Cultivating a Demon
When Imir opened their eyes again, they were met with a familiar space.
The Abyss.
A place of demons, by demons, and for demons.
A garden of demons where infinite time, space, and endlessly surging power existed.
The moment they faced that landscape filled with darkness, tears streamed down Imir's face.
I'm alive...!
The Abyss!
To think it was the Abyss!
Imir trembled with a joy that felt like the end of a long nightmare.
Right on cue, the swirling darkness seeped into Imir's heart.
Their battered, ruined body began to recover.
Whatever the reason, once they were in the Abyss, they held the overwhelming advantage.
Advantage?
No.
It was as good as victory.
No matter how powerful the opponent, no one could defeat a demon in an eternal space of infinite regeneration.
Hadn't even the great White Orc Paladin fallen in the Abyss?
"Ha, haha..."
Imir burst into laughter without realizing it.
Was it thanks to the other Imir?
Did that bastard throw himself into the Abyss because he wanted to live too?
It didn't matter.
Now, they just had to quickly find that human and kill—
"Oh, you're awake?"
A cheerful voice rang out.
"I was wondering when you'd open your eyes."
Smiling down at them was a human.
"Imir."
It was the human they had seen before losing consciousness.
The moment they locked eyes, rage boiled up to the top of Imir's head.
Crack... crackle!
As if responding to that rage, a freezing chill that could frost over everything spread out.
"The Abyss really is great~."
Regardless of the cold, the human looked at Imir with a smirk.
"You don't die, you recover... it's a sweet deal."
"..."
"Don't you think so, Imir?"
Could this human not feel the murderous intent?
Slash!
Imir's arm instantly transformed into an ice scythe.
It was colder and sharper than before.
The moment they swung it—
Clang!
An identical ice scythe deflected Imir's strike.
And then.
"You are correct, Master."
"..."
"It is indeed a sweet deal."
The other Imir revealed themselves.
"...?!"
Imir couldn't comprehend it.
Master?
"What do you think?" the human asked the other Imir. "Will this bastard listen to me quietly?"
"Probably not."
"Is that so?"
"After all, he is a demon."
The other Imir shook their head in pity.
Beside them, the human shrugged as if he had no choice.
"Well, then..."
Shring.
"I guess I have no choice but to kill him."
"Cough!"
Blue blood poured from Imir's mouth.
"You okay?"
Tsk, tsk.
I clicked my tongue, looking down at Imir.
Their already battered body squirmed.
"Master."
"Yeah?"
"If possible, please kill him in one blow."
"Why?"
"It is less painful that way."
Japmir muttered, turning their head away as if they couldn't bear to watch.
Hmm.
I guess they know best since they've been through it.
But still.
Stab!
It would be a waste to miss an opportunity like this.
Squish!
Killing a demon in the Abyss.
Thrust!
It wasn't an opportunity that came around often.
Stab! Stab! Stab! Stab!
I should enjoy myself a bit.
Splurt!
"Whew..."
When I pulled the sword out of the pierced heart, blood sprayed like a fountain.
And a moment later.
Whoosh...
The body immediately began to regenerate.
"No matter how many times you kill me, it is useless..." Imir muttered. "I am different from that fragment..."
At those words, I looked at Japmir.
Japmir nodded and answered.
"He has likely been granted more power from the main body."
"So this guy is stronger than you?"
"Yes, Master."
"Oho..."
As I smiled, Japmir looked down at Imir with a pale face.
It seemed they felt pity because the other was getting beaten up much worse than they had been.
After all, they were of the same race.
No, they were literally the same person.
That was why Japmir had tried to persuade Imir at first.
But if a demon listened to reason, they wouldn't be a demon.
They'd be an angel.
Crack!
"Aaaaargh!"
In the end, a good beating is the best medicine.
Crunch!
They don't die.
Thud!
We have plenty of time.
Whack!
So?
Bam! Bam! Bam! Bam!
I just had to beat him until he listened.
Crack...!
"...So that is why you killed him."
"No, strictly speaking, I didn't kill him. He wasn't the main body anyway."
"That is true, but..."
"If he had begged when he had the chance, he wouldn't have died."
"...!"
Imir shivered, stealing a glance at me.
I patted their shoulder affectionately.
"I'm glad you're the sensible one, Imir. You begged early on, which is why you're still alive."
"Y-Y-Yes... It is all thanks to Master's mercy...!"
Imir smiled desperately.
Man.
Why is a demon so cowardly?
Anyway.
Flash...!
I looked down at the fist-sized orb.
It was a blue orb encased in what looked like ice crystals.
According to Imir's explanation, this was likely the original form of the 'fragment'.
After experiencing countless deaths, the personality imbued within it had been destroyed.
Only pure 'power' remained.
"Here."
I handed the fragment to Imir.
"M-Me? This..."
Imir looked at me with a flustered expression.
"M-Master! This is a truly powerful force. Rather than giving it to someone like me, it would be better if Master absorbed it...!"
Oh.
They could have just swallowed it greedily, but they were being honest?
Their mental training had really paid off.
"A demon's power is just a demon's power."
"B-But...!"
"Eat it."
Glancing at me warily, Imir began to consume the blue orb.
*Gulp.*
As they swallowed it whole, Imir's entire body glowed blue.
And then...
Whoosh!
In an instant, an immense chill erupted.
It was a cold far more powerful than what I had felt on the snowy mountain.
Imir's eyes glowed with an even deeper blue.
"...I can feel the power."
"Really?"
"Of course, it is not comparable to the main body, but..."
Imir looked at me with a flushed face.
"Thank you, Master!"
Imir immediately knelt and bowed their head to the floor.
Even if they were just a clone, they were still a demon.
Naturally, they would crave power.
There were six fragments of Imir in total.
Since I had the clone itself and had fed it the 30th-floor fragment, that made two.
Did that mean the real Imir had four fragments left?
If we ate just one more, we'd have half.
This might actually work...
I grinned and looked at Imir.
"I'll feed you the fragments as soon as I get them."
"...R-Really?"
"Yeah. I'll feed them to you and make you stronger than the main body."
*Gulp.*
Imir stared at me with a face that showed they couldn't even imagine such a thing.
Honestly, I had no interest in demonic power.
It didn't suit me anyway.
But my slave getting stronger was a different story.
If I gathered the fragments like this and turned the fake into the real deal?
Man.
That sounded fun.
Should I go hunting for Imir's fragments for a while?
Thanks to absorbing the 30th-floor fragment, Imir recovered a portion of the Frost Demon's authority.
And thanks to using Imir's authority...
"T-Thank you!"
"Thank you, thank you!"
We were able to find the missing Awakened.
Of course, not all of them, but...
"P-Please, at least tell us your name!"
"We will definitely repay you when we return, please!"
Not only did I rescue them from the frost prison, but I also handed each of them an Elixir.
Because of that, many people wanted to know my identity.
However, I did not take off the ice mask Imir had made for me.
In the first place, this incident was practically my fault anyway.
The next day, the world was in an uproar over the return of the missing people.
Along with stories of a mysterious "Ice Prince"...
Give me a break.
"Ice Prince"?
They could just call me a hunter. What's with the "Ice Prince" crap?
So cringey.
"Master."
As I chuckled while reading the news, Imir, who was folding laundry, spoke up cautiously.
"Since you have interfered with the frost prison, now..."
"Now?"
"The main body will begin searching for you in earnest."
I scratched the back of my head and looked at Imir.
"That's great."
"G-Great...?"
"Yeah. It's perfect."
Imir stared at me, looking utterly confused.
"Since he lost two fragments, of course he's going to look for me."
"..."
"Otherwise, it would be troublesome for me."
"...Pardon?"
"It's too much of a hassle for me to go looking for him."
"...!"
Imir stared at me in shock.
"M-Master. I am well aware that you are a powerful and great being. But the power of the main body ruling the 69th floor is...!"
"Yeah, yeah."
"It is not something to be underestimated! The Demon of Frost, Imir, is the master of the Demon Castle spanning the 60th floors! The demon of demons! The one who freezes even flames..."
"Hey."
"Yes?"
"Aren't you embarrassed saying stuff like that about yourself?"
Just hearing the name "Ice Prince" gave me goosebumps.
Yet here they were, kneeling and folding laundry while bragging about being the "demon of demons."
"Just fold the laundry."
"...Yes."
"When you're done, run a hot bath."
"Yes!"
"And, what was it... wash the rice before Sangjin gets here."
"Yes, Master!"
Imir began folding the laundry at a speed invisible to the naked eye.
Demon of Frost, my foot.
The Demon of Laundry suited them much better.
Crunch, crunch.
I began eating snacks while watching them.
By the way...
...Where should I find the remaining fragments?
One was on the 50th floor, another on the 70th floor...
The main body was at the very end.
And I didn't know where the last one was.
I guess I have no choice but to wait for them to come to me.
I wanted to make it quickly.
The 'real' Imir.