NOVEL NEXT Chapter 149: Your Place
I didn't answer her question, only smiled at her. I could see how she reached this conclusion. She was truly a demon, no matter how pretty her face was. No normal person would even think of that.
Before I answered her, I also had questions.
"I remember you also said that Greater Fiend demons gain EXP from when their legion levels up by killing."
Khalissi looked at me curiously.
"Yes, I did say that."
"I've been curious: does that go for the demon king as well? Meaning, does he also gain power when one of his demons kills one of us?"
"As stated in our contract, I can't discuss anything pertaining to the demon king," she said flatly.
I didn't need her to tell me directly. By listening to her heart and watching her body language, I could deduce when she said something that was true or false, and so far I was correct. It was as I feared. This demon king gains power from his army. Maybe that is the whole reason he is attacking us in the first place.
"If that's the case, then this demon king must be monstrously powerful," I continued. "And he has set his sights on our world nonetheless."
If that monster comes here, then there will be no one who can stop him. Maybe that awakened human would have a chance since he has the ability to level up quickly, but not me. That idea infuriated me.
Whenever I killed a monster, I didn't even feel a change anymore. Not a single clue that I was getting stronger. It felt as if it might take centuries instead of decades like what Khalissi said. I knew it somehow. I could feel it.
That if I continued down the regular route, I would remain weak for quite a while. That is why I needed to take matters into my own hands. I had to create a situation where I level up faster.
Does that mean wiping out an entire city?
To level up quickly required me to do something inhuman. Which is perfect since I wasn't a human to begin with.
I slowly walked over to Khalissi who was sitting on the bed. Her heartbeat quickened and a look of panic crossed her face.
"Those eyes again. It's always those eyes," she whispered softly.
I leaned in close so our faces were just inches apart. I made sure to articulate every word I said and the intentions behind them.
"I like smart people. Especially when they are working on my side. But what I don't like are the ones who don't know where they shouldn't poke their noses. You are not a part of my pack, so you don't have the same luxury as the others. You're a tool, Khalissi. One that I can easily discard and replace with another."
I didn't have to elaborate further. I knew from the look in her eyes that she understood. Right now, she didn't look like the powerful and confident moth queen I first met. More like a bug that was afraid to get squashed.
"God, you are just like him." She muttered, her grip tightening on the bedsheets.
I didn't know who she was referring to, but at that moment I didn't particularly care. I just wanted her to know where she stands.
"You may leave," I said, and immediately she got up from my bed and moved towards the door without saying a word. But suddenly she stopped and, with her back turned to me, she spoke.
"If I'm pleased with what you unlock on your first evolution, can I get the honor of teaching you magic?" she asked.
She was offering to be my trainer in learning magic? I've seen her skills with magic and can say that she is quite formidable.
"Okay, if you still wish to," I responded, and without glancing back or muttering another word, she left.
After Khalissi left, I waited in my room until my other guests arrived. In the meantime, I thought about all the information I acquired today and how I would use it in the future. Soon a knock came on the door, and I went to answer it. Standing outside was the very person I was waiting for.
"Ivy, you took longer than I expected to return," I said, as I opened the door and saw who was on the outside.
"I'm sorry; it's hard to navigate through the city with the terrorist attack that happened yesterday, and naturally they are blaming it on the ghouls, so I have to be careful when coming from Grey Waste."
"I see," I said, as I nodded in understanding.
"So, have you come up with a way to save my sister yet?" Ivy looked at me eagerly. I could see the desperation in her eyes.
I reached out and rested my hand on her head.
"We have much to do before then. First, I'll need you to take me to Grey Waste where the ghouls are. I need to see the situation there for myself."
"Okay, I will, but I must warn you, it's not a pleasant place to be."
"I can handle it," I said.
Ivy sighed and agreed.
"Okay, but don't say I didn't warn you."
With Ivy leading the way, we left the inn and traversed through the cramped city of supernatural creatures, heading towards Grey Waste. Our journey would be delayed since every once in a while I would see something that absolutely blew my mind and I would stop to take a look at it.
"What is that monster?" I asked as I saw a group of strange supernatural creatures standing in the middle of the city.
Ivy followed my gaze and looked towards the creatures I was looking at. The best way to describe them was zombies, except they had pale blue skin and blue crystal-like eyes. They were dressed in armor from head to toe and carried various weapons like swords and spears.
"Oh, those are death knights," Ivy answered. "Fallen warriors resurrected through dark magic or a curse. In Purgatory, they act like the police force. They are responsible for keeping the peace and making sure everyone follows the law. Do you see the creature leading them?"
"You mean that skeleton wearing the black robe. Wait is that a staff in its hand?" I asked in utter disbelief, to which Ivy nodded.
"Yes, that creature is called a lich. They are powerful sorcerers who have achieved immortality by removing their own soul and binding it to a phylactery, which is basically a vessel. When they do this, they lose all their skin, muscles, and flesh, turning them into a skeleton. The only way to kill them is by destroying both the vessel and the lich's body."
"Let me guess, the staff is its vessel."
Ivy shrugged.
"Most likely, since they have to keep their vessel close to their body at all times."
In that case, then the staff might just be a distraction. It was big and flashy that their enemies would undoubtedly think that it may be their vessel. Given the fact that they also looked like the typical monster with low intelligent it would make for a cunning deceit.
I must say it was a smart idea to give these creatures the role of protecting the city. They seemed well suited for the job.
We continued our journey through the supernatural city towards our destination. Slowly and surely we made it to the section of the city known as Grey Waste, and once again, my mind was blown at what I saw.