Purest Magi and the Fantasy World

The dividing line between the demons of the Fantasy World and humans is none other than magi. Mana—one of the fundamental building blocks of this world—can be refined and internalized to become mana force. Countless races, from humans and elves to dwarves, bolster their power based on this mana force. They draw in the mana present in all things, bit by bit, to form mana hearts or circles, using those as the foundation for growth.

And at the opposite end of the spectrum from humans stand the demons, who wield magi. Magi is similar to mana force yet fundamentally different. 'Many dismiss it as merely the corrupted mana force of fallen beings...' That's wrong. Magi is a power far closer to the 'source of life itself'—a force that manipulates souls. Unlike mana force, which can grow indefinitely through personal effort, magi has 'clear limits.'

A soul's rank is generally set at birth. Your growth ceiling is determined the moment you're born. Of course, it's not like there's no way to grow at all. My father, the Demon King, is proof—he transcended his race's limits to stand at the pinnacle of all demons.

There are two main ways for demons to surpass those limits: forcibly absorbing others' souls to bolster your own magi, or achieving a feat to elevate the rank of your soul itself. 'The most common method is soul absorption...' But that's not ideal. Sure, it lets you grow fast, but your ceiling stays low, and worse... 'it degrades the quality of your magi.'

In the beginning, you could kill any random foe and absorb their soul to surge ahead. Your magi quantity explodes, and you feel overflowing with power. But 'stagnation hits fast.' Eventually, you need stronger souls in greater numbers just to budge, and cramming in so many forcibly muddies your magi. That's why magi is vulnerable to holy power—it's impure and low-quality, so layers of tainted souls get shredded apart by divine force.

The latter path is different. Rack up feats or achievements to raise your soul's rank, and not only does your magi quantity increase—its quality rises naturally too. Your soul grows purer and stronger, toughening your physical body as a living being in tandem. Simply put: the absorption method pads your soul by slapping on others' souls like forced grafts to bulk up and 'reinforce' it. The feat method expands and transcends your soul from within.

Most demons stick to absorption. Even a Demon King might have a feat or two under their belt, but they'd rely mainly on absorption. To grow fast, they hand themselves a massive weakness: vulnerability to holy power.

'But I'm different.' I'm still just a cute little baby. I haven't ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠caught so much as a bug, let alone fought demons, humans, or beasts. My magi is the purest, clearest of any demon alive. If I rack up multiple feats without ever absorbing a soul in this state? 'I could become the strongest demon, immune even to holy power.'

But just like other demons, I'd hit one massive snag: feats are brutally hard to achieve, even for a cute baby succubus like me. Only the tiniest elite pull them off—unifying all demons to claim the throne, soloing an unstoppable foe and winning, or making some world-shaking discovery. The world's will only recognizes deeds on that scale.

Those require immense power upfront, so demons desperately absorb souls to build it. 'But I'm different.' I lack power, but I have ability. The succubus signature power: Hwallangmong. At base, it's just dream manipulation—sneaking into the dreams of unresisting or sleeping targets to toy with them and drain their essence. A pathetic ability.

"Who am I?" Daughter of the Succubus Queen and the Demon King. I possess an upgraded version beyond ordinary succubi: Hwallangsimmong. And after days of effort, I've developed a brand-new ability not even in the game.

'Behold: Hwallansegye!' It transcends mere dreams, crafting hyper-realistic worlds within. With just minimal info, things beyond my imagination manifest naturally in the dream, as if guided by some correction force. 'This might not be a full feat, but maybe it counts as an 'achievement'?'

Of course, since it's a game-exclusive power I forced into existence, it has hard limits... I can only use it on myself. The tradeoff for breaking my innate ceiling: usable solely on me. 'Useless, right?' Heh heh heh. You fool. Hwallansegye was designed from the start for my own dreams. With this, 'that' becomes possible.

'The Realm of Mind and Time!'Hwallangmong makes dream senses indistinguishably real—not just pleasure for draining essence, but pain, magi flow, everything. Run hard, and you gasp for air. Get slashed or stabbed, and agony hits. Lose too much blood, and you dizzy out. Plus, I can summon any monster I desire to fight.

'Perfect for training.' Demons grow magi and body alike as souls evolve. Why risk real death when you can battle lifelike foes in the Fantasy World, rack up experience, and gain enlightenment risk-free? Sure, I don't know spells yet, but mastering magi control alone will help hugely.

"Bella, is Lena alright?"

"Aside from sleeping way too much lately... yeah, same as always. When she's awake, she stares at the mirror obsessively."

Succubi are supposed to be super narcissistic anyway, Lilith replied indifferently, her expression a far cry from the doting warmth she showed Regina. A mere maid mouthing off to the Succubus Queen? Too cheeky by half.

"Good to hear. Thanks for always looking after her, Bella."

Lilith just smiled sweetly and spoke affectionately. Bella wasn't a real maid to begin with. It was weird seeing someone of her stature prancing around in a maid outfit, using formal speech everywhere. Her rank was ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠no lower than the Succubus Queen's. Only Lilith knew her true identity—which made Bella the sole non-succubus in this mansion.

Bella, lounging with legs crossed, pondered something before speaking up as if struck by a thought.

"Oh, right."

"Hm?"

"Miss Lena said she wants to become the Demon King."

"...Is that treason?"

"Probably not."

Lilith looked mildly troubled. Did Lena even know her dad was the Demon King? Only one way for a Demon King to lose the title: total soul annihilation upon death. 'I can't imagine him losing to anyone...' Picturing him taking cute punches from Lena's tiny arms without resisting drew a giggle. But one worry nagged.

'He saw something in her.' The day Regina was born, the Demon King was here. He stared at newborn Lena, then left wordlessly. From that day, Bella started living here—a first, despite his legion of kids and loyal retainers. What potential did he see in Lena?

'To me, she's just my adorable baby...' Lilith became his concubine to breed forces against otherworld foes. She hoped his bloodline would shine on future battlefields. If Lena had potential, great.

'But...' As Succubus Queen and a mother, Lilith just wanted her to grow up ordinary. Better no talent and skipped for war than vanishing on the frontline.

'Please...'

Bella silently watched Lilith close her eyes in prayer, then slipped out to Regina's room—as always. Opening the door: still fast asleep, just like before. Un-demon-like, but her sleeping face was angelic. Having a nightmare? Lena whimpered softly, shaking her head. Bella watched, smiled faintly, and gently stroked her hair.

...Sweet dreams.

"FUUUUUUCK!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

A crude curse burst from the cute girl's lips. Her voice was adorably bell-like, amplifying the dissonance, but she didn't care.

...Or rather, couldn't.

"What kind of dream is this real?!"

She'd made it that way. A succubus girl bolted madly through a forest, a massive explosion erupting behind her.

💥 KABOOOOOM—————!

Reckless curiosity's price. Fantasy World let her summon even unseen things beyond recognition, so why not peek at Dad's face? [Manifestation: 0.4%]. Who knew the summoned Demon King—aka Dad—would spam magic on sight?!

"GYAAAAAAAAH!"

Too panicked to dispel the illusion, she just fled, panting... until

💥 BAM!

She rocketed into a blank white void—the default dream state, unsummoned. Landing here meant she'd just "died" once. Instant, painless.

"...Hate Dad."

Never summoning him again.