The rain began to fall without warning.
The smoky haze that blanketed the area slowly dispersed with each and every drop.
Ryan felt the cold rain falling on his skin.
But his attention remained fixed on the girl in front of him.
'What just happened? Ten seconds ago, she was a little girl who barely reached my waist.'
The figure now standing before him was completely different.
Her thick thighs and a very pronounced cleavage became visible as her body transformed inside that small dress.
"What happened to you? Are you really human?" Ryan asked.
"We don't have time for that," she replied without looking at him, her eyes fixed on the demons.
"We'll talk later."
Ryan kept watching her, understanding well that it wasn't the right time to talk, but the doubt he had now was unsettling.
'If she really isn't human and she's with those demons... I won't overthink it, it's better to just verify it.'
"Inspect."
The system window deployed in front of him.
[ CHARACTER STATUS ]
Race: [Human]
Level: 95 — Rank: A
Class: Mage
Titles: Wizard Cursed.
Strength: 105 | Magic: 3678 | Agility: 105 | Psyche: 1200 | Stamina: 937 | Luck: 0 |
"3678 magic power... A-rank and that level. None of that was visible before, so is it because of your cursed title?"
"Ah, you noticed? I put all my points into magic and stamina, everything else is empty. Well, not completely—the title I have boosts my stats by +100 and my Psyche to 1200," she said with a smile on her face.
"But why the change in your appearance? And did you really use all your points on magic? That's risky for a solo player, don't you think?"
The girl walked a bit, positioning herself next to Ryan.
"Haha, risky? My current power is almost at S-rank, you know?"
'Not quite, her stamina is very low. But a mage doesn't need that much stamina, I suppose.'
From the front, the two demons watched them without moving. The taller one crossed his arms and let out a loud laugh.
"Why don't you two stop blabbering? Big or small, it won't make a difference. In your current state, this will be much more fun for me."
The other demon nodded.
"You entered the Demon King's domain. That comes with a price."
'So we really are in demonic territory. I don't like this situation, but if she can defend herself, I'll be able to fight without worrying.'
Ryan maintained his guard but analyzed the situation coldly. Even if he had to fight against both of them, he had boosted his attributes quite a bit since the dungeon, but he didn't know the true power of these demons.
It was the first time he had ever seen a demon.
The atmosphere remained tense. The rain was falling harder.
But there was something in his favor: the demons would only view the girl as a threat, thinking Ryan was just a simple support member.
'Of course.'
"Inspect."
The window appeared before his eyes.
"Rank, Principality... Legion."
Human ranks followed a clear scale, but this was different.
Then the girl laughed.
"Why are you so calm?" Ryan muttered.
"Hey," he told the girl in a low voice. "Their rank isn't like humans'."
"Have you never seen a demon before?"
"Of course not."
She looked at him for a second, as if that were the most unbelievable thing she had ever heard in her life.
"Legion is the lowest rank among demons, and the other one is a Principality, but they won't be a problem."
And before she could say anything else, one of the demons launched the first attack.
A direct strike. Fast.
The girl extended a hand, and a magic shield appeared effortlessly, completely absorbing the impact. She didn't back down even a single centimeter.
Ryan looked at her out of the corner of his eye.
'I was about to activate my Fire Wall, but she reacted quickly.'
The second demon attacked from another angle. Same result. The shield held up without any cracks, and she remained standing, calm, almost bored.
"Is that all you've got?" she said.
The demons tensed up.
"Insolence, don't brag just because you blocked a basic attack!"
They unleashed fire magic this time. Two simultaneous columns.
The shield appeared once more, blocking everything.
While the demons were still completely absorbed in launching their consecutive attacks,
Ryan moved quickly and silently.
The demon with the Legion rank was keeping a greater distance.
Ryan appeared right behind him and unleashed a strike with all his strength.
He pierced through his chest with his fire gauntlets.
The demon fell.
[Bonus acquired: +62,000 XP]
[Luck Bonus: +62,000 XP]
[Level increased]
[Level bonus: +20 points]
[Stats increased: +10 to all stats]
'So luck helps with that too?'
The remaining demon spun around, visibly shocked.
"What...? How? You're supposed to be a support."
"I'm wondering about that myself," the girl commented, looking at him with curiosity.
"Do you two want to chat in the middle of a fight?" Ryan said.
The demon hesitated. He looked at his fallen companion. Then at Ryan. Then at the girl.
And he bolted.
"Oh, he's going to escape. He's fast," Ryan commented.
"Don't worry, he won't escape."
The girl reached into her pockets and pulled out two gems. They were small, engraved with runes that glowed faintly.
"What is that?"
"A magic relic."
She extended both hands forward.
"Twins Fire."
Two swords of fire emerged directly from the ground.
They pierced through the demon's body. He screamed in pain.
"D...damn you! I..."
Before he could finish his sentence, within seconds, there was nothing left of him.
The girl laughed.
"See? I told you I'm the most powerful mage in Ehres Valley."
Ryan looked at her for a moment. Then he nodded slowly.
'She's strong, but I think she's crazy.'
"Yeah, whatever you say, but now are you going to tell me why your appearance changed?"
She approached him, looking at him with curiosity.
"Does that surprise you? It's because of my cursed title. When I run out of mana, I take on that appearance."
"So this is your real appearance?"
"Yes, I told you I'm not a child, remember? But what surprises me the most here is you. Aren't you supposed to be a priest? How do you have that kind of strength?"
Ryan opened his mouth to answer.
But something stopped him.
He spun around abruptly, on guard.
"What's wrong?" she asked.
"I felt someone approaching."
"Stealth?" she murmured.
Ryan remembered his skill at that exact moment.
"Reveal Hidden"
About ten meters away, a figure appeared through the rain.
Another demon. And the Inspect window confirmed it—it was another Principality.
But from the way he was observing them, he was clearly different from the previous one.
"My," the demon said calmly. "I didn't expect you to notice my presence."
He extended a hand, pointing directly at Ryan.
"Mana Burn."
As the demon finished his sentence, Ryan dropped to one knee, propping himself up with one hand on the ground.
He felt as if nearly all his energy had vanished.
The rain kept falling.