Chapter 29

A few days later, Sam found himself on the battlefield, responding to an urgent report of two devils causing havoc. Cars were scattered everywhere, and lifeless bodies hung around.

Sam arrived with a few other devil hunters.

In front of them stood the Rat Devil and The Boss Devil. Yes, the Boss Devil. Somehow, that devil was exceptionally strong. Sam believed that Makima had played a role in helping that devil become powerful. The Boss Devil was a heavily muscular man with the ability to manipulate people into doing things against their will.

Sam focused his attention on the Rat Devil, a giant humanoid rat standing at an imposing 5 meters in height. He formed a circle with his thumb and index finger, taking aim at the Rat Devil. "Kon," Sam chanted, summoning a building-sized giant fox head with numerous red eyes, which promptly engulfed the Rat Devil.

[+5000 XP]

Sam knew that when working in a team, he would only receive a portion of the gained experience. However, his primary goal today wasn't to gain experience; it was to test the abilities he had acquired through his contracts.

Sam turned his gaze towards the Boss Devil, who was using people as human shields against the devil hunters.

Without hesitation, Sam activated his Wind Footwork to increase his speed and utilized Flash Step to appear on top of the two-meter-tall Boss Devil, who had a human-like appearance. Sam wrapped his legs around the Boss Devil's neck and used his claws to scratch the devil's throat.

"Die. Die. Die."

"Get off me, you damn human!" The Boss Devil lifted Sam, hurling him high into the air. Sam found himself soaring 10 meters above the ground. Fortunately, he managed to grab hold of a building's window ledge. He peered downward.

[-30 HP]

The Boss Devil was crushed by an invisible force, and multiple wounds appeared on its body. The Curse Devil, concealed from view, had slain the Boss Devil.

'The claws are risky to use; they require time,' Sam thought, smirking. The Fox Devil and the Curse Devil would be his trump cards against the Snake Devil.

'I feel overpowered,' Sam reflected. He employed his agility to leap from the building and land on the ground. Muttering to himself, he contemplated, "Maybe I should ask Himeno to come and help me contact the Ghost Devil. But she's paranoid about my death. She wouldn't even allow me to sacrifice a year for it. I need to convince her otherwise."

Pondering Himeno, Sam realized that it had been a few days since he had last seen her. He absentmindedly scratched his head, acknowledging his forgetful nature.

-x-X-x-

Sam arrived home, his hands full of bags.

Recently, he had received a substantial bonus from the office, in addition to his salary and Power's earnings. So, he decided to go grocery shopping. Since both he and Power loved meat, he bought plenty.

The first one to greet him at home was Meowy.

"Where's Power?" he asked Meowy as he petted her.

"I'm here," Power said, emerging from the shower with a towel wrapped around her.

"What happened?" he asked her, checking her out.

"I killed a devil. You remember what you ordered me to do, don't you?" Power said, placing her hands on her hips.

Sam smiled. "Whenever you're covered in blood, I ordered you to take a shower. I remember. Glad you didn't set the house on fire this time."

Power let out a hollow laugh. "Ha ha ha." She then looked at the bags. "What did you get?"

"Beef. Some Wagyu. And a few other things."

"So, no more round eyes. Great," Power said, happily anticipating her meat. "It's expensive, but as long as it's your money, I don't care."

"You know what they say: 'My money is your money, your money is my money,'" Sam said, hinting for Power to contribute financially.

Power rubbed her cheek, and a drop of sweat formed on her forehead. She avoided eye contact with him. "To be honest with you, I got a bit carried away and I've already spent half of my earnings."

"Half! How are we going to make it through this month?" Sam exclaimed. "Never mind that. What did you buy to burn through your money so quickly?"

"I bought a few clothes... and I tried some new food."

"What?"

"Caviar," Power said. "I didn't realize it was so expensive. But on the other hand, it's very nutritious. You should try it."

Sam put his hand on the table and let out a long sigh. "We can't keep living like this."

"Are you kicking me out?"

"No. It's just that we can't have a good life if we're living from month to month," Sam explained. He lifted his head. "We have no other choice. We're going to spend the rest of our money to hire a programmer, buy a camera, and open a website."

Sam snapped his fingers. Since it was the 2000s, he decided to create an OnlyFans account. There was no point in living in poverty.

"Why is that?" Power asked, puzzled.

"Let me ask you first: do you want to have some fun with me in bed?" Sam said.

Power smirked widely. "Why is that? Himeno is no longer with you, and you're all worked up. Can't control yourself," she teased. She then thumped her chest proudly. "I'll have you know, as a fiend, I won't get tired like your friend. You might wear yourself out."

"It's not about that," Sam explained. "We plan to film ourselves doing some risqué content, and we'll sell short teasing clips and pictures. If someone wants them, they'll have to pay for it. It won't be a permanent thing. We'll continue until more people join our website, and then we'll charge them for streaming."

It seemed like the easiest way to make money, alongside the pyramid scheme. Sam even contemplated launching a teaching website to help young people become wealthy, and his students would earn commissions for every person they brought into the website.

"It's the ultimate money-making trick for the early 2000s."

"Pay to watch us cook?" Power questioned, as she walked over and stood in front of him. "Humans are peculiar. But I've always been curious about watching you put your sausage in my meat."

Sam took a closer look at her body. Her skin appeared smooth and soft. Curiously, he placed his hand on her neck and gently caressed it. A faint blush appeared on her skin.

However, Sam didn't feel like he was cheating on Himeno or anything. She had clarified that they were just friends and had even encouraged him to become emotionally attached to someone else.

But for now, his Devil Hunter's instinct told him to thrust his sword inside the beautiful blonde fiend.

Power extended her arm and wrapped it around Sam. She then bent him over and threw him to the ground. She followed suit, placing her hands behind her head.

"I smell fresh blood; someone is about to attack us. Stay down," Power said, her anxiety evident.

Sam had a keen sense for detecting devils, but it was of no use when it came to humans.

Pew Pew Pew

A barrage of bullets pierced the walls of his house. Sam, with his heightened senses, could barely discern blurry figures.

"Damn it," Sam realized something. It must be the blonde girl who had made contact with the snake devil, launching an attack against him.

Since he couldn't sense the snake devil nearby, he assumed she wasn't close either.

Reaching into his pocket, he grabbed the Curse Devil's gloves and then unsheathed his sword.

[-5 HP]

"Power, stay calm," Sam said. "Once they believe we're dead, we'll make our escape through the window."

"But Sam! We need to confront them right now," Power said, her blood flowing from her wrist to form a substantial weapon.

"Don't worry. I can handle them. Let's lure them outside the building," Sam whispered back.

Soon, the shooting stopped, and someone cautiously opened the door.