Chapter 22: Encounter
"Fuck… you've got to be kidding."
Shin was situated on a cliff, trying to scout the Tenth Wave.
"I know it was supposed to be 2,000, but this is way too much."
From a distance, he could see a colony of Demons spread out.
"And… are those Demons leading them?"
It was akin to an army. Each Demons were spread out with a Viscount Demon leading them.
This Wave was unlike any that Shin had ever seen before.
The difficulty of each wave was already hard enough for Shin who was still a Third Star.
The Tenth Wave's difficulty had exponentially skyrocketed compared to the Ninth Wave.
And worse…
It seemed like the Demons were capable of thoughts, evident by the Viscount Demon leading them.
In the first place, Abyss Gates were never meant to be tackled alone.
Even if you were a Fourth Star, going alone in a Fourth Star Gate was a death sentence.
The only reason Shin survived this far was due to him being a Contractor, and his… 'unique' approach in each wave.
But it seemed like the same strategy wouldn't be possible in this wave.
"Haa… I wonder if I'll survive this."
[Shin, I'd advise you to lay low until you reach Fourth Star, if possible, wait until you're a Fifth Star.]
"Fifth Star, huh? That's gonna take three more years."
[It's either that, or we die here. Pick your poison man.]
"Haa… I know."
Shin wasn't stupid.
From a distance, he could tell just how strong each Viscount Demons were.
With his current capabilities, it wasn't something he could handle yet.
'...!?'
Suddenly, Shin felt a chill down his spine.
One of the Viscount Demons turned around and locked eyes with Shin.
"Fuck, even from this distance?"
Shin was a great distance away from the Demon Colony, it shouldn't have been possible for a Demon to sense him.
'!!!'
Shin's alarm bells went off.
He had no choice but to make a hasty retreat, Rewarping continuously until he returned to the cave.
As he arrived at the cave, he instantly unfurled his sleeping bag.
"Looks like this place is no good, they'll find me here in no time."
Shin quickly packed his things and stuffed them inside the Nexus Ring.
Then...
BOOM!
The cave shook intensely as debris started falling from the ceiling.
Just outside the cave, there was a visible crater that appeared as rock dust covered the line of sight.
The rock dust dissipated, revealing the silhouette of a hooded man with long platinum-blonde hair, clad under a black mantle.
No, as the man lowered his hood, there were two visible obsidian horns protruding from his forehead, and one of the horns seemed to be chipped.
A Demon.
Shin stood there frozen, his hands trembled at the sight before him.
[Shin, whatever you do, don't fight him]
'I know, you've been calling me crazy for thr past year, but I know how to pick my fights.'
He realized the man in front of him could erase him with just a lift of his finger.
Suddenly a chilling voice reached Shin's ear.
"Ah, so you were the little rat sneaking around this place."
"..."
Shin couldn't respond.
Death.
Death was looming close.
"Hmm? You're kind of weak, I applaud you for making it this far."
"..."
Shin could only fix himself to a battle stance, gripping the hilt of his blade tightly.
Fuuu! Crackle!
The ground cracked, and in an instant, the Demon disappeared.
No, he was moving way too fast for Shin to follow, as the Demon reappeared and grabbed Shin by the neck, suffocating him.
[Shin!]
"Kughhh!"
"Interesting, I can sense the concentration of Demonic Miasma within you. Yet, it seems like you are a human."
Shin could feel his mana core getting absorbed, his arms started limping.
"Ughkkk!"
Shin couldn't breathe, but even if he could, he wouldn't be able to respond.
Fear.
Shin felt fear for the first time since being reborn, as cold sweat started beading from his forehead.
Suddenly, the Demon's expressions changed as he clicked his tongue.
The Demon's gaze turned towards a peculiar corner.
In that corner, there was a visible silhouette that piled up.
"Tsk, how distasteful…"
He tightened his grip around Shin's neck.
"Aghckkkk"
"You've got guts, I'll give you that. But you've been feeling awful after consuming that many Demons, haven't you?"
The Demon shifted his gaze to the vomit stain on the corner.
Then he laughed.
"Haha, I knew it. You've just been mindlessly eating Demons to satiate your hunger, how idiotic."
'...? What is he talking about, Noct?'
[I don't know… us Deities don't have too much knowledge about Demons.]
'Fuck, how useless.'
"Every Demon you ingest, your body gets filled with Miasma. It's practically leaking right now, that's how I was able to find you."
"Kuughhh!"
"But I can't blame you, you probably didn't know you could circulate and contain it within your mana core."
'Is that true?'
[I don't know. But from how he described it, it should be similar to what you do when you Assimilate.]
'I see… but wouldn't that be similar to a Demonic Contract?'
[Most likely, but you aren't contracted with a Demon.]
Demon Contracts, the exact opposite of Deity Contracts.
Not much is known to the public about Demon Contracts.
And just like the Deities, the Demons don't know much about Deities.
'Maybe that's why he can't sense you.'
"I can see the fear in your eyes. But don't worry, I won't kill you"
If Shin could breathe a sigh of relief, then he would.
"You're the most interesting human I've ever seen. If given a few more years, you might be able to harness the Demonic Miasma within you without being a Contracted."
'Is that possible?'
[I don't know, Shin.]
'Fuck.'
Shin could conclude that the concentration of Demonic Miasma was the reason why he was slowly losing his sanity.
From the little information he knew about Demonic Contracts, it would eat away your consciousness, but the power in return was great.
A Demon Contractor that was contracted for a year, could easily beat a Deity Contractor that was contracted for three years.
But a Demon Contractor hasn't been identified in the last fifty years. Which is why the public had little to no information about them.
The Demon suddenly stopped gripping Shin's neck and dropped him on the ground.
Thud!
Cough! Cough!
"I'm not here for you anyway, I'm looking for someone else who is hiding in this realm."
At the mention of an anomaly, millions of questions flooded Shin's mind.
'Someone else?'
'Does that mean there's someone else here?'
'Why haven't I seen them?'
Step, step.
The Demon strode forward, making his way to the exit.
"You're truly an interesting boy, I can't wait to see what you'll become in a few more years."
Snap!
The Demon snapped its fingers, and a mark suddenly appeared on Shin's cheek.
"That's a Demon Mark. With that, I'll be able to find you wherever you are."
'Fuck, can you remove this, Noct?'
[I can try, but don't get your hopes up. Demons were always stronger than Deities.]
'Okay.'
As the Demon left the cave, he imparted a chilly message to Shin.
"I'll be seeing you around, Shin Nocturn. Goodluck surviving this wave."
With that, the Demon disappeared.
Grabbing his neck and coughing, Shin could feel his mana core severely drained as his vision started getting hazy.
"Haa… problems after another… I just want to get back home."
Thud!
Shin laid on the ground, helpless.
His hands on his neck, trying to mediate the pain he just felt.
Tears started straining his eyes.
"Fuck, why is it always me that has to suffer so much?"
Shin's voice was shaky, as tear beads started flowing down his cheek.
Feeling exhausted, Shin passed out cold on the ground.
.
.
[I'm sorry for being such a useless partner… Even in this life, I'm still unable to protect you, Shinei.]
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone