Death hung over Neto like mustard gas.

[Blood corruption]- {75%.}

That mage must have traded its life to summon a demon, and he couldn't even run away.

[Sepsis] paralyzed him.

Neto could only watch as a pair of glistening horns caught light from the evening sun. Spiraling up, they revealed a head covered entirely with onyx fur.

[Blood corruption]- {80%.}

Its eyes examined him like captured prey. Solid purple spheres with slits of gold bisecting from top to bottom. They were strangely similar to goblin eyes, which Neto guessed was no coincidence.

"Rakshasa."

It would've had a child's voice, if not for it's otherworldly accent mixed with notes of pain.

[Blood corruption]- {90%.}

Neto couldn't even sigh in exasperation. By then, there were so many black dots in his vision he wondered how he could see at all.

The demon was much shorter than he assumed, standing around half the size of the goblins. When it left the magic circle, it slumped as if in agony, grimacing with rows of needle like ivory.

If that cursed thief hadn't infected Neto's blood, he likely could've just stepped on the damn thing as it was being summoned....

Jogging in desperation, the demon's stubby legs kicked up loose dirt and leaves.  To Neto, it looked like the demon's body was dissolving into the air. Was this because it's summoner perished? The glow of magic faded into the background.

'Here it comes' Neto thought.

It'd been nice walking for the first time in ten years...

Raising a hand no bigger than a toddler's, the demon reached into Neto's mouth.

"Rakshasa," the demon sniffled, squatting down in front of Neto.

[Blood corruption]- {85%.}

Wait... wasn't it just at 90%?

[System]: [Lesser Antidote Consumed]

[Blood corruption]- {75%.}

A taste like back-alley sewer water coated Neto's taste buds, but the muscles in his throat were too stiff to gag.

Was the demon trying to help him? Concern replaced cruelty in its oversized eyes. Enough flesh had melted on one side of its face for Neto to spot bone.

Once again, the demon reached into his mouth.

'Oh god' Neto thought, 'Not again... Anything but that flavor...'

An unbearable urge to vomit wrenched Neto's guts with more strength than the 'seafood buffet' incident, which ruined his thirteenth birthday.

[System]: [Lesser Antidote Consumed]-{ x2}

[Blood corruption]- {35%.}

"...uuuUUGH!"

The muscles in Neto's throat were finally responsive! Healthy blood returned the almond color to his sunken face and scarecrow limbs.

[Blood corruption]- {15%.}

'15% already? Looks like the antidotes keep working after consumption.'

As the tension in Neto's muscles relaxed, he fell on his back and began catching his breath. Fall had claimed enough leaves to form a nice bed.

"T-thank you..." He breathed between coughs. "I'm sorry."

[Blood corruption]- {Cured}

The demon climbed on top of Neto's chest, taking a seat and staring into his eyes. Despite looking creepy, it had undoubtedly saved his life, and wasn't heavy enough to be a bother.

Neto let it be for the time being.

"Rakshasa," the demon grumbled, letting out a small wimper. It seemed like it was going to die, but Neto had no idea what to do. Pieces of shadowlike skin and muscle fiber dropped from its plaguelike wounds.

"Is that your name?"

Whatever it said next would likely be its last words. Neto would make sure they were heard.

"..."

[System]: [Notice]: {[Rakshasa] requires a host-soul to support its existence in this world...}

{Support}-[Rakshasa]-{yes/no}

'What... Rakshasa needs my soul to support it?' Neto asked himself. 'Why not? Take my virtual soul, you saved my life!'

{yes}-{Selected}

After a momentary silence, the demon gave a different grimace. A smile?

Destroyed flesh began to regenerate as Rakshasa fell, face first, onto Neto's chest.

{Lesser Demon [Rakshasa] accepted you as its Master!}

"Wait, don't tell me..." Neto grumbled.

Rakshasa was snoring!

Its tiny face twitched like a cat, snuggling into the folds of Neto's soiled clothes.

Neto couldn't help but laugh in relief. High pitched, without a hint of humor, yet oddly satisfying.

Setting his slumbering partner on a bed of leaves, Neto surveyed the area. After some searching, he'd confirmed his suspicions. Peter was nowhere to be found.

'damn...'

His supposed 'friend' had already looted one thief. Anger wrenched at his guts as he checked the other two corpses.

A Faint light shone from an inner pocket in the Mage's robe. Neto's System identified this as a [Small Cutpouch], holding a few dozen copper coins.

[System]: {Open}-[Inventory]

[Store]:[Copper]:{20}-{?} -----[Confirmed]

[Store]:[{Unknown} Fang]:{3}-{?} -----[Confirmed]

[Store]:[{Lesser} HP flask]:{1}-{?} -----[Confirmed]

[Inventory]--{3/10 lbs}

Somehow, he still had a shot to complete this alpha-test, but what would be the point of that now? Without a family, without one friend, Neto had nothing.

'Maybe I should Just die...'

Neto decided to 'borrow' the mage's robe. He certainly couldn't go into town looking like this... After wiping his face on the interior, he was feeling slightly more confident about his appearance.

Tossing his scimitar away, Neto found a hunting knife with a sheathe.

This weapon would be easier to carry, and its sheathe fit nicely under his robe.

Now, how would he find the town?

'... a higher vantage point, maybe?'

In reality, Neto would never climb a tree again. A car accident had killed Neto's family and left him paralyzed from the neck down, after all.

'We'll, unless SUN can really fix my spine after this...' he wondered.

Their technology checked out, at least from what he'd seen. No other VRMMORPG was this realistic, that was for certain.

Neto noticed some wolf's tracks dotting the ground not too far away, creating a parabola. Had they come for the corpses? That mage's blood magic must've scared them off.

"Really, you turned out to be super useful." he whispered to the oblivious Rakshasa.

Neto's eye's followed their tracks further, and then he saw it. An adventurer, surrounded by predators!

The man was too short to be Peter, but stocky enough to be a dwarf. He swung an ax larger than himself, slicing off the tip of a wolf's nose. One wolf lunged, knocking him to the ground. His chain-mail ripped, face becoming a mask of blood.

"ORAAAA!!"

The dwarf's roar echoed through the surrounding woods. He wouldn't stay down without a fight.

Before Neto knew it, he jumped off the branch and begun sprinting in the battles direction. How could he ignore this after what just happened?

He'd be no better than Peter.