Chapter 76
Chapter 76
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 76
Chapter Title: Approaching Evils (2)
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Nam Ui, now the incarnation of a demon, pulled his black hat low over his face, which was concealed by a black mask. Dressed in clothes far too large for his frame, he stealthily circled the mansion.
It was a mansion in Seoul, but it stood isolated, surrounded by plenty of places to hide and free of any CCTV cameras, making surveillance far from difficult.
"You're sure this is the place? Then why doesn't anyone seem to be around?"
-It's definite. The curse's trail clearly passed through here before cutting off. I confirmed it moved to a private domain owned by someone, but the curse vanished there. They must have noticed.
The demon—Deriax—clicked his tongue. Implanting the curse of the "Insidious Pursuit Brand" into his hair without detection had cost a fortune in coins.
By nature, influencing a lower-stage being from a higher stage required a steep price. That was why demons and devils demanded human sacrifices or brutal offerings.
The silver lining was that he'd secretly applied the curse through the dead apostle's corpse, so it hadn't drained as many resources as expected. With the enemy letting their guard down after the kill, slipping in the curse unnoticed had been easy enough.
Even better, it wasn't directly embedded in flesh or soul like a standard curse—instead, it hung from a strand of hair, so no system message would have popped up. The chances they'd remained oblivious were high.
That explained why they'd been wandering freely, exposing their every move.
-I sense one presence inside, so they're just not coming out. Drop the surveillance and gather sacrifices first. I've granted you my power, but you're only allowed to use it once, so we end this in one go. You'll need as many offerings as possible.
Contracts with demons or devils offered the boon of power beyond one's limits with ease. But past a certain point, even contracts demanded an exorbitant toll.
It worked the same as higher-stage beings influencing lower ones. Simply put, the system treated the first contract like a free service, but from the second onward, it slapped on massive fees.
The colossal cost of exerting influence plus system surcharges meant offering up something priceless—like the soul or body of a living being.
-I've bestowed the rank of incarnation and infused the maximum power I could. It's only usable once and not at full strength, but it even includes my core unique ability.
He now wielded the might of a seasoned C-rank hunter, potentially even pushing into C+ with the right opportunity. Nam Ui bowed his head to the empty air.
He'd heard from his brother about the prestige of an incarnation. The highest position a deity, devil, or demon could grant through contract.
One truly became a vessel for a great being, capable of containing their power in near-perfect measure.
Its value was immense—joining the demon cult Manmajeon, which spanned dimensions, as an incarnation earned a 5th-grade rank on entry alone.
-If you fail... if I have to watch that damned bastard mock my toy again... I'll rip your body and soul to shreds myself first.
"Worry not, Lord Deriax. I'm nothing like that fool of a brother. I swear it—I'll plunge that wretch into despair with the unique ability you've granted me."
True to their race's lofty stage beyond humanity's reach, the demon's unique ability carried immense prestige and power. Yet Deriax's pride burned just as fiercely.
Their obsession was clear: crushing the player who'd overwhelmingly slain their toy apostle and dared lump them in with lowly demons alongside it.
Not that it bothered Nam Ui. This elevated a mere apostleship to incarnation status, letting him avenge his brother to boot.
It was limited to once—and imperfect at that—so wielding it fully demanded many sacrifices. Still, he'd been permitted a core unique ability tied directly to the demon's moniker.
Handle this right, and he might even claim it permanently.
'Though, strictly speaking, it's not a direct combat unique ability.'
Its value transcended that by miles. One wielding it seemed too grand for a mere mid-to-low demon.
By human standards, it rivaled a world ranker.
Nam Ui turned away. As Deriax said, sacrifices came first. To wield the power properly and shape a favorable battlefield, he needed them.
Naturally, the offerings that came to mind were humans.
The moment Nam Ui moved to melt into the darkness, a figure emerged from the shadows as if waiting, jabbing a syringe straight into his neck.
"Th...is... cra...p..."
Caught off-guard by the ambush, Nam Ui collapsed unconscious.
His assailant slung the limp body over their shoulder, glanced at the mansion, then vanished into the night.
"They're not coming."
A full week had passed since Seo Ye-rin shattered the tracking curse clinging to my hair.
I'd rigged the house with countless traps, expecting an immediate assault, but the demon contractor bastard hadn't even considered showing up.
Hmm...
Time to decide. Hunker down and wait it out, or finally step outside?
"Feels off."
Yeah, too unsettled to just head out. Like wearing clothes without wiping after shitting?
Truth be told, even if cornered, I doubted I'd lose to some fresh demon contractor.
The demon tied to the one I killed was mid-rank at best, probably lower.
Demon hierarchy was straightforward.
Lowest—Low—Mid-low—Mid—Mid-high—High—Top. That covered standard demons, with demon lords—the fabled 72 thrones—holding noble ranks like baron, viscount, earl, marquis, duke beyond them.
Demon lords were practically deities, ignoring backwaters like Earth. Even high-rank demons paid us little mind.
The Manmajeon Korean branch chief being a low S-rank said it all. A high-rank demon could grant S-rank-plus power in a first contract alone.
No matter how much a mid-rank or lower poured into their contractor, limits existed—unless they sacrificed hundreds in this short time.
'Roughly D+ to C+ range.'
The total power a mid-or-lower demon could bestow in a first contract. Yet here they were, not even approaching.
"If they bulk up on sacrifices and come back, it'll be a headache."
Time was short too. Monster Wave in about ten days. No more bandwidth for demon trash.
'Planning to stockpile offerings amid the Wave?'
No. Waves cycled roughly every decade, but exact timing was unknown to all save me with my future knowledge.
Still, worst-case planning was essential. This Wave claimed record casualties.
Obviously. An imugi—a disaster-grade monster—descended personally. Until two SS-rank hunters arrived, every participating hunter had to hold it off, racking up massive losses.
'With me joining, I can blunt it some.'
I'd participate in the Wave but hunt minimally, then pour everything into activating Longinus's Spear.
The imugi appears? One-shot it for a critical hit, minimizing its damage.
Not out of justice, duty, or sacrifice-blocking. I needed over 1% damage on the imugi to enter Ascension Tower for rewards—so multitasking.
'Wings unsealed to six.'
Quarter collected. More would be tough soon; new ones wouldn't drop for years.
But it sufficed. Unlocking six wings boosted skill grade, proficiency, and set effects.
Rank:MythGrade:C+LV:3
Description:Master of the Seven Deadly Sins: Pride. A skill born from the power of the 12 pairs of wings belonging to a once-archangel who fell to become a demon god, manifested as ability.
Abilities:
-Wing Activation: All stats +30, Pride stat +30 additional. Duration: 1 hour. Cooldown: 1 hour.
-Set Effect 1 Pair: Chaos (Pride) stat awakened.
-Set Effect 2 Pairs: Skill: Chaos Magic [Myth-F] awakened.
-Set Effect 3 Pairs: Unique Ability: Chaos Body [Myth-S] awakened.
Chaos Magic specialized in light and dark spells using the Pride stat—nothing too special. Just absurdly mythical magic.
The real gem was Chaos Body. As I'd mentioned before, mixing abilities often caused clashes and cancellations, turning you into a jack-of-all-trades nobody. But Chaos Body erased that risk entirely.
Fitting for Lucifer, who arrogantly claimed mastery over every domain solo. A ability unshackling such limits made sense.
Heck, wielding holy power—the pinnacle of light—and demonic energy—the essence of darkness—simultaneously, even fusing them? Constraints like that never applied from the start.
Thus, I, inheriting his power, shed those chains too. The 2-pair set's magic had given me a slight headache at first.
Clashes peaked between martial arts and magic lines. To pair my Infinite stat with planned martial arts, I'd avoided magic abilities—then boom, a Mythic magic skill unlocked.
Mythic magic could've replaced the martial arts, no issue. But synergy with Infinite and that art's potential made it a shame—until Chaos Body saved the day.
An ability turning jacks into all-masters.
"Prep's done, but..."
Hard to get more perfect. I figured wait a few more days, then move.
Exactly three days later, one evening, the demon contractor finally raided the mansion.