessly because they usually just completed a Class advancement. They think they can take on any threat, and they pay for it. I wasn’t going to be one of them— or at least, that was what I thought.

“I’m a [Summoner]. I had gone through dozens of contracts in the past with many different Spirits. But I finally got one that stuck— one that helped me reach Level 40. And then I met my team. They were always there for me. I had only known them for a few months, but I thought this was the start of something new. I thought we could overcome anything together. So when I heard about this Demon attacking small villages— I thought… I insisted…”

Daniel reached out and patted her on the shoulder as she sniffed.

“It’s not your fault.”

She looked up at him, learning forward, her face now illuminated by the firelight. I blinked as I saw drops of water streaming down from her eyes to the side of her cheeks. She was… crying? I didn’t understand it at all.

“Why are you crying?”

Her gaze snapped in my direction.

“Why am I crying? My friends are dead. My Spirits are all dead. And that Demon is still on the loose. Why would I not be crying?!”

Daniel held out a hand as she glared at me.

“Calm down. Salvos didn’t mean anything by asking you that. She’s just... eccentric.”

“Hey! I am not eccentric.”

My comment seemed to not have been heard by him as he continued talking to the woman.

“Look, Miss—”

“Edithe.”

She glanced up at him, finally turning away from me. He nodded.

“Edithe then. I know you’re feeling a lot of things right now, but please don’t direct your anger towards her. Please.”

“Fine.”

She leaned back, looking up past the half collapsed ceiling and at the night’s sky.

“But I’m not angry.”

Daniel just looked at her, waiting for her to continue.

“I’m not just angry. I’m furious. I feel every single part of my soul raging against that [Djinn] that killed my friends. He was only Level 50, and yet he killed us all.”

Level 50? I thought, cocking my head. That’s not right.

“If I were just angry, I would get over it in a few hours or a day.  No—  I’m not angry. I want revenge. I will not stop until that fucking is Demon bent over by my feet, dying, and begging for mercy. And then I’ll watch as it chokes and drowns in its own blood while it fucking bleeds to death.”

There was a brief lull in the conversation, so I saw my chance to speak.

“But Lucerna’s only Level—”

Daniel spoke over me.

“You want revenge, I know. And you can get it in the future. For now, we should just sleep. It’s getting late, and I want us to leave as soon as possible tomorrow.”

I glanced at Daniel, taken aback. Why did he interrupt me? In fact, I didn’t think he acknowledged a single thing I had said since we came to this shelter. I was about to point that out, but then I realized something.

They were making it a point to ignore me! I wasn’t entirely sure why; it almost seemed like they were… annoyed at me? I had gotten annoyed before— I was annoyed at Daniel for not bringing me back to the Netherworld as he said he would— but I never considered that he could be annoyed at me.

But why? What did I do? I tried to reflect on my actions— narrow down which part of our interaction resulted in both the Humans getting annoyed with me. At first, I thought it was because I was asking too many questions. Daniel didn’t like that from what I remembered. He kept telling me to stop that.

Then I thought about it a moment longer, and I realized they weren’t exactly upset with me in the first place. They had already been upset before that, but I didn’t care for it. I didn’t… acknowledge the way they were feeling. But what was I even supposed to do in that situation?

I paused, and I remembered someone else. My companion, Haec, had recounted his time with the others once. He was… sad about the deaths of his original Demon companions. And I didn’t like seeing him sad, so I tried to reassure him.

Was that what I was supposed to be doing here? I glanced up at Daniel, and realized that that was what he had been trying to do all along. What I had been saying didn’t help, so he had been getting annoyed with me because of that. And Edithe might have been getting annoyed with me because I was interrupting Daniel’s attempts to reassure her. That’s it!

I clicked my claws together as the two Humans finished their conversation.

“...but with all the bodies, monsters will surely come wandering to the village. I’m not sure if I can sleep easy knowing that— if I could even sleep at all.”

“You’re right, one of us needs to keep watch.”

“I can do it!”

I jumped between Daniel and Edithe, staring at the woman then the man.

“I can keep watch.”

The Human woman folded her arms, meeting my gaze with her hazel-green eyes.

“All night? Are you being serious right now? Why should I trust you won’t fall asleep while keeping watch?”

I felt myself grinning as Daniel opened his mouth. He reached for me.

“Salvos—”  

I ignored him and threw my hood back. I jerked a thumb at myself.

“I won’t fall asleep because I don't need sleep. I’m not Human, after all. See?”

Edithe screamed and swung her staff at me.

…

I dodged, of course.

22. Recognition

I stared at the fire I held in my hands as it moved. I was manipulating it— shaping it to become what I wanted it to be. The small ball of fire— like a pebble in my hand— shifted. It grew in size as I poured mana into it, feeling it drain from my body like blood flowing out from a large wound.

The magical flames first turned into a spike, then into a dagger. I narrowed my eyes as I reached the limits of what I could do with it. I tried to shape it into a blade— one as long as Daniel’s— but I couldn’t. It would not not accept the mana. Or at least, [Basic Fire Creation] wouldn’t.

So I relaxed; I dismissed the Skill as I tried to maintain the form of the fire weapon I had created. It wiggled at first, losing the stability the Skill gave it. But I knew what the feeling was like— I knew how to keep it from snuffing out in my hands. Then I slowly ran a clawed finger through it.

The tip of my claw dragged across the fire dagger, finally reaching its edge before I pulled my finger away. I watched as the tip of the weapon extended with increasing volatility. I tugged at the strings of mana, manipulating it to remain a solid. I wasn’t sure if it would work, but I tried.

And the magically created weapon grew longer and longer, increasing in length until it was about half the size I wanted it to be. I stopped— not because I wanted to— but because my entire body was quivering; I was concentrating only on the spell and nothing else. If I even could stabilize it— I probably wouldn’t have been able to swing it around. But perhaps if I did this, I could level a Skill. Or perhaps I could learn a new Skill—

There was a shriek,  and I jerked.

I lost control of the magic holding it together; the short blade of fire plumed out and up, lighting up my surroundings very briefly as it blazed through the air. Then it vanished.

I sighed as I turned to the source of the noise. A large, dark creature came falling from the sky. It nearly crashed into the earth, only spreading its wings open just in time to slow its landing. I stood up, readying for an attack.

The monster turned its crimson eyes to me, still a dozen paces away next to a broken down house. I cocked my head as he bared his sharp fangs, hunching over to reveal thin, long nails on either side of his wings.

[Vurat - Lvl. 16]

“Well?”

I asked him curiously, waiting to see what he would do. Slowly, he turned away from me, before abruptly grabbing a body off the ground and flying away.

“Huh.”

I had nothing else to comment about that. I wasn’t sure why he was grabbing the bodies at first, but then I remembered Daniel. He had been eating pieces of dead animals to fill himself with energy, or something. That was probably what the [Vurat] was doing— feeding.

That’s creepy, I thought, grimacing. Eating is creepy. And weird!

Later that night, more [Vurats] came, claiming the bodies of the dead strewn about the village. But none attacked me. So I didn’t attack them either.

—--

The two Humans emerged from the half collapsed house when the sun rose, bringing with it the brightness of day and an upset looking Edithe. The woman held her staff up warily when she saw me, but did not take a swing at me. Why would she? I had nearly clawed her face off when she tried it last night.

The only thing that stopped me from killing her for trying to attack me multiple times was Daniel, who convinced me that she wasn’t trying to kill me. She was shaken— or something. She had just fought Lucerna, so she might have known where he went. More than that too, she could help us defeat him if we did track him down. I needed to find him so he could tell me how to go back to the Netherworld since Daniel and the other Humans weren't able to help me anyway.

So our group of three started out of the destroyed village, heading back down the road to Hazelbury. We walked in silence for a bit as I stared around at the forest coming alive with the morning. A small, green bird with a red stripe on its head flitted down from a tree at me. I cocked my head, lifting a hand out to touch him, but he turned and flew away.

“Aw. I was just trying to say hi.”

I glanced back ahead, seeing Edithe trudging ahead as she occasionally opened her mouth and to take a deep breath.

“Sorry about last night.”

 Daniel slowed down, walking beside me.I  blinked, facing him as he averted his gaze slightly and spoke softly.

“Last… night?”

“About what happened with you and Edithe. I know she tried to attack you even though you were trying to help us— but that’s because you’re… a Demon, you know?”

I frowned, looking up at him.

“No, I don’t know. What do you mean?”

“I mean, you don’t really understand how… social interactions work, right?

I shrugged.

“I am curious about it, but I don’t care if I can’t understand it. It’s not like I’ll need to know it once I leave the Mortal Realm.”

“I know, it’s just…”

He hesitated, trying to think of what to say. He gave up eventually, and just muttered under his breath.

“I guess I shouldn’t have discriminated against you just because you’re a Demon.”

I wasn’t sure what that meant, but I accepted it. We continued walking for a bit as the sun creeped higher up into the sky. Then I had a thought.

“Why must we go back to Hazelbury? Aren’t we trying to find where Lucerna went?”

“If we track him down now, I don’t think we’d be able to win. Especially since Edithe would barely be able to help us without any summons— she says she knows some spells, but nothing that would be able to harm a Level 50 Greater Demon.”

I paused, considering this. Then I gave him a blank look.

“A summon?”

“Spirits.”

“Oh— like Sakura?”

“Yes. [Summoners] are a type of [Mage] that forms a contract with Spirits to fight for them. Since Spirits, like Demons, are naturally stronger than similar leveled monsters in the Mortal Realm, they would be able to fight enemies 10 levels above them and gain more experience from it. Because of this, most Spirits pair with [Summoners] higher leveled than them, to split the experience they gain from fighting together against stronger enemies.”

I raised a brow.

“Why should a [Summoner] gain any experience if it’s just the Spirits fighting for them?”

“Because [Summoners] have Skills that boost the fighting abilities of their summons. It’s a symbiotic relationship— both sides win from this arrangement.”

“What does a Spirit gain from this? I don’t understand.”

He shrugged, giving a noncommittal answer.

“They’re also given a small amount of mana each day. I don’t really know what they do with it, but it’s similar to Demon summonings, I guess?”

Edithe, who had been walking up ahead the entire time, suddenly whirled around. She snapped at Daniel, pointing a finger at him.

“A Spirit summoning is nothing like a Demon summoning.”

The Human man was taken aback. He raised a hand placatingly at her.

“That’s not what I meant—”

“Yes it is! Comparing our sacred rituals for Spirits who have fought alongside us for thousands of years with a sacrificial Demon summoning? It is nothing alike! What is wrong with you?!”

The woman accused him, her anger visible on her face. Then she directed her fury to me.

“And look at it! How could you be so friendly with that— that— thing! To even get here, it must have eaten a person just to feed its appetite! How can you be so vile to associate yourself with it.”

“Look, I just told her I would help her. She wants to get back to the Netherworld and…”

Daniel backed up, sputtering, unsure of what to say. But I folded my arms.

“I did not eat anyone to get here. That’s disgusting! I would never do that!”

She spoke simply, giving me a glare.

“You would and you did. That’s what all Demons are like.  All of you are the same evil creatures that only kill and destroy.”

I narrowed my eyes, looking at her with defiance.

“I am not  a  Demon. I am Salvos.”

“I don’t care what your name is. To me, you’re just another monster—”

An arrow landed on the ground between us, and I lowered my claws. I blinked, staring at the projectile as it shone.

“What’s that—”

“Salvos, no—”  

And it exploded.

23. Unwarranted Attack

“Good shot, Joe.”

“My name’s not Joe, boss. It’s Nazzareno.”

“I’m not pronouncing that, so you’re Joe to me.”

The Level 25 [Archer] sighed, lowering his bow as the Level 31 [Warrior] heaved a maul off his back.

“The [Mage] was able to set up a barrier in time, but you did get her. Although it seems the other two weren’t as close to the blast radius and survived.”

“It’s only a Low Grade Explosive Bolt, boss. It wouldn't have killed anyone who wasn’t standing right on it. Especially not a Level 45 [Mage].”

The man called ‘boss’ turned to another Human behind him. There were a dozen other Humans standing there, but this one was by far the largest.

“Well, all we have to do now is finish them off. Hebert— use your [Draw Attention] on the [Mage], get her to attack you while we take care of the two others. The [Rogue] might be a problem, but the [Warrior] is weak. He’ll probably try to run away once he sees us and our levels.”

“You sure, boss? She’s more than 15 levels higher than me—”

“Don’t sweat it. You just have to use it at the beginning of the battle. It’s not like it lasts longer than a couple of moments anyways. Once we kill them all, we’ll have lots of good, expensive loot to share and I’ll make sure you...”

“Wait boss!”

The [Archer] called out, pointing at the small crater where the dust of smoke had just cleared from.

“The [Rogue]— she’s gone!”

“Huh—”

  [Fire Strike]!

I lashed out at the boss with a fire dagger, aiming for his chest. The Human man recoiled, trying to swing at me, but he was too slow. The blade plunged into body, drawing blood as he tried to back up. I clawed at his face, ducking under the maul as it swung over my head. He roared as he tried to grab me, but I grinned.

[Double Step].

I nimbly slipped away from his reach, putting a large gap between me and the group that had attacked us. I had waited just long enough for the Skill to make itself available for us again, before I attacked them. After all, I used it the moment Daniel gave me the warning.

The boss backed up, clutching at his wound as he grabbed for something at his belt. I knew what it was— I had made the mistake before to let it happen, so I was prepared for it this time. I flicked my wrist as the other Humans tried to gather in front of him. The dagger darted between all of them and plunged into the head of the boss as he uncorked the vial.

Defeated [Maulwielder Warrior - Lvl. 31]!

Experience is awarded for defeating an enemy!

He dropped, dead. I grinned, creating another two fire daggers as the group approached me.

“You— you killed him!”

The [Archer] pointed out the obvious. He pulled an arrow out of his quiver, nocking it onto his bow. The group charged as he aimed at me—

And a bolt of lightning struck Nazzareno before he could loose it. Edithe raised her staff and shouted as Daniel ran up behind her.

“Bandits! Damn brigands, trying to capitalize on the destruction of a village? Have you no shame?!”

Her fingers sparkled with electricity as she sent a smaller bolt of lightning at the group. A [Mage] raised a small stick— a wand— and aimed in the direction of the oncoming attack.

“[Rock Wall]!”

The spell met the barrier Skill and was dispersed to its surroundings. Edithe clicked her tongue as Daniel charged ahead, running up to help me. I whirled around as a woman quickly approached me, holding a dagger in each hand.

She slashed at me with her first blade as I backed up. I swung at her as she lifted her other blade.

“[Double Stab]!”

The blade blurred as I parried the first swing, but a second hit nicked me on the shoulder. I growled, headbutting her away from me. She was fast, but not nearly as fast as me. And she was weaker than me too. I was about to follow up with another attack, but suddenly I felt compelled to turn my attention away from her.”

“[Draw Attention]. Come at me!”

I ran away from the [Rogue], heading straight at another [Warrior] as he held up a huge shield and a short sword. I dodged and ducked under the swings of the other bandits, countering them as quickly as I could. Something made me run towards the [Warrior], but I realized that I didn’t have to attack him.

I reached him eventually, running past the [Mage] and an [Archer] embroiled in a long ranged battle with Edithe. Daniel clashed into the bandits behind me as I struck at the [Warrior]. He blocked the attack with his shield. He pulled the large object back.

“[Shield blow]!”

He swung it at me as I ran stupidly at it. I went flying back, rolling on the ground. I was still lying on the ground when the [Rogue] reached me. She stabbed for my face as my body wanted to run at the [Warrior], but I grabbed her hand mid strike.

My claws dug deep into her wrists as she screamed, dropping the first blade. I pulled her with me as I ran at the [Warrior]. I threw her at him and his eyes widened. He lifted his shield.

“Jess—”

I slid under his defenses, sweeping him off his feet as he pushed the [Rogue] away. The man fell to the ground as I followed up with a [Fire Strike], aiming at his unprotected face. He yelled in pain as my claws dug into one of his eyes, half-blinding him. And as that happened, I felt his Skill’s effects wear off.

The [Rogue] tried picking herself up, but I kicked her back to the ground. She fell forward, landing flat on her face before I nailed it to the ground with a fire dagger.

Defeated [Rogue - Lvl. 27]!

Experience is awarded for—

I ignored the words as even more popped up in my head from Daniel fighting three of the bandits at once. He jabbed one of them on the chest with a [Quick Strike], knocking her back, before swinging at the other two.

“[Crescent Blade].”

His sword went down at the legs of the first, before slicing upwards at the chest of the other. The first fell to the ground, reeling from the attack, but the second managed to parry it. He fell a moment later as Daniel stabbed him through the chest.

I glanced back at the [Warrior] with the shield as he tried to pick himself up. He shook his head, reaching for his short sword before I leapt onto him. The man yelped, trying to push me off him. My claws dug on firmly into his skin as I bit at his face.

He screamed, now missing an ear and an eye. And in that moment his mouth went wide, I jammed a fire spike into his throat. He limply stopped struggling as I heard another sound in my head in addition to defeating him.

Subspecies [Zelus Imp] Level Up!

[Zelus Imp – Lvl. 23] -> [Zelus Imp – Lvl. 24]

Gained 5 Stat Points and 3 Skill Points!

I distributed the points as I usually did. Then I quickly got up and ran to help Daniel. He finished off another bandit, but was getting overwhelmed by three more as they surrounded him. He hesitated, holding up his blade as if about to use a Skill. But I charged in, pointing at the two closest to me.

“[Fire Blast]!”

One was knocked back by the Skill, while the other shouted his own.

“[Steady Stance].”

I jumped on him as he stood there, extending both my legs out as flames appeared on my toes. He took the brunt of the hit head on, but groaned in pain from the hit. He tried to swing at me, but the blade glanced off my cloak as I spun around. It ignited into flames, causing him to stumble and fall to his feet by himself.

I threw two fire spikes at him and finished him off with a [Fire Strike]. I turned to Daniel, seeing him finish off the two he was fighting. These members of the group had been slightly lower leveled than us, only reaching the low-to-mid 20s. So I was dissatisfied with the experience they gave me.

I looked up, seeing the last man getting up. He looked between me and Daniel standing over the bodies of his dead companions, mouth agape. He turned to run. I rushed after him.

“Wait, Salvos— we need to help Edithe!”

My claws dug through the back of the last man as I tore into his body. Daniel pulled back, turning and dashing to help the Human woman as she was overwhelmed by the remaining three bandits.

I picked myself up, seeing Edithe finish off a [Mage], before being struck by an arrow from an [Archer]. Another [Mage] conjured a ball of fire and hurled it at her.

“[Fireball]!”

“[Ice Shield]—”

 It exploded on the barrier, sending shards of ice flying in all directions. Edithe staggered back, hurt and tired from the fighting. She had no summons— no Spirits— to help her. She could only rely on her magic, and she was injured from the initial Explosive Bolt.

I ran past Daniel, feeling my pace pick up. [Double Step]. The Skill could be used again, letting me reach the [Mage] just in time as he created another ball of fire.

“Wha—”

I flicked a small ball of fire at his face just before he sent it, causing it to shoot off to the side. I ignored him as he stumbled forward, grasping at the small burn mark on his face. The [Archer] fired an arrow at me, but I knocked it off the air with my claws. She reached for a dagger at her belt and I jabbed a clawed finger at her abdomen.

She doubled over, dropping the blade as I stood over her. I picked up the dagger and she looked up.

“No, please—”

The weapon lodged itself halfway through her neck as she sputtered. I did not bother pushing it through the rest of the way. I whirled around, dodging the flaming arrow as it whizzed past me. The [Mage] screamed as he hurled more projectiles as I ran at him.

I did not use any Skills. I did not use any magic. I was drained. But I was faster than him— I was stronger than him. He couldn’t do anything once I reached him, and he collapsed too. The last of the words rang in my head before I got up off the body.

Defeated [Fire Mage - Lvl. 26]!

Less experience is awarded for defeating an enemy with the help of others!

Defeated [Archer - Lvl. 29]!

Less experience is awarded for defeating an enemy with the help of others!

Subspecies [Zelus Imp] Level Up!

[Zelus Imp – Lvl. 24] -> [Zelus Imp – Lvl. 25]

Gained 5 Stat Points and 3 Skill Points!

Daniel slowed down, seeing that we had won. He glanced at the dead bandit bodies strewn all around us. There had been a dozen of them, and I had gotten experience for killing them all. Even if some gave less than others because I had only slightly hurt them— I still got enough to level twice.

I looked down at my exhausted and injured body, then up at Edithe. She was wounded— burned and cut all around her. Daniel was in better shape, but he was hurt too.

“That was…”

He trailed off, grimacing at the sight of the corpses. I ignored them, walking up to Edithe as she coughed. She looked up at me.

“I… you saved me—”

I punched her between the legs. The Human woman fell over, but did not scream in pain like Daniel or Blake had. I frowned, unsure why that was. Maybe it’s because I’m tired . I shook my head as she cursed.

“What the fuck is wrong with you, you Demon? What was that for?!”

I ignored her, kicking her on the stomach. She screamed as Daniel ran up to me.

“What—”

“I am Salvos . Not Lucerna, not Haec, and especially not one of those stupid, wild  Demons.”

I pointed over at the bodies of the bandits and pointed at them.

“Do you see this? These people that tried to attack us? They were Humans. They were like you. They were like him.”

I glanced over at Daniel as Edithe stars, aghast at what I was doing.

“Every single Human I have met has attacked me or run from me so far. You, Daniel, these bandits, those people in Silverflower — but I do not treat you all the same. I do not approach every Human as though they would attack me. Because I recognize that you aren’t’ like a wild Demon.”

I eyed Daniel who averted his gaze, muttering ‘it’s not Silverflower ’ under his breath, then looked back down at Edithe.

“If you want to treat me like some sort of object so much— like a rock among a pile of rocks— then I will do the same to you.”

I leaned over her, bringing my claws dangerously close to her face as I grabbed her by neck.

“I will use you to level. I will use you to evolve. I will kill you. I don’t care what your name is, I don’t care what you are. That’s what I will do— if I were a wild Demon.”

I pulled back, letting her go and fall back to the ground. She rubbed at her neck, staring up at me.

“...what are you saying?”

Her voice still held some of the hostility from before, but none of the strength behind it anymore.

“I’m saying that I am Salvos. I am not a Demon. I am not a monster. I am not an evil creature. So start treating me as me. Otherwise—”

I pointed a clawed finger at her, then balled it into a fist.

“I will make you.”

Daniel stared at me as I made my declaration, and Edithe slowly nodded. I did not care that it was a begrudging one— I got what I wanted. So I glanced between the two Humans, satisfied. I folded my arms.

“Good. Now let’s go to Hazelbury and get you your Spirits, find Lucerna and kill him together, then get me back to the Netherworld so we’re all happy.”

24. Divvying Loot

Salvos

Species: [Lesser Demon]

Subspecies: [Zelus Imp] - Lvl. 25

General Skills:

[Basic Mana Manipulation] - Lvl. 5

[Identification] - Lvl. 4

[Racial Skill: Universal Language Comprehension] - Lvl. 1

[Rest] - Lvl. 2

Stats:

[Available Stat Points: 5]

[Vitality]: 21

[Strength]: 16

[Endurance]: 34

[Wisdom]: 41

[Agility]: 52

Skills:

[Available Skill Points: 5]

[Basic Fire Creation] - Lvl. 15

[Double Step] - Lvl. 10 (Maxed)

[Fire Strike] - Lvl. 10 (Maxed)

[Fire Blast] - Lvl. 11

[Flame Coat] - Lvl. 3

[Passive - General Tool Proficiency] - Lvl. 3

[Unused Skill Slot] x1

I evaluated my Status, having leveled up twice in the last battle; we had been attacked by a lot of bandits— as Edithe and Daniel called them— most of whom I managed to land a hit on before they were taken out by me or the two Humans with me. And it was not like these bandits were low leveled either.

Most of them had been in the low 20’s, with some being in the upper 20’s or even low 30’s. Furthermore, I had probably been close to another level up before the fight even began, since I had been gaining experience from training my General Skills in the lull of action since I went to Hazelbury.

Previously, I had decided to distribute my Stat Points in a way that allowed my [Wisdom] and [Endurance] to catch up with my [Agility]. However, now that they had closed the gap a little, I felt it was time to change which Stats I would raise.

First of all, I would increase the amount of Stat Points I spent on [Agility] from 1 to 2. I did not like how that [Rogue] had kept up with me in terms of speed, even if she had been distinctly weaker than me in other areas. If I could get hurt by a single [Rogue] in a fight, then I worried about what a group of [Rogues] could do to me. Perhaps she had been focusing mostly on raising her [Agility]— hence why she was rather weak— but I still didn’t like the idea of facing many of her at once.

Then I looked at myself. I had barely taken any hits in that fight, but I was still injured all over. My body felt broken, and it probably would have been more broken if I hadn’t taken out the Level 31 [Warrior] before the battle started. So I raised my [Vitality] by 2.

Finally, I used my last Stat Point on [Strength]. I didn’t have much of a reason for it— it just seemed like it was being neglected so I gave it a pity point.

With that settled, I moved on to my Skill Points. I split 3 Skill Points evenly between [Basic Fire Creation], [Fire Blast], and [Flame Coat]. Then that was done too.

…

“Are you guys done? What’s taking so long?”

I called out, looking at the Edithe and Daniel as the two were bent over the bodies of the bandits. I had taken my time to make my decisions, but they still were not finished! The Human man glanced up, grimacing as he tossed aside a bloodied pouch.

“Not yet. We still have a few more bodies to look through!”

“What’s taking so long? I’ve already spent all my Skill and Stat Points! And I’m also all healed up— see?”

“Well, maybe if you help us, we’d be done quicker.”

He retorted, before going back to what he was doing. The two Humans were rummaging through the corpses, trying to find… something? I wasn’t entirely sure.

They tried to explain it to me— that they could find loot off the bodies? And if they could find any proof of their bandit group, they could possibly claim a bounty too?

Sighing, I got up and walked up to Daniel as he rummaged through the bag of the [Maulwielder Warrior]. He lowered the sack, pulling out a glinting object from it as he held it up to the sky.

“A platinum coin, huh? These guys were rich.”

“Of course they were.”

Edithe shook her head, leaving the body of the [Mage] I had killed. She had a book under her arms as she pocketed a bracelet into her robes.

“These guys were the lowest of the lows. They were probably planning on looting what was left of Maplewell, as well as killing and robbing from the bodies of any survivors they can find. I wouldn’t be surprised if they were following the path of destruction that evil Demon left behind just to prey on easy targets.”

She hesitated, casting a glance at me.

“Uh, no offense. I didn’t mean that a-all Demons were evil…”

“I don’t care.”

I shrugged simply.

“As long as you recognize that I’m Salvos and not just a Demon, I don’t care what you think about the others.

“R-right.”

The Human woman turned to loot another body as Daniel picked up the maul lying at his feet, frowning as he inspected it.

“Hm, this is a Low Grade Weapon. I think it can sell for quite a bit… actually, is there anything you want from these bandits, Salvos?”

He turned to me, raising an eyebrow. I paused, looking over the items strewn across between the corpses.

“I don’t know. Are there any Medium Grade Weapons here?”

“Nope, sorry. Best thing here is this maul, that wand Edithe found, and these three arrows that were on the archer. All of them are Low Grade.”

I eyed the maul he was carrying with a single hand. I reached to grab it.

“You’re right! Why haven’t I gotten anything— urk... what is this?”

The Human man let go of the maul as I held it with both hands. Immediately, I almost felt my hands give way to it. I barely held it up over my chest, using all of my strength just to swing it once.

“This is heavy!”

“Ah, right.”

He scratched the back of his head.

“Seems like it’s got a weight enchantment on it without any of the countervailing enchantments to make it lighter. That’s probably why it’s Low Grade and not Medium Grade. I bet it can hit as hard as any Medium Grade maul, but it’s not anywhere near as easy to use.”

“How did you hold  it so easily?”

He hesitated, biting his lower lip.

“Uh, I’m strong I guess?”

“Huh.”

I stared at Daniel for a moment, before shoving the maul back to his chest.

“Take it, I don’t want it. It’s heavy! Is there anything lighter for me to keep?”

“Uh, right.”

He glanced around, unsure.

“I didn’t know you wanted to keep something for yourself.  I thought Demons — I mean, you said nothing so far. And you owned basically nothing before I met you. If I had known, I would’ve kept an eye out for anything you might want.”

“I don’t know either. I just thought I should get something since you guys are taking things for yourself.”

I paused, remembering something.

“And Lucerna owned lots of things! So I guess I should too?”

I spoke with uncertainty; I had no idea if I even wanted anything from these bandits. There were shiny objects, weirdly shaped items, and other such trinkets. But none of them interested me beyond a cursory glance. They were almost like… rocks. I just had no use for any of them.

I took the three arrows Daniel offered me.

“I’ll take these for now— just so I can have something too!”

The Human man nodded.

“Alright then. Are we ready to go?”

He turned to Edithe. The Human woman walked up to us and nodded.

“Yeah. Let’s return to Hazelbury.”

“Let’s go!”

I excitedly spoke out, pumping a hand in the air. I marched forward as the two exchanged a glance. Daniel sighed.

“Uh, Salvos, that’s not the direction to Hazelbury. That’s where we came from. Hazelbury is this way.”

I blinked.

“Oh, that’s where I meant to go... don’t look at me like that!”

—--

It was evening by the time we returned to the Human city. The sun was setting over the horizon, bringing with it the brief crimson twilight that almost reminded me of the Netherworld. It wasn’t exactly the same sight, but I thought it was close enough. Maybe if I ran towards the sun during dusk or dawn, I would somehow find myself back there!

I made the suggestion to Daniel, and he nearly called me stupid. He quickly cut himself off— something which I noticed he did when speaking to me— instead making a more benign comment about my curiosity. I wondered why he did that, but did not press the issue.

I started for the Sanctuary of Fauna, but was once again called back by the two Humans with me.

“I thought we were going to get you new Spirits?”

I looked inquisitively at Edithe. She nodded, but gestured at what she had been carrying.

“We will. But first, we need to store this somewhere. I think we can keep it in my inn for now, if that’s alright with you, Daniel. It has a little bit of… a vacancy.”

She bit her lower lip as she said that. The Human man nodded.

“Of course, we’d appreciate it.”

“Then we’ll head to the temple?”

“No.”

Edithe shook her head.

“Then we go to the Adventurers Guild— report about what happened with the bandits. And what happened in Maplewell..”

She trailed off, her gaze growing more distant now. Daniel stepped in, taking over for her.

“Salvos, we’re adventurers. So we have to do these kinds of things before we can tend to our own personal needs. We need to make reports, give the guild information, and maybe rest too, before we can upgrade our gear, get new weapons, or even sell off any loot we found.”

The Human woman collected herself, facing me as we headed to her inn.

“Right, what Daniel said. And even though I’m a [Summoner], getting new Spirits isn’t at the top of my priority list. Especially when we’re in a city. As long as I get one before I leave, there isn’t any need to rush. Plus, I can use regular magic too. As good as any Level 20 [Mage]— or even better.”

She paused, glancing at me then Daniel.

“Which reminds me. How are you so strong at such a low level? I can understand why Salvos is as capable as she is at her level… but you were able to take on five of them on your own for quite a while.”

He hesitated, looking around the streets. He noticed it was empty enough, and that the people that were even here were not paying attention to us. Then he pulled the collar of his down, revealing his Necklace of Obfuscation.

“This is why.”

“Oh.”

Edithe nodded slowly. She looked like she wanted to ask more questions, but decided against it. And Daniel seemed relieved that she chose not to press him further. I observed this, wondering how the Human woman was able to tell that that was what he wanted.

We finally reached the inn, leaving behind the loot we gathered. I decided to keep my arrows with me. The two [Piercing Arrows] and the one [Explosive Bolt] were not too difficult to carry. Plus, I had also taken a quiver to sling around my back and keep them in.

When we left the inn however, Edithe still brought with her an extra bag. I wanted to peer into it, but she refused to let me take a look. She told me they weren’t her things, so she had no right to decide whether I could see them.

“If they’re not yours, whose are they?”

The Human woman’s face immediately darkened again, and this time, I tried to emulate what I noticed the two did whenever the other gave an odd reaction.

“If you don’t want to talk about it, it’s fine…?”

Edithe glanced at me, and I tried grinning. She couldn’t see the smile though, because I was sure she would have approved of the expression if not for my cloak. Humans liked to smile, after all!

“You know, that doesn’t work as well if you sound like you’re asking a question?”

I cocked my head, to which she sighed.

“Nevermind— and these belong to my team. Their weapons, their equipment, and anything sentimental of theirs they had on them when they died. I’m giving it to the guild to send back to our company. They’ll give it back to their families.”

I eagerly listened, nodding as she explained it to me. She held up a handful of small, carved pieces of metal.

“And these badges serve as proof that they have passed.”

She gripped the objects tightly in her hand. I looked at this, turning to Daniel as he shifted uncomfortably. I glanced between the two, realizing that I might have made things worse.

We continued walking for a moment in silence. I wasn’t sure what to do— I didn’t know how to make things better. But I remembered something Edithe said in the night before.

I carefully placed a hand on the Human woman’s shoulder. She looked back at me slightly, raising a brow.

“Don’t worry. We’ll get your revenge on Lucerna. No matter what.”

I spoke in the very same way I spoke to Haec when he was sad. And while I wasn’t entirely sure if Edithe was sad, I hoped speaking in this way would also work to cheer her up. Somehow, someway, it did.

She straightened, walking with more vigor than before. She nodded as she turned away from me.

“Right. He will pay for what he did. No matter what.”

25. Dialogue and Preparation

Daniel and I stood to the side, watching Edithe as she handed the bag she was carrying to the woman standing across the counter of the Adventurers Guild. The woman— a receptionist, apparently— nodded as Edithe showed her the bloodied badges she held on her hand.

The two continued conversing for a moment as a deathly silence hung over the hall of the guild; there were hushed whispers happening throughout, but nothing more than that. I stared enviously at the receptionist as she was allowed through the contents of the bag when I had not, but shortly after found myself gaping when she pulled out a long sword from the tiny bag.

What? Huh?! How did that even fit in there?! How does that work?!

I turned to Daniel to question him, but he spoke before I could.

“You know, Salvos, you took my Ring of Lesser Protection from me, right?”

I paused, registering what he said and forgetting my own queries. I slowly nodded.

“I did… why?”

I eyed him suspiciously. The last time he brought it up, he tried to take it back from me— but I wanted it! I would not give it back!

“Oh, I was just wondering why you didn’t use it during the battle against the bandits.”

“Use… it?”

I cocked my head. I raised my hand, revealing the ring hanging loosely off the edge of one of my sharp claws.

“I’m using it right now, see? It fell off during the fight, but I found it and put it back on.”

“No— that’s…”

He trailed off, scratching at his chin. He sighed.

“That’s not how you use it.”

I raised a brow.

“What do you mean? I have it on exactly as you did.”

“Look, you’ve got to put it on your fingers. You can’t just have it wedged into your nails… claws … whatever they are. The artifact’s enchantments won’t take effect and it will not protect you. So you just end up taking hits like you did and get hurt.”

I stared at the Human man as he took the ring from my hand and shoved it down his finger. A brief flicker of light ran over his body before disappearing.

“See?”

“Huh.”

I took this in slowly, trying to register what just happened and what I did wrong. So that’s why I was still badly injured after fighting those bandits! I immediately put out a hand.

“Give it to me! I want to try!”

“Don’t be so loud— here!”

He handed the Ring of Lesser Protection back to me. I quickly took it and copied what the Human man did earlier. I pushed the ring through my claws— it almost didn’t fit through the base of it— but once it touched skin, I managed to squeeze it through. Instantly, I felt a wave of mana wash over me; invisible strands of mana wrapped around me without actually touching me. My eyes widened as I held my finger up, admiring the ring in it. I made a sound.

“Woah.”

“Pretty cool, right? When I put it on for the first time, I didn’t expect to feel anything different. But now, you should be able to take any hits— physical, magical, or whatever kind of attacks there are— a good few times before you’re actually harmed. But don’t think you’re invincible just because you have it on. You can still be thrown and knocked around. It just won’t hurt you.”

“It’s amazing! Where did you get this? I want more!”

I turned excitedly to Daniel. He hesitated, shifting uncomfortably on his feet as he scratched the back of his head.

“Uh… I stole it—”

“It’s done.”

Edithe spoke softly as she walked over to us. Her face was shadowed over and her hands were balled into a fist. She took a deep breath, relaxing her body as she looked up at us.

“What were you two talking about?”

“Rings—”

“Nothing.”

I glanced over at Daniel, at first annoyed that he had cut me off. Then I paused, thinking for a moment, before realizing that he did not want me to mention what we had just been discussing. So I nodded.

“Yes, we were talking about nothing at all! We were just silently standing here next to each other.”

The Human man sighed as Edithe suppressed a grin.

“Alright then. Let’s go back, shall we?”

We headed out of the Adventurers Guild as the quiet conversations slowly grew louder and louder; by the time we exited the building, I could hear panicked voices and loud groans coming from adventurers discussing the news.

It was big news, apparently; a Gold Ranked team was not supposed to go down that easily— that was what Daniel told me. Everyone had expected the Demon attacking and destroying the villages to be slain by Edithe and her companions, but now they were expecting a lot more destruction to happen before the Demon was finally put down.

I did not understand their shock. I had known Lucerna was strong— he had killed all those [Cultists] even after Haec and I fought him together. From what I was told, an adventurer qualified for Gold Rank at around Level 40, so I could easily see how the [Djinn] was able to take out four of them by himself.

We started in the direction of Edithe’s inn, walking through the empty, night streets. It seemed so different from what it looked like during the day— I stared around curiously, taking in the dirt road and side houses for the first time. Without seeing Humans everywhere I turned, I could actually take in the details of the city.

We passed by a building that was brimming with light from the inside. There was a piece of wood that hung over the door with words written on it. I narrowed my eyes and pointed at it.

“ ‘Come inside for a night of fun and pleasure’.  What does that mean?”

Daniel and Edithe exchanged a glance. The Human man started.

“Uh, it means… how old were you again, Salvos?”

I paused.

“How old am I?”

I frowned, considering the question. Individually, each word made sense to me— but when it was strung together into the sentence he had asked, I… I don’t get it.

Edithe saw me struggling with coming up with an answer, so she spoke up, trying to elaborate on what Daniel had said.

“Your age. He’s asking how long you have been…. alive?”

“How long have I been alive?”

I looked up at the sable dome overhead, being reminded of the darkness that was my very world before I had been born. I thought back to how much time had passed between then and now, before realizing that I never really thought about it before.

“I don’t know?”

Daniel raised an eyebrow, but Edithe simply nodded.

“I thought so.”

“You knew that she wouldn’t be able to tell us her age?”

“I expected it. All the Spirits I have had only ever measured their age when they were in the Mortal Realm. There isn’t any way to keep track of time in the Spirit Plane— no day and no night. So I assumed the Netherworld was the same.”

She turned to me and I eagerly bobbed my head up and down.

“The sky doesn’t ever change color, and there’s no sun or moon too! None of those twinkling lights— those stars— either! Just the crimson, glowing sky above.”

The Human man stared at me, shocked.

“And you’re completely fine with this? How do you not go insane if you can’t keep track of time? How do you even plan or schedule anything there?”

“Plan? Schedule?”

I gave him a blank look. He opened and closed his mouth, trying to come up with something to say, but nothing came out. I shrugged.

“If I wanted to do something, I would always just do it. My companion was always with me, so there was no need to plan anything. And I never cared about my age, so I didn’t think about it. But if you must know…”

I tried remembering all the times I saw the sky changed colors since I first woke up after escaping Lucerna.

“I’ve been in the Mortal Realm for 34 days.”

“Over a month, huh? Fairdale was found burnt to the ground around a month ago. If what you say was true and you did get summoned along with the [Djinn], then that sounds about right.”

Daniel mused, rubbing a hand on his chin.

“How does that compare to the amount of time you’ve spent in the Netherworld?”

I thought about it for a moment.

“Not long— maybe 20 times shorter?”

Edithe halted in her step as Daniel’s gaze snapped in my direction. The two stared at me, and I scratched the back of my head as Daniel often did when he was unsure.

“You mean you’re only two years old?”

“Maybe? I don’t know. It might only be 10 times shorter? When I had first been born, I felt like I spent a lot of time by myself before I met the others. And after they died, I was by myself again for a really long while. But maybe it wasn’t as long as I thought?”

Daniel sighed.

“So you’re only one years old?”

“Yes…?”

For some reason, I felt like that didn’t ameliorate anything for them.

“What’s wrong?”

“It’s— nothing.”

The Human man shook his head as we continued down the road. The two remained silent as we turned a corner, finally arriving back at Edithe’s inn. I turned back to them.

“We’re here— now hurry up and sleep! We need to find Lucerna before he gets too far away!”

Daniel looked at the Human woman.

“We’ll be heading back to our inn. Do you want to meet back here tomorrow?”

She jolted, glancing up as her eyes darted between us.

“Huh? What? Oh… uh, yeah. Meet back here tomorrow.”

“What’s wrong?”

He looked at her with a furrowed brow. She chewed her lower lip, slowly mustering up a reply.

“...are we really going to do this?”

I cocked my head.

“What do you mean?”

Edithe hesitated, glancing between the two of us.

“Are we really going to face this Lucerna together? I don’t mean to doubt either of your abilities, but do you really think you’ll really be able to defeat Lucerna? Salvos, you’re only Level 25 and one or two years old. Sure, I’ve seen what you could do— you could maybe beat some Gold Ranked adventurers in a fight. But this [Djinn] we’re going after is twice your level and probably has a hundred times the combat experience you have. And as for you, Daniel…”

She paused, frowning as her eyes flickered.

“I don’t know what your real level is, although I can tell that you’re strong. But Paul is… had been… stronger than you. I don’t mean to belittle you, I’m just trying to say that he was a great [Warrior]— a Level 53 [Warrior]— and still, he was killed by the [Djinn].”

Daniel glanced over at me, then back at the Human woman.

“I… don’t actually want to do this either.”

She eyed him dubiously.

“Then why are you doing this?”

“Because I promised Salvos I would help her get back to her home because of reasons . I— how about you, Edithe? If you think we can’t beat this Lucerna, how did you think you were going to be able to beat him alone?”

Edithe stared at him, steadfast.

“Because I have to. Why else did I live when my friends did not? And if I can’t? Then I would die trying.”

“Then that’s settled then, right?”

I piped up casually.

“Daniel promised he would help me. You want to kill Lucerna. I want to get back to the Netherworld. What else is there to it?”

The two blinked, turning to face me.

“We knew all these things already, didn’t we?”

“We did. But I guess I was just trying to confirm if we really were going to do this.”

“So do you really  want to find Lucerna to get your revenge?”

Edithe replied instantly.

“I do.”

I looked at Daniel.

“And do you really want to help me get back to the Netherworld for whatever reason you had and aren’t lying to me at this moment for whatever reason?”

He took a moment longer to respond, slowly registering what I said.

“Uh, no? Wait, I mean yes.”

I folded my arms, satisfied.

“Good. Then let’s get you two Humans your needed sleep, go to the temple and get Edithe her Spirits, then we go find Lucerna. Simple as that.”

The two slowly nodded as I glanced between them. Then I sighed, shaking my head as I muttered under my breath.

“You Humans are weird.”  

26. Spirits

The next day, we met up with Edithe at the lobby of her inn in the morning as it was closer to the temple; she was dressed in different clothes from before— her bloodied and ashened white robe was now replaced with brown cloth garments. Apparently her robes were enchanted— she only used it for combat. This was considered her ‘casual’ clothing…. whatever that meant.

We started in the direction of the Sanctuary of Fauna, no longer questioning whether we would be going after Lucerna. The only thing in our mind now was how we were going to be going after him.

He was a powerful [Djinn]. Supposedly, he was now Level 50— gaining over 8 levels since I had last seen him. That was a big jump; I had gained only 8 levels during that time, and I had mostly been fighting since I arrived at the Mortal Realm.

We had to become stronger, so the first thing we were going to do was get Edithe new summons— new Spirits. We reached the white temple building as the streets began to busy itself with Human life; we caught some glances from passersby, although none of them seemed to focus on me. They all focused on Edithe because of her… level?

“It’s normal. People stare at me because I’m a Gold Ranked adventurer.”

I cocked my head, confused.

“What’s a Gold Ranked adventurer anyway? I keep hearing you guys talk about it, but no one ever told me.”

Daniel sighed, shaking his head. But Edithe just explained.

“The job of an adventurer is divided into various different ranks: Silver, Gold, Platinum, and Diamond. Generally speaking, adventurers are promoted when they reach their next Class advancement. That means usually Levels 10 to 40 will be Silver, Levels 40 to 70 will be Gold, 70 to 100 will be Platinum, and 100 to 150 will be Diamond. Anyone above Level 150 is no longer ranked by the Adventurers Guild, considered to be Elites— however they are rare . Only a few dozen Humans reach that level every generation. Maybe a handful of those are adventurers.”

I looked at her curiously.

“So why are people staring at you? You’re only Gold, right? It doesn’t seem too amazing compared to any of the others ranks.”

“Because a large majority of adventurers only ever stay in Silver, Salvos. Maybe they might get Gold in their lifetime, but only when they’re twice my age or older. The same goes for non combat Classes too— in fact, it’s even worse for them. And especially in a smaller city like Hazelbury, someone my age at my level walking around is kind of noteworthy.”

I nodded slowly, following the Human woman as she guided us through the halls of the temple. The [Priest] we had met the other day was here; he saw us, then Edithe. He stepped aside as she bowed slightly at him, before we crossed through the garden.

“And your Classes are… like Subspecies, right?”

That was what I had been told by Daniel; he didn’t explain it too much in detail, but I got the gist of it.

“Yes. Us Humans don’t have a Subspecies like you Demons, Spirits, or monsters do. We just have Classes we can choose once we hit Level 10. Sometimes, people wait a few more levels to hopefully get a more specialized Class. But that would result in them having a slower start since we don’t get Stat or Skill Points until we choose a Class.”

“So you have no Classes at all until then?”

“None at all. Just Levels and General Skills. That’s it.

“Huh.”

I caught a glimpse of the girl I had seen when I was last here. She was lying on the lap of a woman, eyes closed. I narrowed my eyes and identified her.

[Human]

As it turned out, I didn’t even see her level. It was like looking at an animal— or a tree. There was no description attached either; she was just a Human according to my General Skill.

We pushed open the door to the smaller building disconnected from the main temple, finding ourselves standing in front of the summoning pool as two [Priests] were tending to it. Sakura was floating faceup on the water surface. She glanced over at us with her vulpine eyes as we entered and I nodded at her. The [Beastkin] got up and nodded my way, before leaving the room.

I smiled, happy she recognized me, before turning my attention to Edithe as showed her badge and spoke with the [Priests].

“...for Level 30 Spirits.”

One of the first [Priest] stroked the hair protruding down from his chin.

“We certainly can tune the summoning pool to do that. But this is a smaller branch in a small city, Miss. We’re not sure if you’ll even get very many options this way. Maybe if we set the lower limit to Level 25—”

“It’s fine. I’m already putting those Level 30’s in danger. I should only be accepting those that are at least Level 35, but I have no other choice.”

“If you say so.”

The two [Priests] went to either end of the summoning pool. They placed their hands on a stone tablet there, with strange symbols and markings on them. They opened their mouths, beginning a slow chant as I felt mana surging through the water.

I stared curiously at the summoning pool, almost leaning into my reflection before Daniel pulled me back.

“Careful Salvos, it might be dangerous.”

“It’s not.”

Edithe shook her head.

“These summoning pools are designed to only allow Spirits through. No mortal, monster, or Demon should be able to pass through it.”

I glanced between the two, before a shimmer of light caught my eye. I looked back at the water as a glow overcame it; lines and shapes started to form inside the summoning pool, weaving into each other and changing the surface into something more.

My eyes widened as suddenly, an image appeared where my reflection on the water had been. It was no longer just a picture of me, or even another person. Instead, I saw a location on the other side. There was a green sky, colorful trees, and…

Spirits.

The Spirits came rushing through the summoning circle. I nearly backed up, thinking they were charging in to attack us. Were they wild Spirits? I had been told Spirits and Demons were similar. If these were wild Spirits—

But they were not.

Two Spirits came through the portal, bursting out of the water and sending a small wave in my direction. I shielded my eyes and body with my cloak, before lowering it and looking up at the two floating creatures hovering above the summoning pool.

[Elemental - Lvl. 34]

[Elemental - lvl. 31]

They were both just staring at us, surveying the room as the image in the water changed again. Their bodies took the shape almost of a Human, except without a lower body to support them. The first was made out of ice— hands, face, chest, every part of her body was frozen solid— with a dozen long pointed shards sticking out of her body below where the legs should be, and wisps of ethereal smoke coming off her. The second was made out of ash and fire— his arms blazing with heat as a trail of flames shot out below his torso, while his upper body was made completely out of hardened ash.

“An [Ice Elemental] and [Fire Elemental], huh? Interesting. What’s next?”

The [Priests] poured more mana into the summoning pool as the pool glowed with the new image. This time, the water did not splash out. Instead it slowly rippled as a lumbering creature pulled itself out of the summoning pool. His body was made entirely out of wood, although he did not look like a tree.

He looked rather Human, again. Except for the four arms sticking out of his body. He towered over anyone I had seen barring Lucerna, standing a head taller than even Haec. He was not alone, however.

On his shoulder, a little creature poked its head out. She ran down the side of one of his arms, running on all fours until she reached the palm of his hand. She cocked her head at us as he slowly lowered her down.

[Yaksha - Lvl. 30]

[Sprite - Lvl. 38]

“Is that all?”

Edithe looked over at the [Priests] as they focused all their magic into the stone tablets. There was a grunt, then a sigh as they shook their heads. The [Sprite] laughed.

“That is all, lady of wisdom. No others thought it desirable to offer themselves to the task of someone at the level of you. And the [Beastkin] will not impinge on the territory of one of their own. So if you think it worth the cost, you shall have to make do with us.”

The Human woman was taken aback.

“No— I mean not offense, Spirit of magic. I just thought…”

“Spare us the titles. Pick your partners and be done with it. But be aware, we all have our stipulations.”

“Stipulations?”

She narrowed her eyes. The [Sprite] nodded, standing now on only two legs as she folded her leg-like arms together.

“The [Yaksha] has none. He will go with you if you choose him, for he is the lowest leveled of us all. The [Elementals] will not partner. Only one goes, not the other. And as for me?”

The blue skinned Spirit pointed to herself.

“I shall go alone or not go at all. So be quick and take your pick.”

Edithe blinked, glancing between them. She tried to protest.

“Wait, can’t you at least tell me your Skills? Your specializations?”

“We will, only if you choose us. That is how the contract always works, no?”

“Yes... but I never usually have this few to choose from!”

The [Sprite] shook her head, turning back to the other Spirits.

“Hurry it up, lady of wisdom. Else I grow bored and resign myself from this queue.”

Edithe bit her lower lip.

“...fine. I pick the [Yaksha] and the [Ice Elemental].”

“So you choose them. Very well. Then it is settled.”

The two Spirits she had chosen stepped forward as the other two turned back to the summoning pool. The [Fire Elemental] slowly descended back in, but the [Sprite] simply hopped off the arm of the [Yaksha], disappearing into the Spirit Plane without so much of a word.

The Human woman watched them go, almost longingly. However she shook her head, focusing on the Spirits that came forward to her. The [Mage] held a hand out, a magic circle forming on the palm of her hands. A symbol marked on the bodies of both Spirits glowed as she began to speak.

“Spirits, sign this temporary contract. Let us once again form this bond which has tied Humanity with you and your Lord for the last thousand years. Fight alongside me, Edithe Phyros, and we shall reap the rewards of battle together. This I promise you as your new master.”

The [Yaksha] bent to one knee while the [Elemental] bowed her head. Only she spoke, but she spoke for the both of them.

“We accept this contract, master.”

“Then for the next six months, we shall be allies on the battlefield. What are your names?”

“His name is Druma. Mine is Mistshard.”

“Druma, Mistshard.”

Edithe nodded, a smile drawing itself on her face. She lowered a hand as the symbols on the Spirits’ bodies stopped glowing, now filled in with another mark.

“It’s good to meet you both.”

They exchanged a glance, almost uncertain. But Edithe proffered a hand this time, not just holding it up to cast magic. Slowly, they both took it. I watched as the Human woman flinched when the icy cold hand of the [Elemental] touched her, before getting engulfed by the large hand of the [Yaksha].

We left the temple shortly after she acquired her two new Spirits. They did not follow her. Instead, returning to the summoning pool and disappearing back to the Spirit Plane.

I stared at Edithe, confused.

“Wait, why did they go back? Didn’t you come here for them?”

“I formed a contract with them, Salvos. Now, I can call them whenever I want. Well, I can only really call one of them whenever I want with [Quick Summon]. [Summon Partner] takes longer to cast— it requires preparation before a battle. But I don’t just have them with me when I’m, say, walking around the inside of a city.”

“Why can’t you just have them with you at all times?”

“Because then I’d be spending mana to keep them with me. I can probably counteract the passive drain on my mana with an hour of [Rest], but it’s still tiring to just feel your mana be sucked out of you.”

“Huh.”

The three of us were now walking through the streets of Hazelbury, having bade farewell to the [Priests] who did the summoning ritual. Daniel frowned, turning to the Human woman.

“Edithe, I know you’re the [Mage] and [Summoner] here, but why did you not choose the [Sprite]. She was the highest leveled— if we really want to fight Lucerna, she’d be more help than the other two combined.”

“You’re right. The [Sprite] was the highest leveled. She could have helped us the most against the [Djinn]... Lucerna. But she was just one. And she would level far too slowly. These two? We can still train them. Get them to level up.”

“Level them?”

He gave her a dubious look.

“And how exactly are we going to do that in a few days?”

“Perhaps not a few days. But we’re going to train as much as we can. Level up quickly. ”

I turned to her excitedly.

“You know how to level quickly?”

“Yes.”

“How? Tell me!”

“We’re going to a Dungeon.”

27. Are You Evil?

A Dungeon.

I wasn’t exactly sure what that was; I asked questions, but I mostly glossed over everything that had been explained to me except for the first thing I had been told. And that was how fast you could level in a Dungeon.

That was amazing! I was elated! I wanted to go to one right away. If I could quickly go from Level 25 to Level 50— become a Greater Demon like Lucerna— I would surely be able to beat him on my own. But it didn’t work that way.

Daniel elaborated for me as Edithe sold off some of the loot she took off the bandits bodies.

“There’s nothing special about a Dungeon that specifically makes you level faster. There’s no bonus experience awarded for killing a monster in one versus outside of one. The only reason why it’s sought after is because it’s a place where monsters gather.”

I cocked my head questioningly.

“Why do monsters gather in a Dungeon?”

“Dungeons are simply a collection of monster Lairs, and monsters form Lairs where there is high ambient mana. They’re attracted to it. In a way, every living being is. But there’s an instinctual drive for monsters to go to it. And so there are plenty of monsters to kill in a Dungeon. To train on.”

The Human man wagged a finger as he explained. I frowned and looked up at him accusingly.

“So you go find and attack them just to level?”

“Yes— I mean, kind of? We do go out of our way to exterminate them, but it’s not because we want to level. Well, most Humans do it to level. And for the monster parts they can sell, or for the money they can earn. But it’s mostly due to the nature of how Dungeons work.”

“And that is?”

“If a Dungeon gets too big, monster hordes will form. And those can and have destroyed towns and cities in the past. So we have a need to cull their population.”

I nodded.

“I see.”

“Still trying to understand how Dungeons work? Or have you already figured it out?”

Edithe walked over, pocketing a bag of coins into her pants pocket. Daniel looked at me, raising an eyebrow.

“I don’t know. Do you still have questions, Salvos?”

“Nope— actually, yes. Where can we find a Dungeon?”

I piped up excitedly. The two didn’t look at each other like I expected them too. Instead, Edithe rolled her eyes and Daniel sighed.

“That’s what we’re trying to figure out right now, right?”

“My team was sent here to do just that. The Iron Champions Company has a history of keeping a monopoly on Dungeons. In fact, their first Dungeon was the Millcliff Iron Mines, which was how they got their name. They profited off selling the iron from the [Iron Golems] while they leveled. We wanted to expose the location of this newly found Dungeon around Falisfield, but…”

The Human woman didn’t exactly clench her fist or grit her teeth as before, but she still trailed off.

“Well, you know what happened.”

“Why did you even want to do that, anyway? Does your company have something to gain from it?”

Daniel asked, raising a hand hesitantly.

“We’re the Valiant Dreamers Company. We’re kind of idealistic— it’s even in our name. We believe that even companies did not always squabble for influence or resources— such as Dungeons— it would be better for everybody. Adventurers, cities, countries. Everyone.”

“Oh. That’s very nice— uh, noble of you guys.”

“It is.”

I nodded along, listening to their conversation. I had wanted to speak up for a bit, but chose not to say anything, remembering how they didn’t like it when I interrupted them when they were speaking. But now, I saw my chance.

“Let’s ask them!”

Edithe glanced back at me.

“...pardon?”

I grinned happily underneath my hood.

“You said the Iron Champions Company knows where this Dungeon is, right?”

I received two slow nods in return.

“Then let’s ask them!”

“Uh, Salvos, I don’t think they’ll just tell us…”

Daniel spoke as he scratched the back of his head. Edithe murmured an agreement from behind him.

“Why not?”

I scoffed, shaking my head. Everyone I have questioned so far eventually answered, as long as they didn’t think I was a Demon. I had gone around Hazelbury with Daniel and spoken to a lot of people— they would always give a response, even if they didn’t know.

And according to Edithe, they knew where the Dungeon was. So they would surely tell us where it was!

“They’ll tell us, trust me. Even Blake offered to show it to me, and he was part of the Iron Champions Company, right? We just have to ask them and we’ll get our answer!”

—--

“Absolutely not.”

Blake leaned back on his chair, a scowl forming on his face. I placed one hand on the table, protesting.

“Why not? You said you would let me see your Dungeon!”

“That was before you hit me in the balls!”

The adventurer stood up, knocking his chair back to the ground; a few faces turned and stared as the tall Human man jabbed a finger in my direction.

“I should make you pay for what you did— do you really think there will be no consequences for your actions? Not only did you reject my generous offer for you to join the Iron Champions Company, you attacked me too.”

I crossed my arms, staring defiantly up at him.

“Try it.”

“Ok, Salvos. That’s enough.”

Daniel stepped in, placing a hand on my shoulder. I turned to him, an annoyed look on my face.

“Why are you defending Blake? Isn’t he the one you didn’t like?”

“Yes, but we have no reason to start a fight here. Look, people are already staring at you.”

I glanced around, seeing more faces now watching on with keen interest as Blake tried to loom over me. I was about to retort, but then I remembered how I was supposed to keep a low profile. I scowled, whirling around and stalking away from him.

“Fine.”

Daniel followed me as we joined Edithe who opted to stay out of the entire confrontation; Blake turned and resumed a conversation with a group of adventurers that had been with him, pointing in our direction as he laughed. Sighing, I looked at the Human woman.

“What do we do now?”

“That didn’t work out exactly as planned— as I thought it would. So that just means we do things the hard way.”

“And what is that?”

Edithe pushed herself off the wall of the guild, glancing between Daniel and I.

“We search for it.”

I nodded, but the Human man immediately took a step back.

“Wait, you want us to search all of Falisfield for it? You do realize that this province stretches from Silvergrove to Bouldergarde, right? That’d be days just to travel between those two cities in a straight line. It would take us months to stumble upon a random Dungeon.”

“We have no other choice. At least we’ll be moving and possibly exterminating any monsters we come across, rather than just sitting in this city doing nothing. Only the Iron Champions Company has a map to the Dungeon, and they won’t share it with us. It’s far more efficient than camping out the city and following every one of their adventuring teams that goes out, hoping it’s not a mundane mission and they’re trying out the Dungeon.”

“But—”

I raised a hand, imitating Daniel earlier. The two immediately closed their mouths shut, looking over at me warily. I tilted my head, frowning.

“I’m not going to attack you, don’t react that way. I just had a question.”

“Oh, uh, go ahead and ask it then.”

I faced Edithe, slowly lowering my clawed hand as she eyed the movement.

“You said the Iron Champions Company has a map?”

“Yes.”

“To the Dungeon?”

“Uh, yeah.”

Daniel answered for her.

“They have to keep track of its location, otherwise they’ll be just as lost as we are.”

I nodded eagerly, looking between both of them.

“Then why don’t we just take the map?”

The two looked at each other, hesitation clearly written on their faces. I folded my arms. Why don’t they like this idea?

“Salvos… we can’t just do that.”

“Why not?”

“Because— listen… us Humans think it’s bad to take things that aren't yours. It’s considered stealing. It breaks the law. It’s… evil. Do you want to be evil, Salvos?”

She spoke softly, trying to convince me against my ingenious plan. I shrugged.

“Sure.”

Edithe blinked a few times.

“Didn’t you say you’re not an evil creature?”

“I am not, yes. I am Salvos.”

“But doing that would make you evil.”

“That makes sense to me.”

The Human woman was rubbing her forehead now, almost as confused— if not more confused— than I was.

“If you’re evil, wouldn’t you just be an evil creature?”

“I wouldn’t! I’d be an evil Salvos, but not an evil creature!”

“I— I see…”

“Besides, it’s not like I’d be a wild Demon if I took something that isn’t mine. They ignored the Spear of Flames even though it was right there in front of them. They don’t care about anything but leveling. They just want to use others— and me — to evolve. I don’t do that.”

It made sense to me; I didn’t understand Edithe was staring at me wide eyed, or why Daniel had his face buried in his hands. I opened my mouth to question them further, but the Human man spoke first.

“Salvos.”

He looked up, face turning serious. I cocked my head as he leaned closer, speaking at almost a whisper.

“If you want to do this, then fine. We can’t stop you. But promise me this: you won’t kill anyone no matter what happens.”

I looked at him. I met his brown eyes as they stared pleadingly at me. I nodded, smiling as I answered as truthfully as I could.

“I promise!”

—--

I wasn’t sure why the two Humans expressed as much apprehension as they did. I was fast. I was quick. I would just go into the Iron Champions Company’s building, grab the map, then go out.

It was so simple. But they complicated things even more.

They made me wait until night came before I could do any of that. They reminded me that I was not to kill anyone, to which I reassured them I wouldn’t. Normally, I would kill those who attacked me first. But I only did so to level and evolve myself, which going to a Dungeon would aid in tremendously. So I made an exception here. Then they made me wear a piece of cloth on my face— a mask— telling me not to get caught.

It was a lot of planning; I didn’t understand any of it.

I was just glad I could finally just get this over with. I climbed up a tree, reaching to the side of the building with three floors. I hung on a branch, eyeing a room through the second floor window. I slowly pulled it open, keeping quiet as I was told to by Daniel, before lowering myself in front of a desk with pieces of paper strewn across it.

Map? Any map here?

I paused, realizing I had no idea what a map looked like. I understood what they meant when they talked about maps, but I hadn’t actually seen one. It was… a diagram of the land? A diagram of the land leading to a Dungeon?

I wasn’t entirely sure. All I knew was that I didn’t see anything resembling what I thought what one would look like lying on the table.

I don’t know what it looks like or where it is. What do I do? I know!

I softly pushed the door open, looking down either end of the dark hallway. I caught a glimpse of a figure moving down the other side. I ran up to them, grabbing them from behind, quietly tripping him and pinning him to the ground.

“Wha— ha—”

“Shhh.”

I covered his mouth.

“I’m supposed to be quiet, so don’t shout. Or else.”

His eyes widened as the fire dagger slowly lowered onto his face.

“Tell me what I want, and I won’t kill you.”

He frantically nodded and I grinned. He thinks I will actually kill him! He doesn’t know that I’m lying!

“Where’s the map?”

“W-what map?”

“The map to your Dungeon. The one you guys are keeping from everyone.”

The man blinked.

“To the Silkfall’s Crevice? It’s in that room over there. First cabinet from the bottom!”

He exclaimed, but I held his mouth shut. I nodded slowly, smiling.

“Thanks.”

I got up, pushing the door open and entered the room. The man stared after me, confused.

“Wait, I can go?”

“Of course. I won’t kill you. I’m not allowed to— I lied, see?”

“Oh…”

I shook my head, feeling satisfied with myself as he immediately disappeared. What an idiot. He actually thought I was telling the truth, even when I had already let him go. In the first place, he didn’t attack me. In the second, I had no plans of killing anyone here.

I pulled open the cabinet, finding the map which I had identified as a map. I lifted it up, reading the word ‘Dungeon’ written on it before folding it under my arms. I’ve got it, now I just have to—

There was a clamoring, then footsteps rushing down the hallway.

Time to go, I don’t want to get caught.

I flung the window open and jumped outside as a few figures turned the corner. They called after me but I ignored them, quickly lowering myself down to the ground. I could see their shadows rushing down after me, but they were too slow. Far too slow. They would not catch me.

I ran off, running to the two Humans that I had left behind.

“Salvos— what’s going on?”

Edithe looked at me with panic in her eyes as I ran around the corner to the alley she had been waiting in. Daniel was with her, a nervous look on his face as the chatter coming from the Iron Champions Company building grew louder.

“Did you get caught?”

“I didn’t get caught. See?”

I gestured at myself, then held up the thing I was holding.

“And I have the map with me. Come on, let’s go!”

Shouts broke out behind me as I showed the map to them.

“Then why are they after you?”

“Because the man I asked called his companions. But it’s fine, they move slow. I outran them so they couldn’t catch me.”

Neither Humans said anything. They both just had a resigned look on their faces. Edithe placed a hand on Daniel’s shoulder.

“How did you deal with her by yourself before this?”

“That’s the thing: I did not.”

“Ah.”

“Yeah.”

28. Liar Liar, I Make Fire

“You know, it’s my fault. I should have known this would have happened.”

“How could anyone have known this would happen?”

“I mean, aside from always expecting the worst outcome in any possible situation? I should’ve been more specific— I could’ve chosen my words better too.”

“True. But I thought our explanation was sufficient as well. Neither of us could have predicted this. The blame belongs to neither of us.”

“Well, I’ve known Salvos has lacked common sense for a while…”

“Hey, I heard that!”

I raised a clawed hand in the air at Daniel. He flinched, murmuring an apology.

“S-sorry. I didn’t think you’d take offense to that.”

I grinned, dismissively waving it off.

“I’m not offended. I just thought that’s how a Human would react. You guys seem to be pretty quick to get mad after all.”

“Normally, I’d defend my kind— actually, I probably wouldn’t. Humans suck. But you’re making a great point here—”

An explosion resounded behind us, cutting him off. Edithe clicked her tongue, glancing back at our pursuers. Adventurers from the Iron Champions Company chased after us, hurling magical attacks and firing arrows in our direction as we ran down the gravel road. Daniel shouted back at them.

“What are you guys, crazy?! That could’ve killed us!”

His words reached them, but their reply did not reach us; only a large variety of words I had been told were bad made it through their clamoring. He sighed.

“I can’t believe this. They might really be trying to kill us. Over a Dungeon…”

I cocked my head, confused by the dilemma.

“Why can’t we just k—”

“Because we would get in trouble for breaking the law. Also I’d rather not kill any more people unnecessarily. It’s just… too much.”

I glanced over at him, still running, but not saying a word. An arrow whizzed past my head, landing on the ground just ahead of me with a thunk. Apparently they could attack us without consequences yet we couldn’t do the same to them. It had something to do with them being the Iron Champions Company? And because I stole from them? I didn’t really know.

A ball of fire exploded above our heads and Edithe scowled. She cursed under her breath as she spun around.

“Alright, fuck this. I’ve had enough.”

“What are you—”

“[Quick Summon].”

The [Mage] that was actually a [Summoner] raised her staff above her head as a glyph formed in the air in front of her. It took shape quickly, giving off an ethereal glow as wisps of light gathered in the center of it. A few moments passed— Edithe just standing there as our pursuers closed the distance. Then a misty being shot out of the summoning circle.

The [Elemental] made of ice hovered between Edithe and the charging adventurers; her frosted arms were crossed in front of her chest as the Human woman addressed her.

“Mistshard, freeze the road but don’t hurt them. Make sure they can’t take a step without slipping and falling on their heads.”

“As you command, master.”

The Spirit spun around and flew towards the dozen-or-so people chasing after us. I watched as a beam of ice shot out of her arms, landing on the ground just ahead of them, forming a thin sheet of ice on the road. It spread out quickly, extending even to the surrounding forest. The adventurers tumbled and fell, shouting and screaming as they did, while Mistshard returned to us.

Edithe nodded.

“That’ll distract them for a while. Come on— into the trees!”

We swerved away from the road, hiding under the tall, green canopy overhead. I watched as the light from the torches carried by the adventurers slowly faded into the distance, only darkness covering us now as we escaped their pursuit.

—--

“I don’t think they’re after us anymore.”

“Good. Now we just have to be prepared for an ambush at the entrance to the Dungeon.”

“Think they will go that far?”

“Probably not. It’s not worth the effort when they can just wait for us to return to the city. Or any city around Falisfied, really. They’ve probably notified every branch of their company by now.”

I glanced between the two Humans as they put out the campfire. I frowned, realizing what was going to happen next.

“Wait— we just left the city. Are you really going to sleep now?”

Daniel smiled at me… apologetically? It clearly wasn’t one out of happiness— it had more of an apprehensive and regretful look to it, if I was studying it right.

“Sorry, Salvos. We’re Humans. Unlike you, we need sleep whether we want to or not.”

“And you’re going to make me sit here and do nothing until the sun comes up again?”

“I mean, you can try to sleep if you want. Mistshard will keep watch for us. Edithe still…”

He eyed the Human woman and she pursed her lips. Neither said anything and I folded my arms.

“Fine, maybe I will.”

He wrinkled an eyebrow.

“Ok… good luck.”

I watched the Human man lie down, covering himself in a thin cloth blanket. I copied his movement, turning to my side as he did and closed my eyes.

…

I sat up a while later, bored, and searched for something else to do.

—--

I inspected a flower sprouting out from a bush. There were dozens of buds protruding from it, but only a single one had become a flower. I used [Identification] on it, confirming that the others had not become flowers yet. Only the one with the lilac spread wide open telling me that it was a [Flower].

I grabbed it, peering inside of the plant. I saw the way the petals folded— or could have folded— and turned to one of the buds. I gripped the closed flower with my clawed hands and pried it open.

I ripped the petals off the bud by accident, tearing it apart, and watched as my [Identification] stopped working on it.

I… I killed it…

I didn’t mean to attack it! It was just so… fragile. I thought I could turn it into a [Flower] from a [Flower Bud], but I killed it!

I stepped back, aghast. Am I a wild Demon? I looked at my clawed hands, staring at the pieces shredded pieces of petal stuck on my long nails. No— I didn’t mean to…

Then I paused, realizing I hadn’t gained any experience for the kill. I hadn’t attacked it for no reason just to evolve. I simply let my curiosity get the better of me and killed it by accident.

I shrugged.

That means I’m not a wild Demon then. Good!

I glanced up, relieved at this, and relieved at seeing the sun rise above the horizon. I looked over at Edithe and Daniel, sleeping under the hovering [Ice Elemental] as she watched over them. I shouted.

“Wake up! It’s time to go!”

The two jumped out of their beds, grabbing for their weapons.

“Wh— huh?”

“What’s going on? An attack?”

I stood in front of the two, hands on my hips like one of those women I had seen standing at the side of the streets of Hazelbury, talking in a loud voice to some shorter Humans. I grinned.

“No attack. It’s morning.”

They blinked, exchanging a glance. I simply gestured past them.

“Come on, it’s time to go! The Dungeon is waiting for us!”

Daniel sighed and Edithe rubbed at her temples.

“Salvos, the Dungeon is that way.”

“Huh.”

I turned around and corrected myself.

“Let’s go! This way to the Dungeon!”

They shook their heads, but said nothing else. Instead, they slowly got up and began packing up their things. Soon enough, we were off and headed to the Silkfall’s Crevice Dungeon.

We trudged through the foliage, eventually exiting the forest and back onto a road— a different road. Edithe led the way as we followed behind her; we had given her the map, since apparently she was the one who was most familiar with Falisfield.

Daniel had been in Hazelbury for a few months, but he did not study the geography of the area before he arrived. Meanwhile, Edithe had only been here for a month, however she actually had to learn of the different cities, towns, and places of note before she came. Learning that information was necessary for why she came here.

She glanced back at the Human man as he wiped at his forehead.

“You alright?”

“I’m fine— it’s just a little bit hot. That’s all.”

“Here, I’ll help you. Mistshard.”

The Human woman nodded at her Spirit. The [Elemental] flew closer to Daniel, before suddenly emanating a cold aura that I could feel even from where I was walking. I grasped at my shoulders, turning to the Spirit.

“That’s cold.”

“Apologies. As a Demon with an affinity to fire, I know this makes you uncomfortable. However I am not skilled or high leveled enough to concentrate my cold aura to only Daniel. I suggest you put some distance between us to get away from the cold.”

Edithe had already told Mistshard and Druma of me being a Demon; contrary to what Daniel had been afraid of, neither Spirits cared that I was a Demon. Maybe they would have if Edithe had a problem with it, but otherwise, they treated me the same way they treated Daniel.

We eventually reached a fork in the road and made a right, heading uphill to a mountain range in the distance. We continued on that path for a bit, cresting up the first hill. We found ourselves in flat ground before immediately deviating from the road, making a hard left.

“It should be somewhere here. That’s what the map says, at least.”

“Is it a cave? We should keep a lookout for any entrances if that’s the case.”

Daniel supplied the suggestion.

“No, it’s not. It’s a crevice. A hole in the ground. Just keep a lookout for it— and don’t fall into one. So watch your step.”

The Human woman didn’t exactly say my name, but I felt like she was talking to me by the way she looked over at me. I nodded, before my eyes fixated on something.

“Is that it?”

I pointed in the direction of the thin wrinkle on the ground, quite a distance away. The two Humans squinted, trying to see what I had mentioned. Edithe frowned.

“I… think it is. Good spot, Salvos. How did you catch that?”

I smiled back at her.

“My [Identification] is at Level 4. It helps me see better, I think.”

“Well, that’s not exactly how it works. But that is a high level, especially considering your age. Although I feel like I should mention that most people don’t just reveal their levels and Skills. It’s considered private information.”

“Why’s that?”

“I’ll explain it to you next time.”

Edithe turned back to the crevice as we reached it. She peeked over the edge, glancing down the dark hole. She held out a hand and sent a small ball of flame tumbling down the ravine.

“That is deep.”

She looked over at us and held up her hands.

“I don’t think any of us can make that jump. And I wasn’t exactly prepared to leave Hazelbury when we were chased out. We might have to go to a nearby town to buy some rope.”

“Rope?”

I cocked my head. I immediately protested, wanting to enter the Dungeon as soon as possible.

“Why can’t we just climb down?”

“It’s too dangerous. For me, at least. And Daniel too, maybe. If he was a higher leveled [Warrior], he could probably make it down with just his [Strength] or [Vitality] alone.”

She shook her head.

“These are risks I’d rather neither of us take. Sorry Salvos. I know you’re excited to enter a Dungeon for the first time, but our safety comes first.”

I wanted to argue even more— what if the town didn’t have rope? What if the Iron Champions Company finds us in the town? What if Lucerna dies while we’re wasting our time on getting rope? There were so many things I wanted to say, but I couldn’t say any of it because Daniel piped up.

“I have rope.”

Edithe stared at him.

“You do?”

“Yeah. In my bag right here.”

He held up his bag, pulling out a thick rope— strands of string were twisted and tied together to form it. He glanced around and walked up to a rock, beginning to tie the rope onto it.

I watched in shock as the rope kept coming out of the bag. There was so much rope! And it was all kept in that tiny bag!

“How is that possible?”

I spoke softly. Edithe looked over at me.

“How is what possible?”

“That! How does he keep all that in his bag?! What kind of magic is that?”

“Oh that?”

She laughed, putting a hand on her mouth as she did.

“You’re confused about that?”

I stared at her, feeling my face heat up a little. I wasn’t sure why, but I didn’t exactly like how she was laughing at me.

“What’s wrong?”

I eyed her with crossed arms. Edithe waved a hand, wiping a tear from her eye with the other as she replied.

“It’s nothing— you really are like a child, huh? That’s not magic. Well, what Daniel is doing isn’t magic. It’s just rope in a normal bag. All he did was roll it up so it would fit.”

Blinking, I carefully looked at how the rope slid out of the bag. Certainly it seemed like it was being unraveled as Daniel pulled it out. But—

“Then how about your bag? You were able to keep all those weapons and armor in it!”

“That’s different. That was a Bag of Holding— a storage item. It does have magic in it. But Daniel’s does not.”

I slowly nodded. Daniel pulled out the rest of the rope and finished tying it on the rock as I scratched the side of my head.

“...can I take a look at it?”

“My Bag of Holding? Sure. It’s only Low Grade. Some basic space magic. Which is actually quite difficult for [Mages] to cast at a lower level. But still Low Grade.”

I put a hand out, however Edithe glanced over at Daniel.

“I’ll show it to you later. I told you, I didn’t bring it with me because I was not prepared to leave. Come on, you want to enter the Dungeon, right? I think he’s done.”

Sure enough, the Human man called out for us a moment later. I deflated just for a moment when Edithe pulled the bag away from me, but jumped up and ran to Daniel when he said he was done.

“It’s finished? We can enter the Dungeon now?”

“Yeah. We have to be careful though. We don’t know what’s down there. I’ve heard it might be a Gold Ranked Dungeon.”

“That’s right. We need to set up camp here too, with some traps in case we need to quickly escape. And I still have to summon Druma. It’ll take a while.”

I frowned, glancing between the two Humans as more delays popped up. Then I had an idea.

“Why don’t I go down there first, then?”

Daniel raised a brow.

“It’s dangerous—”

“It’s fine, I’ll just take a look around. We want to be prepared, right? I’m fast so I can probably escape whatever is down there. I escaped Lucerna and he’s at this ‘Gold Ranked’ level, remember? I’ll just see what monsters there are and go back up.”

He hesitated, looking between me and the hole in the ground. He turned back to Edithe.

“Should we let her?”

“I don’t see why not. She’s capable of defending herself. We’re not her carers. And it’s just a quick look, right?”

Daniel sighed, looking back at me.

“Fine. But promise me you won’t attack any monster down there.”

I smiled innocently at them.

“Of course. I promise I won't   attack any monsters without a reason.”

He shook his head, walking up to the rope and held it up for me.

“Come on, I’ll lower you down.”

I jumped up, excitedly running up to it and firmly gripped it.

“Yay! Hurry it up!”

I held on tight to the rope as he slowly released it, lowering me further and further down to the crevice below. I held up a hand, creating a small ball of fire to illuminate my path. I looked up, seeing the daylight from above slowly disappear as the words flashed in my head.

Now Entering [Dungeon: Silkfall’s Crevice].

I grinned to myself. Heh, I promised I won’t attack any monsters without reason. But if a monster attacks me, I’ll have no choice but to fight back.

29. Silkfall’s Crevice

Now Entering [Dungeon: Silkfall’s Crevice]

The words resounded in my mind as I was lowered further down into the dark ravine. The light of day had disappeared far above; only the ball of fire on the palm of my hand illuminated the way down.

It was not long until I could see the bottom of the crevice. The gray stone floor was littered with strange dull white objects. They were ivory? Bones. There were all kinds of them spread throughout— some vaguely resembled the size of a Human, while others seemed more like animals, or even monsters.

My feet touched the ground right next to a pile of bones with a skull stacked on top of it. I inspected it for a moment— using [Identification] to see if I could learn more about it. I was hoping to possibly figure out how a Human died and lost all their fleshy bits.

All the Skill told me was that it was a skull.

I cast my fire’s light around me, seeing the ravine sloped into a damp and dark tunnel that curved downwards. I carefully stepped over the pieces of bones strewn about, trying to remain quiet just in case whatever was in this Dungeon was far beyond my level. I would probably be able to escape anything that was even 10 levels higher than me. Maybe even 20.

I had spent a lot of Stat Points on my [Agility], I had a Skill that was perfect for running away, and I was told that Demons typically could handle creatures in the Mortal Realm that were higher leveled than them. I stepped into the tunnel, following it as it led me further down and away from the rope. I paused after the first turn, narrowing my eyes as a strange, white pattern blocked my path.

I identified it before touching it, feeling its hard and stringy texture as my finger pressed into it.

[Web - A network of fine threads formed by a kind of spider, typically to catch prey.]

I frowned as I tried to pull my hand back, realizing that it was stuck to the silky substance. I dissipated the fire I was using for light as I pulled back hard with one hand tugging on the other to free it from the spiderweb. Eventually, I broke free, although a piece of thread still clung to the tip of my finger.

What is this? Why is it so annoying?!

I brought my claw down on the spiderweb blocking my path, shearing the intricate design into pieces I tore into it. It gave way with less resistance than Human flesh, but was strong enough that it didn’t feel like I was just swinging at air. I pulled my hands back and stared at the fine threads that were stuck on my claws, clinging onto it as it draped to the floor.

Ok, I’ve had enough of this.   [Flame Coat]!

Fire came to life on my hands as I felt the magic take over; it incinerated the strands of silk or whatever else kind of string it was that clung to me, before spreading to the falling web on the ground. I watched in satisfaction as the fire quickly took care of the web blocking my path, only to hear a light skittering sound above my head.

I glanced up slowly, only to see four pairs of glowing red eyes stare down at me.

[Drop Spider - Lvl. 41]

“Uh, hi—”

He dropped down at me.

The [Drop Spider] closed his eight legs shut as his body reached me. I would have been crushed under the grip of the monster had I not leapt out of the way— each of its legs were as tall as Daniel, their width the size of a thin tree trunk.

He whirled around as I created a dagger made of flames with one hand, holding up my flaming claws with the other as I tried to get a better look at him. Is he just by himself? There were no other giant spiders with him. He faced me alone, having nearly snuck up on me when I was distracted by his webs.

I growled like a [Hellhound], baring my teeth as he charged at me.

The monster reached me a moment later, moving far slower than I had expected him to move as he swung one of his thick limbs at me. I ducked under the first swing and blocked the second with my dagger. The impact of the attack nearly caused me to stumble, but I quickly gathered myself and slashed back at him.

My burning claw was empowered by a [Fire Strike] as it cut deep into the [Drop Spider]’s face. He reeled back and swung once again, but I dodged it easily. I had gauged his speed and determined he was not fast, at all.

I sent a quick [Fire Blast] to the wound on his head, forcing him back before I closed the distance and slid under him. My fire dagger sliced open the bottom of the monster, digging deep and spilling green ichor all behind me. Just as I reached the other side of the large spider and picked myself up, he slammed onto me with his entire backside.

I went flying back as an aura flickered around me, dropping my fire dagger in the process. I slid to the stop as the wall touched my back, my eyes widening as I watched the [Drop Spider] leap at me. I kicked against the wall and activated [Double Step]. I stumbled quickly under the large, falling spider. He crashed onto the rock wall as I spun around a blaze already floating on the palm of my hand.

I had remembered what the bandit [Fire Mage] did— I had seen the exploding balls of fire he had thrown. I wasn’t entirely sure if what I created her was the same thing, but I tried making one anyway. I poured a large amount of mana into the fireball as it doubled in size and danced wilder than any fire I had ever conjured, before I hurled it at the [Drop Spider].

He saw it coming, but he was not fast enough to get out of the way. The fireball exploded, shaking the tunnel and almost burning me. It had been a larger explosion than the fireball the bandit [Fire Mage] was able to create, but I was expecting the monster to shatter into a flurry of parts with the amount of mana I spent into the attack. Instead, the blast was underwhelming, only collapsing him into a sizzling corpse.

Defeated [Drop Spider - Lvl. 41]!

More experience is awarded for defeating an enemy at least 10 levels above you!

“...was that not even worth a level?”

I sighed, leaning against the wall. A retort made me jump and spin around in a panic.

“And you said you wouldn’t attack any monsters.”

Daniel stood behind me, a sword and torch in each of his hands as he shook his head. I scratched the back of my head.

“Uh… I lied?”

“...at least you’re honest.”

—--

Edithe came down shortly after, having not finished her summoning spell for Druma before Daniel went after me. Both Humans somehow suspected me of lying, and decided it was for the best if the Human man followed behind me after he had lowered me to the Dungeon.

“How did you know I was lying?”

I stared at him, completely in shock that he could see through my carefully selected words of deceit.

“You said you wouldn’t attack any monsters and just check things out. And, well, whenever a child promises something, they’ll probably find a way to break it in a way that doesn’t actually ‘break it’.”

A child? I narrowed my eyes. A child is the young of a species— like an infant.

I folded my arms.

“I am not a child. I am a Lesser Demon.”

Edithe stepped forward, interrupting Daniel before he could reply.

“That doesn’t matter. Demons and Spirits don’t mature like we do, so yes you’re not a child. But Salvos, the way you said it was really mischievous. Anyone would know you were lying if you speak that way.”

I cocked my head to the side.

“Am I not a good liar?”

“You aren’t. And maybe that’s for the best. Anyway, what level was that Giant Spider you fought? It’s big. Looks like it could be a second evolution form, but I just want to be sure.”

The two Humans looked at me inquisitively as we stood at the ravine amongst the piles of bones. Druma and Mistshard waited by the tunnel going further down, just in case any monsters tried to sneak up on us. I scowled, remembering the [Drop Spider]’s level.

“He was Level 41. He gave me ‘more experience’ but I didn’t even level from it. That makes no sense.”

I kicked a piece of bone and sent it flying to the other side of the ravine. It knocked over another pile of bones, causing a light echo as they crashed to the ground. Edithe placed a hand on her chin as she considered this.

“So definitely a Gold Ranked Dungeon. This will be a little bit dangerous with only just me at above Level 40. Salvos— you’re a Demon so you can probably stand up to most of the lower leveled monsters in here. But Daniel, do you think you’ll be able to survive?”

The Human man nodded as he firmly grasped his sword.

“Don’t worry about me. I can hold my own.”

“Are you sure? You have no reason to do this.”

He turned to me slightly.

“I promised her I would help her get back to her home. So far, I haven’t done anything at all to do that. Right now, finding and beating Lucerna seems to be the only way to do that. And… I wanted to get stronger too.”

I raised a brow. Huh, I completely forgot about that. I wondered for a moment why Daniel even wanted to help me in the first place. He offered me his help after I had beaten him in a fight, but I never once asked him why it would even help him if he did that. Edithe nodded.

“Alright then. Just be prepared to run if things seem like they’re going south. I don’t want to be responsible for anything that could happen to you here just because you wanted to help a Demon… uh, Salvos.”

“Is there really anything wrong with helping a Demon even if it wasn’t Salvos?”

The Human woman considered it for a moment before shrugging.

“Probably. I’m still questioning why I’m even helping her— she says she’s fine with being evil after all. But I guess our interests line up, so it works out for the both of us.”

I looked at Edithe as she glanced away, before turning to Daniel who was rubbing at his forehead. I raised a hand.

“Now can we go into the tunnel?”

“Yes, yes. We’ll go and kill some monsters now, Salvos.”

I brightened and rushed in. Daniel called out after me.

“She meant together, Salvos.”

I paused right next to Druma who gave me a curious look. I turned around and smiled sheepishly.

“Right. We’re supposed to fight together.”

Our group of five entered the wide tunnel and passed the first charred body of the [Drop Spider] that attacked me. We made sure to keep our eyes to the ceiling in case there were more, but found nothing waiting for us overhead. We continued onward for a little while, turning left at a fork in our path until we reached another thick spiderweb blocking our path.

I quickly took care of it by burning it up, but we soon came across another layer just ahead of it. I had just been about to burn it too when I noticed a few creatures about the size of my head caught and stuck on it. Daniel stopped me.

“These are… [Crimson Bats]. Level 20-ish. What do we do?”

“They’re monsters. Just kill them, Salvos. They won’t give me much experience, but a few of them would probably push you over the edge to your next level up.”

I frowned.

“But why should I kill them? They haven’t attacked me.”

“They…”

She sighed and shook her head.

“Do whatever you want.”

I glanced over at Daniel who just shrugged.

“Just burn the web, I guess. If they attack us after they’re free, we can deal with them.”

I nodded and touched the spiderweb with a burning claw. It immediately lit up and freed the [Crimson Bats]. They fell to the ground for a moment, squirming and rolling before they fluttered up.

The six monsters screeched and charged at our party—

Defeated [Crimson Bat - Lvl. 18]!

Experience is awarded for defeating an enemy!

Defeated [Crimson Bat - Lvl. 21]!

Experience is awarded for defeating an enemy!

I sliced two of them in half as they reached me while Daniel ran one through with his sword. Edithe’s Spirit, Mistshard, simply froze the other three before they even got close. The monsters fell dead as we continued past them.

“That was easy.”

The Human man commented as we continued strolling through the dark tunnel illuminated by the fire on my claws and a magical ball of light Edithe conjured. Her eyes darted around as she spoke softly.

“Keep it down. And yes, that was easy. Some monsters are weaker than others even if they’re at the same level. Shade Swarmers are especially weak at their common evolutions like [Crimson Bats], relying more on a numerical superiority to overwhelm their enemies. They become dangerous at the higher levels however, and when you have to face an entire swarm of them? Even Platinum Ranked teams will perish to them without any backup.”

I frowned, looking at the blood staining my black claws.

“I didn’t level from that.”

“You’ll level soon. Probably. Look— there are more webs ahead.”

Sure enough, the tunnel curved further down into what appeared to be a solid wall of webs; I couldn’t even see through the thick, white sheet ahead of me. But even though I could not see through it, I could hear what was beyond.

Clicking. Dozens of soft clicks echoed from whatever was past the wall of webs. I whirled around as a click also came from my side, but it was only Edithe clicking her tongue. She had a worried look on her face.

“What’s wrong? Do you know what that is?”

She sighed, lifting up her staff as both her Spirits readied themselves ahead of us. The Human woman turned to me and spoke in a nervous voice.

“It’s a Lair. Probably belonging to the Giant Spiders. I didn’t think we’d run into one so soon. We should turn back— whatever is inside will overwhelm us.”

30. Screech

“A Lair?”

I frowned. Lucerna had a Lair. And here, in front of us, was what Edithe was calling a ‘monster Lair’.

“Yes. Lairs are where monsters lay their nest, where they claim as their dens, or where they mark their territory. The first and third scenarios become dangerous for any towns nearby because the monsters are then unusually aggressive and dangerous. But when multiple Lairs are made in the same place, a place becomes a Dungeon.”

“You told me that— if they’re bad for you Humans, let’s just go destroy it and level.”

The Human woman shook her head.

“That’s not a good idea. Giant Spider nests can get big. And if they’re all really around the same level as the one you fought, we’ll be overrun in minutes. I did not expect there to be a Lair this close to the entrance of the Dungeon. We should turn back now. Leave this Dungeon and find someplace else to level.”

“What?”

I stared at her in shock. She could not be serious! We just came here and fought a few monsters, before suddenly, we were going to leave. I hadn’t even leveled yet!

I was just about to protest when Daniel spoke up.

“I don’t think we should be too hasty. There’s still that other path we hadn’t followed.”

“You mean the tunnel that went even further down the Dungeon?”

Edithe gave him a dubious look; the Human man simply shook his head.

“It makes no sense for a Lair to be so close to the surface and not have been a problem for any of the towns nearby. This is probably just an alternate entrance to it— one that only the more adult and higher leveled Giant Spiders can leave from. I’m sure that if we go down the other tunnel, we’d find easier monsters to deal with rather than stronger ones.”

“And how do you know that?”

He shrugged.

“Just a hunch. We should at least take a look since we’re already in here.”

I quickly backed him up.

“Daniel is right! We’re already in the Dungeon! We can’t just leave now!”

“Well, technically that’s not how it works—”

I glared at him and he shut up. Why are you arguing against yourself, idiot? He was weird. Humans were weird.  

Edithe glanced between the two of us before she sighed.

“Fine. We’ll take a look. But if anything happens— if there are monsters far beyond what I can handle— I will not hesitate to leave either of you here.”

She paused, fixating a look on me.

“Although I highly doubt one of you will need help to escape.”

I grinned, satisfied that we could continue exploring the Dungeon; we turned around and made our way back to where the tunnel split into two. I eagerly walked ahead of the two Humans, stepping up beside Druma who had been ordered to take the lead. They called him their ‘tank’— he was strong and had a high [Vitality] apparently.

We began our descent to a lower part of the Dungeon until eventually we saw our first Giant Spider. He was not as large as the first one I saw, and his appendages were not as thick either. Instead, he had long, spindly legs that made its body rise up to my head level.

It was secreting a thread, spinning it around a four legged creature that was the size of a wolf. But she wasn’t a wolf— she had a hairless body, and hand-like feet with sharp nails protruding out of its four finger-toes. She struggled, trying to tear herself free from the bindings.

[Weaving Spider - Lvl. 43]

[Howre - Lvl. 25]

“Huh.”

I stared at how tightly the Giant Spider was tying up the other monster, but when he heard me speak, he immediately whirled around and dropped her. He snarled and fired three needles made of silk. I stepped back, but Druma was already moving forward.

The [Yaksha] brought his hands forward, the wood on his arms suddenly extending, almost forming a shield. He blocked the incoming attack as Edithe shouted.

“Druma, keep it distracted! Mistshard, flank it from the side!”

Her Spirits did as they were told as Daniel rushed forward. I saw the Humans and Spirits begin attacking the creature and frowned. Oh no you don’t! You won’t be keeping the experience for yourselves!

Before Daniel even reached the monster— as Mistshard released a plume of icy air at the Giant Spider— I dashed forward, faster than my legs could take me. The gray rock walls blurred around me as the Skill carried me forward, right under the face of the [Weaving Spider]. I landed a [Fire Strike] on his head before strings appeared around me.

I flipped out of the way as the threads closed in, right as Daniel reached him and sliced off one of his left legs with a Skill. Mistshard began freezing the monster’s right side as he struggled to fend off the Human man. I threw a few orbs of fire at him from a distance as Druma fired off some wood spikes of his own. Then finally, the Giant Spider fell dead.

Defeated [Weaving Spider - Lvl. 43]!

More experience is awarded for defeating an enemy at least 10 levels above you!

Less experience is awarded for defeating an enemy with the help of others!

Subspecies [Zelus Imp] Level Up!

[Zelus Imp – Lvl. 25] -> [Zelus Imp – Lvl. 26]

Gained 5 Stat Points and 3 Skill Points!

I distributed my Stat and Skill Points as I had last decided to do it. 2 to [Agility], 2 to [Vitality], 1 to [Strength], and my Skill Points split between [Basic Fire Creation], [Fire Blast], and [Flame Coat]. Satisfied, I looked up and found Edithe glancing over at me.

“You leveled?”

I grinned.

“I did. I’m Level 26 now.”

“I can see that.”

The Human woman hesitated, looking me once over; she glanced down for a moment, noting the still tied [Howre] squirming on the ground. Then she shook her head.

“Salvos, why didn’t you say anything? No— why did you say something, but not alert us that there was a monster ahead.”

“What do you mean?”

I cocked my head, confused.

“That monster— you made a noise. Made it aware that we were there without telling us that there was something there. If it had been higher leveled— or more dangerous— that could have gone badly for us. You’re our [Rogue]... well, a stand-in for one. You should have warned us. We weren’t ready for that at all.”

“But it hadn’t attacked us yet. Why would I have to say anything?”

She sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose. Then she paused, her eyes widening before she turned to me.

“You said something about wild Demons before, didn’t you? What… what exactly are they?”

“They’re these stupid Demons that attack me for no reason. They just want to level and evolve— which I do too— but they want nothing else. I don’t like them.”

I folded my arms as a hint of a smile appeared on Edithe’s face.

“Then these monsters are the same. They’re like wild Demons. Just think of them as that. Every single monster you see in a Dungeon is out to kill you, got it?”

“Huh.”

I considered this for a moment, glancing down at the [Howre] as she thrashed more and more violently. I looked back up and nodded slowly.

“I… that makes sense. I think I got it.”

“Good. Now—”

“Guys, we have company!”

Daniel called out to us as he raised his sword. The [Howre] was practically screeching now, but it wasn’t alone in making the noise.

Dozens of four legged creatures rushed up the stone hallway, rushing at us as they nipped at the air. They made odd-pitched sounds— ones that made me grasp at my ear. I wasn’t alone in doing so as Daniel, Edithe, and even Mistshard recoiled. The only one that didn’t react was Druma. He stepped forward once again, intercepting the monsters before they reached us.

“Damnit, Ground Cravers! A whole pack of them! We need to take out their [Howres]. Their sound magic is weak when only a few of them do it!”

She lifted her staff and a ball of blue energy shot out into the middle of the pack. It splashed over a group of them, knocking them over and stopping their screeches. It alleviated the noise and pain in my ears. I pulled my hands back, seeing a smudge of black blood on the palm of my hands before I looked at the charging monsters.

“You guys are loud! Shut up!”

I ran into the pack, slashing and clawing at them with and without Skills. Daniel joined in after me, his longsword swinging in wide arcs and slicing up the creatures faster than even me. Apparently, he had a high damage output for his level— he was strong, after all.

One of the [Howres] leapt for me. I was about to strike him midair, but then I had a thought. I focused on my [Basic Fire Creation], trying to form a piece of string. It worked— it wasn’t as hard to create as a sword or even a dagger. The fire thread extended across my shoulder as I held it over my head, ducking under the monster and catching it. I tried to wrap up the [Howre] as the Giant Spider did, but had difficulty keeping it in place. Eventually I gave up and just kicked him with a few [Fire Strikes] until he died.

When I was finished, all the screeching but one stopped; the entire pack was dead.

Defeated [Howre - Lvl. 20]!

Less experience is awarded for defeating an enemy with the help of others!

…

Defeated [Howre - Lvl. 26]!

Experience is awarded for defeating an enemy!

Around my level or lower, so not good for experience, I thought. I shook my head, glad that I was at least getting some experience. I hadn’t gotten any during the few days we spent in Hazelbury; I had been looking forward to this, especially since it played into getting me back to the Netherworld. It’s like… killing two wild Demons with one Spear of Flames! I made that up on the spot, feeling proud of how appropriate it was.

The screeching of a [Howre] continued for a moment. I turned around, seeing Edithe loom over the tied up female monster.

“She’s still shouting.”

I commented casually. The Human woman nodded.

“That’s how the female calls out to the males for help. Silence it, else more will come.”

I eagerly stepped forward, but Edithe stopped me. She pointed to Daniel.

“I was talking about him.”

“Wait, why can’t I do it?”

“He’s lower leveled than you. So he gets first priority when it comes to free experience.”

I scowled.

“That makes no sense! Whoever gets the kill should get the kill! And if I get it first, then I should get the kill!”

“That’s just how us Humans do it, Salvos. You’re in a party with us now. If you really want to work with us, you can’t just do whatever you want.”

I stared defiantly at the Human woman. I did not want to listen to her— and I wasn’t going to. But Daniel stepped in between us.

“I’ll finish off this [Howre] before it calls more of its kind to us. But we don’t really have to do it that way, right? Come on, we can alternate between Salvos and I. I’m pretty close to her level anyways.”

I looked over at him, thinking it over for a moment. Then I nodded before relenting.

“Sounds good to me.”

Edithe however, did not exactly seem pleased to hear that; she glared at Daniel, making sure to make her dissatisfaction known before she agreed.

“Fine.”

With that settled, we resumed traversing through the tunnel as it branched out once again to three different routes. We decided to stick with the path bringing us further down into the Dungeon, since it was the one we would least likely get lost in.

Edithe made sure to mark the walls with her magic every so often, just in case that happened.

We encountered a few more groups of monsters. They were mostly [Howres] or [Crimson Bats], both of which were rather low leveled. We only found five more Giant Spiders— two of them were by themselves, while the other three were actually grouped together for once. We defeated them all, although it took us some time to take out all three Giant Spiders.

Defeated [Drop Spider - Lvl. 40]!

More experience is awarded for defeating an enemy at least 10 levels above you!

Less experience is awarded for defeating an enemy with the help of others!

…

Defeated [Crimson Bat - Lvl. 24]!

Experience is awarded for defeating an enemy!

Subspecies [Zelus Imp] Level Up!

[Zelus Imp – Lvl. 26] -> [Zelus Imp – Lvl. 27]

Gained 5 Stat Points and 3 Skill Points!

“That’s odd.”

Daniel commented, lifting his bloodied sword from the body of the dead Shade Swarmer. We had been setting up camp in a small alcove alongside the stone wall when they attacked. They were taken care of easily as usual, having numbered in only a dozen.

“What is?”

I turned to him, not fully paying attention to what he was saying as I evaluated my Status and distributed my points as usual. Edithe lowered her staff, facing him with more attention than me.

“These monsters. They’re all so… weak.”

“Weak? These monsters are around both your levels, aren’t they?”

The Human woman raised a brow dubiously. He nodded.

“Yeah, they are. But we’re supposed to be in a Gold Ranked Dungeon, aren’t we? So far, the only monsters above Level 40 have been those Giant Spiders. And even then, they were barely above 40.”

“You’re right. This is high Silver at most.”

She agreed as she returned to the small alcove and sat down. Daniel and I followed after her as I still was focused on my Status.

“But why the complaint? If this was a full-blown Gold Ranked Dungeon, you and Salvos would be struggling a lot more.”

“We’d have leveled more too.”

“And one of you would probably have died. Be grateful, Daniel. Didn’t you say this was your first time going into a Dungeon?”

“It is. And I am grateful. I leveled twice today, which is more than what most people get to say about a month.”

He sat down on the ground, setting down his sheathed sword with a sigh. He rubbed at his temples as he spoke slowly.

“I just have a bad feeling about this. We should be prepared. There might be higher leveled and stronger monsters than just the ones we’ve seen.”

The two exchanged serious looks. A foreboding silence hung in the air for a moment, before I perked up, finally tuning into the conversation.

“Stronger monsters? That means more experience! Where can I find them?”

31. Grinding and Learning

I listened to Daniel as he gave me a warning not to fight any monsters I couldn’t beat; he stayed up for a bit longer than Edithe to ensure that I would not get myself killed while exploring the Dungeon alone. The Human woman had already gone to sleep, so it was just me, him, Mistshard, and Druma.

I lazily heeded Daniel’s words, already aware of the consequences of facing things that were stronger than me.

“Are you even listening, Salvos?”

He gave me a questioning look as I dug at an ear.

“Not really.”

I answered honestly. The Human man pinched the bridge of his nose as he sighed.

“Salvos, you—”

He paused and shook his head.

“Just don’t die, alright?”

I nodded, actually listening to him as he said that. I grinned and gave him a reassuring thumbs-up.

“Don’t worry, I won’t.”  

“...that’s more intimidating than anything. Your claws aren’t exactly reassuring. Don’t do that in front of any other Human please.”

“Fine.”

I crossed my arms and got up in a huff. Then I started past the two Spirits standing at the edge of the alcove. The [Yaksha] nodded at me while the [Elemental] simply watched me go. I waved at Druma as I left, going further down the stone hallway with nothing but the fire at my hand lighting the way.

Unlike the two Humans, I did not need sleep. So I suggested I delve deeper into the Dungeon while they were busy resting; Edithe had not been too open to the idea for whatever reason, but she eventually acquiesced when she realized I would do it whether she liked it or not. Meanwhile Daniel had been worried— something which I found rather interesting. Wasn’t he wary of me because I was a Demon?

That still seemed to be the case, just slightly less so now for whatever reason. I probably should ask him why in the future— I didn’t ask him now because he never likes it when I inundate him with questions.

But it was interesting, observing these two Humans interact. They were both Humans, but they were just so distinct. It almost reminded me of how different I had been to Haec. If there are different types of Humans, I wonder if there are any wild Humans? I mused quietly to myself as I strolled down the Dungeon.

I hadn’t seen any so far, but it was always a possibility, right?

It was not long before I encountered a group of Shade Swarmers— those [Crimson Bats] that littered every new area of the Dungeon. They came flying at me in a swarm, as befitted the name of their Species, but this Subspecies of theirs was apparently weak. A single [Fire Blast] knocked a handful of them off the air. They fell on the ground, burning, not dead but incapacitated long enough for me to deal with the rest that came.

They zipped and bit at me as my claws tore through the group. It was not long before I finished them all off, however apparently the sound of my fighting attracted a group of [Howres]. The three four legged creatures ran at me as they screamed their sound magic, but it was not enough to leave me reeling even if I felt my head ache with every second I heard their screech.

I pounced at the one closest to me, aiming for his mouth to stop the excruciatingly painful noise. Then I conjured fire spikes and threw them at the other two, once again trying to stop their sound magic. I took care of them as quickly as I took care of the Shade Swarmers— three of them had been as difficult to deal with as a dozen of those monster bats.

Defeated [Crimson Bat - Lvl. 19]!

Experience is awarded for defeating an enemy!

…

Defeated [Howre - Lvl. 25]!

Experience is awarded for defeating an enemy!

“No level.”

I sighed as I got up. I flicked away the blood on my claws as I continued my descent, alone in this supposed Gold Rank Dungeon.

—--

I only encountered two Giant Spiders in my lone exploration of the Dungeon; the first was a [Weaving Spider] at Level 43. She was in the middle of eating some [Crimson Bats]. Gross, the thought crossed my mind as I sent a ball of fire at her.

She was far easier to kill by myself than a [Drop Spider] of a similar level. Perhaps it was because of how much weaker she was, so I didn’t actually have to get up close and take hits to hurt her.

The next Giant Spider I saw was the aforementioned [Drop Spider]. After the first time I was ambushed by one, I made sure to check the ceiling for any monsters lying in wait; I caught sight of him dangling next to a stalactite, waiting to prey on any unknowing monster or person that walked under him.

I was about to throw a fireball at him but caught myself. First of all, it probably wouldn’t have killed him even if he didn’t dodge the slow attack. Secondly, it was a waste of mana too— I would have exhausted too much mana for an attack that wasn’t nearly worth it. So I had an idea.

I grabbed one of the Piercing Arrows from the quiver slung over my shoulder; I held it on one hand as I activated my [Basic Fire Creation] to form a fiery string, before molding a more sturdy crescent shape around it. I held up the crude fire bow, feeling that it was probably fine to use and aimed it at the [Drop Spider].

I nocked the Low Grade arrow and loosed it at the monster. He screeched and fell hard onto the ground from the attack and wriggled on the floor. I rushed him and struck at his weak underside before he could fully recover, landing a few [Fire Strikes] on him. He stopped, dead from the attacks.

I stood, triumphant from having beaten him. I looked through his corpse, searching for the arrow, only to find it was broken and lodged deep into his carapace. Maybe I shouldn’t do that too often, I thought, glancing at the remaining two arrows I had. Should save it for Lucerna.

I imagined firing one of those enchanted bolts in between the eyes of the [Djinn] as I continued scouring the Dungeon. Eventually, when I felt enough time had passed, I returned back in the direction of Edithe and Daniel.

Defeated [Howre - Lvl. 23]!

Experience is awarded for defeating an enemy!

…

Defeated [Drop Spider - Lvl. 45]!

More experience is awarded for defeating an enemy at least 10 levels above you!

Subspecies [Zelus Imp] Level Up!

[Zelus Imp – Lvl. 27] -> [Zelus Imp – Lvl. 28]

Gained 5 Stat Points and 3 Skill Points!

Subspecies [Zelus Imp] Level Up!

[Zelus Imp – Lvl. 28] -> [Zelus Imp – Lvl. 29]

Gained 5 Stat Points and 3 Skill Points!

Stats:

[Available Stat Points: 0]

[Vitality]: 31

[Strength]: 21

[Endurance]: 34

[Wisdom]: 41

[Agility]: 62

Skills:

[Available Skill Points: 2]

[Basic Fire Creation] - Lvl. 20

[Double Step] - Lvl. 10 (Maxed)

[Fire Strike] - Lvl. 10 (Maxed)

[Fire Blast] - Lvl. 16

[Flame Coat] - Lvl. 8

[Passive - General Tool Proficiency] - Lvl. 3

[Unused Skill Slot] x1

I made sure to mark the walls with my claws when I went exploring the Dungeon on my own— so I wouldn’t get lost. I returned to the two Humans who had just woken up and were getting ready for the day. I greeted Mistshard but paused at Druma who was sitting and leaning against a wall.

“What’s he doing?”

I questioned the [Elemental] as she simply floated there, arms folded in front of the alcove. She turned to me as if she had just noticed I was there.

“He’s sleeping. [Yakshas] require at least an hour of sleep a day, so he’s resting while he can.”

“But you don’t have to sleep. Why does he need to do that?”

She replied icily— not in an aggressive manner, but simply in her usual, blunt voice.

“Not all Spirits can forego rest. The same with Demons. Both our Species require no sleep in our Infant stage, but the subsequent evolutions alter our bodies in ways that are typically helpful, but also detrimental in other respects. Requiring sleep is simply one such example.”

“Huh.”

I decided to choose my next evolution very carefully. I did not want to have to sleep every day like the Humans; it seemed like too much of a hindrance for any advantage to fully offset.

Daniel glanced up as I entered the alcove. He nodded at me.

“Leveled, didn’t you?”

I put up two fingers and grinned.

“Twice.”

“Good job, Salvos.”

He remarked simply, before resuming munching on his food. Edithe stared at me for a moment, not really saying anything. I sat down across from her.

“I also made sure to mark the tunnel walls. So we don’t go to where I’ve already been. I didn’t see any Lairs, but there was a one hall full of [Crimson Bats]. Too many for me to handle. I think we can clear them out together after this.”

She started, blinking at me as I smiled.

“You— oh.”

“Although they’re pretty low leveled compared to you. If you don’t want to deal with them we can just skip that room entirely.”

The Human woman finally broke out of her stupor, taking a deep breath.

“I… it’s fine, Salvos. We can clear them out together. I’m sure Druma and Mistshard would benefit from the experience too.”

She hesitated, chewing her lower lip as I simply sat there.

“Uh, good job…”

I nodded back at her, and sprawled on the ground, letting [Rest] take over me. When the two Humans were finally ready, I had enough of my health, mana, and stamina to continue fighting through the Dungeon.

—--

The alcove became our temporary place of stay while in the Dungeon. We— well, the Humans— would leave and return to the alcove every day as we explored and mapped out the Dungeon. Daniel had brought with him a piece of paper to draw out our routes on, which slowed our progress at first, but proved to be helpful later on.

Every night— or we thought it was night— Edithe and Daniel would rest in the alcove as I went out to level on my own. Even though I had been consistently doing this, it seemed that the gains I got in terms of experience and levels were quickly decreasing due to a number of reasons. The main one being how we encountered less and less Giant Spiders as time went on.

Defeated [Howre - Lvl. 27]!

Experience is awarded for defeating an enemy!

I shook my head, walking away from the dead monsters all around me. No levels today. I was Level 32 now, after a week of training in the Dungeon nonstop. I had maxed my [Flame Coat] at Level 10, now having a surplus of 3 Skill Points up from 2.

It was tiring, and I had nearly died on multiple occasions. The only thing that saved me was my party— that was what the two Humans had been calling us— and my increased [Vitality]. I was incredibly glad I focused on raising it just before entering the Dungeon, because I definitely would have died if not for that. The Ring of Lesser Protection had absorbed all the hits it could and was now recharging slowly. Supposedly, it would take a week before I could use it again unless I had a magic tool to directly pour mana into it; however, Daniel said it would probably be usable again soon since we were a Dungeon with plenty of ambient mana to speed up its process.

I stalked through the tunnels, returning to the little alcove with Druma and Mistshard standing guard over. The two Spirits were now Level 36 and 33 respectively, leveling far slower than me since I started at a lower level than them. Edithe had only gained a single level, and I still wasn’t sure what level Daniel was due to his Necklace of Obfuscation.

I found the Human man awake when I entered the alcove, sitting by the campfire and writing on a leather-bound book. He didn’t turn to me, even when I walked up next to him and peered over his shoulders.

“What’s this?”

Daniel jumped and whirled around.

“Salvos, don’t sneak up on me like that!”

“Sorry. I thought you noticed me but weren’t saying anything.”

“It’s fine. You don’t have to apologize. Just don’t do that again please.”

He exhaled deeply, a hand on his chest and his book slammed shut. I nodded.

“Good. I wasn’t actually sorry. I only said it because I assumed that was what you Humans would say in that situation.”

“You… wait— no. When did you come back? You usually return only a few hours from now.”

I raised my shoulders in a shrug.

“I was bored of killing monsters that couldn’t fight back. They attack me, but they can barely hurt me. Not like the Giant Spiders.”

I almost felt like a wild Demon when I actively searched for a small group of [Howres] or [Crimson Bats] to kill. Sure, they would charge at me almost mindlessly. But I was just so much stronger than them I had no reason to even fight them in the first place. Maybe if there were more of them that they would actually be a threat I wouldn’t have felt that way. However the groups I found were all small. So, I came back early for tonight.

“I see…”

Daniel scooched away from me, holding his book close to himself. He waited, but I said nothing more. Eventually, he lifted the book back up and continued scribbling away on its paper. I turned away from him and stared at the campfire.

I watched the way the small flame danced in its little area; the way it flickered and snapped even without a wind to push it about. It seemed so weak. So, I touched it.

“W-what are you doing, Salvos?”

I glanced up at the Human man as I felt a prickling sensation come over my finger. It was hot— burning, even. But not as much as other flames I had felt before. Daniel blinked.

“Do you have some sort of heat resistance or something?”

“Maybe.”

“You don’t have a Skill for it?”

“Nope.”

I answered simply as I pulled my finger back. It started to hurt— it was burning me after all. The Human man murmured to himself.

“Hm, I guess it would make sense for a Demon to be more resilient to fire. But no resistance Skills? Or are you trying to gain one…”

I cocked my head, not really understanding what he said. I was only testing the heat of the flame; I wanted my [Basic Fire Creation] to get stronger— to produce deadlier fires. That was the only reason why I did it.

Daniel muttered a ‘never mind ’ under his breath before he continued writing on his book, making sure its plain cover was facing me. I just stared at him for a moment, until he put the book down and raised a brow.

“Uh, did you need something?”

“No. I was just thinking.”

I said nothing more and he gave me a confused look.

“...what were you thinking about?”

“You tried to kill me when we first met. You thought I was Lucerna. But after you found out that I was trying to go back to the Netherworld, you offered to help me. You’re still helping me, even now. Why?”

He paused. He slowly lowered his book down, placing it on the stone floor as he drew his knees to his chest. He hugged them tight as he spoke softly, his gaze boring into the red flames.

“You really ask the most annoying questions, don’t you?”

I cocked my head again, but he turned to me. I met his hesitant brown eyes with very own curiosity, waiting for his answer to come out.

“At first, I had thought you were the Demon that destroyed Fairdale. The one who killed the innocent men, women, and children living there. I don’t know why, but at the time, I felt obligated to stop you. Even though you were higher leveled than me, I thought I could beat you. I tried to beat you.

“But I did not. I tried and failed to stop you, the destroyer of Fairdale. Even when you said you weren’t the one to do all that, I didn’t believe you. I mean, Demons are supposed to be evil creatures, right? You’re supposed to lie, cheat, and trick Humans to get what you want. Then— you spared me.

“You spared me. I thought I was going to die, but I lived. It made me realize you were telling the truth. That you really wanted to return to the Netherworld. And… I guess I empathize with that. The desire— the longing— to return to your home. So I decided to help you do just that.”

Daniel finished, slowly averting his gaze from me. He stared down at the palm of his hands as he softy repeated himself.

“To return home.”

There was a moment of silence; only the crackling of the campfire made any noise in the quiet Dungeon tunnel. Then I nodded.

“Huh.”

The Human man blinked. He turned to me and frowned.

“Is that all you have to say— no more questions? Nothing?”

“Nope.”

I shook my head simply. He sighed and leaned back on the rock wall.

“And here I thought you were going to prod me even more. Honestly I wasn't sure whether I could answer any more questions.”

“Don’t worry, I don’t care.”

“That kind of hurts, you know? I just poured out a lot of my personal thoughts for you, and your reply is that you don’t care.”

I shrugged nonchalantly.

“You answered my question. I’m satisfied.”

I replied bluntly; I was pretty sure I was supposed to be more delicate in my response here. However, Daniel clearly didn’t want to share more than he already did, so I thought this was the appropriate reaction. Maybe not. Humans are weird!

“That’s for the best, I guess.”

Daniel reached for his book.

“Also—”

I spoke up, remembering something else Humans said when someone did something for them.  

“Thanks.”

“Oh, uh, no problem.”

32. Monster Lair

“It’s a nest.”

“Don’t you mean it’s a Lair?”

“Same thing, different meanings.”

“And what’s the difference?”

I looked curiously at Edithe. The Human woman did not retort. She did not flinch when she faced me. Although she did hesitate a little.

“Nests are dangerous. Lairs aren’t necessarily so.”

“Huh.”

I grinned.

“Then I guess we should fight everything inside!”

“As expected.”

Daniel spoke up from behind me. I frowned, turning back to him.

“What does that mean?”

“You’re not as unpredictable as I initially thought.”

“And is that a bad thing?”

I peered at him with a raised brow; he smiled back at me. He replied in a cheerful tone, almost reminiscent of the way I spoke.

“Nope.”

I nodded slowly, not sure what to think of that. I had been observing the two Humans and how they acted for a while, but now they were starting to… change. They were more at ease with me? Which seemed like a good thing at first, until I realized I wasn’t sure how to interpret their reactions or words any longer.

“Good. Now let’s take care of this nest.”

I opted for dealing with what was ahead of us.

Now Entering [Lair: Shade Swarmers Nest].

“That’s a lot of them. We draw them out, funnel them through the exit!”

Edithe stepped back as Mistshard began preparing dozens of small ice spikes with her magic. The [Summoner] turned to Druma as the [Yaksha] positioned himself by the entryway.

“[Boost Stat: Vitality]. Pull back if they overwhelm you— I see some evolved forms there!”

Sure enough, flying amongst the swirling red mass in the cavern hall ahead were some different colored bats. [Azure Bats]. I had only seen one in the time we had been in the Dungeon, and she had been Level 41.

I readied myself for the incoming swarm, activating [Flame Coat] on my cloak as well as slipping on the fully charged Ring of Lesser Protection onto my finger. Daniel stood next to the Druma with his sword drawn as Edithe raised her staff.

“Fireball.”

The explosion blew apart the first wave, before the second was frozen solid by Mistshard. The third was met by the two men standing in front as I stood behind them, cutting down those that slipped through.

Supposedly, this nest would have been dangerous to nearby Human settlements if it was allowed to grow in size. As it was currently, it was quite small. And yet, there were over a hundred of them flying and zipping all around us in this cave.

[Fire Blasts] took down groups of weaker [Crimson Bats], but the [Azure Bats] proved to be the real difficulty with exterminating this nest. One of them came down at me, clawing at my face with a feral rage. I struck back, but she was quick. Faster than even I was.

However, I was stronger than her. All I had to do was touch her once, and it was over. I grabbed her by the wing and flung her to the ground. I stamped a [Fire Strike]-powered foot onto her body before I tore her apart.

Then more Shade Swarmers came, more [Crimson Bats] died, and the last of the [Azure Bats] fell to their death.

Defeated [Crimson Bat - Lvl. 16]!

Less experience is awarded for defeating an enemy with the help of others!

Less experience is awarded for defeating an enemy at least 10 levels below you!

…

Defeated [Azure Bat - Lvl. 44]!

More experience is awarded for defeating an enemy at least 10 levels above you!

Cleared [Lair: Shade Swarmers Nest]!

Experience is awarded for clearing a Lair!

Subspecies [Zelus Imp] Level Up!

[Zelus Imp – Lvl. 32] -> [Zelus Imp – Lvl. 33]

Gained 5 Stat Points and 3 Skill Points!

Over a hundred monsters lay dead on the floor all around me, and yet I only gained a single level. Each [Crimson Bat] already gave me less experience due to our level difference, but that was exacerbated even more by my party’s help.

Only the [Azure Bats] and clearing the Lair truly helped me in reaching my next level, however there were only a few dozen of them. So, I only leveled once.

I evaluated my Status and found both my [Vitality] and [Strength] to have finally reached a decent amount. An amount that I was satisfied with. So I decided to return to divvying my Stat Points evenly between [Wisdom] and [Endurance], sparing the last for [Agility].

I split my 3 Skill Points between [Basic Fire Creation], [Passive - General Tool Proficiency], and [Fire Blast]— the last of which I finally maxed out at Level 20. For the future, I was going to add 2 Skill Points to [Basic Fire Creation] and only 1 Skill Point for my passive Skill. It was thanks to that Skill I was able to use my fire bow, even if I could only hit still targets.

With that finished, I turned back to Edithe who I found entering the Lair which was no longer a ‘Lair’. The words that had hung in my head indicating it was one disappeared. Now it was just any other cave chamber connected to the Dungeon tunnel.

“What are you doing?”

I called out to her as she glanced about. She paused as she caught sight of a group of stalagmites in the corner. She rushed over to it as I followed behind her, before Daniel decided to join us. He was clearly confused too.

The Human woman made a sound.

“Aha! There is it.”

“Did you find something?”

“Is it more monsters?”

I added excitedly, standing on the tip of my toes as I tried to glance over her shoulder. Edithe shook her head as she gestured at the strange white objects lying next to a pile of worn out items.

“Eggs. A lot of them. And some loot too— they must’ve stolen it off the corpses that fell to the crevice.”

“Oh, I can store them in my, uh, Bag of Hol... but eggs?”

The Human man furrowed his brows. He frowned as he looked at the dozens of round shapes resting on the rocks.

“Bats don’t lay eggs.”

“They don’t?”

Edithe blinked, then shook her head.

“Well it doesn’t matter. These aren’t bats. They’re Shade Swarmers. And they lay eggs. I’ll burn them once we grab everything valuable here.”

I watched as the two Humans began grabbing for the pile; they tossed some of the items aside while putting others inside of Daniel’s bag. He held it close to himself as he did so, picking up a rusted hammer with a scowl. He was about to throw it aside when I stopped him.

“I want that.”

I pointed at it. He paused, staring at the hammer then at me.

“It’s just a regular hammer used for building. Why do you want it?”

“Because I want it!”

I snatched the hammer off his hands as he shrugged.

“Sure.”

I scurried off to the side while the Humans did their thing— I waited for them as I inspected the hammer with keen interest. It was small. The wooden handle rested easily on the palm of my hand, and the head was not too heavy. It was… exactly what I needed!

I raised my other hand and activated [Basic Fire Creation] with a grin.

—--

Edithe stared at the fire hammer I was holding up and blinked.

“You made that?”

“I did! Now I can use something other than a fire dagger to fight!”

The Human woman rubbed at her temples as Daniel glanced between the two of us.

“Why are you sighing, Edithe?”

“Come on, Daniel. Don’t you recognize that? It’s a creation Skill.”

I turned to her.

“What’s wrong with a creation Skill?”

“There’s nothing wrong with it. It’s just… very rare. For a [Mage] without a creation Skill to learn any kind of creation magic, it would take years.  Decades  even. It’s no wonder you’re so strong, Salvos, even for a Demon.”

I perked up at the praise, twirling the hammer in my hand with my tool Skill as I giggled.

“Of course! I’m not just a Demon, after all! I’m Salvos!”

Daniel grinned.

“Starting to warm up to her, aren’t you Edithe? I didn’t expect you to compliment a Demon.”

“That wasn’t a compliment.”

The Human woman scoffed, turning away from me. Not that I noticed. I was busy smiling with my chin raised as I marched down the tunnel ahead.

“I was just pointing out how dangerous Salvos is. Nothing more.”

“So you haven’t changed your mind about her yet? Even after fighting alongside her. Even after she helped save your life against those bandits?”

“We’re only allies of circumstance, Daniel. That is all. Our enemy is Lucerna, and we will work together until he is dead. Then we’ll probably never see or speak to each other ever again.”

I stopped midstep, halting my alacrity as I had a thought. I heard Daniel sigh as I turned slowly. Then I looked at Edithe.

“What?”

She had an uncomfortable look on her face. I cocked my head.

“Why?”

“Huh?”

I paused, trying to figure out the question I had in my head; I never thought about it when I first met her, just like I had with Daniel. But now, for whatever reason, I was curious.

“Why do you want to kill Lucerna?”

The Human woman drew her lips to a thin line as her face twisted. She hesitated, then spoke simply.

“I told you, didn’t I? It’s for revenge.”

“But why?”

“Why what? Why do I want revenge?”

I nodded. Edithe took in an exasperated breath as she realized what I was asking her. I wasn’t even sure why I wanted to know the answer to this. However, after observing her— as I had observed Daniel— I had to know.

“Why do you want anything, Salvos? Why do you want to level? Why do you want to go back to the Netherworld?”

I replied instantly.

“I want to level because with each level, I become more complete. I want to go back to the Netherworld because my companion is there, and I don’t want to lose him.”

She took a step back, not expecting me to answer so quickly. She was about to retort but stopped herself. She stood there for a moment, not saying anything as I stared at her with a tilted head. Eventually, she spoke softly.

“That [Djinn]... Lucerna… killed my friends. My Spirits. My partners. And yet, I lived. Even though we faced him together, I survived.”

Edithe cast her gaze up to the ceiling, a morose look passing through her face.

“I couldn’t protect them. They protected me— Paul saved me. He loved me, and he died for me. Then I froze up. I couldn’t do anything. And Hana took me away as that Demon overwhelmed us. As it slaughtered the rest of them, then finally Hana herself.”

Each word she spoke was mixed with grief and regret; the bitter look on her face was only directed at herself, and no one else.

“It was my fault we lost. It was my fault they died. And yet, I am the only one still here. If I can’t avenge my friends— if I can’t stop that Demon’s rampage— then what reason did I have to live?”

I slowly took this in. I said nothing, remembering Daniel’s annoyance at my reaction to him. I simply listened.

“Why else did I have to live?”

Silence hung over our party as we walked down the tunnel, only the footsteps echoing against the rock walls made any sound. We quietly continued through the Dungeon, sadness on Edithe’s face, a longing look on Daniel’s, and a thoughtful expression written on mine as I parsed this information.

Humans were weird.

And interesting.

33. Led into a Trap

We strode in silence through the dark, stone tunnel lit only by the fire hammer I held; our party of three— five including the Spirits— walked deeper and deeper into the Dungeon. I was rather used to the quiet, having not even been able to speak until relatively recently.

But apparently the lack of noise made Humans uncomfortable. I noticed how Edithe and Daniel looked— they warily glanced around, their gazes darting to every shadowed corner not illuminated by my flame. I tried being considerate of how Humans acted and said nothing after the Human woman told me her reasoning for wanting revenge. But I was bored now!

“So… want to clear another Lair?”

I spoke up, ending the veil of silence hanging over our heads. The two Humans exchanged a glance as I continued.

“That Shade Swarmers Lair gave me more experience. It helped me level! I want to level some more before we face Lucerna. This Dungeon isn’t as fast as you made it out to be!”

“We never said it would be fast, Salvos. We just said it would be faster than hunting every rampaging monster outside of Dungeons. And besides, you’ve already leveled plenty since coming here.”

I scowled and crossed my arms.

“It’s not enough. Lucerna leveled 8 times from when I last saw him to when he attacked Maplewell. He is leveling far faster than me, even at a higher level. We need to get stronger.”

I wasn’t going to get beaten up and thrown around like the first two times I fought him; I refused to lose this time. Mostly because I needed to beat him to tell me what I wanted to know.

“What do you suggest, then?”

Daniel gave me a hesitant, but not doubting, look.

“We’ve already cleared out probably half of the Dungeon. The Shade Swarmers Lair is gone, and we don’t know where the Ground Cravers are coming from. They’re probably burrowed in a little hole somewhere, hiding away. And the Giant Spiders aren’t exactly showing themselves to us en masse.”

“But they are.”

I grinned as Edithe’s eyes widened.

“Wait, you’re not saying…”

“We attack their Lair.”

I spoke simply. The two Humans didn’t seem to get it though as they gave me confused looks.

“Salvos— those monsters are far above our level. It’s not just two or three Giant Spiders like we’ve been encountering. But hundreds. It’s a Lair— just like a Shade Swarmers nest— it probably has a hundred of those Level 40 [Weaving Spiders] or [Drop Spiders]... each. We can’t fight that, let alone the hundreds of babies or lower leveled Subspecies in there.”

“We don’t have to fight them all though.”

“What do you mean?”

I remembered the [Hellhounds] chasing Haec and I. I recalled how the pack would split off when other wild Demons showed up. How some would just stray away. And how others would simply give up.

It was the same principle here; there was no reason to draw the wrath of the entire Lair of Giant Spiders. All we had to do was get some of them.

I smiled.

“Daniel, Edithe, Mistshard, Druma— wait, you can’t speak… just nod or shake your head— how fast do you think I am?”

The four of them considered this as I explained the strategy I had in mind. They were apprehensive; they pointed out the flaws in it. But they went with it. Because they knew it was the best chance we got at outleveling Lucerna.

—--

I walked past the destroyed spiderwebs. The ones I had torn and burned no longer barred my path. I approached the last remaining layer of the white substance, covering a hole in the wall that held behind it a monster’s nest.

Slowly, I created the fiery weapon in my one hand as I walked up to the final web. It was thick; it had been woven over itself again and again, making it difficult to even cut through. But I did not need to cut it.

I brought a clawed finger to the spiderweb and activated [Flame Coat]. I tapped its surface and it burned, the silky excrement of the Giant Spiders quickly fading away with the flames that ran through it. I readied myself, preparing for a wave of Giant Spiders to come at me. But none came.

I watched as the solid veil disappeared, revealing what was behind it. Stretching down into a pit was the Lair of the Giant Spiders. It was not just a single chamber with a nest somewhere hidden away. The entire Lair was a nest, with floor after floor made of webs descending to the bottommost layer of the Dungeon.

Instantly, all eyes in the floors nearest to me snapped in my direction. Giant Spiders— those of the Subspecies I had seen and hadn’t seen— immediately swarmed in my direction. There were dozens of them. Some were as low as Level 10, while others were close to Level 50. They were all too much for us to handle, and yet, it was not all of them.

Those further down the Lair did not react; they did not follow their fellow Giant Spiders in their charge because they did not see what they were charging at. So they lay dormant as only a few dozen Giant Spiders came my way.

I immediately backed up, putting as much distance from myself and the hole in the wall as possible. The Giant Spiders quickly began funneling through it, chasing after me as I raised my weapon. I nocked the Explosive Bolt onto the fire bow and released it at the first wave.

The enchanted munition blasted apart the lower leveled monsters, and even killed a Level 40 [Weaving Spider]. But that was only seven out of all those that came. I hurled a crudely made fireball at them before spinning around and running as fast as I could.

The highest leveled of the Giant Spiders closed the distance, reaching me before long, but I grinned and used [Double Step] to widen the gap once more as I turned the first corner. The stone walls blurred around me as I focused only on staying alive. My feet carried me away from the monsters as the slowest of them disappeared from my line of sight, leaving only the fastest of them on my tail as I entered the large cave room.

A [Drop Spider] leapt at me as I whirled around. I sent a [Fire Blast] at him, which only bounced off his carapace—

Then a large wooden limb struck him down midair. He fell to the ground as a thin layer of ice spread throughout his body. He tried getting up, breaking himself free, only to be met by a sword slicing off his head.

“More are coming! Focus on the highest leveled ones first!”

I shouted at my party as I created fire spikes to throw at an angry [Weaving Spider]. Out of the dozens of Giant Spiders that initially pursued me, only a dozen remained. Many of them were higher leveled than me, but compared to earlier, this was a much fairer fight. It was maybe even lopsided in our favor as unlike the monsters, we worked and coordinated with each other.

I saved Daniel from a [Weaving Spider]’s threads, only to be protected from a group of lower leveled Giant Spiders by Mistshard. Edithe stayed behind Druma who worked with her to easily dispatch any monster that approached them, as I rushed in and out of the groups of Giant Spiders.

Eventually, we killed them all.

Defeated [Weaving Spider - Lvl. 40]!

Experience is awarded for defeating an enemy!

…

Defeated [Skittering Spider - Lvl. 21]!

Less experience is awarded for defeating an enemy at least 10 levels below you!

I didn’t level from the fight, although I noticed Daniel was unusually quiet for a few moments after the battle ended. Edithe wiped the beads of water forming on her forehead as she exhaled.

“That was… a crazy plan. I can’t believe it actually worked.”

I gave the Human woman a triumphant look as she turned to me.

“I told you. I’m fast.”

“And apparently mad.”

Then she paused, as if remembering something.

“But I guess I’m mad too for even agreeing with that plan. And it’s not too different from what my team would have suggested.”

“What would they have suggested?”

Daniel finally joined in the conversation as he was finished with distributing his Stat and Skill Points. Edithe had a thoughtful look on her face.

“Eloy was a [Geomancer], and Silvia a [Rogue]. They would have probably suggested the same thing Salvos did, but instead of fighting them head on once the Giant Spiders reached this room, we would drop them down a pit. And attack them as they tried to clamber up with magic and projectiles. Paul would have complained that he barely got any kills, but deep down he would be glad that no one got hurt.”

“What about Hana?”

I cocked my head. A small smile slipped onto Edithe’s face as she remembered her Spirit.

“Hana would have been ecstatic about the plan. She would get to kill so many monsters— gain so many levels— and barely be in danger. She would have wanted us to do it again and again for weeks, until the experience each Giant Spider gave her was a pittance, and only then would she want to leave the Dungeon.”

The Human woman paused as her face twisted. But before the grim look could spread any further, I spoke up.

“I like Hana. She seems nice.”

Edithe glanced up, the shadow disappearing off the arches of her brow; her lips relaxing as it released the frown it had been holding in.

“She was very nice indeed.”

I nodded eagerly.

“And smart. We should do just that. We fight, again!”  

I turned around to provoke more Giant Spiders into chasing after us, but Daniel and Edithe grabbed me by my shoulders and pulled me back.

“You do that—”

“—but only after we [Rest], alright?”

I sighed, letting them take me.

“Fine.”

—--  

We repeated the strategy twice more that day, before retiring to the same alcove as before for the night. I did not go out and do any exploration of my own, instead choosing to relax in the camp. I chatted with Daniel and Edithe before they went to sleep, then stayed up to keep watch.

The two Spirits were not here, having been sent back to the Spirit Plane by Edithe with [Return Summon]. Other than the initial few nights we spent in the Dungeon, only Mistshard had remained summoned for the night; the Human woman found it too taxing to keep Druma around when we were not exploring the Dungeon. And after the exhausting fights we had earlier, she couldn’t maintain Mistshard’s mana supply either tonight. So for the first time since I met her, Edithe was trusting me to keep watch as she slept.

I didn’t mind it too much. I hadn’t planned to go out on my own, so this gave me something to do. Plus, I could distribute my Stat and Skill Points from hitting Level 34 in the meantime. Eventually however, the two Humans woke up. Edithe re-summoned her Spirits, and we were off to fight more Giant Spiders for another day.

“You know, each time we do this, it becomes more dangerous, right?”

The Human woman commented as we prepared ourselves in the same room as before. We were at the bottom of the crevice— the place that had been littered with Human and animal bones. It was now also littered with dead Giant Spider bodies.

“Why is that?”

I inquisitively turned to Edithe as I waited for her explanation. Apparently, monsters were not exactly mindless— they would adapt to such traps over time. She said that many adventurers would try a trick too many times, only for it to backfire eventually. So the use of this strategy should be limited.

“But you said Hana would do it as many times as possible!”

“I did not say we would have listened to her though. Honestly Salvos, as much as I like the idea of gaining a dozen levels from doing this, it is not sustainable. I suggest we only try this for another two more days before we leave this Dungeon. It is not a Gold Ranked Dungeon like my company had thought. High Silver, but not Gold.”

Certainly, other than the Giant Spiders, this Dungeon did not feel dangerous. At least, compared to the Netherworld whenever I was attacked by wild Demons— I nearly died many times! But I survived.

And now I was going once again to a potentially deadly situation. I walked up to the hole in the wall— the spiderweb concealing the Lair now gone. I peered through it, expecting to draw the attention of dozens of Giant Spiders at once again—

But nothing came.

I looked around, realizing that there were no Giant Spiders on the webbed floor closest to me. Even the ceiling above was empty of any [Drop Spiders]. Their intricate webbing was clear, with only the egg sacs left behind.

I glanced further back down as I heard a clamoring from below. It sounded indistinct at first— like an array of noise joined together to make something incomprehensible. However I quickly recognized what it was.

It’s the sound of fighting.

Down, past the layers of webs closest to me, I saw figures moving. Hundreds of Giant Spiders were swarming at something at the bottommost area of their Lair. No, not something. Some things.

There were long, undulating creatures mixed with the fighting below. They were fast— they skittered around and through the mass of Giant Spiders, sending clumps of them flying to the air. I leaned closer and narrowed my eyes, trying to get a glimpse of what it was that was assailing this Lair.

Then I felt something hit me from behind. A small rock dropped from the ceiling, bouncing off the back of my head and to the monsters below.

I glanced up, confused as to what made it fall. And the stone wall above burst open. Elongated creatures with segmented bodies came pouring through the earth, raining down onto the sea of Giant Spiders. They charged at the faraway monsters, streaming down the walls— before pausing.

These monsters caught a glimpse of a closer target. Something that was not a Giant Spider, but as much as a target as they were.

I stepped back, eyes widening as I identified these new monsters.

[Junior Centinel - Lvl. 56]

[Junior Centinel - Lvl. 53]

[Junior Centinel - Lvl. 61]

The ones closest to me— the ones running down the walls— turned. And they rushed me.

34. Centinels

The Centinels came at me fast.

I immediately spun around and used [Double Step] to put as much distance between myself and the high leveled monsters as possible. Perhaps if it were only a single one, I would have tried to fight him. However, there were too many for me to handle.

Over a dozen Level 50 to 60 monsters pursued me down the stone hallway. These creatures moved at incredibly fast speeds, nearly catching up to me more than once. Some of them had some kind of speed Skill— their mandibles nicking the back of my cloak as it lit up in flames.

I turned a corner and saw the opening up ahead. Daniel, Edithe, Mistshard, and Druma were lying in wait there, but even with their help it wouldn’t have been enough to win. I cupped my hands around my mouth and shouted as loud as I could.

“Run! Get out of the Dungeon! There’s too many of them!”

A head peeked around the corner; Daniel blinked as he took in the elongated monsters with dozens of dark segmented parts of their body, and a hundred horn-like crimson legs. These Centinels almost reminded me of the horned Demon— only they had a far longer and larger body, with terrifying mandibles the size of my forearm that threatened to shear me in two with each snap.

The Human man paled. He whirled around and yelled at the rest of our party to flee.

“Centinels! [Junior Centinels]— we can’t take them! Shit—”

He made a break for the rope still dangling down the crevice from above. But it was a long way up. And these monsters could climb up walls.

I burst into the room just in time to see Mistshard grabbing Edithe and flying up and away, while Druma waited for me by the rope. My mind raced with my body as I formed the only plan I could at the moment.

“Druma, carry me and climb as fast as you can!”

The [Yaksha] paused, looking at me for a moment. He might have been conflicted, because he wasn’t ordered to listen to me by his master. And yet, his life probably took precedence over all else.

So the tree-like creature grabbed hold of the rope and stayed just a moment longer as Daniel climbed further up, casting a quick, hesitant glance at the two of us. But he continued the moment he saw the Centinels come scuttling out of the tunnel.

I leapt onto Druma’s back and he immediately began climbing as fast as he could. The first of the Centinels reached us a moment later, jumping up after us as we ascended. My [Fire Blast] knocked them back onto the ground.

The others skittered out of the way as they landed, wriggling on their backs for a moment before righting themselves. The monsters glanced up at us, seeing our party make our escape. Then they charged up the walls.

I looked around me; Daniel was pulling himself up the ropes as fast as he could. He could not help— he had no ranged attacks. Mistshard on the other hand, had magic. But she was distracted.

“Just fly! I’ll keep them off you!”

Edithe yelled as the [Elemental] carried her by her shoulders, slowly flying upwards. Mistshard was capable of flight, but it was more of a hover— she could not speed up and out of the Dungeon.

The Human woman aimed her staff at the closest Centinel scurrying up the rock wall and unleashed a streak of electricity. The monster stopped, falling down as his entire body writhed and wriggled, the discharge running through his body. Then he picked himself up and continued his pursuit.

It was up to Edithe and I to hold these Centinels off. No one else could do anything.

I clung onto Druma’s back, blasting flames at the closest ones leaping off the walls for us. The [Fire Blast] barely singed the shell of the Centinels, but it was enough to keep them back.

I watched as a cluster of them gathered together and ran up the wall parallel to us. They were trying to attack us as a group, so my magic wouldn’t be able to knock them all back. I created a ball of fire and flung it at the Centinels before they had the chance to even jump in our direction.

The Centinels fell. Some of them broke their shells. Blood leaked out and oozed onto the floor below. But they picked themselves up and ran back up after us.

“They won’t stop coming! What do we do?!”

Daniel shouted down at us right as we saw light leaking down from above. We were close to the top of the pit. The Dungeon was behind us entirely.

Now Leaving [Dungeon: Silkfall’s Crevice].

Yet, the Centinels came; they charged mindlessly at us, never giving up no matter what we did.

“If these monsters attack a nearby town— hundreds of people are going to be killed!”

Edithe launched a volley of ice arrows at a weakened Centinel. I saw his shell crack— I watched him bleed as he ran through the hail without a care in the world but to kill us. He threw himself at the Human woman—

And my fire arrow struck him midair. The bolt was weak, but it hit the exposed part of his body. Then the Centinel fell.

Defeated [Junior Centinel – Lvl. 56]!

More experience is awarded for defeating an enemy at least 20 levels above you!

He splattered onto the ground; no shell left to protect him from the fall. I grinned, looking around at skittering Centinels.

“We don’t have to run. We can fight!”

Daniel pulled himself up to the top of the crevice. He looked down at me dubiously for a moment, then his eyes widened as he realized my plan. Edithe saw it too. She had Mistshard set her down across the hole in the ground from Daniel. The [Elemental] simply hovered above.

“Knock them down! Every time they reach the surface, send them tumbling back down to their Dungeon! They will fall and die, or they will give up! Either way, we will win!”

The Humans nodded as I hopped off Druma, landing on solid ground with a momentary stumble. I righted myself and glanced down the crevice— into the Dungeon— as the monsters came skittering up the walls after us.

I grinned and sent a [Fire Blast] down at the closest one. He fell, but no notification came. The next came quickly after, and again I did the same thing.

More Centinels came— too much for me to handle— but Daniel stepped up next to me, carrying a large rock on his hands. He hurled it at a Centinels face, knocking it loose off the walls and down back into the Dungeon.

Defeated [Junior Centinel – Lvl. 54]!

More experience is awarded for defeating an enemy at least 20 levels above you!

Less experience is awarded for defeating an enemy with the help of others!

I exchanged a glance with Daniel. He gave me a reassuring smile and ran for more rocks to throw. I sent blasts of flame down the hole— occasional fireballs needed to knock down a group of them— while Daniel supported me with his rocks. Edithe, Mistshard, and Druma stood on their edge of the crevice doing the same thing. Although it seemed like the two Spirits were doing most of the work. Edithe seemed exhausted, having to boost her two summons as well as directly participating in the combat.

A few times, a Centinel would scurry past the [Fire Blasts] and the rocks we threw on them, blurring at high speeds upwards. They would breach out of the Dungeon, pulling themselves up onto the surface. But we were prepared for that. A [Fire Strike] kick or a [Quick Strike] from Daniel would knock them off balance enough for us to throw them back into the crevice.

The Centinels continued their mindless endeavor as time passed, before eventually, they stopped. Whether they all perished or gave up didn’t matter. We won.

Defeated [Junior Centinel – Lvl. 61]!

More experience is awarded for defeating an enemy at least 20 levels above you!

Less experience is awarded for defeating an enemy with the help of others!

…

Defeated [Junior Centinel – Lvl. 55]!

More experience is awarded for defeating an enemy at least 20 levels above you!

Less experience is awarded for defeating an enemy with the help of others!

Subspecies [Zelus Imp] Level Up!

[Zelus Imp – Lvl. 34] -> [Zelus Imp – Lvl. 35]

Gained 5 Stat Points and 3 Skill Points!

I sprawled myself onto the ground with a triumphant sigh. Over a dozen kills and over 20 levels above me but only a single level, huh? It wasn’t the best gains I had gotten in the Dungeon. However, it felt good to level so soon after a previous level up just the day before.

So I didn’t let it bother me.

Daniel panted in relief, letting his sword dig into the ground next to me.

“That was dangerous.”

“But good for experience.”

I straightened and shot him a smirk. The Human man shook his head, murmuring under his breath.

“Not if we died.”

“We didn’t die.”

Edithe spoke simply as she strode over to us; Mistshard and Druma were gone— the Human woman unable to sustain them after the battle was over. It took a bit of time for her to use the [Return Summon] Skill, but now it was done and she took a seat next to me in our makeshift camp from weeks ago.

“The experience was rewarding; however we didn’t do it just for that.”

She nodded at me.

“Thanks to your quick thinking, Salvos, we were able to take out those Centinels here and now. If they had reached even a city like Hazelbury— there would have been a lot of innocent lives lost before they would be taken down.”

“Huh.”

I looked at her, then at the broken body of one of the few Centinels that crested to the top.

“Are they that dangerous?”

“Anything above Level 50 is dangerous. Even those Giant Spiders we’ve been fighting are dangerous to any of the nearby towns. That’s why it’s wrong for the Iron Champions Company to keep a Dungeon such as this hidden. And Centinels too?”

Edithe sighed and rubbed at her temples.

“They’re especially dangerous because they can dig through the ground. They’ll just go under the city walls and attack anything they see. If there really is a nest or a Lair of them down in the Dungeon— we need to return to Hazelbury and notify the authorities. These may only be Juniors, but Seniors wouldn’t even have to dig under a wall to get through it.”

I nodded.

“Dangerous then.”

“Right.”

“There’s probably a Lair, I think. There were a lot of them— they were attacking the Giant Spiders. Dozens of them.”

“Then all the more reason we should return to Hazelbury as soon as possible. Come on.”

Edithe hauled her sack over her shoulder and looked over at us expectantly. Daniel sighed, gathering his things.

 “Why didn’t they burrow through the earth? I mean, you said they can do that, right?”

“I’m not really sure—”

“They wouldn’t.”

I spoke simply. The two Humans exchanged a glance as we started away from the Dungeon. Daniel raised an eyebrow.

“Why not?”

“Because they’re stupid. I saw the way they acted. Other monsters— like the Giant Spiders— they would only protect their territory. Most would give up chasing me after a while. But these Centinels? None gave up. They didn’t think whether a dozen of them breaking away from the rest to attack me was worth it for them. They just saw me and wanted to kill me. Like wild Demons.”

Edithe smiled.

“You really have a thing against these ‘wild Demons’, don’t you?”

I folded my arms across my chest.

“Of course! They’re mindless Demons! They just want to kill me! I have no reason to like them.”

The Human woman nodded. Then she lightly placed her hand on my head.

“Well, Salvos, it’s a good thing you aren’t like them, aren’t you?”

I paused, staring up at the Human woman, then at Daniel. They both looked at me with a soft face— completely different from when I first met either of them. And I felt as if they were finally looking at me.

Slowly, I smiled.

“Yep!”

—-

“—and that’s why you came to hate wild Demons?”

“Yes! She was just there one moment, then it crushed her!”

“...the Netherworld sounds like an incredibly harsh place. Why do you even want to go back there?”

Daniel turned to me, his brows were creased and a grimace plastered onto his face.

“Because Haec is there.”

I spoke simply. Daniel blinked, but Edithe just laughed.

“You know, Salvos, you’re actually quite simple aren’t you?”

“Hey!”

I looked over at the Human woman with a glare, however she didn’t blanche. She didn’t step back in fear or wariness. Instead, she just waved a hand off lightly.

“It’s not a bad thing, really. Honestly, us Humans are often so complicated, it gets really tiring sometimes.”

“Yeah, you can say that again.”

Daniel muttered with a sigh. I glanced between the two Humans, my lips curled up as I shook my head.

“I agree. You Humans are weird! But that’s not really a bad thing.”

“You think?”

The Human man eyed me dubiously. I nodded eagerly.

“You’re not like rocks at all.”

“I… don’t even know where to start with that.”

“Well, it’s a good thing you don’t hate us. You’re going to be around lots of us again soon. Come on, Hazelbury is just up ahead.”

We continued walking up the dirt road; neither Mistshard nor Druma were with us since Edithe had no reason to summon them. The three of us had been traveling at a slower pace than it took us to get to the Dungeon, and after a few days, we had finally arrived, cresting up the tall hill a few miles from the city.

I stopped as the two halted midstep. Edithe’s eyes bulged out of their sockets while Daniel just stared in shock at the sight before us. I blinked as I took in the state of Hazelbury.

The gates of the city lay broken, the walls covered in ash. Smoke billowed up from the city ahead.

So as the sun rose from the horizon, my companions and I returned to Hazelbury only to find the city had been attacked.

By Lucerna.

35. Blame

Hazelbury had been attacked.

The gates had been destroyed— the iron bars were torn open by some great force. And following it into the city was destruction.

The city did not lay in ruins as Maplewell did, however the once bustling settlement was now empty. People hid in their homes, staying away from the streets. Houses and buildings were burning or burnt down, having suffered tremendous damage in various parts of the city. Parts of the tall city walls were collapsed, and Human guards mixed with adventurers manned the battlements with extreme wariness.

“Halt! Who goes there!”

One of them yelled out. Edithe raised her hand, flashing a gleaming yellow badge.

“Adventurers! Gold Ranked! I— what happened here?”

She looked around, her eyes wide and filled with shock. Her gaze paused on the layer of ash spread across the rubble and a dark look came over her face.

“Our city was attacked. The Demon— the one has been rampaging across Falisfield. It came here. It did all this.”

“No way…”

Daniel breathed, glancing at the havoc that had been wrought. My eyes flashed as I whispered a name.

“Lucerna.”

The Human man turned to me, sputtering as he did.

“But— but— wasn’t it— he— only Level 50?”

“He must have grown stronger. Just like we did.”

I spoke simply. I called out to the guards as they let us through the gates.

“What level was he?”

“Level 60. He came through this wing of the walls. Took out all the guards in the area. Then proceeded to ravage the city for an hour before fleeing.”

“And where did he go?”

The guard shook his head.

“Somewhere south. But you shouldn’t pursue the Demon. I don’t think even a Gold Ranked team can take it out now. We need Platinums. Or a small army.”

I nodded at him before I turned to enter the city. I walked alongside my two companions, only a deathly silence held between us.

I looked around, staring at the ash covered rooftops. The burnt houses. And buildings crushed and trampled under the [Djinn]’s wrath. Edithe murmured softly.

“Level 60…”

Her gaze darkened. Daniel just stared, face unmoving. I looked at the two, not understanding them at all.

I had expected this; since I heard about Lucerna from Edithe in Maplewell, I realized the [Djinn] was leveling at a faster pace than me. Despite being higher leveled than me in the first place, he was able to grow at a rate I couldn’t even match.

Now, however, it was different. Since Maplewell, he had grown by 10 levels, while I had grown by 13. I was out leveling him now, and that was a good thing. I still couldn’t possibly beat him alone, however with Edithe, Daniel, Mistshard, and Druma’s help, I believed it was now something we could do.

We just had to find him first.

My companions and I continued making our way to the Adventurers Guild. They had to make their report— share the location of Silkfall’s Crevice and of the Centinels lying beneath the earth. However, the dour mood held by the two Humans only worsened when they entered the guild hall.

“Look who returned.”

Blake stood up from his table, rising a head taller than all the others in the guild. He pointed a finger in our direction as faces spun our way.

“It’s the  thieves that robbed from us and ran away.”

Daniel scowled.

“What do you want, Blake? We don’t have time to deal with your crap today.”

“Oh, but you do. It’s because of you three that our city is in this state.”

“Cut the bullshit. How exactly are we responsible for what happened here? It’s like you said, we were busy ‘running’. We weren’t even in Hazelbury when this happened.”

The tall man smiled— it was not a kind smile. Something about it was different; I saw his lips quivering while he spoke, as if something within him was waiting to burst out.

“Well, you weren’t. But because you stole from us and made the Iron Champions Company chase after you, only half of our adventurers were in Hazelbury when that destroyer attacked the city. We tried to come back— however it was too late.”

His eyes flashed as he continued, gesturing at the adventurers surrounding us.

“It’s because of you their friends and teammates are dead!”

Edithe paled as the words sunk in. Daniel’s mouth hung open, his jaw looking like it wanted to fall from his face.

I glanced around and finally noticed the tension in the air; the adventurers here were upset. They reminded me of Edithe when I had first met her— burning with anger and needing something to spread it to. And as of this moment, it seemed like they wanted to burn us.

I took a wary step back, slowly raising my claws. Then I paused. I shouldn’t fight them, I thought, my eyes trailing off to my two companions. But how do I…

My eyes widened as I had an idea. I grinned and walked up to Blake. The tall looked down at me with a dark gaze as the glares of the other adventurers bore into me. I kept my hood up, adjusting it slightly as I nodded at him. Then I turned to the nearby receptionist.

“Hey.”

The Human woman sat up in a panic. She quickly sputtered a reply.

“Y— yes? Did you need something?”

I smiled cheerfully beneath my Cloak of Shadows. They couldn’t see my face but I didn’t care. I simply spoke as loudly as I could.

“We’d like to report the location of a Dungeon the Iron Champions Company has been hiding. It’s a Gold Rank Dungeon called the Silkfall’s Crevice— it holds many dangerous monsters like Giant Spiders and Shade Swarmers. It even has a Centinel Lair with many many many Level 60 [Junior Centinels]. Very dangerous stuff. If they get out and attack a city, it’ll be real bad, right?”

Heads snapped in the direction of Blake as he blinked. The receptionist slowly worked her mouth.

“I… it’ll be very bad. A Gold Rank Dungeon? Are you sure about this? Where’s it at?”

I pointed vaguely in a direction.

“I think… there. And there are many towns near it!”

I exclaimed as I spread my arms out wide. A few murmurs broke out as adventurers spoke to each other.

“The Iron Champions Company kept the Dungeon a secret. If Edithe, Daniel, and I hadn’t killed them, they would have destroyed it all! So many people would have died because they wanted to keep the experience and levels for themselves.”

I wasn’t lying— although I wasn’t averse to lying in this situation.

“Uh, of course. That is rather… alarming. To think there’d be such a dangerous Dungeon close by. But it’s not something the guild can just accept without proof. If you can tell us its exact location and not just a direction—”

“Sure!”

I turned to Edithe and gestured at the receptionist. The Human woman blinked, glancing around at the far less hostile guild— many were now glaring at Blake whose face was bulging with veins.

‘Right.”

She quickly reached into her bag and produced the map we had stolen from the Iron Champions Company. The receptionist accepted, studying it for a moment before nodding.

“We’ll send a member of the guild to confirm this. But if this is true… well, it’s not exactly illegal to keep the location of Dungeons secret. But it’s irresponsible, especially if they weren’t guarding it themselves.”

“They weren’t. It’s a newly discovered one— they’ve been using it to get new recruits and nothing more.”

Edithe explained. The receptionist sighed.

“Then once we get this checked out, the guild will have to send an official letter to the Iron Champions Company, urging them to take better precautions and at least share such information with us.... not like it’ll do anything.”  

I watched as the map was rolled up and handed to another receptionist. I looked over at Daniel and Edithe, then at the others in the room. They no longer had their attention on us, which was exactly what I wanted.

I was just about to turn triumphantly to Daniel as he walked over to us when a voice cut through the crowd at us.

“You!”

Blake stormed past a group of Silver Ranked adventurers. He knocked one aside, spilling a drink as he angrily approached me. I cocked my head.

“Me?”

“You’re the one that broke into our company building for the map, weren’t you? I knew it. I shouldn’t have told you about the Dungeon. Damnit. Damn you!”

He stared at me with bloodshot eyes. I shrugged.

“I did. And?”

“You— and?!”

The tall man lowered his hand to a mace at his waist. I narrowed my eyes and spoke a single word.

“Don’t.”

He hesitated, his hand hovering over the weapon. There was a tense silence between us; he was only Level 27. He did not level even once since I last saw him. I would have killed him easily then, and it was no different now. However I knew that my companions wouldn’t like it, so I gave him one warning.

Adventurers looked on from where they sat as this confrontation happened. Then, before Blake could make a decision, a noise stopped him. A loud dong broke everyone from their stupor. Another one resounded and instantly, the once-still adventurers burst into action, rushing out of the doors of the guild.

Blinking, I watched the Adventurers Guild empty out as Blake clicked his tongue.

“If the town guards weren’t so overwhelmed right now, I would have you three arrested on the spot.”

He stalked out of the hall, following the stream of people pouring away. I turned to Edithe as she frowned.

“Two bells.”

“What does that mean?”

I looked up at her inquisitively. She shook her head and raised her staff.

“It means there’s a monster horde approaching the city. Hazelbury is under attack.”

—--

Apparently, monsters came to cities when they were vulnerable. They weren’t entirely mindless like wild Demons— or at least, most of them weren’t. They would often know when something or someone was too dangerous to attack. And most of the time, cities, with their vast population of Humans, were something they avoided as certain death.

However, after Lucerna’s attack on Hazelbury, Humans hid in their homes. They did not wander about as busily as they did before I left for the Dungeon. I noticed this, and so did the monsters.

So a horde of them came for the weakened city. Stampede Elks— hundreds of them.

“Didn’t you say you took care of them when I first met you?”

“I killed only a few dozen. There weren’t this many in that group I fought.”

“So a different herd then. Well, it’s a good thing I didn’t end up doing the job. I would have died!”

“Maybe back then you would have. Now, I think you can deal with a hundred of them just fine.”

“I… am not as confident in me as you are.”

I shook my head, turning back to a figure standing behind the walls. Edithe was chanting quietly to herself as an intricate glowing circle formed on the ground before her. I sighed as she continued her summoning Skill.

“Is she not done yet? Look— the adventures and guards are already approaching the monsters!”

Sure enough, a group of Humans sallied forth from the city to engage the Stampede Elks before they reached the city walls. They could jump high. If they reached the city, they would be able to go over the defenses and attack the civilians living within.

Not that I cared about that. I just saw the chance of gaining experience in fighting these monsters.

“You know, you don’t have to wait for us, right? You can just go and help fend them off.”

“Really?”

I brightened and immediately stuck one foot over the crenellations of the walls. Daniel hesitated, looking back at Edithe then at me.

“Yeah, I think you’ll be fine. As long as you don’t expose yourself or kill any Humans—”

“Yeah, yeah.”

I spoke in the same slang he did and waved a hand dismissively.

“Don’t do this, Salvos. Don’t do that.  I know by now! I won’t get in trouble, promise! Now if you’ll excuse me.”

I hopped off the city walls, landing nimbly on my two feet before running to join the battle. I didn’t even wait to finish hearing Daniel speak. I knew what he wanted from me by now… probably.

I dashed into the fighting— the group of Humans already locked in combat with the monsters. I leapt straight into the first Stampede Elk I saw. My claws tore into his body, quickly killing him as the words appeared in my head.

I spun and sliced apart another group of [Green Stags]. They collapsed before the fallen Human guard before them. He stared at me for a moment, before fumbling for his weapon and picking himself up.

I continued on, clawing at groups and groups of the low leveled monsters. I heard a familiar voice bellow. I glanced slightly to my right, only to see Blake and a group of adventurers surrounding a larger and different colored Stampede Elk.

They backed up as the monster charged them, sending magic and arrows at the Level 41 [Charge Deer]. They dodged out of the way in time and surrounded the monster. After continuing their barrage of attacks on the [Charge Deer], they finally killed it.

However, before they could relax, another [Charge Deer] burst out from the group of Stampede Elks. Before they could even brace themselves however, I threw myself onto the oncoming monster. I clung onto his back as I ripped into him with a few [Fire Strikes] mixed with regular hits. The [Charge Deer] tried to fling me off, but I held on until he fell dead.

Defeated [Charge Deer - Lvl. 43]!

Experience is awarded for defeating an enemy!

I got off the corpse of the monster and smirked in the direction of Blake. I saw him looking at me with wide eyes before I spun around and ran into more fighting. Most of the monsters here were lower leveled than me; only the [Charge Deers] seemed to be an actual threat. But they were rare enough that I could deal with them without a problem.

Defeated [Green Stag - Lvl. 18]!

Less experience is awarded for defeating an enemy at least 10 levels below you!

...

Defeated [Charge Deer - Lvl. 40]!

Experience is awarded for defeating an enemy!

It wasn’t much experience, but it was more than doing nothing in the city.

36. City Under Attack

For the next week, Daniel, Edithe, and I helped Hazelbury fend off waves and waves of monster hordes. They didn’t attack the city every day, however it was frequent enough that it kept us busy in between trying to gather information on Lucerna’s location and abilities. The experience gained wasn’t nearly comparable with what we gained in the Dungeon, however it was at least something.

In fact, it was thanks to fighting a pack of angry Stonedomed Beetles, Mistshard was able to reach her evolution. She became a Greater Spirit after having reached Level 40, her body morphing into that of a large four-winged bird, becoming slightly bigger than her almost-Human form of before. Her feathers were icy— prickly to touch— although they looked just like snow. Or at least, that was what Daniel told me.

I knew what snow was. I didn’t need him to explain the concept to me. However, even though I could comprehend what it was, I couldn’t visualize it. Despite the Human man’s best attempts at giving me a vivid description of what it was, I just couldn’t see it. All I knew was that snow was white, soft, and wet— only the first of which resembled Mistshard’s new form.

Realizing how close I was to becoming a Greater Demon however, I spent more time fighting the hordes of monsters than helping my two Human companions walk around the city and talk to people. It was only when a small group of Dusk Wolves attacked the city— something the city guards should have been able to handle themselves from their walls— did I finally level.

I ran out of the broken city gates, ignoring the cries of a few Humans standing on the walls with their bows calling for me to go back. I intercepted the mere ten monsters as they were felled by arrows from afar, although they still insisted on taking the city.

Two [Fire Strikes] instantly brought down the injured [Alpha Dark Wolf] before his pack surrounded me. They came at me from all sides, leaping at me at once. A [Fire Blast] knocked a few back while I easily dispatched the ones that avoided the attack.

I spun around, slicing the monsters into pieces, and was finished before the group of spear-wielding Human guards even reached me.

Defeated [Alpha Dark Wolf - Lvl. 34]!

Less experience is awarded for defeating an enemy with the help of others!

…

Defeated [Dark Wolf - Lvl. 16]!

Less experience is awarded for defeating an enemy at least 10 levels below you!

Subspecies [Zelus Imp] Level Up!

[Zelus Imp - Lvl. 35] -> [Zelus Imp - Lvl. 36]

Gained 5 Stat Points and 3 Skill Points!

I grinned victoriously at the notification, and casually strode past the group of staring Humans. They couldn’t see my face, of course. However, they did recognize me from my participation in all the battles in the last week.

“Did you see that? She took out the whole pack.... by herself.”

“She has to be a Gold Rank, at least. There’s no way any Silver would be able to do that— let alone dare  to do that.”

“But she’s only Level 36!”

“She might have a special Class. Or she got an advancement at an earlier level.”

“Is that even possible—”

I simply nodded in their direction, immediately shutting them up. I frowned. I didn’t ask you to stop talking about me. I quite enjoyed hearing their chatter, even if I knew it was all untrue.

I continued past the group and entered the city, no longer interested in their conversation as it abruptly shifted to dealing with the dead Dusk Wolves. I focused on managing my Status instead, specifically my Skill Points.

I had, of course, spent my Stat Points mostly between [Wisdom] and [Endurance], leaving the remainder to [Agility]. Things became interesting however, when I got to my Skills. Because with this most recent level up, I finally maxed my [Basic Fire Creation].

I wasn’t really sure what I was expecting. I thought something would happen once it got to Level 30. However, that didn’t happen. What happened was what usually happened when I maxed out a Skill.

I could no longer raise its level.

That was it.

Salvos

Species: [Lesser Demon]

Subspecies: [Zelus Imp] - Lvl. 36

General Skills:

[Basic Mana Manipulation] - Lvl. 5

[Identification] - Lvl. 4

[Racial Skill: Universal Language Comprehension] - Lvl. 1

[Rest] - Lvl. 2

Stats:

[Available Stat Points: 0]

[Vitality]: 37

[Strength]: 24

[Endurance]: 42

[Wisdom]: 49

[Agility]: 72

Skills:

[Available Skill Points: 3]

[Basic Fire Creation] - Lvl. 30 (Maxed)

[Double Step] - Lvl. 10 (Maxed)

[Fire Strike] - Lvl. 10 (Maxed)

[Fire Blast] - Lvl. 20 (Maxed)

[Flame Coat] - Lvl. 10 (Maxed)

[Passive - General Tool Proficiency] - Lvl. 7

[Unused Skill Slot] x1

I tried messing with the Skill as I walked through the city. There weren’t very many people about, however those that were around stared as I formed various weapons with my red fire. I could even create a fire sword now, although it consumed too much mana for it to be useful currently. I could always just use a regular sword after all.

“There you are.”

I turned around and glanced up at Daniel as he stopped right behind me. He was panting, bent over and catching his breath.

“Oh hey. I was just going to return to the inn. You don’t have to worry, I was not going to cause any trouble!”

I paused.

“...unless Blake wants to try something. Then I wouldn’t mind getting into trouble. But I won’t be the one causing it.”

The Human man sighed, not bothering to respond to that.

“You ran off the moment you heard the city was being attacked. I was just worried about you, that’s all.”

“It was just a bunch of Dusk Wolves. I took care of them easily.”

I grinned, but he couldn’t see it.

“Well, I’m glad you’re safe. But come on. We were just about to head to the temple.”

“The temple? You mean the Fauna one, right?”

“Yes, the Sanctuary of Fauna.”

I cocked my head.

“Why’re we going there?”

“That was the last place Lucerna attacked. Before he was forced to escape Hazelbury. Edithe thinks that if we go there, we might find some clues about his goals or where he went. Then we can pursue him.”

—--

“Leveled again?”

Edithe raised a brow. I nodded eagerly as I identified my companions.

[Mage - Level 49]

[Warrior - Level 20]

“Hey!”

I frowned, turning to Daniel.

“You still have your necklace block your real level.”

“Yeah. And I’m not going to turn it off anytime soon. So you’ll have to deal with seeing me this way.”

I crossed my arms and stomped a foot down petulantly.

“How would I know if you’ve passed me in levels then?”

“You won’t. That’s the point.”

He smirked as I glared at him. Edithe rolled her eyes.

“Don’t encourage her, Daniel.”

Then she turned to me.

“And Salvos, don’t do that.”

“Why? I see Humans do it all the time!”

“Children do it. You’ve said it yourself, didn’t you? You’re not a child.”

“I…”

I scowled.

“Fine.”

We entered the damaged temple building as its sturdy pillars held up the remains of the half-collapsed roof above. Rubble and ash littered the front entrance, however that seemed to be where most of the destruction had been kept to. Lucerna was fought back here. The [Priests], while noncombatants, were able to band together with adventurers and guards to force him to flee.

And it was not just them. They also had the help of—

“Sakura!”

I ran up to the [Beastkin]. She limply stood up, turning to me as I approached. I paused right before her, staring at the stump where her foot was supposed to be.

“What happened?”

“It seems you have been busy since we last met, Salvos.”

I nodded.

“I have been. We went to a Dungeon— fought Centinels and Giant Spiders. But nevermind that. What’s wrong with your leg?”

The wolf-like creature stood up. Even without her front left leg, she was able to stand without a problem; it might have impeded her movements if she were running or fighting, but it didn’t seem to bother her currently.

“I underestimated the [Djinn]. I thought he had been hurt, overwhelmed by the sheer combined force of hundreds of Humans and myself. However I was wrong. I foolishly pursued him, and paid the price.”

She raised what remained of her leg and shook her head, her white mane still as majestic as before despite her current look.

“But can’t you restore it? Use one of those red liquids Humans use?”

There had been a few times in the Dungeon when Daniel had to share his bottles with me. However, he was hesitant, since he didn’t bring much with him.

“Healing potions are not cure-alls, Salvos. They mend open wounds, and they may even reattach some body parts, but they will not bring back lost limbs. And they are expensive. [Alchemists] require extremely rare ingredients to create them. It is cheaper to get a [Mage] capable of healing spells to fix you than to pay an [Alchemist] to suit every single guard in the city with one. And unfortunately, the city guards did not think it was best to waste their resources on me.”

“So, they only sent someone to heal you?”

“No.”

Sakura replied softly.

“They left me as is.”

“What?”

I stared at the [Beastkin], aghast. Why would they do that? She helped them chase Lucerna away! But… why wouldn’t they do that either?

I paused, considering why I even thought it was awful the Humans didn’t help Sakura; by the sounds of it, it was the most logical thing for them to do. It was like if I still had my Spear of Flames and gave it to a random Demon instead of Haec— it made no sense.

Still, I didn’t like that they left Sakura in her injured state.

“I recovered on my own, through [Rest] and time. I will never be able to fight the same again, but it matters not. My only job is to guard this temple, and if that means I die doing so, then I will do it.”

“I… see.”

I nodded slowly.

“Well, I’m glad to see that you’re alive.”

“Indeed. Now what is it you need of me?”

Sakura tilted her head and her gaze bore into me. I blinked, glancing between my Human companions and the [Beastkin], before remembering why we came here.

“Right. We were, uh, wondering about Lucerna...”

“The [Djinn]. Is there anything you can tell us about him?”

Edithe took up after me.

“Where was he headed? What were his Skills? And was he really Level 60?”

“To answer your first question: I do not know. As for his Skills, you must have seen them yourself when your team fought him, no? He uses ash and smoke— he can conjure deadly balls of ash that would kill any Human below Level 40 in an instant. He summons pillars of ash that come crashing to the ground, causing immense destruction. And he flees in a mist of smoke, disappearing within the shroud he creates.”

The Human woman nodded along. Daniel piped up.

“Isn’t that the same Skills you mentioned, Edithe?”

“It is. So he hasn’t gained any new Skills since. That’s good for us. We know what to expect.”

I shook my head.

“No— I never saw him use half of those Skills you mentioned when I fought him. And I fought him twice. Those Skills of his… they’re new. He might have been inexperienced with them when he first fought you. We can’t expect him to fight the same way.”

Sakura looked at me, then at the two Humans.

“Salvos is correct. He is dangerous, do not take him lightly. That was the mistake I made.”

She paused for a moment before finishing.

“And yes, he was Level 60 when I last saw him. But he might be higher now. Be wary.”

“We will.”

Edithe answered firmly, her voice full of resolve.

“We just need to know where he went. So we can put a stop to him before he causes too much destruction and death.”

“It is too late. He is already the Destroyer. But that doesn’t mean he can’t be stopped. As we speak, the king of Nixa is calling his lords to mobilize their armies. The people are unhappy. Unrest is at an all-time high. And now a crisis has struck his largest province. He will act. The [Djinn] will die. All that remains to be seen is who will slay him and when.”

“Then tell us where Lucerna went. You had to have found out what he wanted from fighting him, right?”

The Human woman gave her a pleading look. But Sakura simply lowered her head.

“I know not where he went, but I know what he wants.”

“And what does he want?”

I peered at Sakura as she faced me. Lucerna had gone on a rampage since he was summoned to the Mortal Realm. He didn’t listen to the [Cultists], even though they were the ones who brought him here. Instead, he slaughtered them in a rage. He attacked every town, village, and city he came across, leaving behind rubble and ash. He had to have a goal. He had to have a reason for doing all this. But what was it?

The [Beastkin] opened her mouth—

And was interrupted by a [Priest] running down the halls of the temple.

“Move aside! Urgent message received from… wait, you’re adventurers aren’t you?”

The man stopped right before us. He was the one who showed Daniel and I around the temple when we first came here. We slowly nodded as he sighed in relief.

“Good. Then you can relay this message for me to the Adventurers Guild.”

“Message?”

I cocked my head. The [Priest] nodded as he passed me a piece of paper with something written on it.

“It’s an official missive from the Sanctuary of Fauna’s branch in Silvergrove. The [Djinn] was spotted from their walls 15 minutes ago. It is currently trying to breach the gates.”

I looked at the pale, wrinkled face of the older man, then down at the letter in my hand. He spoke at the same time as I read the message on it.

“Silvergrove is under attack.”

37. Race to Silvergrove

Silvergrove was under attack.

It was a city around 30 miles to the southeast of Hazelbury. I wasn’t exactly sure how far a mile was, nor was I sure where southeast was, but I knew that meant he was close by. It would, however, take a few hours for us to reach the city if we went now. Or at least, with Daniel and Edithe’s running speeds.

Again, I wasn’t exactly sure how long ‘a few hours’ was, but I knew that it was far too long. By the time we arrived, Lucerna would be gone or dead. Apparently the king of Nixa himself would be riding out himself with his most elite bodyguards to slay the Demon destroying his lands. The Capital city of Nightsveil was a little bit further away, at the other side of the Falisfield province. So we only had a short period of time to reach Silvergrove and face Lucerna ourselves before my only chance of going back to the Netherworld is gone.

For good.

That meant we had to get to the city as soon as possible, which was why Daniel and I were at a stable. It was a place with a lot of horses, and a Human managing said horses. Currently, we were waiting for the Human to return from the back with his four fastest horses. I spoke hurriedly to Daniel.

“Can we hurry up?”

“We are, Salvos. That’s why we’re getting horses. The stablemaster is getting his best ones right now. He’s a Level 35 [Beast Tamer], so they’ll be faster than even you.”

I raised an eyebrow dubiously.

“Are you sure about that?”

I glanced over at a nearby horse and narrowed my eyes. The animal whinnied and stomped a foot on the ground, huffing air out of his nose.

[Race Horse - Lvl. 12]

“You’re only Level 12. I can beat you.”

The Human man sighed.

“In a fight, sure. But horses are fast, and with a Class, they’ll be even faster.”

I turned back to Daniel and gave him a confused look.

“How does he have a Class, anyway? I’ve never seen an animal with a Class before.”

“I told you. The stablemaster has a [Beast Tamer] Class. On their own, animals don’t generally have the sapience or drive to level up. Most never hit Level 10 in their lives, and those that do don’t bother to accept the Classes given to them. But a [Beast Tamer] can train an animal, level it up, and even urge it to receive a Class. Of course, even the highest leveled [Beast Masters] can’t raise the level of their animals to equal theirs.”

“Well, it’s a good thing you don’t need such high leveled horses.”

The stablemaster spoke up as he returned to us with a single horse in tow behind him. I looked at the Level 13 horse as she softly whinnied, then back him.

“Unfortunately, Betty here, and Chase over there are all the horses I can lend you. They’re the fastest ones I have. There are Shirley and Johnson, but they’re [Pack Horses], they can’t help you out.”

“But we need at least three. Are you sure you can’t get us another? We’ll pay. We’ve got the gold for it.”

Daniel looked at the elderly man pleadingly.

“I’m sorry, but my Class has its limits. I can only train so many animals to even this level. I can get you a regular horse, but he’ll not be able to keep up with these two.”

“But—”

“It’s fine.”

I looked at the [Beast Tamer] and nodded reassuringly.

“Two is enough.”

“But Salvos—”

“It’s fine.”

I placed my hand lightly on Daniel’s shoulder. I tilted my hood up slightly and met his gaze; I spoke softly but resolutely.

“I can outrun a horse, trust me.”

He hesitated, glancing between me and the stablemaster. He opened his mouth—

“Please, is there any other [Beast Tamers] around Hazelbury that can help us?”

“Wait— why don’t you trust me?!”

—--

“Unfortunately, we could only get two horses Edithe.”

The Human woman looked up from the summoning circle, wiping sweat off her forehead. She furrowed her brows.

“Only two? But Druma can’t possibly share a seat with one of us. He’s too heavy. And the three of us won’t be able to fit on only a single saddle.”

Mistshard wasn’t here. The [Ice Elemental]— or rather, the [Winged Elemental of Frost] now— would eventually freeze the back of a horse if she rode on one for too long, even if she weakened her natural cold aura. It was not something she could disable completely.

And since Edithe only had a single [Quick Summon] a day, she could call the [Elemental] out when arrive in Silvergrove. It would have taken too much time to cast [Summon Partner] twice once we arrived there.

“And Druma will be getting his own horse. Salvos is going to be running there.”

I nodded eagerly beside Daniel and pointed a clawed thumb at myself.

“That’s right! I’ll get there even before Chase or Betty does.”

The two horses didn’t visibly react, but I was certain that was because they didn’t believe me. We’ll see who’s the fastest one here, I thought, giving Chase a sidelong glance. [Race Horse]? More like [Slow Horse] once I win!

“I…”

Edithe sighed resignedly.

“Fine.”

I blinked.

“Huh. I expected you to be more against it. Even Daniel argued for a whole minute before we came back here.”

“I just know how to choose my battles wisely. And—”

The Human woman walked up to Betty, saddling herself on the horse and proffering a hand to Daniel.  

“There’s a more important battle awaiting me in Silvergrove.”

Her gaze was steady. Even as she helped the Human man up, her eyes did not break from the city gates ahead. He murmured from his seat behind her.

“Are you sure Druma can ride a horse?”

“He can. I asked.”

“That’s a really useful skill for him to know.”

She shrugged, uncaring.

“He’s a Spirit. A [Yaksha] to be exact. Most of them can’t speak, but that doesn’t mean they aren’t incredibly intelligent and resourceful.”

I looked over at Druma inquisitively, seeing him easily— with more flourish than even Edithe— get on Chase. The horse did not exactly strain from him, but it was quite obvious that Druma was not exactly an easy person to carry.

I made sure everyone was ready, looking over my companions. Then I smiled.

“Alright then, now let’s see who’s faster.”

“...don’t you mean save Silvergrove? Or kill Lucerna?”

“Oh, that too.”

—--

I ran alongside the two horses as they galloped down the dirt road, heading southeast of Hazelbury. I kept pace with them as we traveled quickly across Falisfield, past an almost familiar dirt road closer and closer to Silvergrove.

I could see the smoke rising up in the sky as the horizon turned blood-red at the dawn of dusk. Night was falling soon, and only the stars and moon would illuminate our path from then on out. But we were looking to arrive in the attacked city before then.

I looked over at my companions as they quietly rode on their horses; it was not unusual to see Druma remain silent, however hearing no chatter coming from the Humans stood out to me. Even when we had just found Edithe in Maplewell, she and Daniel actually engaged in some conversation. Now, a deathly silence held them and nothing else.

I decided not to break this tense atmosphere, recognizing that they preferred we didn’t speak. This was an important moment for Edithe— she had lost her previous companions to Lucerna, and I could tell she was afraid it would happen again when we met him. And Daniel was nervous. I did not know why, but he seemed nervous to me.

So, I focused on only one thing: running slightly faster than Chase and Betty.

At the very beginning, I had used [Double Step] to speed ahead of the two horses. However, that led them to activate their own Skills and reach me. Then they began to get tired, and Edithe told me to stop.

I just had to be satisfied with barely beating them in this race. I could keep up this pace for quite a while, after all.

We continued on until we came across a group of felled trees. There was a plume of smoke, but it was coming from something to the side. A carriage lay broken and burnt off the road. Bodies were strewn all around it— Humans and horses both dead, having tried to escape whatever it was that attacked them. Ash covered the ground, and I knew it was Lucerna who had done this.

“Come on, let’s go.”

Edithe spoke softly, not even glancing at the destruction caused by the Greater Demon. We went around the minor obstacle, finally able to fully see Silvergrove now. Now that I had a good view of it, I finally realized that the billowing smoke I had seen earlier came not just from the city, but the forest around it too.

Destroyed caravans made up the path leading to the city; Humans and animals were all indiscriminately killed and buried under piles of ashes. The fire from a burning cart had spread to the nearby trees, setting it ablaze. Animals had tried to escape the forest fire, and they too were slaughtered by Lucerna.

I caught a glimpse of a group of dead gray animals. Wolves. An entire pack of them. They were all killed, except for a single one I recognized. I stopped for a moment, letting Betty and Chase pass me. The wolf limply stood up and looked at me. I looked into her amber canine eyes before nodding.

“Don’t worry. Once I make him tell me how to return to the Netherworld, I’ll kill him.”

She made no sound; she just stared at me as I ran off towards Silvergrove. My destination lay just ahead, at the burning city with Humans streaming out of its gates. All I had to do now was defeat Lucerna.

I knew I would beat him. If not for my confidence in how much I had grown or in my newfound companions, then for the simple fact that I knew what he wanted. Sakura had told me his goal— she hadn’t told me the reason behind it, but it was all I needed to know.

The reason why Lucerna had destroyed so many towns and cities— the reason he had killed so many people— and the reason why he had called forth the fury of the king of Nixa was simple:

He wants to die.

So, I decided that I would be the one to do it for him.

38. Reunion

“Wait here.”

I spoke softly to Chase and Betty— both of whom I beat in the race to Silvergrove— as they were being tied to a tree. We had stopped just outside of the walls of the city, and were now preparing to enter it.

“[Quick Summon].”

Edithe raised her staff, and Mistshard came to her side. The [Elemental] flapped her wings as she hovered just above her master. I turned to the damaged but still standing gates, then to a hole in the city walls a bit aways from it; a few Humans ran through it, stumbling across the rubble as they fled the city. The Human woman stepped up beside me.

“The gate here is still up. Seems like Lucerna decided to go around and force his way in there.”

“Why would he do that?”

Daniel frowned. I looked over at him, remembering the last time I had come to this city.

“I think it’s because of all the adventurers. There were a lot of them— more than Hazelbury— too many for him to handle all at once. So he went around.”

That would have allowed him to get in the middle of a crowd of non combat Class Humans, making the adventurers and guards hesitant to attack him; if I knew one thing about Humans after being around them for so long, it was that they mostly didn’t like killing each other. Mostly, I thought, thinking back to the bandits.

Then Lucerna would have been able to eliminate the adventurers slowly, while causing havoc and damage, gaining experience from killing those who can’t fight back.

“And why do you know that?”

“That’s what I would’ve done.”

The two Humans stared at me. I shrugged.

“They attacked me when I first came here. And this was the only place I knew where Humans gathered. So, I had thought of coming back eventually.”

“I… am not even going to comment on that.”

Daniel shook his head, turning back to the collapsed wall. He unsheathed his gleaming sword.

“Come on, before he causes anymore destruction. Let’s put a stop to his rampage.”

Edithe whispered softly under her breath, grasping tightly at her company’s badge.

“This is it. I will avenge you guys. I promise.”

I stepped forward, creating two daggers made of fire. I simply grinned as I walked ahead of my two companions. We entered the city as a group of Humans ran past us in a hurry. I took in the surroundings of Silvergrove— once, it had been bustling with life. Now the city lay empty. Smoke rose up from various places in the distance, and the orange glow of the sunset was only accentuated by the flames spreading wildly unhindered through the city.

“He’s stronger than us, you know?”

I spoke bluntly. My companions all faced me. Daniel to my left, Edithe and her Spirits to my right. I looked over at the still-standing gates— chains hung loosely down to the side of the portcullis. I shook my head.

“He’s higher leveled than us. He’s more experienced than us. He’s killed more than us.”

I turned around, meeting their gazes steadily.

“However, levels aren’t all that matters. They aren’t the most important thing ever. Maybe to wild Demons— but not to me.”

Daniel nodded slowly while Edithe’s face relaxed a little.

“We’ll take him down, just as we did the Centinels, and just as we did the Giant Spiders.”

“Right.”

“Of course.”

I smiled, glancing back at the long metallic chain lying next to the damaged gates. Just as I took down that large Demon too. Levels only matter so much.

—--

“Captain!”

“Get back, guardsman!”

A man adorned in thick metal armor shouted. He pushed the guardsman back, stumbling away from the ball of ash that exploded at his back. His enchanted platemail took the brunt of the hit, however judging by the damage it had taken, this wasn’t the first time he had been struck by the [Djinn]’s deadly Skills.

The Greater Demon roared as he charged the two Humans, but another voice resounded from the side.

“Loose!”

Arrows pelted the Greater Demon’s back, temporarily drawing his attention away from the captain and the guard as they stumbled to the side. A group of adventurers intercepted Lucerna before he could clash with the squad of archers.

“Captain Nathan, sir! Are you alright?”

“What are you doing here? I’ve ordered all Level 20 combatants not to approach the Demon. You’ll only die and give it experience to grow.”

“I know, sir. I’ve brought you this— the last of the healing potions from the west gate.”

Nathan chewed his lower lip for a moment, staring at the leather bag held out by the rather young-looking Human man. Then he quickly accepted it, taking a gulp of the healing potion as it closed his most grievous wounds, and nodded.

“Thanks. I— what’s your name?”

“Cai, sir.”

“Cai, you did a good thing today. But this is the only time you’ll ever break from your orders, got it?”

“Yes, sir—”

“Watch out!”

A streak of hot smoke came rushing at the two Humans as they conversed. Nathan’s eyes widened as he saw it coming. He grabbed Cai and pulled him out of the way just in time. However, just as they were getting up, there was a scream. An adventurer went flying as the archers ran back in terror.

The [Djinn] raised his fiery spear, summoning a gray column from the twilight sky. The archers cried out in pain as they were engulfed in the burning ash, before they were quickly silenced. Nathan stared as the last of the adventurers spun around, broken and fleeing the battle.

“Damn those Silver Ranks.  Cai, you get out of here right now—”

He paused, blinking as suddenly all the Greater Demon saw was him and the guard. He cursed.

“Go!”  

The captain raised his sword.

“[Threefold Slice]!”

His blade suddenly extended, turning into three silvery lines as the Greater Demon reached them. The guard scrambled back as the Skill struck true.

The [Djinn] bled, black blood pouring out of the wounds left behind. Nathan parried the strike from the fiery spear but was knocked back from the impact. He tried to get up, however he was too slow. The [Djinn] spoke softly with raised hands.

“[Pillar of—”

“No—”

Nathan cried out. Then he stared as a glinting arrow cut through the air, suddenly jutting out of the Greater Demon’s chest.

“Lucerna!”

I shouted from a nearby roof. I lowered my fire bow, letting it dissipate as I created a fire spike on each hand instead.

“Long time no see! You’re still missing that eye, huh?”

I threw the small projectiles at him. He took the hits, pointing my Spear of Flames at me.

“Imp, you shall die here! [Sphere of Ash and Cinder]!”

I leapt out of the way just in time for the gray ball to wipe out all the tiles on the roof, replacing it with a layer of scalding ash. I’m faster than him now. I grinned.

I landed on the street just ahead of Lucerna. I spread my arms out wide as the two Humans behind him got up.

“Come on! You couldn’t kill me twice. What makes you think that you can now just because you’re Level—”

I narrowed my eyes.

“Level 68! Woah, you’ve been leveling a lot, huh?”

The gap between us had widened— what had been a 25-26 numerical difference between us was now 32. He certainly had been staying busy, considering all the towns and cities he had attacked and all the people he slaughtered. And yet, when he had been more than double my levels in the past, he was no longer even twice mine now. Easier fight than the large Demon, I tried to reassure myself.

Lucerna stared at me, his eye burning with the same smoldering flames behind him. He pulled the arrow off his chest, releasing a deluge of blood from the open wound. His fury rampaged with him, destroying the city even when he stood unmoving. Why was he so mad? Didn’t he want to die—

“Take this!”

The Human in plate armor swung at the [Djinn]’s feet as the other guard got up and ran off. I blinked.

“What are you doing?!”

He yelled as he brought his blade down at the Demon more than twice his height once again. Lucerna took a step back and swiped at his face. Nathan stumbled back, clutching at his bleeding head as his helmet was knocked off.

The Greater Demon towered over him and raised the Spear of Flames.

“You pest.”

[Double Step]!

The world spun around me as I sped up— everything became a glowing orange blur, except for the shiny armored man in front of me. I grabbed him and pulled him out of the way from Lucerna’s killing blow.

The [Djinn] whirled up to face me in shock. I had completely blown past him in terms of speed. I had been a short distance away, and yet, I managed to move past him before he could even lower his hand. It was with a Skill, of course, but still he realized how much I had grown. I grinned as I saw his eye flash. He opened his mouth—

“Die you evil monster!”

Ice and lightning crashed down onto the Greater Demon. Edithe and Mistshard came down an alley, hurling their combined magic at Lucerna all at once. The attacks sent him flying through a nearby building, collapsing the burning wooden structure down on him.

My ears perked up as a voice drew me away from the fighting.

“You— you saved me.”

I stared down at the Human man.

[Warrior - Lvl. 50]

He was one of the highest leveled Humans I have seen so far. However— and maybe it was because he was already injured when I got here— I wasn’t too impressed with him. Daniel can probably take him.

I ignored what he said, instead taking the bag of potions off him.

“I’ll be taking this.”

“...what?”

“Now get out of here. You’ll only be in the way.”

“But—”  

“Do you want to help him level?”

I eyed him and he hesitated. He looked back at the volley of magical projectiles Mistshard and Edithe flung at Lucerna.

“Remember me, you Demon?! You killed my friends! You killed them all! But you failed to kill me, and now you’ll pay for that—”  

Then he looked back at me.

“I-I’ll rally the remaining guards. And I’ll come back. It is my duty to protect Silvergrove, but I thank you for your help…”

He looked at me expectantly; I gave him a confused look for a moment, then I realized what he was asking from me.

“Salvos. My name is Salvos.”

“Then I thank you, Ms Salvos. For saving my life.”

I nodded once at him, watching him turn, following in the direction of the other Human guard. Then I glanced down at the bag on my hand. I tossed aside the now-empty quiver, no longer needing to carry it around, and slung the bag of healing potions around my shoulder.

I hope I don’t have to use all this. The thought crossed my mind just in time to watch an ash explosion repel the attacks coming from Mistshard and the panting Edithe. Debris and rubble were knocked into the air as Lucerna got up. He roared in anger, his booming voice sounding nothing like it had been when I first met him.

He dodged the hail of ice Mistshard threw at him, quickly circling around the building and rushing at the alley. Just as he reached the mouth of the alley, a figure burst out of the corner and grappled at him. Druma, the large four armed [Yaksha], held the Greater Demon back for a moment, long enough for a figure to drop down from the roof.

“[Crescent Blade]!”

Daniel’s sword curved as it slashed across Lucerna’s face. The [Djinn] screamed in agony, stumbling away with Druma on him as Edithe and Mistshard continued their barrage on his back.

I sprinted up at the large Greater Demon as he pushed the [Yaksha] away from him. He blocked a blast of magic from Edithe with his Spear of Flames, but was too slow to react to me as I jumped up at his face. I raked a burning clawed hand across his cheek, just below his one good eye as I flew past him.

Lucerna took a swing at me and missed. I landed on the ground a bit aways from him, rolling to a stop as I spun back around. I took a moment to look at the burn mark on his face. The last time I fought him, I was barely able to hurt him with a [Fire Strike], but now, just look at him. He had felt that, and he didn’t like it one bit.

The [Djinn] pointed at me. I saw smoke begin to appear from the tip of his fingers, but before anything could happen, Daniel swung at him from behind once again. Lucerna took the first hit and parried the second. He kicked the Human away just in time to have Druma on his back once again.

He grasped for the [Yaksha] clinging onto his shoulder while Edithe and Mistshard ran up to his open front, continuing their assault on him from closer now. Daniel picked himself up and rushed the Demon, cutting at the thick legs with his blade. I ran around Lucerna, creating multiple small balls of fire on the tip of each of my fingers, tossing it at his exposed and already injured parts wherever I could.

We surrounded the Greater Demon. A Demon far more powerful and far larger than each one of us individually. Once, I had been part of a group that fought against a Demon just like that. Yet, none of us worked together— we could have defeated it, but instead we fled to save our own lives. Those who fought, fought alone, and they died as a result.

I was the only one who fought that survived. And I knew from watching that we could have all lived if we had only cooperated. Just as my companions and I were doing here. We were overwhelming Lucerna. He could barely fight back.

Perhaps things back then could have gone differently, but unfortunately, it didn’t. Now though, it would go differently. I had not been stronger than the large Demon then, but I had been faster than it just as I was faster than this large Demon now. In fact, I was faster than I have ever been. We would beat this large Demon together, and none of us would die—

“[Smoldering Return]!”

Lucerna screamed, and the ground beneath him exploded. Ash and smoke burst out, knocking all of us back at once.

Mistshard and Edithe lay coughing on the ground, on the other side of the street from me, while Daniel had been thrown back into an alley from the attack. Druma was the most hurt by it, his body burnt and charred from the attack as he flew and crashed onto the roof of a small house.

I slowly picked myself up, mostly unhurt. I had been far enough away that I was the least affected by the Skill. Plus, my Ring of Lesser Protection took some of the impact for me. I narrowed my eyes, looking at the hulking figure standing within the smoke.

A single glowing eye stared back at me; it was then I realized that I was not the only one who had grown since we last met. Lucerna might not have become too much faster, but that just meant he spent his Stat Points on something else.

The Skill he just used sent back everything we threw at him back to us in the form of ash and cinder. He had taken all the hits on purpose. He could tell it was not nearly enough to kill him. And I knew now it had been his [Vitality].

I stared at the wounds covering his body, then back up at his face as the smoke cleared away. Lucerna grinned savagely.

“[Pillar of Eruption].”

I stared as a cloud of molten ash gathered above me. Then I watched as everything came crashing down.

39. Lament of Lucerna

Hot, burning ash came falling on me. It was molten— almost liquid— and it poured down like rain. The column crashed down as I activated [Double Step], throwing myself into a nearby building. The wooden roof of the house immediately burst into flames, the weakened structure already on the brink of collapse from the weight of the ash.

Drips of the molten ash seeped through the ceiling, sliding off an invisible barrier on my shoulder. I grimaced. It felt hot, even through the magical aura protecting me. However, I had to get a move on. I glanced out the broken window and saw Lucerna aiming a finger at me.

Smoke shot out in a plume straight in my direction. It had enough force to break through what was left of the window, and nearly struck me. I moved out of the way in time, hurriedly tossing myself out of the building as it finally collapsed under all the damage it had taken.

I exploded out of the falling structure just in time to see the [Djinn] barring my path. He turned a single eye towards me.

“Die!”

He brought down my Spear of Flames, aiming for my head. I rolled under the attack and swiped at his legs with two [Fire Strikes]. He roared as I went under his legs, whirling back around to stab him with a fire hammer I just created—

“[Burning Haze].”

An explosion of smoke sent me flying back. I caught a glimpse of my Ring of Lesser Protection flickering, the barrier acting as a second skin momentarily overwhelmed and letting some of the smoldering gas through. It burned parts of my body, although it wasn’t as bad as I remembered it back when I fought Lucerna the last time.

My clothes were set on fire, but it quickly snuffed out as I rolled on the ground to a stop. I glanced up at the [Djinn], aiming a clawed finger at him as he loomed over me. [Fire Blast]!

The streak of flames knocked him off balance for just a moment, long enough for me to hurriedly put some distance between the two of us. I felt the ring on my finger, sensing the little amount of mana it had left. Only a few more hits, then I’ll be fully exposed.

I whirled around as Lucerna charged me, sprinting down the street and turning a corner. Balls of ash flew over my shoulder, the [Djinn] screaming in a rage as they missed. Once I was around the corner, I took a moment to grab a healing potion from my bag and chugged it. I frowned at the taste but ignored it and watched as the burns on my body vanished.

So it really does work, huh? I mused to myself as I heard the approaching heavy footfalls. I readied two fire daggers as Lucerna followed right after me—

And an ice beam blasted him back. Mistshard flew over the [Djinn], sending large icicles down at him. His gaze snapped up and he took a swing at the [Elemental]. He missed and bellowed as she led him further down another street.

I sighed in relief, watching the Greater Demon crash into a building while chasing Mistshard. However, I did not get to rest for long. Edithe stumbled down the street towards me, helping Druma hobble over my way.

“Salvos. He’s hurt— he needs a healing potion, now!”

I nodded and quickly threw two vials of red liquid their way. The Human woman caught the first and immediately handed it to her summon. She took the next, but she didn’t drink it. Instead, she pocketed it.

“I have my own.”

“Right.”

“That was a powerful Skill.”

I commented simply.

“It is. Let’s hope he won’t be able to use it again anytime soon.”

I looked over at Edithe as I created orbs of fire and tossed it at Lucerna, still being distracted by the bird-like Spirit in the distance.

“He won’t. If he could, he’d have used it immediately.”

“Right.”

“Where’s Daniel?”

One of the small fire orbs knocked the [Djinn]’s head back. He whirled around and glared at me, only to be met by a blast of wind by Edithe.

“I don’t know. Go find him, see if he’s hurt. You’ve got the potions, I’ll hold this Demon off in the meanwhile.”

“You sure?”

I glanced back at the Human woman. She wasn’t even looking at me. All I saw there was a hate filled gaze pointed in the direction of Lucerna. I nodded.

“Alright. We’ll be back soon. Stick to the plan!”

“I know.”

I quickly scrambled out of the way as a roar resounded at us. Lucerna had been barreling at me, until a ball of fire exploded on his face.

“I’m your target here! Come at me and die!”

She screamed, drawing the attention of the Greater Demon with a volley of magical projectiles as I ran back in the direction I had come from. My footsteps marked itself on the ash layering the brick road, leaving a trail for Lucerna to follow me from. However, I wasn’t concerned about that. What I needed at the moment was to find my other Human companion.

I returned to the epicenter of the explosion that had blasted apart the ground. I looked around, searching for where Daniel could have gone. I heard a groan as he peeked out of an alleyway.

“Daniel!”

I ran up to him, pausing right in front of him and staring at the blood pouring down his side. His gambeson had been torn open, exposing a large wound to the left of his abdomen.

“Got… a bit… too close…”

He gasped, nearly falling to the floor. I caught him from falling, steadying him back up.

“Smashed all my potions… damn Demon…”

“Here!”

I handed him my bag of healing potions. He quickly dug one up and poured it over himself. I watched the wounds on his body stitch itself close as his breathing relaxed.

“Man, it’s such a good thing these things exist. I’d be dead many times over otherwise.”

“I know.”

There was an explosion. I glanced back at where Edithe had been fighting. Smoke and ash now filled the air— but not the same kind that had been unleashed earlier. It was a regular [Burning Haze] blast.

“Come on. I can finally use [Double Step] again.”

We returned to the scene of the battle. Lucerna was cut and wounded all over, but Mistshard was flying away. She had picked up Edithe and was fleeing as Druma ran under them. The Greater Demon had been pursuing them until we arrived. He turned to me and screamed.

“This is all your fault!”

A plume of smoke shot out my way. I stepped out of the way as the Human man raised his sword to block it. The gas was split in half, cut from the blade he swung down. The [Djinn] ran up to us as we readied ourselves for his charge.

He tried to rush at me, but Daniel intercepted him. The Human man parried a hit from his spear as I stepped forward, striking a fiery fist at his nether region. Lucerna barely flinched and I scowled. Doesn’t work on him, huh? Should’ve expected it.

I went under a kick as Daniel sliced at his abdomen. It barely grazed his skin, spilling no blood and only revealing the black insides of the Greater Demon. I threw two flaming daggers at his face, aiming for his one remaining eye, but he blocked it. Daniel stabbed at his kneecaps—

And Lucerna grabbed the sword mid strike. He picked Daniel up by the hand and flung him into a blazing fire. I watched him disappear amongst the flames as the Greater Demon turned to me.

“Just you and I now. No more [Fiend]. No more Humans.”

He grinned savagely down at me as I stared back up at him with a single dagger.

“What are you doing to do about it?”

I ran.

“Come back here, coward!”

The [Djinn] pursued me as I made a break for it. I spun around city corners as he chased after me, the gray and orange landscape melding into one jumbled mess in my eyes with only the blue Demon clearly defined in this blurry world. Twice, he nearly caught up to me using his [Spheres of Ash and Cinder] to cut me off. The first time, I evaded him with a [Double Step] into a nearby alley. The second time however, I wasn’t so lucky.

I still couldn’t use the Skill. I whirled around, sending a [Fire Blast] at his face, aiming for his eye. He ducked under it and punched me. I was sent reeling back as a flash filled my vision— the aura of protection around finally dissipated.

I raised my fire dagger up and struck twice at the Greater Demon’s legs. He ignored it and brought the Spear of Flames down at me. I tried to deflect the hit, but it still knocked me back. I stumbled and managed to parry the next one as well. However, I didn’t see the kick coming.

I found my back against a broken wall, screaming in pain at me as I turned my dizzy head up. I saw the city walls just in the near distance. It was only up ahead, standing next to the gate we had passed. I tried to get up, however Lucerna loomed over me. I’m so close—

I rolled away from the strike that collapsed the rest of the wall. I flicked fire spikes at the one eye of the [Djinn] while backing up, however he simply raised a single hand to cover his face as he pressed forward. [Fire Blasts] bounced harmlessly off his skin, and even the fire orbs left nothing more than a scorched mark on him.

My fire weapons would not be able to deal much more damage than that. He laughed at me as he stepped forward. He swung and I jumped back. I need to be able to hurt him. I need my fire to be hotter!

I pointed a finger at him while backing up, sending a wave of flames at him, not a [Fire Blast] but created by [Basic Fire Creation]. The fire deterred him more than anything else I had thrown at him. But still, it did not bring him down. It only slowed him.

“You can’t kill me. No Skill or magic of yours can even harm me. You are too weak!”

I found myself only empowered by his words. I poured everything I could into the flames at once, feeling it burn more and more. The red fire shifted. It morphed, changing colors. It turned into a more focused flame— glowing with a contrasting pale blue to the orange surroundings.

It was hot now. I could feel the heat emanating off my own flames. And yet, it didn’t even stop Lucerna. He came forward still, a mad smile spread across his face. When he got close enough, an explosion of smoke knocked me back as the [Djinn] pointed to the sky.

“Your Skill is on cooldown. You won’t be able to escape this this time. [Pillar of Er—”  

“I won’t let you take any more innocent lives!”

Daniel yelled as he ran up to the Greater Demon from behind. Wisps of energy flowed through him as he pushed Lucerna, knocking him off balance. His eyes widened as a brilliant glow engulfed the Human man’s sword.

“What is this—”

“[Hero’s Slash]!”

My companion’s blade arced up. It cut deep into the flesh of the [Djinn], spilling more blood than I had seen from any other attack before. The shining sword grew longer, even going as far as to slice off half of Lucerna’s right shoulder.

He stepped back, dropping the Spear of Flames and grasping at his limply hanging arm. Daniel stumbled forward, panting with labored breath. The Human man raised his sword once again and stepped into the Demon’s guard.

“[Q—”

“You wretch!”

Lucerna kicked Daniel, sending him flying back into the air. I watched as my companion crashed into the rubble of the city walls. The [Djinn] aimed at him.

“[Pillar of Eruption].”

“No!”

I shouted, throwing myself at the Greater Demon. I used as much force as I could to make him miss. It must have worked, since the column of molten ash crashed into the city walls next to Daniel. I grappled onto him, holding on as he tried to pull me from his back.

I struggled to cling on, scratching at his skin, while he stumbled just in front of the city gates. I felt his entire body tense, and I knew what to expect. I threw myself off him as the explosion of smoke came, propelling me even further.

I felt the searing pain covering my entire body. It scalded me— even if it was one of his weaker Skills, the level difference made it that much more painful. I held back a scream as I grabbed what I was aiming for just as I landed.

He whirled around as I grinned, holding up the Spear of Flames. He opened his eyes wide.

“Catch this!”

I threw it as hard as I could at him. The Greater Demon raised his good arm, blocking his face as he tried to duck. It came fast and pierced through his good hand. Blood splattered on his one eye as he tried to blink it away.

Lucerna screamed, looking down at his bloodied palm. His gaze snapped back up at me, but I was no longer there. [Double Step] had brought me right under him, and he turned back down just in time to see me jumping up with a clawed [Fire Strike] to his eye.

“Agggggggggh!”

He staggered back as I landed back onto the ground lithely. I avoided the large bumbling Demon’s footsteps, quickly going around him and grabbing for the chains hanging loosely off the gates.

I picked it up, avoiding one of Lucerna’s wild swings as I hopped onto his back. He grasped for me as I climbed further up onto him, eventually reaching his neck. I tugged at the chain even more, pulling the portcullis up and giving me more to work with. I wrapped the iron links around his neck once, twice —

And I leapt off the Greater Demon’s back as he exploded in a haze once again. I pulled the chains with me, setting aflame the metal closest to his neck aflame with [Flame Coat]. Lucerna couldn’t grab the chains with his stabbed hand, as the spear still protruded from it. So he raised his limp arm, reaching for the chains. He flinched as he came into contact with it, but still he pulled.

I felt my entire body almost fly in his direction with his first tug. But before he could pull harder, I tossed the chains at the two figures waiting atop the crenellations on the city walls. Druma and Daniel caught the chain midair and together, they pulled at the chain holding Lucerna.

The large Demon was lifted off his feet. He hung off the ground, pulled by my two strong companions on one end, and the city gates itself on the other. I watched him struggle, like I was a Giant Spider and he was the prey tied in my strings.

Mistshard flew down from the city walls, carrying Edithe with her. The Human woman was let down next to me, giving me a nod.

“Took a bit, especially after Daniel took a bad hit. But we got them up there. Now all that’s left is…”

She glanced over at Mistshard. I nodded back.

“Aim for his joints. They’re the most vulnerable spots, even if your opponent is made out of rocks. Especially his right shoulder— it's weak.”

“Got it.”

Mistshard readied her beam of ice as Edithe raised her staff to her face. She closed her eyes and whispered softly.

“[Borrow Skill: Mistshard].”

The Human woman and the [Elemental] aimed at the struggling Lucerna. He raised his right arm, trying to pry the Spear of Flames from his left palm. Dual beams of ice shot out at him, freezing over the limp shoulder.

He screamed in pain as all movement was lost on that hand. He tried to melt the ice off with a smoldering gas, but the two continued their assault. I created a fire hammer with the last of my mana, waiting for the moment the ice completely took the threads of skin holding his arm onto his body. There!

I threw the hammer as hard as I could at the ice. It shattered, and off came Lucerna’s right arm with it. He screamed and roared, exploding into hot gas, then ash, as he dangled there. But none of his Skills could reach us.

He couldn’t tear the chain off him. He couldn’t even close his one remaining hand with the Spear of Flames sticking out of it. All he could do was swing and shout, wasting all his Skills as we waited. Until finally, there was a snap.

Lucerna stopped moving. He stopped struggling. His body was just there, hanging. Then Daniel and Druma let go, and it fell onto the ground with a loud thud. I finally sighed, releasing the breath I didn’t even know I had been holding.

I glanced over at my exhausted companions, letting a small smile slip onto my face. Then it slipped off as I remembered what I came here to do. Slowly, I walked up to Lucerna.

I stared down at the fallen Greater Demon. He was dying. Somehow, he was still alive. Of course— with his [Vitality], even this wasn’t enough to completely finish him. But he could no longer move his body— it was far too broken. Edithe stepped up beside me as I grasped his neck with my clawed hand.

“Tell me how to get back to the Netherworld, and I will give you what you want.”

He did not look back at me. Both his eyes were gone. And yet, I could still feel his gaze boring into me, as if he was scrutinizing my every movement. He said nothing for a long time, even after I repeated the question. Finally, when I lowered his head, he spoke.

“To return to the Netherworld, you need… a summoning collar.”

“A summoning collar?”

I cocked my head, confused for a moment. The [Djinn] smiled.

“Yes. A summoning collar. It is a gift my King bestows to all his loyal followers. It was what allowed me to come to the Mortal Realm numerous times. However—”

He spat, and black blood landed on my face. I wiped it off, frowning.

“You broke it! You came with me when only one can travel through the planes of the Nexeus with it! You destroyed our only hopes of returning to the Netherworld!”

I blinked, slowly registering his words as he broke into laughter.

“That’s right. No matter what you do, no matter how hard you try, you will never be able to return! And knowing that you will suffer and die here in the Mortal Realm— and that knowledge will continue to bring me joy, even in death! Now end  it. Finish me as you promised, imp! And when you join me in death, I’ll be waiting—”

“Shut up.”

Edithe spoke sharply, cutting him off. A lance of ice went down his throat. He convulsed, struggling to lift up his one remaining arm, but he couldn’t even move. The Human woman stared at him for a moment, watching him bleed and die.

Finally, after Lucerna stopped moving, she turned to me as if she was about to say something but stopped. I continued staring, opening and closing my eyes in rapid succession as I tried to process what just happened. I turned to Daniel who had just arrived behind me. He had a dark look on his face.

“He’s lying, right?”

I glanced between my two Human companions. Neither spoke up.

“He was lying, wasn’t he? I mean, why would he be telling the truth? There has to be a way to return.”

They remained silent as my voice grew more frantic. And yet, there were no reassuring words. There was nothing I had come to expect from Humans from them.

“But… what about Haec? He’s still in the Netherworld! I can’t just leave him alone— he’s my companion!”

“I… I’m sorry, Salvos.”

Daniel steadied me. He met my gaze, and I knew it was true. Lucerna did not lie. He had relished in his words. He had embraced death, knowing that it would come. I—

I can’t return to the Netherworld.

40. Survivor

Skill [Passive - Blue Flames] Learned!

Experience is awarded for the learning of a Skill!

Defeated [Ghastly Djinn (Destroyer) - Lvl. 68]!

More experience is awarded for defeating an enemy at least 20 levels above you!

More experience is awarded for defeating an enemy with the Title Destroyer!

Less experience is awarded for defeating an enemy with the help of others!

Experience is awarded for saving the city of Silvergrove!

More experience is awarded for liberating the province of Falisfield from the Destroyer’s rampage!

[Zelus Imp – Lvl. 36] -> [Zelus Imp – Lvl. 37]

Gained 5 Stat Points and 3 Skill Points!

[Zelus Imp – Lvl. 37] -> [Zelus Imp – Lvl. 38]

Gained 5 Stat Points and 3 Skill Points!

[Zelus Imp – Lvl. 38] -> [Zelus Imp – Lvl. 39]

Gained 5 Stat Points and 3 Skill Points!

[Zelus Imp – Lvl. 39] -> [Zelus Imp – Lvl. 40]

Gained 5 Stat Points and 3 Skill Points!

Salvos

Species: [Lesser Demon]

Subspecies: [Zelus Imp] - Lvl. 40

General Skills:

[Basic Mana Manipulation] - Lvl. 5

[Identification] - Lvl. 4

[Racial Skill: Universal Language Comprehension] - Lvl. 1

[Rest] - Lvl. 2

Stats:

[Available Stat Points: 0]

[Vitality]: 37

[Strength]: 24

[Endurance]: 50

[Wisdom]: 57

[Agility]: 76

Skills:

[Available Skill Points: 12]

[Basic Fire Creation] - Lvl. 30 (Maxed)

[Double Step] - Lvl. 10 (Maxed)

[Fire Strike] - Lvl. 10 (Maxed)

[Fire Blast] - Lvl. 20 (Maxed)

[Flame Coat] - Lvl. 10 (Maxed)

[Passive - Blue Flames] - Lvl. 1

[Passive - General Tool Proficiency] - Lvl. 10 (Maxed)

[Evolution Available]

Species Evolution:

[Lesser Demon] -> [Greater Demon]

Requirements for five Subspecies evolutions have been met!

Subspecies Evolution:

[Changeling]

A [Changeling] is a Subspecies of Demon that uses deceit and trickery to fool enemies. As a natural Greater Demon, [Changelings] are rare and powerful, able to change their forms to that of other Demons as part of their natural abilities.

+5 to [Strength]

+5 to [Wisdom]

+5 to [Agility]

+3 to [Vitality]

+3 to [Endurance]

[Fiend of Infernos]

A [Fiend of Infernos] is a [Fiend] that aspires to master fire magic. Fighting with a storm of flames, a [Fiend of Infernos] has become one with fire and is thus more resilient to it.

+8 to [Wisdom]

+7 to [Endurance]

+1 to [Vitality]

+1 to [Strength]

+1 to [Agility]

[Midday Changeling]

A [Midday Changeling] is a [Changeling] that has interacted a great amount with mortals, asking many questions about their ways. Curious and adaptive, a [Midday Changeling] may not be as powerful as a [Changeling], but they are just as dangerous due to their cunning mind. They are able to change their forms to that of mortals to live amongst them or kill them if necessary.

+6 to [Wisdom]

+3 to [Vitality]

+3 to [Strength]

+3 to [Endurance]

+3 to [Agility]

[Succubus]

A [Succubus] is a Greater Demon that tends to use wit and intelligence to solve their problems, although they typically have strong magic too. [Succubus] are only female and can make minor adjustments to their biology as they see fit.

+8 to [Wisdom]

+5 to [Endurance]

+2 to [Vitality]

+2 to [Agility]

+1 to [Strength]

[Valefor Hellhound]

A [Valefor Hellhound] is one of the rarest forms a [Hellhound] can take. Fast above all else, a [Valefor Hellhound] uses their sharp claws to rip apart their enemies. While four legged, they are able to walk on just two if need be, however it would inhibit their speed and movement greatly.

+10 to [Agility]

+5 to [Strength]

+5 to [Endurance]

+1 to [Vitality]

+1 to [Wisdom]

Requirements for two Titles have been met!

(Death of the Destroyer)

You have slain the one called the Destroyer in battle! You have proven yourself and succeeded where many others have failed, defeating one with a Title where you have none! Your abilities are thus made even more exceptional!

+5 to [Vitality]

+5 to [Strength]

+5 to [Endurance]

+5 to [Wisdom]

+5 to [Agility]

(Savior of Falisfield)

You have liberated Nixa’s largest province of Falisfield from a rampaging Greater Demon! You have saved the city of Silvergrove from falling and avenged all those who have been killed in the destruction! You are a hero in the people’s eyes!

+3 to [Vitality]

+5 to [Strength]

+5 to [Endurance]

+3 to [Wisdom]

+3 to [Agility]

Ever since I came to the Mortal Realm, I had been fruitlessly trying to find my way back to the Netherworld. I was worried about Haec— my companion. I feared that he would be lost without me. That a wild Demon would kill him now that he was alone.

So I tried my hardest to return; I spoke to everyone who would speak to me, I inquired wherever I could. But none could produce an answer I wanted.

It was then not unexpected now to hear that I wouldn’t be able to make it back; Edithe reassured me that there had to be another way, and Daniel promised he would continue to help me. However, as I focused on my Subspecies evolution and Titles, I knew only one thing: I was going to be stuck in the Mortal Realm for a while.

There was nothing I could do about it. I was not sure how long it would take me to return to the Netherworld— to my companion. I just had to trust that Haec was capable of fending for himself. He had been considered to be special by Lucerna, after all. It only made sense that he would then be able to survive without my help.

For now, I did not focus on what could possibly have happened. Instead, I reveled in the moment. Edithe, Daniel, Druma, Mistshard, and I walked out of the city gates with Lucerna’s body in tow. The surviving guards stared at the corpse, then at us.

For a moment, no one spoke a word. Then, the Level 50 [Warrior] I saw earlier opened his mouth.

“These brave adventurers have saved Silvergrove! The Destroyer is dead!”

Guards, adventurers, and civilians broke out into a cheer. Some hugged each other in relief, while others jumped up in the air. Only a few collapsed to the ground, with tears streaming out of their eyes.

I looked around at all the Humans. They all recognized me. They saw me, even when I had my hood up. It was such a cathartic feeling, one that curled my lips up. I liked it here.

I glanced at these celebrating Humans. They had all been terrified of Lucerna. Mostly because he had been terrorizing them and killing their people, but also because he was a Demon. I didn’t know why, but apparently Demons weren’t liked by Humans even when they weren’t destroying everything.

So I was now stranded in a place where I would be in constant danger. It was a place where even would have eventually fell even if I hadn’t intervened. Lucerna, a Greater Demon that was stronger than me. A Level 68 [Djinn] that outpaced even my leveling speed.

He was strong, and yet he died here. In this Mortal Realm that I was now left in, I would have to do whatever it took to survive. I was not as strong as Lucerna. But Lucerna made foolish choices. He wanted to die.

I would not do the same. I was Salvos, not Lucerna. I would make decisions that would increase my odds of survival. Being higher leveled may not guarantee survival as evinced by him, however it would increase my chances. There would never be a perfect chance of surviving, but that was the same as it had been in the Netherworld. The Mortal Realm was no different in that sense, every day was a risk in both. And just like in the Netherworld— until I returned to the Netherworld— I knew that I...

Evolution Complete!

[Lesser Demon] -> [Greater Demon]

Subspecies [Zelus Imp] has evolved to [Midday Changeling]!

Gained 10 Stat Points!

[Wisdom] +6

[Vitality] +3

[Strength] +3

[Endurance] +3

[Agility] +3

Gained 2 Skill Slots!

Gained 3 Skill Points!

General Skill [Basic Mana Manipulation - Lvl. 5] becomes [Advanced Mana Manipulation - Lvl. 1]!

General Skill [Racial Skill: Mortal Form - Lvl. 1] Obtained!

Skill [Basic Fire Creation - Lvl. 30] becomes [Advanced Fire Creation - Lvl. 1]!

Skill [Double Step - Lvl. 10] becomes [Self Haste - Lvl. 1]!

Skill [Fire Blast - Lvl. 20] becomes [Scorching Wave - Lvl. 1]!

Skill [Passive - General Tool Proficiency - Lvl. 10] becomes [Passive - Weapon Mastery - Lvl. 1]!

Skill [Charge of Embers] is now available.

Skill [Fiery Hail] is now available.

Skill [Ignition] is now available.

Skill [Passive - Deadly Instincts] is now available.

Title Gained!

(Death of the Destroyer)

[Vitality] (+5)

[Strength] (+5)

[Endurance] (+5)

[Wisdom] (+5)

[Agility] (+5)

General Skill [Title Skill: Zealous Call] Obtained!

I will survive!

Author’s Note

Thank you all so much for reading my first ever published book. I spent a lot of time editing it and refining it, hoping it would be up to par. There were various themes in this book— things like self-actualization, self-recognition, and even survivorship bias. But none of that really matters as long as you were entertained by the contents of the book.

It was written in a style inspired by Japanese Light Novels, so dialogue tags come after the paragraph of the dialogue. I hope it was not too off-putting for readers who aren’t accustomed to that.

I hope you all take the time to leave a review or rating, because it would genuinely help me out a lot.

Thank you all for reading. Also, you can read the story as it’s being written online as a first draft here: https://melaswebserial.com/salvos/

Join my patreon to support me at https://www.patreon.com/delta201  to read rough first drafts of the latest Salvos Vol. 2 chapters as it is being written.

To hear news about my books and Salvos stuff, subscribe to my newsletter here: https://salvosnewsletter.ck.page/

P.S, V.A. Lewis is a pen name if you haven’t noticed.

***

This story was serialized on r/RedditSerials , where you can find other novels shared one chapter at a time as a draft! You can read Salvos here  as it’s released!

You can also read it when it’s being serialized on: RoyalRoad , ScribbleHub , and Tapas .

Copyright © 2020 delta201 / V.A. Lewis

All rights reserved.