The cat's disappearance was but the beginning of my escalating fears, for what awaited us next sent shivers down my spine.

"Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr..."

Loud familiar growling bounced against the walls mixed with thuds of footsteps planting themselves in the ground. Our location had been marked. From where the elusive cat had disappeared, the head of a colossal skeleton emerged, quietly peering at us. Its skull adorned an ancient Egyptian headdress, which was striped bronze, glistening in eerie harmony with the unearthly glow emanating from its vacant eye sockets. Its mouth seemed to be molded in the shape of a permanent sinister smile. As if mocking our very existence. It was far too big to move through the smaller passage we were in, bbut the bigger pathways offered enough freedom of movement. We weren't even worth its time. Being too lazy to work, the face disappeared, diving back into the depth of shadows. But to take the skull's place, a bony wrist slid against friction along the ground into the alleyway's opening. It's palm big enough to engulf both of us, now faced our direction.

"If I had known such abominations lurked here, I would have never set foot in this accursed place!"

I was staring at Ion's trembling back. Holding his sword tightly, both hands struggled to keep gripping around its hilt. It looked like a valiant ant preparing for battle against a giant monster.

A flash of light blitzed through the alley, from patterns forming in front of the skeleton's palm. In the wake of that blinding flash, I found myself instinctively shielding my face from the onslaught of brilliance. "Concentrate! Don't look away!" My words erupted through clenched teeth as fear tightened its grip around my neck.

The light soon disappeared, swallowed by the alley's darkness once more. Silence hung in the air like a heavy shroud, yet my heart throbbed relentlessly within my throat. Then, without warning, an unnatural electrical hum invaded my ears, an ominous sign to what awaited us next.

"Bzzzzzzzzz..."

The sound reverberated, screeching at us from all directions, as a virulent green ray shot out of the skeleton's hand, quickly approaching our position with lethal intent. All that stood in its wake burned or withered away. Greenery escaping stone crevices rotted upon contact.

"Now!" A scream of desperation protesting the loud electric buzz woke Ion into action. His blade descended. A pathetic attempt that would make any onlooker think that we were aiming for self-destruction. But I knew better; I was aware of Ion's latent ability. Untapped power dwelling within him that had yet to fully manifest itself. If ever there was a moment for his true potential to emerge, it had to be now. Our lives depended on it.

With Ion's weapon contacting the emerald blast, a miracle unfolded. Like a river split in two, as if along the sides of a firm rock, Ion's blade slowly cut through the torrenting emerald pulse. Stepping back from the sheer force of the collision, he held on, struggling to put up a fight. Blood seeped through his clenched teeth. A beaming blue aura enveloped his body, as the opponent's magic power turned into his own.

"Continue." I called to him amidst the deafening buzz emitted by the spine chilling magic. Even as hope flickered within me, I couldn't ignore the painful reality that Ion struggled to hold on. My expectations plummeted to rock bottom, as our bodies underwent agony. Our shoulders, arms and torsos were scorched by searing burns of rays escaping Ion's defenses.

"Continue!" My voice thundered. A fierce cry of determination and anguish, echoing through the torment that threatened to consume us alive.

"..."

But Ion's heavy hands gradually stopped listening. Every muscle in his body screamed to stop. He tried with every drop of willpower left in his soul, only to hold his weapon. But it all ended up being futile, as gravity called his blade back to the ground. A loud "clang!" shook our souls. And then, in an instant, the emerald blaze swallowed all. But Ion, instead of green, he saw a familiar back of a helpless mage who stepped in front of him. His eyes widened, his heart screamed, questioning "Why?" a thousand times over.

Pain filled roars escaped within a small pocket fighting the onslaught of currents. After a final flash, the alley turned deathly silent apart from sizzling green embers. Nothing was left. All plants wasted away. Smoke gently danced swaying from burnt walls and molten stone.

Death's gaze once more pierced through, as the skeleton stole one last look to confirm our complete annihilation. Satisfied with its handiwork, it stood up from its position and slowly moved away. It's footsteps thundered throughout corridors along loud eerie laughing.

"Ahahahaha. Ants... Ants... Ashes." Empty lines devoid of empathy or remorse resounded. A husky voice mimicking what one would hear when speaking through an ancient megaphone.

***

"...'

Silence hung in the air. We were alive. Sitting hunched over at the corridor entrance on the opposite side of where the giant undead entered. Next to us laid the collapsed vampire, who we moved to safety before the encounter with the gaint. We had given her a bit of our blood, which slowly healed her wounds. An ability vampires possessed. But our own state looked as if we had entered hell. Especially me, who took the brunt of the skeletal colossus' magic. I was waiting for death's door to open. Horrible burns were drawn on my whole body. Even though we survived, our mouths were clamped shut from tensed jaw muscles, fearful of sounds escaping the dark. Ion's weapon rested on his lap, ready to defend one last time. Noises of hungry rats squeaking painted red flags in the distance. Only silence comforted now.

I stared in front of me for a while, shut off from my surroundings. An effort to comfort a shaken soul and shattered mind. The same way some would cope with trauma. These screens, which used to give me comfort during dark times, only pestered me now.

 

[Class specific passive unlocked! Nature's reverse engineer.]

[Nature's reverse engineer: Deconstruct monster's magic and make it your own. Applies only if conditions are met. Cannot learn class specific magic or multiple spells from the same type of monster.]

[Do you want to attempt to learn energy drain? Condition: 5 Intelligence stat.]

[Energy drain: Fire a beam that steals opponent's vitality. (Cooldown - 30s)]

 

A smile struggled up my face, laughing inwardly, but not from happiness. In fact, part of me wanted to stop trying and let go of everything. Nothing came easy here, I've felt in days more pain than years on earth.

 

[Energy drain has been learned.]

[BLOCKED MONSTERS: Bronze Undead Guardian.]

 

But deep down, a spiteful voice protested, slowly pulling my spirit back. This is not how I want it to end. Feelings can be illusions, but that voice of conscience in my head has always been a compass. So I tend to listen to it. Otherwise the nagging worsens. And soon, true feelings emerge and I find out: That voice was right.

Standing on my burnt soles, I crept up the wall nearby. Offering support as I struggled to arise.

"What are you doing!" A worried voice came from the side, as Ion fumbled, attempting to grab the weapon resting on his lap.

But I ignored him, sending mana flying in the distance, telling the exact location of where those searching rats smelt a ready meal. Their eyes woke, as if a jolt of electricity coursed through their bodies. A rapid dive towards our location commenced, their intent to kill beaming from slit eyed gazes.

"One, two, three, four..." I counted, limping closer to hungry beasts.

"Have you gone insane!"

A powerful hand shot out to grab my burnt arm, only to freeze midair. His breath growing heavy upon seeing the burns covering my arms. The darkness had covered the sight laid out before him.

"Stop speaking for a second." I pleaded through surging pain.

And the pattern Ion saw next shocked him to his core.

"H-how?"

The staff in my hand lit up emerald. And in the next second, my free hand released a beam that ate up everything in its wake. Before my enemies could react, they were enveloped.

[Energy drain: Fire a beam that steals opponent's vitality. (cooldown - 30s)]

In mere moments, the battle ended. All rats had turned to ash. But even more surprisingly, many of the burns covering my body partially healed.

 

***

 

The alleys of Vel'Karaz provided the entrance to an underground dungeon. It was a vast area with its own living beings combined with unseen brimming nature. One of the guardians to the boss room was that spectral cat from earlier. It would only show itself outside for two reasons. Either someone had plundered the boss room. Or more ominously... Demons are lurking within the alleys.

I was certain of it. No one in this area, before the war, would be strong enough to beat that damned feline. Let alone that sleeping boss monster.

We were still waiting in the alleyway. Ion was in a crouching position keeping the lookout. While I stood opposite to him. Lost in thought, staring at the ground beneath my feet.

"How did you know I had the ability to absorb magic?"

Ion's gruff voice snapped me back to reality. I tend to lose the world around me when thinking, a bad habit that seems to have carried over to this world as well. No one would believe the truth, so I quickly fabricated a response.

"The energy emanating from you gave it away-" I started, but before I could finish my sentence, a sound rang out nearby.

The vampire stirred from her slumber, her white hair disheveled as she jolted awake. Instinctively, she reached for the daggers at her waist, only to find emptiness. Confusion clouded her gaze as she scanned her surroundings, but her attention soon turned to a defeated voice.

"You can't fight..."

At my words, her ruby eyes snapped in my direction. Her lips moved silently, whispering words lost to the wind beneath her breath. She stumbled toward me hesitantly.

"You saved me?"

"..."

"Thank you..."

Suppressing my own surprise, I took a cautious step back, unsure if this was a trap. But despite my wariness, Ion observed her with unwavering trust, not even unsheathing his blade. This bastard doesn't care as long as it isn't a mage.

"My name is Elisa Whiteguard..."

Her white hair fell over her eyes as she slumped forward, a pained expression etched on her face.

"We were tasked with investigating the slums, but ended up here. Wandering for two weeks..."

From her appearance, it was clear that she held a lower rank within her family. A trivial mission to gain experience had ended up in this labyrinthine mess.

"What happened to the others? Surely a noble newbie such as you doesn't move alone. You are two cores at most." Ion's voice interjected from the sidelines, as his questioning eyes sank into slits.

Visibly trembling, Elisa answered, her eyes shaking from worry.

"They didn't make it..."

We swallowed our words for a moment, giving her time to grieve. But inevitably, I continued the conversation:

"A two core knight... You survived because of a stealth skill didn't you?"

Elisa silently nodded. She was clearly a beginner with a bit more experience than us, so she wouldn't be able to hold out for long. This labyrinth was intended for stealthy, agile combat builds or mages who could locate enemies without them knowing. Spotting enemies while hidden and moving into one of many alternatives paths was an often used strategy. Not to mention the deadly traps. But entering at nighttime, being below three cores was suicide. And that was without fighting any four star or core monsters, since the difference between a single, be it core or star, would be near impossible to overcome in a fight.

Unless you possessed something to counter a mage or knight.

"Teach that bastard how to use internal energy, and you'll survive."

I spoke while beginning to move again. Preparing to ignore the brewing outburst beside me, quickening my pace.

"Bastard mage..."

But it never came.

"If there's one mage you can trust, it'd be him."

Ion's words caught the skeptical gaze of the white-haired vampire. He then followed behind, muttering curses under his breath. With a silent gaze fixed on our backs, the white-haired vampire watched us before finally hastening to catch up, fearing to be alone again.

 

***

 

It hadn't been long since we began exploring the alleyways again. A few rats came my way, a blessing in disguise, giving me the opportunity to heal all wounds. I tried venturing deeper into the labyrinth, expecting the frequency of monsters to decrease there, despite most people believing the opposite. I knew that potential rewards could be hidden in these paths, so I chose my route carefully. In the game, these rewards would be randomly scattered in multiple locations. However, at some point, I froze in front of a crossroad, feeling a chill run down my spine.

"Why the fuck are you moving so slowly? Drop that thing already!"

All three of us stood silently, staring ahead. There were more than thirty of them, their stench of blood filling the air. Demons bickering with each other over what to do with us, as if we were mere toys.

"Look, you're scaring them with it!"

"See, this is why you hide your presence with magic. These rats couldn't even hear us coming."

The group behind turned silent at those last words. No, not just silent, they were afraid when one of two demons leading the pack raised his voice. An imp's high-pitched squeaking voice. It didn't even reach my waist in length, and it had silenced all that embodied sin behind him. Its ears were pointy, skin red and eyes white without pupils. A piece of its right ear was missing and what remained had multiple round earrings. It wore clean black robes. Gold jewelry imprinted with black stones covered every part of the body, neck, fingers, ankles and wrists, oozing magic into the atmosphere. But what caught my attention the most was the black book with golden patterns in its hand. It seemed to physically grab hold of one's mind.

"I don't give a fuck about rats like these."

The other demon leading the group glanced at us and scoffed with a hollow raspy voice. It was gigantic but slender, at least three times as tall as an average man. Yellow lights shone through two carved-out eye-holes in the dead piece of black tree-bark covering its face. It floated silently, concealed by a cheap ragged cloak that draped its whole body. The only items it wore consisted of a single gold chain around its neck, and a pinky finger wrapped in an obsidian storage-ring.

In one of its see-through blackened hands, a rusted blade was grasped firmly, peeking below its black sleeves. It had no skin, but the only visible part of its body was opaque and flickering, as if a current of lightning ran through it. The demon's other arm swung back and forth, holding the blue scale of a rare monster. It brought the piece closer to its face, as if observing it with longing, and its eyes lost all light, turning entirely ink black. Energy slowly built up within the scale, sending out surging torrents, screaming as if it regained the former glory of its lost body. Then, in a toneless voice, the demon spoke through that onslaught.

"These fucking humans always disappoint."

And following those words, ringing woke a transparent screen before me.

 

[Class specific passive: Nature's reverse engineer.]

[Nature's reverse engineer: Deconstruct monster's magic and make it your own. Applies only if conditions are met. Cannot learn class specific magic or multiple spells from the same type of monster.]

[Do you want to attempt to learn Conquer? Condition: Permanent blindness or complete loss of internal energy and restriction of all knight-type weapons such as blades, knives, etc.]

[Conquer: Spend mana to manipulate energy in the air. (Cooldown - None) Passive: Extreme mana sensitivity.]

[Conquer has been learned.]

[BLOCKED MONSTERS: Bronze Undead Guardian, Mana King.]

 

***

<Ion's POV>

That being, no, demon. Me and Elisa were visibly shaking in its presence. I was gasping for air, but my lungs wouldn't fill. The only one looking remotely calm was that mage, Sylas.

"These fucking humans always disappoint. Everyone, always disappoints... Me."

The demon's words seemed to amplify its presence, making it appear even taller than it actually was. It felt as though chains were tightening around my neck, sending chills down my spine. Goosebumps formed on my skin. A finger holding that ominous scale slowly pointed towards us. And then, as if controlled by a puppeteer, I followed its command.

"Sylas!" I screamed hopelessly, my voice trembling with fear, as the weapon in my hand traced a half-moon shaped cut. But before severing the mage's neck, another shriek erupted from the demon's side. Out of the corner of my eye, I witnessed the scene unfold.

"Master!"

A smaller demon standing at front of the group had its spear race out of its hands. As if the weapon sprung to life, intent on lodging straight into the imp leader's neck. It all happened in the blink of an eye, catching the demon off guard. But in response to its scream, metallic clanging reverberated throughout the alley. The tall demon's blade flew in a downward arc, with it initiating an agile spinning downward slash, sending the spear-tip flying.

Silence engulfed the whole area like a drop causing ripples in water. Elisa, me and the demons just stood there for what felt like eternity.

"D-did a mere one-star use master Nox's magic?" Only one demon managed to find his voice in suffocating stillness.

My blade stopped only an inch before cutting Sylas' neck. But despite that, blood still trickled down the corners of his mouth and eyes, leaving red trails on his pained face. And only later did I notice distorted air, similar to shimmering heat near earth's surface during a scorching day.

Removing the rusty blade, now lodged in the ground, that tall demon slowly approached us.

"Do you realize what you have done, child? Your mana has been completely depleted." Its voice sent shivers down my spine as it extended its hand, revealing the scale.

"Kill him, Commander Nox. He's too dangerous to our army!" The imp blurted out his words in a panicked frenzy, sensing that something was amiss. But before long, it felt an invisible grip tightening around its windpipe, causing it to slowly levitate.

"This one must live."

As soon as the towering demon finished speaking, its kin behind it crumpled to the ground like discarded dolls, their bodies twisted at unnatural angles. Every last demon met a swift demise, their life forces extinguished in an instant. Meanwhile, the demon's obsidian ring glowed with an eerie black pulsating light as it retrieved a black-colored scale from its subspace. Alongside the scale, two black cloaks, a mask adorned with gold accents, and vials of health potions materialized in its grasp.

"You do not belong. Do not disappoint me now."

With those words, in the blink of an eye, we found ourselves standing in front of a statue. Blindfolded, she proudly held up her book with empty pages. Rays of moonlight made her shimmer even whiter in the dark, giving her an otherworldly appearance. It was the stone depiction of the priestess of adventures.

***

<Sylas' POV>

I couldn't stop shaking at meeting real demons. Nox would become one of eight demon generals in the near future. And these beings would gladly perform heinous acts on humans, fueled solely by their hatred. Sometimes even torturing captives for weeks. Clenching my jaw, I reluctantly reached for one of the health potions he had provided, quickly gulping down its contents, calming myself as I healed. However, my anxiety spiked again as status windows materialized with loud rings, revealing a sender that I desperately wanted to avoid.

[Constellation Priestess of Adventures has been assigned as an overseer.]

[Nox asks assistance in its battle with Third demon general, Quod.]

Adventurers could make deals this way, when ultimate trust was required. Humans and demons were locked in battle, so interaction through a constellation like this should be impossible. Constellations against the demons could only help humans, demi-humans and non-demonic beings. While demon constellations dealt with their own kind. But I knew a filthy trick had been played when I heard a beautiful, gentle voice like that of an angel enter my ears. At the same time, my surroundings turned into a picturesque world of greenery, blue skies, and white clouds. Rivers danced gently in the distance, glistening in the presence of sunlight. And flowerbeds colored grasslands, releasing their sweet smell into the wind.

["Will you please help protect the people in this city?"]

Before me stood a stunning priestess, her golden locks cascading down her shoulders as she adorned flowing white robes. Her piercing blue eyes bore into mine as she posed her question, her smile radiant and pure. Beside her stood a tall figure, donning a white wizard's hat and matching buttoned-up robes, left open near the collar, which extended above the rim of the hat. Its pearl necklace shone brightly, capturing nearby light. The being appeared almost ethereal, taking the form of a deep-white translucent human. Its eyes emitted a familiar yellow light, and in its hand, it held a beautifully decorated silver sword that gleamed without a trace of imperfection or rust.

I knew who that being was.

"Nox." I spoke quietly, as my eyes widened. It all made sense. He was never a demon to begin with, but an infiltrator belonging to this smiling priestess in front of me.

***

Post chapter notes:

Ancient Spectral Cat skills:
[Spectral Cat Steps: Increase movement speed proportional to mana consumed, max quadruple. Everything is treated as an object to move on. (Cooldown - None)]
[Grand Entrance: Crash down from a high position with ten times gravity, ignoring fall damage. (Cooldown - 120s)]

Mana King skills + learning condition:
[Teleport Group: Teleport a group to any location. (Cooldown - Random)]
[Condition: A teleportation in front of the demon king and the resetting of your character.]
[Conquer: Spend mana to manipulate energy in the air. (Cooldown - None) Passive: Extreme mana sensitivity.]
[Condition: Permanent blindness or complete loss of internal energy and restriction of all knight-type weapons such as blades, knives, etc.]