The Devil You Know(1)

[The Trickster God 'Lilith' has sponsored your freedom!]

It awoke, revealing pitch-black eyes with fiery pupils. The sheer presence of the creature made them grasp at their weapon even harder.

"Hello?" it said. A terrible chill anchored them in place, making the three beastkin warriors pale as the moon.

[Time remaining: 11:59:46s]

"M-Mercy...oh great lord! W-We are but humble mercenaries." Eumic voiced out, pleading for their lives while the other two tried their damnedest not to instinctively gnarl.

"...huh? Zuba what's wrong with them?" it stated. "Bloodlust? What do you mean?...really?"

The being spoke in a language that they knew not, gesturing to itself. The trio were veteran adventurers who had undergone one hardship after another, gaining a sharpened intuition for danger.

After the explosion from three days ago, they found the body of this being in the middle of it all. It was Vadiel's call to retrieve it, saying that it was their only clue to how they'll go back home. Of course, if it turned out well, they could sell the corpse for god-knows how much.

Perhaps the current predicament was retribution from the heavens.

Then suddenly, the burning sensation and suffocating aura that the being was emitting was withdrawn.

"I mean you no harm." It said, speaking in their language while displaying a bloodcurdling grimace.

The moment it placed a hand on Eumic's shoulder, he fainted standing up.

"..."

Doma, and the other two who were still conscious, stood there in awkward silence.

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Watcher took a long sip of tea, emptying the cup.

She sighed, closing multiple blue panels displaying receipts of the recent deal.

"My, oh my." the goddess said, picking up a strand of hair. "You're providence knows not of hypocrisy, Outcast."

In a cold and forgotten realm outside the known reaches of the universe, a small figure sat carrying a wooden staff. Still, like a statue with thin cracks running all over his dull skin, the cold dared not touch this being.

His sunken eyes glowed faintly beneath the dusty robes, looking forwards.

"...if that child truly is who completes all, then there shall be none to spare." Watcher looked back in front of her as if she could see who those words were meant for.

"But I'd wish he was flashier. It'd be disappointing for the end of all to be so bland."

The being on the other side scoffed, standing up for the first time in eons and lifting the colossal chains that restrained every part of him.

"Annihilation completes Infinity. And all shall rest upon his palm when the time is right."

Her eyes narrowed. Reminiscing the many failures of the past, the humiliation of defeat, the traitors who now reign supreme. Not a single hint of the rage within showed on Watcher's face, smiling sweetly.

"Well. It would be foolish to bet everything on one piece when there's the whole board to play."

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"...unbelievable. Who would listen to such a ridiculous backstory?" Vadiel raised his arms, chuckling.

"Have you tried looking for other ways you could clear the stages without slaughtering anything?" Morigh asked, flipping over the large piece of meat sizzling on its fats.

"What?! Are you serious?" the Tiger looked at his companion.

A strong aroma filled the tent as the mouth-watering dish was nearly finished. I had some spare carcasses in my Dimensional Storage, one's that I couldn't finish in the break time.

"...they all tried to kill me first. I just didn't have that kind of luxury until now." I thought out loud, keeping to myself that it was also partly because I was driven mad by the hunger I felt then.

My new self still had that bottomless voracity but it was all within my control now, regularly indulging myself in the rewards of my hunt.

Eumic narrowed his eyes. It was almost comical to see this demon-monster-thing, that was overflowing with murderous aura just a while ago, speak so formally. Saying that the Owl's life flashed before his eyes were no exaggeration because it really did.

'What a monster.' he thought.

Doma felt nostalgic at those gazes. His relatives wore those expressions too when they saw him, fearing him as if his misfortunate nature was contagious, after what happened to his parents.

Of course, being treated like that his whole life, he was bound to adapt.

"I humbly apologize for the inconvenience I've caused you. For getting you involved in my problems, I am so sorry." he said to Eumic, groveling on his knees pitifully.

Pity was one of his greatest tools. It might seem pathetic from a stranger's point of view, but Doma had his own circumstances.

The three were surprised by his humble act.

"Lift your head, brother." Morigh helped him back up.

"Morigh! What are you doing!?"

"Get away from it. That thing is dangerous!"

The boar turned around and said:

"Can't you hear yourselves? You sound just like those disgusting nobles who think themselves entitled! Have you no shame!?"

This time, I was just as baffled as to the others.

"...why are you defending me?" I asked to the towering beastkin.

"What made you struggle through all those battles?"

"To return home, of course. I'm sure my daughter is waiting for me."

Morigh smiled at me, revealing his thick, yellow teeth, and looked back to his comrades, yelling.

"A true parent will never give up for the sake of their children, not until they become parents themselves. Your resolve is reasoning enough for me to help."

His words resonated with me unexpectedly, sending goosebumps down my spine. Then before I even noticed, tears rolled down my cheeks.

"I...I just want to go home. I never even wanted any of this." I silently pleaded, memories of my own mother and father running through my mind.

If I ever have a child, I wouldn't do this, and that—were things that I used to think about when I was younger, criticizing my parents of their selfishness.

It seems like I wasn't as mentally resilient as I thought, especially when Alva was involved.

Vadiel sighed loudly, breaking the awkward tension.

"The steak's burning." he said, squatting down.

"Oh, sh*t!"

The two argued among themselves as they tried to save the flaming steak.

Eumic walked up to me, a stern look in his face. It wasn't my intention but it seemed like the poor bird had developed a trauma, visibly trying to keep his composure.

"Can you send us back?"

"I don't know."

"Then stay with us until we can find a way back. We don't know what kind of dangers lurk in this place so you'll serve as our repellant. After all, the devil you know is better than the devil you don't."

This wasn't acceptable and it was barely an alliance. Eumic must've decided that this compromise was for the best.

The situation improved after this, but I never told them that it was almost certain that I would be sent back to earth in a few hours.

Why? Because if I cleared this stage, the system would reorganize the difficulty based on my current strength—and I might have to fight against something unspeakable by then.

Indeed. It was a compromise for both sides.

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Strength: 44,048 (+50% Boost) ≈ 44,036pts

(Forced Limit)

Stamina: 44,072 (+50% Boost) ≈ 44,036pts

(Forced Limit)

Intelligence: 44,047 (+30% Boost) ≈ 44,036pts

(Forced Limit)

Spirit: 43,967pts

Talent: 44,036pts

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I sat near the edge of the crater, exhausted. Six hours ago, I decided to gauge the limits of my abilities to better understand my current body. It was a rare opportunity that I've been trying to grab hold of in the past 11 months.

Firstly, I still had control over my thermoregulation despite having changed my overall physique; developing an incredible resistance to extreme temperatures along with the visible alterations.

That allowed me to exhibit a cold front that cancels out and regulates the environment's temperature in a large radius without suffering any damage, letting the Beastkin walk around unharmed.

Next, was the spiky tail. The new appendage could somehow shorten and extend at will, going up to about 2 and a quarter meters long. Though convenient, it was incredibly uncomfortable and annoying as I wasn't used to it yet.

The beastkin also mentioned that the inside of my throat glowed like a forge of the same colors as my eyes. A strange feature of which its purpose I do not know.

Another peculiar thing that the beastkin helped me realize was about my Gravity Magic. It was rare among the elements but was considered inferior as it wasn't as versatile as the others, commonly used to incapacitate a large number of people and that was it. But the world that the Morigh and the others came from didn't have much in science, not seeing the true potential of this magic. They were surprised that I didn't know how to manipulate magicules but were willing enough to teach me.

According to Eumic, the group's leading Sorcerer:

"Magicules is what connects physical matter to the mental will. It allows us to bend, reshape, change, and instruct certain elements accordingly in which control is directly proportionate to the user's willpower."

It was quite different from the mechanics that those games and shows taught me. In practice, it took me over fifteen tries to get a basic grasp on the Magicules linked to Gravity and actually feel progress.

"You don't just think it! Visualize the product, extend your influence, then execute. The naming part is just to help you remember a predetermined pattern for faster casting but right now, you're nothing but an infant discovering a new sense. Work on developing a better understanding of magicules!"

He paced behind me like a shooting instructor, criticizing my performance and pointing out mistakes. It was unclear whether it was my ungodly talent or Eumic's teaching skills, but after 3 hours of continuous practice, I had achieved casting my first spell.

"H-Hey, Boss. He's doing it...isn't he?" Vadiel stuttered.

They watched in astonishment as debris freely floated around.

[You have gained a basic understanding of Magicules!]

"...gravity magic is considered inferior not just due to its low versatility, but also because it's near intangible and is way too complex for most sorcerers." Eumic frowned.

'There are only four known spells for this element. [Weightlessness], [Reverse Polarity], [Distortion] and [Compression]. This guy doesn't even know that, yet here he is, casting his own version of the [Weightlessness] spell! Goddamn geniuses.' he thought to himself, not knowing that Doma was listening in using the telekinetic perks of Azubasara's artifact.

Moving on to some notable changes in my Personal Attributes.

[Crystallization] had a vastly different appearance as it sat on top of my scales like a translucent armor; it also covered my tail and shape-shifted the brush-like tip at will into either blooming spikes or a stinger.

[Gigantify] consumed less energy but also decreased in size potential; now limited to just a 20-meter growth, 5 meters lesser than before. Not that it's any less powerful.

With [Dead Retribution], I had to be careful. As mentioned before, the intensity of the explosion was directly proportionate to my stats. So I decided to cut off the tip of my pinky, setting it far away before finally detonating.

By no means was the mushroom cloud meager, forcing me to gigantify and shield the camp from the shockwave.

"W-What the f*ck?" Vadiel uttered. "I told you he was a ticking bomb!"

Getting exhausted was no issue to me as all I had to do was devour some of the raw meat in my Dimensional Storage.

But something else interfered.

[Time remaining: 01:59:59s]

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[You have failed to clear Stage 101!]

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Time Limit: 13 hrs

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[Challenger Doma Curtis will be penalized!]

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[The punishment for Challenger Doma Curtis' act of 'Deliberate Failure' has been determined by the Administrators!]

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['The Pestilence' has been released!]

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