Chapter 47
Phew… Awesome… Now I can change my name to Asterix. Or was it Obelix? Whatever, I can tell everyone I fell into a cauldron of demons as a kid. Curiosity got the better of me, and I turned around. All that’s left of the monsters are chunks of frozen flesh. Hard to tell what belongs to who. Looks like an industrial freezer. Once it thaws, it’ll be a hell of a sight… Doggos will be thrilled.
As I got good and frozen and decided to finally leave, my alert system went nuts. Something’s flying at my neck. Something tiny and fast. I sped up my thinking at the last second and caught a glimpse of a dart. Too close to block or dodge. But my lightning’s way faster. The tip almost grazed my skin when a jolt knocked it away. Someone survived. Where’s that rat? A creak sounded behind me, then rapid footsteps bolted out of the building. What? He’s running? That’s new. I gotta see this guy! I sprinted after the sound. As soon as I hit the street, a shadow darted into an alley, slipping from my sight. Oh, no… I’m not that tired to let you escape. Turn after turn, the shadow never stayed in view for more than a moment. The narrow, maze-like streets helped it keep distance. But this city’s not infinite. Sooner or later, it’s gotta do something. Rounding another corner, I parried another sneaky dart waiting for me.
- Fuck… - Escaped the startled demon’s lips. The city ran out, and he still couldn’t shake me. He tossed his blowpipe and bolted across the plain with all he had.
- Stop, you bastard! – I shouted after him.
- Leave me alone! – He yelled back, running.
- Leave you? You tried to kill me, asshole!
- No, I didn’t!
- You shot a dart at me!
- It was an accident!
- Twice? What, you escape from a daycare? Stop, you prick, or I’ll kill you dead!
This demon matched my speed. I really didn’t want to use seizure technique again—my body’s already on the edge. Had to turn it into a chase.
- Nooo! I’m not stupid! If I stop, you’ll kill me!
- No, I won’t! We’ll just have a little chat!
- Chat with yourself! Without me!
- Goddamn pest… I won’t hurt you!
First time a demon’s run from me. Got me curious. Did he actually get scared? Not surprising. After that show, anyone would be. But, I don’t know… His eyes didn’t have that bloodlust. Well, I’ll kill him in the end anyway.
- If you don’t wanna hurt me, pick any other direction and run there! So many options! Stop chasing me!
What a pain in the ass… Up ahead, Wilson sat calmly on his spear, staring at me with weird contempt. He’s probably laughing at this. I thought I was so badass, yet I can’t catch one lousy demon. Think I’m that weak? I’ve got eighteen percent mana left. Fine, ten percent, ZAP! Lightning instantly hit the runner’s back, and he crumpled mid-stride, collapsing right in front of Wilson.
- Whoa… It worked. See that, Wilson? You’re the useless one. And quit looking at me like that.
- No, I’m not showing off. Look yourself. This demon’s dead. I killed him with one magic shot. Shame, sure, but doesn’t this mean I’ve made huge progress?
- Yeah, I’m curious too… He didn’t seem hostile and talked kinda normal. Oh well. He’s dead. Alright, Wilson… Let’s go, the portal’s waiting. Just need to grab a map.
Before heading back, I searched the body. Nothing interesting, obviously. Only thing worth noting was a stab wound in his chest. Guess he was already injured, so I took him down easy. Maybe I overhyped my progress. Oh, by the way, I gained four levels from that fight. Makes sense—Ulfric did most of the slaughter. Anyway, after two months of training, my status looks like this:
-
/ Race --- Half-Demon /
/ Level 89 /
/ Class --- Slave (Experience 1%) /
/ Strength --- 48(+6) Endurance --- 62(-19) Agility --- 124(-19) Magic Power --- 116(-24) Mana --- 182(+6) /
/ Skills: /
// Sensitivity – 332(-25) Concentration – 329(-25) Mana Control – 181(-25) Thinking – 160(+-25) Resilience -- 110(-20) //
/ Element – Lightning /
/ Titles: Martyr, Demon Slayer, Child Killer /
-
For wiping out the last city, I got fourteen levels. Today’s raid, just four. At this rate, I’ll never break a hundred. These stats piss me off. They don’t show real numbers, forcing you to add or, in my case, subtract the numbers in parentheses from levels and titles. From what I get, it’s because skill upgrades have their own leveling system. The higher the skill, the harder it is to raise. For example: Masturbation --- 999(+200) means you’ve got 1199 points in reality, enough to generate electricity, but it levels as if it’s at 999, so it’s easier. Super useful when you’ve got pluses in parentheses. But with minuses? Total fuckery.
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I went back to the freezer. Didn’t get any warmer. I pried a skin map off the frozen ground. There were dozens, all similar but not identical. No one’s invented a copier yet. The second portal’s location varied by a few kilometers. I’ll have to average it out using other maps. Besides familiar locations, the edges caught my eye—two long lines curving in sync. Looks like a dungeon, maybe a spiral chunk. Probably designed to make life here as cozy as possible. Swap walls for columns, and you’d have a spacious round dungeon. No logistics issues. But no… We need flair…
The destination’s about fifteen kilometers away. The portal… Alright, I’ll assume it’s a giant scam. I don’t wanna get burned like before. I’ve had enough. I’ll prep myself for total failure and lose nothing. No, better—I’ll imagine instead of a portal, there’s a skill-and-level reset machine. Like the devs decided to fuck over the poor saps who got here even more. Picture it: you grind, survive, fight with all you’ve got, leveling your shitty skills in unfair battles. After years of endless fights, you reach a level where demons flee at your footsteps. You find the long-awaited exit. You activate the portal, but it doesn’t teleport you. Instead, it spawns a giant shit container in your place. And as you’re stuck in that mess, a notification pops up:
/ Congratulations, you’ve earned a title! /
// Loser //
/ Conditions: Be a loser /
/ Title Bonus: You’re a loser /
/ Title Penalty: You’re reset /
-
Fuck… Gives me chills… Now I’m not so keen on going. Can’t say it’s impossible. I’d pull something like that for politicians if I ran this place. Scary as hell! Alright… I’m not a coward. I gotta go. I’ve got nothing to lose. Pain? Not scared. Death? Nope. Let’s just pretend the portal’s broken. Or doesn’t exist, and it’s all…
A lollipop to your face…
Fuuuuuck…
It’s a goddamn trap… No portal! Just a scam for suckers. Meaning me. AAAASH!!! You prick! Think I’m that dumb? How do you catch someone trying to escape? Easy—wait at the exit! Since there isn’t one, just make one up. Those demons lived here a thousand years. They’d know about a second portal. If it was secret, why mark it on maps? That bastard knows I killed those healers. Even if he doesn’t, he suspects. Ulfric already said I was involved. Ash is sure I can handle a few mediocre demons. He just scattered bait for me. I’d have fallen for it if I hadn’t crashed that meeting. So… I got lucky? Seems like it… Cool. Nice to have luck smile at me for a change. Alright… They set a trap, and I know it. So what? I can pretend to fall for it and ambush them! But I’m not an idiot. Better hide as far away as possible.
But what if the portal’s real? AAAH!!! This thought’s killing me. Best move is to lie low. Wait it out, then scout. But how long? A month? Two? Three? I’ll lose my mind! Shit… Can’t be reckless. These guys are seriously after me. If Ash finds this corpse pile, he’ll send the whole national guard for my head. Gotta make it look like an accident. Gas explosion, earthquake… something. Maybe I could collapse the building’s walls with my disintegration technique. Nah… Too much work. I’d be stuck a week, and it might not even work. Plus, it wouldn’t explain all these dead demons. And when the bodies thaw, they won’t look like they died in a collapse. No clue how they’ll look, honestly, but definitely not that.
Or I could pin it on Ulfric. Leave a note by him: “These dumbass demons pissed me off, so I killed them. After such a crime, my conscience won’t let me live. So I blew my head off.” Nah… Something’s missing. How about: “So I’m taking my life by blowing my head off. That’s right! I lived big, and I’ll die big.” Not bad. Now, how’d he do it? Shoved a grenade in his ear? Too bad I destroyed his head… Need a new one, but where? Everyone’s turned to popsicles, so no use there. Got it! Wilson, my pal… You’ll help, right? I’ll dip you in lava a bit, and the note’ll say: “I tripped and faceplanted in lava. Everyone mocked me at the meeting, so I killed them all. But I can’t live with this face. Shame some unknown guy, definitely not human, killed all the healers. This head’s disgusting, so I’ll cut it off.” Genius!
- Wilson, I’ve got a big mission for you. You’ll be an undercover agent. How’s that?
- What? Just toss Ulfric’s body in lava? Hmm… You’re a smart one. Then all suspicion falls on him. Could leave a symbol too, like a bat or some shit. Let them think a serious secret organization’s behind it.
I drew tits. Yeah, I learn from my mistakes.
Demon bodies don’t burn in fire, but lava’s too much for them. I bent Ulfric’s fingers for a Terminator scene. Perfect. Even teared up a bit. Wilson was sobbing. Well, that’s it… Time to head home while it’s clear.
From the map, my cave’s near the edge of zone “3.” They’ll search here, but moving’s a hassle. Doubt I’ll find another spot this comfy and hidden. Plus, I’d leave a trail of corpses on the way. Best bet’s to stock up on food and stay put for months. I can handle it. Good thing hell’s meat doesn’t spoil.
Back home, I figured I had a few days to prep supplies. Hunted small groups or lone weak monsters. No leaving bodies. No traces. Maybe I’m overthinking. I barely found this place myself. No way others will. And who’d climb these cliffs? Stocked ten doggos. Should last. Meanwhile, I’ll do push-ups, squats, and meditate. And something else… But Wilson doesn’t need to know.
I was a bit nervous going to sleep. Good thing half-demons need it less. Wilson tirelessly guarded me. He’s why I’ve kept my sanity. I talk to him a lot. He’s a great listener. I like that in people. He doesn’t just wait his turn to talk. He’s attentive. But one day, I had a serious issue with him. Waking up, I noticed one doggo was missing.
- Wilson, where’s the pup?
- Don’t fuck with me, it couldn’t just run off. There were eight. Wilson?
- You eat it? Answer!
Shit… Think I’m losing it… There were definitely eight. Or were there? How many? Five in one corner, three in another. Five plus three is what? Eight? You sure? Let’s count fingers… I can do cube roots in my head, but I can’t add five and three? Bullshit! Maybe there were four? Nah… Did I eat one in my sleep? No traces… Maybe one wasn’t fully dead? How’s that even possible?
I spent the next day trying to crack this mystery. I seriously questioned my sanity. I replayed the past days in my head. Definitely eight… But now seven. How? Someone stole it? Is something else living here? But where? I’ve scoured these cliffs top to bottom. So weird… But there was something else… Something that made my hair stand on end. Wilson was smiling… Barely, but I’m not fooled. The corners of his mouth twitched up. Am I paranoid? Schizo? Or is he really smiling? I don’t trust him anymore. I don’t trust him. I DON’T TRUST HIM… DIE, YOU FREAK!!! I unleashed nearly half my mana, turning Wilson to mist. Much calmer now… I need to chill. I need to chill. It’s fine… There were seven. I just wasn’t paying attention. I made up the eight. It’s all in my head, and I bought it… Fuck! That thought’s even scarier!
I sat like that for days until sleep finally broke me. Now I was even more afraid to sleep, and for good reason. When I woke, my body was trapped in a huge transparent crystal. A few demons stood smugly in my cave. It was Ash, with his personal guard. He looked tiredly at my stunned face while the others’ glares roasted me like a burger. Only one unfamiliar guy smirked quietly in the corner.
- Hiiii! How’s life, buddy? – He said in a venomous tone.
- … - I didn’t understand a fucking thing.
- What? Don’t recognize me? Haha. It’s me, Wilson!
