Scarlet

I frown as I kill demon after demon from up on the second floor without even getting down there, getting stack after stack of blood thirst as I occasionally move out of the way of crossbow bolts being fired by huntsmen who are far too low leveled for me to care about. But very few of the demons are actually giving me much if anything in terms of EXP. Because the demons who are level forty and below don’t give me any EXP at all, whereas the ones between forty-one to sixty – which make up the majority of the demons down there – give me so little that it barely matters at all.

A real dilemma, but at the same time, probably is for the best considering it’d mean a lot more casualties if there were more stronger ones.

Anyways, after quickly taking care of the weakest ones that don’t even bother giving me EXP, I find the higher level huntsmen beginning to shoot bolts at me. And along with them, various higher leveled spawn are beginning to climb up the stairs to the second floor in order to reach me. But what catches my attention the most is the sight of the captain raising his sword, with the blade beginning to glow a fiery red.

Right. The demons who aren’t sapient tend to get rather garbage magics in their contracts and have everything in their System decided on by their contracted fae. But the ones who are sapient get magic more along the lines of what we humans get.

“You learned that in System Basics, right?” Tar asks, and I nod my head as I tense up slightly, watching the flaming sword extend a little. The demon captain then pulls his arm horizontally across his chest before swinging the blade in a horizontal arc straight towards me, sending a large arc of flames flying my way.

I jump down from the second floor, making various cracks in the ground when I land. And when I look up again, I find the arc smashing into the part of the second floor balcony that I was standing on, setting it ablaze and also cutting it almost in half at the same time.

Huh. Yeah, that would’ve hurt.

I look down around me at the demons that are all starting to ignore most of the civilians and lower leveled Guardians to head towards me, giving them a much needed break. And many of them are sending me appreciative looks. But I just focus on the demons, first using blood boil and life drain on the ones closest while also sending my blood shadow – who had continued walking across the ground with their shadow enhanced to hide from sight when I jumped to the second floor – after the higher leveled demons during the charge.

Maybe now I can get some more EXP.

My mana has increased exponentially as I’ve leveled up, so I shouldn’t have to worry about running out even amidst this horde.

A grin makes its way onto my face as I spread my hands out, blood claws activating on both my shifted and non-shifted hands.

“Let’s hunt,” I mutter before immediately sprinting into the throng of demons, planning on cutting my way through them towards the core.

At The Core

Phenex Sombra was ecstatic the moment he was chosen by the lord of the lands he lived in – a quiet volcano region known as Xasaract – to lead the Fracture that had just appeared during this Assault next to the small village Phenex lived in. A village teeming with hundreds of other level one hundred demon trihearts – a term the humans simply ignore to call ‘demon captains.’ As if they were all nothing more than their broad species.

He was excited at the chance of proving himself. At the chance of advancing to Class II through surviving a Fracture and getting rewarded by the lord himself with a core fragment – one of the many possible resources a contractor may devour in order to advance past the fragile chains of Class I.

But now? Now he can’t help but feel his blood boiling at the sight of a human with an appearance akin to the royal family in almost every way possible.

Why? Why does this female human look so much like His Majesty and the Blood Lord?

At first he was absolutely convinced she was a blood lycan child who had snuck into the Fracture when he first saw her. But then he saw the identification the System registered her as.

|Hu-ma\n Contractor – Level 90|

His surprise was so great that he didn’t even bother attacking her for so long that the female human managed to kill a massive number of his forces without much trouble.

I don’t think I’ve ever heard the System sound so strange when identifying something before. But it doesn’t change the fact that she’s a human.

Phenex’s eyes narrow as he focuses on the girl who is currently rushing straight towards him, tearing a bloody path straight through his forces in the process.

And the order is absolute.

“Be careful,” Phenex’s fae states, his voice echoing in the demon’s mind. “This one is dangerous.”

I know.

The trihearts demon glances at the core behind him, only to focus on the girl again to find her attention entirely on him, seemingly not giving a damn about the core.

A berserker then.

Despite knowing that this human is indeed a human, he can’t help but feel unnerved at the many similarities in her appearance and skills, and even her magic towards the royal family and blood lycans in general. But he pushes past those feelings as he raises his blade and begins charging directly at her while shouting at his knights, “Forward!”

Similarities in appearance and magic aside, the girl is still a human. And humans are biologically inferior to demons. So she shouldn’t be able to match me in strength. Especially not while ten levels below me.

Phenex and the knights charge straight towards the girl, absolutely confident in his chance to win.

But his confidence is shattered the moment his blade meets her shapeshifted hand’s claws, only to be pushed backwards.

Phenex stumbles slightly in surprise, giving her an opening to bring her other claw straight up through his armor, cutting through it as if she were a higher level than him in the same class instead of the other way around.

The man’s eyes widen as he backs up.

High rarity Predator Skill! No, something even more! Is this girl really just a human?!