Raid?!

"How about we change that?"

His sneer sends chills to their spines as they look at him with worry. Fear takes over them and they clench each other's hands.

He turns to his group, and an icy voice escapes his mouth. "Get them!"

They abandon the chest with the gold coins and surround the two women, who remain on the ground and hug each other.

Mirena screams her lungs out. "What more do you want? You got your treasure!"

Unable to hold back her tears, Mirena buries herself in her mother's arms. The woman with the bruises pats the girl's head to soothe her. Her gaze shoots daggers at him. "Shameless!"

The man with a scar over his left eye smirks. "I thought we made ourselves clear. We want you out of here"

His company laughs and draws their swords.

"And who are you, to decide who stays and who leaves?!"

Nox's voice startles them.

Their leader turns around and sees the young man standing in front of the small house. "Who are you, kid?"

"I'm Nox!"

His eyes emit a purple glow, and his voice carries a thunderous pressure. "I'm the Demon Lord!"

Behind the brave face he's wearing, Nox's mind wonders. 'What am I doing? Announcing something like that?'

But he regains his composure fast when his eyes meet with the two women on the ground. His earlier anxiousness vanishes in an instant and instead, anger takes over.

Nox, with veins popping on his forehead, stares daggers at him. "You made my friend cry!"

The howling of Umbra coming from behind them causes them to jump.

After turning back to confirm the location, Nox fuses with the shadows and attacks them.

[10 Exp]

[10 Exp]

One after the other falls from the punches they receive from Nox. Umbra follows right after and sucks their mana out, incapacitating them.

[10 Exp]

[10 Exp]

[10 Exp]

Leveling up, Nox gains an immense boost in strength and speed. He only needs a punch to bring his enemies down.

[10 Exp]

'Grimmy, I want to use the old man's attack against that guy. He irritates me too much'

{Loading…}

The last one standing is the man with a scar. Nox emerges from the shadows and materializes in front of him. Their leader takes a few steps back and raises his sword.

[Equip completed!]

Nox raises his hand to the level of his chest and chants.

"\Ice Shards/"

The wintry winds blow and envelope the man with a scar. His struggles to escape are futile. The icy particles like needles puncture his body, blooding it from top to bottom. Even though he strikes a few with his sword, he cannot fend them off.

The constant rain of attacks spills fresh blood around him, painting the ground red.

[10 Exp]

Both Mirena and her mother can only watch in amazement, as Nox takes them out with minimum effort.

{Loading…}

[Exp Distributed]

[Level Up]

[Extraction Unlocked]

Nox then turns towards the town around him and shouts at the top of his lungs. "These are the people you guys rather side with. This is your choice instead of the people you grew up with. You can leave this place whenever you want!"

The young man takes a deep breath, lets out a long sigh, and continues. "I will claim this town as the domain of Demon Lord Nox"

'Grimmy, equip the tattered cloak please!'

{Loading…}

['Certainly!']

The wind changes direction as the cloak falls on the young man's shoulders. He stands over the fallen group and with a flick, breaks the scarred man's icy statue into thousands of pieces.

{Calculating…}

[Tattered Cloak equipped]

[+3 Atk]

[+2 Def]

['Negative Karma Gained']

'Negative Karma?'

['You made the choice to take a life!']

Vomit rises to his mouth and, unable to hold it in, he pukes. His eyes are bloodshot red and his mouth seems unable to close from the shock. He only comes to the realization after Grimmy tells him. 'I wasn't thinking about that. I'll reflect on it later!'

Umbra lets out a howl that shakes the very foundations of the buildings surrounding them.

{Loading…}

[Beastiary Point Gained]

It didn't take long for people to get out and start running while screaming their lungs out. After witnessing the events and hearing Nox's declaration, they scatter in all directions.

Nox turns to Mirena with embarrassment all over his face. "I overdid it, right?"

The girl shakes her head. "You did well!"

Her grandpa comes running out of the house. "Are you out of your mind?"

The girl jumps in front of Nox. "It's ok, Grandpa. We got mom back!"

The old man fidgets at his granddaughter's pleas. "I-I guess… You are right"

With this, Nox and the others return to the little house and have a homey meal. During their time around the dinner table, Mirena can't help but wonder. "What happened to the others?"

With his scrawny arms crossed, he changes his posture to a more comfortable one and looks at the girl with silver hair sitting in front of him. "She took them to her palace, so she could monitor them and the situation"

Nox, who hears the old man, interrupts their conversation. "And... She's where exactly?"

The old man looks at him with worry and annoyance at the same time. "What are you planning?"

"Fulfilling my promise to help Mirena get her family back!"

The rest of the evening progresses smoothly as they each return to their respective rooms after dinner.

Nox lies on his bed and stares at the ceiling.

'Grimmy, what's the skill extraction?'

{Loading…}

['With Extraction, you can take general skills and points from an enemy after you weaken them']

'I see. Sounds cool!'

['It is a skill prepared by God Scarab himself']

'... That guy?'

The young man remains silent for the rest of the night until he falls asleep.

After that, the next few days go on with no issues.

What surprises them the most is the fact that the hero didn't retaliate at all. They sit around the table during the night and discuss scenarios of why she stays away.

Then, one day, a messenger arrives. He wears white pants and a shirt with blue stripes in a diagonal direction across his body. With him, he carries a bag with a strap over his shoulder.

He is not much older than Nox and carries himself with pride. He stands in front of the house and knocks on the door.

The scrawny old man opens and calls the others just as fast as he sees the messenger.

They gather in the living room and have the messenger sit.

Nox takes the initiative and starts the conversation. "Do you have something for us?"

The messenger stands with his hands tucked behind his back and exclaims. "The glorious Hero, Jenna, Invites the Demon Lord and his followers to the palace for tea"

The old man scoffs at the messenger. "Followers?"

Mirena grabs her grandfather by his sleeve and pulls it.

Nox paces back and forth, pondering. "Sure, we'll be there next week, in the afternoon"

The messenger fidgets and takes a step back. "B-But sir… Hero Jenna requests your presence today!"

"I see… My mistake!"

The messenger sighs in relief.

"Then tell her we'll be there, next week in the afternoon!"

He approaches the young messenger, who's still in shock. Nox grabs him by his arm and drags him out the door. "Thank you for coming!"

After closing the door, the young man takes a few steps, but quickly turns around and opens the door. He smiles after seeing that the messenger is still there. "During this week, tell her we ask for confirmation of life for the people she took. Thank you!"

The messenger extends his hand, trying to reach Nox. "Mr. Demon Lord Sir…"

Umbra growls and snaps his jaw close to his hand. The messenger turns white and retracts his hand in slow motion.

Nox slams the door once more.

The old man scolds Nox. "What are you doing? This was our chance to get in there?"

Nox looks at him. He lets out with a serious face. "Then what? Get taken as well?"

Mirena and the others look down.

Nox smiles and claps his hands to get their attention.

They look up and meet his purple eyes.

He lets out a laugh and takes a seat at the table. With a swift motion, he waves his hand, urging them to do the same.

After taking a seat, Nox smiles.