This Gallery Is Not Normal
I checked the status window again. The only thing visible in the job change tree was Black Mage.
[Job Trait: Black Mage]
- You gain immense power by forming a contract with a demon.
- In exchange, your life force, sanity, or a part of your body will be taken as collateral.
- Current curse resistance: 0%
“Hey! You crazy bastards! What the hell am I supposed to do then?!”
I screamed while hammering away at the keyboard, but the gallery idiots just spammed lmao lmao lmao and laughed their asses off. People’s lives were literally on the line and they were munching on popcorn like it was a show. They were worse than the worst complainers at the civil service office.
That was when the old man popped up again.
The Tutorial Trial is beginning.
Objective: Survive until the night is over.
Time Remaining: 10 minutes
From the cave entrance came the sound of beasts howling. Grrrrrrrr…
It wasn’t the cry of ordinary wolves or bears. These were far more ferocious, the starving roars of demonic monsters.
“Hey, I hear something! It’s coming!”
I had no choice. Dozens of red eyes were already gleaming in the darkness outside the cave. They were closing in.
With trembling hands I swiped at the air and opened the [Contract] tab.
[Demon Contract]
Loading list of available targets…
…No targets found.
(Level insufficient)
“There’s nothing! It’s not showing anything!”
I frantically tapped the inventory icon. Tucked away in the corner was a single worn piece of parchment.
Grade: ???
Description: You never know which demon will answer. Test your luck.
This is the only lifeline given to beginner Black Mages.
“This luck-based trash game, fuck!”
It was already infuriating that Black Mage was the only option available. But a massive wolf-shaped demonic beast had already stepped into the cave entrance. Drool dripped from its jaws, and the moment it saw me it licked its lips. I could see it tensing its hind legs, preparing to pounce.
I squeezed my eyes shut and shouted.
“Use! I’m using it! Anyone, please come out!”
The contract parchment has been used.
Opening a rift between dimensions.
Searching for a demon that reacts to your latent mana and ‘talent.’
Whirrrr!
A dark crimson magic circle swirled up from beneath my feet. At the same time the air inside the cave grew bitterly cold. The overwhelming pressure was so intense that the demonic beasts that had been charging forward flinched and stumbled backward.
Search complete.
A powerful being has taken interest in your call.
There was no flashy fanfare. Instead, pitch-black darkness spread like ink. From within that darkness rose a bloody mist, and a silhouette began to take shape.
Click. Click.
The light, elegant sound of high heels, as if someone were walking across marble. When the glow of the magic circle faded, what stood before me wasn’t a monster.
“Hmm…”
A languid yet seductive voice. Long, dark crimson wavy hair that fell to her waist. Skin so pale it looked almost translucent. The gothic red dress embroidered over it clung to her body, revealing its dangerous curves. But what captured my gaze most were her deep, blood-red eyes that seemed to hold the night sky itself.
When she slightly parted her lips, sharp white fangs gleamed with bewitching allure. A vampire? No, calling her a mere vampire felt wrong. Just the aura she gave off was enough to steal my breath.
She didn’t spare a single glance at the trembling demonic beasts at the cave entrance. Instead she stared straight down at me, eyes evaluating me like merchandise in a display case.
“So this is who called me.”
She gracefully reached out and lifted my chin with a finger. The cold touch of her fingertips sent goosebumps racing across my entire body.
“Just a little blood clot like you summoned me?”
Contract Target: Highest-grade Demon (Vampire) has been summoned!
Warning: The target’s rank far exceeds the player’s vessel!
The status window was spamming red warning messages like crazy. On top of that, the highest-grade demon summon message must have been broadcast to every other gallery member because it was glowing golden. Of course, that included a shared photo of the demon standing right in front of me.
Naturally, the gallery chat exploded.
But it was already too late. The beautiful red-haired woman before me smiled with clear interest and leaned her face close to my neck. A sweet yet metallic scent of blood washed over me.
“The smell… isn’t bad.”
Her crimson eyes narrowed in a smile.
“Do you want to make a contract, little one?”
The demonic beasts had long since fled in terror. And I instinctively understood that the beautiful predator standing in front of me was a hundred times more dangerous than any of them.
“Will you… spare me?” I squeezed out the words. She let out a soft chuckle.
“Well. That depends on whether you can handle it.”
Her fingernail tapped lightly against my chest, right above my heart.
“My price is expensive. One cute little life like yours might not be enough.”
I’d dealt with every kind of crazy customer while working as a civil servant, but this was a first. To survive, I had to take the devil’s hand. No, I was already caught in it.
The gallery chat was already holding my funeral.
I clung to the old man’s advice like a lifeline.
“C-Conditional! I want a conditional contract!”
“Oh?”
Her eyes widened in surprise.
“How cheeky. A mere blood clot trying to set conditions?”
But she didn’t look displeased. If anything, her eyes sparkled like a cat that had found a new toy.
“Fine. Let’s hear it. As repayment for pulling me out of that boring prison.”
She whispered into my ear.
“But if it’s not fun… you become my dinner immediately. Understood?”
Her cold fangs brushed against my earlobe.
It was the first day of my reincarnation in another world. Thanks to the old-timers in the Black Mage gallery I’d managed to save my life, but it felt like I’d invited an even greater disaster. Or maybe… this was the true beginning of being a Black Mage.
The air inside the cave froze. It wasn’t physically cold; it was the emotion of terror pressing down on the entire space. The red-haired woman standing before me dominated everything around her with nothing more than her breathing.
Error! Entity does not exist in the database.
Information on higher entity is being updated.
Entity not originally included in random summon pool.
First summon by Black Mage ‘Genius Newbie.’
The red text on the status window flickered wildly before locking onto two characters.
I felt like I couldn’t breathe. A Demon King? What kind of balance-breaking game gives a level 1 a Demon King?
She—no, the Demon King—trailed her finger across my neck with clear interest.
“Hmm, Demon King rank… Is that the label humans gave me? How tacky.”
She murmured softly. The wolf-shaped demonic beasts that had been drooling at the cave entrance were now flattened against the ground. It wasn’t the reaction of a dog meeting its owner; it was the instinctive submission of herbivores facing the apex predator of the food chain. A few of them were even pissing themselves in terror.
I was about to do the same.
Even without the gallery members’ panic, my survival instincts had already realized the truth. Right now, my life was worth less than a fly’s.