Chapter 37 - Essentially a Demon
Chapter 37 - Essentially a Demon
The wings were magnificent—black and sleek.
Even though they had just manifested, they felt natural, as if they had always been there, flapping effortlessly.
Whoosh—
With a slight leap, I soared into the sky.
“Not a bad feeling.”
I marveled at the sight of the forest shrouded in night below.
While I couldn’t walk freely through the air like I could on the ground with Heukgongdapbo (Void Treading), flying by flapping my wings like a bird had its own charm.
‘Maintaining these wings must consume some mana, right?’
[Calculating the mana cost converted into Demonic Qi, it amounts to 0.5% per 10 minutes—about 1/10th the cost of the ‘Void Treading’ skill.]
‘Not bad.’
Though the flight capability itself was inferior, the fact that it conserved Demonic Qi compared to my usual martial arts made it acceptable.
I dismissed the wings and landed softly on the ground.
“Alright. Next.”
[Activating skill: ‘Mana Area Deployment.’]
This time, more mana drained from my Dantian than when creating the black wings.
The expelled mana transformed into a mist, drifting around me—a sight eerily similar to the black aura that had floated within Vertus’ domain during our battle.
—Hmph. Pathetic range. No wonder, since a mere mortal is trying to mimic my power.
‘Shut it.’
As he said, the mist was far thinner, covering only about a 20-meter radius.
“Hmm…”
Wasn’t this supposed to inflict debuffs on enemies within the area?
‘I need something to test it on…’
Closing my eyes, I focused my hearing, searching for the sounds of nearby creatures.
—Gurgle…
‘Ah.’
Soon, I picked up the familiar cry of a monster not too far away.
Suppressing my presence, I dashed toward the source.
A basin in the forest, relatively sparse in trees and grass.
‘A goblin encampment.’
Inside three crudely built tents, four or five goblins each lay fast asleep.
Perfect timing—test subjects had appeared just when I needed them.
[Activating skill: ‘Mana Area Deployment.’]
Once again, I released the mist of Corrupted Mana from my body, scattering it around the area.
At first, the goblins slept peacefully.
…Ghk, kehk…
Gurgle… gurgle…
Gradually, their breathing grew ragged, as if they were trapped in nightmares. Some even clawed at their own throats in their sleep, as though suffocating.
“Hmm. Interesting.”
So this is how it works, huh?
…Kind of underwhelming.
‘System. Does this aura have any direct offensive capabilities? Is this all?’
[Affirmative.]
‘What kind of garbage skill is this?’
—You’re the idiot here. Why blame the ability?
‘Look at him, already defending his own power.’
—Tch… Fine. I’ll show you the proper way to use it. I was going to stay silent, but… I can’t stand watching you defile my power like this.
‘Thank you, Professor Vertus. Though, you don’t actually have eyes.’
—Shut up. First, close your eyes.
Obediently, I did as instructed.
—Feel the mana.
‘How?’
—Figure it out yourself. Use whatever method you use to sense that “Qi” nonsense of yours.
What an unhelpful teacher.
Following his words, I heightened my Qi perception—but this time, focusing on mana instead.
‘I feel it.’
The mana drifting in the air became palpable.
It was different from Qi. If Qi was like flowing water, mana felt more tangible—more defined.
‘…Huh?’
And there were points where that mana was being drawn in.
The goblins’ hearts.
—Next. Take the mana you’ve scattered in the air, mix emotion into it, and send it into them.
‘Excuse me? How is a human who can’t even use magic supposed to understand instructions like that?’
—Tch… This is why humans are…
[While analyzing Vertus’ data, I’ve identified the waveform of mana imbued with specific emotions.]
[Currently, only ‘Rage’ can be synthesized. Proceed?]
‘Do it.’
[Synthesis initiated.]
At that moment, a strange sensation surged from my heart—as if something foreign was being pulled out.
The foreign substance traveled straight to my Dantian, where a portion of my gathered mana split off to meet it, merging seamlessly.
‘This feels… bizarre.’
The merged mana pulsed with an odd sensation—as if it had a heartbeat of its own.
[Synthesis complete.]
—Hmph. Turns out you’re useless, and that ‘System’ of yours does all the work. Whatever. Now, just disperse that mana near the goblins.
Closing my eyes again, I drew the emotion-laden mana from my Dantian and exhaled it outward.
‘What the…?’
Something strange happened.
It felt as though a part of me had detached—the expelled mana still connected to me somehow.
It was red. If you asked how I could see color with my eyes closed, I’d say it was spiritual perception.
Guiding the mana toward the goblin encampment, it was absorbed into their hearts like water into a sponge.
—Now watch.
…Screech!
One by one, the goblins began waking up.
Skreeee!
Thud!
One goblin punched another still asleep square in the face.
Crack! Screech!
From another tent, an argument broke out, escalating instantly into a full-blown brawl.
—See? This is my power.
Though I couldn’t see his expression, his triumphant tone suggested he was grinning ear to ear.
—My dominion is rage. I carve fury into the hearts of those who step into my domain, driving them to madness.
Thwack! Crunch!
It was a brutal sight. They fought with genuine intent to kill—some even grabbing clubs to bash each other’s skulls in.
—Close your eyes again and feel their mana.
The rage-infused mana pouring from their hearts was now dozens of times stronger than what I had initially injected.
‘…The rage-filled mana is spreading from their hearts throughout their entire bodies.’
—Rage is like fire. Place even the tiniest spark in a living being’s heart, and soon, their entire being will burn with fury.
‘Oho. That line actually sounded pretty demonic.’
—Hmph. Enough nonsense. Now for the final step.
‘There’s more?’
—Of course. This is the most crucial part. Now that mana similar to what you dispersed circulates through their bodies, the preparation is complete.
[You may now issue commands to these goblins.]
—Stop stealing my lines!
Ignoring their bickering, I closed my eyes and focused on the goblins’ mana.
Though physically dozens of meters away, I could manipulate the corrupted mana as if it were right before me—like touching something with my fingertips.
“Stop.”
At my quiet command, the goblins froze mid-fight.
“Come out and bow.”
Some, despite grievous injuries and bleeding profusely, obediently crawled out of their tents and pressed their foreheads to the ground before me.
“Oooh.”
—Hmph. Getting excited over something so trivial?
Yet even Vertus’ voice carried a hint of satisfaction.
‘Will they do anything I say?’
—As long as your mana is sufficient and the distance isn’t too great. One corruption is enough, regardless of species. However, since they’re saturated with rage-infused mana, they can only perform actions aligned with that emotion—like combat.
‘Still, this is a pretty useful skill, huh?’
Previously, I could brainwash adventurers by imbuing my voice with Demonic Qi, but that required complex preparation and consumed far more energy.
Not to mention, I couldn’t issue commands on the fly—they could only follow pre-set instructions.
In that regard, this skill—which could mass-produce subordinates ready to fight for me as long as I could implant mana into their hearts—was excellent.
The first application that came to mind was inciting infighting among groups of monsters.
Beyond that, the possibilities seemed endless. Presumably, emotions other than rage could be implanted too.
Okay. But it was getting late, and even if these skills consumed little Demonic Qi, spamming them wouldn’t be wise. Time to head back for today.
‘I should stop here. Vertus, how do I undo this?’
—Undo?
‘…There isn’t a way?’
—Why would you undo it? Once something becomes my thrall, it should move until its body is crushed—all for its master.
“…”
In the end, I personally slit the throats of the poor goblins who had become my test subjects.
‘Sorry. If you’re reborn, try not to be born near me next time.’
…I’ll have to use this carefully.
Monsters are one thing, but if I used this on humans, I’d genuinely look like a demon.
—You wield my wings and my power. Aren’t you essentially a demon now?
‘Shut your nonexistent mouth.’
I was pretending not to notice, but fine.
Time to head back for real now.
I need to think about how to deal with Beltane too.
“Thank you for your consideration, my lady. Thanks to you, I’ve recovered some energy.”
The next morning, before class began, I expressed my gratitude to Parmela.
“You’ve recovered some?”
“About 15% of my total capacity.”
“What? That’s it? How inefficient can you be? I gave you five Blood Oak magic cores.”
“…I’m ashamed.”
Damn. Never thought I’d live to see the day I got scolded for poor fuel efficiency.
“Fine. I’ll take what I can get. Good timing, though. Another extermination request came in for a small fortress east of the capital. You’ll accompany me…”
Parmela’s words cut off as the magic professor entered the classroom.
Her disheveled hair was a bright lime green, and her petite, cute appearance made her seem younger than an adult.
She dragged an overly long robe behind her as she walked to the podium—an outfit that clashed comically with her small frame.
Her name was… Professor Plentina, wasn’t it?
“Good morning, everyone!”
Her voice, too, was more childlike than adult.
“…What are you staring at?”
Some noble ladies throw tantrums like hysterical middle-aged women despite not even being adults yet.
“Today, we have a very special guest!”
“…A special guest?”
The students murmured. An unannounced guest?
“Please welcome—Beltane-nim!”
Creak.
The door opened, and a red-haired boy entered.
With dignified yet noble steps, he stood beside the professor and flashed a refreshing smile.
“Greetings. For the next two weeks, I will be your temporary professor—Beltane Herthe.”
His crimson eyes locked unmistakably onto me.