The Greater Hellhound finally turned and walked away, its massive form disappearing into the forest. The three female demons sighed in relief.
One of them said, "I thought I was going to get eaten! Just how hungry is he to smell a human?"
Another replied, "There's no human that can handle the miasma in our domain. It's impossible."
Malara, who had been deep in thought, glanced around and said, "You two go ahead. I forgot something."
The other two demons hesitated. "Are you sure, Malara? What if Lord Hound comes back and eats you?"
Malara shook her head. "I'm fine. He's not coming back. Go on."
The two female demons nodded and left, disappearing into the forest. Malara walked toward the darker part of the forest, and Seojun, curious, followed her at a safe distance.
Seojun trailed Malara, [The beings in this domain are demons who live by their own rules. Female demons like Malara are considered weak compared to the males, and male demons often eat their own kind. This is how the hierarchy works in this domain.]
Seojun frowned, feeling a bit of pity for Malara. He watched as she walked deeper into the forest. Malara knelt down and began picking flowers from the ground—some that Seojun had never seen before. She handled them with care, as if they were precious.
Seojun kept his distance, observing her actions with growing curiosity. The sight of Malara collecting flowers in such a dangerous place made him wonder about her true intentions and the nature of this domain.
As Malara walked away, Seojun leaned against a tree and spoke softly to Huno and Silla. "Go back to the guardian space for now."
Huno and Silla nodded and vanished into their respective guardian spaces.
Seojun then accessed his status screen and went to the message icon. He browsed through the messages and asked, "What am I supposed to do here, system?"
The system responded, [Your objective is to defeat the Fallen Deity, Host]
Seojun nodded. He continued to read the messages on his screen.
[System Notification: You have defeated the Abyss Calamity! Rewards, bonuses, loot, and skills have been granted.]
Seojun continued scrolling through his skills, taking note of his new abilities:
- Illusion Mastery: Allows the creation of illusions to mislead or confuse enemies.
- Dark Aura Emission: Lets Seojun emit a dark aura to intimidate or weaken his foes.
He then saw that his Fireball skill that upgraded to Blaze Sphere had an option to evolve further.
[System Notification: Blaze Sphere Evolution Available. Click 'Yes' to proceed with the upgrade.]
Seojun clicked "Yes," and a notification appeared:
[System Notification: Blaze Sphere Evolution Loading... Please wait.]
As the system began loading the evolution, Seojun remained alert. He activated his Stealth skill to remain hidden and prepared to follow Malara.
He leaped down from the tree, landing softly on the ground. Staying in his stealth, Seojun followed the path Malara had taken, careful not to make a sound as he moved through the dark forest.
Seojun moved quietly through the forest, noticing a flickering light in the distance. As he approached, he saw that it was a fire. He pulled up the hood of his coat, concealing his face and blending into the shadows.
Peering through the trees, Seojun discovered a village engulfed in flames. Demons clashed violently with one another amidst the chaos. He frowned and took cover behind a tree, trying to make sense of the situation.
He moved to another tree for a better view, observing the battle more closely. He noted the differences between the demons: Malara had two curved horns, while her opponents sported a single horn in the center of their heads. Aside from the horn differences, the demons looked very similar.
Seojun saw some of the one-horned demons dragging Malara's kind into a large cage with a wheel, while the surrounding houses burned.
[The village is experiencing a conflict between different demon factions. The one-horned demons are from a rival faction and are attacking Malara's kind. They are capturing Malara's people and burning their homes. The chaos is due to a power struggle between these factions.]
Seojun wondered why the Great Hellhound was helping its kind and system responded.
[The Great Hellhound is their lord but also a selfish demon. It seems like the demons were sold to the one-horned demon faction.]
Seojun stayed hidden as Malara was thrown away into the trees. He moved quickly, pulling her behind a tree and covering her mouth.
"Be quiet if you want to live," he whispered. Malara's eyes widened at the sight of the tiny human but she nodded in agreement.
A one-horned demon came close, not seeing Seojun, he grabbed it by the horn and forced it to kneel. He then used his knee to smash its face, Unaware of his own strength he killed the one horned demon it instantly(Skull crashed). Seojun thought to himself, "It's dead?"
Malara was shaken, watching the tiny human display such incredible strength.
Seojun watched from his hiding spot as the one-horned demons began to leave. They were dragging the captured demons of Malara's kind inside a large cage.
Malara sat on a large rock, her minotaur-like hands fidgeting with the fur on her arms. It had been three hours since the chaos in the village, and the forest around them had returned to a tense stillness.
Occasionally, Malara would glance at Seojun, who stood with his back to her, absorbed in his inventory. Seojun noticed her frequent stares and turned slightly, asking, "What is it?"
Malara quickly averted her gaze, scratching her cheek nervously. "A-ah, nothing," she mumbled.
Seojun sighed and turned fully around, walking over to her. "How many times are you going to stare at me?" his brow furrowing in irritation.
Malara, feeling embarrassed, stood up and shuffled a few steps away, her large, muscular frame shifting uncomfortably. Seojun watched her with a puzzled expression, thinking, 'What's wrong with her?'
He shook his head, refocusing on his inventory as he tried to make sense of the situation.
Seojun sighed, looking at Malara with uncertainty. His system suddenly asked, [What are you planning to do with her, Host?]
Seojun replied, "I don't know. I don't even know why I saved her."
Malara, overhearing this, felt anxious. She spoke up, "Uhmm…"
Seojun turned to face her. The towering minotaur-like figure of Malara now stood right in front of him.
"I'm Malara. Thank you for saving me," she said, her voice trembling slightly.
"You're welcome," they fell into an awkward silence. Seojun thought to himself, 'How long has it been since I had someone to talk to?'
The system hologram then flashed, [We are talking, Host.] Seojun raised his hand and dismissed the hologram, muttering, "She's different."
"Different?" Malara asked, confused.
"Not you," Seojun clarified, then added, "I have something important to do, so you're on your own."
He turned and started to walk away, but suddenly Malara grabbed his coat.
"P-please help us," she pleaded. "Seeing how you easily killed the Oni, I know you can help my clan."
Seojun tried to pull his coat away. "I have something important to do," he said firmly.
Malara didn't let go and ran in front of him, kneeling down. "Please, My Lord! Save my clan!"
Seojun looked at her 'When did i become her lord?'
Malara, desperate to save her clan, began offering anything she could. "I can be your slave," she said urgently. "You can do whatever you want with me. If you're hungry, you can eat me! Just save my clan, my lord!"
She moved closer to Seojun, extending her arms toward him. Seojun, startled and uncomfortable, stepped back. "Stop! I'm not hungry! Don't get too close to me!"
Malara halted immediately and took three steps back, her expression one of fear and regret. Seojun scratched his head, troubled by the situation. 'Is saving her a wrong decision?' he wondered. 'I need to clear this area so I can move on to another already.'
With a heavy sigh, Seojun resolved to finish his task and find a way to resolve the conflict.